Second Hand Junkie October 2015

Carried over from September £104.01
October budget £25
Spent £0
Earnt £20
Balance £149.01

Another good month for me with a zero spend.

I Earnt £14 for my postbox, this will be a 65th Birthday present for a friend who has been a postman for over 40 years! I also Earnt £6 for the chicken.

I have nearly finished the new baby card for my granddaughter due in December.

Still plenty of knitting happening.  I made four bobble hats over the weekend. One each for my daughter and her boyfriend as they are off to Iceland in December. One for me for my trip up north next month and one for my Mum for Christmas as she does get cold living on the Kent coast!    

What to start next?? Maybe the other chicken or maybe not.

I had my Birthday earlier this month and got £50 in Hobbycraft vouchers which are always welcome and £195 stash money so can really go crazy at The Knitting and Stitching show in Harrogate next month. I try not to look online at new stuff before I go so that I'm not searching for something in particular and just buy whatever takes my fancy!

Second Hand Junkie September 2015

Carried over from August £80.00
September budget  £25.00
Spent £0.99
Remaining budget  £104.01

Well a total of 99p spent this month on a New Baby card kit from eBay. This will be for my stepdaughter for her new arrival in December.

I have  stitched quite a lot of my postbox this month despite  being on holiday for a week. Didn't get much done on my chicken though so no progress photo of that.

Not intending spending anything in October!! I need to get a couple  of skeins  of DMC that are nearly all gone from my stash but still have some money left on a Hobbycraft gift card from last Christmas.

Should give me loads of stash money to spend in Harrogate in November ☺

Second Hand Junkie August 2015

August budget £25
Spent £0
Earnt £30
Carried over £80

Another month with a zero spend!

I earnt £30 finishing the following items
Map of Kent £18
3 New Home cards £6
Sunglass case £6

I have started a kit of a postbox but not much to show yet.

Off on holiday soon so have started a kit of a chicken to take with me for the plane and evenings.

Second Hand Junkie July 2015

July budget £25.00
Spent £0
Earnt £0
Carried over £25.00

I managed the first month of stitch from stash B with a zero spend!

I have been working on my Map of Kent a little bit but have been knitting more.

I am going to knit a baby shawl for my grand daughter expected in December but have decided to resurrect my knitting machine after fifteen years in three different lofts. I just need to get a new sponge bar tomorrow. Lucky I still have the instruction manual because although I used it constantly for fourteen years I can't really remember what to do! So watch this space for photos next month.

Here is my progress on my Map of Kent.

Second Hand Junkie June 2015

Carried over from May £156.63
June budget £25.00
Spent £1.00
Remaining budget £180.63

Really pleased with myself for stitching from stash for the last six months. I have this money in a seperate savings account and will leave it there until November when it will be used to pay for a mini-break.

We are driving to York on a Thursday and have booked a b and b for the night for £49. The next day we are going to Harrogate for the knitting and stitching show. Tickets to be bought from this money too. Then on to Newcastle for two nights staying with relatives. A tank of petrol each way will use the rest of this money and spending money at the show will be my stitch from stash money for the next five months and October birthday money!

What did I spend a whole pound on this month? A three month trial subscription to Cross Stitcher magazine.

Didn't earn anything as been mainly knitting due to a baby boom! Oh and the Clangers! I am about half way through my Map of Kent but hoping to finish it in time for my first check in for stitch from stash B in July.

Second Hand Junkie May 2015

Carried over from April £117.62
May budget £25.00
Spent £1.99
Earnt £16.00
Remaining budget £156.63

An excellent month for me!

I spent £1.99 on a small organiser box as I knocked my old one off the arm of the sofa and a corner snapped off leaving a really sharp edge. Got the replacement in our local discount store (Tricky Trevs!) I saw them a couple of weeks ago but didn't need one at the time.

I finished the Dimensions kit Parisian Bicycle on Saturday night. I started this on 13th April so really pleased how quickly I finished it. There was a lot of back stitch and a fair few french knots but love how it turned out. This earnt me £16.00

I started the Map of Kent last night. This won't qualify for earnings as I only bought it in March. I can see it stitching up very quickly though.

It's Bank Holiday Monday today and I've just taken hubby to Ebbsfleet as he's off to Brussels on business for a few days. Plenty of stitching time for me!

Second Hand Junkie April 2015

Carried over from March £69.51
April budget £25.00
Spent £6.89
Earnt £30.00
Remaining budget £117.62

Another good month for me!

I spent £1.90 on two skeins of DMC to finish Starry Night and £4.99 on Cross Stitch Crazy for the Satsuma Street designs of London, Paris and New York.

I earnt £30.00 on the following
£2.00 for a New Baby card
£4.00 for Always time for tea
£8.00 for Christmas Penguins
£16.00 for Starry Night

I have now started a Dimensions kit called Parisian Bicycle from my stash. This is to go in my bedroom when I decorate it next year.

Sorry my pictures are all at the end. I haven't really got to grips with blogging!

Second Hand Junkie March 2015

Carried over from February £52.50
March budget £25.00
Spent £7.99
Remaining Budget £69.51

I am posting this at the eleventh hour as only arrived hour from Gran Canaria at 11.30 last night!

What I bought this month; a job lot of fabric from ebay for £6.00 and a Map of Kent kit also from ebay for £1.99

I have finished page 3 of 4 of Starry Night and am hoping to complete it in time for Aprils check in. Need to buy two skeins of DMC for that though.

I took a couple of small things on holiday with me for stitching on the plane and in the evenings. Hoping they will be finishes for next month too so I can boost my earnings!

I made up the bell pull and my daughter loved it.

Looking forward to going through my stash soon and choosing my next project.

Second Hand Junkie February 2015

Carried over from January £40
February budget £25
Spent £12.50
Remaining budget £52.50

I didn't earn anything this month as the wedding sampler (see previous blog) was bought and started straight away.

I have completed page 2 of Starry Night but will wait until it's finished to count it.

Now what I bought!

Wedding Sampler £8.00 but was paid £26 to stitch it :-)
Two pieces of 27count Linda £3.50 for a Christmas penguin I'm planning to stitch on holiday next month.
Naughty But Nice Cross Stitch book £1.00 from charity shop.

Wedding Sampler

I was asked by a lady at work to make a sampler for her sons wedding. I don't normally take on commissions as I work full time so don't have a huge amount of spare time. I told her I would have a look for something suitable.

I had to go to Hobbycraft for some buttons for a couple of baby cardigans I'd knitted and found the perfect kit. I had a couple of days holiday from work so managed to complete it in eight days!

I washed and pressed it on Saturday and will give it to her at work tomorrow. She will get it framed herself.

Stitch from stash check in January 2015

Month: January
Spent: £0
Earned : £15

So that means I have £40 to carry over.

Pretty pleased with my first month!

I earned £15 for my tapestry bell pull which was 16,000 half stitches. Just need to make it up and attach the ends and give it to my clarinet playing daughter.

Plans for February are to carry on with 'Starry Night' I will complete page two and then probably do something small from my stash.

Stitch from Stash 2015

Not had a chance to blog since I started this. Life has been so busy.

I have signed up to Epic Stitchings Stitch from Stash 2015. The basic idea is that you limit yourself to a budget (£25) a month to spend on craft stash, but you stitch from what you already have as much as possible. You also earn spending bonuses for completing projects you have had for at least six months.

I don't have a massive stash of cross stitch stuff but probably enough to last a couple of years. I do have a full set of DMC threads which I just replace as they run out.

I am currently stitching 'Starry night' which is pretty hard going and blue. I have had the chart in my stash for about four years, the fabric for about fifteen years and the threads are from my collection so all in all a free project!

I completed one page then had a break and finished a tapestry bell pull I started thirteen years ago. I still have to work out how much I 'earned' doing this.

I will add photos as and when I finish things.