Recycling Big Time Challenge

Right before I start with a big announcement, I would first like to say thank you for all your lovely comments you have gifted me with lately. I do love popping on to the computer and seeing another one there. It gets me all excited! And who has been cheeky enough to go all anonymous on me and say they have bought me a present from the French Market?!!! I have completely no idea who this might be. I haven't done anything to be thanked for as far as I know. How very exciting for me.

Now pop on over to Dottie Angel and see what she has started for herself, and others who have been brave enough to join her. I have been thinking about signing up myself but it's a pretty big thing. I have been ever so good of late and made all sorts of goodies for family and friends. Remember I even pickled some veggies? And the items my lovely new machine has been producing have been gratefully received too.

So after reading through her challenge and a few others as well, I have decided to set myself a challenge too. It's nowhere as brave as theirs, but a start is better than nothing isn't it?

Well now, I am going to make as much as I possibly can for 365 days starting from today. This day being 27th September 2009. I will choose to make over buying, check second hand before buying new, give handmade gifts only (with the exception of a few bought things for the girls and husband, but I will discuss these choices with them), I will bake and cook more often and learn jam making, preserving skills etc.

This will be fun mostly, even if hard work for me. But I do like the feeling you get from making the effort. There is nowhere near the same pleasure from bought stuff.

I will recycle more than just the household items we usually recycle. I love this new recycling clothes idea I have been working on. Jeans are truely one of the greatest clothing inventions! Did you see sweet Michela has offered to send me her old jeans all the way from Venice!!! What a lovely, kind offer. I just can't accept it as the postage would be soooo expensive. She is insisting though. Imagine a Venetian jeans handbag!

I don't buy myself many clothes generally, as I really don't enjoy the experience. But I would like to start making myself more clothing now that I have such an awesome sewing machine.

I topstitched this skirt I made this morning for No.4 over six layers of denim in places!! Imagine that! That just goes to prove that I can make anything I wish to.

I will use my garden more this year too. I would like to extend the types of vegetable I grow and add a few fruit bushes to the garden.

So this year will be a thinking year for me. I will think before I buy. I will try and reuse as much as I can. I will enjoy what I already have. I will buy what others have already used. I will teach my girls what I am learning. I will enjoy!

Hmmm. I wonder if my newish jeans could be something else too one day?