mousehouse: Domestic Bliss

Friday, October 9, 2009

Domestic Bliss

My crafty obsession actually started by watching Shannon Lush's TV programme "Lush House" on the Living Channel- eco friendly cleaning tips, organising tips and thrifty finds to enhance your home. It got me thinking about the money I was spending on unnecessary cleaning products and the fact that in our nana's day they didn't have any of the products we use today and their houses were spotless! From there I got out Wendyl Nissen's "Domestic Goddess on a Budget", a brilliant little read, and then Sophie Grey's Live Well Spend Less. These books really made me think about the money I spend on stuff and the way our Nana's lived compared to us mums today. Then one friend mentioned she wanted to learn to crochet and another friend wanted to sew some christmas stockings and my crafting obsession just snowballed from there! I started reading blogs, dragging my baby and toddler into sewing and craft shops, booking a couple of beginner sewing and knitting classes and dusted off the old sewing machine and sewed some (very basic!) bunting for my girls' playhouse. I guess the recession and subsequent "Make do and Mend', Grow your own Vege's, Save Money mantra's has really got me wishing I could make for my children and friends what our nana's did. The satisfaction of making my own things, using the creative side of my brain and sharing my newly found skills with others are great motivation!

Megan :)

2 comments:

Karen Phillips Tea Towels said...: I totally agree! When you get into the whole 'make do and mend' way of life it's really addictive! I've really got into traditional cleaning tips using white vinegar and bicarb of soda. Top tip!; Tue Sep 14, 08:55:00 PM
nyc1998 said...: You may also enjoy reading this if you haven't already.

Title: A spoonful of sugar : old-fashioned wisdom for modern-day mothers / Liz Fraser.

Author: Fraser, Liz, 1974-

Summary: Timeless wisdom for modern mothers. It all began with a conversation with my grandmother! When Liz Fraser spent a month with her grandmother, she was at her wits' end as a parent, fed up with crop-tops, pester power and the pressure to consume. So she asked her grandmother - what works? What helps make a good childhood? The answers were surprisingly simple - and stunningly effective. From early bedtime to giving your child room to play, the old-fashioned common sense of her grandmother's generation changed Liz's family life for good. Liz reveals the traditional rules that allow you to give your children back their childhood, while adding her own experience as a modern mum, aware we have to work with the world we live in now. The result is a book that reminds us how precious and short childhood is, and delivers practical solutions that every parent can employ. Comforting, friendly and reassuringly traditional, this is all everyone needs for a happier, simpler family life.

Publisher: London : HarperCollins, 2009; Wed Jan 26, 08:02:00 PM