No fund? Creativity will do.

I found a new site to pick up free tutorials.  It's Pinterest.

I followed the instruction shown on this image but decided to use a punctured tube found in my bicycle shop to work on instead of buying a strip of leather.


If I continue to make sections of this, I can sew them up and make myself a smart looking bag. 

I will definitely show it off if I have time to complete this project. Look out for it in my future postings.

Bad bags days? No more!

I don't buy reusable bags. Sometimes I get them free from exhibitions attended or with stuff purchased. My children get them from the school they attended.

Take a look at these reusable bags we have on hand.

Do you like the colour enough to go shopping with it?

Some can't even take the weight it is supposed to!

Even if it is reusable, would you continue using it if you can't wash the stain off it?

I am sure you are facing the same problems. Do you have a solution to these problems? Me? You bet!

If the kids don't fancy the colour of their reusable bags to use them, slip them into another that they would consider taking.

Here is a lacy bag that I crochet.

This is how it looks with reusable bag tucked in.

The kids are more likely to handle their reusable bags with care if they like the colour and the design. So, while the reusable bag is still new...

...reinforce the handles by running stitches where they join at the bag.

Here is another crochet bag design I created for reusable bag.

With this design, I can slip the handles of the reusable bag through the handles of the crochet bag.


That should keep our reusable bags from landing in the trash bin any sooner. How do you like that?

I hope that producers of reusable bags should rethink how they design their bags so that they not only will last longer but will be fashionably, the bag of choice.

Transforming my lanterns

So the mooncake festive event is over. What did I do with the lanterns I made? No, there is no museum in my home to display stuff I have made. I have not reached that status yet.

Here is the lantern for my son dismantled for storage. It can come in handy if there is a fancy dress party for my son to attend. I can turn it upside down and let him use it as a hat.


I would also consider sending my creations to the recycling bins if they are no longer in their pristine condition. But before I do that I usually keep a record of how I have them made.

Check out what I can do with the lantern I created for my daughter.


I can join the pieces together and transform them into a container for storing my electrical plugs.


Make a few more of that and I can use them to store undies for the kids. That should save me the hassle of folding them neatly in their drawers to have them all messed up after each bath. Now that's a neat transformation I will work on.

You think a square container looks better or a round one?



Maybe I should tone down on the colours...


If you are wondering what these containers are made of, you have definitely missed my earlier posting.

Another Lantern for Mooncake Festival

I thought my son is too old for lanterns until he told me he wants one too after checking out the one I did for his sister.

So here is the model I created for him and it is made up of a cardboard box for a monitor.



It is obvious that I have been inspired by all the traditional stuff I saw during...


...my trip to Beijing.

Lantern for Mooncake Festival

We are celebrating the mooncake festival this Saturday and I have created a lantern for my little girl.


How much do I have to spend for materials? Nothing! It's made up of plastic bags that I have cut into strips to crochet into...

...granny squares...


...to decorate an empty container for cooking oil, with its top cut off.

Here is a closer view of the lantern.


May you have a wonderful time eating delicious mooncakes and drinking good tea by your lanterns.

Adding class to waste

So, you think I have no standard? Can't blame you if you have read that I have used plastic containers from cooking oil as drawers for my kitchen shelf.

Is it possible to add class to waste material re-used in this manner?

Take a look at this woolen cover I have made for my containers and decide.



I can also add length to it...


...so that it covers the contents in the container.



I can also invert it so that its bottom is now its top.



Is that classy enough for you to re-use your waste now?

Orange gift for my girl

I decided to buy this book...


because I wanted to...


...make this lovely little doll for myself but I did not get around to it until my girl asked for it.

So, here it is according to her specification; "...in pink and without apron..."



I made it out of some leftover wools I have on hand. And note my 2-in-1 touch to the design. I added frills to the back in place of the apron so that when I turned the head around, wallah, I have a princess in the making.



Hang on here. Shouldn't this be posted on my blog for my kids?

If that is what you are thinking about, check out this whiskey bottle I will be hanging on to once the content is all drank up.


That is what holds the doll in place.

And if you are wondering what's "orange" about a pink doll, you have obviously not read about my "orange" article on giving.

I love it when my daughter "oooh" and "ahhh" over some abandoned material I managed to put to use. And since I bought this book in 1977 and still find it so useful, it is definitely an "orange" gift for myself.

Travelling light and cosy.

Traveling light does not mean that I have to pack in less and bear the cold in the place I will be going to. Check out this little piece I have just created for my next holiday trip.

It's a one size fits all blouse...


cum bag...


...so that I don't have to buy another bag to hold souvenirs I will be buying.



It's one of my "1 more need less" ideas that my daughter is looking forward to bag and wear. And have I reuse anything to create this? You bet! The draw strings looped into the top of the blouse were from a paper bag while the one that gathers it's bottom into a bag is from a pair of my son's sports pant.

Hmmm, do you think I can turn this green idea into a business venture?

Keep the flies away! Need more covers?

When the children were younger, they tend to take a longer time to eat their food and more often than not they are not at the dinning table where they should be. What happened was the flies beat them to the food and that meant that the food had to be discarded.

So, does that mean that you need to buy a number of food covers when you have children eating at home?

Not if you are able to get your hands on these plastic covers that come with canned food product, such as, margarine or condensed milk.



Most of these are large enough to cover other canned food. So, if you have any leftover canned food,...



...look through your collection of covers to see if there is any around to fit its top.



They are also the right size to cover the top of the rice bowl we use here.

So, what about items that need a larger cover like this mortar and pestle that I have. The cover I bought is not even large enough for it. And I know for a fact that you can be called away mid chores to attend to the children's demands or to check out if the children have been up to any pranks. So, I should buy a bigger one after all, right?




No. Not if you can find a clean dish cloth that is large enough to cover it.



Cultivate a "1 more need less" mentality and you will have more to spend on what is really needed. A great tips for a Mummy with twins, don't you think so?

Dusting? Go find some socks?!!!

I usually buy at least 2 pairs of socks in the same design. That way if 1 of either pair is lost or stained, I will still end up with 1 wearable pair. And when I talk about getting some socks to dust with, I am not talking about buying new ones to start with.

Start collecting those that you or your children have:

1) outgrown
2) lost a side
3) stained too much to be worn without embarrassment



When you dust the conventional way, with a feather duster, the dust will fly up into the air and land else where. If you missed sweeping a speck away, there it stays. And you wouldn't want that happening if you have children at home who are sensitive to dust particles.

So, go find that 1 sided sock, moisten it up a bit and slip it over your hand and start wiping away the dust with it. Once it is stained, turn it around on your hand so that you have the other side of the surface to clean with.



If you have more areas to dust, don't wash that dirty sock yet! Turn it inside out and...



...you will have 2 more surfaces from the inside to work with.



All sides used? Now you can wash. Great job! You have just save time, save water and reduced waste.

When kids come visiting, be prepared!

I can imagine that a new mother with twins is bound to gain popularity overnight. Friends and relatives are most likely to visit with their children in tow to welcome the new babies. So, my idea today is to protect cushions from being stained by visiting children.

You should be interested in this tip too because it is going to help save cleaning time, water, make use of some treasured discards.

So, what do you need?

1) Lovely nice plastic bags you have been getting buying baby or adult clothings. Here is an example.



2) Lovely t-shirts that your children have outgrown. I love these souvenir t-shirts, bought by relatives while they were on holiday overseas. It is grand to think that they have thought about my children.



If you are expecting children to visit, slip your cushions...



...into the plastic bags.



Now slip the t-shirt over the plastic bag so that opening of the bag is at the side of the t-shirt.



The children will love it when they play with the cushions because of the sound the plastic bags will make. And if any of them, including yours, stained the cushion, just remove and replace the stained t-shirt with another.

It is easier to wash a t-shirt which you can throw into the washing machine than a cushion cover and the stain will not seep into the fillings of the cushions. It is more likely that you have to wash the whole set of cushion covers even if one has been stained. You do not want one piece to look obviously cleaner than the rest, do you?

It can also be a great conversation starter. Like, "Oh, you have been to Australia?" or "Check out this tactile cushion idea I created for my children".

Like this idea too? In that case you are going to like my next idea better. Just watch out for it in my next posting.

Mopping? Read my savings tips first.

The twins are due soon. They are not mine but my friend's and I am sure that she will love these savings ideas I have to ease her household chores once her family of 3 shoots up to 5 members. You should be interested too because you can also reduce some wastage in your home.

Let's start with savings tips for mopping the floor. Would you believe it if I say that I can mop a floor space of 25m by 75m with half a pail of floor cleaning solution? And it is only about 3 quarter full.



To be able to do that, you need this kind of mop handle for...



...this kind of slip on mop.



To use it with ease, you need to drape over the mop, a laundry bag for washing your delicate clothings in washing machine or an old stocking. The zip on this laundry bag shown here is damaged. So,...



...instead of throwing it away, I slipped it on to the mop to reduce friction against the floor and ease movement of cleaning.



When you mop this way, the dust and dirt will clump up together,



...making it easier for you to push them together before you sweep it up into a dustpan with a broom.



When you use a broom, the dust will disperse as you sweep and settle elsewhere. In fact, you can see the finer dust stuck to the laundry bag in this picture.



Remove the laundry bag and the mop to wash. But don't wash them in the pail of cleaning solution. I usually wash them under running water. But if you are concern about wasting too much water in the process, use another pail of water for that.



For this write up, I have collected the running water I used each time I removed the dirty laundry bag and mop to wash. This is how much water I have used. Look at the murky colour and you will know that it is an effective way to mop the floor.



Also, as you can see, my pail of cleaning solution still looked as good to clean.



I usually use that to wash the bathroom.

Also, if you rinse your your mop and laundry bag properly, you can throw them into the washing machine to wash.

So, this is my tips for the day for:

1) saving water
2) saving cleaning solution
3) saving old laundry bag or stocking
4) saving energy because the mop is lighter and not as difficult to wrung
5) saving time handwashing the mop

You can also use this mop dry. That way it functions like a broom. However, make sure that you do not buy the type with broad base as it will be difficult to reach under low tables and cupboard to clean up.

And what do I do when the mop wears out on me?



I get a new one and use the old one for the kitchen. I don't bother sewing up the loose seams. Since I drape a laundry bag over the mop, it hangs on to the handle just fine.

Watch out for more shortcuts and green savings tips that I have up my sleeves in the next posting.