As the days shorten the weather here in Yorkshire gets a bit gothic, especially as halloween draws near and I’ve got to say I do love it!
We’ve always had a soft spot for all things dark and brooding and that comes across clearly in what we create and produce, so we decided that to celebrate Halloween we’d gather all our gothic inspired creations in one department in the store, so here’s a selection from our BRAND NEW Gothic Gifts, Art & Jewellery Section.
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Recycling plastic is a fantastic step forward in helping to reduce plastic pollution and even better are reducing plastic use and re-using plastic items. Here’s three easy ways to reduce your plastic waste.
Carry a water bottle. Grab yourself a good looking and practical reusable water bottle, this means that you’re not buying water in single use plastic bottles. A great way to easily reduce your plastic waste and also save some money too!
2. Reuse old plastic containers. Reusing plastic is even better for the environment than recycling. No processing is needed to reuse rather than recycle plastics, so wash thouroghly and then reuse plastic containers once you’ve used their original contents. There are all kinds of ways of re-using plastic containers. Here’s a few ideas: cover old containers with paper labels for organising and storage for small household items. Use them for storing and carrying food, they can be great for packed lunches. lidded plastic food containers are perfect for freezing food portions when you batch cook. Take well washed and lidded plastic containers to the refill store to hold your purchases.
3. Switch to bar soaps, shampoos & conditioners. Bathrooms can produce loads of plastic waste so it’s a great place to find easy reductions. Switch to bar soaps, shampoos and conditioners. I switched from bottle hand soap, body wash, shampoo and conditioner and have saved over 70 plastic bottles a year from my bathroom alone!
I hope this ideas help and inspire you to reduce you plastic waste a little bit.
Thanks & have a great week!
Sarah x
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My blog contains affiliate links, so if you click on them & then make a purchase, I get a (very) small comission – which helps me pay my bills, so thank you for your support!
Spring has finally sprung, even here in Yorkshire! To celebrate the longer days and better weather I’m having a good Spring Clean and getting some stuff sorted – Including looking at ways we can be a little kinder to the environment. I have to admit to being really quite lazy, so I’ve found that if I want my new eco-habits to stick then they need to be easy to do and keep up with. So, I’m going to share some of my super-easy eco-friendly living ideas to make your Spring a little greener!
Turn off the lights – as the days are longer, make sure that everyone in your house got the memo that we do not need to replicate Blackpool Illuminations and that natural light is best – the lights stay off! You’ll save loads of energy and money too!
Get an Eco-egg! A what now? I hear you yell! An eco-egg is a small egg shaped thingy that you put in your washer, it contains two types of environmentally friendly minerals that when in contact with water create oxygenation in the water and all the little air bubbles losen and help remove the dirt! It is so easy to use just fill it and it can be re-used again and and again and again! By using an eco-egg you can eliminate a HUGE amount of chemical & soap based pollution, no to mention all the plastic containers and it is mcuh more economical that detergents, so you’ll save some money too – bonus! Eco-egg can be refilled and re-used almost indefinately and it washes well for a standard wash (I have been using one for a couple of years). For help getting really dirty clothes or stains clean, eco-egg also do a booster gel. A super-easy way of making the laundry a bit quicker for you and cleaner for the environment.
Put a re-useable bag in you coat pocket and bag, so you never need to buy a plastic bag again.
A tumble dryer is tempting if you live in a climate like the one we enjoy here in Yorkshire – we get ALOT of rain, but, they really guzzle energy and all the hard-earned pennies that costs, so get some ecozone dry cubes! They reduce drying time for clothes in a tumble dryer, soften clothes without needing chemicals or single use dryer sheets and reduce wrinkles and creases, meaning less ironing. All resulting in less energy usage, chemicals, products and cost!
A washing line or airer in your garden, on a balcony or in a sunny window, can save a massive amount of energy and money and it also means you don’t need to find the cash and space for a dryer. An airer will last for many years and it folds down to nothing when not in use.
Switch to solid shampoo and conditioner bars. I made the switch last year and I’ve never looked back. There’s an increasing range of solid shampoo and conditioner bars to suit all hair types and they’re inexpensive too. We’ve saved at least 30 plastic bottles in the last year from using solid shampoo and conditioner bars and my hair looks better too!
I use this plastic free solid conditioner bar by alternative, it smells great and works really well, also I have sensitive skin and this does not irritate it – which is good. The conditioner bar lasts about 4 months (I store it in an aluminium tin, which is rust free, in the shower). So it’s really economical and eco-friendly!
Put a recycle bin upstairs – it’s a forgotten recycling goldmine. It’s amazing how much we can recycle from upstairs. Plastic bottle and containers from toiletries and cosmetics, cardboard loo rolls, waste paper.
As the warm sunny days return, it’s time to bust out the picnic gear, for Picnics and BBQs save your money and the environment – stop buying single use plates and cutlery. Invest in some cute eco-friendly bamboo based reusable picnic-ware, the planet will thank you. It’s much more stylish and who really wants to eat with bendy plastic forks and soggy paper plates?
Swap from single use makeup remover cloths and cotton wool to reusable cotton or bamboo facecloths and make up remover pads. If you find flannels and washcloths too rough or thick, then try using some cotton hankies, they are fine, gentle on the skin, they wash well and they’ll last for years.
It’s salad season, so we’re buying more fruit, veg & salad, but it can go off quite quickly and that’s a massive waste of resources and money. So instead of grabbing random plastic wrapped fruit and veg at the supermarket, why not switch to an organic fruit and veg box from Riverford. They are dedicated to sustainability and have almost no plastic packaging, all their fruit and veg is organically grown and they have loads of delicious recipies ideas to help reduce food waste – great for your tum, pocket & the environment!
Go for a walk, rather than taking the car or bus. As the days are longer and finer, make the most of it and get some fresh air and excercise. Walk or bike to work, it will help keep pollution in check, you’ll be super-fit and it’ll save a bit of cash too!
I hope I’ve given you some ideas to help you do a little more for the environment and it should be also be said that all of these will help you save money too – an added bonus!
Thanks & Enjoy
sarah x
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As the days shorten the weather here in Yorkshire gets a bit gothic, especially as halloween draws near and I’ve got to say I do love it! We’ve always had a soft spot for all things dark and brooding and […]
The Autumn is officially upon us! The nights are drawing in really fast now and as we lose the daylight, I find it challenging to maintain my mood. So, as the temperature drops, the leaves turn to Red and Gold, […]
Keep it green for Halloween – your guide to an eco-friendly Halloween.
We’re big fans of Halloween and about to start decorating for it. It’s inspired me to think a bit about how we can keep Halloween green – I’m thinking eco, not purtid green!
It’s so easy to get caught up in the moment and want to create a great Hallowen experience, but, I’m that finding that simple is good, for my wellbeing (physical and emotional) and it’s less stress on the environment and my budget. So here are a few of the things we’re doing this year to create our happy Halloween!
One a year for once a year! After the first Halloween, that I decorated for, I found we could wash and re-use lots of the Plastic ‘disposable’ decorations and accessories, so we do this and we now have a wonderful collection of ‘mummified’ drinking straws and a cardboard Halloween cakestand that with a careful wipe down has lasted 5 years!
I now also have a rule where I only buy one new decoration or accessory and it must be re-usable. This year I bought a really awesome halloween spider web, which will be used again and again.
Halloween DIY. There are loads of fun things to make for Halloween, that can be eco-friendly.
The most obvious one is a carved Pumpkin. We carve ours the day before and then put it out on the doorstep (it’s nice and cool and helps keep it fresh). To keep everone safe please don’t use candles, use eco-friendly Solar powered LED tea lights. Once all the trick or treaters have been we take the pumpkin in, give it a quick wash down, to remove any grit and chop it up for soup – no waste!
You can make ‘mini pumpkins by drawing on tangerines with a non-toxic pen to make them look lie tiny pumpkins – sweet, eco-friendly and healthy!
Halloween bats are a must too; cut them out of Black craft paper & put them in groups on your doors and walls, they look fab, putting them up with bluetack means you can re-use these next year!
Make some spooky garlands, you can use leaves and cut out bats and again theses can be re-used next Halloween.
I hope these ideas inspire you to go a little green this halloween – mwwahahahaha!!
Gone to the heather 