Bedspread to Backpack

A friend of mine is taking her two small kids to Germany, and wanted to know if i could make some little backpack for their crafty bits and bobs for the plane.

A trip to the Op Shop resulted in a nice doona cover for $3. Then a morning spent at a girlfriends place doing a bit of sewing, a bit of chatting, even a glass of bubbles, resulted in this.. I was quite happy. Hope she is too.

Hello... anyone still remember me?

Ive been so slack! Life just seems to rumble on at such a pace/. Op shopping continues. I did go through a bit of a "i must be more frugal " but how can you be at an op shop? anyway, here are some things i have bought recently.

Isnt this the best material. about 3 metres for a whopping $2

i love this material... $1.50

and this $1.50

also got some black boots ., lovely leather ones, that i think i will give to someone who is lovely to me!

I have been really inspired lately by a blog, http://newdressaday.wordpress.com/ sorry, dont know how to make it look nice... but anyway, its excellent. She buys an outfit for $1 and rejigs it for her. and is d0ing this every day for a year... oh, would love to do this if i was her size, and had her ability!

A long time coming.

My goodness its been a long time between posts. Not that that is any indication of how often i go to the op shop. More probably because my husband was in china for 9 weeks, so to say that it was busy here, would have been an understatement.

Lots has been going on. Lots of buying has been going on.

First up, i needed some new jeans as, thank goodness, i have lost some weight, so off i go to the op shop, hoping they have some in my size, and would you know it, i had 4 to choose from. They are target brand but nearly brand new. v.v. happy


I bought this Perri Cutten winter jacket 100% wool jacket for $5. I know what is not a good colour for me, but what the heck, at that price i can look stylish for at least one day.

This material. There is about 3 metres or so, its very light weight, great for a beach coverup, for next summer $4

These snowboard boots, perfect for the man aboutthe house $5

and here are my boys, very patiently waiting for their biscuits to cool. T is helping them along there, B just looks over it all!

A new year,..

2010, a new year.

I have been very slack posting this year. It has been very busy and only 0ne month has passed. So much has happened. Our beautiful dog Reg, had to be put down on New Years Day. It was quite traumatic. He was 14, nearly 15. He was around long before the kids. He put up with the kids, he loved us all unconditionally. I miss that dog.

Andrew is away in China at the moment, and has now been for 5 weeks. Its been fairly full on with the two kidsand looking after the house. Things like trying to get the lawnmower going, which andrew woudl fix in 2 seconds, becomes a drama....

anyway its now february, and this is what ive bought today.

Benny checking out the tub of Mobilo, $2. quite a few of the connector pieces have been chewed, but most are fine, and ben is enjoying himself there.


a wooden marble run game, which i know is an Aldi brand... but it was still in the original plastic bag inside $2

pack of nappies... yes i know they are girl nappies, but for day time, who cares particularly when they are $5

a tablecloth in this funky print with dresses and tops all over it . have visions of turning iit into a skirt or a tunic.

and this little shoulder bag which i made at craft morning at Jo's

Trying not to buy? who am i kidding?

I have been trying to only buy things that i need, rather than things that i want... but i failed. I found this glass bowl, $4 and of course had to have it... will work out later where i will put it. It just makes me happy

then, i found this cot sheet, and turned it into this,

from this pattern.

its one of those cross over dresses, super easy to make, but very difficult to take a decent picture lying flat.

and here are my boys with my gingerbread house... not sure how long it will last in this house.

material madness

Onceagain, things have been quiet here. Ive been house sitting for the last week or so, so quiet on the op shopping front.

For christmas this year, i have been attempting to make things for people for christmas.
Here is benny holding mums beach/pool bag. Made from oilcloth, and lined with red linen serviettes, from Lions club oppy, i think it looks cool. So cool, that im def going to make one for myself, as i have been using this one non stop to cart all the kids stuff about.


On Tuesday i stopped at Hornsby Salvation Army Oppy and came back with this lot of material. all the small pieces were 50c, and the big piece, which is a curtain was $3.


as you can see i whipped up a pair of shorts for benny. Its lovely and thick cotton material, and i think they are pretty good looking shorts. The sort that i would buy if i saw in a shop. Unfortunately i didnt have any elastic, so they are draw string, or should i say draw shoe lace! at the moment.

My gorgeous model.

and here is another little bag i zipped up with the oil skin, with lining made out of a $2 tablecloth from Berowra.

Today is thursday, today is one of the good days (although every day is a good day) to go to the op shop as the ladies churn out a lot of new stuff into the shop...

Some Hippo Loving

I certainly go in fits and starts on here dont i. I must admit i have not been to the op shop quite as much as i usually do. Life has been extrodinarily busy lately, and i even went for nearly two weeks without going to an op shop! thats amazing really.

Today at Jo's craft morning, i made these shorts for my boys. They are made out of a curtain that she bought from Hornsby Salvation army and she very kindly gave me half. After she had given me half, i found this fabric on ebay for sale for $45 a metre!!!!! eee gads. I cut very carefully after knowing that fact. I think jo paid about 2 dollars for 6 metres or so! I think my boys look gorgeous.

Hope thats a better pic Rhonda!