New Wings for Old Things

You all know that I love to visit charity shops and upcycle the things I find in them. When I heard about a new book produced by The Children’s Air Ambulance it sounded absolutely written for me and I had to share it with you. The book is called New Wings for Old Things: Sew, Stick, Splatter and Salvage and includes over 20 projects to change preloved pieces into vintage visions for your wardrobe, home and garden. The ethos behind it is encouraging people of all levels of crafting experience to upcycle preloved (or just unloved!) items knocking about at home or in charity shops, and transform them into something special without breaking the bank.

The book has lots of lovely projects which are perfect for all crafting levels. You could make beautiful bunting, a dainty table runner or cute coasters for your home, or upcycle clothing to create on trend tshirts or classy collars. The upcycled items which feature in the book are all taken from one of The Air Ambulance Service’s 28 charity boutique stores. In London there are shops in Crouch End and Muswell Hill and I admit to visiting them both when we lived over that side on London. Fingers crossed they will open a branch in Ruislip soon!

I really want to make the upcycled bird feeder from a teacup and saucer. I’ve been scouting my local charity shops for the last two weeks but have been unable to find a single teacup and saucer for sale. Isn’t that always the way when you are looking for something!? I’ve filed that project away for another day but thought I’d try the button canvas instead as I have hundreds of buttons. My little boy helped me sort my buttons, choosing a mixture of white and green. That’s as far as I’ve got thanks to a bout of food poisoning (all my own fault) so I shall be posting the finished project next week!

New Wings for Old Things: Sew, Stick, Splatter and Salvage costs £5.99 and 88% of that goes straight to The Children’s Air Ambulance which raises really important funds for its pioneering helicopter transfer service for babies and children in England. You can purchase a copy in any of The Air Ambulance Service’s charity boutique stores or via their online shop here.