Bristol's Big Green Week

The Big Green Week started in Bristol today...a festival of eco ideas, art and entertainment running from Saturday 15 June 2013 through to Sunday, 23 June, 2013.

There are huge array of family events, theatre and poetry, conferences and workshops...you can see the full programme here. Highlights include talks from Richard Branson, performances from John Hegley and Tony Hawks and a glamorous ‘FareFashion’ festival launch evening.

The UK’s festival of eco ideas, art and entertainment is back in the centre of Bristol from 15th to 23rd June. Join more than 40,000 visitors who will start early and stay late to enjoy two weekends of free family entertainment and nine days of inspiring talks, workshops, art, music, poetry, comedy and films.

And to kick-start the festival, Bristol has been crowned the European Green Capital for 2015 at a ceremony in Nantes on June 14th.

The city beat Brussels in Belgium, Glasgow in Scotland and Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, to the win. Nantes in France currently holds the title.

The title rewards cities which consistently achieve high environmental standards and are committed to further improvement and sustainability.

Last year Bristol was the runner-up, finishing behind Copenhagen in Denmark. It is the third time the city has made the final shortlist.

You can read more about the Bristol bid on the Bristol Pound website

Vintage love: draw leaf dining table

We moved into our 1930s home back in November 2012 and we've been settling in over the past six months. This is the oldest house I've ever lived in and it has lots of period charm with picture rails, original doors and wooden floors. As I am a vintage addict, I can indulge my addiction and furnish the place with older pieces of furniture.

We needed a larger dining table and we did the usual thing of looking at newer pieces of furniture from the usual suspects such as Ikea. But I was really hankering after something older and stronger and dare I say, better made. I trawled ebay and there were lots of lovely pieces on there, but many were too far away or the auction price went too high for me.

A few weeks ago my husband was looking in the classified section of the local paper and saw 'Barley Twist Draw Leaf Table and dining chairs for sale'. Well, I only need to read the words "Barley Twist" and I'm sold. We rang them immediately and bought this beatiful table and four chairs for £50!

As a keen recycler and I like to buy pre-loved items as often as I can to reduce the strain dwindling natural resources. Obviously the table isn't in its first flush of youth, and there's obvious wear and tear to the piece. But I've always loved that about vintage items, they have a history.

Making recycled paper pots

My daughter and I spent a happy half hour making some paper pots for our seedlings. Now she is three years old she is able to help me with planting out seeds. It's been lovely to watch her planting out beetroot, beans and basil seeds and then seeing them pop up from the soil. It's all very magical to her. Although she keeps asking when we can start eating them...

I first blogged about my paper potter back in 2011. It is a fantastic little tool, really handy for making inexpensive pots to put small plants in. By using newspaper you can plant them out, the paper will biodegrade and the roots wont be disturbed.

My paper potter came from the Nether Wallop Trading Company and was a Christmas gift from my brother and his family. I can't recommend them highly enough.

It also helps if you have some offspring you can recruit to help you make them...their little fingers are very good and winding the paper round!

I'm linking up with Trash 2 Treasure over on the www.coombemill.com blog.

Fresh batch: lavender owls in lilac and plum

I've just completed a new batch of lavender owls in lilac and plum after they sold out in March. Both the owls and rabbits in this particular vintage fabric have proven to be very popular with my customers. I'm down to the last few pieces of this fabric, so I'm planning to make one more batch of lavender rabbits and then I will have completely run out! So if you like this particular colour, grab one soon, they are strictly limited edition!

Upcycled fabric heart brooch tutorial

I have an ever-expanding collection of vintage fabric and denim scraps left over from making things for Pouch. I came up with the idea for these pretty little heart brooches a while ago. I thought I would share them as a crafty tutorial.

They make a great gift for valentines. Or you could make one for yourself to brighten up a jacket or cardigan. Alternatively you could make a batch of them to use as favors at an eco-themed wedding. When I have some spare time, I make a selection of these brooches and pop them in my customer’s parcels as an extra free gift. They are simple to make and you can use any colour combination of fabric and felt – the variations are endless!

You will need:

Patterned fabric scraps (lightweight fabric with a small pattern is best. I use upcycled scraps of pillowcases and bed sheets left over from making peg bags and lavender hearts.

Denim scraps (heavyweight denim is better).

Felt

Fabric glue (something like this PVA glue is best )

Brooch backs (or small safety pin)

Pinking Shears

Heart templates (these can be found at the end of the tutorial. I have drawn them onto an A4 sheet of paper, so if you print them out at 100%, you should get the same sizes as I used for my own heart brooches)

1) First cut out the three hearts needed for the brooch. Cut the felt and denim heart out with pinking shears and cut the patterned fabric out with normal straight-edged fabric scissors. I use pinking shears to cut out the felt and denim heart. This isn’t essential, but I do like the effect pinking shears have on the felt. Even though the denim heart wont be seen because it is at the back, I still like to cut the denim with pinking shears to minimise fraying.

2) Pin the patterned fabric to the felt heart. Carefully sew around the edge. I use a conventional straight stitch, but if you were feeling ambitious you could use a tiny blanket stitch. The easiest and quickest would be a simple running stitch around the heart. My personal preference is the straight stitch photographed below.

3) Sew the brooch back onto the denim heart.

4) Once the fabric heart is sewn onto the felt and the brooch back is attached to the denim heart, you need to glue the two components together. Cover the wrong side (WS) of the denim heart with your choice of fabric glue and carefully place in the centre of the WS of the felt heart. Press together firmly. I like to use fabric glue rather than sewing the two parts together because once the glue is dry it adds more rigidity to the brooch.

5) Place fabric heart side downwards on a suitable surface like a tray and leave the glue to dry, preferably overnight.

You can make any number of variations, such as bigger hearts or adding the odd vintage button or two – I would love to hear any other ideas you may have!

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I also sell a range of handmade goodies, including vintage fabric cushion covers, lavender filled rabbits and owls and a gorgeous range of vintage trims see my work here

New Years Resolution: decluttering

I'm not keen on making loads of New Years Resolutions which fall by the wayside come the end of January. One I am planning on sticking to is making an attempt to declutter our house.

This plastic jug pictured above just about sums up my problem. It sits tucked away under my toilet cistern, in our bathroom. Everytime a toothbrush gets too worn out to be used on our teeth, I put it in the jug where it might 'come in handy' for something. My husband thinks I'm mad, but tolerates these things. Whilst I am not a hoarder on this type of scale, I do hate to throw things out. The thought of all the waste making it's way to landfill in this country alone on a daily basis makes me shudder.

Kerbside recycling has improved dramatically over the past few years and we can easily put out paper, cardboard, certain plastics, food waste and garden waste to be picked up from our doorsteps. I'm also keen on passing on sellable things and regularly fill bags for charity. We've also used Freecycle on many occasions and I think it's a fantastic site and must help to prevent more waste going to landfill. We've passed on old TVs, a stereo, old toys, plant pots, boxes of tiles and even a double mattress. The fact that someone is willing to collect from your house is fantastic. I think since we've lived in our current house, we've been to the local rubbish dump about 5 times over 5 years, which is pretty good going and I think Freecycle has been a big help in keeping those trips to the dump to a minimum.

But what about the jug of toothbrushes? There are just some things that don't fit into the kerbside collections and noone would want these in a charity shop and I think they are even beyond Freecyclers, yet I can't bring myself to chuck them in the bin...I know one of the golden rules on recycling is not to buy items in the first place if you can possibly help it, which is something I try to stick to, but as far as toothbrushes go, I don't want to lose my teeth, so I'm going to keep on brushing them. Which leaves the problem of what to do with the old brushes.

And there are lots of other household items that fall into that category, video tapes, old CDs, wine bottle corks, plastic spoons...the list goes on.

Which is why am I so glad I stumbled across this website when trying to find ways to recycle my growing collection of toothbrushes.

How can I recycle this? is a fantastic source of ideas for all those hard to recycle items. It's run by two people who were in exactly the same position as I am now when faced with waste which could be reused if only they knew how. The site works by taking suggestions for items to be reused, then it's up to the good people of the internet to post their suggestions underneath said item. The site also likes to promote people's clever, interesting and creative ideas for recycling something.

A quick search of the site throws up this post on "How can I reuse or recycle … old toothbrushes?". There are some interesting suggestions, including using a Terradent toothbrush, which helps to eliminate the need to keep buying new toothbrushes in the first place. Apart from toothbrushes there are so many other clever ideas, in fact the site has over 14,000 suggestions for a plethora of items. It's definitely a site I will be bookmarking for later use!

Paper Potter

My family are well trained - they know I love a nice eco gift! This Paper Potter was a Christmas present from my brother and his family. I have only just got round to blogging about it because I had to wait til Spring/Summer to use it!



I spent a relaxing evening cutting up newspapers and rolling them onto this little pot-making implement back in early Springtime. It takes a little bit of trial and error, the first few I made weren't that great. But after a while I started to build up quite a production line in the end, practise makes perfect and all that...



I think they look great grouped together, and they work really well. I grew sunflowers and nasturtiums in them back in April. They have been potted on and the newspaper will have rotted away by now.



I highly recommend these paper potters, just the fact that the company who make them have one of the best names ever is a good enough reason to buy one! they are a great way to make a small, ecofriendly change by rejecting plastic pots and using recycled paper!

Spring Cleaning

I'm not sure if you can say you 'treat' yourself to cleaning products, it depends on how much you love housework I guess. But I have to say, I'm a tiny bit in love with the Earth Friendly range of cleaning stuff!



I am something of a reluctant domestic goddess at the best of times, but even I love using the Parsley surface cleaner - it has such a fresh smell and leaves everything sparkling. Plus the skin isn't stripped from your hands, your nose isn't affronted with artificial chemicals and whatever gets washed down the sink wont harm aquatic life.

When I ordered my latest selection of Earth Friendly products, I received a free gift - a Michael's Originals washing-up luffa. they are designed to be used instead of those plasticky scourer sponges you can buy. I must admit, it does feel a bit strange doing the washing up with a loofah, but they certainly work well. As it says on their website, they have been used for many years in other countries - sometimes traditional ideas are the best.

"In the Philippines, luffas have been used as washing-up scourers for generations. Continuing this tradition, Michael's Luffas are grown to organic principles on his parent's farm for this purpose. Ideal for washing-up, Michael's luffas are supple enough to bend round rims, reach into corners and have plenty of scrubbing power. They last for between 3 and 12 months and when they are worn out can be composted, saving landfill."

New for 2011

I have recently listed some lavender hearts and lavender owls in two new colourways.

The hearts are made with vintage fabric in shades of lemon yellow and cotton candy pink. They make great ecofriendly Valentine's day presents and they are also perfect as a wedding, bridesmaid or hostess gift.
vintage fabric hearts in lemon and cotton candy pink



Next up are some lavender sleepy owls in lilac and plum. I already make rabbits in this colour so decided to create some owls in the same vintage fabric. They are filled with chemical-free, French Lavender and non-allergenic stuffing. You can either place them on your pillow to help you float off to sleep. Or put in your wardrobe (they don't mind the dark!) to make your clothes smell nice.
Sleepy owl in lilac and plum

Finalist in the Ecouterre Recycled Denim Challenge

Pouch has been selected as a finalist in the Ecouterre Recycled Denim Challenge! It would be great if my blog readers could take a moment to vote for my entry here

I submitted a "Reversible Recycled Denim Handbag". It is 100 percent recycled; even the straps are made from an upcycled denim waistband. The bag also has no visible seams, so it is completely reversible, making this two totes in one!

The challenge is designed to showcase innovative recycling ideas using denim fabric. I am so excited to be selected for the final vote! There are some great ideas featured, so take a look at all the finalists here

Free Worldwide shipping on all totes and purses

I'm offering free worldwide shipping on all Vintage Fabric Totes and Clutch Purses from 25th October until Christmas Day on December 25th in my Etsy store!

So that's two whole months of free shipping, perfect for grabbing a Christmas gift (or perhaps a treat for yourself!)

To see my full range, please click here

I am based in the United Kingdom, so if you are buying something as a gift and would like to receive it before Christmas, please take note of the Royal Mail postal dates listed below:

6TH DECEMBER (Airmail) - South & Central America, Caribbean, Africa, Middle East, Asia, Far East (including Japan), Australia and New Zealand

10TH DECEMBER (Airmail) - USA and Canada, Eastern Europe

13TH DECEMBER (Airmail) - Western Europe

18th DECEMBER (2nd class) - UK
21ST DECEMBER (1st Class) - UK

Vintage fabric lavender hearts

Over the past few months I have been busily making lots of vintage fabric hearts. They always prove to be very popular both online and at craft fairs. They are very versatile, either hang them in your wardrobe (lavender acts as an eco friendly moth repellent) or place on the bedside table to help you drift off to sleep.



They also make lovely eco friendly wedding or anniversary gifts. If you are planning your own wedding, they make ideal keepsakes to give to your bridesmaids to thank them for their hard work and remind them of the happy day. Many people choose to have a more 'handmade' look to their wedding theme, and these hearts fit in perfectly.



Each heart is made from vintage fabric and filled with chemical free lavender. They have a satin ribbon hanging loop and feature a vintage button for added detail. The backs of the hearts are made from vintage broderie anglaise fabric.











I currently have four different colourways for sale at the moment, but I have lots more planned, so keep checking back to see more. If you have a particular colour theme you are looking for, please do get in touch!

Lavender hearts on Etsy

Lavender Rabbits: new colours and work in progress

Summer is traditionally a fairly slow time sales wise on sites like Etsy and Folksy. Rather than panic about sales, it is better to use this 'quiet' time to build up stock for the Autumn and Christmas sales period. I have recently sourced some fantastic vintage fabrics and I have been filling my evenings with sewing lots of lovely rabbits and owls.



One of my favourites is this spirograph style vintage fabric in yummy citrus shades. I'm looking forward to finishing this batch and getting some photos taken.

I have already added two new colours to my etsy shop. First up are these bold lime zest rabbits







And just added today are these fab olive and lemon rabbits