Making a house into a home - on a tight budget

The 1930s house

You might well wonder what happened to me as I haven't updated my blog in a long while. I bought a property (quite a long, painful process this time round) and have started transforming it into a home. I have a small budget, which means doing a lot of work myself, with the help of my partner.

I'm hoping to apply what I learnt through the Eco homes project and showing my followers most of the stages of transformation, indoor and outdoors. There will be crafts, DIY and even garden projects...

If you are intrigued and want to follow my journey, visit The 1930s home blog. See you there!

Through the keyhole: Cambridge Open Eco Homes

Open Eco Homes

I haven't posted on this blog for a long while.... my excuse is that in the past month I had to juggle working inhouse (and at home), looking after Michela and doing voluntary work in the community. Among the good causes I championed is a green event happening this month called Open Eco Homes. I gave a hand with publicity and I'm hoping to visit one of the houses.

Here is the press release of this green event:

Fifteen homes in and around Cambridge are opening their doors on Saturday 18 and Sunday 26 June to show what can be done with solar panels, sedum green roofs, wood-burning stoves, ground source heat pumps, wall insulation, in-home electricity generation, and many other measures fitting a wide range of budgets ranging from DIY to professional installations. The homes include old and new, big and small, and are warm and comfortable while economical in energy use.  

Have you been thinking about low energy solutions or putting solar panels on your roof, for now or in the future? Home owners are enthusiastic about the changes they have made and are happy to share with you their experiences, ideas, costings and excitement. You can find out what worked and what didn’t, and about the reality of giving your home an energy makeover.  

You can see the homes at www.openecohomes.org and choose which ones you’d like to visit. To book your guided tours call the Energy Saving Trust on 0800 512 012. Lines are open 9-7 Monday to Friday and 9-12 Saturday.

Liz Knox, the Open Eco Homes Project Manager, says, “There is a growing community of home owners with an infectious enthusiasm for making these changes, and helping others make them too. What’s great about it is that it brings people together.”

We will be celebrating the Open Eco Homes with an exciting

Launch Event - Eco Renovation ‘Question Time’

comprising a panel of local experts; followed by wine, soft drinks, and a chance to browse stalls.

The launch is free and starts at 7.30pm on Friday 10th June

at St Luke’s Centre, Victoria Road, Cambridge CB4 3DZ

Visits to the Eco Homes will take place

in guided tours of small groups at scheduled times,

10.30am, 12 noon, 2pm and 3.30pm

on Saturday 18th and Sunday 26th June

(Suggested donation is £3 per person per home).

Open Eco Homes is organised by award-winning local charity Cambridge Carbon Footprint, in association with the Energy Saving Trust. It builds upon the success of last year’s initiative, with dozens of volunteers freely giving their time to make the event happen. Funding has been generously contributed by Cambridge City Council, South Cambridgeshire District Council and local businesses: Ridgeons, Midsummer Energy, Mole Architects and East Green Energy. Accessibility: Private homes have different levels of accessibility so please ask for details when you call.

Cycling in Cambridgeshire

King's College, Cambridge

My partner and I have taken up cycling in a big way since we moved to Cambridge. When cycling in London we felt we were taking our lives in our hands, except when touring the lush Epping Forest.

Cambridge is very bike friendly - you can get a cycle map from the Tourist Office (entrance in Peas Hill) off the market square, just metres away from where the photos were taken, or you can map your journey online thanks to the brilliant CycleStreets Journey Planner, which lets you save your journeys for future reference.

These photos were taken right in the heart of Cambridge, in front of King's College and in the already mentioned Market Square on two different days. We are using the same child bike seat (Britax Jockey), which is designed for mountain bikes.

Market Square: mountain bike with Britax Jockey
child bike seat with Vizzkids safety cover

The reason for these shots is that I'm writing a cycling feature - I will reveal more in the coming weeks. In the meantime, mark 18-26 June in your calendar - Bike Week is a national celebration of cycling with events for all levels, beginners included! Cambridge city organised some fab events last year, which boosted my cycling confidence to no end.

King's Parade, Cambridge

P.S. This is a later update... Read my feature on cycling in Cambs here.

Making do and mending

 

Find out more about the campaign here

In January I pledged (along with my daughter) to reuse and make do as much as we can. In the past nine years I renovated a couple of Victorian houses and I have done a lot of work myself, including soft furnishings and revamping junk shop furniture. 

I have written a few articles about this, they are not glamorous makeovers, more budget ones where I did a lot of the work myself, only employing builders and other trades when necessary. 

Here are a few photos of my earliest projects - more recent crafty solutions are in the pipeline, so watch this space. In the meantime, have a look at the below and leave a comment if you wish!

1980s MDF chest of drawers with plastic handles before I transformed it. See the final result and read how I have done it by clicking here.

Avocado bathroom suite and fake-wood panelling, see the transformation by clicking here.

A leanto conservatory I had built bespoke using wood and breeze blocks. I finished off the shell with the help of Mark. Click here to see the final result.

Victorian cast-iron fireplace before I restored it, the article is looking for a home - will post the link as soon as I have found a place to publish it.

Knitting boobies

Breastfeeding support aid or breast prostethic?

This is my March make: a woolly breast. I knitted this in mixed colours so it would be multi-ethnic (unlike the pink ones you see at breastfeeding drop-ins). You can find instructions on how to make this set on the Lactation Consultants of Great Britain's website (www.lcgb.org) and if you feel charitable, you can make some for your hospital or local health clinic, if they need any.

I got the idea for the baby's mouth from Alison Blenkinsop, author of Fit to Bust - a Comic Treasure Chest. For instructions, visit www.linkable.biz and click on the button 'the breastfeeding enabler's toolchest'.

While looking for a pattern I also discovered that woolly boobies are made for cancer sufferers as they are nicer than prosthetic breasts.

Knitted breasts are used to teach mums how to achieve a good latch (hence the baby's mouth made with as lemonade bottle and a scrap of pink fabric secured with an elastic band). I filled it with torn pieces from old babygrows I machine washed beforehand.

I can definitely tick the creative recycling box with this make - the wool comes from odds purchased from my local charity shop.

But here are my favourite woolly breasts, sourced through a google search:

• Pink & fancy handmade breast
• A rainbow of woolly tits
• Beaded breast
• Breasts by generous nana
• Spring tits
• Golden boob (scroll down for English instructions)

Feel free to add your favourites but keep it clean!

UPDATE: there is a knitting tits challenge here for Breast Cancer Day 2011, click here...

Silent Sunday - half term at the park

 

Reuse and recycle: breast milk

Breast milk... what can you do with the excess?

I know this might sound strange for some, but what can you do with excess breast milk? If you want to do a good deed, you can donate it, our hospital in Cambridge is desperate for donors and there are various milk banks in the UK.

In the past few years I have heard other weird and wonderful ways to use excess expressed breast milk, such making baby porridge or rice (wonderful), making smoothies (wonderful), selling it to sick people or strange men (weird) and now even commercial ice cream (weird and wonderful). It's just a pity I don't live in London, but perhaps I can make my own, although my supply is not what it used to be... (partner shaking his head while I read my post).

Reuse and recycle: knitting

Knitted squares joined with a needle and yarn with a crocheted border

I have started knitting again on a regularish basis. If you go back a few posts, you can spot toddler mittens, a hat - then you have to go back a long while to find my older projects, such as the blanket above. 

I used to knit a lot in the 1980s, mostly jumpers with complicated patterns, then I had less time on my hands and knitting became an occasional craft. The blanket above reignited my interest but it took me two years to make (it's a generous double bed size). 

When I bought my first home in 2002 I started to craft again, basically soft furnishings and curtains. Prior to this, it was mostly a vicarious pleasure as I freelanced for Prima, which has craft pages and supplements. Buying a house made me realise I could save money using my crafting skills. This practical outlook continued in my second house and in my two rented abodes (no doubt it will become stronger when I buy house number three). The projects became more personalised - I didn't want to make curtains for a house I was renting for a short period!

I'm now knitting a maxi cardi for my daughter. I find magazine patterns puzzling so I tend to make my own, besides I couldn't find the design I wanted. I'm using yarn in various colours because I'm using leftover yarn and odd bits and bobs from charity shops. However I've recently bought 'proper' yarn for future projects and was given some too! I have three bags of white, salmon and greeny blue yarns. I'm not sure what I am going to do with them - I like using 5mm needles so I will need to double the yarn up, which means more yarn to make anything.... It's a sign of how busy life is when I can't face using smaller knitting needles....

Knitted Online

I have chanced upon a site called Knitted Online, whose statement is:

Knitted Online makes custom knitwear for you at high street prices. Create a design from scratch or browse items from fellow users. If one of your designs is purchased we'll pay you a 5% comission. Have a look around and if you're feeling inspired, start knitting online.

Basically you can buy knitted items, commission them or sell your own. I think you must be quite fast as a knitter if you want to make a gain, so it's not really for me but it could suit nimbler fingers... Or you can buy something special for a unique present. Let's say it, a lot of high-street knits are pretty dull....

Free child-friendly activity in Cambridge

Flying a kite in Parker's Piece

I know that the Gog Magog hills are to Cambridge what Parliament Hill is to London kitewise, but Parker's Piece is popular too. On the day there wasn't a lot of wind but we managed somehow! If you want to visit the hills, click here for more info.

Silent Sunday - Frosted cherries

Posts in the pipeline...

The year has started well - I have been very busy, which means less time to blog here. In my day job I am digital copywriter, which in my case means writing web copy for corporates and features for parenting websites. My favourite job has been writing some food recipes, which I have developed, tested and photographed. They are soon to be fully loaded on Made For Mums.

Some of you might be awaiting my 'masterclass' on building a budget (but SEO friendly) website, which is also in the pipeline. My website currently appears on page 1 on Google (web and UK) if using keywords that relate to what I write about. I will post my top tips as soon as I have finished it.

Expect some recommendations of quality, value products, appearing next month!

Baglady pledge: toys out of trash

Since Michela discovered how versatile empty toilet rolls are I'm not allowed to throw any way. I know they are handy for planting seedlings on a tray, but Michela tells me they make great binoculars! This is how they looked before the binoculars got a coat of paint...

Inspired by preschool crafting, we have also made collages out of pictures from junk mail and old catalogues, built a 'home' kite out of a magazine cover...

We even built a telescope with a long kitchen roll tube! Galileo, eat your heart out! Join the baglady campaign... find out more here.

New Year resolution - update on Baglady pledge

So... I pledged (along with my daughter) to reuse and make do as much as we can. Below are our creations....

Open mittens, knitted from wool lying around in a bag

Aside the mittens, which didn't take long for me to knit as I doubled the yarn and used big needles, we also made a telescope out of a kitchen towel roll and two pairs of binoculars, one for Michela (two toilet rolls joined and with a piece of string to hang around her neck and two mini crackers' rolls joined and with a piece of string for her bear). A tube belonging to some used-up wrapping paper made a great cock horse, which Michela decorated with collage motifs and topped with an old sock to make the head. They don't look great but hours of play so far from these scraps!

Happy New Recycled Year! Scroll down the blog for some recycling tips... including leftovers recipes.

Sales, offers and reductions

Buskers in central Cambridge

 

Deals of the day - and up to January!

Sales have started! Check out the links on the right side of this blog and click the links on this post if you like what you see...

Debenhams is offering up to 70% off on thousands of lines, online and in the store at the Grafton Centre. Sale ends on 5th January 2011.

Up to half price Women's Clothing

Up to half price Men's Clothing

Up to half price Kids/Children's Clothing

Up to half price Beauty and Fragrance

Up to half price furniture - plus take an extra 10% off

BHS' sale is on but it's offering 20% off all wedding lines when you spend £150 by using the code BHSBRIDE. Offer ends 5 January and is not valid on clearance items.

John Lewis's clearance Includes up to 50% for fashion items, plus up to 70% in store on selected lines.

Sainsbury's sale highlights (click Sainsbury's if links below don't work, many products half price on the website!)

Sony Blu Ray Player, now £99.99

Navman UK SatNav, now £69.99

Tresemme Ceramic Styler, now £30

Christmas greetings and snow ice cream

How to make snow ice cream

Snow ice cream: I posted this on my other blog, but my followers here might want to give it a go as it's inexpensive. I got the recipe off the internet and modified the ingredients to make a small amount. For more recipes and even videos of how to make it, click here. This recipe will make four generous cups of ice cream. 

Ingredients:

• 125ml of milk
• 60g of sugar
• 1 teaspoon flavouring (the recipe said vanilla but you can add mint or any other essence)
• three cups of snow (better fluffy but you can make it with more compact snow).

Method

To make the snow ice cream, mix milk, flavouring and sugar in a bowl or jug, then slowly spoon in the snow, mixing carefully. The photo shows a slushy mixture as my snow was a bit compact but it was still tasty. In Italy we have a simpler version of snow ice cream, just get the snow in a cup with a metal spoon, add lemon juice and sprinkle with sugar. It's just like a fluffy, lovely granita....

Creative recycling

Wall hanging made with fabric swatches

Revamping a dull, old jumper with a few sequins

Ecothrifter has joined the army of bloggers sending pledges to the bag lady. My three-year old daughter Michela and I are pledging to reuse and make do as much as we can. Recycling can be fun, we've even found an artistic use for junk mail (colourful pictures are cut and used for collages, circulars are used on the white side as drawing paper)... And you can make animal masks with cereal boxes!

Happy recycling everybody!