Imaginations

I love this idea! Now I'm trying to figure out what I would have collaged to my vintage globe...

Eco-Optics- Winter Sunglasses!

Look Em! Perfect winter sunglasses! Em H. is the master at rocking sunglasses all year round. I found these by following your link to Ecouterre.com, where I saw a big giveaway with eco-prizes selected by eco-model (that's a lot of eco!) Summer Rayne Oakes (could she ever have been anything but an eco-model?! Summer Rayne- hedge fund manager?! Love her name though) where I found....Eco-Optics! Super cool sunglasses made from recycled metal and plastic and plants a tree for every pair sold. And that folks is how I spend my evenings..falling down one web link into Wonderland. Check out the cool sunglasses I found down there (all for $129): 

Glitter Ball Graveyard

Personally, I couldn't think of a better use for a danced-out disco ball (or ten). I've had my eye on several in my local antique market but unfortunately don't have any stairs to stick 'em too. God help me when I have a house.

(Source: unknown ... again)

Chance Recycled Denim Handbag

This is the bag that won the Ecouterre Recycled Denim Challenge and, for those of you who appreciate a London accent, it is WELL nice. Designed by Miranda Chance, each bag is hand woven from strips of recycled* denim and trimmed with material from old leather coats. Even better news, it is now available for purchase from the inhabitat shop for a mere $200.
But, if $200 isn't in your budget, this coming Cyber Monday** the Inhabitat Shop is offering an exclusive 2 DAY FLASH HALF PRICE SALE on this la-la-la-lovely bag! Sale starts at 9am on Monday November 29. If you want to reserve one of these and are interested in pre-ordering email the inhabitat peeps at inhabitat@gmail.com.

* I think it's actually upcycled rather than recycled

** To be honest didn't have a bloody clue what cyber monday is but apparently it "is a marketing term for the Monday immediately following Black Friday, the Friday following Thanksgiving Day in the United States." Thanks wikipedia!!

PS Chance also entered this bag into the competition - which i LOVE and voted for. It also stirred up a pretty interesting debate in the comments which I couldn't resist taking part in ... read it here.

Emma H xx

Minimalism to beat the bric a brac blues

My living space is feeling VERY cluttered right now...so beat those bric a brac blues I give you this bright, calm minimalism found on Emma's Design Blog. Soothing to a harassed hoarder's soul...this is about as minimalist as I could go by the way!

Thank you Sfgirlbybay for Pure Green

I have been a dedicated daily reader of Sfgirlbybay's blog for well over a year. It was one of the first blogs that really had me hooked and showed me the what blogs are capable of. I always discover great things on Victoria's blog and wanted to share this particular find with you- Pure Green Living Magazine.

Sfgirlbybay posted about this online magazine yesterday and I spent the rest of the evening reading through Pure Green- I found loads of good Christmas ideas, new Etsy sellers, ethical businesses and fantastic interiors images. I enjoyed it and I think you might too...

Etsy Thursday

I love the blog Sweet Paul by the stylist Paul Lowe, I have already swooned over Paul's recycling and decorating ideas here. I also happen to be in LOVE with Etsy and all the handmade, recycled, vintage goodness that it brings to my life and hopefully to yours. So I was quite excited to see that Mr Lowe had written a feature on the Etsy blog about book art, now as someone who shares her living space with LOTS of books and doesn't even like to fold the corner of one page of a book, I find the idea of ripping, cutting and gluing books both liberating and terrifying. 

I guess I should let go once in a while and break some rules...I'd better find me some second hand books...

Here is some inspiration from Etsy and Paul Lowe:

Reclaimed Art

Love the whole junk as art thang going on in this photo. Now I just need some old radiators ... and a new flat big enough to house all my junk as art.

(Source: eeek unknown again)

Fashion Hysteria and Controlling the Urge to Splurge

About six times a year I turn into a crazy person. I become possessed by a desperate urge to frantically tear through the shops and spend money I don't have on clothes I don't need (something I have already documented here). I spend hours trailing through less-than-ethical websites imagining the outer limits of my fabulocity in all the gorgeously cheap clothes available at a click of a button ("if only I had that dress my wardrobe would be complete". Sound familiar?). There was a time when I would allow myself to satiate the cravings created by cunning teams of marketers but those times are no more. So, how do I keep the urge to splurge on fast fashion under wraps?

1. Avoidance. I stay away from the highstreet and the websites I can't say no to.

1a. If it's too late and I find myself in a shop or on a site about to check out I Stop (yes with a capital S), walk away (or close the site), breathe and realise I'm ok without it!

2. Charity Shops help to take the edge off. I often hit up my local Shelter or Oxfam where a granny chic tea dress for under a tenner regulates my heart rate. Plus it doesn't count if it's for charity!

3. I swish! I have started swishing. Basically attending clothes swap parties where due to a combination of alcohol and adrenaline I unleash my inner crazy on the rails of other peoples' clothes and have come away with some serious gems. More on that later.

4. If I really do have a hole in my wardrobe I look for an ethical alternative. There is a lot to choose from; Fair Trade, Upcycled, Recycled, Vintage and second hand. Spending time seeking something out makes a purchase all the more special.

5. Another good tip is to put items you LOVE on hold or make a wishlist online. Walk away and come back to it later. I have to relent and say it's ok to buy something you really love, even if it is from the highstreet, if you think it really will be something you'll love forever. but don't use this as an excuse to buy whatever you want!! Em and I will be compiling a list on how to be more ethically aware when shopping on the high street at a later date.

Hope this helps!

Emma H xx

PS I don't really use the word 'fabulocity' - I'm just highlighting the ridiculousness of my desire to buy everything. Don't judge.

Update: I took a vow of abstinence from the highstreet in August so I don't buy from any highstreet chain stores any more. For a shopaholic like me it's not always easy but it's proving to be very rewarding and forcing me to be more creative.

Sunday Swishing

Swishtini! It was pink and tasted of pineapple...what's not to like?!

Preparing the swishing rails ready for us to devour them like locusts. Thrifty locusts...

Swishtinis and afternoon tea before the hunt begins.

The Landsdowne Place Hotel bar, where the event was held.

A glamorous browser

Em H. in action!

The 'I found treasure!' face

This is the face both of us were making when we had to outrace someone to an item- Swishing Anxiety!

Em H. looking fab in her new swished blue silk romper- is romper the right word?! She looked FAB in it whatever it's called....

Me with my swishing hoard...I left with more than I brought! good swishing but not so good for my our overflowing flat.. Can I also just mention my current favorite scarf as worn in this picture- an amazing alpaca one from People Tree's last winter collection...wonder if they have a version this year...?

The crazy lime yellow 80's mac that I love and probably completely falsely believe I can get away with!

Oh yeah! I can totally rock this bright yellow coat thing! I am THAT cool! hmmmm....

Ecostasy

I've discovered a new fairtrade, environmentally conscious, development orientated, craft loving website! Just about everything Em&Em look for in a bookmarkable website.

Please excuse the grainy photos- I couldn't take them off the Ecostasy site (despite being sick to death of the vague and ubiquitous word 'eco', I'm quite liking this name..) so I had to borrow off Google images. Definitely go and check out the knitted pillows, the jewellery- very simple, very stylish- and the basketry- so beautiful.

If I weren't stuck in the minimum wage job+large family at Christmas conundrum I'd be buying some 'labyrinth pillows' and as many baniwa baskets as I could manage!

Even as a cash-strapped blogger I can recommend reading their sourcing principles- they are exactly the kind of informative tid-bits that actually specify what all this fair trade effort is about!

Tinctory- hues of beauty

Hand sewn by a self-taught seamstress/artist called Eva. Hand-dyed by Eva from plants she grows herself. Sold on her website Tinctory.

So beautiful.

My obsession with Fish in Frames

I am currently collecting a bunch of beaten up old frames to house my growing collection of friends' art and photographs. As I refuse to take a trip down to Habitat it's taking me a lot longer than I'd like. I'm also completely obsessed with drawings of fish (is that normal?) so had to share this pic!

(Source: unknown ... prob desire to inspire)

Nicole Mibane Ring Fetish

Anyone who knows me knows I have a serious ring fetish, the bigger the better. This one just caught my eye on fashion-conscience and it's hit me hard. I want it!! It reminds me of an ornamental bowl of raw amethysts my dad collected from Africa in the 70s that I used to play with as a child. The only thing is I'm not quite sure what makes this ring ethical. It's handmade by jewellery designer Nicole Mibane but all that fashion-conscience says is that it 'is hand-made from stones sourced locally to the designer'. What does that mean??! I'm confused and need more information. Amethysts are mined and I'm not the biggest fan of mining and don't think it is great for the environment or people who work on the mines (depending on where they come from). Maybe I should offer her my dad's amethysts that are collecting dust somewhere so she can add upcycled to her credentials??

RELUXE Leather Shorts

So mad I missed getting a pair of these upcycled leather shorts from RELUXE. love love love the shape - I am so in to shorts atm. Only £42 as well!! Grrrrr. There is one pair left in size 14 if there are any takers!

Sneak Peek

I coerced Emma J into modelling for a shoot we did for the winter collection at FAIR. She looked fabulous despite a cracking hangover (Very un-Emma J like!!). We had a ton of fun with Steve as usual and realised we need to get out more after getting a little too excited about the trees. Yep, the trees.

Emma is in People Tree's Esme Cardigan, Emma Stripe Dress and Ideo Alpaca Fingerless Gloves. I'm in some old, warm clothes.

(Photography: Steve George)

The Ethical Fashion Source Expo

This time last month both Emma J and I attended the Ethical Fashion Forum's second ethical sourcing expo, a trade show dedicated purely to ethical designers, manufacturers and suppliers to the fashion industry. Although Emma J was technically working I managed to steal her away for half an hour to gasp and grope our way around the 63 exhibitors' stalls. From beautiful alpaca jumpers to un-dyed cotton dresses and reclaimed horn jewellery there was more ethical eye candy than I could deal with in one day. Read more about it here ... and see what I had to say about the fab seminars that were going on all day.

Pachacuti Founder Carry Somers wins Mumpreneur Award

Really couldn't tell you why we haven't posted about Pachacuti before (although we have posted pics of us wearing these heady delights). Founder Carry Somers was recognised with the ultimate Mumpreneur Award: Inspirational Business Mum 2010 at the Mumpreneur Awards in September and after reading her blog entry The Accidental Mumpreneur this comes as absolutely no surprise. She is one inspiring lady, who makes one hell of a Fair Trade hat. I strongly recommend paying her website a visit.

Butterfly

I dream of effortlessly throwing a bunch of old stuff together to look like this.
I have thrown a bunch of old stuff together in my house, but it definitely don't look like this!