A Year of Ethical Fashion

I've decided to sign up for 'A Year of Ethical Fashion', which has been launched by Pip Lincolne on her Meet Me At Mikes blog.

Here's the Year of Ethical Fashion (#YOEF) pledge for 2014...

If I'm looking for things to wear I will only:

a) Buy from ethical makers or
b) Buy second-hand or
c) Make it myself  or
d) Wear things I already own or
e) Borrow or swap garments with friends

I had been thinking about doing something along these lines myself, but it will be so much more powerful to be part of a group!

If you want to join in, you can sign up here and there is also a facebook group.

People are going to take a variety of different approaches to this. Some folks are planning to do a lot of home dressmaking, but I am more likely to wear things I already own, buy second-hand and buy from ethical makers.

Here is an example of the kind of ethical fashion I tend to wear. This second-hand denim jacket came from a dress agency.

Over the next year, I'll be trying other options for ethical fashion, including ethical knickers, jewellery and fairtrade footwear. I'll be writing about this on my Minibreak Mummy blog.

Here are the ethical fashion blogposts I've written so far:

• Slow Fashion from People Tree
• Who Made Your Pants?

Magpie Monday - Russian Dolls

When I first saw this set of five nesting Russian Dolls on the shelf in the Cancer Research Shop yesterday I thought they would make a great gift. Then I decided that I could not bear to give them away!

The proper name for these is Matryoshka. They are thought to represent motherhood. I just think they are very beautiful! With raspberry red shawls and teal skirts, they combine two of my favourite colours. And of course my son is enjoying playing with them too. And they only cost £3!

I am getting back into the swing of thrifting after the chaos of moving house. There are some really good charity shops near here. But I have promised my husband that I will only buy things I really love.

Linking up with Magpie Monday at Me and My Shadow - it is lovely to feel part of an online community that cherishes pre-loved finds!

Filofax Mini 'Urban' Organiser - why it's the perfect Filofax for me

I've been using this Filofax mini 'Urban' organiser for a year now and it is fab!

I previously used a pocket size Filofax but decided it was too much of a compromise - too big to take everywhere with me and too small to write decent notes in when I'm at work. So when I spotted an 'Urban' Filofax in mini size on eBay I thought I'd give the mini size a go.

When this mini Filofax arrived I realised that it would be perfect as an everyday wallet, as it has credit card slots, a compartment for notes and a zipped section for coins. I love the charcoal grey fabric and the dinky size.

The pencil was a birthday present from my husband and I bought myself a year planner and some lavender notepaper from Rymans. I then got some lovely lilac dividers from Maudie Made on Etsy.

The vertical year planner is great for giving me an overview of what is happening throughout the year, including holidays and work commitments. It works much better than trying to view this information on an iPhone screen!

I also write 'to do' and shopping lists in my Filofax rather than on the iPhone. It seems much less effort to jot things down on paper than it would be to open up an app, type something in, save it, etc. Plus ticking things off a list always seems more satisfying on paper than on a screen!

I previously wrote about this Filofax here. 

Me, my selfie and I

This week's theme for 'The Photo Gallery' at the Sticky Fingers blog is 'Selfie' so I thought I'd try to take a self-portrait with my iPhone. It's about time I had an up-to-date photo to use as a profile picture.

The above photo was taken with me stood in front of the window, shortly after I got my hair cut. I have been growing out my fringe. I tried looking at the camera lens, but that made me look slightly mad, so instead I am looking slightly below the top of the iPhone.

If I'm looking a bit frayed around the edges, it is because we still haven't got a confirmed date for moving into the house we are buying. My parents have kindly made some space for us in their house, but the sooner we get properly settled the better.

Anyway, I will be checking out the other 'selfie' photos people are sharing this week.

Palissy Sierra pin dish

I'm not supposed to be buying anything at all at the moment, because most of our stuff is in storage until we can move into our new house.

But I really couldn't resist buying this Palissy Sierra pin dish when I spotted it for £2.50 in a charity shop in Stourbridge. The colours are lovely and autumnal. It is about 5"/13cm across, so won't take up much space.

I'm linking up with Magpie Monday at Me and My Shadow, mostly because I want to see what pre-loved treasures my fellow magpies have found recently. Also linking up with the Op-Shop Show-Off at Blackbird has Spoken.

Three Good Things - the vintage and retro edition!

On Saturday, I went for my final thrift-shopping trip to the charity shops in Beeston before we move out of our house. And I found three good things to buy.

1. Retro Thetford tray

This Thetford tray with a retro floral pattern in blue and purple was just £2.50 from the Vintage and Retro section of the Sue Ryder Shop. When I saw it in the shop it looked a bit faded, but it has scrubbed up beautifully. I love it!

2. 'Scoundrel Days' by A-ha

I paid £2 in the Oxfam Books and Music shop for this. The tracklist includes 'Manhattan Skyline' which is one of my favourite ever A-ha songs. This record will sit alongside my copy of 'Hunting High and Low'. I am now on the look-out for a record cabinet to store all my records properly.

3. Smoked glass serving dish

I am thrilled with this smoked glass serving dish, which is in mint condition and came with its original box (£3.50 - Vintage and Retro section of the Sue Ryder Shop). It is so evocative of the 1980s. I will be using this at our house-warming party when I finally move into our new house.

Linking up with: 

• Three Good Things at Margot and Barbara 
• Magpie Monday at Me and My Shadow 
• The Op Shop Show-Off at Blackbird Has Spoken
• The Nifty Thrifty at A Living Space

Three Good Things - Week Three

Once again, I'm joining in with Liz at Margot and Barbara in listing my Three Good Things from the last week.

1. Sold!

We have definitely sold our house now. I will be sad to leave it, but we had to sell it in order to be able to move closer to my new job.

2. Lavender

The lavender in our garden has been lovely this year. I put some of it in a vintage glass inkwell (a free gift from Homebarn when I went to Cybher).

3. Pizza

This is the most delicious pizza - a Padana Leggera Pizza from Pizza Express. The sweetness of the caramelized onion and the tangy creaminess of the goats cheese, with a salad in the middle so it must be vaguely healthy too! I treated myself to this particular pizza to celebrate the sale of the house and starting my new job.