Green Mermaid Cottage

Last year my interest in up-cycling, and the fact that I was too broke to buy new clothes, led me to decide to learn how to use a sewing machine.  From Pierrot doll to pirates… I vaguely remember using a sewing machine for the first time at school during an art and craft project where as part of a group of bored and slightly puzzled teenagers I was taught how to create a fabric Pierrot doll.  Needless to say as an adult I had forgotten everything about threading and using a machine, beyond the memory that I had somehow managed to sew the Pierrot’s black hat the wrong way around. My first step before investing in a beginner sewing machine was to attend an introductory sewing workshop. I wanted to make sure that I would enjoy sewing, before I spent any money on purchasing one, and to be able to learn the basics of using a machine and ask for support before letting myself loose on my own machine at home. Someone recommended Fabrications   in Hackney and I signed up for...

Once I had paid for the most urgent repairs to my House of Horrors and done as much DIY as I could to sort out the walls and flooring, I had nothing left to spend on making it look homely and comfortable.  I found being in the almost empty house incredibly depressing. Everything felt cold and dark. I really wanted it to reflect my personality and I dreamt of a boho, arty, eclectic and colourful haven.   DECORATING ON A BUDGET And so I turned to charity shops, markets, Facebook Marketplace and recycling apps like Freegle to try to furnish my home and improve the look of my garden on a small budget. I found that many charity shops sell furniture as well as clothing and objects. For example, I got a huge armchair and a beautiful recycled red cabinet from Emmaus Dover, a  social enterprise that supports local homeless people and help them develop new work skills.  I also found chairs and plant pots in skips that people were only too happy to give away. ...