Thrift at its best

A vintage suitcase and fabulous Sputnik legs, put the two together and voila you have a SewingTable, BedSideTable or what ever you want it to be.

Being a thrifty girl...doing up an old tool tray.

My lovely friend Sharon gave me a fabulous old tool tray minus the rusty nails and a lifetimes worth of dust. And with the suggestion that it would make a great sewing box for all the usually bits and pieces needed in workshops, I could have waited and texcited about my gift, I got started straight away. Washing, sanding and then spray painting before I remembered to take a picture. 

Now completed and renovated, it looks fantastic.

I can't wait for tomorrow to take it to the Bobbin Shed and tomorrows Traditional Patchwork workshop and adding all the equipment needed. 

Time away....but it's all been work, work, work!

It's been far too long since I last blogged...it's been an incredibly busy term with workshops, events and starting new work that it was one thing I didn't get round to doing.

I have a new web site (I still have www.DrawnThreads.co.uk). 

The new web site features more of my work but also has a shop and updates on some of the events I'll be attending and people I'll be working with.

http://sarahoatley.simpl.com

The exhibition went stupendously well and now I'm beginning to work on a new set of landscapes...Based on the Yorkshire Dales, County Durham and the North east coast. 

Each piece will have a very 'Patchworked' feel with layering of fabric to add texture and depth and much more sketchy feel to the stitching and detail.

'Two Yorkshire Barns'

Radio interview and the thrift goes on.

After a wonderful morning talking to bbc radio about Shopping Local, using local markets for your shopping needs and the continuing Year of Thrift, I've come home and made delicious mushroom soup with a bag full of bargain mushroom. 

I'm very proud to shop at my local indoor market hall that offers superb meat, veggies etc. 

This weeks purchases of meat, veggies and dairy cost me £22.56 and I'm still making savings of around 1/3 cheaper than using supermarkets. 

Today I can gone with a huge bag of mushrooms that needed using today. So in typical thrifty style, I made a big batch of soup. 

After chopping, cooking and blitzing, I had delicious soup from market to table with in two hours. Perfect!

The year of thrift is nearly up...but not over!

So, our year of thrift is nearly up. But 

What started out as an experiment and has become a lifestyle. 

It's been so much more than the middle class image of thrift, it's a considering each purchase for its need and priorities.

No longer do we buy for the sake of it. We no longer do we treat ourselves with the excuse that we "work hard". 

Quite simply, if it's not needed, we DONT get it. 

As a family, we have instilled good spending habits in ourselves,

So, no longer do we go sales buying, no longer buying on a whim anddefinitely no impulse buying. 

We shop in budget supermarkets, getting good quality food but oh so much cheaper, we shop locally, engaging with the people we buy from at the local markets. 

Our spending habits have become more economic and we repurposed money more effectively. We spend with in the household income, living lightly.

Making savings are good but it's about stretching what we have to the best effect. We've been inventive, using freecycle, or posing the questions friends, for an old unwanted computer for example, When we needed a wardrobe, we swapped an unwanted desk for one.

This year has changed everything about us, how we live, how we spend.

Its a lifestyle now and one we'll continue. 

More importantly it's the impact it has had on us as a family and beyond, learing how to be thrift, living it in an effective way abd realizing the impact we had on those around us. 

Thrift isn't about being cheep or getting  things cheaply, it's about being effective with money and requirements, it's about being mindful. 

Life will never be the same again.

Christmas Thrift gift bags

I'm a thrifty girl, I love making something from of previously discarded things. 

When I unpacked the Christmas box last weekend, I can across small pieces of wrapping paper. 

These make super Christmas bags for teeny weeny but ever so important gifts..

Take a piece of paper of any size or dimensions and fold in half.

Cut along one side of the paper to create enough of a turn over.

Glue with pva or glue stick.

And fold pressing firmly.

Et voila! 

One gift bag made from scraps of wrapping paper, mad in next to no time and costs next to nothing. 

Happy Thrifty Christmas to you all

Festival of Thrift workshops

 It's that time of year again! 

Festival of Thrift time! I hope you will have the opportunity to travel to visit and enjoy. After it's success of last year, it's not to be missed. 

I was one of the workshops available last year and as well as bring there with in The Beehive, along with my fellow artists Jane Riley and Becky Sunter, we'll all be leading workshop there too. 

And I'm incredibly proud of my 16yr old son Reuben, who is also leading an accessory making workshop! 

You can now book the workshops for the 2nd annual http://www.festivalofthrift.co.uk/whats-on/ Of Thrift.