Anyone fancy a challenge?

skint_chick

skint_chick wrote: »

My first challenge of 2013 is to try one of the many recipes I added on Pinterest, tonight's dinner is going to be an Italian minestrone pasta soup. The rest of the challenges for January are going to be; learning about cataloguing historic items (I volunteer at a museum), trying my hand at ice scuplting (free festival at Canary Wharf 11-13th Jan)

Here's the results of my challenges so far;

http://s552.beta.photobucket.com/user/skint_chick/media/705036_10151353468586475_173725821_o_zps6613de7b.jpg.html?sort=3&o=1
polar bear carved from ice

http://s552.beta.photobucket.com/user/skint_chick/media/705036_10151353468586475_173725821_o_zps6613de7b.jpg.html?sort=3&o=1
tuscan bean soup (didn't add the pasta in the end) and it was lovely

http://s552.beta.photobucket.com/user/skint_chick/media/705036_10151353468586475_173725821_o_zps6613de7b.jpg.html?sort=3&o=1
-homemade sweet potato chips for my new fruit/veg

I didn't take any pictures of my day with the National Trust simply because I was so busy cataloging books all day.

donnajt - I've been doing project 333 for the past 6 months or so and it's made laundry and getting ready in the morning so much easier - and I've only bought a new pair of trainers, one skirt and a new pair of replacement jeans so it's saved me lots and my clothes budget has been cut again this year.

Still have my pom pom to make this weekend

flyingmamma

donnajt wrote: »

flyingmamma - what recipe did you use? I tried this Kirstie Allsopp one for my xmas hampers and its absolutely gorgeous and really easy to make:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlJxHntgwo0

Thanks will try it out... Used a 3 minute microwave receipe which sounded good but didn't thicken. Made lemon drizzle cake yesterday I think u had posted the receipe .... I changed it to coffee cake used brown sugar and instant coffee .... Was yum! Even better as I'm the only in the house who likes coffee cake!!! Need another challenge ? Have no washing/ironing or marking for the first time in forever and decluttering going well!!! All thanks to snow! And the good people on OS!

thrifty-gal26

Didn't do very well last week as still have not unpicked my cross stitch. But have been on a decluttering mission today so i say that makes up for it!

pollys

pollys wrote: »

Hello, could I join in please?

Our resolution is to have more in savings at the end of the year than we do now. All my challenges will be about money saving. I have used stardrops in the past and like it, so why is my cleaning cupboard full of bottles and sprays? My first challenge is to use up all the stuff in the cleaning cupboard that stardrops can be used for. That will help declutter the cupboard and save us money. Might take longer than a week though, but I will report back and let you know how I'm getting on.


Pollys

I'm still here and still have not used up all my bottles and sprays. I am getting there though. Better still, I haven't bought anymore. I'll buy the Stardrops when I have used up all the stuff I can use Stardrops for otherwise I'll be tempted to use it.

winniepooh

Ok my challenge for the next week starting tomorrow are

1- still got to make that bloody cheesecake
2- make curry puffs from leftover chicken
3- make a cushion cover. Im a complete novice so this isn't going to be easy.
4- an hour of reading. I have a few books on my kindle and ive not picked it up for months so need to start reading to get my money's worth.
5 - most important! All us ladies should have this as a challenge. Im going to pamper myself for one hour. I plan to epilate, tea tree toner, paint nails and a strong conditioner treatment for my hair

ChocClare

I've just spotted this thread- can I jump on please?!

A few years ago, I did a challenge which came from a self-sufficiency site, which was that every week, you should aim to:

1. Sow something
2. Harvest something
3. Prep something (ie, freeze or bottle or put something in store)
4. Contribute to your local community
5. Try a new recipe
6. Make something
7. Learn a new skill or find out something new.

I'd like to start this again this year, especially since I'm shortly to have surgery which will keep me off work for a while.

So, last week, I sowed some garlic, harvested the last of my indoor basil, made chutney, swapped eight jars of home-produced honey for half a lamb with a local farmer (RESULT!!!!!!), cooked rice pilau in the oven, FINALLY finished my daughter's jumper. Didn't learn a new skill though.

I'm not sure I'll be able to harvest much at the moment as my garden got totally flooded last year, so there's nothing much in the ground, although the rhubarb is starting to come up. I guess collecting eggs from the hens could count as harvesting??!!!

I'll report back - good luck everyone with your challenges!

ChocClare

winniepooh wrote: »

Ok my challenge for the next week starting tomorrow are - make a cushion cover. Im a complete novice so this isn't going to be easy.

May I suggest a quick and easy way to make a cushion cover?

Get a tapemeasure and measure your cushion. Add an inch/two centimetres all round.

Let's say your cushion is 40cm square. Cut out a square 44cm x 44cm. This is the front.

For the back, cut out a RECTANGLE 44cm x 54cm.

Now, measure down the long side of your rectangle and draw a line across it on the WRONG side of the fabric 20cm from the top. Cut across this line.

Measure in 2cm from the cut edge and draw a line across the wrong side of your fabric. Fold along this line to make a hem and iron it to make it stay flat. Now fold it over again, so that the cut edge doesn't show. Iron it flat.

If you have a sewing machine, sew along this hem. Or you can get some bondaweb and iron the hem down.

You should have a piece of material for the back left which is 44cm wide by 34cm long. Again, draw a line 2cm in and fold it over twice, hemming or bondawebbing.

OK, we're ready to make our cushion.

Put the front piece of material right side up on the table. Now lay your short piece of hemmed material (44cm x 20cm) WRONG side up, with the raw edge level with the raw edge of the top front of the cushion and the hemmed edge just a third of the way down, facing you.

Pin together and then machine or hand stitch up the left hand side, across the top and down the right hand side.

Now take the longer back piece, line up the raw edge with the bottom. The hemmed edge will overlap the hemmed edge of the top back piece. Again, pin and then machine or hand stitch down the right hand side, across the bottom and up the left hand side. Tidy up all your loose ends of cotton.

Now take a pair of scissors and cut off the points of the corners close to the stitches. This will stop your corners looking bulky when you turn everything right side round. Don't snip the stitching! It's also a good idea to press the seams- you can press them open as far as possible, as this makes a neater finish.

Turn your cushion cover right side out and press. Put your cushion into the cushion cover through the gap in the back and smooth out.

This way you don't need a zip or buttons, although you can make the back into the front by sewing some decorative buttons along the "pillowcase" bit.

I hope this was understandable. It's dead easy in practice but long-winded to explain!

winniepooh

Wow thanks choc thats great. Thanks ever so much x

dannie

Hi, last weeks challenge was to achieve better time management. The idea being to increase the amount of time on therapeutic activities that I have liked or like now. It had occurred to me how "life's problems" get in the way of this. I think I did quite well. As for the next challenge, if any, still to decide.

flyingmamma

was really motivated last week made 2 skirts,cake and had fudge disaster...,this week i,m gonna do some freezer cooking for after baby ...will help us in a few weeks! also plan to keep decluttering the house feels much better and laundry situation really improved since we started p333. good luck everyone with this weeks challenges u are all a great inspiration to me and have helped me loads! thanks!