IMPACT (Inspiration Meets Positive Action and Creative Thinking)

Yes, before you question the username I am a mother of eight children. One of my beautiful children is now an angel and one is what would commonly be referred to as my stepson but we dont do that step/half thing in my family. Family is family. And that small pearl of wisdom right there should be you mantra for life, if you wish to live the champagne life on a beer budget…. well ok, maybe not champagne but definately a pretty good bubbly =D

Ok, so you would probably be thinking to yourself they must be on a pretty good wicket to be able to afford that many kids. Well the truth of it is that my partner earns less than the national average wage and I am currently not working. So things could get a little tight around here if we werent they way we are. And no I am not going to keep “the secret” to myself. I am about to share it with you now.

First of all I am not going to drag out that old nag “Make yourself a budget”, which in-of-itself isnt a bad idea per-say but I have always found that creating a budget is a bit like dieting. One satisfaction splurge and your back where you started and feeling like its all too hard.

The first thing you need to do is throw away that idea you had as a child that when you grow up you were going to do things differently to your parents. It worked for them. Why is it such a bad idea?

Alot of the money saving ideas I use are the same frugal tips and tidbits I picked up from my mother and father.

First and foremost your life and everything in it is a war between need and want. Yes you want the massive plasma screen and home entertainment system to put in you media room that you just had built, but do you need it. Was you life lacking without it? Will these purchases create a state of wellbeing in your family greater than you have experienced to date? If you answered yes to these questions then you need this blog more than anyone else. If you answered no, congratulations, you’ve won the battle of need versus want. It wasnt really hard was it! But dont rest on your laurels yet, because you may have won the battle but you havent won the war….yet.

Now, take a look around you. How many of the items around you do you see that fall into the want category. And be brutally honest, for example, look at your home phone, yes you need a phone but did you really need one with three hand sets (after all chances are you dont live in a mansion) and an answering machine (telstra home messages is free). Now looking at your things from that kind of perspective changes the category you first thought of doesnt it. Well the good news is that that damage has been done. Dont try to change the past, just learn from it…. and that phone should last you a good many years to boot!

Now sometimes, when your out shopping, you can loose sight of that perspective so here is what I do. I will pick up the item and walk around with it for 5 or 10 minutes. 9 times out of 10 I will put the item back. You see we arent immune to it, we just need to know how to fight it. When that want monster comes to you disguised as need it takes a few minutes for you to see through the mask. But give yourself a chance.. you will learn to recognise it soon enough.

Now think about you kitchen cupboards. All that lovely food. All those pretty coloured labels, so inviting arent they. All those pretty labels are wants disguise! He got you again didnt he. Do not dispair for you have now unmasked that evil little gremlin and you will soon see need when you go shopping. Need is very recognisable by its lack of pretty colouring. You see, its all pretty much the same stuff and much of it comes from the same factories as the pretty coloured stuff, and no it is NOT an inferior product or by product or waste product.  Sometimes the production is different, which may result in a different flavour or texture but when it comes down to it, food is mearly sustinance for the body. But that doesnt mean you dont enjoy what your eating. (Insert gratuitous plug here–> I am currently writing an e-cookbook that will divulge a trick or 20 on how to create awesome food from staples). Now kids are the biggest want monsters that I have ever met so again, think back to your parents… they had this funny little two letter word they used to use on us…. No! You might think you are depriving you kids by not giving them fruit loops and rollups and other such sugar infused faux foods. But actually you will be teaching them a very valuable life lesson. (thats a whole other blog how ever so i wont go into that here)

Ok, kitchen monster banished… to the bedroom…..CHARGE!!!!!! Straight for the wardrobe. Now in here want is hidden in the garments… can you see him… hes about 2 to 3 cms squared… stitched to the seam in the collars of your shirts or waists of your pants…. you got him… GREAT! Now how to defeat the little bugger. Firstly you need to rememeber that un-doing the past is moot. Move on to the future. Look carefully at you wardrobe… you will notice that there are probably about a dozen or so items in there that you wear ALL the time. These are you “staple” clothing items. These are needs right…. yes….. and no. Take a look at the want monster in the clothing…. does it say “portmans” or “target”? Now think about when you purchased the item? Was it full price or on sale? Was it new or second hand? See the want monster poking his head out? Smack that little beasty on the  bean and lets explore the concept of “staple clothing”.

So we know that these are the thing you need. So how do we save when we need it. Its actually easier than you think. Now this is a 2 pronged fork. There are those of us in the community who think second hand clothing is like a swear word, but donot dispair. The first thing you need to do is create a savings account only for clothing… sounds positively wanton doesnt it. It not.. just $5 or $10 per week is a good start. Then when you see those staple items on sale, dont hold back, buy a couple of them. Different colours if you want, just to mix things up a bit. That way when you need to replace your staple you have one on hand, already brought and paid for, or on the other hand your staples will last longer because you dont wear them quite so often. Choice truely is a wonderful thing.

For those of us who can deal with second hand clothing, do the same thing. Start your savings account and when the time comes or is coming start hitting the stores. Vinnies, salvos, lifeline… they’re all good. And your doing a community service by shopping there, as the money you spend goes back into the community by way of charity. Some may suggest ebay for clothing but beware. It can be great for some things but not for others, and the killer there is postage. You might be thinking to your self a pair of jeans for $15 is a bargain, until you add the $10 average postage costs… not so much of a bargain anymore. So always include the postage as part of the purchase price BEFORE bidding or purchase multiple items from the same seller to ditribute the postage costs across the items and bring down the average price per item.

Another thing I commonly do is layby. You see I probably could get a credit card if i wanted one but i really cant see the point in paying even more for things and quite frankly I dont need it. And some of the interest rates they charge these days are just ridiculous (so if you do have one, its time to start thinking about paying it out and cutting it up… it is not your friend). Layby is great. Sure you dont get that instant gratification thing but thats not what life is about. Its way cheaper than Mr Interest and really is great way to give your self time to recognise the hidden want monster.

Also as a little foot note to clothing is that you shouldnt scrimp on laundry detergent. I know, I said before that pretty boxes are wants in disguise but I have to conceed that brand name laundry powder is better than the no name stuff. It can save you alot of money in the long run becasue it is easier on the fabric and removes stains more efficiently, which can make yours and your families clothes last longer… but dont get carried away. One box of pretty good powder is one thing… buying up all the other stain removal products is overkill. A good powder will do as much as all the spray on stain removers ever could.

OK so maybe I didnt outright give away any obvious secrets neatly displayed in bullet form, but its all there. If you missed it, go back and read again in a few days time. You see like everything else in life you need to be open to the change. The need to be ready for the change. If your not dont be downhearted. You will be. Life will hand you a bowl of lemons one day… so bookmark this link as “Lemonade” and when you are ready, you will see the recipe.

Before I start to post my crafty ideas because I know that why i was invited LOL

I feel I should share a little of my heart.

why do we celebrate?

to drink?

to show off?

No.

we celebrate to create memories, for ourselves and our children.

Naturally you want he best for your kids and craft seems like the cheap tacky way out.

But it can be just if not more magical then buying the best things you can.

children love to be apart of what your doing and by sitting down making decorations and gifts

you are also creating happy memories.

Time spend together.

which is what your children really want.

so I will be sharing crafty ideas that you can share with your children.

so no matter how little you have you will always have those memories

When Gail first asked if I could contribute to Impact, I was more than happy to. After all, I am a semi-intelligent mum genius who has somehow managed to get this far raising 5 kids despite the lotto gods forgetting about me. I must be able to contribute something. So with this in mind, I sat down to write up some pearls of parental wisdom so that we may all see life through as well as my husband and I…. and then it hit me, hang on. What exactly do I have to contribute?

I sat here on my bed, staring blankly at the screen trying to be able to explain just one thing that we do special to enable us to live well on low income. I finally came to the conclusion that either I am not as deeply involved in our monetary matters as I first thought, or we have been doing it for so long now its like second nature and I don’t really see how it is any different. I figure it can’t be the former because I remember paying the bills, and its certainly not the latter – my husband was working until April when his worsening carpel tunnel really drove home the point that daily computer operation was not in his best interests. So what is it then?

I was left with a couple of simple four letter words, and some a little longer.

Hope.
Love.
Optimism.
Family.

There is a lot to be said about technology. Some of it has been so wonderful for my family. The internet for example keeps us all close despite how far – something that used to be a massive consideration in both petrol and telephony costs. Now instead of Phone bills in the hundreds, we pay a fraction for the internet, and the phone bill is virtually non-existant. You don’t even need voip to be close. Family has been the most important factor in all of this for me. It seems no matter how things may look on the outside, just being able to talk with my siblings, or cuddle my son removes all doubt about the future.

As technology goes along, some will become cheaper and make our lives easier. Others will cause the Jones effect, something I left behind a long time ago. That was when I made the jones effect work for me.

My 11yo son recently got money from several relatives for his birthday – ironically cheaper to send to him than a present – but it amounted to $50. He bought himself a fantastic digital camera with it. Nope – not one of those cheap Chinese ones. It was a canon. He got it from eBay. There was nothing wrong with it – well, excluding the fact it wasn’t the absolute latest model with 12 megapixels and built in mobile phone, what its former owner replaced it with. A perfectly good, working piece of first rate technology for an absolute bargain, because it did not live up to the Jones standard. He knew to do this because he learnt it from us, for example when we upgraded our 50cm CRT tv with an 88cm CRT TV for a mere $120, no doubt replaced by something that takes up half a wall.

This is the first and biggest pearl of wisdom I can give anyone. Several small steps that can completely change your whole perspective.

First you must work out exactly what you need to survive. We are not talking about money here, but actual needs. You need to separate them from wants. Then you can break that down into what you will normally find is the cheaper alternative – and you don’t actually have to feel bad about taking it.

For example: I want a mobile phone. I only need it for people to call me. I do not need it to take photos. I do not need it for the free playstation 3. I do not need it as my primary means of communication. A $50 pre-paid mobile phone with a company that offers $10 cards is all I need.

Living to your needs makes living within your means far easier, and you feel much better about it because you know when you have what you need. Everything and anything above that makes you feel great, accomplished.

Feeling good about yourself and your situation is the greatest gift you can give yourself and your family, and only you can achieve this by refocusing your priorities. Release yourself from the Jones effect, and allow yourself to be happy with who you are.

I wrote this article several years ago, and since then it has been around the web a bit. I hope it has helped those who have read it, and for those who haven’t spotted it in their surfing, I an reprinting it here.

No matter how thrifty you are, there will come a time when you have to fall back on imagination and whatever you have in the pantry to rustle up a filling meal.

That’s where a store cupboard comes in. My mother and grandmother swore by their store cupboards, and I have carried on the tradition.

The store cupboard is the economic basis of any household. With just a few basic items, you can eat well without too much fuss when the need arises. When a bill needs to be paid or an urgent purchase made, you can fall back on your store cupboard to free up some money. It’s a relief to know that you have it behind you.

The stuff you buy shouldn’t be expensive. Supermarket specials and generic brands will do the job, and the variety of meals you can produce from a basic store cupboard can then be supplemented with home grown vegetables, and some more expensive items for variety.

Neither do you have to rush out and buy everything at once. Just add as many extra purchases you can afford to your regular shopping. Use specials, coupons and money saved on other items to add to your store cupboard and in no time you will have a healthy stock of meals to fall back on.

Here’s what to have in your store cupboard:

* Flour: Self-rising can be used for everything.

* Powdered Milk: full cream or skim

* One-Minute Rolled Oats: Cheaper than chips and dead easy to cook.

* Pasta: Different shapes and sizes, it’s all good.

* Sugar: White, for general cooking needs, and a small bag of brown sugar, for your porridge.

* Dried Fruits: Comes in handy for snacking and adding to meals.

* Cooking Oil: Canola or sunflower in no name generic bottles.

* Canned Tomatoes: Buy the cheapest brand.

* Tinned Meat: Braised steak and onion, spaghetti meat sauce, ham, Spam or whatever is on special. Never buy a damaged or rusty tin.

* Soup: Packet or tinned soup can be the basis of many meals or provide a quick meal in itself. Chicken noodle and vegetable soup are the handiest.

* Tuna: Large tins, packed in brine (water). A cheap quick meal.

* Processed Cheddar Cheese: Ok, so it looks and tastes a bit plastic, but it’s protein.

* Spices and Herbs: Just some basics will do, such as cinnamon, nutmeg, basil (or an Italian herb mix) and some curry powder, mild or hot as you like. Add some stock cubes or powder as well, in chicken, beef and vegetable.

* Rice: Short grain is useful for everything, long grain is for curries.

* Dried Potato: Essential and easy to prepare.

What Can You Do with This Stuff?

Porridge: Cook according to directions, add to cookie recipes, or add to minced beef to stretch it round the family. They won’t notice, trust me. Use it to make your own muesli with chopped dried fruit. You can also spread the muesli out on a baking tray, sprinkle with a little brown sugar, and toast it in a hot oven for a few minutes.

Flour: Make scones or biscuits, pancakes, and a simple cottage loaf with two cups flour, a teaspoon of salt and water. Mix, form into a round loaf and bake. If the flour is self rising you don’t need baking powder.

Tomato, Cheese and Pasta: Simply combine for a wholesome meal. Cook the pasta, stir in a can of tomatoes and some chopped cheese. Add herbs or cooked meat or whatever else you have that would taste good.

Rice: Make a risotto by cooking rice in stock and add vegetable, tinned tomatoes or tuna. Add curry powder and chopped dried fruit for an interesting and delicious curry. Or stir in some milk with the rice, add sugar and chopped dried fruit, and voila! Orchard creamed rice.

Tinned Meat: Add curry powder and rice, tinned tomatoes and pasta, serve on toast.

Tuna: Mix with the reconstituted dried potato, shape into rounds and fry or bake for fishcakes. Add to cooked pasta, top with a little milk to keep it moist, and grated cheese and brown under a broiler.

Dried Potato: Add to pancakes to make potato scones, thicken soups and stews, or serve as a side vegetable with tinned meat.

Soup: Combine with reconstituted dried potato, rice or pasta for a hearty meal.
That’s just a sample of the recipes you can concoct with your store cupboard stuff. By adding whatever else is at hand, you can come up with many more, and feed your family wholesome meals through the toughest times.

Making an impact in the world today seems too big a task at times – but as we watch the world economy go pear-shaped, it is important that we think of small ways in which we can make the world – or at least, our little corner of it – a better place. Small towns like mine are seeing a lot of new people desperately trying to find a lifestyle they can afford. Rents and houses are cheaper in the country, and if you live in a good growing area, fresh food is abundant and low priced when in season.

Working at a charity shop, I see many of these new people looking for cheap clothes and furniture. They often ask me where they can go in town to find other charity shops, government services and the best places for groceries and so on. I have been wondering what we can do to make the move easier for them, and to make them feel part of the community, apart from selling them cheap goods.

Years ago, I read about `welcome wagons’ in suburbs, when the new neighbours would arrive on the doorstep with some baked goods, lots of smiles and a map to the local services in the area. I don’t know if communities still do this – perhaps the intense mobility of our society makes it redundant. But I liked the idea of the map, and thought that maybe we could offer our customers something similar.

I drew up the map today – a very simple one, with the major streets marked out, and places of interest, such as other charity shops, a place where you can buy second hand white goods, the free library and so on, marked on it. These are the places people are looking for when they ask directions in the shop. I plan to have the map photocopied at the library and place the copies on the counter.

When we moved in here, the lady across the street came over and welcomed us. It wasn’t exactly the Welcome Wagon of old, but it made us feel at home and like we had already made a friend. Such simple kindnesses make this town a pleasure to live in – volunteering to help in the community was something I had never tried before, but now I love it. I enjoy dressing up the shop for Halloween and other celebrations, putting goods aside for those who have requested something (and enjoying their happy response when I surprise them with it) and generally getting to know some of the gallant, brave and beautiful people here.

When the task of making the world a better place looks overwhelming, start with a small thing – it soon mushrooms and you find yourself able to help in many ways. My friends in Soul Food are wonderful people who spend a lot of time nurturing the creativity in others, and making everyone feel special. The web is a wonderful way to connect with people in this way. You can find sites that offer ways of helping people in poor countries, just with a daily click, forums where you can share your expertise and advice, sites where you can take surveys and donate your earnings to charity, and sites like Squidoo where you can set up a website on something that interests you, and donate the earnings from your page views.

My hero, Mother Teresa, did not worry about changing the world. She set about changing what was right in front of her, in Calcutta. She said “There are no great things, only small things with great love.” She also said, “Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.” Yes, let us begin.

Let’s get down to the nitty gritty – where can you get free Christmas stuff on the web? I’ve put my daughters onto the printer manufacturer’s websites. It doesn’t matter what printer you have, all the nig companies have websites with fabulous free printis on them.

Canon Print Park have some fabulous Halloween decorations on the site right now. There’s a Halloween tree, a witch’s hat and broom and lots of oher stuff to print out. The costume maskes are just brilliant. The Christmas pages are lush as well, I really like the wreath and advent calendar.

There’s Halloween stuff at Epson too, but I really loved these Mardi Gras masks – and this Christmas Themes project has some great stuff.

The Hewlett Packard site has lots of licensed projects – right now Kung Fu Panda is king of the printies. and these projects look like a lot of fun. This Day of the Dead Party Kit looks spectacular, and so do these gorgeous Christmas ornaments.. HP has some good recycling projects as well.

Keep an eye on these sites, they have stuff for every occasion.

When I said we were Dickensian about Christmas, that definitely includes the food! Christmas Eve dinner is an extended family affair, with everyone bringing something for the table, so that no one host has to bear the whole cost. Being Australians, it is always outdoors and there is always a BBQ being fired up. We leave the chop and sausage buring to the menfolk – they do love it so!

With everyone contributing, the cost is kept down, but when it comes to preparation, some things are best left to the experts. Lana’s potato salad, Mags’ rum truffles and my old fashioned figgy pudding are never interfered with. One year, when Mags and her family couldn’t attend, I tried my hand at rum truffles. The groans of disappointment were stifled to spare my feelings, but I still heard them. Never again. From now on, if the cook isn’t present, we go without the dish.

Like presents, we do some planning ahead, by buying and storing pickled, canned and packaged items when they are on special throughout the year. Some of our family have joined those Christmas schmes where you pay a small installment through the year and receive cartons of food and presents at Christmas. They swear by them, even though it seems to me that you end up paying more. But the girls say it is worth it because they don’t have to face the expense of buying Christmas food at the last minute.

In Ausralia, turkey isn’t as popular or essential as a large smoked ham. Because of the heat, we prefer lighter meals. But we do have roast chicken, lamb or pork as the main meal on Christmas day. It is quicker and easier to cook than a turkey, and can be cooked ahead and eaten cold if the weather is really steamy. Salads form the bulk of the vegetables, although roast potato and pumpkin are never refused for the main meal.

Those of use who grow vegetables always have something for the table on Christmas day. Even in colder climes, vegetables can be grown indoors in pots, or in a greenhouse, so it is worth considering wherever you are. We have grown vegetables on tiny balconies. I’m a strong believer in doing away with the water wasteful suburban lawn and replacing it with vegetable garden beds. These still require watering, of course, but it is less wasteful, and the rest of the garden should be planted with plants native to the area, so they can pretty much be ignored.

Once upon a time it was common for householders to grow their own vegetables, and contribute to their own table. My English grandmother regularly saved leftovers for the local pigman to feed to his pigs and those who contributed in this way always got a flitch of bacon for Christmas.

Today we can use vegetable waste for compost, recycle bottles to make our own ginger beer and lemonade, and jars to make our own preserves when there is a fruit glut. Country people in my area still do this – at the charity shop, we hand out clean used jars to those preserving their own fruits and vegetables.

Here are a couple of our Christmas recipes:

My Figgy Pudding

Ingredients:

2 cups chopped dried dates
2 cups chopped dried figs
Thinly pared rind of one large lemon and one large orange, plus the squeezed juices
A handful glace cherries
1 tablespoon mixed spice (not allspice)
2 cups self raising flour
3 eggs
1/2 cup treacle (molasses)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup cream
1/2 cup melted butter.

Mix fruits, juices and peel with treacle and leave stand while you prepare the dry ingredients. Mix flour. mixed spice (as much as you want, I like lots!) and sugar in a bowl. Make a well in the center. Crack in the eggs, add cream and melted butter. Beat the ingredients in the center of the mixture, working in the flour, spice and sugar until it is well blended. Add the fruits and treacle and stir well together. You can add silver coins and charms at this stage.

Turn the mixture into a well greased pudding bowl, cover the dish with foil, and place in a steamer or large saucepan with water coming halfway up the side of the pudding bowl. Cover and steam for about 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the the pudding through the foil comes out clean. Serve with brandy custard or cream.

You can also bake this as a cake for about 45 minutes in a moderate oven. Make sure the cake dish is lined to prevent burning. I like to use a bundt ring cake pan so I can decorate the cake like a Christmas wreath.

“We wish you a merry Christmas,
We wish you a merry Christmas,
We wish you a merry Christmas,
And a happy New Year!”

Ginger Beer

First of all you have to create your ginger beer `plant’. Use a crockpot, jug or jar. Into it put one of those 15g packets of dried yeast, a teaspoon of sugar, a teaspoon of dried ginger powder and two cups water.

Keep it in a cupboard in the kitchen and every day for a week, feed the plant with 1 teaspoon sugar, and 1 teaspooon ginger.

At the end of the week, strain the mixture and put the liquid into a large clean new five litre plastic bucket. Dissolve three and a quarter cups of white sugar in five cups of boiling water and pour over the ginger liquid in the bucket. Add the juice of a large lemon. Add three litres of cold water and bottle. Store in a very cool place (we use under the house) like a cellar and leave for at least a week. You may get one or two explosions!

The strained leftover stuff from the plant can be divided in half, and used to start two new plants. Ginger beer is the perfect recycling drink!

Our family loves Christmas. We are positively Dickensian about it. Christmas Eve is our big get together, when we open the adult’s presents, and admire each other’s good taste (or sense of humour, as the present dictates) then scatter back to our homes so the grandchildren can wake up to the magic of Christmas morning and presents under the tree.

Sometimes distances can prevent the whole family coming together, and lately it’s been more the cost of petrol, but we still stay connected somehow, by phone or Internet. The bottom line with us is that it is about family and especially children. We will go to extraordinary lengths to make sure those parcels under the tree hold wonderful surprises.

This year, Ebay has been getting a workout. Our daughters have been amassing Ebay bargains for months now, and although one or two of them find it next to impossible to refrain from giving the present before Christmas (a family failing – you have it, you know they’ll love it – why wait?) there is still a great stash for Christmas morning. Most of it is second hand, but that won’t affect the response.

Another great source of presents has been thrift shopping. Dollar stores and charity shops are like flea markets used to be – you never know what you will find, and the prices are reasonable to dirt cheap. You have to know your charity shops – country shops are better than city shops these days, where some thrift shops have redefined themselves as up market `retro’ stores. Avoid them.

Our youngest daughter has been scouring Ebay for Toy Story merchandise. Their son has fallen in love with Woody, Buzz and the gang and can’t get enough. But she despaired of finding Woody and Buzz dolls that she could afford until she went into a thrift shop recently and found a stack of Toy Story dolls in excellent condition – for three dollars each.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that the kids don’t get anything new. This is where lay-by is handy – the time honoured ruse of paying off a new toy and collecting it from the store on Christmas Eve means the kids can have at least one brand new toy every year. The girls shop for clothes this way as well, laying by the new season’s children’s clothes as they come into the store – by the time they are paid off, it is time to wear them.

The one thing nobody does in this family is flash the plastic. Credit cards are strictly forbidden, even when we were foolish enough to have them, because all the bills come in in January. It really spoils New Year to be faced with immediate debts, especially as January has no less than seven birthdays (maybe more, I’ve lost count and will have to recheck my calendar). Facing the New Year without Christmas debts means you have a chance to make new goals and keep them. Anything you can do, even if it means second hand presents, to avoid that is worth it.

Besides, there are the January sales, when you can pick up fabulous Christmas decorations and presents for half price or less. Paying off Christmas debts means you can’t take advantage of that. In a sense, we plan for celebrations all year, buying something when we can afford it, at the sales, or on Ebay, or at the thrift shops and putting it away for Christmas, birthdays or anniversaries. My English grandmother, who was extraordinarily lucky at bingo, used to put her prizes away for gift giving – good quality stuff too. But that’s only worth trying if you never lose.

After all this bargain hunting, there are the handmade options. One of our daughters makes the most gorgeous gift baskets. Another is a fine computer artist and makes her own cards and gifts. I love art and crafts of all kinds and every year try to think up something new. One year it was origami boxes (made from beautiful scrapbooking paper) filled with pot pourri and other little items, another year I bought up second hand Barbie dolls in good condition and dressed them to look like my granddaughters’ favourite stars. When one of the granddaughters became enthusiastic about learning to juggle, I looked up instructions for making felt juggling balls on the Internet, and made a bag to carry them in. It was one of her favourite presents.

The one thing you must do with hand made presents is practice the `giveaway’ principle. Never ask about it, or fret about it, or expect to see it on display. This is the essence of `giveaway’. What you give is the love and the time, expecting nothing in return. This to me is also the essence of art in the 21st Century.

Finally, like hyacinths for the soul, we give at least one gift to someone we don’t know and will never meet. You can buy a goat or a chicken for a village, place a present under a tree in your local superstore, or make a donation to your favourite charity. The holiday season is about giving, and remembering that you are part of the world community, whether you celebrate Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hannukah or dance in a circle at Stonehenge.

Our Christmas boxes are quite full now. We have earmarked the recipients and have a few things in reserve for unexpected guests, or new people who may come into the family. But right up until Christmas comes, we will be looking, making and planning. With such a big family, we’ll need a lot of food, but that needn’t break the bank either, and I’ll be discussing that in the next post.

I’ll be happy to hear your own comments and solutions.

I have moved this old blog to WordPress to take it in a new direction. When IMPACT began it was with the idea of artists and creative people sharing their work without borders or profit. I have been doing that – along with many others – writing commercially less and less, and posting my art freely on the web. But times have changed dramatically since then. I started IMPACT in the wake of Katrina, hoping to help foster a kinder, less greedy and materialistic philosophy in the west.

Now the greed and self interest that drove me to suggest artists freely share their hopeful visions has come home to roost in a global financial meltdown that will probably do more to change thinking about self promotion and self aggrandisment than I ever could. IMPACT will continue to suggest ways of building a better world through links and ways of giving, but now is the time to get practical and bring back common sense.

There are ways to live more frugally, and with a stronger community conscience. I grew up with many of them in the aftermath of a terrible world war, I practiced many of them when raising my children. You can be as creative with food, money ad resources as you can be with art materials – you can even be frugal with those, and still create things of beauty. Some of the greatest artists had to recycle their canvasses and skimp on paint.

Christmas is coming up and maybe you think it won’t be very merry without lots of money to spend. So I’m going to be posting some ideas for holiday celebrations and present giving created with love rather than credit cards. I work in a charity thrift shop and the joy I often see in the eyes of people who find something they really wanted at a price they can afford convinces me that you don’t have to be rich – just willing to open up and enjoy what the universe does offer you. No, it can’t grant every wish for a mansion on the Cote d’Azure, but it can give you happiness. You just have to be willing to be happy.

I have just taken part in Artella’s Sprites of Spring art exchange, and once again have been thrilled with the experience of exchanging art across the world. My recipient is in the USA, and posting things cross the ocean isn’t as easy or s fun as it used to be, so I have no idea if she received my packages or not, or if they got to her unharmed – but that doesn’t make the experience any less meaningful.
For my own part, I got a delightful sprite in Novia Scotia, who sent me two beautiful handmade books. One is my latest art journal, but the other will probably be a text journal. Just to have connected with someone so creative and open hearted across the globe is a joy.
My first taste of art exchange was through Artella’s Christmas exchange last year. These exchanges are so worthwhile – not only do you connect with other artists through your own art, but it puts beautiful things into your own hands – and the knowledge that art does not have to be created to sell. The joy of just giving away your art is hard to express – after all, we are concerned with making a living and paying the bills, and in this context, time is precious. But it’s just because time is precious, that it is so soul satisfying to give it away.
These art exchanges have a deeper meaning – as I said, it is harder now to send parcels across the globe, and worrying because you don’t know if they will survive going through customs – my daughter bought a rare large size My Little Pony on Ebay and it arrived with one ear broken off from a customs’ search of its interior.
But we must persist – we must continue to show that we are not bowed by world terrorism, and share our creativity. We can’t make an IMPACT if we give in and stop reaching out.

Vale of Avondale
Kavanagh’s Attic Bookshop