Wednesday 15 October 2014

Creative Mother Upcycles

Kia ora - thanks for popping in.

I thought I would add a few typical New Zealand photos taken by Derek on our recent road trip to the mountains.

Maori meeting house in the township of Taumaranui

Typical rural roadside scene - we love the look of old farm buildings 

This slide is really best when the tide is in at this home in Raglan on a tidal inlet.


Creative Mother
(...that's me)

My daughter Maria (21) has just moved into a house by herself, and we are still busy getting her organized. I came away with a list of all the little things she needs - because we have amalgamated a few households over the years and have way too much stuff.
On this list were fridge magnets ("not tacky ones though"). We have a lot of those promotional magnets that you get sent without asking for. They are not pretty, but I don't like to throw them out. Usually I stick pieces of them onto the backs of postcards and display the cards on the fridge like that.
This time I though I would cover a couple using some upholstery vinyl that I had saved from a project. I will wait and see if these pass the "not tacky" judgement. I thought they would go with the black and white decor.


Double sided sticky tape and new cover for fridge magnets

Fridge magnets - now a bit more attractive
The next item on the list was place mats. I know I have some extras somewhere - probably stored high in the garage, but meanwhile I came across the remains of an old bamboo blind...the same one I used to make light shades with for the caravan refashion.
Don't throw those old bamboo blinds out!


A bit of work with the scissors, and a good scrub, and I will hand them over with a poker face to my girl who has champagne taste on a beer budget. They should do until she has enough money to buy herself what she likes.

"New" set of bamboo place mats - no expense spared.

It's only small stuff - and yes it would have been (almost) quicker to go out and buy new ones - but where's the fun in that?

5 comments:

  1. Good use for those advertising fridge magnets. I keep a stash of those to reuse also. I glue a big one on the back of an advertising paper pad to keep my grocery shopping list on the fridge and jus peel it off for reuse when the pad is finished.

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    1. Oops, I meant to say how much I like the photos from your trip. I've never seen a barn up on stilts before and the Maori meeting house entrance is really interesting. Have I told you that Whale Rider is one of my all time favorite movies? Well, it is!

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    2. Hi Cynthia, Good idea re the shopping list (as above). That barn would have been a shearing shed, but the pens and ramps are long gone. Is New Zealand on your bucket list? If you visit the land of Whale Rider and Lord of the Rings, you must come visit us.

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  2. Hi Anne, nasty weather right now - like your magnet idea. Could you need Pohutukawa seedlings? I have loads of them if you would like some....

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    1. Hi Erika - yes, it has filled the tanks though. Pohutukawas would be great thanks - will contact you re a rendezvous.

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