Respect! The Moneyless Man Mark Boyle

It all began with the famous Gandhi quote - "Be the Change You Want to See in The World"

In my seemingly never ending quest to find a delicate balance between functional style & environmental awareness, I came across a fabulous story about Mark Boyle, the ex-Economics major who has shunned capitalism and embarked on a moneyless life... no job, no income, no spending... and he seems to have this complete Nirvana that he assures the world is far better than his old income and the trappings it came with.

Mark found his caravan that he lives in on Freecycle for nothing. He grows his own food. He creates his own energy and heating from renewable sources such as beeswax candles and timber from the adjoining woods. He bathes in a river and makes his morning tea from nettles. He rides his bike into town, where he Skilltrades- offering his skills (be it labouring, consulting, whatever) in exchange for oats or grains.
It's a fascinating story! A little too "Deliverance" for what I have in mind, but certainly food for thought when it comes to the idea of being able to effectively live for free!

In the mean time, I still stick to what I know and doing my own little bit. Mark even says himself on everyone living like him tomorrow "It would be a catastrophe, we are too addicted to both it (money) and cheap energy, and have managed to build an entire global infrastructure around the abundance of both." however if we all do small things, we are able to make a big impact.

Personally, I don't think I am able to be as drastic as Mark... I do still love to purchase things, but I will continue to be consciously vegetarian, growing or swapping with my neighbours where I can. I will keep refashioning clothing & other items around the home, swapping or giving away things I no longer need or want to someone who could use it. Making environmentally (and physically friendly) decisions on what products I use around the home or on my body, with an effort to use companies or businesses with the same global-impact ethic.

Post your comments and ideas here for your ways of living that little bit more nomadic & reducing your consuming habits, I would love to hear your ideas and opinions!

See HERE for the ABC story on Mark Boyle, the Moneyless Man.

Felt Food - How to make it!

I have officially dusted off my sewing machine now, and have recently been whipping up Felt Food for my little Miss!!! Being your typical 4-year old girl, she loves nothing more than having picnics, teaparties and feeding her "babies". So rather than offer her (messy) real food, I needed an alternative. And unfortunately, plastic-store bought food is not cheap!

So I discovered (or should I say, rediscovered, from my childhood!), FELT FOOD! It looked amazing when I saw some recently on Etsy... and I thought it couldn't be too hard! So I purchased a range of craft felt from Spotlight and set to work!

I simply made a circle template from a plate and cut it into quarters, cutting two sheets of beige felt to make the base. I machine stiched the base, then cut a small slice into one side to fold the felt inside out and stuffed with flat batting. Then from a smaller diametre version of the template, cut some red felt with a "dollopy" look to make the sauce. I hand stiched the sauce to the base to cover up the restiching of the base from the revering/stuffing earlier.

The toppings I just freehand stiched on the machine to make capsicum, cheese, olives and pepperoni.

The great thing with the pizza toppings is that she can "make" her own pizzas! The base/tomato sauce is stiched on, but everything else is loose, so she can add or remove toppings as she pleases!

My second felt food effort was a donut!

Similarly, I used beige felt and made a small round template. I machine stiched the circle then cut a small nick into one side to reverse the felt and stuff it with flat batting.

Then I cut a peice of pink felt and hand stiched the little seed beads onto it. Then I hand stiched the pink felt onto the beige base. Voila!

I am always on the lookout for more ideas, and here at One Crafty Place they have an awesome Felt Food Tutorial Round Up! I am stocking up on felt as we speak!

 Bottom line is though... my daughter LOVES them, and I am quite taken by them too! They are so cute and fun to play with... and I have the added pleasure of seeing something I created being loved and used!

DIY Face and Body At Home

Ok, we have established the hair DIY. Next comes face and body at home!

I often think, we are so blessed to have indoor plumbing in this day and age... a real luxury in itself for so many people past and present! So surely, we can find ways to pamper at home? I much prefer it anyway... I have set myself up pretty well to ensure I have all the elements required for a relaxing day spa (or in my case, evening!).

It's not hard and not expensive. In fact, one of my favourite tried and true treatments is made of items in your own pantry! Then of course there are store bought products. But I just want to touch here on the importance of not using products containing certain additives.

Personally, I have an aversion to anything containing Parabens and SLS (Sodium Laurel Sulphate). I found this out purely by accident! I had an awful rash on my skin after having my children, it was brownish where my skin wasn't exposed to sun, but was white where my skin was exposed! The doctors assumed psoraisis or a fungal skin rash. It seemed to get worse as the weather and humidity rose.

One day, I met a mother of a luekemia patient. She explained her son had a similar reaction when exposed to chemicals - chemical overload. I couldn't believe it, it seemed so simple! Long story short, I managed to get rid of my skin condition purely by watching what I put on my skin, so I have been seeking products that do not contain Parabens or SLS. In fact, Parabens have been linked to Breast Cancer of all things too, all the more reason to avoid them! But, as with anything, when you try to avoid it, you learn it is EVERYWHERE!!! I recommend reading this article from the FDA about Parabens to learn more about what they are and why to consider steering clear.

So anyway, I needed to totally throw most of my accumulated beauty products out and opt for more natural choices for my skin, basically starting over. Your beauty regimen daily is basically three steps... Cleanse, Tone, Moisturise. At least twice a week, I like to have a scrub as well (face and body), and once a week I have a soothing body mask, followed by a bath soak & face mask. Sounds expensive? Well, it isn't!!!

For cleansing, a simple soap can be ideal (depending on your skin, of course!), I highly recommend goats milk soap and the delicious cleansers from Aussie brand, Moo Goo.  Their delicious soaps and moisturisers are staples in my home now. You can buy them either online or from health food stores like Go Vita.

You can also make a simple home recipe for cleanser from natural yogurt & honey! As simple as a teaspoon of Greek-style yogurt and a dab of honey, apply to your face and rinse off! Ta-dah!

For toning, I LOVE Sukin's organic toner (in fact, I love the entire Sukin range!). The smell is just divine, and I feel like my face is purified and refreshed immediately. However, a homemade option for a toner using Witch Hazel & cucumber juice, is just as refreshing and toning! Simply grate the cucumber to juice, (a teaspoon is enough) and a teaspoon of Witch Hazel. Apply with cotton buds.

Moisturiser options are everywhere, and it can be so confusing to find one that best suits your skin and needs. For me personally, I have quite oily skin, so I prefer to use either light sorbolene with some lavender, or a little aloe vera straight from my garden!

When it comes to masks and scrubs, I have also bought Sukin's facial mask and scrub. But another paraben/SLS free scrub I love is from the Yes To ranges. The scrubby-grainy bits are so fine and soft, with a great smell... afterward my skin feels so soft and buttery!

However, I made a fabulous home scrub & mask that gives just as great a feeling for next to nothing. As simple as a teaspoon of pure icing sugar (or superfine castor sugar) & a teaspoon of honey (Manuka honey is a bit better for skin, but if you haven't got it on hand, regular honey is fine)... stir into a paste, wet your face and apply. Rinse off with a warm face washer. Immediately, stir a teaspoon of Bi-Carbonate Soda into half a teaspoon of water, to make a thick paste. Apply all over face and leave to dry for 5-10 minutes. Rinse off, to the softest, silkiest skin ever!

I have made big batches of this recipe to use all over my body, with FABULOUS results. I start with a dry body-brushing (ideal for cellulite!) in the bathroom using The Body Shop Cactus Body Brush. Followed by the sugar & honey scrub recipe above, I rinse off in the shower and rather than apply the Bi-Carb, I dissolve half a cup full into a bathtub with a tablespoon of powdered skim milk. Then I pop into the bath with either a good book or a glass of Cabernet Merlot (or both!) for half an hour of bliss!

If you prefer, the Body Shop Milk Bath is a great alternative to my homemade option. The scent is lush, and a little tub goes a long way.

Another great, refreshing bath soak is green tea! As simple as popping a few teabags into your bathtub for a refreshing, anioxidant soak!

Body moisturising is just as important as your face and on occasion, I do like to use self-tanners. Avoiding Parabens & SLS daily also helps to keep your tan looking fresh and new as well! One of the best paraben-free fake tanners I found is the Fake Bake range. A little bit more time consuming than the spray-and-gon instant tanners, it is best used if you are putting it on before bed and not washing it off till the morning.

Another brand of paraben-free sunless tan I like is Johnson's Holiday Skin, although I find the smell a bit overbearing. The colour comes out nice, not too dark, and the moisturising is great.

For all body moisturising, daily I prefer sorbolene, but after a silky soak in the bath, the Body Shop Manoi Oil. It is an excellent massage oil too, if your partner is so inclined!

The wonderful massagers from the Body Shop are also staples in my home... On occasion I pay the kids 50c to give Mummy or Daddy a massage!!!

So there you have it, some great ideas for pampering at home that cost next to nothing... who said being stylish & pampered was expensive???

Saving Money & Time - DIY Professional Hair & Body

I admit, I am a HUGE fan of pampering. You name it, I will try it. I love getting manicures, pedicures, spray tans, cuts, colours, foils, facials... I mean, who doesn't?!

But of course, with mothering, comes the "Letting Go" phases... Sometimes, its incidental things, like giving up your acrylic nails because you just can't seem to get nappy poop smell off your cuticles, no matter how hard you try. Or spray tanning, because your breast feeding daughter's mouth looks like she has been kissing Doritos.

But as you let go of one thing here, one thing there... it's not long before you feel like a crumpled old sandwich wrapper (and you possibly look like one too, from the No-Iron periods!) and feel the need to get out there and Glamourize yourself!

In saying this, it costs a lot of money to get all this pampering done. And I am not one for wastage or negligent money spending! So I have compiled for you, my fellow Glammamummas, ways to be both gorgeous AND thrifty... without looking like you have snipped your hair with a bowl on your head!

• HAIR

Of course, we have all tried to Home Dye. Some have succeeded. Many have failed. But myself, I find sometimes I prefer my home-dyed tresses compared to the hairdresser's. I have been home dyeing LONG before children came along, and although I have no formal hairdressing qualifications, I have been successfully going from black to blonde, to red, to pink, to chestnut and more, with few issues. There are some tricks you need to know to be truly Home dye confident.

ALWAYS pick a shade to suit YOU - not a shade that looks good on the skin tone of the model on the box. You can do this PROFESSIONALLY... FOR FREE!!! How??? Many hair salons offer free consultations. You will need to book, and you will need to be equally strong willed. Hairdressers are trained in sales technique just as much as they are in hairdressing! Not only will you get free professional colourist advice, but your free consult can even inspire you a new cut that you hadn't considered.

A professional consult will usually involve discussing your hair type (straight, curly, etc), your face shape, your skin tone, your natural hair colour, your personal style and lifestyle. I visited a wonderful hairdresser who had awards and nominations as a National champion of cutting and colour, and possibly an upcoming International award winner. With her help, I discovered what shades suit me, what to steer clear from and which cuts are best for my face shape and lifestyle. She managed to wrangle an appointment time out of me for the following week (which I am sorry... I cancelled the next day! But you will soon see why)... she was planning a fabulous rich chocolate colour and razored bob. It sounded great and seemed to be just what I needed. It was quoted to be over $250 for a shampoo, colour, treatment, cut, blowdry & a small take-home sample. My husband would kill me!!!

Armed with all the information that she had given me, the following day, I headed to the nearest Priceline and stocked up. A rich chocolate hair dye packet was $12. A TUB of professional-quality, protein enhanced treatment was $32. Some finishing spray for $4.

Then I went to a local lady who hairdressed from home (she is a professional... but a Stay-At-Home Mum running her own salon business)... she charged $18 for the same style cut that I had discussed at the other salon. It looked great! I went home with my wet hair, applied my dye, read a book... popped in the treatment and folded my washing... finally, after rinsing it out I set my blowdryer and straightening tongs to it. VOILA!

When my husband came home, he promptly admired my new look... although having seen the quote in my handbag for $250 looked a little bit bemused and worried... When I told him that all up, I had only spent $66.. AND that the treatment and the spray could be used again, meaning my next cut & dye would only be $30... he was more than impressed!

And the money saved meant I could get a new pair of shoes next time I was out shopping!

Next Post... Body.

10 Items Day in 10 Days - REPOST

I initially posted this in 2009, and since then although we did detox a lot of stuff... my baaaaad habits die hard!!! So I thought I would re-instate the challenge and repost the original blog!

As a result of my new De-cluttering habit, I have set myself a 10 day Detox of Junk.

What I plan to do is to find 10 things a day for 10 days to chuck. If I'm feeling REALLY adventurous, I shall aim to find 10 things per ROOM per day to clear out!

I have no real master plan of what will go and what will stay. I am planning to just open the door to the room and place 10 things in a bag either for the bin, to place for sale on Ebay (or Trading Post) or give to Charity or Freecycle.

100 things will leave my house guaranteed. And from this Feng Shui cleanse of crappola I shall begin to feel clearer, creating energy, organisation and balance within my life!

Or at least, that is the aim...

Spotty Dress Refashion

This is a refashion I completed before we moved, but completely forgot about!

I LOVE the simplicity of refashioning ladies baby-doll style tops into dresses for my (then) toddler daughter, Jovi. As she gets bigger, I am making re-adjustments to how I refashion my old tops (or tops I find at charity stores!) but more on that later...

For now I just wanted to share how this one turned out. The original top was a silky ruffled babydoll several sizes too small for me at the time (but that is ANOTHER blog!) I picked it up at Vinnies for around $2. It was as easy as pining the dress to Jovi for size inside out, then running stitches up the sides to bring it in to those points and re-sewing elastic straps on! She LOVES the dress, and although it looks like an expensive party dress, I let her play outside with the dogs & gumboots in it!

The photos show her trendy bob cut I gave her last summer too :-) The joys of a mum who can weild a pair of scissors!

Tried and True.

This blog is not meant to be a "woe is me" page. I would rather keep it upbeat and show off my craft skills or some great find of late. But, unfortunately, time hasn't allowed for "me" time recently! I feel like I have been living in a crazy, hazy, whirlygig for the last few months. This year, 2010, has been one of the best, worst, happiest, saddest, proudest and humblest (is humblest a word?) years of my life. From dizzying heights and exciting possibilities to bleak outcomes and prognosis... I barely get a chance to sit and reflect. But I can for a moment. So I will.

The year started on a high - we were changing our lives, taking our family back closer to our roots. We had made the decision to uplift from the place we had chosen to be our "forever" home and moved back to a place we never dreamed to go to... but for the closeness to family (distance wise). Having never had a brilliant relationship with my parents, I took the plunge and the opportunity to share my life with them while my children were still young enough to want it but old enough to notice. Not to get into heavy detail, but I realised a while ago, this was not for me. Deep down, my heart belongs where we started from. But, I can say with brute honesty in my heart, at least I tried.

To keep myself moving forward, I decided this year to start one of my businesses up. So far, so good! I am so immensely proud of what I am achieving in a relatively short period of time! It is an online Lingerie store, I have a few plans for it down the track, but for now, it is doing quite nicely and I am learning so much: It can have it's downs, but the ups are fantastic. The pride I get from seeing something I set out to do being accepted and revered by peers is indescribable. It may not be Fredericks of Hollywood, but at least, I can say with brute honesty in my heart, at least I tried!

Dad was diagnosed with Stage IV bowel cancer about a month ago. It has not been easy. The big, powerful, sometimes scary man whom most of my own grievances with myself stem from, so weak (yet not wanting to show it!) in so much pain, with such a bleak outlook... His years of grudge holding and negativity are taking their toll. Friends he vocally and publicly shamed and shunned are now wanting to make amends... to which his pride will not back down. I sat one sunset and told him to "forgive and forget"... to which he argued was a sign of weakness and pity. I cannot change him. I can however, change my own attitudes and behaviours to not reflect his. And if at times, I don't manage to show humility or grace, I can say with brute honesty in my heart, at least I tried!

We are now planning to return to where we were living prior to our move. We weighed up the pros and cons and it came out above and beyond being on top, for the moment. It means I can continue my studies without issue, we will plan a space for my mum to stay for extended periods in the future. My in laws bought a Winnebago, so they need a destination to travel to! I can return with fresh eyes, a new outlook and a positive slant to the future for my kids, my family, myself. Nothing is over until it's over, and no matter how hard a situation gets, I know I have the power to change what I can and accept what I cannot - but in the mean time, I can say with brute honesty in my heart, at least I tried!