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Earth Day Gift Ideas

April 6, 2020 by Kristin Huston 9 Comments

[hKristin]

Earth Day is fast approaching and, while it might not spring to mind as a holiday that you would give gifts for, I found some awesome, eco-friendly handmade items that will make you want to buy Earth Day gifts for other people and for yourself.

Let’s start with the now ubiquitous “green” tote bag. Sure, you can buy one in the checkout line at the grocery store, but would that have adorable owls on it like this great tote from The Craft Pantry? Not only is this bag tote-ally cute (ha!), but it is also made of 100% recycled cotton.

Continuing with the owl theme is this onesie / tee from Sweet 3 Leaf Prints. I love that you can share your affection for mother Earth in such a fun way with your kids!

Next up on the Earth Day wish list are these fabulous bowls created by Cinderelish. These bowls come in multiple colors and I love the fact that the way she writes eARTh puts the emphasis on Art!

So, let’s say you really want to go all out on earth day, and get something special for an important man in your life. I recommend these beautiful mother of pearl cuff links from The Cuft Lynx. What a stylish and savvy way for your guy to show his commitment to the environment! Makes me wish my hubby ever wore cuff links!

And, while we’re on the subject of adding a little sparkle to your outfit, here is a gorgeous recycle necklace, made by the Heather Curry Collection. Simple, sophisticated, and eco-conscious!

Maybe you’re looking for a small token to remind you of the importance of Earth Day. Perhaps something you will use frequently and love every time you look at it! I recommend this wonderful Little Bird measuring tape made from felt that is 100% post-consumer recycled plastic. Drop in at Malama Kids to see this and other fun felted pieces.

Apparently I was hungry when I was looking for Earth Day items, because one of my favorite selections this week is this Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough soap made by Savor. Now if only I could convince myself to not eat it!

Want to do more than buy organic or recycled items? How about making your own laundry detergent? Even if you don’t feel up to making it from scratch, you can order this Vegan laundry soap base from Shower Treat Soap. They’ll even include recipes for you!

And while you are patting yourself on the back for doing something great for the earth, why not do some planting too, with these sunflower seed implanted hang tags from Romeo 2 Juliet. Just imagine the lovely blooms that you will soon be enjoying!

Hopefully, these products help you to see how easy it is to by earth friendly on earth day, and every day! Next week we’re going to get ready to celebrate Cinco de Mayo!

Be mine!

April 3, 2020 by Amy L. 1 Comment

I’ve got a preview of Valentine’s day gifts from all over the www to share with you today! Yes I know Valentine’s is almost a month away – and besides the fact that I love holidays, when you’re ordering handmade items I find it’s always good to order in advance. This is especially true if you live anywhere outside of the US as shipping delays can be lengthy at times. Heart shaped lollipops from Calabasas Candy Co

Print is from Rosy Designs

I feel like Valentine’s gets a bad rap some of the time, and I’m curious to hear your thoughts on the holiday. I do remember being single and that it was sometimes a bit discouraging not to have a special someone to celebrate the day with. Having said that I’ve always thought that Valentine’s shouldn’t just be a “romantic” holiday, it’s also a great time to celebrate love and to eat chocolate. Not that most of us need an excuse, but it’s great when it feels like we are justified to do so, and especially when it comes wrapped up in such pretty boxes!

Bicycle heart necklace from Rachel Pfeffer Designs

Did you know that Valentine’s day wasn’t originally a romantic holiday, but instead a religious one? I sure didn’t. It turns out that it wasn’t associated with romantic love until Geoffrey Chaucer wrote a poem to honor the first anniversary of the engagement of King Richard II of England to Anne of Bohemia in 1381 (at the time of their marriage they were both only 15 years old)! The line from Chaucer’s poem reads: “For this was Saint Valentine’s Day, when every bird cometh there to choose his mate.”

Conversation Heart Soaps from So Stinking Sweet

From there Valentine’s Day became increasingly associated with romantic love and by the early 19th century paper valentines had become so popular in England that they were assembled in factories, with fancy valentines being made with real lace and ribbons. By the second half of the 20th century the practice of exchanging gifts also became common, bringing us to the present day, where Valentine’s continues to be a very popular holiday!

More historical facts about Valentine’s can be found here on Wikipedia.

An enlightening day at the gallery…

March 31, 2020 by Amy L. 1 Comment

Inspired. That’s what I felt after visiting the Vancouver Art Gallery last weekend. My husband and I are members, so we’re free to pop in any time we like to check out the newest exhibition which is a great luxury. So much so that we may not even look into a new exhibit in that much detail in advance like we would otherwise, we’ll just head down instead to check it out in person. For some reason I wasn’t that excited about the WE: Vancouver exhibit. I figured, I live here already, and as much as I love it I’m not super interested in some kind of rah rah city pride type of thing. I found something very very different that encouraged me in more ways than one. (The Reclaimed Dress above is from Etsy shop, Adhesif.)

Seed Bombs from Visual Lingual

With the dawn of the internet, we’ve seen the rise of countless different types of sites – and I couldn’t help but wonder after visiting the exhibit, how this easy transmission of information might be changing our collective perspectives for the better. Now it’s altogether possible that the folks whose thoughts and work were on display came to these views without the internet’s helping hand, but there were three outlooks that I have heard expressed again and again by people online and by my own friends in the last couple of years that I can’t help but wonder if there is some kind of interplay there, and a really great one at that, that is making these types of views far more mainstream than they ever have been before.

Throughout this post, you’ll find handmade items that I feel fit the various themes of this post in one way or another!

Reclaimed Wood Vase from Peg and Awl

The first “manifesto” I came across in the gallery found it’s main focus in nature and architecture, and painted an enticing vision of individuals who find themselves deeply connected to the outside world in a sustainable way. If you’d like, read more here about Mari Fujita and Matthew Soules vision of a future where we commute by kayak and pluck tomatoes from our wallpaper, right here.

Next, a commentary on conscious consumption – reminding us to be in touch with what we eat and use in our day to day lives. Either by baking bread, or planting a fruit tree or any other number of things as Alisa Smith and J.B. MacKinnon suggest here.

Reclaimed wood terrarium from Ecogro

Next stop – a display courtesy of Natalie Purschwitz, who for one year decided to wear only things she made herself. You can read more about her project here.

If you have a chance to read these manifestos or to peruse Natalie’s blog, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Are you inspired like me, or do you think these lofty ideas and ambitions are unrealistic or somehow unattainable?

Me&Yu

March 27, 2020 by Ellie Thouret 2 Comments

This week I’m profiling Me&Yu, a small fashion label specialising in hand-made and hand-printed clothing for men and women.

I first encountered the label in offbeat shopping mecca Affleck’s Palace in Manchester, UK. There I had the fortune of meeting Angie, one of the label’s co-founders. Angie has wanted to be a fashion designer since she was a child and luckily she has turned that dream into a reality – albeit with a lot of hard graft along the way!

“We had the idea for creating clothes together back in 2003 whilst we were living in Sydney,” Angie explained. “We just wanted to create clothes that were a bit different, that had a bit more personality than what was available on the high street.”

Me&Yu’s designs are cool and unique, appealing to a wide audience. I particularly adore their quirky, hand-drawn prints and stylish handmade dresses! Unlike many smaller labels, Me&Yu offers both girl and guy garments and many of the designs are unisex, allowing the wearer to put their own slant on things.

Me&Yu started in 2003, with stalls at weekend markets and events in Sydney, Australia then in Manchester and Liverpool, UK during 2004-2006. The designers had to balance developing the label with working full-time – what a challenge! Finally in 2006, Me&Yu moved permanently to a shop in Affleck’s Palace, complemented by its online store and presence in a handful of boutiques in the UK.

“Affleck’s Palace is a great place to be as it houses lots of small independent businesses together – you have the support of other people around you, and that’s the best thing. When we first started we got loads of helpful advice from other small businesses, obviously every business is different but you can get some great tips!”

Designs are made up at the label’s studio in an old cotton mill in Manchester, and it is important to the company to keep the city’s heritage alive. The mill houses a number of other artists and fosters a creative and collaborative atmosphere.

Me&Yu is a great example of excellent self-promotion – the label blogs at www.wearemeandyu.blogspot.com, uses Facebook and Twitter, distributes flyers and has even secured features in magazines. In addition, Me&Yu gets involved in charity fashion shows and fundraisers – contributing to important causes as well as raising awareness of the brand.

“There is something special about selling something that you made yourself, its very personal,” finishes Angie. “However, it’s hard work. Handmade = labour intensive and not everybody understands quite how much work goes into each item.”

What’s your favourite Me&Yu design? Post your link below!