2018 in review - The Year of 'LIGHT'

In the spirit of writing more for this  blog, I have decided to start with a few posts reviewing my year of 2018.  I like to set a word for each year as a focus for my life, following Ali Edwards 'One Little Word'.  Last year I chose the word 'LIGHT', and I think it is the best word yet!  (Words I  have chosen in the past include: SIMPLIFY, CREATE, ACTION, GROW, DEVELOP, FLOURISH SLOW).

I thought that the word LIGHT would be a focus for all areas of my life, and decided to focus on these 3 areas:

LIGHT touch on the planet  
Letting my LIGHT shine 
LIGHT and airy home


LIGHT touch on the planet
I focused my efforts on recycling as much as possible.  We are lucky in that our local recycling centre is very good and takes most things that can be recycled.  I tried to reduce my consumption of single use plastics, and picked up at least 3 items of plastic rubbish on the beach every time I went down there.

I also cut down on buying new clothes, although I did have a little splurge in the summer with new summer tops!  I used up some of my fabric stash to make new clothes, and refashioned items bought from charity shops.  (More on sewing projects coming soon!)

Letting my LIGHT shine
I started meditating using a meditation app - which I really enjoyed, but I have not done so much lately.  I took better care of my skin, instigating a routine of a twice weekly scrub and facepack.  I started using jojoba oil on my face every morning and night.  I wanted to lose some weight, but have failed miserably in that regard!  
I tried out a 'capsule wardrobe' following Style Bee 10x10.  I made a much more concerted effort to wear smarter casual clothes and make up whenever I went out.

LIGHT and airy home
I persuaded OH to paint our bedroom, and our feature wall is now a calming green.  Along with new bedding and curtains, the room looks much lighter and brighter.

I did a lot of decluttering and had some success with selling unwanted items on eBay.  I decluttered my craft stash (again!), and gave some of it away using Freecycle.

It's been a great year for me, and I hope for you too!  I'll write more about sewing projects and our travels soon.

Cheap Dressing!

I am trying not to buy any new clothes this year!  Instead I am sewing new clothes or buying second hand from charity shops and ebay.

Here's an example, what I am wearing today.

First the jacket.  I wanted a light coloured jacket that I could wear on cooler summer days really.  I bought this one from eBay for £4 and decorated it with some cheap iron-on rose embroideries.   The jacket has been brought up to date!

Next the jeans.  I bought these from a local charity shop.  They were brand new, and I think I paid about £5 for them.  They fit perfectly except that they were a bit long.  So I turned them up, double stitching the hems as they were originally. 

The top is new and is from Lidl.  I think it was about £6! 

So whole outfit for £15.  Bargain!

Me Made May 2017

I am joining in with Zoe's Me Made May again this year.    I love that Zoe picks the month of May to do this, as hopefully we will get some nice warm days later in the month and we will be able to wear Summer clothes as well!

I am pledging to wear either an item made by me, or an item refashioned by me every day during the month of May.


During this month, I am hoping to:
*wear all my Me Made clothes
*wear different combinations, and discover new outfits
*identify clothes I don't wear and why
*discover 'holes' in my wardrobe and plan to fill them with Me Made clothes
*celebrate that I have enough Me Made clothes to wear every day!
*learn how to use my phone camera on timer (DONE!  See day 2 photo below)
*learn more about my new Panasonic camera, especially how to use it on the timer

I have decided to add in 'refashioned clothes' as I am pledging not to buy any new clothes this year, but am allowing myself to buy and refashion preowned clothes from charity shops and ebay.

Here's a look at what I wore for days 1 and 2:

Day 1 I wore the top I made with Kwik Sew 4026.  I have made 2 dresses with this pattern.  You might see at least 1 of them later this month.

Today I wore a top I bought from a charity shop and refashioned.  It was the simplest refashion, I simply took the elastic out of the bottom!  It is a great top for this time of year, loose fitting, and cool, but covering up enough for cooler days.