31: A ta-da moment and bargains...........

Ta-da! Here is the ocean ripple looking rather odd hanging from the back of the chair. It is wide. And I think it looks like the sea, and it is lovely. Well I think so, anyway!

I have been sitting sewing in all the ends this evening. When it gets dark, I leave the sewing room and sit in the rocker and watch some TV , or rather listen to some TV while I do hand work - you know, the pinking shears, the crochet hook, the sewing needle sort of stuff. 

And I end up with a whole lot of this. Ends. 

Today, I have made some bunting for a friend - miles of it. 

And then I started on this............

Cutting out the 8 inch strips to start more Christmas bunting - on tomorrow's "to do " list.......

And cutting the triangles of autumnal fabric to make some autumn bunting too. 

So there has been a lot of activity in the sewing room. It has been bright and sunny today, and it is so nice to sit in a room flooded with the sunlight. It makes everything seem special. Do I sound demented? Probably. The brightness makes the ordinary extraordinary the same way as the dullness or greyness makes the ordinary dreary. 

Anyway. 

I like the sun shining. 

Jean and I popped along to Tesco at an early hour because she has visitors for the next week and needed to acquire food, and I went along for the ride - I needed bread, and I like wandering about now and then to see all the new things they are unpacking for Christmas already. On the way there, we stopped at a DIY store because Jean also has plans to paint her bathroom. And I found the reduced section. .......

Now how COULD I have walked past this?? That is a 90% discount by my reckoning. So I felt quite pleased with myself. I do like reduced sections/bargain basements/ cheapy shops (what we call the 99p store etc).  LOVE them. It is all about finding a couple of really reasonable things, and using them to make your home beautiful. Imagination. That is what is needed. I have imagination. Add Pinterest to the mix and ideas will pop into your mind as you walk around them. 

There was a time when I didn't enter the really cheap shops. I just assumed I wouldn't like what they stocked. (This was a looooooooong time ago.) And then my sister zapped into one of our local ones on a visit, and life changed forever. I was hooked on bargains and potential. And now, while others may list designer stores as their favourites, so help me, for the rest of my life, I will love the cheapy shops, marked down sections, bargain basements, and all the possibilities I can think of to make something special without breaking the bank. And if you love gardening, they are perfect. I buy covers for my garden furniture for 99p. They work. Why should I pay £20 or £30 for the same thing? The wind and rain and snow will damage any kind of cover, no matter how much you pay for them. 

And they are really good at seasonal stock, like Christmas, Easter etc. You just have to think how differently you could use a simple item. Paint photo frames. Add a hessian or raffia bow to a plain glass vase and fill with acorns and a candle. Make up play bags with card and crayons. It is all about engaging the brain together with the eyes and wallet, in a way. Thinking what else an item could be used for. 

Ah well. I love my bargain of the day - and yes, I did need a new single duvet cover!