{"id":1424,"date":"2020-04-07T12:13:32","date_gmt":"2020-04-07T12:13:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vanessaarbuthnott.co.uk\/blog\/?p=1424"},"modified":"2024-12-10T12:21:30","modified_gmt":"2024-12-10T12:21:30","slug":"make-do-and-mend-and-ideas-for-home-projects","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vanessaarbuthnott.co.uk\/blog\/make-do-and-mend-and-ideas-for-home-projects\/","title":{"rendered":"Make Do and Mend and Ideas for Home Projects"},"content":{"rendered":"
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MAKE DO AND MEND!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Make do and mend ideas can help you reuse and recycle when money or resources are limited. Here are some of our favourite make do and mend home decorating ideas.<\/p>\n

There’s always a chance, at any time of the year, to sort out our homes the old fashioned \u2018spring cleaning\u2019 way that our parents did. I do believe in the saying \u2018if you want something done, ask a busy person to do it, the more things you do, the more you can do\u2019. I seem to be managing less than when I was haring around flat out!<\/p>\n

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My view is that looking on the bright side can help us through life, and also to make changes to benefit the future by being more self sufficient. For me, make do and mend is all about digging deep into my resources and seeing what I can do; waking up old hobbies and interests and learning something new too.<\/p>\n

I am really into \u2018make do and mend\u2019. My clothes mending pile, which has been so high for so long, is at last getting attention, in front of a good film and pots of tea. I am remembering teaching all my kids how to sew on a button and simple hemming stitches when they were about 8, 10, 12 and 14 years old. I heard from my son\u2019s girlfriend, how he mends the hems of his suit trousers on her sewing machine. I certainly didn\u2019t teach him that!<\/p>\n

Hand sewing is a skill needing a little practice, but easy to pick up. I am having fun sewing elbow patches onto my worn out favourite jumpers, cutting squares from old dresses and shirts to patch other dresses, also replacing lost buttons with an assortment of shapes and colours.<\/p>\n

New fabric<\/a> and lining and heading tape online, a space to lay it all out and hey presto! The process is surprisingly simple. It\u2019s good to have a stash of fabric, so you can start a project as soon as you feel energised. Then there are those tired blinds, which I couldn\u2019t let down because the cords had broken; I have re-strung them buying new blind cord online. A fresh coat of paint<\/a> is also the quickest and cost-effective way to give an instant facelift to any room!<\/p>\n

Try sale curtains and blinds for ready made, ready to install blinds and curtains<\/a> in your favourite fabrics, colours and sizes to fit your windows: Roman blind in up the garden path cornflower<\/a><\/p>\n

My kitchen was my last big home project which I undertook during lockdown; before that it last received attention about 11 years ago! I am so lucky because my Mum taught me how to make curtains<\/a>, so that\u2019s what I will do.\u00a0Being the centre of any home where family and friends will more than likely gather for a long period of time, it’s important to not only focus on the practicality of the environment, but the decor as well. The two combined, if done right, will create a well designed, comfortable, cosy, and cohesive looking space within your home for all to enjoy.\u00a0 Here are some snapshots of my kitchen which I’d like to share with you. I chose Peach & Smoke<\/a> as the main colours that create the perfect balance to work alongside the existing furniture and kitchenware. It’s all open plan so using these colours to balance everything out was integral, but, the importance is that you can sit down and socialise in any section of the room with seating provided throughout. To soften the space out and to also make it feel relaxing, I added rugs, accessories and scatter cushions for those important finishing touches; a home from home.<\/p>\n

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Ideas for home projects<\/strong><\/h2>\n

It’s time to dust off your sewing machine and make a start on a project. Getting going is always the hardest thing to do. Once you have set up you machine, chosen your fabric, have thread, pins, scissors, tape measure and instructions ready, you can hopefully get sewing.<\/p>\n

You will feel so much better if you can become so absorbed in making that you forget time and place (flow): the benefits of being in the ‘flow’ zone stretch beyond the experience itself. Flow is associated with well-being, satisfaction with life and general happiness.<\/p>\n

Home upholstery is another great way to improve \u2018that\u2019 chair with the broken seat or arm. With YouTube videos and online tutorials, you can teach yourself many of the needed skills. The simplest of all is the re-covering of a footstool or drop in chair seat; anything angular is a great starting point. For more inspiration, why not purchase my beginners guide<\/a> to making curtains, shades, pillows, cushions, and more!<\/p>\n

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Some ideas for sewing projects<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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Lampshades are surprisingly simple to make and there are lots of helpful YouTube videos to teach you. But of course we can make them for you too. Click here<\/a> for more information.<\/p>\n

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Wall Coverings are the simplest to hang, you just paste the wall only and then place the paper on top…wallpapers you need to paste the back of the paper. Here is<\/a> my full range of wallpapers and wall coverings, all sent within a few working days from our Cirencester showroom!<\/p>\n

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I would love to see photos of what you have all made, please send them in so we can inspire each other.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

MAKE DO AND MEND! Make do and mend ideas can help you reuse and recycle when money or resources are limited. Here are some of our favourite make do and mend home decorating ideas. There’s always a chance, at any time of the year, to sort out our homes the old fashioned \u2018spring cleaning\u2019 way […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3906,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1424","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-made-to-measure"],"yoast_head":"\r\nMake Do and Mend and Ideas for Home Projects - Vanessa's Style Guide<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"I am really into \u2018make do and mend\u2019. Making do with what you have and mending old fabrics with patchwork repairs can lead to a distinguished look. 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