Puttery Thursday

* Go through your magazine collection and pull out every July/August issue you own, then sit down to gather seasonal inspiration.

*Line vintage tins with greaseproof paper and use them as mouth-wateringly happy lunch-boxes.

*Allocate a "show-off" shelf for your kids artwork, "sculptures", junk art, trophies, certificates and cards.

*Hang a large bag on the back of your laundry/kitchen/garage door and use it to store all the things you intend to give to charity.

*Re-purpose a lidded butter dish as a soap holder on your kitchen draining board. No more staring at bars of soap past their pretty best.

*Put a piece of rose crystal under your pillow if you have problems sleeping.

* Plant rows of succulents in vintage muffin tins for a scrumptiously casual table centrepiece.

*Keep a living pot of rosemary (for remembrance) on your kitchen windowsill in memory of somebody precious.

* Seek out a pretty A4 paper file and christen it your "Must-Be-Done" file. Use it to store that revolving pile of letters to be answered, forms to be filled, cards to be sent and bills to be paid. Look at it daily and never allow items inside to be more than one week old.

*Read "Walden" by Henry David Thoreau.

*Cultivate the habit of leaving your dishwasher, washing machine doors and drawers open overnight in order to let the air circulate and prevent smelly mould taking a hold.

*Spend an afternoon teaching yourself the art of reading tea-leaves.

* Buy yourself a spider plant and reduce 87% of indoor pollution within 24hrs. Just make sure you plant it in something terribly gorgeous to offset the the vibe of seventies suburbia.

* Ice a cup of white tea and once cooled stir in a spoonful of blackcurrant cordial and add ice. Perfect for Summer elevenses.

*Make rose petal facial toner. Add 11/2 oz of fresh rose petals to 1 pint of boiling water and one tbsp of cider vinegar (kinda the way you made rose perfume when you were a little girl?). Let steep for a couple of house, then strain and pour into a vintage glass bottle.

*Wrap one of your favourite aprons up in beautiful paper and send a little dose of old fashioned domesticity to someone you love.

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