The Compact Challenge 2010 (formally "Need help for a challenge")

pink_numbers

Thank you all very much for your help on the curtain front! I shall discuss all the options with the other half and see what he thinks is the best way to go also (I have to make him feel involved!).

Right, as for the cath kidson catalogue, it's purely eye candy. I've had about three of their catalogues before, plus has gone into their stores to feast the eye, but I have never bought a cath kidson because of their huge price tag. Well, I have bought two things from there before, but both were gifts for die hard cath kidson fans. So I'm not in danger of tempting myself to buy anything. I enjoy flipping through them for inspirations and for colour schemes, as I am sure I am otherwise colour blind!!

So will I be allowed this pleasure?

SanFran - are you ok??? I have lots of digestive problems too so I really feel for you Do certain food trigger your condition off? The place mats sound like a lovely gift! How many will you be making?

Aril - thank you for the blog link, I had a good drool at it for hours. Hmmmm love it! I am slowly converting each room to be softer, but you know what it's like, hundreds of little projects that has to be done before I get there. What's worse is that I can no longer be near paint, which means I have to rely on the poor OH to "feminise" things for me...

I have been quietly working away here on a stripy bag, yes a second one, and I have been following the pattern closely, and it has turned out really nice. I will post pics on the blog later, when I can take some photos in the daylight.

I also wrapped several packages to be sent off to various charities and friends, and instead of using up my stock of used padded envelopes, I have used brown papers instead. I am fearing that since I stopped buying stuff, stuff won't come in nice padded envelopes, so I will have to conserve them for sending stuff to "posh" people Are you allowed to send stuff wrapped in girft wrap if it's wrapped say, couple of layers?

415SanFran

Hi,
If the catalog is only for a "look see" and get ideas from then yes we all need our little pleasures in life.

Sorry I didn;t comment on the curtain thing I am a visual person and without seeing what you are talking about not much help.

Yes I have triggers, that is why I don't touch dairy or meat, but it seems an ever lasting list that just carries on, it all started when I was pregnant, all I could eat was sweetcorn curry (yep its as bad as it sounds) and drank a river of Lucazade. I just thought it was a preggy thing and didn't think about it. Then the children were born, and it turned out they could not drink formula that had any lactose or soya, so the hospital had to make up a special formula for them, as they were only 3lbs collectively we had to be very careful that they got all they needed, in tiny amounts. Rob was 1lb 1oz Tom was 2lb dead on. ( they are now both 6'3 and weigh about 14 stone) I am 5'3 and weigh about 9stone dripping wet!
My eldest daughter can eat anything she likes, but she is a typical SF tree-hugger :whistle: And seems to have been born green/frugal/ long before it was in fashion, I remember being very frustrated with her when I used to start the shower and go into the bedroom to sort clothes out (wouldn't dream of doing that now) and she would come along and turn it off telling me off for wasting both water and electric.

The place setting should be finished in a day, but I suffer from inertia at times so am going to give myself a couple of weeks, she has a round wooden table that seats four, so that's how many I am going to make.

415SanFran

I just got a flier from our local church asking if we could please donate a woolen hat, for some of the old folk in the parish.

As my skills are not as apt as your's I am going to buy one when I go into town tomorrow, as this is a charity event and not for me I feel that it is justifiable spend?

Thought of you the moment I read it!

pink_numbers

Wooooo! Is there a deadline for the church hat request? I would love to make a couple and donate to them... Would you mind finding out when they are due for and if you could pass me on their postal address, I would be very grateful!

Sweetcorn curry? I never realised such thing existed! :rotfl:Is this why you are a vegetarian or are you a veggy for moral reasons also? My OH and I were discussing going veggy, which is something we play around with the idea of, every time we see one of those "kill it, cook it, eat it" type of programs. We eat so little meat anyway as I can't digest most meats. As a Japanese person though, I think I would really struggle to give up fish, so piscaterian?

Busy busy today, sorting out my yarns (love them!), lots of housework, and of course, some work thrown in somewhere in the mix. No time to spend money!

You will have to put up some photos of your placemats when they are done!

pink_numbers

How is everyone's crocheting going?

Alison_Funnell

Well on the way to my Great Uncles funeral I finished knitting the simple hat I was making. I will sew it up today! *faints* I actually finished a project.

And I have an OU assigment to get in. Then I crochet.

On the plus side after the funeral we went to his house to sort some bits out I did get darning wools, socks, towels, tea towels bed linen table clothes, china and OLD BLANKETS *dances* perfect for both the lining in some patchwork I want to do and for making new blankets for the kitties ( all 6 of them!). And hopefully a newish washing machine (4 mths old) and a lovely wooden kitchen stool as soon as the solicitor finally gets their a&*e in gear.

Seems such a shame to gain from loss but we were determined that not too much went to the house clearing people and GU was a dyed in the wool MSE! I saw items that he'd saved for years and didn't use till the originals total disintergrated. So to be honest that meant so much stuff that he never got to use ( he had been given them rather than buying them.).

My mum paid for the petrol and meal on route there and back (she is inheriting from the estate) and I took the essentials for when we were in the bungalow - flasks of hot water, tea, coffee, home made biccies and cake. So a NSD as well!

Not so good for the Declutter challenge! But you can't win them all.

pink_numbers

Awwww I'm so sorry to hear about your great uncle *big hugs* Well done for taking on his things to turn into things for others to use, I am sure your great uncle will be happy to know that you are making them useful (ok that didn't come out well, but you know what I mean...)

You have 6 kitties!!! wow! Well done for finishing the hat, I hope you can put up a photo of it here so we can all ooooogle at your handy work

What OU course are you doing?

pink_numbers

I've just edited the original post to describe more about what we are doing on this thread. I have also added a list of things I fail and buy new. If anyone else wants me to keep track of what they buy new, just let me know and I will try to keep the list updated

pink_numbers

You guys are going to be so proud of me!!

I discovered, while going through my yarn, that I didn't have the same number of lilac yarns as the other colours. This is a problem for me because my asperger's states to me that I should have the same/similar number of each colour. I also realised that I am going to run out of the pink before all the other colours, and a girl cannot possibly live without pink!

now, the old me would've grabbed the plastic and ordered these yarns. However, not having the card with me and the OH working late, gave me enough time to cool off. Then I realised that there was a colour I really didn't think went with the rest of the colours, so I asked the shop if I could exchange them for the colours I liked.

Now, I would've never thought of doing that before! (I know it seems obvious to many...) So not only did I save £27, but also stuck to the rule of not brining in any more new stuff into the house.

(This is allowed isn't it?)

Aril

Well done Pink Numbers on finding such a good solution:jMy gut instinct would have probably been to get a replacement ball if I didn't give myself time to think about it rationally. Interestingly my son has AS..it comes in from my husband's side but I definitely recognise elements of it in my behaviours aswell at times.
I have received a few items that are new to me this year but either from a couple of unexpected gifts or via some jumble bits my parents have passed onto me and which they've given me free rein to keep any bits from [that's how I've ahem ended up with 2 more paperbacks but I shall pass them onto the charity shop as soon as I've read them] Other than that it's just been food so far- I'm sure however, that I shall have a splurge at the jumble sale I'm helping at next week if anything catches my eye. I know me!
I've never tried crochet- is it easy? Another of my favourite blog haunts is the one by Attic 24- I find the originality and the bright colours she uses inspiring. I've never got beyond knitting fluffy scarves in gorgeous yarns which I really enjoy wearing.
My next frugal project is to finish the blind that I started back in the summer before I was ill. I'm making it out of the back of a cream duvet cover which had a nasty tea stain on the front and overlaying it with a sumptious sari remnant that I bought on a whim years ago. My Mum suggested that I embellish it further with rows of running stitch in gold thread and she has very kindly been helping me as my sewing skills are basic to say the least:o
Arilx