on being ethikl

I just opened up shop over at the ethikl online marketplace where there's a bunch of products for the ethical consumer. Here's a few of my faves I spotted while over there.

Cutest idea ever! I know a few little girls who would love a Doll/Teddy Pouch Sling

Yeah it's a little hippy but being the massive fan of sprouts that I am I can't go past the Sproutpouch

The Cement Shopping Bag because being without car I do sometimes feel like I'm carrying a bag of cement home.

I don't usually do the dental hygiene thing on my blog but you have to go over and read the description on these environmental toothbrushes, think I'll be making the switch quick smart!

I also have a lil cube at Brisbane's in.cube8r but in the mad dash of my recent move I forgot to take my camera along so I'll pop back soon with some pics :)

Gifting

Are you still doing Christmas shopping? I am and I've been trawling the web trying to find the perfect gifts for a few people left on my list so I thought I'd share a couple of gift-worthy items I've come across.


KeepCup - The first barista standard re-usable coffee cup. Perfect as a stocking filler or secret santa and super affordable plus it's good for the environment. There will be a number of these heading off to new homes on Christmas day!


The Indie Rock Colouring Book - One of the perks of being an Aunty is the opportunity to colour in again so when I found the The Indie Rock Coloring Book I fell in love. This is perfect for anyone young or old who loves rock and loves to get creative. There are so many cool bands involved in this project plus the proceeds go to the Yellow Bird Project. This one ticks a lot of boxes in my book!


Thea & Sami Tea Towels - Because we all know someone who wants their kitchen to look like a magazine photo shoot right? Linen tea towels in particular are super absorbant and dry fast, check out this great post from Thea & Sami on that topic. I nabbed a couple of Thea's gorgeous tea towels at the Young Designers Market on Sunday, I especially love this spoon and whisk design but there's also more to choose from here. Also worth a look in are gorgeous designs from Yardage Design and Flower Press.


Shagpile - I just love these necklaces from Shagpile, little morsels of fabric captured in time and there are so many styles to choose from there's bound to be one for everyone. They're super light and easy to wear making them the perfect Summer accessory. Plus they come beautifully packaged so you can pop them straight under the tree.

Stumbled across anything gift-worthy? I'm still on the prowl and I have a number of baby boomers left on my list who own everything so any suggestions for them are very welcome!

3 Quick Questions: Mingus Designs

Armadillo at Sea Purse

In 2006 I was taking a lunch break from a long day at the Melbourne Art Fair, I came across Little Salon and fell in love with the cutest brooch I had ever seen. That moment was my introduction to the world of Mingus Designs and the little white leather hippo with stitched eyes soon became my most worn brooch. Mingus Designs has come a long way since then. Dear, the talent behind it all, was kind enough to answer my three quick questions:

Love Birds on Brown Scarf

What inspired you to start creating?

I have always enjoyed creating. I enjoy the whole process of creating something from start to finish and the combination of creativity in terms of designing and experimenting and the methodical aspect when it comes to sewing or screen printing my fabrics. Seeing the finished product is still very exciting for me.

Antelopes Purse

If you could spend more time on one thing what would it be?

At the moment I also work full time so sometimes it gets very frustrating when I find myself short on time to print and sew. Eventually Mingus Designs will be the only thing that I will be concentrating on in the future!

Flip Flap Bag

What's next for Mingus Designs?

Next year I will be looking into printing a range of fabric for people to purchase as well as expanding the range of purses and bags.

Check out Dear's full range of products and a list of stockists at Mingus Designs.

Life's so peachy with YUM bags

Do you get the guilts every time you use a plastic zip lock bag?

Then Jess' YUM ec0-friendly bags are for you! Made with unbleached calico, they're the perfect size for holding snacks, pantry goods, make up, little toys, anything you might use a zip lock bag or container for. These mini green bags have a velcro closure that runs across the entire length of the opening so no matter how small, once closed nothing escapes. And they come with different applique designs like hearts, trucks and stars.


YUM bags are available from Jess' etsy shop a life so peachy where she also points us to this site extolling the virtues of calico – believe me, you will never look at calico the same after reading this!


This cute YUM bag now spends its days traipsing around in my bag, on my desk at work or next to the sewing machine full of nuts and seeds (and with all that to-ing and fro-ing not one has escaped yet!).

Get your YUM on here!