71/365

Grace in small things.

1. The Wonder Hill Market today at Tooting Tram and Social. What a cool venue, what a lovely, warm atmosphere (met lots of lovely sellers and bumped into Sinead from Crafty Fox and got to see her brand new fox cub - what a teeny cutie), and what a sweet surprise at the end! I had started to notice a few dapper young gentlemen and some very stylish vintagey ladies milling about, checking out all the stalls. And I wondered, where did these people come from all of a sudden? This is not your every day Tooting look. Then, a swinging song kicked out overhead, and the aisles of the market became a stage for swing dancers. Hence the dapper and vintage. Good fun.

I love that woman's dress.

2. Fresh fruit, muesli and yoghurt for breakfast. Mmm...

3. New pillows! Tempur pillows! And the matching bed coming soon! My back hurt ever so slightly less this morning when I woke up. I think.

4. Another free day full of lots of tiny power. One highlight of all I did: I turned one of Marcus's old snagged jumpers into my no-snags jumper. Easiest upcycle ever.

5. I've started making things for my new home. They will be photographed just as soon as I get to go make that new home mine.

59/365

Grace in small things.

1. The Ottolenghi cookbook. Have I sung its praises before now? This book has not failed me once. Today, I made a sweet potato galette and ate it up. Mmm...So good.

2. Today I took another shrunken t-shirt of mine, cut it down, sewed it up, and put it on my boy. He now has a Saint Etienne t-shirt. It's this one:

 Coolest kid on earth? Yes ma'am. Thriftiest mama on Earth? Not really, but I'm trying!

3. House hunting.

4. I got Tobyboo's London skyline tape in the mail today. I can't wait to use it. Someone buy something from me please so I can seal the envelope with this most amazing tape?

5. I'm reading Jane Eyre. I didn't think I'd enjoy it, but I do. Immensely.

{make do and mend} cowboy to cowgirl

Ages ago, Marcus was throwing out a load of button-down shirts. I grabbed most of them for future projects. The majority of them ended up being Dhari's birthday bunting. But I saved this one for me.

{before}

 {after}

I replaced the bottom snap with a pink one from my vast collection of pearl snap buttons (oh, the glorious life of excess I lead, as a bandito maker). I took the pockets off to streamline it a bit. The sleeves became my straps and side panels. I like this top because I've fitted the straps exactly at the point where my bra straps are. And that makes me feel clever. You don't get this with store bought tops. 

And, it looks extra nice with my mended cropped jeans.

42/365

Grace in Small Things.

1. Mending my Diesel jeans for the third time. I know I should be fuming that such an extravagantly expensive pair of jeans should fall apart so easily (and so frequently), but I'm just not. I actually enjoy the process of bringing them back to life, and I relish in that stubborn-as-an-ox feeling of absolutely refusing to let them die. I love them as much as a human being can actually love a pair of jeans.

2. Watching Dhari make everyone laugh at his weekly music and play class. That's my boy!

3. The sweetness of a sleepy two-year old. "Want to cuddle Mummy..."

4. A hermit day. I love sunny days, and getting outside to bask a bit, but I also love being a hermit - just hanging out with my little guy and getting stuff done and hanging out with my little guy a bit more. I suppose, if we get stir-crazy and it doesn't rain, we might go to the park for a bit.

5. Getting lots of positive feedback about my bibs. That feels good.

{make do and mend} giving jeans a second chance

I couldn't understand. How could a £150 pair of jeans wear through after less than a year of usage? The last ones I spent a fortune on over at Diesel lasted me five years! Then I realised...This past year, jeans have (sadly enough) become my day-to-day uniform and I spend half my day on my hands and knees chasing a two year old. So of course the knees would be shot. Instead of tossing them (how could I? In times like these?), I mended them:

And then there were the cropped Armani Exchange jeans, which I've had for six years. Again, the right knee self-destructed only a few weeks before the Diesels broke my heart. But with these, I didn't much like the length anyway, so I decided not to mend, but to alter:

I'm pretty pleased with the results on both. I know the Make Do and Mend mentality has made a resurgence, what with the recession and environmental consciousness pervading absolutely everything - it's all very stylish. And as important as it is for us not to be wasteful, it's also wonderfully fun.