Green and Thrifty

Oh lordy, I am such a Good Mother. I took the children camping. Yes, we went out in to Nature and got sand in our sleeping bags and played card games and had Fun. I haven't ever been camping before without someone else to put up the tent. Well, actually, I still haven't. Rosy and Posy put up the tent. We went with another non-camping family, and a dear lovely friend who is an experienced bushwalker and camper, and who was very gracious to us all really, even though I expect we were very trying. The excellent news on the green and thrifty front is that a)camping is cheap, b)we miraculously had all all equipment we needed, except a pump for the air mattresses, which we c)managed to borrow from a friend, because really, how many air mattress pumps does one neighbourhood need? (that is not a rhetorical question, it is a homework assignment..)

In other green and thrifty news, remember last week I was wondering how to get my hands on some second hand school uniform? Well, I asked The Girl (who has finished school now, and mostly worn out her school uniform) to canvass her friends with a view to selling their old uniforms. And the other day one of her friends dropped in to say good-bye as she flies off overseas for a gap year, and brought with her all her old uniform for Rosy. And her mother won't let me pay for it. That will keep Rosy in dresses for years, and probably Posy as well, when she gets to high school. Goodness, the universe does provide, doesn't it? And sometimes just for the asking..

That leaves me just needing to find some extra uniform for Posy for later this year. Posy is currently wearing the size that Rosy wore all the way to the end of primary school. Posy, at the same age, is a head taller, and will need a bigger uniform soon. I don't know anyone older than Posy at school who doesn't have a little sister to hand their uniform down to.. I will plot and plan. Lacking a useful second hand clothing shop, many parents resort to putting up notices outside the school office, you know, "Wanted to buy, Girls' Size 12 summer uniform", so I will try that and see what happens..

And  guess what? I did some DIY. I have decided that the bare walls around the house need decorating. And of course I am not going out to buy anything for this project. A few months ago, while clearing out cupboards all over the house, and boxes in the shed, I collected all the old, unused frames and unhung pictures into one place. This many.

Oh dear. So this week, I took two cards from my card stash, that I have been unable to bring myself to use because I like them so much. They are by Tasmanian artist Kit Hiller, and are of two birds who visit my garden occasionally, the New Holland Honeyeater, and the Eastern Spinebill. It is always an occasion when I see these bush birds in my suburban garden, so I have decided to give in to my greedy desire to not share these cards, and hang them on the wall instead. Embarrassingly, I had to get The Man to explain how to use a picture hook, (no I didn't need to buy picture hooks either, I found some in the shed!), but did manage to tappity tap them in all by myself with the hammer. So yes, pretty extreme DIY happening here at Chez Blueday. Clearly, after all this effort, I need a little rest before I tackle any other walls, but I am sure there will be more decorating to come. Stay tuned:)

I moved the pot pourri from my bedside table to the new cupboard in the loo, but now I am wondering if it is too much. I am a bit of a fan of understated minimilism (otherwise known as Limited Dusting Style). As Coco Chanel suggested, 'Always remove one thing before you leave the house. Less is more.' I tend to always remove one thing in the house. And then another thing. So, pot pourri, or no pot pourri? Thoughts?

Isn't it excellent that I am publishing photos of my loo for your delectation?

What fun projects have you been up to that have required Not Buying A Thing? I am issuing a No Spend decorating challenge for the week. I'll do another quite boring one this week (well, I expect it will be boring. I have form with that), and if you do one and post photos, I can link to it next week. So here is your challenge - hunt around your attic, basement, sheds, and the boxes on top of the wardrobe for objects that you love, but never quite found the space for, or forgot to frame, or forgot you even own. Give away something you don't love at all, and make space for your cherished, forgotten, or newly discovered objet d'art. Post it on your blog, and tell me in the comments, and I'll link to it. Or just shout about your cleverness in the comments, and we will all tell you how marvellous you are to be such a thrifty decorator. Remember, the only rule is Not Buying Anything. I can't wait to see what y'all have in the attic!!