Last minute gift ideas (without going to the shops)

December 20, 2016 · 1 Comment

Last minute gift ideas (without going to the shops)

Okay if you have been slack and left it right to the last-minute, you still have some options without braving that Christmas Eve dash to the shops.

You just need ten minutes online and you are sorted. These ideas work well for all sorts of occasions.

Bless the internet!

♥ Gift Vouchers

Most online stores have gift vouchers and will email them to you so you can print them out or forward on to your recipient. I think gift vouchers are actually a pretty good choice when you are unsure about what to buy. There are a lot of unwanted gifts that end up in landfill!

Here are some of my favourite places that offer gift vouchers:

Beautiful Because – all natural one-stop beauty shop

Flora and Fauna – vegan beauty, body, gifts and home

Biome Eco Store – natural, eco and fair trade

Emporio Organico – luxe skincare, makeup and health products

Twenty 8 – aromatherapy and skincare

Lemon Canary – candles, new age rituals, crystals, perfumes, mists and more

Australian Geographic – nature and science gifts

Hello Charlie – everything organic baby and kids

Dymocks – Aussie owned family book store

Earthing Oz – radiation protection and earthing products

Etsy – handmade goodness

Adrenaline – for all sorts of fun experiences

♥ Subscriptions

The gift that keeps on giving every month. I often buy a magazine subscription as a gift. It takes less than five minutes to do and it’s easy to set it up to get them sent to your loved ones address. If you are not sure what magazine they would prefer, you can also get a gift card. Too easy.

These are some of my faves:

Nature and Health

Wellbeing Magazine

Australian Yoga Life

♥ Ebooks

So easy! Most ebooks have instant download as soon as you pay. Just forward on the link with a nice Christmas message. Done.

Some of my favourites:

Supercharged Food for Kids

Well Nourished recipe books

Like Chocolate for Women

♥ Oxfam Unwrapped

We love giving Oxfam Unwrapped cards. Gift your loved ones with a goat, a duck, clean water, wells and more. Check it out here.

What are your last minute gift ideas? Are you all organized or do you still have some to do?

8 Eco-friendly Gift Wrap Ideas

December 5, 2016 · 18 Comments

8 Eco-friendly Gift Wrap Ideas

One thing that always manages to freak out my eco-sensibilities is gift wrapping. It’s really only used for such a short amount of time and then it’s in the bin!!

This is an area where we can all make a big impact and use some eco-friendly alternatives, especially at Christmas time when we are wrapping up lots of gifts.

Are you up for the challenge to reduce your paper waste??

First things first, hunt around the house to find stuff you already have that could be used. Save ribbons, twine, tags, cards, gift bags and paper throughout the year. Okay, I may be a bit lame but I actually have a dedicated box for all of these goodies I want to re-use!

Check out these eco-friendly gift wrapping ideas.

♥ Santa Sacks

A few years ago, I got my friend to make up some santa sacks for hubby and I. The kids already had one each they had been given when they were little. They are so funky and it has cut our paper wastage enormously! On Christmas morning, we take it in turns to each take one gift out of the sack at a time.

You can often find people selling santa sacks at the markets or check out Etsy. You can extend this idea to birthdays and make or buy a ‘birthday sack’ to use every year. We have a few cute fabric bags we keep for birthdays.

You will never have to wrap another gift again. Just take 3o seconds to put gifts in a bag. Done!

♥ Fabric

Wrap gifts in something reusable and useful, like a scarf, tea towel or doilies. Kookery shows you how to do it step by step. If you want to go extra eco-hero, choose items from the op-shop.

If you want to get really fancy, check out how to do Furoshiki (the art of Japanese fabric wrapping) or just use a square of fabric or hessian for a really rustic look.

♥ Upcycled Paper

You can upcycle old maps, sewing patterns, newspaper, brown paper, sheet music, old calendars, magazines, comics or kids’ artwork. You could also cover a cardboard box with any of these and use every year as a personalised Christmas or birthday box! What about getting the kids to make their own?

Check out this gorgeous idea from Laura at Bugs and Fishes pictured above. Tres chic!

♥ Reusable Shopping Bags

I buy these a lot for gift giving. It’s really double the love as the reusable shopping bags will (hopefully) be used again and again. I particularly like these Loki fold up bags (pictured) that come in a beautiful range of arty prints, but also check out the op shops and stores selling calico bags too.

♥ Reusables from 4 My Earth

The snack pockets, wraps and food bags from 4 My Earth also make an excellent eco-friendly gift wrap. They can then be used in lunch boxes, for food storage, as a toiletries bag and so many other things. We have so many of these and we love them!

♥ Jars, pots, tins and baskets

Really, anything you can think of can be used to hold gifts. Head to the op shop and see what you can find. Pretty them up with ribbon, paint, twine and a few embellishments. Pinterest has loads of ideas for you.

♥ Recycled Wrap

If you really love to use wrapping paper, choose one which is eco-friendly and recycled like the gorgeous ones at Earth Greetings.

♥ The Trimmings

There are so many eco-friendly things you can use to trim gifts. I always save gorgeous ribbon and twine for reuse. Head outdoors and find some leaves, lavender stems, feathers, gum nuts, twigs, flowers, herbs, pine cones or shells.

If you are crafty you could make some paper flowers or bows or upcycle Christmas ornaments. I really love these crochet decorations on Etsy – divine! I have even seen cute things like pencils, vintage cutlery, bamboo cutlery, photos, brooches, earrings and clothes pegs used to trim gifts.

Gift tags can be as easy as upcycled cards from last year, cut down into shape or a piece of cardboard decorated with stamping or washi tape. I also adore these handmade clay tags from Brisbane artist Kylie Johnson.

Ended up with wrapping paper?

If you do end up with wrapping paper, recycle everything you can, keep it for next year or upcycle it into something new. Keep in mind that you can’t recycle plastic or foil wrapping paper so avoid that at all costs!

What other tips do you have? Share with us!

Make your own natural weed killer

October 27, 2016 · 22 Comments

Make your own natural weed killer

With the arrival of Spring, I swear a million weeds popped up in our back yard overnight!

Being in a different house this year, this weed problem was all new to us.

Obviously we didn’t want to use a chemical weed killer – they contain some of the worst toxins you can use around your home. Not great at all for the kids and pets.

I did a bit of research on the best way to kill them off naturally and discovered a few different things. Many people swear by boiling water which is great for a stray weed here and there but if you have the whole backyard of weeds, it’s going to get a bit tiresome.

Based on a few different recipes, we tried out this DIY weed killer and it worked really well. The recipe is so easy you probably already have this stuff at home.

You can use just vinegar but the weeds will grow back. The addition of the salt stops things growing in that spot again (so be careful where you spray it). The dishwashing detergent helps the mixture cling onto the weeds.

Homemade Weed Killer

This is what you need:

4 litres of white vinegar

2 cups salt (just regular old table salt is fine, don’t use your expensive pink salt for this!!)

2 tablespoons dishwashing liquid (anything is okay but we only have our favourite Kin Kin Naturals so we used that)

This is what you do:

Mix everything together in a bucket and then pour into a spray bottle. WE got a big pump action one from the hardware store as it was such a big area. For weeds in paving like ours was, you could even just pour it straight on, but otherwise just generously spritz all over the weeds.

It only took a couple of days for all the weeds to go brown and die off. You can then pull out the weeds or whipper snip them.

After a few weeks, there has been no sign of new growth, even with some rain.

So I’m calling this one a winner.

Have you tried this? What do you use for weed killing?

You might also like to make your own citrus cleaning spray!

Eco Mates – Natural Household Cleaners

October 17, 2016 · 4 Comments

Eco Mates – Natural Household Cleaners

I’m so excited to introduce you to natural new age mum, Anna Malcom. Anna has been one of my readers for a long time and she is the brains behind Wooly Mates dryer balls. From that little project, she decided to formulate a natural cleaning range, called Eco Mates.

About Anna:

Anna is a mum of two boys from Victoria. Two unsuccessful pregnancies were a turning point in her life. She started to question what was in products around her home and began reducing the chemicals and toxins. Anna’s frustration with ineffective natural cleaners led her to start researching and create her own range!

About Eco Mates:

Anna’s range is 100% natural and organic, 100% biodegradable, free from animal testing and contain absolutely no synthetic ingredients. They are grey water safe, so you can use your mop water for the garden. All of the products work as natural mould inhibitors with the addition of bioflavonoids (which also kill germs).

Eco Mates is a totally Aussie developed, made and owned family business. Anna also has a love of the planet and she uses eco-friendly printing, recyclable packaging and unbleached boxes.

Why would you use natural cleaning products?

Regular cleaning products can contain some pretty nasty chemicals that pollute your home with toxins and affect the health of your family. Concerns include links to cancer, asthma, allergies, lung issues, hormone disruption, burns and poisoning. If you want to read more, check out the EWG website. These toxic chemicals also affect our oceans and sea life.

What’s the verdict?

Anna sent me her natural cleaning range to try out and see what I thought. I should preface this by saying that I don’t normally even use household cleaners. We just use bicarb soda, vinegar and dishwashing detergent! All of us have our cleaning jobs, so the hubby and teens tested it out as well. This is what we thought:

♥ Spray On Wipe Off All Purpose Spray

The all purpose spray literally is spray on and wipe off. No mucking around. If your surfaces are really grotty or you want to disinfect you can spray, let it sit for a bit and then wipe. We love the way it cleaned – quick and easy, a very subtle smell and no residue to rinse off. We used it in the kitchen and bathroom and it worked well on lots of different surfaces. You don’t have to wear a face mask and gloves with this. It’s very gentle on the hands and there are no toxic fumes.

The only thing I found a bit of an issue with is the handle on the spray bottle – I found it a bit awkward to use one handed (or maybe it’s just me). I don’t know, but I would prefer a different handle!

I love that Anna also sells a concentrated version of this so you can refill your spray bottle five times over! That’s a great eco initiative right there.

♥ Scrub Me Polish Me Marble Paste

This is a marble paste made of marble dust that you would use instead of Gumption. I tried it out on our stainless steel sink – it gets pretty grotty with us cooking a lot and emptying tea pots! You get a bit of the paste onto a wet cloth or brush and give a scrub. It didn’t need too much elbow grease to bring it up really sparkly.

It’s my daughter’s job to do the showers so she gave our white tiled shower unit a good scrub. The tiles came up really great and that grungy product build up you get came off easily. She was impressed it didn’t take as much effort as usual to do it!!

You have to rinse this product but we all preferred it to bicarb which needs loads of rinsing off and makes a bit of a mess. You only need to use a tiny amount, so the tub should last for ages. I’m keen to try this out on some other things around the house like the barbecue – actually I might assign that one to the hubby!

♥ Mop It Clean Herbal Floor Cleaner

We are a bit slack with mopping as our current house has a fair bit of carpet so there is not much mopping to do. We usually just use a squirt of dishwashing liquid. But if we don’t get the quantity right, it can be a huge, bubbly mess!

My son’s job is the floors and he loved the floor cleaner. It was a lot easier for him to use, there was no slippery residue (yeah that dishwashing detergent probably wasn’t our smartest idea!) and the floors came up nice and clean. I loved the fresh subtle scent.

Overall, I think Anna has done a brilliant job with her new range of natural cleaning products. There are very few ingredients and they have been chosen with thought about their effectiveness and safeness. The Eco Mates range are made with great quality ingredients so you only need to use small amounts, making them good value for money. You all know that I much prefer to buy from an Aussie family business with great ethics and passion for the environment so that is a great big tick from me right there!

Many cleaning brands from the supermarket do not disclose their ingredients which is something I find a bit worrying. Hey, I can’t even walk down that aisle at the supermarket without getting a head spin from the fumes! Personally, I think that everyone should be changing over to natural household cleaners for their family’s health. Eco Mates makes the switch pretty easy for those die-hard fans of chemical cleaners. Just do a straight swap out of your products – easy.

Try them out yourself:

Anna is kindly giving us all 25% off everything until the 7th of November so you can try out Eco Mates for yourself.

Just use the code: NNAM25%OFF here.

There is also FREE shipping if you spend over $100, so get together with some friends!

Connect with Anna and Eco Mates:

Website

Facebook

Twitter

Have you tried Eco Mates? What did you think?

(this post is sponsored)

Love List Aug 16

August 30, 2016 · 17 Comments

It’s the end of August and we say goodbye to chilly nights and look forward to some more warmth of Spring! How has this month been for you?

Here are some things I have been loving in August.

Love List

♥ Mandala Stencils

So excited about these beauties! The gorgeous Felicity has teamed up with a friend to bring you the brand new Yogini Divine Living Co.

Inspired by their trips to India where each morning they would watch the women decorate their homes, floors and surroundings with beautiful hand painted chalk designs. They learned these designs signify a welcome to guests, the divine spirits and good fortune. Back home in Australia, they have created a new collection of Yogini Mandalas stencils for us.

You can use them for a permanent artwork on your walls, floor, furniture, windows and fabrics using paint (or use spray chalk for a temporary mandala). How amazing would they be for weddings or celebrations? They come in all different sizes to suit your space.

The stencils are totally reusable – just give them a wash and store them in the tube they come with. So fun and easy. I am in love! They would make a gorgeous, unique gift for a special friend.

I am loving the idea of painting them onto a pot planter. You could make loads of these for Christmas gifts or the local school fete.

Until the 20th of October, you can get an exclusive 20% off everything in the store. Just use the code: NAM20 here.

♥ Crafty Course

My amazingly talented friend and natural new age mum, Jasmine is running a crafty e-course! Starting on the 5th of September and running for five weeks, you will learn how to make vintage style home-made gifts perfect for Christmas. You will get access till the end of the year and an e-book, so you can go at your own pace.

♥ Screw Infertility

Another beautiful natural new age mum is Robyn Birkin from Modern Day Missus. She has written a book called Screw Infertility! Lessons from a Fertility Warrior. Surviving infertility, IVF and miscarriage. It’s all about her heartfelt journey through infertility and out the other side. Beautifully raw and real, Robyn shares her story and tips to help navigate infertility.

Get it here.

♥ Wholefood for the homeless

This is one of my favourite charity projects. Amber Magna is a girl with a big heart who has created Feel Good Food Packs. She believes everyone deserves the opportunity to eat food that helps them to thrive.

A typical pack contains items such as a trail mix, fruit and nut bar, jerky, healthy chocolate bar and energy ball and is given to a person experiencing homelessness or disadvantage in Melbourne and surrounds. You can help by donating, volunteering or spreading the word!

Check out the website here.

♥ Lily Lolo

I have a 15 year old daughter and she loves makeup! Being a student with a casual job, the amount she can spend on makeup is limited (she needs fashion too!) It’s so tempting for her to buy the cheap toxic stuff but we try to compromise a little with her borrowing some of mine and me funding some as well.

Then along comes the natural range Lily Lolo for us to try out (with thanks to the gorgeous Kitsa at Emporio Organico) and we are in love. Fabulous quality products, all natural and affordable. There are some little gift packs as well so I know what my go-to for gifts is. The packaging is so trendy too. I think we are onto a winner here!

Check out Lily Lolo here.

♥ The Best Coconut Cream

I often get asked what is the best coconut cream or milk to buy. This is my hot tip – Honest to Goodness. It’s certified organic, has no weird stuff like thickeners added, has only one ingredient – coconut and the can comes with a BPA free lining.

It’s the cream of the coconut creams!

I only ever buy coconut cream by the way, not coconut milk. Coconut milk is simply coconut cream with added water, so save yourself some bucks and get the cream and add your own water. We use it a lot in cooking – it gives a lush flavour to curry, biriyani and laksa while adding in lots of good fats.

If you can’t find it at your health food store, have a look online.

That’s it from me this month. What have you discovered? What are you loving?

Top tips for op shop trips

August 24, 2016 · 9 Comments

Top tips for op shop trips

It’s National Op Shop Week!

Not that I need a special week to go op shopping, but it is a good week for me to share with you my top tips for op shop trips.

I have always loved to op shop.

Even when I was a teenager, I would ferret through the local thrift shop to find funky things to wear. It’s in the blood though as my Dad is a lover of bargains and many childhood car trips involved making detours to random garage sales and second-hand shops! My mum volunteers at op shops so she is a great supporter of them as well.

Why would you shop at an op shop?

Why wouldn’t you? As well as being a frugal way to shop, you are helping charities and helping the environment.

It makes sense to buy something second-hand and reuse it, reimagine it or upcycle it to something new. Op shopping keeps stuff out of landfill and reduces pollution. It’s also a great way to be unique and show your personality.

But of course buying things second-hand isn’t always as easy as shopping at department stores, so here are some of my top tips.

♥ Keep visiting. New things come in all the time so keep checking back to see what’s new. Apparently mid-week is a good time for the weekend donations to show up in store!

♥ Give things a good wash. They are second-hand after all and you just don’t know where they have come from. You might even like to use a drop or two of tea tree oil to kill any bugs (particularly shoes!!) And yes, some op shops have that weird op shop smell that you probably want to get rid of!

♥ On holidays or across town? I always try to schedule a little time for some op shopping in a new location. I just search for them on Google or you can look them up at Op Shop or on one of my favourite blogs, I Love to Op Shop. Obviously op shops need a cheaper rent, so you will find them in some odd out of the way places sometimes.

♥ Have a good look. The bargains won’t jump out at you! Spend some time looking through the racks. Look in different sections too. I once saw a pair of Sass and Bide women’s jeans for $10 in the men’s section. If only they were in my size! I’ve also seen a lot of women’s clothes mistakenly placed in the kid’s section.

My best bargain so far. A Chassuer French Oven for $15 instead of $250!

♥ Make friends with the staff. They might even put aside things for you or let you know of anything new that comes in.

♥ Think outside the box! Many things you find in the op shop can have alternative uses. A funky teapot can become a pot plant, an old cabinet can become a toy kitchen, a tea cup can become a candle holder, you can restring beads or cut things up for craft.

♥ Take your phone. This will come in handy if you want to check the going price for antique or retro items to make sure you don’t pay too much. I also use my phone to take photos and send texts to my kids asking if they want me to grab the amazing thing I have found for them!

♥ Add some elbow grease. Many pieces donated at the op shop are terrific quality for tiny prices. They may just need a good clean or polish, a new coat of paint or clothing may need some adjustments to make them perfect for your use.

You never know what treasures you will find – that’s half the fun!

♥ Never buy another new men’s business shirt. Seriously, one of the most consistent and best things we have found at op shops is men’s business shirts. My son has to wear them for work and we always find the most incredible quality and fabulous brands in perfect condition for under $10. This comes in handy when he tends to get things stained! It’s so cheap to replace them.

♥ Don’t buy stuff just because it’s a bargain. If you have no use for it or it’s not getting you excited, leave it on the shelf. You don’t want to end up with clutter! Don’t forget though you can always donate back to the op shop, pass on to friends and family or on-sell if something is not getting used or not quite right. Disclaimer: If it’s a really, really amazing bargain, see my next tip.

♥ Know your stuff. Having worked in a kitchen store, I can spot a quality piece of cookware. My kids are better at designer clothes and shoe brands. I just can’t leave a $100 Baccarat frypan selling for $6 behind! Items like this that I won’t use myself but are amazing quality are going away in the cupboard for my kids when they move out of home. Yep, I am bringing back the old-fashioned glory box!!

♥ Don’t hesitate. If you do see something you love, that’s just calling your name….grab it on the day. I have been disappointed many a time when I have a think about something and go back and it’s been snapped up.

You can get quality designer clothes and shoes at a fraction of retail prices.

♥ Check everything. Sometimes the staff will miss chips and cracks or stains on clothing. Give everything a good check before you buy.

♥ Kids’ stuff is awesome. Kids grow out of things so quickly – whether it’s toys or clothes, they seem to be onto the next thing quicker than you can blink. I have always found kids’ denim from the op shop to be a winner – it’s hard-wearing and you can always find something. Books, DVDs and toys are usually priced very cheaply so it’s a really frugal way to keep the kids entertained. And kids are not fussy about newness either!

♥ Pick up party supplies. Seriously the best place ever for parties! Grab plates, glasses, cutlery, serving platters, candles, tablecloths, linen, decorations and more for similar prices you would pay for disposable products. If you don’t need it all after the party, donate back or store away for future parties. Get crafty and cut things up for decorations – old books can make paper mobiles and old sheets can become bunting. I decorated the table for my mum’s birthday party with doilies and old silver platters with candles. It looked so good.

An all blue op shop day.

♥ Sometimes suburbs count. If you are looking for designer gear, sometimes you will have more luck in the more expensive or affluent suburbs. However the price may reflect this too!

♥ Colour coded. A lot of op shops will have clothes displayed by colours so if you need a new top, you can quickly find the colour you need.

♥ Find your favourites. Op shops can be so different in terms of products and pricing. Some are outrageously priced and others are much more sensible. Keep looking till you find your favourite.

♥ Haggle. I have never thought of doing this, but if you are buying a higher priced item (like the amazing tea trolley below) you might want to ask what their best price is. Thanks for the tip Susan!

My friend Susan found this 1920’s tea trolley at her local op shop. How stunning!

♥ Follow your local on social media. Seriously! Many op shops are now on Facebook and Instagram so follow along and stay in the loop for specials. Quite often there will be awesome sales like 50% off all books or fill a bag for $5.

♥ Make it fun. Take your friends or your kids! My teenagers are a bit picky about what they wear but they see the value in those designer labels at a fraction of the price and have scored themselves some really great things.

♥ Take a bag. I always carry a fold up recycled bag with me anyway but some shops don’t give out bags so you might need one (depending on how many goodies you find!)

Just some of my op shop books. I rarely pay more than $5 for a book and most are around $2.

♥ Books, books and more books. If you are a reader, you won’t find a cheaper place to buy books. I buy fiction books and then pass on to friends and family. But the best deal is the non-fiction books that I keep as reference books. I have amassed quite a little library of self-help, motivational, new age and health books.

♥ Consider the op shop for gifts. Now you do have to choose your audience here, but personally I love an op shop gift and quite often I will find cute things I know a friend will love. You can also make things like vintage tea cup candles. Vintage sounds so much more chic than op shop bargain! We do a ten dollar Christmas and the op shop is the best place to find a great gift on a budget!

♥ Manifest. You knew I would sneak a bit of woo in didn’t you?? Yep, manifesting totally works. Hold in your mind what you are after and leave the rest up to the universe. It might not happen straight away, but it usually happens. I manifested myself a pair of brand new black leather boots for just $15 and that amazing Dutch Oven. Woohoo!

♥ Give back. Never dump stuff you don’t want anymore. Take it to the op shop so someone else can benefit. Make sure it’s clean and in good condition or it will cost the charity time and money to dispose of it. Never leave your donation outside the shop – always pop it into the shop or in the donation bin.

I love the thrill of an op shop bargain.

I don’t think that feeling ever wanes! My latest finds from the op shops get posted on my new Instagram account @goldcoastopshopper, so check me out over there. You can see a full directory of Gold Coast Op Shops here.

I would love to hear about your amazing op shop finds and your tips. Let me know in the comments or upload some photos to my social media for us to check out.

Love List ~ May 2016

May 23, 2016 · Leave a Comment

Love List ~ May 2016

Here are some awesome finds for you this month!

♥ Botica Bliss Bath Teas

Oh my gosh! So excited about this. My gorgeous friend Rebecca Hurst (you might know her as the amazing eco-mumma and former owner of 4 My Earth) has a new venture and it’s all about delicious bath teas. She has formulated these beautiful botanical blends for you to use in your bath. There are three blends to choose from – relaxing, sleep inducing and soothing. All contain flowers or leaves and no essential oils so they are beautifully gentle for everyone in the family.

Get them online here. (If you sign up to the newsletter you can get a code for 10% off your first order)

♥ The Well Nourished Lunch Box

Georgia Harding, naturopath from Well Nourished is a recipe genius. She is one of my go-to people for healthy recipes. Georgia’s new lunch box ebook is nothing short of amazing with over 50 nourishing recipes. All of them are nut-free, wheat-free and refined sugar-free .

Check it out here.

♥ Onyx Reusable Chopsticks

I am in love with this! If you use chopsticks a lot when you eat out, get yourself your own reusable set. This one from Onyx is made from bamboo and stainless steel and comes in a cute pouch. A gorgeous little gift too.

Get it online here.

♥ Twenty 8 Deodorant Paste

Amazing aromatherapist Kim Morrison has just released her new deodorant! It’s a gorgeous 100% natural paste with essential oils. In a citrusy scent, it works for both men and women.

Get it online here.

♥ DIY Seashell Lights

What to do with all those seashells you’ve collected? Make a gorgeous string of lights! It’s so easy, you can make it in half an hour.

Find the tutorial here.

♥ What’s with Wheat?

The must-see documentary of the year from one of my favourite people in the wellness world, nutritionist Cyndi O’Meara. Register now to watch it for FREE! Cyndi has been all over the world interviewing experts, researching and investigating the growing epidemic of wheat intolerance, and why after eating wheat for thousands of years, it has been linked to so many health problems.

What awesome things have you discovered this month???

How to make your own natural hand wash

May 12, 2016 · 18 Comments

How to make your own natural hand wash

Around this time of year (winter for us in Australia) the ads for ‘antibacterial’ handwashes start to hit our TV screens in force.

Apparently we need to buy their anti-bacterial handwash to have happy, healthy kids!

Not only are these ads misleading, they are promoting a product full of chemicals with the words healthy? Arrrgh!

Okay, so what is so bad about anti-bacterial handwash?

“There are two types of antibacterial products, those with alcohol and those with triclosan. Triclosan weakens the immune system and is suspected of causing cancer. Its overuse can also lead to the creation of “superbugs.” Slow Death by Rubberduck.

“Triclosan also affects the natural environment. Wastewater treatment does not remove all of the chemical, which means it ends up in our lakes, rivers and water sources. That’s especially unfortunate since triclosan is very toxic to aquatic life.” Environmental Working Group

Alcohol in antibacterial products worries me too. A 60-75% alcohol content makes them highly flammable and dangerous around children. There have been cases of children hospitalized from accidental ingestion and poisoning. A quick google search also reveals that teenagers are drinking hand sanitizers to get drunk!

Other ingredients commonly found in hand wash and sanitizer is fragrance which can contain phthalates – known endocrine disrupters. “They have been linked with endometriosis and early puberty in girls, and reproductive organ abnormalities and reduced fertility in males. They can also act on the thyroid, and have been linked with obesity.” Choice Australia

How to make your own natural hand wash

I do prefer to use a hand wash over soap and water… mostly because it is less messy in the bathroom. It’s so easy to make and it’s very cheap!

Here’s how you do it:

1. Get yourself a foam pump

You can buy foaming soap pumps/dispensers. If you want something cheaper and you are not worried about plastic, you can buy a foaming dispenser with hand wash already in it and then repurpose it! Eco Store and Thank You are two brands that make a foaming dispenser. Of course you can buy the hand wash refills and do it that way if you like but I prefer making it myself as it’s cheaper, contains fewer ingredients and I can tailor it to suit.

2. Pour in about 50ml (or 1/4 of your container) of Castile soap

Castile soap is a very mild, all purpose vegetable based liquid soap. One of the most popular brands is Dr Bronners – I like this company as the ingredients are ethically sourced. I use the unscented baby version.

3. Add around 10 drops of essential oils of your choice

This is where I like to tailor the hand wash to suit. If the family is a bit germy or it’s lurgy season, use some oils that will kill bugs like the tea tree or eucalyptus. You can also try the Wellness Warrior blend.

4. Top up with water and give a vigorous shake

This is the fun bit! Leave a little gap at the top so it mixes in well.

5. Your hand wash is ready to go!

The result is a natural, safe handwash at a fraction of the cost you buy them at the supermarket.

Is this something you might try??

PS thanks to my ‘hand model’, my daughter… she thought it would be cute to make a heart shape with it 😀

Beautiful Gifts for Mother’s Day

April 17, 2016 · 1 Comment

Beautiful Gifts for Mother’s Day

Mother’s Day is coming up and I have some of the hottest gifts around for natural new age mums! Whatever you do, I hope you have a magical day with your family and soak up the love.

♥ Love You Mum Gift Pack from Happy Skincare

Aaron and Phoebe have put together a limited edition pack for Mother’s Day! This is one of my all time favourite skincare ranges – 100% natural, vegan and not tested on animals. In fact, I got my mum a set for Christmas and she loves it!

If you get in early, you also get the pack in a gorgeous fair-trade organic cotton toiletries bag. Sales from this bag help support Freeset and their mission to help the women trapped in Kolkata’s sex trade.

Get it here. 10% off with the code: NNAM

♥ Insulated Food Jar

Now that the weather is warming up, get Mum a stainless steel food jar. They are just the ticket for taking hot soups, casseroles or curries to work or out and about. No microwaves required or buying lunch out and spending a fortune! Biome have a great range available but I have this Thermos one pictured and LOVE it. It’s wide enough to use with a spoon straight out of the jar and it keeps food hot for hours.

Browse here.♥ Lavanila Natural Perfume Gift Box

This cute gift pack has 5 mini roller ball perfumes. With a base of Madagascan vanilla, these perfumes are all natural and contain 100% pure essential oils and natural botanicals. There is a scent for every mood! They are great for popping in the handbag too.

Get it here.

♥ Happy Mama book

My gorgeous friend Amy Taylor-Kabbaz just released her new book, Happy Mama! This book is the collected wisdom from Amy’s makeover from strung-out parent to happy, self-loving mum. Including interviews with working mums, psychologists, counsellors and spiritual leaders, it is full of practical and empowering advice that will help you change the way you feel about motherhood so the whole family can flourish.

Get it here.

♥ Mandala Platter

I am seriously lusting after this gorgeous mandala style platter from Maxwell and Williams. It’s on sale at the moment too – 30% off! It comes gift boxed…. I hope the family is reading this!!

Get it here.

♥ Bahen & Co Chocolate

Sublime!! This hand-crafted chocolate from Margaret River in WA is stone ground in small batches using vintage machinery. Bahen and Co support farmers, fair trade and ensure there are no children working on the cacao farms. There are no weird ingredients, flavours or additives. Choose from plain chocolate, salted Australian almond or chilli salt!

Check them out here.

What are you getting your mum (or yourself) for Mother’s Day??

Why I’m Breaking Up With GREEN BAGS

April 12, 2016 · 25 Comments

Why I’m Breaking up with Green Bags.

Green bags came into being around 2002 and were immediately hailed as the solution to all those plastic bags we had been using.

According to Clean Up Australia, Aussies use over 4 billion plastic bags every year!! Not just available in supermarkets, many businesses now offer some form of green bag to their customers.

I jumped onto the bandwagon when they first came out and thought they were great until I started wondering what they were actually made of!

While I like the idea of having a reusable alternative to using plastic bags, I am no longer a fan of the ‘green bag’ as an alternative. They are made from polypropylene, a byproduct of oil refining, usually imported from China. And… they are ugly!

Unfortunately these bags are not compostable or biodegradable and we end up with millions of them, most ending up in landfill. They can be recycled (apparently Coles has a recycling program) but many people are not aware or do not bother.

I also found that the stitching comes loose after a while, they tear easily, the plastic insert cracks and they become useless as as shopping bag.

“A CSIRO research scientist, Dr Mike O’Shea, says the green bag’s only environmental credential is that it is not the single-use high-density polyethylene plastic bag still given out in most shops and supermarkets.” source

So what do I use instead?

For food shopping, I like to use fabric bags. They are so much more durable, easy to wash and last forever. I like to source them from op shops as they are much cheaper and I like to reuse something already in circulation. I realise non-organic cotton production is not very environmentally friendly but I think the years of use of a cotton bag, combined with it’s ability to decompose make it a winner over green bags.

I wash them regularly in hot water with a dash of eucyalyptus oil to keep them clean and fresh.

For one off purchases, I carry a lightweight fold up bag in my handbag.

You can also get some really cute cotton, jute and hemp bags online if you can’t find any at the op shops.

It’s a bit of a challenge now to see if I can avoid plastic bags and I like to say to shop assistants, no thanks, I have my own bag, I like to be a greenie! I think it gets people thinking in a subtle, non-judgy way.

Obviously if you already have ‘green’ bags, use them until they can be used no more and then recycle them properly.

What do you think? Do you love your green bags or do you use something else??