FINISHED! Crafty Money Keeper

we all are living in tough-er times and so it is appropriate (if unwanted) that crafty money is more tightly controlled......i think :)

see, this is what happens when opposites attract - picture young crafty pug, full of energy, conversation and craziness, meets future hubby, down to earth, stable, good listener, financial conservative. they fall in love and get married

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

anyhoo, as they say, you fall in love with the strengths, you go home with the problems :)  that sounds much more dire than it actually is :)  i love my husband and he is a wonderful husband, father and bloke!  but....

and one of the big differences in our lives is the way that hubby and i deal with money - me, free wheeling and spending - you need money, here have it! i want that pretty thing, yes please! fabric is on sale, better buy 4 times as much!

of course, little human comes along, im now at home and income is less.....so! budget time. mind you, we always had a budget of course - hubby looks after that! but apparently, he just let the crazy craft spending go! but now, we can't do that anymore....

this is good for me - discipline in your life is not something to be sneered at (the pile of UFO's in my sewing area is laughing at me).

so i now get cash in hand to purchase craft gear - this again is good for me, because if i don't have the cash, i don't buy the gear. (the 'out' clause for me in this is that we have a separate budget line for 'presents' and often my creations fall into that category - whew!).

i didn't want to carry around the crafty money in my normal purse, and so i created a crafty money keeper!

fabo prints charming fabric from my not-LQS (that was in my stash) and a wooden button that my mum brought me back from Tassie, made from some kind of tree that is purpose grown for buttons (or something).  they aren't washable, so limited in their use, but i thought a very appropriate addition to the money keeper.....a reminder that all things have a use for something (and i can picture my mother's stern 'telling off face' - argh!)

i just opened up a paper envelope and used it as a template...

i put the button hole off centre for the purse, but in the middle of the green-y semi-circle.  not sure if i am happy with that look, but you can't redo button holes!!!!

but the best part of all - i have managed to be disciplined for 2 whole pays now....so there is some crafty money in the crafty money keeper, being saved up to buy backing, sashing and batting to finish off my Birdie Quilt

any frugal tips to pass on?

pugs and kisses
xx