41 and 'a okay'...

never have i been so excited for my birthday for the longest time...

i felt an air of 'surprise' around the shed on saturday, plans afoot, little whispered conversations and knowing looks...

i went to bed with strict instructions not to set my alarm and not to get up for little olive...

apparently all was in hand.

i awoke to a chorus of "happy birthday" and a cup of tea in bed... a luxury that has not been mine for a long time and one that was so very welcome.

on my arrival downstairs i found a table laid with breakfast and then it was out the door to Freemont sunday market for a rummage...

the day past pleasantly and relaxingly... one cannot ask for more than that.

i shall divulge a little more upon my birthday later in the week but for today i wish to focus on my challenge...

let me assure you dearsest readers, this will not be all i talk about for the coming 365 days but i feel it important to perhaps answer a few questions just so it is clear what my year ahead is about...

Kari kindly asked me last week about a few thoughts and has mentioned it upon her blog and i felt it best to share it here as well...

so, if you are sitting most comfortably i shall reveal my telling Q&A

How did you come up with the idea for the challenge?
it just popped into my head a few weeks back when i was thinking about how i enjoy thrifting and i love handcrafted. i began to wonder if i could carry that through 100% into my everyday life... i do not particularly enjoy high street shopping although saying that, i have a soft spot for Anthropologie and NOA NOA which is going to make this challenge a little heart wrenching.
but mainly i get my 'shopping fix' from secondhand buys and items that have been handcrafted.
however, i do see this maybe a challenge when it concerns everyday requirements and not just the lovely 'pretty' things i seem to drag home from the thrift store. (actually i have to say that's not completely true, quite often they aren't that pretty but what they have is potential, and quite honestly that is the best one can ask for from a thrifty find.)
i'm actually rather excited to see in a year's time just how much the way i shop has changed and evolved... i always have in my ear "is it a need or a want?" when i am out in the shops and if i'm totally honest with myself, 9 times out of 10 it is probably a "want" and that is very telling in it's self.

So in the home, are we basically talking about everything, besides food/groceries here?
absolutely, that is the plan. i have chosen to NOT buy anything unless it is handcrafted or secondhand, not just the decor stuff but the nitty gritty stuff as well... now, technically my man hasn't taken the challenge, therefore if my washing machine broke i would have two options

1. buy a reconditioned one or
2. he could buy a new one, but i would not be allowed to touch it for as long as my challenge remains! i like the second option myself...

joking aside, i do have a large family and a washing machine is a necessary item, if my machine did break and i needed to replace it, i'm not going to make life miserable for myself. if i have to buy one, i have to buy one... this is really a challenge to see how little one can do without buying new.

Is there anything in the home or closet not included in the challenge?

undies, tights and gifts given to me... of course now i'm fretting about other things like yarn.

You’ve mentioned that you have already thought about some of the problems that may come up along the way, what have you thought of?
the only thing that i have 'Nagging Mr Doubt' going off in my ear about is appliances and electronics, pretty much anything else i don't seem to think will be a problem. when i tire of my clothing then i shall get creative with the help of Miss Ethel, my trusty sewing machine or i shall peruse the aisles of the thrift store.
and of course there is always the wonderful world of Etsy for handcrafted goodness when it comes to just about anything.

Will you involve your children in this challenge?
this challenge is for myself, i have not included my children in this. although my eldest daughter does a fabulous job at finding clothes from the thrift store. that being said if they need a piece of furniture for their bedrooms, it will be found secondhand... pretty much most things will, with the exception of some clothing.
i think i'll dip my feet in, try it myself and if after a year, realize it's the only way to go, then perhaps i will encourage them to join me on my journey through a thrifted, handcrafted lifestyle.

How can others get involved in the challenge?
if anyone reading this fancies joining in, it's quite simply a matter of choosing to only buy handcrafted or secondhand for your home and your closet for one year. all you have to do is pick a day that works for you to start and then go for it. anyone wishing to join in is most welcome to add my 'challenge of the utmost kind' button to their blog and link it to me so others can find out information if they wish.
be sure to let me know, so in return i can add you to my 'challengers' link list... i hope that all makes sense!!
it's also important for anyone wishing to 'have a go' to know it's okay to exclude 'things' from the challenge, just like me and my undies :)
i also want to make it quite clear, this is suppose to be fun, a way to get creative within the home and to perhaps focus on something positive. it doesn't matter if you stumble along the way... it's more about learning from the experience and growing with it. and perhaps looking back after a year and being rather proud of supporting handcrafters and the efforts made of 're-using' items that still have plenty of life left in them.

there we have it... i hope it clears up a few question marks out there and just one last thing before i head off, i have become a 'twitterer'...

i can't believe i have, i never thought i would see the day... i have no knowledge of this 'twittering lark' and yet i find myself 'twittering' (or 'tweeting' as my children corrected me... see i've already got that bit wrong) to cover the next 365 thrifty, crafty days.

so with the encouragement of my man, my children and kelsey (our #2's friend, who is very 'twitter' aware from where i am standing), i have further dipped my toes into yet another 'unknown', but i have high hopes of 'bluffing' my way through as usual.

she is off to paint a sidetable and locate her florence nightingale hat as 'cold' season is upon us and 'one fly' aka 'her #4', has already dropped ~ Tif