Make do, Mend and Minimise in 2016

charlies-aunt

Make-do - adapted a pair of old thermal curtains by de-hemming one side and de-curtain taping the other and then sewing the 'raw' edges together to make a long back door curtain
Mend - tackled an alteration on a long ditsy floral Monsoon skirt bought from the £1 rail at Age UK - it was a bit tight at the lace trimmed waist - the lace was looking a bit worse for wear so I carefully unpicked it which eased the waistband to fit. Easy peasy and good to go for summer
Minimise - donated three bin bags of used but professionally cleaned horse rugs to Bransby Horse Rescue. Further de-cluttering planned for the next few days and any decent bric-a-brac will go the lady who runs Rabbit Rescue who runs car boot sales

Spendless

I thought this might be the thread to make a plea for help.

My DD has to have a pink flamingo costume for a musical theatre number in her next drama schools show. I've been sent a suggested link, of a costume which is around £18 or just for a mask it would be £10 and then I'd need to put all the other bits together. This is unlikely to ever be worn again so I'm not keen on either option, but I do need something.

I am hopeless at creativity and can't really sew beyond putting a button back on, but I have a Mum and friend who I can perhaps rope in to help adapt something. Am happy to hit the Charity shops in search of any items. I don't want the cost to be above £10 in total.

Floss

Bright pink leggings or tights, a too-big pink top, sweatshirt or jumper that can take a cushion sewn into the front, to give the shape, some angel wings sprayed pink and her mask. Shouldn't be too difficult to find everything.

Spendless

It's started coming together. One of the other Mums is making masks for the girls involved and I've texted a friend who keeps everything and she has a pink tutu. Thanks for the help though. x

mrs-moneypenny

Hope you get your costume sorted spendless

Happy Easter all

wildthing01

Happy Easter All

Not posted for a while, busy busy and under the weather as usual, however with the good weather and clocks going forward, have had a spurt of energy, so:

Make do: courgette and pepper pasta (a Gino D'Acampo recipe) using up last of slightly mushy peppers and courgettes (mum got me a load of courgette YS, but too much really, couldn't use it all and was too busy/tired/ill to prepare and freeze it so some got thrown out which I hate doing, but I rescued 1 pack).

Minimise: old 60's lining paper off one half of the living room ceiling. I pulled the actual hideous textured wallpaper down a few months ago, and have been living ever since with the nasty yellowed lining paper which was stuck fast. Finally got round to borrowing wallpaper steamer and getting it stripped - one end at least, very motivated to do other end now as the done end looks so much better (even with bare rough plaster and board). Living room is going to be very big expensive project (involving replacing v dodgy staircase, replastering whole room and replacing flooring), so keen to get on with it and need to do as much as poss ourselves.

Mend: kids school shoes - no matter how much/little I spend, or how good or poor quality I buy, they are always wrecked within weeks. Latest pair for DS were sold as 'scuff-proof', although they were aldi and super-cheap. Fake leather fabric covering already worn off in places to the fabric underneath, but armed with pot of black nail varnish found languishing unused in the drawer (free with mag I think) and black shoe polish, I have repaired the scuffs and they are now hardly visible at least when standing up (although they don't bear up to close inspection!)

Hard_Up_Hester

Spendless, your post reminded me of the morning I was phoned by a friend, she said 'My DD has to be a dormouse on the Brownie float in the town parade'
I asked her when the parade was, her reply! 'In about 30 minutes'
I made it to her house in 10 mins with grey tights, jumper, face paint and a fluffy hat with pompoms on the ends of the ties. we used the pompoms to make the ears.

Spendless

Hard_Up_Hester wrote: »

Spendless, your post reminded me of the morning I was phoned by a friend, she said 'My DD has to be a dormouse on the Brownie float in the town parade'
I asked her when the parade was, her reply! 'In about 30 minutes'
I made it to her house in 10 mins with grey tights, jumper, face paint and a fluffy hat with pompoms on the ends of the ties. we used the pompoms to make the ears.

I'm in awe that you had items that could be used available.:) I remembered that the friend I texted about the tutu had told me some weeks ago that as she never throws anything out, to start by asking her first when sorting out costumes. I just need to come up with pink leggings now I think, the ones I had bought are too small around the tummy.

Lynplatinum

Hiya all

Well heloed my walkies friend move again today with 2 car loads and then came home and cooked a v nice chicken and mushroom dish - if I had had the time it is the kinda thing which could have been the filling to a chicken pie but a) as am trying to loose a bit of weight and b) was not doing well on the time front and c) trying to save monies it was just in the sauce! and then went out for a drink with a friend I dont get to see often - it was so good to see them again! and for a tenner a really good night out.

So:
Make do: food from supplies already in
Mend: nowt - must shake a leg on this front soon
Minimise: 2 pints of beer :rotfl: + my food stash and a load of recylcling - we dont half seem to get loads of free papers and adverts round here!
BTW not doen much for meself but lots for others today and wm feeling less tired!
Nite All

iamsalt

Morning all.
Awake since 430 due to the wild wind this morning so decided to get up and on with things.
We didn't fix the door yesterday, but I did manage minimising by to (finally) list bits on eBay, clear a large box of stuff in the loft, several bits in bag for cs, a huge amount of shredding and lots of rubbish and recycling.
Made do - hot cross buns - recipe said mixed peel, I didn't have any so popped in almond flakes instead.
Mended - well this is more of a didn't break further... We have an awful problem with ivy coming from the garden next door, they don't look after their garden at all, and while I am less bothered about that, the lovely plants I have been given suffer. I am aspiring to get out and potter in the garden for 20 mins per day, So between showers yesterday I started pulling up the ivy that had invaded my front garden, as I pulled the runs of ivy back I realised that it was pulling the fence too, it's been left so long that the ivy has pushed through the fence and is really the only thing holding the rotten fence together. We aren't responsible for this boundary, the neighbours aren't interested in fixing it so we need to rethink my fight against ivy. Hmmmm one to consider.
Hope people in the southern counties are safe, and take care
S x