These are no ordinary frames: made from the debris left behind in the wake of hurricane Katrina, they symbolise new beginnings and hope. The name comes from the "Second Line" - a timeless New Orleans tradition. It's the colorful parade that follows a funeral procession to turn tragedy into a celebration of rebirth.
Each time you buy a Second Line frame, ten per cent of the proceeds go to the Katrina Foundation for Recovery, which is still working tirelessly to help victims of the hurricane. Frames are priced at $55 and upwards on Etsy.
[Via Sub Studio]
How many times have you started preparing an elaborate meal, only to discover you were clean out of herbs? The best solution to this problem is to grow your own: they look lovely, taste and smell fresh and won't go off until you pick them.
These cute, cracked-egg shaped planters called 'Egglings' would make a welcome addition to any kitchen.
This could be the first step to growing your own! Egglings are available to buy for £5.99 at Amazon
If you'd like to wear some really unusual jewellery, cork necklaces are a great way to get your neck noticed! And this highly original range by Uncorked is also green to the core.
The cork used for the pendants is grown in managed forests in Portugal and Spain where the bark is carefully harvested, once every nine years, in a centuries-old tradition with hand tools and without fertilizers or pesticides; a process that ensures the forests will remain undamaged. There are hundreds of designs to choose from, suitable for kids, teens and old gits. I thought this 'good egg' pendant was especially suitable for Easter, but there are loads more you can browse here; all pieces come as a necklace, earrings or as a set.
I can't decide what makes me love these toys the most: that they're gorgeous, the prices, the fair trade principles, the eco-friendliness or the fact that this is not mass-marketed plastic TV-branded crap. These beautiful wooden toys are made with sustainably sourced materials - primarily chemical-free rubberwood and non-toxic water-based paints - in factories that are located close to communities so that craftsmen can "maintain quality relationships with their own children while they make toys for others".
ImagiPLAY also claims to visit every factory to ensure there is a safe, clean, respectful working environment, no child labour and only a local workforce paid a fair, living wage. The mark-up on the products isn't huge, however. The Noah's Ark or Day at the Zoo playsets, to give two examples of many, are $99 and only $26.99 respectively, the latter being budget-friendly for many even if the exchange rate isn't working in your favour. Imaginative, long-lasting, sustainable, ethically-produced toys; can you get much better than that?
With Mother's Day coming up this Sunday (2nd March), you've still got time to think carefully about a gift that will make Mum happy without compromising your principles. I've had a look around the best fairtrade and eco-friendly haunts on the web to find green gifts that will suit mothers of all sorts (and I have met all sorts of mothers!)
For yummy mummies with a taste for all things chic, Casa Copenhagen have just brought out a fabulous range of fairtrade silk scarves and pashminas. Each is individually hand-painted and very stylish, to make Mum feel special and unique! Prices range from £36 to £41, and you can purchase online or at various stockists throughout the UK.
For cooks, and particulary those stuck in cities who'd really prefer to be tending to their own rural smallholding, the Bean Pod home garden would make a thoughtful gift. An elegant mini plant-propagator, it's the perfect way to add flavour to your cooking. Comes with a choice of herbs to get started: parsley, basil or chives. £6.99 at Nigel's Eco Store.
For bird-watching types, you couldn't do better than one of Baileys Recycled bird houses. These beautiful items will look great in the garden, and encourage your Mum's feathered friends to come and visit more often. Bird houses from £12.50, with various bird treats on sale for around a fiver.
There's a wealth of fairtrade chocolate to choose from at the moment, with more delicious tempting traats than you can shake a flake at; all benefiting the livlihoods of growers around the world. What could be a sweeter gift? You could go the traditional route and get Mum a box of Divine chocolates (£9.99) but I'm quite impressed by this mouth-watering block of white fairtrade chocolate with strawberries by Montezuma; finest, milky white chocolate blended with fresh strawberries, and the proceeds to go to help animals, too! £9.95 from WWF Earthly Goods.
For glamorous and health-conscious Mums, Dr Haushka is a great choice for top quality, lasting skincare and body products. In the bath and shower section, you'll find all sorts of relaxing potions, all enriched with natural plant oils and medicinal herbs to soothe away aches and pains (from which all Mum's suffer; it's official). Choose from lavender bath (£14) for a really relaxing soak, rose body wash (£8) for sensitive skins or a bath care kit (£12) for all skin types.
I hope you'll excuse me posting this so far in advance of Mother's Day, but given the fundamental importance of mothers in the world, I thought it would probably be OK. After all, without our mums we'd all be swimming around in oblivion somewhere, unable to enjoy reading (or writing!) any of Shiny Media's fantastic blogs... And that would never do. I think any presents we push in their direction need to be given a bit of thought.
Anyway - at some point between now and the 2nd of March, I'm definitely going to be heading to Lush... For £24.95, you can spoil your mum with a gorgeously-wrapped Mother's Day gift box containing the following goodies: a Comfort Bubble Bar, a Sakura Bath Ballistic, a Honey Bee Bath Ballistic, an Ooh la la Soap, an Each Peach (and Two's a Pair) Massage Bar, a Celestial Moisturiser and a Dream Cream pot... And the fun doesn't even end there. Once the goodies are all used up, your mum can go on enjoying the wildflowers she grows from the seeds contained in the gift label!
It may be too late for a valentine's day delivery now, but why not go crazy and surprise your object of desire with a shipment of finest fairtrade chocolate on 15th Feb?
Divine Chocolate is giving you the chance to make this 'sweet' gesture for free if you don't mind answering a few questions on its website. It should not take more than five minutes (romantic, eh?) to complete the questionnaire, which will result in a chunky bar of Divine hitting your beloved's doormat in a few days' time. And for a personal touch, you can add a note of your own to appear on an accompanying card.
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