There’s no doubt about it, things have been tough the last few years and they are rapidly getting tougher. Food prices are rising steadily, fuel costs are going up and the last fortnight has seen the top energy suppliers in the UK putting their prices up by 8%-11%. This means that no matter how careful [...]
Quick and Easy Table Runner
by Beth on 18 May 2012 in Make Do and Mend, Sewing, Victory at Home
This table runner started life as a Christmas item. For the first time, I was going for a coherent theme for the dinner table and chose to run with a children’s traditional style. After looking into buying a table runner to serve the purpose, I found these things can be extremely expensive and sometimes too [...]
Thrifty Furniture Finds
by Beth on 8 May 2012 in Furniture, Make Do and Mend, Repairs, Victory at Home
Old furniture is often an excellent alternative to buying new. Not only are older items more likely to be of better quality, but there is also the thrill of having saved yet more unwanted items from clogging up the local landfill. If the item you have ‘salvaged’ requires a degree of attention before being fit [...]
The lost art of sharpening blades
by David on 28 November 2011 in Make Do and Mend, Repairs, Tools, Victory at Home
Recently we heard from a friend that at a local ‘green fair’ an ironmonger had set up a sharpening stall, giving masterclasses in sharpening. What had astonished our friend though was the fact that the course was massively oversubscribed and the sharpening expert was overwhelmed with the sheer amount of people wanting to learn how [...]





