Making one small change at a time can make becoming eco friendly loads easier. Lots of small changes add up to a big difference.
I very nearly bought a new steamer pan the other day. The metal handle on the lid had sheared off and I was opening it in a slightly dangerous manner by sticking a knife under it. I didn't have another lid that would fit either.
But I decided, no. No, I won't put an otherwise perfectly usable pan into landfill and buy a new one (not that I'd have put it in landfill, it would have ended up as plant pots no doubt! But that still would have been a waste).
I'm not actually sure how much of a bother mending this was, because husband bought the wooden handle and attached it to the screw that was already in the lid. I was totally willing to do it even though I have no DIY skills, he just beat me to it.
Mending your stuff saves resources and money (a new steamer pan costs £25, a wooden knob cost less than £1) and makes you feel very smug indeed. Now I've just got to get round to mending that hole in my skirt, wobbly table leg, garden gate latch..... have you got anything you can mend and then feel smug about?
Don't forget to check out my other small changes to help you live a greener life!
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This isn't a repair as such, but I have wanted an outdoor shoe store so I'm not constantly treading sand through the house. I didn't want to buy one so I just screwed some hooks that were in the garage into the door of the bin store - now I have somewhere to hang my sandals!
ReplyDeleteYey! That's a genius idea!
DeleteMake do and mend is our ethos! On Saturday Jon unearthed a 1970s garden parasol we'd bought from a car boot sale years ago from the shed and discovered it had been nibbled by mice. Using scraps of vintage fabric left over from dressmaking projects, a pot of sequins given to me by a friend and some 1960s braiding taken off a dress too tatty to sell I patched up the raggedy bits and five hours later have a groovy, customised parasol fit to adorn the ladies' dress rail at the Cornbury festival this weekend! xxx
ReplyDeleteOh that sounds amazing! I always admire your textile crafts :) xx
DeleteSewn the split seam of my co-op bag for life (apparently not!) turned an old dressing gown in to a 'cat nest' - best thing ever apparently (according to the cats!)
ReplyDeleteOh I have a big pile of (So called!) bags for life I need to sew up! I must get round to that!
DeleteI really like these posts. I'm still telling everyone about the M&S cotton buds (after ordering three packs), and the metal straws too.
ReplyDeleteI made a bee bath for the garden out of an old bird bath that had been sitting in our hedge on it's side for ages. And I've been patching old jeans instead of buying new ones, although admittedly this was fueled more by my hatred of shopping for jeans. I have a top that I managed to ripe on only the third time of wearing. I'm planning to mend it but I just haven't worked out how yet...
Great work - and I bet it's better having a wooden handle as it won't get too hot to life off without an oven glove!
ReplyDeleteWell done! I agree with Louise about the wooden handle!
ReplyDeleteIt's great to fix things! I've repaired various beaters and instruments at school and I watched a Youtube video on how to tie cymbal straps. I got my Mum to crochet together a broken cabasa at school- she said it was a complete nightmare to do but she managed it!