Update On Our 'Homely Home'

I'm still working on making our rented flat as homely as possible.  Whilst there is one thing we unfortunately can't do, which is put up pictures as we can't put holes in the wall, there are a few changes we have been able to do.  We have tried those Command Hooks for the pictures, but so far only one has actually worked so I might need to play around with that a bit more.

We now have two covers for the sofa as I brought an extra one from a charity shop and we also have two table clothes for the coffee table (also a charity shop find).  We rotate these to keep them clean, but it also means that we can make the room look slightly different each time, which works with my restless brain.  We've also changed the candles a little on the coffee table as well as adding a cup that I had made when I was looking after my niece and nephew.  I haven't decided what to put in there yet, but it's a nice little personal touch.

One of the most awkward things about our home was the amount of stuff we had tried to fit under the desk and which I have to squeeze between whenever I use the sewing machine.  It also meant that the chair couldn't fit under properly, making it awkward to walk by.  To make this area work better I've removed the two storage boxes that were there and move the contents of them elsewhere (more on that later).  The empty storage boxes I've hidden beside the sofa and am using as a type of stand for my craft projects bags.  It's much easier to use that space now.

We've added a bookcase (borrowed from my Dad) to our sitting room area and filled it with the smallest books we have, including what was left in one of the storage boxes under the desk.  The ornaments that were on the collapsing side table have now been placed on top of the bookcase and the side table moved closer to the sofa and now contains my knitting projects and our wedding photos.  There's something about books that makes a space so much more colourful and we both really like this area now.

There's now quite a bit more space on our old bookshelf and I'm using that to store the craft items that were previously under the desk as well as the stationary that was in the other storage box, which I've put into these recycled paper totes I'd found in Wilko's.  Doing all this has actually meant that I've been able to take a proper look at what I have and organise everything into categories a bit better.  There isn't much I'll need to buy in the future and I was able to get rid of some things I wasn't using.  These bookshelves will obviously change a little as we go through the books and crafts, but I plan on letting the spaces that appear remain until we're back down to just one bookcase again.

The next real project is to sort out the airing cupboard which has literally turned into a catch all area for things I'm not sure where to place.  I definitely need to give it a good declutter for starters and probably move all the cleaning products to underneath the sink with similar items.  I can definitely move the food dehydrator to the back corner as we don't use it often enough for it to be at the front.  Then I'll need to find proper storage for my tools and the plant pots that we got for when I replant the cacti.  I think I can reuse a storage container I freed up when I reorganised the car boot, but a proper tool box is probably a must.

Unfortunately not my cat.

Our flat definitely feels more like our own place now and it'll keep evolving and changing as we do.  We have had to be quite good with our storage as we don't have a lot of space to store all our things and when there's two people there's always quite a lot of things, but we're getting better at that.  All we need to do now is remember where we've cleverly stored a number of these things when we need them.

Making Our Home Homely

We live in rented accommodation and have been here for over a year now.  We had thought about looking for somewhere else to live, but now with all that's happening at the moment we'll probably be staying here for a bit longer.  The problem is that as it's rented, including the furniture, we can't make any changes to the property to make it suit us and that includes adding hooks to the walls to allow us to put up picture, which is what I normally do to add colour to a space.

There are a few things we have done already, such as the pictures I added to the wardrobes, perched some pictures around just sitting on desks and book cases, and some homemade crafting like my crocheted coasters.  However, I still want to add a little more to our home.  I have to admit that we did buy some stuff from IKEA including a table lamp that nods to a gas lamp and some flower pots to house our ever growing collection of cacti.  However, I would like most of the items we get for this to either some from charity shops or homemade.

Before

We've already brought a table cloth to go on the coffee table with matching napkins, but we don't have any napkin rings at the moment and I'm thinking of trying to make some out of the jute thread we have left over from the wedding.  If that doesn't work out I'll just look for some next time I'm in a charity shop.  We also got a wonderfully weird tea pot that we'll use for spare change.  

After

At the moment we have a throw to cover the sofa which I've had for over 20 years now.  However I feel like I'm getting a bit bored of it now so I'll keep a look out for another one in the future and, as Ed still quite likes this one, we'll just rotate them.  We also have a cushion that was a present from a family member, but it's falling apart in a way that I don't think I can fix.  So I've decided that I might just make a cushion cover to replace it, probably out of all the wool I have left over from previous projects I've made.

I'm almost done with making all the clothes I want to get my wardrobe looking the way I would like it to, though there are still a few more items I'd like to make just for the sake of it.  This means that I will then have more time to make things for the flat should we need them.  The one thing I don't want to do though is cover every surface there is with something as that'll make things a little bit too busy.  In fact, I'm hoping to get rid of more stuff as time goes on.

Who knows how long we'll be in this flat for, but even if it turns out to not be much longer I would still like to make it feel as 'homely' as possible and a place that it ours.  And I'm glad that I've learnt the skills I have over the last few years that now means I can make a lot of these things myself. 

The Clothing I Own

Last year I wrote a couple of blogs on my favourite clothing out of my wardrobe.  Since then my wardrobe has reduced in size as I've removed items I no longer use or like and changed slightly as the work I do has changed.  I thought I would do a blog on all the clothes I own (not including my very small collection of work out gear, outerwear, and underwear) now that it's much smaller.  The colour palette of my clothes is mainly blues and greens with the neutrals of blacks, greys, and creams.  This hasn't actually been a conscious choice, but more the route that has naturally occured due to the colours I like.

Work Clothes

Starting with my work clothes - it hasn't been necessary to have a large number of these but these do need to be sturdy enough to take the physical work I put them through.  Most of these (the two army trousers, orange shorts, and two t-shirts) are second hand and the fleece is over ten years old and still going strong.  The long sleeve top was brought new last year in a sale, but the plan is to replace it with a second hand item when it wears out.

New and 'Unethical'

Then there are all the new clothes I brought and still have, but haven't been ethically sourced.  Most of these were brought before I started this process and have had for many years, but some have been items I have brought out of necessity.  Once they fall apart I will try and replace them with more ethical items.

Ethical Material

I'm not really someone who's into the leather look, but there are some items which I want to have either the longetivity you normally get with leather (such as the Elvis and Kresse belt) or the structured look.  All these items were brought new.

I also have some organic cotton items which were brought new.  These items have lasted really well (especially my Thought Clothing jeans), especially with the mount of wear I put them through.  I expect to have these for a long time.

Hand Me Downs

There is only one item in the hand me down section which is from my Nan.  It is a beautiful piece which I like pairing with unexpected items, but it is also special as she is no longer with us and it's a nice way of remembering her.

Handmade

Buying handmade items is a good way of supporting local communities wherever you are.  Most of these are from when I over in Africa, but the jumper is very special as it was made by my Nan (it is also theoretically a hand me down as it started as my older brother's).  The Femme Head is a new piece which has now only been hand printed but the t-shirt itself was thrifted.

Gifts

There aren't many gift items as I am very difficult to buy for clothes wise.  The fleece is a no brained really as I may have a slight obsession with these.  The dress is not necessarily my style, but it's actually the bridesmaids dress that was brought for me when I was a bridesmaid at my brother's wedding.  ImI keeping it for now, but if I really don't wear it I'll think about getting rid of it.

Pre-loved, Charity Shop, and Vintage

The last section is second hand, predominantly brought in charity shops.  This is how I buy most of the clothing I need now, and charity shops are always my first port of call when I need a new piece.  Whilst I am interested in buying new, but ethical pieces in the future, to me buying second hand is the most ethical way of sourcing clothes and I'll only buy new when second hand just isn't possible.

My wardrobe isn't big by any stretch of the imagination, but it still larger then I actually need.  At the moment I wear and like all the items I own so I will keep them, but I don't intend to add to this only to replace when the time comes that I need to.  I expect it to reduce over time and maybe illIdo another blog this time next year to see the change.

My favourite clothing - leisure

There have been a few changes in my life recently and I've had to put a section of my clothes into storage, but I have kept a number of items for when I'm not at work and these are a few of my favourites (missing a couple of skirts that just didn't seem appropriate right now).  So here they are, my favourite clothes for my days off.

Let's start with tops.  My most worn is definitely my BrewDog t-shirt with the two jackrabbits (or hares).  I actually thought it was an owl when I first saw it.  I've worn this a lot, as you can see by the fading, and the fit is great, but the main reason I like it is because it is made with 100% organic cotton and is an EarthPositive t-shirt.  The EarthPositive link means that it was manufactured using only renewable energy.  I haven't seen this on the items from BrewDog I've looked at recently so I don't know if this is still a part of the clothing line.

My next t-shirt is one that I brought a few years ago for Comic Relief.  I mainly got it because the line is one of my favourites from Blackadder.  I've worn this a lot as well and it's beginning to discolour quite badly and slightly loose its shape, but I'm going to cling on until the last possible moment.  It is a good reminder though that when it's time to replace it to not buy white.  The label also says on this that the cotton is 100% sustainably sourced but I'm not sure what that actually means and if that's just green wash.  If you have the answers please let me know?

My last short sleeved top is my Harry Potter Primark t-shirt. It's not the most ethical item of clothing I own, but I've had this for years and it's still holding strong so I'm going to keep it until it falls apart.  It is an ironic slogan to have for someone who spends almost all their time being well-behaved, but I like the cheeky idea of it.

The long sleeve top I wear regularly is from the H&M Conscious line.  It is the organic cotton, tight fit long sleeve top in navy blue.  Even though it is fitted it's very comfortable and pretty warm.  It also washes really well and doesn't get misshapen so I'm hoping that I will have this item for a long time.

My normal jumper is the Lands' End fleece that I brought from a charity shop.  I love fleeces as they're warm and lightweight, but they also don't itch my skin in the same way wool does.  However, I am aware that there are issues with fibres from these types of clothing getting into the water so will be looking out for wash bags I can use to collect these fibres once these come out.

When it comes to trousers my favourite are my Braintree (now known as Thought Clothing) which I brought off Natural Collection about 5 years ago when they were having a sale.  They are made from 98% organic cotton with 2% Spandex (which helps them hold their shape) and Thought Clothing is an ethical brand in both how they source the fabrics and how they treat the people who make them.  I also love the colour of these and they're very comfortable to wear.  I pretty much wear them every week.

The other trousers I wear are also from the H&M Conscious line and are the Lyocell- blend cargo trousers.  Tencel lyocell is deemed a more sustainable fabric as it uses less energy, water, and dye then cotton during manufacturing; manufacturing uses a closed loop system which recycles the solvents used reducing the amount of toxin being released; and the company is looking to solve the issue with energy use during manufacturing by looking at renewable energies.  Though these trousers are fitted, which I don't normally wear, they are really comfortable and easy to wear, they have also worn really well.  The fabric is also very breathable and less susceptible to bacteria growth which means I can get away with washing it less often then normal trousers.

I thought it would be a good idea to keep one dress for special occasions (though in writing this I've realised I packed away my heals, ops).  I brought this second hand from eBay to wear to work, but I've worn this on other occasions too and just changed my accessories.  It's a blast from my childhood past as it was made by C&A.  It's 100% polyester and, though it says hand wash only, has held up very well to a lot of wear and being put in the washing machine.  It's an old style but suits my figure well and I feel very comfortable when I wear it.  I intend to wear this for many years.

When I first started trying to buy more ethical new clothes I started by looking at clothes that were sustainably made and sourced, with ethical manufacturing.  But over the wears I have found that buying second hand clothing has been just as sustainable, easier to get at, and a lot less expensive.  I have everything I need at the moment so it's unlikely that I'll be buying anything new or second hand in the near future.  When I do need to I'll look for second hand first before I go down the new, but ethical route.

My favourite clothing - work

My life has changed significantly over the last few months and my wardrobe has gone through a change to suit the new job that I have.  My career has changed from an office bound administration job to doing a traineeship in upland path construction where I'm outside every day.  The pencil skirts and smart tops have now changed from outdoor trousers and base layers.  I do have some new items (though some I have had for many years as part of my hill walking kit), but my favourite work gear that I always reach for first have turned out to be the items I brought second hand.

When it comes to trousers I always reach for the my army trousers.  They are both exactly the same style (French, 80s, women's) in camouflage and lightweight colours and I love these.  Firstly, they are one of the best fit trousers I've ever had which actually fit my figure (absolute miracle when you have a curvy body); secondly, they are really comfortable and easy to move around in; and thirdly, they are high waisted which means I don't have to worry about flashing people when I'm moving around.  Most importantly, they have held up to all the things I put them through without snagging or ripping.  They were a bit pricey for a second hand item at £18 each, but they were worth the price and unfortunately the British style (which I could get for cheaper) don't fit as well which usually means rubbing along my waist.  I usually wear my Elvis & Kresse belt made from used British Fire Brigade hoses, but unfortunately it doesn' fit into the belt loop holes of the lightweight trousers, so I've brought a second hand belt for that particular pair.

I pretty much wear long sleeves tops every day, even when it's sunny and hot, as it protects me from the midges, scratchy plants, and ticks.  I've got three, but the two I wear the most I got from the British Heart Foundation for £1.99 each.  My favourite is the stripy top from F&F Clothing as it fits so well, but I do like the bagginess of the Tommy Hilfiger top.  The Hilfiger top also makes me laugh when I wear it as it used to be all the rage when I was a teenager in the 1990's, but I shouldn't afford the brand.  Now I'm wearing it to do manual work.

When I do need a jumper I bounce between my Trespass fleece, which I've had for over 10 years now and is still really warm - it's my go to, and my woolly jumper that my Nan knitted for my older brother, which then got passed down to me.  I got it when I was 12 (23 years ago) and it's a little bit too small, but it's still holding on and puts up with a lot of heavy work and heavy washing.  I will keep wearing this until it falls apart. Thanks Nan. 💓

I don't have a lot of work clothes and I put them through a lot, but they all stand up well and show that second hand or old are not necessarily second in quality.  I'm definitely a lot happier in these clothes then the smart office clothes I wore before.