Africanaussie

 I have been a bit quiet on the blogging front lately because I have been busy!   Last year I received a grant through our local government to write an e-book on upcycling!  I have been crafting, photographing, and writing, but slowly it is all coming together and I am due to publish on July 4th!   Upcycling is a cause really close to my heart.  I volunteer at our local op shop and it is terrible to see how many donations come through our door.  Too much to sell.  We package up boxes to be sent to remote areas in Northern Queensland, but so much really has to be thrown away as well.  I read about #MendInPublicDay run by Fashion Revolution.  You can check out their website  here  . So, I am gathering a group of my crafternoon friends, and we will sit at the op shop on Saturday 26th April. My plan is to have a few little crafts, and one of my favourite items lately is this little bag to hold loyalty cards.   It is ...

   In our hot and humid climate, jeans are not big movers in our op shop.  We had a $1 a pair sale rack, and still have full racks..... so I decided to make up a few different bags to see if we can somehow save these items from landfill.  Re-fashioning those items into something useful.  I made a few variations just to try out the market and sold this one on the first day they were put out! Each one is individual, depending on what fabric I have available. I tend to lay things out, and then just play around a bit.   Here I am laying out all the options before I start sewing.  I have joined a facebook group which is so inspirational and supportive.      Up-Cycled Cloth Collective | Facebook So often, it is just a case of seeing what is there, and then using it in the best way possible.  I was excited to find this tote bag, which was perfect as the lining of a bag for a teenager. this was also snapped up quickly. The bags were hu...

 I purchased another class from Craft school of oz!   I was inspired after doing a couple of free classes learning Shashiko stitching and decided to venture more into this meditative method of stitching.   I have been re-purposing unsold garments to sell in the op shop instead of sending them to landfill.  This made a white ripped pair of shorts into a more interesting piece before I turned it into a bag.   For Christmas I enjoyed making some little needle cases, it really is quite meditative to sew random little stitches. I tend to look at descriptions of crafts, and then run with them and make them my own.  I love the idea of sashiko stitching, but some of it seems quite rigid.   I have been playing around with a few samples, and then thought that would be an ideal way to personalize some of the phone bags I have been thinking of making.  I didnt have a washable marker, so marked out a sort of grid with my tailors chalk....

  Walking the Camino Oh dear, it is ages since I posted here, and I have lots to catch up on.  On the first leg of my round the world trip that started in May, I got to do something I have always dreamed of doing.  I walked the Camino with my daughter and her husband.   Since we cannot bring scallop shells back into Australia, my daughter printed our scallop shells on her 3 D printer! After trying on multiple pairs of shoes, in the end I purchased my favourite kind, Orthoheel, that I often buy from the pharmacy. I packed silicone sleeves for my hammer toes, and soft woolen roving, to add extra cushioning. We bought special socks that have a ribbed area around the instep, packed and re-packed, and weighed our backpacks.  I took two sets of thin lycra capri pants, one long pair, and two short sleeved tops, plus one long sleeved one. Socks and undies, 3 sets, one small microfiber towel, and a small bar of shampoo/soap, toothbrush and toothpaste.  Thi...

 I have been busy planning for my trip overseas, making the garden as maintenance free as possible.  At first I thought I would take the fish and plants out of the pond, but in actual fact it seems more work.  The main things that takes up my time, is removing leaves that have fallen in the pond, and dealing with too much rain which causes a lot of slime to grow.  I have rigged the umbrella  to be a little higher and hopefully it stays in place all the time.    I took out most of the fish to give to my stepson, but then noticed lots of little ones growing, so I obviously didn't remove them all!  lol! We had a huge amount of rain and  wind lately, and my arch came crashing down, so that area has had to be re-configured. I have moved most of my orchids there, and they get a  little more filtered light than they did on the fence..  A facebook group called orchid growing for dummies has been very helpful, so hopefully I get a few more f...

 I am so blessed to have a hubby who supports all my crazy hobbies. and we set out over the weekend to spend our Christmas gift card on a worm farm.  It was a combined gift, but of course I made the choice and it was gardening related.!  As most of you know I am a huge fan of my tumbler, but it is getting on in age, and suddenly didn't turn very easily anymore.  Hubby drilled a couple of holes and the trusty tie wraps came out.  What on earth did we do before tie wraps were invented?   I realized I should keep the tumbler as light as possible.  My daughter in law said that they partly compost veggie peeling and kitchen waste in their tumbler and then finish it off in the worm bin.  What a great idea I thought.... so the idea of a worm farm was born.  I settled on the worm cafe as I like the flat edge design, and for now it is under the eaves right next to the tumbler.  What a great design - nothing is thrown out - even the cardboard...