Cushion sewing projects....

So I might have got a tad carried away here, but when you have excess material and your house needs softening up; what better way to do it than with home-made cushions. The only expense was buying some of the cushions (not all I'd like to add as some where just recovered) and it was an added bonus that the ones bought were actually in the sale.

The woollen striped fabric was itself made out of an actual recycled poncho. They may not be perfect but it's always a fabulous sense of achievement when having finished. Check out the pics of some examples made and let me know your thoughts.

Ethical Superstore...

Ok, I've just bought my monthly shop products from the ethical superstore (http://www.ethicalsuperstore.com/). It's certainly worth a mooch as there are loads of deals to grab. Similar with the household products, I've waited on these to all run low before replacing them. I do still intend to make my own cleaning products in the long term but no harm in switching to chemical free in the mean time. Watch this space for verdict report. :-)

Soapnuts ... take TWO

So, here they are happy readers. My soapnuts have arrived. This is the website again if anyone is up for giving them ago (http://soapnuts.co.uk/). Not had a chance to use them yet, no need to waste what we have but very excited to get going.

Flies ... grrrr

Ok, I'm going slightly crazy. One word FLIES! How on earth do you stop them from coming into the house without using chemicals?? I feel like I'm started a war with them and there is only so much flapping around that I am prepared to do. Just trying to bake and I'm trying to keep cool and calm!!
Any suggestions welcome.

Soapnuts...

Ok - very excited. I've just ordered my first batch of SOAPNUTs. I'll keep you posted when they arrive. Check out the link on my Green Bibles for more details but in a nutshell, they're a natural chemical free alternative to washing powder and liquid plus much much more. As an added bonus, after use you can mix them in a jar/container with white wine vinegar to make a eco-friendly household cleaner.

Hurry up Mr Postman!

Cleaning with Chemicals...

So, after being made aware of this fantastic informative book (What's In This Stuff by PAT THOMAS) I have had my eyes open to shocking facts about how we carelessly live our lives swimming in chemicals. I have always tried to make sure that I eat healthily and where possible, consider the implications of what my choices will have on the production of certain products.

This book however, makes you aware of how frequently we allow ourselves, our children and families from birth to death to be in contact with chemicals that can cause cancer, skin disorders, allergies, asthma, headaches, depression, infertility and much much more. If I would recommend anyone to buy a book ,this would be at the top of my list.

Taking this forward, I have decided to remove all chemicals from within our house. I know it won't be easy and there will be times when it'll drive me crazy but having a go is the easy part and all I want to do is try. I will be considering the financial implications for everything and keeping an open realistic mind throughout. So, I'll keep you posted ladies and gents. Keep reading.

Bedroom Sewing

Due to somewhat slight dimension limitations within the bedroom, a compromise was needed! Our existing bed wouldn't fit. This therefore meant we needed to make do with an alternative bed of which, to save space it still required storage underneath but on a downside, it didn't come with a headboard. So after a few uncomfortable sleeps from loosing our pillows into the abyss behind the back of the bed and  from clanking our skulls against the wall, a headboard needed to be fashioned.

As I had plenty of material it seemed ignorant to buy a new one. So, by just sewing together two spare cushions and making a giant pillowcase, a headboard was fashioned.

 This was then aided by my partner making a bedroom shelf (see image above) to which we could hang the headboard from.  Total costs = zero, total comfort = 100%.

Natural Rug Store

Very exciting day today. My samples from the Natural Rug Store (http://www.naturalrugstore.co.uk/) arrived today. The plan is to eventually fit the cottage out with suitable flooring aka rugs in this case before winter. So on a plus note, the cottage will firstly be much warmer and secondly, be from a sustainable resource.