Trading Commodities
If (Time+Energy) = 0, then use Money…If (Money) = 0, then use (Time+Energy)
It was not long after our wedding that my mother-in-law first shared this universal truth—
Every individual has three commodities: money, energy and time; and most everything we do will be a trade-off to balance these three resources.
Simply put, when I don’t have time (or energy) to bake things from scratch, I have to use my money to purchase those items at the supermarket. And when I don’t have the money to buy a certain item from the shop, then I will either a) do without or b) use my other two resources, time and energy, to create it.
Back then, we were young…and idealistic…and poor.
Now, we are older…a little more realistic…and live in an expensive city where we still have to watch our pennies. So, Craft On Thursday means more practical pursuits these days.
Now, in our little cottage is a sunroom.
And in that sunroom is a futon.
And on that futon is a cushion.
And that cushion is coverless.
Which makes that cushion boring.
So, not having the money to dash out and buy cushion covers, it then becomes a matter of using my other commodities today.
A bit of fabric squirreled away for such an occasion.
Some recycled buttons.
A scrap of bias tape.
Some simply sewn (relatively) straight lines and here, the finished product.
Since I had more time after making just one, why not use a little more energy to zizz up some other dull coverless-cushions?
very nice and colorful. great way to brighten up a futon. great job! congrats!
28 Aug 2008 at 2:21 am
An inspired idea. They all look brilliant and really brighten up your futon.
28 Aug 2008 at 2:25 am
Love the fabric prints! I will have to remember the three, time, enery & money. Very good wisdom!
28 Aug 2008 at 9:21 am
nice colours for a sunroom ! will it be your knitting room too ?
28 Aug 2008 at 9:32 am
Nice work!
28 Aug 2008 at 10:08 am
Love them, they are so colorful
28 Aug 2008 at 11:33 am
Oh wow those pillows are so cool! I had the same dilemma when my parents let me bring our futon down from our attic into my bedroom, and we didn’t have a cover either. I used my old bedspread instead, and a gazillion pillows, and voila! A spiced-up room without spending a dime. Great minds think alike!
28 Aug 2008 at 11:49 am
Beautiful and thrifty! I think those cushions are probably nicer than anything you could have gone out and bought, the combination of prints and colours is gorgeous.
28 Aug 2008 at 11:50 am
YYYUUUMMMYYYY!!! Love all of those! Love the canvas prints. Will hold up well under little people.
28 Aug 2008 at 1:02 pm
How bright and pretty!
28 Aug 2008 at 2:47 pm
That looks great cheryl! i love the pattern combos. I had to smile at your MIl’s motto. We just grew up poor and usually had to make do with things around the house and be creative, when we had the money to buy it usually was saved for something large , so i do love the motto.
29 Aug 2008 at 10:51 am
Your mom-in-law’s motto is right in line with one we use in the film business when speaking to producers “Cheap..Fast.. Good….Pick two.”
30 Aug 2008 at 1:54 pm
This reminds me of a conversation my husband and I had early on in our marriage. I was trying to start up an at-home business so I could stay home with our son, and I needed to print out a lot of things to mail and use for the business. Unfortunately, the printer I had was very slow, and I could literally only put one sheet in to feed at a time because it would jam otherwise. Needless to say, it was a very time-consuming and frustrating effort. I tried lobbying to him about needing to invest in a better printer because I was using up so much of my time fiddling with the old one, and he said to me, “Yes, but right now time is our only commodity.” Easy for him to say. He wasn’t hand feeding single sheets into a printer! LOL :::sigh::: If I recall, the printer died a natural death not long after that and we had to get a new one anyway, much to my relief.
Love your cushion covers! They’re so cheerful!
30 Aug 2008 at 4:51 pm
Lovely bright fun cushions!
31 Aug 2008 at 4:01 am