More people are OS than you think!

23rdspiral

MrsRogers wrote: »

I use to be bored with no real interests... now I have a sowing machine, breadmaker, (all 2nd hand in case it doesn't work out), I grow my own veg and love my garden.. Im having craft stuff for Xmas and now even having 'Craft Days' with friends I never even knew where into this stuff !! (we all coming out of the closet ) Other friends are so fascinated they are asking how we make this or do that ....

:T yeay for productive hobbies and converting friends! that's what i'm up to quite a bit of the time. its so nice when non-crafty friends want to be taught something just so they can come over on craft night too!

nattyt

MrsRogers wrote: »

Old Style


I totally agree with the OP... I am totally turning into OS although not 100%.. its mainly that DH and I needed to tighten our belts a little many months ago for a short time and now its kind of snowballed from there.. I'm addicted.

We too have more money to spend on the things we want as apposed to being 'brainwashed' into by marketing or other influences.
Ill give you an example I have just purchased a pair of Uggs.. Expensive yes... previously I would have just bought them the minute I wanted them and purchased them from the first place I found them... instead.... I have waited a month to make sure I REALLY wanted them. I researched on here and other sites for the best deals of 'Genuine' ones and managed to get them £80 cheaper delivered .:T:T

I use to be bored with no real interests... now I have a sowing machine, breadmaker, (all 2nd hand in case it doesn't work out), I grow my own veg and love my garden.. Im having craft stuff for Xmas and now even having 'Craft Days' with friends I never even knew where into this stuff !! (we all coming out of the closet ) Other friends are so fascinated they are asking how we make this or do that ....

My mum in reveling in it all as she has always been OS a call her a mix of Delia and Kirstie Allsopp!!:rotfl:

:TOS ROCKS :T

You sound just like me!!!:):)

ChocClare

MrsRogers wrote: »

Im having craft stuff for Xmas and now even having 'Craft Days' with friends I never even knew where into this stuff !! (we all coming out of the closet ) Other friends are so fascinated they are asking how we make this or do that ....

My friend at work realised she had about eight tons of arty/crafty stuff in her house and so invited a few people round for a craft evening to use it up...

Well, we haven't used it up, but I can honestly say it's the evening I look forward to all week, even when all we do is sit round and knit or crochet. It's amazing how you will have a go at things when there's four or five of you to give it a try. Last week, we marbled paper and fabric using value shaving foam and a carrier bag full of half empty silk dyes and acrylic glitter paints. As one of the girls said, this will make a nice hanky if nothing else! And we made a load of practically "free", original wrapping paper...

The craft evenings are leading up to having a Green Christmas, where presents are either homemade or bought from a charity shop or car boot sale. Not to save money (though that's kind of an added bonus) but because none of us see why we should be hopping on the marketing bandwagon and wandering round Marks & Spencer looking for £30 or £40 presents which the recipient may possibly not even like, when we could be doing something completely original :T

eco

I'm OS not 100%, but I can mend clothes and I have 2 sewing machines thank's to my mum, not very good with them tho, I grow veg and as I'm lactose intollerent I cook from scratch. I guess we all think were not very OS but when you start to think what you do it's more than you realise.

amber03

I have turned into a OS person and love it, wish i had done it years ago[if i had joined these boards years ago i would have]. I think more people are going back to the OS way of living which can only e a good thing. My MIL has a sewing machine think i will ask her can i borrow it as she never uses it. When i was a teenager i always made my own skirts and used to get lots of complements. You dont see many shops selling material and wool like you used to, hopefully this will change.

I cook alot from scratch especially cakes and try and pay for items with cash if i hav'nt got the money on me i don't buy it.

[Deleted User]

I am so pleased in a way that the recession has brought out some long lost crafts that had been forgotten.
Cooking from scratch without resorting to the dreaded 'pinging' of the microwave, crocheting seems to have taken off in a big way,knitting as well. People actually getting together as in ChocClare 's post sound great.It not only brings out the best in folk it gets people 'talking to each other' again instead of just an email or text. How terrific if there were more 'stitch 'n' Bi**h groups .
I go to a craft class that ten of us set up mutually 4 years ago when the local authority decided in their wisdom that they would cancel the existing one as it was 'uneconomic'.We used to pay between £60-70 each for two hours once a week. I now pay £5.00 per month, and that covers the hire of the local church hall for two hours once a fortnight .There is one lady there Jan who is excellant at crafting and very artistic so she will bring bits in to show us how to do different crafts .We don't pay her, and she does it because it a social occassion as well.We have all gone out as a group to shows and the theatre and the oldest lady there is 85 and she says she looks forward to craft afternoons so much.She is picked up by one of us and brought there and taken home afterwards, and any outing we go on she is included the youngest there is in her 30s so there is a wide range of folk .One lady does amatuer dramatics and we all go and cheer her on her first nights.In ten days time we will have our Christmas do and we all collect together and buy Jan a gift for all her help during the past year .Its so nice that we ahve managed to keep the group together and actually got a couple of new members who turn up each fortnight.We have charity days when we make cards for our chosen charitys .This year it was McMillan and the Help for Hero's .We even got a local school involved in making cards to send out to the soldiers as there are no cards shops in Afghanistan for a soldier to buy a card for his wife/girlfriend.This all started because a group of us thought O.K. so the council won't run a class, well we can run our own.As we pay no wages we don't need insurrance and the church insurance covers our group.Community spirit and OS saving is alive and well in the U.K. you just have to make a bit of effort and things can happen .I know lots of people who I'm sure have skills that they would love to pass on its just going that little bit further to make it happen.
So if you know anyone who might like to try a different skill and you have it then show them.How many of you work in offices and probably don't know that along side of you are possible knitters,crocheters,people who like to cook who would be pleased to be asked.So tomorrow when you go to work ask around and see what skills are lying dormant all around you .You never know it may snowball into something as great as our little craft class.