Sprigasaurus living

The day to day ups and downs of starting a business, running a home and living with hens, fish, cats, dogs and family.

[sprigasaurus-elli]

Repurpose: a question

Before sending your unwanted, probably un-sale-able item to landfill ask yourself a question: can it be repurposed? I just love the support I get from my friends and family who are always on the look out for the raw materials for my projects.  This little stack arrived from the lovely Paula. She’s made sure that these polystyrene foam bodyboards didn’t make it into the skip at the campsite. She…

View On WordPress

[sprigasaurus-elli]

Much Ado About Sunday

I love seeing a live performance of a Shakespeare play, it makes the language a whole lot easier to understand when someone else has whittled out the meaning and put it in context for you, but I had not seen or read Much Ado About Nothing and now I’ve seen it twice. My first experience was a Sunday night at Lewes Castle, a ruined castle in the middle of the town of Lewes near Brighton on the…

View On WordPress

[sprigasaurus-elli]

Crafting and Glamping

What’s not to like.  Well, unfortunately, actually I didn’t do either the actual glamping or even any crafting.  Let me explain…  There are some very lovely folks near me who own the Coastal Valley camp and crafts camp site. They tick plenty of eco boxes for me, are properly friendly and very welcoming. The lovely Tanya is one of my bodyboard ‘suppliers’. She rescues broken bodyboards left by her…

View On WordPress

[sprigasaurus-elli]

This week my Sprigasaurus stock of items made from upcycled textiles and repurposed objects are in Lobb’s Farm Shop at the Lost Gardens of Heligan.  This is the second time I’ve been invited to join the art and crafters who are showing their products there. All the products have to have been handmade in Cornwall by local artists and designers.  It’s the kind of event that suits me as the group…

View On WordPress

[sprigasaurus-elli]

Dinosaur Day Out

Three generations and some dinosaurs. The sister, brother in law and offspring are visiting from Brighton (that’s why I’m always going there), and we went for a family day out with our parents to the Eden Project. A day isn’t actually enough time to do the whole thing which means you can keep going back. They’re very good as they offer local’s passes and season tickets too.  Whenever we are there…

View On WordPress

[sprigasaurus-elli]

A garden of oranges and lemons.

We are still learning about our new camera lens which means I have to take regular tea breaks to try and capture a bit of the summer. (That’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it)  Earlier in the year it was all blues, purples and lilacs around one of the ponds but now we are firing up for a mass of bright colours.  The lens I used for these shots was a Nikon 55-300mm auto focus lens. I don’t know…

View On WordPress

[sprigasaurus-elli]

Leave only footprints

Sun, sand, sea, surfers, seaweed, gulls, wrecks and rubbish.  We leave the beach taking more than we arrived with #2minutebeachclean Lifeguard having to leave the main lifeguarded area to ‘supervise’ these folks who chose to ignore the patrolled area. This is why there are designated safe swim and surf areas Solid rusty metal remains of ship The other end of the ship wreck. You don’t even know…

View On WordPress

[sprigasaurus-elli]

Marmalade heaven

January is the time for Seville oranges; the bitter lumpy citrus fruits that are perfect for making marmalade. Making marmalade is something we’ve done for years, so has my mum, and my mother in law. For my side of the family it may be something to do with being greengrocers.  We’ve made two batches this year, 14 jars, and this is the recipe we used: Delia Smith’s Dark Chunky Marmalade. The…

View On WordPress

[sprigasaurus-elli]

Hi tumblr Elli

[sprigasaurus-elli]

Posture, Athletes and Back Pain

Posture, Athletes and Back Pain

January was meant to be a quiet month for me, with time to make a huge impact on the design of my workspace and storage solutions. It hasn’t quite panned out like that (when does anything ever go to plan?). Having spent quite a bit of December chilling out with family and friends it turns out I may have spent rather more time on my bottom than usual. I normally work as much as possible standing…

View On WordPress

[sprigasaurus-elli]

Handmade Christmas Wreath

Last weekend we were heading to a gathering of upcyclers where I needed a Secret Santa gift that cost less than a fiver to make.  (Potentially a critical crowd!)  I wanted to give a handmade Christmas wreath. We have a collection of random items around the place, but no wreath frames. What we do have are a pile of bicycle wheels. I wondered if one of these would serve the purpose and so I decided…

View On WordPress

[sprigasaurus-elli]

Not Black Friday, a mini rant.

Not Black Friday, a mini rant.

It’s not Black Friday in our house; we’re not buying new for the sake of satisfying a perceived consumer need for MORE STUFF. What about you? Are you about to throw out perfectly good items to move in this year’s model? Why have we adopted the after Thanksgiving ritual of black Friday? Do we celebrate Thanksgiving, July 4th, or any of the other significant days from across the pond? Are we…

View On WordPress

[sprigasaurus-elli]

It’s during November we start planning and to think about decorating for Christmas… It’s too early for me to start thinking about gifts yet… I’ve still got 6 family birthdays to deal with before mid December, but all the shops are starting to display their selections of house bling.

I’ve worked my rota day in Winifred and Mabel, which is always a pleasure, and going around the shop my senses have been delighted by so many choices of decorations that are definitely not run of the mill: So many ways to spruce up the house, the tree and yourself.

At home a lot of our decorations have been homemade so when they appear they prompt so many memories of each of the children over the years. This year we only have one child left at home and in the new year she will become an adult.

Working in this Cornish designer/maker environment I’m inspired to add handmade to our homemade. Almost all of the creatives have started to stock their decorative designs.

If you’re not looking for decorations but you are starting on the gift list, then you should definitely squeeze in a visit to the shop… so many lovely things, great gifts, stocking fillers (and maybe treats for yourself).

Whether you are planning the decorating for Christmas: adding handmade to homemade or looking for a special gift or stocking fillers then a visit to the shop is really worthwhile, and you’d get to experience a lovely town with a lovely atmosphere.

Decorating for Christmas: adding handmade to homemade It’s during November we start planning and to think about decorating for Christmas… It’s too early for me to start thinking about gifts yet… I’ve still got 6 family birthdays to deal with before mid December, but all the shops are starting to display their selections of house bling.

[sprigasaurus-elli]

It doesn't always goes to plan

It doesn’t always goes to plan

Sometimes we have great intentions, but a penchant for over extending ourselves with regards to time, and things don’t always go to plan. One case in point happened this summer. We got an email from a company offering us a chance to receive a box of goodies for free; paint and stencils from Ronseal. Of course we said yes… a good blogging opportunity and a chance to get the mancave painted. It…

View On WordPress

[sprigasaurus-elli]

A story of a picnic style basket that’s damaged but not past it, it just needs a quick fix. Nothing like employing a bit of make do and mend.

A good friend recently lost her mother, a talented seamstress, and I was offered some bits from her sewing stash. I love finding a use for the bits and pieces, so one of things things I took was this little basket filled with pieces of curtain tape. Not really massively useful to most but as I have an order for 12 smaller pairs of curtains to be remade from very large landscape curtains I knew I’d be able to find a use for them.  The basket was looking less than appealing, and didn’t appear to be that sturdy – it wasn’t going to stand up to repeated use – not like the one I left behind full of cards of lovely lace.  (So far I haven’t used lace in any of my makes so hopefully that has found a more deserving new home.)

The basket has been moved around my sewing room a few times, each time under the threat of getting more damaged. As ever, I woke at stupid o’clock with a light-bulb moment… that basket is perfect for display purposes. Why do we get our best ideas in the middle of the night? I’m always waking up scrabbling for a pencil and paper to scribble down a design idea or a way to make that awkward make go more smoothly. My mobile now has a post it page for me to jot down ideas wherever I am – no more bits of paper lost in the bottom of the handbag. It’s obviously not just me this happens to; how often do we hear the expression ‘let’s sleep on it’ to help us clarify our thoughts. The subconscious works very hard, so much easier to think clearly when we’re not getting in the way with our daily lives!

Back to the basket… I took it to Winifred and Mabel with me on Wednesday (my day on the rota for covering the shop- every day you can meet one of the 19 designer makers in there) and set to work improving the look of it in the quiet moments.

The damaged handles I have covered using a whipping technique; knowledge shared with me by Mr Sprig (something to do with fishing rods). I used the jute threads saved as we take apart the coffee sacks when they arrive from the roasters, we don’t like it to go to waste.  I’ve also been using it to make some Christmas cards/ decorations (they’ll be available soon). I wanted to line the base of the basket to brighten it and give some contrast to the products going inside and had a premade liner that had been hanging around in the rag bag at home for years as I preferred the basket it had come from without it. It was mostly the right dimensions… just a little (a lot) too deep. I was armed with scissors, needle and thread to remake it, but when I laid it in the basket I found with a little careful folding I could arrange the excess to give a padded effect in the base.  I liked the look of that so tacked it into place through the basket underneath.

#gallery-0-13 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-13 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 33%; } #gallery-0-13 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-13 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

damaged handles

Whipping using Jute thread

finished handles

#gallery-0-14 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-14 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 25%; } #gallery-0-14 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-14 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

ready made liner from rag bag

way too deep for this basket

fold and tuck, fold and tuck

long needle to get through basket

#gallery-0-15 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-15 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 33%; } #gallery-0-15 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-15 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

up and down, up and down

long stitches underneath

neat and tidy finish

Really pleased with the effect I immediately put the basket to use with all my smaller products displayed inside.

#gallery-0-16 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-16 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 50%; } #gallery-0-16 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-16 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

small products together

as part of my Sprigasaurus area in Winifred and Mabel

It’s nice to think a really quick fix has given the basket a new lease of life and a purpose. If you have something similar you could have a go with some judicious fabric folding and tacking and have a perfect spot for toiletries in the bathroom or a dressing table basket for makeup, or even an arty basket for craft bits and bobs. You could even go for the no sew technique and glue the fabric in place – there are some really good fabric/craft glues available that are highly tacky.  A multitude of uses.

A Quick Fix. A New Lease of Life. New Purpose. A story of a picnic style basket that's damaged but not past it, it just needs a quick fix.

[sprigasaurus-elli]

“A Jumble Trail is like a car boot sale but on your street, communities co-ordinate to set up stalls outside their houses to sell bric-a-brac, toys, vintage clothes, cakes or whatever.

The whole thing is coordinated online at jumbletrail.com providing visitors with a colour coded map to explore the treasure on sale in your neighbourhood.” This is from the website that helps you coordinate and advertise your event.

But what’s it like?

Let me show you:

The Clifton Street Jumble Trail in Brighton was amazing. It’s like a street party with extra. Balloons and bunting added to the atmosphere on this perfect sunny August morning. Thanks to Mary across the road who did a great job of arranging and advertising the event, and stenciling directions on pavements around the area. She truly was the Clifton Street Champion.

#gallery-0-16 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-16 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 50%; } #gallery-0-16 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-16 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

Someone had put buckets of chalk up and down the street for kids to get artistic

Houses up and down had done their bit to advertise (and there were mentions on the radio and in local press too.)

17 houses were taking part along the road. The council agreed to close the road which made for a great atmosphere as children brought out balls and scooters in an area that usually has numerous taxis and delivery vehicles whizzing about.

I had a wander up and down and found sheet music, books, and vinyl, as well as art work, and some original art, baby clothes and equipment, upcycled furniture, rugs, lampshades, vintage clothing, cakes, and at lunchtime there was even a licensed bar! I thought there was actually more variety than a carboot sale.. if that’s actually possible

#gallery-0-17 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-17 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 33%; } #gallery-0-17 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-17 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

As well as stalls of second hand goods, there was also good representation from artists and craftspeople – this is Brighton after all and you can’t go very far without seeing something amazing and original.  I loved these jam jar crafts from Craft Revolution.

#gallery-0-18 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-18 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 50%; } #gallery-0-18 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-18 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

I met the lovely Catherine Lake from Flocksie who works with vintage ephemera to create these limited pictures. She’s often taken part in the Brighton Open House events, and has now moved here.

Her upcycled furniture was also very appealing – the apple box particularly as my family were greengrocers.

#gallery-0-19 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-19 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 33%; } #gallery-0-19 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-19 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

Charities were also well represented along the road with folks setting up their stalls for the benefit of others.  Mike and Rich were hosting a bar called ‘Thirsty?’, selling soft drinks all morning, and from lunchtime they had a licence to sell the slightly harder stuff, all in aid of The Dog’s Trust. Living in Brighton and working too much to keep a dog themselves they act as uncles occasionally and were spotted holding a little 10 week old Teddie – yes he wears a glitzy pink collar – this is Brighton after all. By the end of the day they thought they had probably raised over £100 plus the donations tin for the charity. Their stall also encouraged the neighbours to socialise; people who lived on the street who had only been on nodding and salutations before now getting to know each other. How fab is that!

#gallery-0-20 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-20 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 33%; } #gallery-0-20 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-20 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

There was also a stall for the RSPB with a lollipop tombola for the kids.  Loads of information too – I’ve come away with some leaflets to see if I can improve my bit of wild garden to keep it hedgehog friendly.

We had a delightful celebrity visitor to our vintage clothes stall too. Lorraine Bowen (the ‘crumble’ song, Britain’s Got Talent semi- finalist) was having a good look at our 70’s and 80’s frocks to see if there was anything suitable to add to her ‘Polyester Fiesta’ show.

The whole street buzzed with atmosphere the whole morning, our event was scheduled to last till 2pm, but the street was closed until the evening so folks were able to carry on getting to know one another through the afternoon – that’s when the kids brought out their water pistols (well it was boiling out there); garden chairs, cushions and a gazebo appeared while people continued to donate to the Dog’s Trust. Things only really stopped when the road was re-opened at 8pm

My great purchases of the day were a pair of shoes for £5, and a ‘The best of Jackie Annual’ for £1 that contained the Bay City Rollers. Ahhhh that tartan! (I collected of few of those albums back in the 70’s.  They contained the answer to all life’s really important questions… should you have turn ups on your trousers?)

The kids picked up a brand new game of electronic Yahtzee – actual hours and hours of entertainment, once they had got over the initial sussing of the rules. They’re playing it again now.

Oh, and I had the Sprigasaurus upcycled goodies there too.

‘A Jumble Trail is like a car boot sale but on your street’ Only better.

Our amazing day at the CliftonStreet Jumbletrail Brighton "A Jumble Trail is like a car boot sale but on your street, communities co-ordinate to set up stalls outside their houses to sell bric-a-brac, toys, vintage clothes, cakes or whatever.

[sprigasaurus-elli]

Shower curtain quick fix

Shower curtain quick fix

I’ve been struggling with what to do with our shower curtain that I trimmed the icky bottom bit off. This is a brilliant idea. I shall hunt out some suitable fabric to insert, There’s bound to be something perfect in my massive stash of #notforlandfill fabrics.

View On WordPress