Stomping dinosaurs!

As well as locally made gifts for the children of my friends, I like to head to my local Oxfam Shop to see what goodies they have on offer. I love these dinosaurs, jigsaws and blocks in one. Or four if you count each dinosaur separately...

Ethical Clothing Pledge

My sister E shared this post by KyliePT of Flying Ducks, who has made the following pledge to purchase clothes that comply with the following:
1. Pre-loved
2. Handmade (preferably by KyliePT)
3. Reconstructed
4. Made with ethical / environmentally friendly materials
5. Made by a company with strong ethical policy & workers' rights

I admire someone who will stick to this. I have been trying to purchase locally made and produced in many aspects of our lives - clothes, food, homewares - and it can be a struggle. It does however make it easier to put something back on the shelf - as soon as I see the dreaded "Made in China" label (especially with an enormous price tag) I am quick to return the item and keep browsing!

KyliePT brings up the point that items that are locally manufactured may well still be produced by exploiting the workers producing these items. At this point I am going to draw a line in the sand and, without researching the conditions for each, assume that for something made in Australia the workers have the mechanisms and laws to fight for their rights.

There are a few items that I struggle with in terms of finding local items to buy - clothing wise that is. They include shoes, underwear and sports clothes. I thought jeans were an issue too until I realised that C's Nobody jeans are Made in Australia, so next time I want some jeans I will be looking a bit harder!

I have also recently been questioning the source of fabrics and goods for making items in Australia. It would be great to have a mechanism where the manufacturer has to also label their items for the source of the materials as well as the labour for putting it together.

For more information see Ethical Clothing Australia

DIY Footstool

This little footstool is a project that I have been thinking about for a while. I ended up with this stool from my first unit. It belonged to the previous owner and as she had no further use for it the stool became mine. I am not a big fan of the orange veour, and the foam has seen better days, but I think the structure is good. I would like to paint it silver and reupholster the seat.

I had vaguely looked at fabric at Spotlight before, but the prints and fabrics were uninspiring. I also considered the fabrics by Ink & Spindle however I was not sure if they would be a heavy enough weight.

Since my vague looks Ink & Spindle have added a 360gsm canvas weight fabric to their collection. The fabrics are from their Tamarillo collection, and I am tring to decide what I would like to use. There are six canvas weight fabrics to choose from, my two current favourites are below but I am undecided as to whether a bold colour would be better or a neutral.

The fabric is also certified organic fair trade.




The photo shows the stool in the master bedroom. The walls are still to be painted but only to a slightly darker beige and the carpet will remain.

Thoughts and comments welcomed.

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Fair Trade Fortnight

Fair Trade Fortnight starts this Saturday in Australia and New Zealand. The theme this year is “The Big Swap” and they are encouraging people to swap an item that they would normally buy for something that is fair trade. For example, purchase fair trade tea or coffee. Purchase fair trade chocolate.

Check out the shelves in your supermarket and see how many fair trade items you can spot. If more of these items are purchased then hopefully this will encourage more fair trade items to be stocked and available.

Pictured right is my favourite fair trade tea!

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Bholu love

Our Bholu throw arrived today! I love the Bholu products, including throws, cushions, rugs and quirky toys.


I have had my eye on a Bholu throw for a while, but the cost of them has held me back. They are wool felt and handmade in India through a Fair Trade system. I have been looking for a throw (or two) for our couches for a while. As much as I love the cashmere or alpaca throws, our couches are black and would definitely show any fluff from those materials! The woold felt is a great solution for that.

The throw that we have purchased is charcoal, and it blends in to the couch. If we get another throw then I would definitely want a contrasting colour!