A Blank Sheet Beckons

The bells tolled and the clock struck, and 2012 has begun.  After all the feasting and presents, it is now time to think of things to come. 

I know that not everyone agrees with New Year's Resolutions, feeling that they are akin to taking a big stick and beating yourself with it, repeatedly.  I take a more optimistic view.  I feel that the act of taking the old calendar down from the wall and putting a brand new one up, is like taking a big, crisp, fresh sheet of paper to write your life down on.

I have to admit that I normally don't fit into the Scottish stereotype at all; you won't find me dancing along Princes Street in my kilt at midnight with a tod of whisky and a chunk of shortbread.

In years past I have often found Hogmannay itself to be wildly depressing.  The feeling of being unable to change my future, of being literally stuck, was difficult to bear.  But this year was decidedly different, for the first time in as long as I can remember, I feel that I am in control of my life.

First up: I have stopped being a slave to a stressful job, and not having the dread of returning to work after the holidays is a huge relief.

Secondly: I have started to stand on my own two feet in the past couple of months, in terms of not relying on my parents.   Small things, like buying my own pantomine tickets, (I know, ridiculous at the age of 34), have made me feel so much better about myself.

Thirdly: I really am beginning to feel that I can live a life that I enjoy, through writing, drawing etc.  I just need to stop doing so much of the drudgery activities, in order to make time for the more important things.

So, after much thought, my Resolutions are pretty much to continue in the same vein:

No 1: Be self reliant; if I can't afford it, I won't do it!

No 2: Get on with doing the things I enjoy and find more of them.

No 3: Stop worrying about what other people think and get on with what I really want to do.

What ever your resolutions are this year, I wish....

.... A Very Happy New Year to One and All!

Christmas Pinatas

My hand made presents for my nephews are finally finished and I thought you might like to see what they look like.

I made them a pinata each. 

Santa Claus and Rudolph are quite funny and hopefully they will provide some entertainment on Christmas Day for my nephews.  Personally, I think they are definitely better than more plastic toys, let's hope the boys agree!  The pinatas are filled up with chocolate coins and ribbons of scrap Christmas wrapping paper, so there should be quite a scramble when they burst.

If you fancy making your own, I got the basic information on how to make a pinata on this website: http://video.about.com/familycrafts/How-to-Make-a-Pinata.htm

All I had to buy was some sweets, at a cost of £2.00.  So, at a pound a piece, they are probably my most cost effective presents to date.

The True Cost of Christmas

Phew, I have done it!  I have finally finished the Christmas presents, (well almost, my nephews' pinatas are drying as I type).

So, you will all be waiting with baited breath to hear how the challenge went?! 

Last Christmas I spent a ridiculous £1212.00 on Christmas presents, panto tickets and a huge organic turkey for my family, (even though I am vegetarian; people sulk if they don't get their traditions :)

This year, I wanted to get that amount down to £200.00.  A potential saving of over £1,000 on last year.  The scores on the doors are in and I almost did it!  I spent £265.72 on presents, show tickets, a festive lunch with my sister and a small organic turkey.  Which is still a massive saving of £946.28 on last year.  I am slightly disappointed that I didn't make my target, but it is still a huge improvement on where I was last year!

So, how did I do it?  Well, basically I made as much as I could using things I already had.  Here is a selection:

I made felt Christmas tree decorations,

Jewellery,

Hot water bottle covers,

Scarves,

And pinatas (still to be finished!)

I also gifted my time, in the form of giving my sister a week's worth of childcare, so that she can go on a much deserved break with her husband.

I economised by putting together a gift basket for my grandmother myself, rather than buying a pre-packed one, (I had the basket already and made the jam myself).

Santa will be bringing my husband a free tie (worth £65), that I picked up with a voucher from a newspaper.  And Number One Son is getting a few well chosen presents rather than the PS3 he got last year!

I also re-gifted a couple of things, which is a bit risky.  Father-in-law is getting a jazz CD, which Number One Son bought and discarded after one listen.  And my little cousin is getting a giant pack of Mecano, which was Number One Son's from about 10 years ago.  I made a note to my cousin to say sorry that the Mecano wasn't new, but I am hoping Father-in-law doesn't notice that the CD is second hand!

My own father is getting a Horse Chestnut Tree, which is gorgeous and has self-seeded itself in my (tiny) garden.  It will soon out grow it's spot, so I think my dad's big country garden will suit it much better! 

The money basically went on books for various nieces and nephews, Number One Son's modest presents and a little bit on raw materials such as hot water bottles, sweets and felt.  The only other avoidable expense has been postage, (ouch, I will use Amazon direct delivery next year for my nieces in China!) and Panto tickets (it is a real family event after all).  Oh, and that blooming turkey...!

Christmas Spirit

So how are your Christmas spirit levels?  Mine are low, low, low!  I can't actually remember feeling less Christmassy at this time of year before; ever.

Making a lot of my own gifts has certainly saved our bank account, but it has really drained my enthusiasm for the Season.  My house has been a tip for weeks, with my dining room table resembling the aftermath of a craft explosion.  Material, sewing boxes, paint brushes and paint seem to have been a permanent feature of my living space since the beginning of November and today I just have had enough!

I finished off my mother-in-law and mother's presents and I haven't decided whether I will start my other plans or not.  I have tidied up, wiped down and swept up the mess, and I have to say that my house now looks a lot better!  But, as to putting up Christmas decorations; I seriously can't be phaffed.

Yesterday I went out for my annual Christmas trip into town with my sister KitKat.  That is normally guaranteed to get me in the festive mood.  I decided to use some of our Christmas budget to keep the tradition of going out to the magnificent Dome restaurant in Edinburgh for lunch, which positively drips Christmas spirit on you as you enter its bedecked Georgian pillared entrance.  But even that didn't get me feeling festive and I was so tired when I got home that I couldn't be bothered going out to watch a film to celebrate JW's birthday, (thankfully he was too tired to bother either). At least I only spent £12 on my day out, so I didn't break the budget.

Let's hope I can de-humbug over the weekend!

 Just in case you are interested, here are my latest creations.  They are cosy hot water bottle covers (complete with bottles inside).  Which cost a princely £7.00 each to make.  The cost was basically for the bottles, as the material was scrap that I had around the house, sandwiched with padding in the middle for heat protection.  They are actually really lovely and I would like to keep one for myself, which is always a good sign! 

If you fancy making one, have a look at the Guardian website for ideas here:
Hot Water Bottle Cover Instructions

A Thrifty Christmas

Plans for a thrifty Christmas are coming along nicely.  The season of goodwill is now upon us and I am doing my bit by making handmade gifts for my family.  The trick is to make something handmade that doesn't look like something the dog threw up, or resembling something that is the outcome of the selotape fighting with the superglue!  And for that you do need a good dollop of time and a fair smattering of patience.

So far, I am two presents down out of 22.

Mother In Law's Scarf

This week I got my knitting needles out of hibernation and put them to good use, using up some leftover wool to make a soft scarf for my mother-in-law.  I wish my knitting skills were better, this is just a simple knit four, purl four design, but it does feel super soft, so I hope she likes it.  She is a big fan of natural colours, so the muted green should be up her street.

Set of Bangles for My Teenage Cousin

Next up I made a set of three really pretty bangles for my 13 year old cousin.  I used some strong, but thin, left-over wire I had in my tool box (I can't remember what I bought it for originally), and beads I had in my sewing box from a project from last Christmas.  I threaded on the beads to the wire.  Used wire clippers to twist and secure the ends.  Put superglue on the ends for extra safety.  I then put little bits of ribbon onto the fastenings to cover them up and to make sure my cousin doesn't get any scratches from the wire ends.  Notice the little bee charm on the bangle on the right-hand-side.  That is from the necklace I got free from White Stuff last weekend; I told you I would find a use for it!

Gift Wrapping Supplies

To add extra thriftiness to my Christmas, I have re-used last year's wrapping paper.  My relatives always think I am rather quirky when I gather up all the wrapping on Christmas day and neatly fold it up for next year!  I also re-use Christmas cards and cut them up into gift tags. 

To add the finishing touches to my wrapping, I keep all the ribbon I can find, including the little bits you get from clothing tags and so on.  This means that I have a really good collection of wrapping for free, and it is better for the environment than buying lots of new supplies.  Although, I have to admit that Number One Son has rebelled this year and bought his own wrapping paper for his gifts to others!

My First Completed Presents

But I hope you will agree that my first two gifts look good in all their recycled and handmade glory!  Now....only twenty more to go....

Thrift Shop Christmas

I have been spending a little time trying to get the house ready for Christmas. With four weeks to go until visitors descend, the clock is ticking.  As we don't have much money this year, I am going to be making a lot of gifts for people.  I am sure this will turn out fine, but I am worried about how long it is going to take me, as there is going to be quite a lot of work involved.  It would certainly be a whole lot easier to sit down with a large glass of wine and spend a load of money on the internet!  But hopefully my hand made gifts will make a welcome surprise.

By the way, you may remember the birthday card I made for my nephew, LJ, along with the magician's magic trick cards?  Well it turns out that he loves both of them!  He was really impressed that I had spent so much time and effort on his Mario card and has been practising his magic tricks in time to impress the family over the Christmas holidays!  I am so pleased! 

Anyway, back to Christmas.  Last year we didn't have enough coffee tables for everyone's drinks and nibbles and I had to borrow my brother's set.  That would be okay, except he lives three hours drive away and had to bundle them in his car along with his gifts and travel bag, so not ideal.

As luck would have it, the other day JW and I were walking past a charity shop, when JW spotted a cracking coffee table for the princely some of £5!  We promptly bought it and took it home, where I gave it a clean up and new coat of varnish and it now looks as good as new.  It is a really solid piece of furniture, so hopefully it will last a long time.  And we can feel a bit smug as we have done our bit for the environment and supported a charity at the same time.

The other thing I have managed to do is re-pot some of my poor house plants.  I managed to do this while only spending £5 on a bag of compost.  For the pots I needed, I salvaged and reused and re-jigged ones that I already had.  One that I am particularly pleased with, was a bog-standard black plastic pot, which I then sprayed silver with some spray paint that I had left over from a previous project:

Before

After - The one on the right, looking nice.

Challenge Five: Christmas

I am sorry to mention Christmas in September, it really is quite unforgivable of me.  Christmas has become such a mammoth event these days that we all have to start thinking about that one day of the year, months before it happens.  This year I am determined to enjoy a festive period which is not filled with family arguments, stress, mountains of presents and gluttony. 

To set things in motion I e-mailed all of my immediate family and asked my husband to do the same. The e-mail explained that we were trying to make savings this year and that we would be on a more modest present budget for Christmas.  We also invited everyone round to our house on Christmas day for festive cheer that was about more than splashing money around.  I didn't get a huge response back and I think I may have offended people already with my plan.  That seems to be what Christmas involves, irritating people unintentionally.

So Challenge Five is to:  reduce our spending on Christmas from a disastrous £1212.84 to a more realistic £200, while at the same time having a more meaningful festive period.