Random Musings

Hi All. I was going to take a little blogging holiday, but thought I'd just fire some random things on here to let you know that we made it back from the cruise ok. It's not all about the trip tho.
There were good times, but as I suspected, it's not our preferred mode of travel, mostly because of the sheer number of people. 

Dravuni Island, Fiji

Dravuni Island in Fiji has only about 158 inhabitants (not 400 as I thought), no vehicles and no roads. I thought that arriving there with a cruise ship full of passengers would be awful. However it was better than I expected. The Islanders were so gracious and the island was just beautiful. I hope they made enough money to keep themselves going all year by selling coconuts, icecream, barbecue lunches massages and colourful lavalavas.

Suva Market

Suva market (Fiji) - the biggest fruit and veg market that I've ever seen. I wish we had one like this. Very little plastic.

We didn't buy much - I'm not one for souvenirs, but this lovely coconut chandelier came home with us and came through customs with no problem whatsoever.

We're happy to be back home with our solitude and garden, which is looking pretty, although a little overgrown.

I'm busy with Intercept Fabric Rescue(earlier post) since my return. It's only been going 7 weeks and we are working hard to get systems in place. We have quite a few new volunteers joining us following a great article in the local paper.
We've rehomed a lot of clothes and bedding with those in need and some of the team are skilled upcyclers.

Upcycled by Jenny Hill

Zillions of soft toys go to the landfill throughout the world - this one has been rescued, plastic nurdles removed and restuffed with fabric waste to make it a dog toy, others will become hand puppets. 

There's lots to get on with. It certainly makes me appreciate home.

Intercept Fabric Rescue

Design on an upcycled denim jacket by fabric artist Jenny Hill - Intercept instigator

Some weeks back I was approached by Jenny with the idea of rescuing some of the fabric that is going to the landfill from one of our big op shops (thrift store). 
The manager has told her that $60,000 dollars per year is spent on dumping fees by this store alone. They currently send a skip to the landfill every 2 days - most of it textiles. Apparently out of what is donated - 20% is saleable, the remaining 80% goes to the tip.
So, four of us have started Intercept - Fabric Rescue, earmarking salvaged textiles for various places and uses. These include:

Local designers using upcycled materials, such as Shelly from Ano - anoagainreuse, who mostly works in denim. 

Anoagainreuse models out shopping before a recent fashion show.

Making t-shirt bags for the store to use out of what they were throwing away.
Making t-shirt yarn for crafters to buy, plus hopefully fabric bundles for quilters etc.
Removing graphics to reuse in upcycled projects.
Saving all wool, silk, cotton, denim for reuse.
Saving what we can of synthetics to make bunting.

Rescued t-shirts made into yarn and reusable bags. Saving graphics.

The store have started making rags again - which they had stopped. They have given us a room to work from and are very supportive. 

We have big plans to promote the work of makers using Intercept fabrics, plus we have  local Design School students working on swing tags and labels for us, that use rescued materials.

It's all very new at the moment and still a work in progress, but such a great opportunity to make a difference.
Thanks to movements like the Climate Strikes, many businesses are seeing that the way forward involves a lot more consideration of the environment. They need to be seen as making positive changes. 
Now is a great time to start.

A Boot Refashion and Four Great Salvages

Hi All, this post is all about saving things from going to waste. I believe that we should treat everything as a resource, sending them to the landfill should be the very last thing, when there's no better option.

These Boots Were Made ....Shorter

These leather boots had languished in my wardrobe long enough. They were mid calf length - which is an unflattering place for a boot to end on me.
They are pull - on, so no zip to deal with. I just cut them to where I wanted, allowing for some turn over. I glued the lining down first, then glued the leather. I use the Bostik glue that I have been using to mend wetsuits - because it sticks really well and has a lot of give in it.

I've worn them more already since I did them.

The next rescue is something that I imagine most people throw away.
The protective mesh from a duty free bottle

I was trying to think of a use for these and came up with ......
 A padded coathanger

Tell me if you've come up with a good use for these.

A wonderful rescue was made by a relative who works in the recycling industry. He often comes across treasures put out with the rubbish and knows what will appeal to us.

Vintage shop sign

 I understand that Au Bon Pain is now a chain in the USA, but this one looks very authentic - we love it and it has pride of place above our coffee machine.

Our last rescue is a food rescue. One of my ex work colleagues mentioned that the fruit was falling off their trees and going to waste. They weren't able to keep up with picking, due to ill health, and none of their family wanted it, as they all have their own fruit trees.

Derek and I went there on two occasions, picking this much each time, nearly all of which we gave to our city's Food Rescue. They also receive donations of food from various businesses and it is redistributed to where it is needed. 
Most suburbs in town have a Pataka Kai (1 minute video) - or a community food stall - for people to help themselves.

And lastly, I want to link to Cynthia's blog "I'm Retired - Adventures Of A Simpler Life", which I follow. She took some great photos of an exhibition of artworks made with discarded plastic. This is one of my favourites.

Artist Sayaka Ganz

 They are so clever - thanks Cynthia.

Upcycles and a Refashion

Kia Ora!

Today I have a selection of things that I've saved by giving them a second life. 

The first is a leather bag of just the right size, shape and colour - and it was only $5! Unfortunately it was a bit grubby looking, but for $5 I thought it was worth the risk to see if it would clean up.
I used a little detergent in warm water (as googled), which made a good improvement. Once it was dry I applied a beeswax shoe conditioner that I already had. The colour changed immediately - as it stated on the jar that it might - but I love it. It is now usable. 😊

Fabulous op shop find of the year

The next save was Katie's broken umbrella. The cover was unsalvageable, being a clear plastic that came off in pieces - but the frame.....

Airing our (clean) washing

Sadly I bumped my favourite mug and the handle broke off 😞. It was one that Derek had bought me when away in Australia. You know how some cups are just right to drink out of and nothing else feels right?
Well I came up with this solution and I love it - it feels so right - lovingly repaired.

Hand sewn felt sleeve for the broken cup - and it's replacement

Before I did this Derek secretly ordered me two replacements online for my birthday (they are pretty special - IIttala brand), so now I have this repaired one to travel with me and not worry about it and I'm so happy to have the others.

My final piece is a refashioned linen/rayon dress, New Zealand designed and made, a $5 op shop find. The material is buttery soft and I love the colour .Some imagination was required - see the original! But all it took was shortening of the length and the sleeves. 

I just love saving money, saving things from the landfill, not using up more of Earth's resources. Don't you?

It worked! and A Useful Refashion

So first up - how did my fruit leathers turn out from the Solar Dehydrator? (Previous post)


Woohoo - look at this!

Rhubarb & apple fruit leather from the solar dehydrator

 One tray was ready after 24 hours, the other took an extra few hours the next day. The speckles that you can see are my ground home-grown stevia that I used to help sweeten them up a bit.

Home made Roll ups

So I'm going to be making lots more, making use of those sunny days, plus will be doing sundried tomatoes and little feijoa bits when they are in season. All for free!

Something to do with Tee Shirts
I really don't suit tee shirts - the standard neckline doesn't look good on me, and now that I'm a bit older, I find anything around my neck a bit suffocating. If you are over 50 you might relate to this.
I found this blog Boundless Beauty via Pinterest. She gives good directions for converting a standard tee shirt into an off the shoulder tee. I didn't cut mine quite so wide, but am so happy with the result. From a tee shirt that I wasn't wearing, to one that will get lots of use.
Another thing that I did differently - apart from not bothering with all the measuring (typical of me), was to hand stitch a little rolled hem around the neckline. I also turned the sleeves up and stitched them in place to shorten them to be more feminine, and to suit my (short) stature.

Ok, so here's the evidence. No before photo - you all know what a band tee shirt looks like and I struggle with putting photos of myself on here - but too bad.

Derek bought me that tee shirt, so I did a dummy run on another one first, just in case it failed, but he agrees it looks better too.

I Have Always Aspired To Be....

A hippie! Right from when I was a teenager, but not your weed smoking type out of the 70's. I just wanted to live in the country, grow things, make things and not have to go to work. Tick.

So this week as I was out working in the garden on yet another beautiful morning, I reflected on how perfect it all is. I'm out there in my swimsuit top and shorts, working gently on a healthy tan to suit my outfit for this weekend coming, when our band will play at a wine and food festival in the Bay of Islands - for about 2,000 people. 

I'm not the young thing I once was however, and was thinking I need a better swimsuit - one with a bit more, ahem, support.
I found this idea somewhere under refashioned clothes, and it has worked perfectly. I've just sewn a previously unused strapless bra to the lining. Huge improvement!

Sorry, not modelling this one - too shy

Back to the garden - I love how the flowers work in there. I've grown alssyum and lavender, calendulars and geranium, and they bring in the bees. 
We had visitors from Auckland last week, and I'm proud to say the 14 year old boy got his first ever bee sting here. It looked really red, and I wondered out loud if maybe he was allergic to bees, but he said it was because his Dad told him to slap it, it would help. I've never heard of that before (chuckles to self), so I got out the lavender oil, which takes the sting away almost immediately.

The rhubarb and peas have grown back nicely since we caught all the possums, and there is barely any evidence of other pests in there at the moment.

I'm about to be feeding courgettes to hundreds of people soon as all four plants start producing - but I am prepared. I've bought myself one of those gizmos that turn courgettes into healthy spaghetti - will keep you posted. 

This is our other overflow garden - not so pretty and needs more work on the soil, but it's getting there. That's my garlic crop.
Thanks for visiting.

Greener Life Snippets

 Today's blog is snippets from living a greener life.

Green Ginger
Eighteen months ago I blogged about planting this root ginger that looked like it was sprouting.

At various times I have seen leaves come and go, and have thought - "Oh, I've killed it", but just left it alone in the pot. This summer it has come back with some new shoots. When it dies down again (which I now know it does), I'm going to repot it. I think I will be able to start taking pieces to use soon. 

Ginger plant grown from a root from the supermarket

Don't Buy New
Recently I needed to get a "new" food bowl for our dog Munta. This time I've gone for practical - charity shop, $3.00, unbreakable.

Munta's "new-to-him"  upcycled 80's ovenware bowl

I thought it was a good alternative to spending around $20 on a plastic one like this (although I know you can get them cheaper, but I don't like to buy plastic anyway)

The water bowl is also recycled - it was once a gas bottle stand.

Thank Heavens I Can Sew
I had been looking for a gauzy cover up top, when I came across this lovely one in a charity shop. 

The thing about buying preloved clothing is that often it has something strange about it, like an odd fit, which is where the ability to handle a sewing machine comes in useful. I didn't love the angel wing sleeves, but now after a trim back to caftan shape, they are perfect. 

Ooh - upside down picture - but you get the idea

Well that's it for today's post. I'm off out to the studio for another day's sewing. Yesterday I got through about ten little projects of clothes that I had put aside for altering, upcycled carrier bags for trimming, stretch headbands for bad hair days....today I'm starting on the baby gifts.

Broccoli and Another Refashion

Another fabulous day in Paradise  - my friend Di took this lovely photo at the beach not far from here (where we have been relaxing and swimming today).

Broccoli
We had friends visiting last weekend, and I think they may have been shocked at the, ahem, organic nature of my vege garden. No straight lines there, lots of things going to seed. But it is still amazing how much food we gather from it.

Broccoli - use those leggy heads

I was feeling a bit guilty about the broccoli - most of it went to seed. I don't normally grow broccoli, but the seed came free. I always feel that my home grown broccoli gets insects which don't wash out in those tight heads and I have to examine them v-e-r-y carefully before I will eat it.
However I have discovered some spin offs. Firstly, the green shield beetles love the seed heads, and they are easy to see and flick into hot water. I read that Kay Baxter of Koanga Nurseries uses a Mustard crop as a "catch" crop for this purpose. Secondly, I am saving loads of the seeds and am going to try it as microgreens - where you plant the little seedlings thickly and use them when they have baby leaves, full of nutrition in your salad or stir fry. Genius!
Another thing I learned recently is that there is no reason to toss out those leggy broccoli heads (leggy heads?) when they are getting ready to flower, just pick them and put them in your stir fry or steam and toss in lemon butter.

Another Refashion

I feel a bit funny about modelling these - being no model, but my blog is about being real, so here goes...
I'm back doing a little clothes shopping - not new, but of my favourite, second hand designer clothes. I love to improve what I get with my sewing machine, so here is a dress I picked up recently, which I have taken in, up at the shoulders and removed one of the layers to shorten it.

Before - Agh, should have worn make-up

After

Despite it being my size, it was enormous.





















I'm hoping by sharing my refashions that I might inspire others to buy recycled - not because they can't afford new, but as an ethical choice. 

A Little of Northland, a Refashion

I have been slacking in the blogging department as of late - but it's summer here and there is so much to do. 
I have been back at my sewing machine a little too, when it gets too hot to do anything outside it is a good respite.
So here is a little of what I have been up to...
Firstly, one example of why I am away from the computer - a rock pool at the river mouth, accessible at low tide as the sea washes it clean twice a day.

 After kayaking there and back - 30 minutes each way with the tide - we came home with enough mussels for two meals, and had a lovely picnic lunch out.

Next, our band has just played at "Picnic in the Paddock" - organised by a Northland musician/farmer. It was a lovely day, with about 200 people turning up to listen to a variety of musicians. Everyone took picnic dinners, bottles of wine, sat on hay bales under gazebos or umbrellas. 
I had planned to wear something that was black and white, but Derek suggested  "be a bit more colourful". I'm not sure if he was sorry after he saw what I came up with. I found three pairs of colourful pants, which I have tapered appropriately as they made me look like SpongeBob Squarepants, being vertically challenged. There are lots of instructions via the internet on how to do this.
They are all good quality labels which I got for a song. 
I will just put the green pair on today as I need someone at home to help take some decent after photos - but I thought they turned out pretty good.
The before photo doesn't do true justice to the atrocious emerald green these pants were, but they got a dye job in cobalt blue, which has improved them.

Before dye job and tapering.

The singlet top was also a conversion, from a tee shirt. I've decided standard round tee shirt necklines don't suit me, but I liked the graphic. 

And there I am wearing them (and playing tambourine if you wonder what I am doing)

To finish off, a couple of shots from Northland of the kind of things Derek and I love when we go travelling around...tumble-down buildings and public artworks.

Shack at Hihi

The bike fence at Mangonui - just because

A Refashion and an Upcycle

"Basically downshifters seek a life filled with more passion and purpose, meaning, fulfilment and happiness. A life to look back on with no regrets".

 I recently came across an interesting site where I found the above excerpt,  at www.slowmovement.com  If you have a little spare time go take a look. It gives a good explanation of what slow living is, and why it is so beneficial. 

A good example of how slow living works..it is the school holidays here, and I have young Katie (my partner's daughter) home with me. She mentioned that she really needed some new shorts, which made me curious as I'd noticed she had put three pairs out to donate when she cleaned her room.
Turns out those shorts were too short (I'd agree with that), and she didn't like where the rips were on them. The shorts came fashionably ripped on purchase.

Before

I suggested we could make them into something she would want to wear and showed her photos on Pinterest of what they could look like.
So here are the after photos of two of them. Katie sewed some herself, and now she is delighted with her new "designer" shorts.

After

Oh, and the lace on the bottom of those shorts is off my wedding dress! My mother always said if you keep something long enough you will find a use for it.

About a year ago I discovered these old wooden library cards in a junk shop.

I bought them for a few dollars, but didn't really have any idea what I was going to do with them.
I made wooden postcards with some of them...

... but last week Katie and I painted them up with chalkboard paint to make a banner that we can change the message on at any time! They were already a pennant shape and all I had to do was drill holes to take a cord.

Well this week is going to be busy - so just breathe and enjoy! 

Dyeing a Little Here, The Power of Kindness

Dyeing

Ok, so I have a little cold and not much oomph, but it's not that kind of dying.
On month 11 out of 12 months of not buying any clothes, I thought I would change up a few items out of my - "don't wear it anymore" pile.
I was prepared to sacrifice any of them, knowing that dyeing can sometimes have unexpected results. I started with two packets of Rit dye, as I wanted to mix the colours.Purple and Scarlet Rit mixed turned out a lovely raspberry colour.
In total I dyed eight items - several were just as ugly as before, so will go, but four are improved a lot.
I separated the items into cottons and acrylics, as cotton requires salt to fix the colour, and acrylic requires vinegar.
I didn't take photos of all before sorry, but here are some pics.

Before dye

Now a more wearable colour

Thought I'd go right ahead and wear it to play in, Saturday.

A sixties lurex top that I had already refashioned 

The new colour makes it look a little more contemporary

 I wish I had paid attention when the instructions said wear gloves - I have lovely red hands, which will look interesting when I play in the band tomorrow.

"The Power of Kindness"
is a book I picked up recently. There was a reference in it to global cooling - a new term to me. 
"I am convinced that global cooling goes hand in hand with the accelerated pace in all sectors of modern life. We are under pressure - we cannot afford to waste even a second. Children are made to grow up fast and we feel proud when they can complete next year's curriculum early. Computers are faster and more powerful. Purchases are instantaneous - we can have almost immediately what we want. Employees have to be able to answer for every minute of their time. Cars are made to go faster, and speed limits are raised.
To increase profits new versions of consumer items come out ever more frequently. "Pointless" activities, like having a chat, meeting in the square or in a park, idling away the time with others, are often discouraged. If all this is happening, inevitably the room for warmth becomes less and less."

One of the things I love about living slow is that it gives me the opportunity to offer my services - if someone is throwing a party - to help cater or set up, or if they are moving house to help clean, or with a friend who is having treatment for cancer to phone her, and to drive her places if needed.
Time is a luxury.