Make do and Mend: Kirstie's New Home Make Over Show for the Credit Crunch starts tonight

There was a time when Kirstie Allsopp  used to tell us how to spend our money. Now times are leaner, she's changed track, and tonight sees the start of Kirstie's Homemade Home, her new show that aims to help us improve our homes on a budget.

This new series sees Kirstie diving into skips, rummaging through street markets and learning how to sew and knit, all in aid of restoring and furnishing a five-bedroom wreck she has bought at auction in Devon. She managed to furnish the house entirely secondhand – science benches were transformed into kitchen worktops, picture frames into mirrors and table cloths into blinds. The only items she splashed out on were bed linen, an Aga and a fridge, bringing the cost of furnishing the property to £23,000.

During the series Kirstie learns fifteen different crafts from blacksmithing, to wallpaper making and flower arranging. Lovers of Cath Kidston, Queen of the dotty tea towel will get a peek in to her beautiful her when Kirstie visits her for design ideas.

Kirstie's Homemade Home starts tonight on Channel 4 at 8pm