To think that Kirstie Allsop is hardly 'making do and mending'

[chegirl]

Excuse me but is she really trying to tell me how cheap it is to do up a huge victorian house?

How much did those chairs cost to reupholster? Digging about in skips my arse.

Asking Cath Kidson for tips on frugal living, have you seen how much she charges for a flippin tea towel?

Cant wait for next week's ideas for 'saving' money.

Nowt wrong with making things as a hobby, loads of people enjoy doing that. But in almost all cases, you'd be cheaper buying a manufactured item. Crafting is for fun, not money saving.

I was in John Lewis and the woman in front of me was buying wool and a pattern to make a jumper with. It cost over £100.

It's lovely that Kirstie, Nigella and India like to play at being poor, but it is somewhat patronising to actual poor people when it is marketed as money saving tips.

The day they give tips that don't start with buying something or ordering something online is the day they teach us to save money.

I am still at her explaining how getting a second hand mirror will save the planet as it's not 'using precious resources' to make a new one whilst she is sat behind the wheel of her mahoosive 4x4

I am now firmly of the opinion that Kirstie is completely screwy.

MorrisZapp, making things can be cheaper than buying, it depends on what you're making. Also it can be better quality, once again it depends on what you're making. With knitting you often can buy an equivalent garment for a similar price or less (though £100 on wool? What was she knitting? A tent?!) though it may not be as good a quality wool or as individual. The best thing about knitting for me though is that with baby/children's clothes you can just unpick when they grow out of them and reknit it a size or two up!

Judging by my recent forays to J Lewis's knitting department, it would be alarmingly easy to spend £100 on wool to make a fairly basic sweater, especially if you go for groovy brands like Noro (admittedly gorgeous Japanese yarn in swooningly lovely colours). Knitting actual, full-size garments ain't that cheap, which is why I stick to scarves and socks that only take a couple of balls of wool!

But thanks to her extensive 'things I will be pretending to learn to do in this series' segment at the beginning of last night's prog, I see that the Blessed Kirstie will be talking to someone who does indeed appear to be knitting a tent....

My gf called me to remind me to watch.

She and I have spent many a campanionable afternoon scouring local charity furniture warehouses and rubbing down ancient bits of dark brown utility furniture together.

My best recent buy was 2 wooden apple boxes of hand thrown, probably turn of the century, flower pots for £7 at an auction - I sold one of the wooden boxes for £10. BUT I wouldn't want to do it full time. Say I made £100 profit on my boxes and flower pots - I drove to the auction, spent much of the day there (whilst paying someone to look after DC) came home dry brushed the pots that were not too badly damaged (water can stain them) etc etc What a day and a half work for £80 minus childcare.

I snorted at the unbroken mirror in the skip, because ime builders always gently place things in.

My dh and I sat through the whole programme (with his watching under duress!)
I usually quite like her but I found the right honourable Kirsty's programme pretty lame and realised in the absence of Phil's jesting with her as in L,L,L, my interest rather waned. It's the act of her helping others and the joviality shared between her and Phil, that makes her watchable in LLL. Without that, she gave the impression of being over privileged and misunderstanding the current financial situation that many find themselves in. It isn't just money that people are short of, it's time too, many have taken on second jobs. Who has the time to go trekking through the street looking for a skip full of items that just happen to be the perfect dimension and style for your house save for a lick of paint? Idiotic.
Most unpersuasive was her constant reference to her parents. What have their antique hunting qualities and ability to decorate their home pleasingly got to do with her? I understand that she's probably proud of them and feels that she owes them her gratitude but it came across as patronising. If your father was a baron and chairman of Christies, the liklihood is that they would be rather good at that sort of thing and would have a number of artisan contacts. To assume that the average member of the general public can do the same is obdurate. I'd rather have watched a programme about the artisans or a programme about the lives of her parents. At least it would be more honest.

Nothing wrong with the idea of the show. I love a bit of skip dipping and get loads of stuff 2nd hand. When my big kids were little (pre primark, tescos selling clothes etc) there was no choice.

I just dont see how anything that starts off with buying expensive fabric (yeah right she happened to have a huge collection of eclectic cloth ), paying for lessons in glass blowing,pottery etc is going to save me money.

I stopped knitting when I was really skint. Nice wool IS v.dear.

I can really see Ms A having a orange pine hall mirror in her new pad. I would have it, rub it down and distress it with a bit of old white satinwood and a candle. I wouldnt 'source' authentic limewash (or even make it myself), use badger bristle brushes and beeswax. If I had the money for all that I would go to Laura Ashley and buy a new bloody mirror without all the hassle.

I dont really dislike KA. Shes ok. Cant stand Nigella though. Please dont lets have her doing an frugal programme from her 4 story townhouse in W11.

Imelda Marcos is on next week telling us how to econimise on shoes.

I used to not mind Kirstie one bit, until this abysmal programme. She is nutz, telling us all about her parents as if we were all at school or something

I actually nodded off before her parents bit and awoke shortly afterwards, so obviously missed a large dose of patronising nonsense.

I also rolled my eyes at her blue and white dress, with the red top underneath that perfecty matched her kitchen and crappy cusions.

did she hand carve those great big WOW letters? Did I miss the carving lesson?

I have recorded it in order to watch it in blissful peace and quiet. I love Kirstie. I am going to be Kirstie if I am ever reincarnated...

(Can't bear Nigella, though. I would not eat anything she's had her fingers in).

I don't think the show is meant to be about frugality. It's much to do with celebrating craftsmanship, old and new, and not being afraid to personalise your home. A lovely antedote to the House Doctor/Selling Houses style of blandness. It's inspired me to go into all the local galleries I keep driving past and actually buy some things, instead of just intending to.

well kirstie was certainly pushing the frugalisty card on several occasions, telling us how wonderful it is to get something for free.

It was very confused

People seem to be associating home made and second hand with cheapness. I don't hink this was the intended focus of the show.

As I understood it, the premise was that as the credit crunch is forcing us to stay put and not move house lets all make our homes lovely and personalised and unique to us by redecorating with handmade and second hand finds.

I really liked it, have been doing similar stuff (on smaller budget) for years, will deinitely be watching some more.

There was no intended focus for the show. It was a scatter gun approach, rope in the whole sorry shebang of femaLE viewers:

a) property porn viewers, here is my parents' extensive and luxurious;y furnished pad

b) nosy z-list sleb junkies, you all know my parents are slightly famous and I never normally talk about them but here you are

c) second property business people - this is my holiday rental place, look and see what 5* really means

d) thrifty orgasmic bargain hunters - watch me go round skips waxing lyrical about the pure pleasure of getting summat for nowt

e) Flog It fans - here's a little bit about what you can get cheap from auction houses

f) Antuqiques Roadshow - look at these top notch antiques of my parents who are well known antique dealers

g) artisan-lovers - look how I promote the local craftsmen and their business

h) hobbycrafters - I am so rubbish at making a cushion and you are so wonderful 'cause you do it all teh time. Are my buttons bigger than yours?

am lol'ing at 'Are my buttons bigger than yours?'

So there are to be 5 shows in this series - that'll be kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, living room and hmm, dining room, or perhaps fifth show recap on all the lovely pretties she has crafted throughout. Very slick.

Love the way she was quick to tell us that her parents' current house 'wasn't the one she had grown up in' as if to throw us off the scent a bit. ("Yeah, the one I grew up in was probably just like yours. Ha.")

And note the strategically placed 'toddler's cup' on the draining board in finished kitchen... crafty and yummy mummy too.

I heart Kirstie though. She is absolutely too stunning and thoroughly jolly. I look forward to more of her crafty pretty things in the coming weeks.

I just remembered another Big Snort.

Camera pans around a room while All-to-pott says somehtin glike 'this is a lovely litchen, it really is the heart of the home, everything a kitchen should b e..'

It wasn't a kitchen, it was a whole house. There was a ginormous sofa, fireplace, enormous dining table in dining room, never mind the actual kitchen

It's not about money. Did she ever say that?

It's about taking the time to care a bit more for individuality and creating stuff yourself.

she can't help it if she was born into money. Lets not be so judgemental and jealous just because we don't have the same priviledges as she has. I think she is great and not at all show offy.

My husband loves her too as you couldn't confuse her for a man. She is a real woman. Always looks nice. he he Men!

It's not Kirsty's programme. She's it's rather large vehicle in a large vehicle.

Top post Point Dog!

Sorry -Pointy Dog not Point Dog!!

I love a bit of prop porn, me, but as you ladies have pointed out, its bloody patronising to package it as a 'credit crunch' DIY programme. Patronising and completely misjudged. Would love that kitchen tho' apart from the WOW signage (ah well dream on...)

I love a bit of prop porn, me, but as you ladies have pointed out, its bloody patronising to package it as a 'credit crunch' DIY programme. Patronising and completely misjudged. Would love that kitchen tho' apart from the WOW signage (ah well dream on...)