Hello!.

Autumn cleaning is almost finished. Just the last little tweaks to do this week and the house will be spic and span for the rest of autumn and winter, such a nice feeling.

This week's makes:
Finished a hunter green tea cosy for a friend's daughter.
While I was in a tea cosy mood, I found some pink wool and made a new tea cosy for my tea pot for winter, and then Hannah spotted it and asked if she could have one too, so that is almost finished. 

​Some cards for the Happy Mail Project.

​This week's bakes:
Not baking but made a big batch of Depression Era Salad and filmed it.
Made a double pasta bake, one for tea one for the freezer.
Made a double batch of wheat tortillas, used some and froze the others.
Dehydrated celery and celery leaves. Ground the leaves to powder to use in soup and Cream of Anything Cup a Soup.
Canned 8 pints of mushrooms and 4 pints mushroom stock from three kilos of mushrooms.

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​This week's grows:
Picked more rosemary and rhubarb and some raspberries. 
Used a homegrown cucumber and garlic, and MOO yoghurt to make tzatziki.

This week's sews:
​Hannah asked for something to store her knives in in her camping box so she wouldn't get cut when she put her hand in to get one out. One handtowel and 20 minutes and this is what I came up with. I used some silver iron-on vinyl and a free SVG of cutlery to decorate it. Now she doesn't have to be afraid of putting her hand in the box, the blades are safely covered.

Good morning!

All our meals were cooked using pantry ingredients, no need for takeaway or eating out. On the spur of the moment, I used some bread rolls from the freezer to make parmesan garlic rolls to have with dinner one night and they were a hit. 

For lunchboxes I made a batch of choc chip biscuits and two loaves of raisin bread. They like buttered raisin bread as a snack and it's easy to make and cheaper than the  $3.79 a loaf from the supermarket (and I have no idea how much it would be from the bakery).

I boiled a dozen eggs to use for sandwiches and snacks. Even with the price rises, eggs are a budget friendly source of protein and a whole bunch of vitamins and an inexpensive, healthy snack.

Two of the garden beds were topped up with compost and forked over, ready for planting. These beds will be for tomatoes, capsicum, egg plant, lettuce and beetroot. 

I didn't get anything sewn last week. There is a nice pile waiting to be done, so this week I have blocked out half an hour every afternoon to just sew. Even if the roof is caving in, I'm going to get the sewing done!

I did get some stocking stuffer type little gifts made for the present box. The production line method worked really well, and a lot of little bits of card and paper were used up, along with some embellishments.

To get ahead I stamped a lot of sentiments and cut them out. I found this little container in my shed and it's perfect for keeping the sentiments safe and ready to use. Lots of little bits of card stock were used up from the scrap bin. 

​Scraps of DSP came in handy to make little post it note holders. I love these, I use post it notes in my handbag for jotting quick reminders that I can stick on whatever when I get home.

​And it suddenly occurred to me that we are half-way through August already and it's time to start working on the Christmas hampers! The treat boxes for the caramels and shortbreads have been started. There are a few more needed, so I'll go through the DSP this week and pull out some Christmas themed odds and ends and get more made. 

I know some of you have already done this, but recycling last year's Christmas card into gift tags and even little gift card holders is simple, easy and quick. It's also a good way to keep some money in your gift budget! It may only save you $2 or $3 but that money can be used to buy materials for another gift on your list, and keep you on budget.

This year we had some really pretty Christmas cards and I wanted a way to recycle them and keep the "pretty" on them.

First I cut the fronts from the backs. Actually I very carefully ripped them apart, but you could cut them if you wanted to. 

Then I put them into piles:
Pile A: gift tags
Pile B: gift card holders
Pile C: present toppers

To make the gift tags I cut the card fronts down to either 3-1/2" x 2" or 3" circles, depending on the image I wanted to use. Then I just punched a hole near the top and threaded through 8" of gold cord folded in half.

To make the gift card holders I cut the card fronts down to make a little card and folded it in half. On the inside I centred a gift card, then marked the corners. Use a scalpel or very sharp knife to cut slits at the corners to hold the gift card in place.

Present toppers were so much fun. I chose the part of the card front I wanted to feature and fussy cut around it. Then I pulled out the gel pens and glitter and ribbons and lace and flowers and started embellishing the picture. Some double sided foam tape on the back so it can be stuck to a gift or a gift bag and they were done. 
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​So use your imagination. Don't toss those cards or shove them in a drawer to just take up space. Put them to use and extend their life. Oh, and save some money in your gift budget. 

Don't forget to check in for our Make It Monday show and tell over at Cheapskates Chatter, we'd love to see what you've made.