New passions....and old...insourcing is still my thing!

Sometimes making-from-scratch is just not the answer, due to lack of time, lack of commitment (!), lack of motivation or lack of talent...

Sometimes all of those.

That applies to cooking, sewing, crafting and gardening, in my humble opinion.

I love a good project, but after two years of total neglect due to full time work, my sewing room is chock-full of projects not yet started. Ditto to the garden, the kitchen, and my craft cabinet. So, as with anything, I'm taking baby steps to reactivate my mojo.

Embellishing and refashioning existing clothing, is a great way to reuse and recycle an item that is a little tired or dated, or just to refresh beloved items that have fallen out of favour. It's also relatively quick and easy to do, and can yield quite spectacular results for very little effort. Sounds good to me!

From the first time I spotted this Chanel jacket on Pinterest, I knew a copycat version was in my future. Alas, my Chanel jacket project remains in it's purchased bag, pattern unopened, navy blue and silver nubby twill still folded. Sigh. Maybe this year.

Enter the denim jacket refashion, brought to mind by this beautiful refashion below...

Now, I have two denim jackets. Both a little too long in the body and the sleeves, for me to gain much wear from them here in the Tropics. Why, I ask myself, had I not thought to shorten both, and trim with something fun??!

Pompoms and floaty whatnots were a great idea, but then, why not the feather trim I'd been eyeing off for yonks? It's my refashion, after all!

My feather trim just arrived, and as I'd hoped as seen at the top of my post, it's the same glorious shade of pastel blue as my Laduree` macaron box, lovingly nursed home from Paris at the start of 2020. Doesn't that seem an age ago...

Feather trim will be affixed to denim jacket pronto,and shared here later this week!

Meanwhile, I've been embellishing this thrifted cardigan, a plain thing in itself, but once prettified, I think it will become a new favourite! This is not yet stitched, rather just offered for an idea of placement of embellishments. These are all from my stash, left over from dance costumes or other sparkly thing-a-me-jigs.

I've been eyeing off this glorious luxury bedroom decor for some time too. Olive green seems an unlikely shade for a bedroom, until you appreciate it's soothing qualities. Olive green is also a natural foil for my orange accessories, including my made-over desk...

Heres a stunning king size bedspread in Olive shantung, thrifted for just $6. A bit of a run through the laundromat sized washer and dryer, and we're done. Now to find the other embellishments to bring my vision to fruition...

Meanwhile, real life invades creative life, and Daughter, newly independent, has a busy week coming up. Mum to the rescue with a basic chicken and vegetable soup. This achieved by simmering 6 chicken drumsticks, with onion, bay leaves, celery and carrot. Meat picked from bones, and discarded along with the skin. Vegetables also discarded. Stock and meat chilled and fat skimmed from top. New celery and carrot added, along with some fresh herbs. She can now use this to make a soup of her liking, by adding different vegetables, different carbs, and a variety of herbs, spices and sauces. At least five meals in this huge bowl.

Lemon coconut chia seed balls were a special request. Recipe found here.

And as daughter does not have room for a slow cooker in her teeny tiny kitchen (although must be said, room was made for the coffee machine...), braised lamb shanks with leek and rosemary, mashed sweet potato and trimmed greens were conjured for her dining pleasure on busier evenings.

As of old, I'm calculating my savings based on just the items I've mentioned here. There are of course, numerous others.

Saving on two new custom embellished jackets....at least $150.

Saving on a new super king sized bedspread...$600.

Saving on custom embellished cardigan with sequinned appliques, sequins, pearls, beading and embroidery $250.

Saving on ten meals and 6 snacks for daughter if she were to have to buy takeway....goodness knows...let's call that $150.

Add to that, quiet gift card making, cupcake baking with the granddaughters in preference to an outing, bathing the dog myself, and washing my own car, amounting to perhaps another $150 in savings, and it's been a good week.

$1,300 if I'd bought everything I had my eye on. And believe me, I have friends who would notch that up in a heartbeat.

Actual spending... $72 for everything... the feather trim, the bedspread, the laundering of the bedspread, and the ingredients for the cooking and baking.

$1,218 saved.

I'm practically worth my weight in gold.

I bet you are too.

How did you save this week?

...Mimi...