Showing posts with label sustainability. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sustainability. Show all posts
This blog post is an advertisement feature with Kula Bags but all
thoughts are my own.
Sustainable Gift Guide for Everyone - Under £10
Whoever you're gifting, whatever the occasion, you can now be more equipped to splash that little bit more on a treat. My previous post kept the budget below £10, but now I'm ready to showcase some brilliant items above the £10 mark which would make wonderful gifts for anyone in your life. I've kept everything under £30 too, to keep a reasonable budget.
For the Style Seeker...
Kula Bags are unique, affordable and sustainable bags made from excellent vegan material. The material is a durable, washable paper. Yes, you read that right, paper that can be popped in the washing machine! I luckily got to try out the Whitworth Backpack which is a lovely small bag, ideal for days around the city or popping into Uni, with around 6 pockets, inside and out.
The neutral colour spans across their whole collection and will complement any outfit, no matter what season it is. Vegan Society and Peta approved, with no plastic packaging on delivery, this bag is perfect for anyone looking for a sustainable addition to their bag collection.
At £29, the bag is more than reasonably priced for a gift that is going to last a long time, and have a more positive impact on the environment.
For the Tech Lover...
There are two types of people in the world: those who always have a cracked phone screen and a phone case torn to pieces, and those who have every possible accessory for their phone. Either way, the Pela Phone case will fit perfectly in their life. Made with 100% compostable material, this case is designed to be flexible for your phone and the environment.  |  |
For the one close to your heart...
When you're looking for something incredibly special and thoughtful, it has to be the Recycled Inglot necklace from A Typical Thing. You can add any personalised initials or numbers to this recycled sterling silver pendant which is made by hand, each unique, and packaged in biodegradable gift packaging. This one is definitely on my (very early) Christmas list!
For the BYO foodies...
For a great value price of £13.99, Huski sells the extraordinary Multi-compartment lunch box, made out of recycled rice husks. If improperly treated, rice husks can be a biohazard so Huski has turned the problem around and created this sustainable material, free from toxic chemicals. If you have a friend who likes to take their lunch to work, school, or on their weekend hikes - this is perfect for them!
For the PPE peeps...
In a world changed by a pandemic, face coverings are potentially a new way of life. If you have a friend who is a little tired of those blue paper masks, it may be time to pimp their PPE with Maask. For every order, Maask donates 2 medical-grade respirators to frontline workers as well as working to clean up ocean litter. The coverings are made entirely out of recycled ocean plastic and the filters inside can last up to 69 hours or 1 month.
Don't forget to wrap your gifts in a sustainable way too.Check out my blog post for sustainable gift wrapping ideas.
Last year I shared some eco-friendly ways to add some flare to Christmas gifts - this year I'm back at it, making sure my Christmas gifts look great while also being sustainable and not costing a bomb.
Just as I did last time, this year I'm still always using brown paper for my wrapping. Not only is this paper easy to recycle and customise, I seriously think it looks better. This year, I went for a patterned brown paper from IKEA. They have some fabulous designed brown paper in IKEA, but I especially loved the simple white print for this year.
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S T A M P E D L A B E L
Using my miniature stamp set from Flying Tiger, I added a little 'Merry Xmas' to a piece of card, not caring too much for it to be perfect - I think the rustic look is gorgeous for this. I then simply carefully tore the card, added some holes with a hole punch, and threaded some red string through it. Tie and tape the string at the back, then arrange the lines to look nice and neat (don't worry about any crossing over at the back).
Obviously, for this one, you can add your own flair to it wherever you wish. I chose red string to match my colour scheme and added a little personal note for the gift receiver on the inside of the card.
It really couldn't be more simple but really does turn out looks sophisticated and full of thought.
W A X O R S C R A B B L E
Or both! Whether you have a wax stamp in your craft draw (which, I admit, not everyone does) or maybe just a few old scrabble letters knocking around - they can definitely be added to your wrapping! I loved the idea of using the wax stamp for the end of the string - it was a little bit tricky but with the addition of a teeny little bit of glue, I managed to keep the string end held down while prepping the stamp.
It was also nice to add a bit of different coloured string; I love the black-white with the brown and white paper and also reckoned my red wax would go better with this one.
Of course, you guessed it, the J is significant for the giftee which I think is a great way to add another personal touch.
M I N I P I N E C O N E S
This has to be one of my favourite designs I've created! I got my hands on some mini pine cones (but you could also find and use acorns, twigs, or leaves) and threaded the string around the bottom wings, knotting it securely.
I placed the cones a bit off from the centre, just to add some dimension then looped the rest of the string around the package. With this, I love the deep red in combination with the dark wooden pine cones - I think dark green or gold would also be a beautiful combination.
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Adding simple touches to your Christmas gifts can be sustainable AND beautiful - I hope this has definitely inspired you to forget about glitter and ribbon this year. Try something new and wow your family.
As bloggers, we too often set our sights on working with the big shots and, far too rarely want to really showcase what the local community around us has to offer. Whether you live in a big city or a small town, every place has its quirks and unique areas or businesses and I think it's about time we show them off. Here's why you should be sharing more about your local life...
Rekindle your own desire
Since starting to blog more about what is around me in Newcastle, it’s enabling me to discover exactly that. I would have had no idea about half of the places on offer in the city centre if it wasn’t for other bloggers pointing them out on their feeds. Similarly, as I yearn to blog more and more about places in Newcastle, I’ve found myself researching the next place to go, opening my eyes to places that I probably would’ve walked past beforehand.
SEO reasons
It’s often forgotten about just how powerful local searching can be in terms of blog engagement. I mean, see it from your own point of view; if you’re the kind of person to Google search ‘Place to eat in Edinburgh’ you’re most likely going to come across a blog post. As a local, especially, people may trust you better, ultimately retreating back to your content for more ideas. So, next time you’ve found some great brunch spots in your area, don’t forget that that info could be helping others too, potentially resulting in a healthy handful of page views for you.
Giving Back
We’ve heard it all before; ‘support local businesses’ and ‘give back to the community’. With the likes of Brexit looming over, local businesses really do need your help to not only keep them running but helping to earn livings. For me, whenever I’m invited to check out a new venue in Newcastle, the thing that warms my heart the most is when I hear about how the artwork is local, the food is locally sourced, or the bar celebrates brewers from nearby. If you can help support these kinds of institutes, you’re not only helping one local business, but you’re creating a domino effect; aiding in the upkeep of many small and growing businesses all around you.
We’ve heard it all before; ‘support local businesses’ and ‘give back to the community’. With the likes of Brexit looming over, local businesses really do need your help to not only keep them running but helping to earn livings. For me, whenever I’m invited to check out a new venue in Newcastle, the thing that warms my heart the most is when I hear about how the artwork is local, the food is locally sourced, or the bar celebrates brewers from nearby. If you can help support these kinds of institutes, you’re not only helping one local business, but you’re creating a domino effect; aiding in the upkeep of many small and growing businesses all around you.
Making yourself seen
I often get asked ‘How do you get invited to these blogger events?’ And, a lot of the time, my answer is that I make it seen and heard where I am. The PR companies aren’t going to invite you along if they don’t think you are actually able to get there. Publishing blog posts, tagging Insta locations, and adding local hashtags is just 3 ways of how you can make it obvious that you are interested in joining local events and, believe me, a lot of the time these events are very fun so you’d be treating yourself by doing these simple things.
Don’t let yourself believe that you are closing your audience demographic simply by publishing a blog post about a nearby restaurant. You are widening your repertoire, broadening your portfolio, supporting your town, and falling back in love with what is on your doorstep. We should all be excited by the thought of bloggers sharing the excitement of what their town has to offer, I know I certainly am.
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