Me-Made-March 2011 Week 5

I truly did try to be original for the last four days of Me-Made-March 2011, but as you can see, two of the four things I wore have featured before.

This brooch went so perfectly with the outfit I was wearing - a white top, black leggings and a wrap skirt in bright red with a white floral pattern like a stencil - that I wore it anyway.  In this photo it is still on the grey top I wore it with a couple of weeks ago.

On Tuesday I wore this braclet that I  made some years ago and had forgotten about.  I made it when I was perfecting peyote stitch and it is a series of patches of peyote stitch sewn together in a sort of crazy patchwork way and embellished.  I love the effect but it is a lot slower to do than freeform peyote, so I haven't done it since.  But I must ressurect the technique, it really is effective.  I wore it with a floral chiffon wrap dress with a black background and big old-fashioned roses in pinks and blues and yellows, and a green cardigan, over a black crushed silky 'slip as outwear' dress.

I was having withdrawal symptoms from my favorite glass brooch so it came out again, teamed with a white top with some silver cutwork embroidery (not made by me), black trousers and a purple/grey/cream cardigan with diamante buttons.

And for the final day of the month - I made this shawlette thing years ago out of a hank of expensive ribbon yarn.  The dangles on the end are from the furnishing department!  It jazzed up a cream top and grey trousers no end.

Having started this challenge thinking it would be incredibly hard, I think I now realise just how many made-by-me accessories I actually have already.  It has certainly encouraged me to start sewing again.  Though that will have to be after we move and have unpacked.  And I fear that it could take a very long time indeed before I am allowed to have any free time to do anything like that - I can see months of doing nothing but going to work and coming home again to be yelled at if I sit down to do anything for myself.  The whole work and moving thing is really getting me down right now.  Although the job itself is OK I hate the way it makes me feel utterly exhausted and cranky all the time, so that even when I am home I don't have the energy to be the mum I want to be.  And I suspect that there will be ongoing problems when we move.  But I will stop complaining now and think instead about the fact that the new house will be worth the expense and the upheaval, and that I am going to consider paying for a cleaning lady so that it stays clean and so that I am compelled to keep it TIDY.  That might remove a couple of the reasons for being yelled at.

I have got so addicted to describing my outfits every day, because it makes me sound so much more interesting than I actually am, that it may be a hard habit to break!!!