Archive for the ‘Family’ Category
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Crafty times: the zipper flower part 1
If there’s one thing you can rely on, it’s the fact that every December, most women buy a new dress for the Christmas-New Year party season… and most of us buy it in black.
But this year, I’ve got a bit of a problem. You see, I did a bit of a closet re-org last weekend and I counted EIGHT black dresses… none of which I’m prepared to part with. I also counted a great deal of non-black dresses, leading me directly to the conclusion that this year I will NOT buy a new dress.
What to do? Accessorise, my dears, I must accessorise… and happily enough, I know just how: with a zipper flower.
The raw materials... a zipper. Photo by Uwe Hermann @ Flickr.
Over the past few months, I’ve spotted zipper flowers on a few well-accessorised fashionistas around town. They’ve also been featured on some crafty/style blogs, like The Best of DIY and Chictopia. I even spotted a couple for sale in Topshop, but they don’t come cheap — the one I liked was £25!
Clearly, a bit of craftiness is in order if I want to update my party wardrobe on the cheap (and chic).
Can it be done? Absolutely, and I’m setting a spend limit of £5. I’ll post back with my results and the official OolaMoola zipper flower how-to.
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As good as new baby gear for a fraction of the cost
Most mums are familiar with the NCT (National Childbirth Trust), but how many are aware of the nearly-new sales that take place locally to them every 6 months or so?
Down our way, in the London mummy-ghetto that is East Dulwich, the NCT nearly-new sale is a hotly anticipated date that finds its way into the diary weeks in advance. I had been warned by a couple of friends that I should turn up early to bag the good stuff. I can’t usually be bothered to queue for anything, but when it comes to shopping for The Noodle, I’m a willing slave.
The queues were long and the morning so cold that I regretted my sweater dress and boots and wished for a ‘duvet’ coat - the kind you see Spanish tourists wearing in London whatever the weather. I froze for 40 minutes, whiling away the time on Google reader and surreptitiously sharpening my elbows.
At 11am sharp, the doors opened and the hordes rushed in. It was organised chaos, with mums just about managing to be polite to each other as they scrabbled over jumpers, coats, trousers, toys and even bigger items like a brand new Bugaboo. There really was some great schwag to be had.
I had set myself a budget of £40 and hoped to find some warm clothes and new toys for The Noodle. I’m pretty pleased with what I came out with:
1 pure wool Benetton cardigan (£4.50)
3 pairs of tights (£1.50)
1 wooden shape sorter (£3.50)
1 bag of duplo including a bendy caterpillar (£4.50)
1 pair of pompom slippers (£4)
1 pair of dungarees (£4.50)
1 sleeping bag (£2.50)
1 wooden bead puzzle (£2.50)
Total: £27.50
When I got home, I took real pleasure in hunting for the same articles online to find out how much money I’d saved. I discovered that the overall value when new is £174.00. Bargain! And I came out unscathed - all in all, a good morning’s bargain hunting.
Here’s a video of a slightly more spacious NCT sale than the one I went to:
To find out where the next NCT sale near you is, go to their Nearly New Sale Finder and put in your postcode. The added bonus is that most of the money goes to the charity to support new parents, so you can feel warm and fuzzy as well as a little bit smug.
Posted in Bargains & Markets, Family, Uncategorized
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How to save on baby cards and gifts
copyright: bensonkua on flickr
The Noodle is lucky enough to have baby friends who are a few months older than her, so we’ve been to a good number of 1st birthday parties already. Of course, this means a whole stack of birthday cards for babbas and as Hallmark and its shareholders know - cards are a lucrative business.
At £2.75 a pop, and with at least 10 babies to buy for in our immediate circle of friends, I could end up spending £27.50 on cards alone. Luckily, I’m in with a group of similarly fiscally-minded mammas who have all agreed that we only buy a gift for one baby and that the gift should cost a maximum of £10. I guess you could say that not only am I saving on cards, I’m also saving on gifts, to the tune of £90! Read full post
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Make your own pottery for £12
Make your own pottery from OolaMoola on Vimeo.
My parents have been visiting the last two weeks to help me move. I needed to find something fun for us to do together as a family to thank them - the typical dinner out didn’t seem very creative (or affordable!). So when I came across Merton Abbey Mills‘ weekend market and learned about the £12 pottery classes in the Wheelhouse, I could not help but eying a massive opportunity to kill ‘three’ birds with one stone: Entertain the family, learn something new.. at the same time as adding some beautiful pottery to my glass cabinet.
Some of the beautiful pottery at Merton Abbey Mills
The classes are run by Stephen Llewellyn and cost only £12 per person for a 45 minutes session - this includes using the wheel, clay, as well as Stephen’s wonderful tutelage. As if that’s not enough, at the end of the session you’ll get to pick one of your masterpieces for firing and glazing, ready for pick up about 4 weeks later.
Pottery wheel
That’s me trying to shape the clay into something usable - with Stephen’s help. There’s a technique (or science?) to this - pressing the clay from the inside will force the clay to widen outwards, while adding pressure from the outside will make they clay rise upwards. Also - you’ve got to keep a very steady arm, using your right hand to shape the clay while your left hand should only to support your right hand so it keeps steady.
Mr. Teen gets help to shape the clay
Let me tell you - pottery is so much fun but it’s not easy at first! I find the whole concept of not using both hands very confusing, so I learned the hard way…
Doing it right - Doing it wrong..
The atmosphere in the Wheelhouse is historic and relaxed - dating back to 1885. Stephen was an amazing teacher, letting us know when we did well, and telling us not to worry when it all went awry: “It’s just a piece of clay,” he said with a smile as I tossed my fifth vase attempt in the recycle bin. Ay.
We had so much fun on our session. We even got to bring Flint The Wheaten to the session which was an added bonus to the family experience. My parents and Mr. Teen enjoyed themselves and they’re really excited to see the fnished result of their efforts when the clay has been glased and burned. Moolah well spent - so much better than a dinner out!
Below are a few of our finished pottery pieces that we get to pick up in about four weeks time. Don’t worry if you can’t choose just one of your beautiful creations though - you can have your other pottery glazed for only £3 per piece.
The results of our 45 min workshop!
I plan on going again soon - this is a great way to stock up precious Christmas presents (it’s never to early, is it?). And if you don’t want to bring your family around - it’s also a great start to a girl friend’s night out - or you can even bring a special date… there are excellent bars and restaurants in the area to visit afterwards.
Tip for you Londoners: There’s a festival in Colliers Wood this weekend. Get in line for a free ticket to try the pottery wheel this Saturday - show up around 10 to be sure you get on the wait list!
The Wheelhouse
Merton Abbey Mills
A24 Merantun Way (behind Sainsbury’s at Colliers Wood).
0208 647 0076 on weekdays/ 0208 543 6656 at weekends
Individual tuition is in a small group of up to four people. Classes are held from 11am to 3pm on Saturday and Sunday, and at other times by arrangement.
The Wheelhouse accommodates only 4 people per session, so don’t leave the booking until it’s too late - two weeks in advance is usually enough time to get your reservation in.
http://www.stephenllewellynpottery.co.uk/
Posted in Bargains & Markets, Beauty, Crafting, Entertainment, Family
