Tag Archives: gumtree

A Chair Repair

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This was quite a minor repair in the scheme of things but it restored a damaged piece of furniture to its original state.

We bought this chair secondhand from Gumtree a couple of years ago.  My original intention was to have an occasional chair in the corner of the office/library but I found a pair of chairs and the seller was not prepared to separate them so we bought them both and managed to fit both of them into the newly re-arranged room.

I recently noticed that a piece of wood had come off an arm of one of the chairs.

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It appears that the rolled ends on the arms is actually 2 pieces of timber glued together and the glue had probably dried out allowing the curved underneath piece to become detached.

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I applied some Aquadhere wood glue to the surface and used a clamp to hold it into position until the glue dried.

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The chair now looks as good as new.

A New Frock

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Yesterday I received the parcel containing this frock.

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I needed a formal outfit for a work dinner and I was not keen to spend a lot of money as it is not something that would be worn regularly.  So, I decided to look on Gumtree (an online classifieds site) and found this advertised for $20.  After a couple of phone calls and text messages to the seller, I decided to buy it.  The total cost for the dress plus postage was $28.  I am now the proud owner of a fully-lined, Australian-made evening frock in perfect condition.  It fits me perfectly – even the length is exactly what I need.

This photo shows the front bodice in more detail.

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And the back……

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I have black patent leather heels and a black bolero but I feel that the black is not the best with the deep blue so I may look at silver as another option.

Any suggestions?

New to Us

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I have been looking on Gumtree for the past couple of months for an armchair to go in the vacant corner of our office/library.  The space was created when we decided that we only needed one bookshelf rather than two.  You can read about the previous steps of the revamping of this room here.

This morning I found a listing on Gumtree for 2 chairs which were to be sold as a pair.  Although I really only wanted a single chair, we decided to take a look as it was not too far from home.

We bought the two chairs and by moving the bookcase slightly we can actually fit them both in.

012They are solid timber and are over 70 years old.  The current upholstery is in excellent condition and works perfectly in this room.  It is great to be able to find quality furniture and give it a new home.

In preparation for more furniture re-arranging tomorrow I have sold this small chest of drawers.

001They are nothing special, I bought them from Gumtree a few years ago when they were bare chipboard and painted gloss white.  I have used them for storing material and craft supplies in my sewing room but now it is time to move them along.  They will be collected tomorrow morning.

Come back tomorrow to see the newly re-vamped TV cabinet and more changes to the location and use of our existing TV stand.

Decluttering – The How

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I have done quite a bit of decluttering over the years and most of the time we are in maintenance mode here.  However, every now and then we have things that need to be moved along.

Once you have decided that an item no longer belongs in your home, the next question is, “Where does it belong?”  I try not to throw things to landfill if I feel that there may be someone who can use what I no longer want or need.

There are several options of what to do with your stuff.

Sell it – eBay or Gumtree

Give it away – Freecycle

Donate it – Lifeline, Salvos or Endeavour Foundation

These are just some of the popular and well-recognised methods here in Australia.  Of course, there are others here and I am sure there are different, yet similar options in other parts of the world.

Today I have advertised and sold a queensize bed and mattress using Gumtree.

2013-10-12 01The mattress has gone to a new owner today and the base and frame have been sold to someone else and are planned to be picked up early in the week.

Fridge/freezerFreecycle is a worldwide organisation dedicated to keeping items out of landfill.  I have assisted in that goal today by advertising our old fridge/freezer and some assorted used fencing wire.  Both items have been requested and I am just in the process of making arrangements for them to be collected.

WireNow there is just the child’s car seat which is listed on Gumtree.  I will keep my fingers crossed.

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As you can see, there is a diverse range of things that can be sold or given away.  Before you rush off to the rubbish dump or toss things in the garbage bin, stop and think about whether someone else might be able use what you no longer require.

What options do you use when decluttering?

Make Do

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Last year we swapped the single bed in the sewing room for a new (to us) bed and trundle bed.  Miss O used to sleep in the single bed when she came to stay but once Izz was also sleeping in a bed we had to re-think the sleeping arrangements.  I was not prepared to give up what is primarily my sewing room to have 2 single beds available for occasional use so I had to think laterally.  Bunk beds were not an option due the young age of the children and the proximity to the window, so we opted for the single bed plus trundle.  We found it on Gumtree, in perfect condition and only $50.  We bought new foam mattresses and were very happy with the outcome.

The next question was what to do with the existing bed.  No-one I knew needed one and I could have advertised it on Freecycle but there was a degree of emotional attachment.  Sentimentality is the last thing a minimalist needs but this bed is one that my father made over 50 years ago and I was not keen to let it go.  However, it had to justify its existence in our lives.

We had an old day-bed which we had acquired from Freecycle about 10 years ago with the goal of restoring it for use on the long verandah – imagining lazy afternoons lying reading a book and listening to the birds in the shrubs nearby.  This was a great idea but one that was unlikely to happen due to the very poor condition of the timber.

Finally, we agreed that the day-bed could be dismantled for firewood except for the wire mesh base which The Duke has appropriated for use as a sieve.  The single bed which is quite narrow (750mm) will be a day bed.  It has been on the verandah for some months now, waiting for me to make a cover for the mattress.  Although it is undercover there can be rain blow in to that area so I had to consider how to manage this.

I decided to cover the mattress in vinyl which can be bought by the metre from Spotlight.  A few weeks ago I did some measuring and we went to Spotlight with intentions of buying the vinyl but I discovered that it would cost me about $120.  I gulped and wondered whether it was really worth spending that amount of money on something which was certainly not essential and was really a way of retaining something I did not want to part with.  So we went home and I looked for alternative ideas.

I found this heavy cotton bedspread (actually I have 2 of them) in the bottom of the linen cupboard.  I am going to use it to make a cover which can be removed for laundering.  This does not address the issue of the mattress getting wet so I found the large, heavy-duty plastic bags that were the packaging from the new mattresses we bought for the trundle beds.  I will make a cover for the mattress from one of these.  We will bring the mattress inside if bad weather is imminent but otherwise I will only have to wash the cover and the mattress will stay dry and clean thanks to the plastic cover.

This project will be completed with no extra cost.  The bed will have a new use and I don’t have to part with it just yet.  We may even put a headboard and footboard on the bed but in the meantime it will be perfectly functional.

I am looking forward to finishing this and enjoying some lazy afternoons.

Inspired

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I have been inspired by reading the series of blog posts this week by Frugal Queen.  They are refresher posts on frugality and Froogs could certainly teach us all a thing or two.  If you do not read this blog it is worth popping in to see what be achieved on very little funds with a bit of creativity.

I have a single bed which was one of the ones my father made over 50 years ago.  However, with Miss O and Belle both needing beds to sleep in when they are here I needed to think laterally.  The single bed is in the room which I use for my sewing room and since I was not prepared to give up the whole room Belle suggested a trundle bed.

I looked on Gumtree on Friday evening and found one advertised not too far from where we live.  We went and collected it yesterday.  $55 for a white tubular steel single bed and trundle in new perfect condition.  We then bought 2 new foam mattresses for $50 each (on special).

Here are the 2 beds made up and ready for use.

2011-07-10 01The top sheet on the trundle is about 20 years old, the last of 2 sets that I had when my girls were young and the blankets on the beds are at least 50 years old.  They were mine when I was was a child and continue to be well-used.

2011-07-10 02Once the trundle bed is rolled away there is plenty of space in the room.  The doona and cover belonged to Missy when she was young.  I made the cover about 15 years ago and it is still as good as the day it was new.

The previous single bed is going to get a new life as a day-bed on the verandah.  I am thinking of making a slip cover for the mattress and also re-fashioning the frame slightly by adding a head and foot board to it.  That will be in another post.

Then there is frugal food.  On Friday I brought home 3 Granny Smith apples from the fruit basket at work as they would only get left there over the weekend and then discarded on  Monday when the new fruit is delivered.

I peeled and sliced them ready to stew.

2011-07-10 03I retrieved some rosella pulp from the freezer.  This was left from when I strained the cordial that I made.

2011-07-10 04Once the apple was stewed I mixed the fruit together and added a crumble topping.

2011-07-10 05So that was dessert.

2011-07-10 06Be sure to check out the blogs I have listed on the sidebar.  There is a wealth of interesting information.  I keep adding more blogs as I stumble upon them.