9 STITCHES

There's that old saying about a stitch in time saving nine - which of course means if you tackle a problem early you'll save yourself a much larger problem later on. This is also a saying from an era when mending and darning were not only commonplace but essential. These days a split stitch, broken heel or missing button is less often attended to early, if at all. Cheap, convenient and fast-changing fashions often mean we end up with more clothes than we really need and that we also generally neglect them (not helped much by the inferior quality products on the market that give up after a couple of runs in a washing machine).

ONE STEP BEYOND

It's likely you're all familiar with the eco-conscious jingle 'reduce, reuse, recycle' - aka 'the three R's', but how about my personal favourite - upcycling?

More creative planter ideas here 

DECLUTTER BLITZ, THE CRAFTERMATH

Up until recently I've enjoyed the luxury of either living in a fairly decent sized house or, if not, I've had access to the free service known as 'parental house storage'. Either singly or in combination, this has meant not having to really face the problem of what to do with my worldly goods...ALL my worldly goods. After I moved back to Australia in 2012 - well, there it was. All my other stuff. Waiting for me. In a poignant Toy Story 3 kind of way...

TOTES UPCYCLED

Diary of a self-confessed scrap fabric hoarder.

Aside from knackered knickers, almost every bit of clothing that stays the course until it's threadbare will end up in my fabric scraps suitcase...It used to be a bag, now it's a suitcase. When it reached the verge of spilling over into a second suitcase I started to think seriously about what the hell I was going to do with some of this hoard (there are only so many rag dusters you can use in one lifetime, after all).

FLOTSAM AND JETSAM (BUY NOTHING NEW MONTH)

I always fancied myself as a professional beachcomber. You know how that daydream goes - tanned, lithe, living on a tropical island (the food magically grows itself, probably), living in a driftwood hut and scouring the shoreline every sunrise and sunset for ocean treasures which are invariably useful and/or beautiful in some existentially meaningful way . I would make wonderful art and decor from it and there was probably a ruggedly handsome Spaniard somewhere in there doing some useful things on a boat. We would have no need for pah!, money, because th..

THE HUMBLE JAR (BUY NOTHING NEW MONTH)

Last month I had the chance to spend a wonderful afternoon in San Francisco's mission district with a couple of old friends. At the end of the day we decided to pop into a funky restaurant and grab a round of cocktails because what did you expect, really? Made and served in the same vessel, our mojitos came prepared in reused jam jars...which I instantly decided was the coolest thing ever and have since added a couple to my meagre home collection of glass tumblers.

SOMETHING BORROWED, SOMETHING USED

Because I enjoy my challenges;

October is Buy Nothing New Month!

It's no newsflash that we first world citizens overconsume. Between planned obsolescence, rapid upgrades to technology and the constant consumer drive to makeover our lives to whatever post-modern retro minimalist bohemian trend is in next-last season, we're consuming at levels far beyond what our planet can sustain. Necessity may be the mother of invention, but creating artificial need is her evil twin.

RE-IN-CANE-ATION

I have a knack for spotting good *trash* (and here, as everywhere, I'm stunned at what people are willing to throw away) and after seeing this one sitting around on the street for a few days I decided to take it home and turn it into a herb planter. I'm starting a modest tropical style vegie patch this year, and as I'm still a green thumb in training, the most sensible option is planting in containers that can be moved around the garden til I find the optimum spot.