Dried Orange Peel Christmas Decor
Decorating your home doesn’t need to cost a fortune. Opting for simple, natural materials and a little bit of time can add a little charm into your home that can stay up all year around.
Materials
14 orange peels
Sewing needle
As much cross-stitching yarn as you need for your doorway (or where ever you decide to hang it)
Midway through December I felt like our flat was looking a little barren, but I really wanted to get some decorations up before the holidays.
BUT — the last thing I wanted was to start accumulating things that’ll be in a box as soon as the season changes. We’re only here for a short amount of time, but making our space cozy for the time being is really important to me.
I was happy to come across these dried orange slices at the market and I thought I’d use them for a little craft.
4 Steps Closer to Conscious Consumerism
What do companies like Patagonia, United by Blue, and Ben & Jerry’s all have in common? These companies are all part of the movement for increased corporate social responsibility (CSR), public transparency, and legal accountability.
Within the last decade, there has been a rise in demand for businesses to balance profit-making activities with activities that benefit society. According to a 2015 study done by Cone Communications, “91% of global consumers expect companies to do more than make a profit, but also operate responsibly to address social and environmental issues.”
The trend towards increased CSR initiatives is a product of changing priorities, expectations, and ideals among younger generations. As more millennials come of age and are moving into their prime spending years, their influence in reshaping the economy has become ever more present.
I assume that if you are reading this post that you are either interested in learning more about how you can start to practice conscious consumerism or ways to improve that already critical eye when you plan for your next purchase.
So, here are some things to consider before you make a purchase:
1. Look for third party certifications such as:
4. Forest Stewardship Council Certified
Acquiring third party certification is in the best interest of many socially and environmentally conscious companies. These certifications verify certain standards are being met, so that you can feel confident about the impact of your purchase. While this is good, it is important for consumers to know which certifications are trustworthy.
Many companies have been known to create their own certification labels, which really have no substance. Stay skeptical so that you can recognize various forms of greenwashing (as false certification is just one example) and ensure that you put your money where it counts.
2. Don’t just be a consumer, be an owner:
Being an owner means literally that. Do you dabble in stocks, or have you ever considered it? Impact Investing has been growing in popularity since it first became active in the United States during the 1960s. After the global financial crisis and recession in 2008, it regained momentum as more individuals wanted their investments to not only make money but to also have a positive impact on the world.
But, I don't know the first thing about building an Impact Portfolio...
3. Do your research:
Ask yourself: Where was this product made? What labour laws and environmental regulations exist there? Does the company adhere to higher standards?
Find the company’s most recent ‘Sustainability Report’ and browse through it to see if they meet any goals they had set such as a reduction in emissions, reduced energy consumption, etc.
Check to see if they have a Corporate Policy on Sustainability. If so, read through it and ask yourself: How vague is it? Do they commit to anything concrete? How do they define sustainability?
Having trouble finding what you want? You can always reach out to a company via email. In my own experience, many have been more than willing to direct you to resources that promote their CSR initiatives such as environmental efforts, ethical labour practices, philanthropy, and volunteer work. If they are active on these fronts they will not brush you off.
4. Buy things to make other things, or (at least) things that last more than a season:
Fast fashion is the second largest polluter in the world, right after the oil and gas industry. Each year over 80 billion pieces of clothing are produced worldwide, and after its short lifespan only ¼ of it is recycled. The remainder either ends up in a landfill or is incinerated. To lessen your impact, buy classic pieces that always stay in style and are less likely to fray and fall apart. Participate in a local clothing exchange or start a capsule wardrobe!
Another way to rein in your desire to buy things is simply to spend more time creating things. Find a hobby you want to explore, whether it is writing, music, blogging, drawing or taking photographs, and do it whenever you have that desire to go out and make a purchase. Get consumed by something you’re passionate about and maybe you will realize that what you were really craving was a way to express yourself and your unique identity. Create your own ‘brand’ rather than buying into one and you’ll see how much more rewarding it is.
Rose + Chamomile Facial Toner
My skin is fairly sensitive, and over the past year I’ve been experiencing stronger and stronger eczema flare ups on and around my eyelids. Having thought it was a result of the product that I was using, I decided to make some changes.
After slowly attempting to ‘detoxify’ my skincare routine by introducing and/or replacing the products I had been using with ‘cleaner’ alternatives, my bank account let out a hefty sigh.
Though my skin seemed to be less irritated, my eyelids still experienced frequent flare ups and hormonal breakouts were still a part of my life.
But, what if detoxifying is more about reducing the amount of product we put on our skin?
Though my eczema was not a result of anything I was using, I still felt that I needed to strip down and stop using most product altogether to be able to manage it when it was around.
I eliminated everything except for one daily moisturizer I knew that I could use on my eczema without any issues, and began replacing the rest with things I found in my kitchen.
I noticed changes in my skin that I never obtained with any of the products that I bought. Needless to say, I don’t think I’ll ever buy a cleanser again.
To start this thread of skincare posts, I’d like to share a very simple recipe for a facial toner that helped reduce my skin’s inflammation and speed up its healing process.
Ingredients
1 tbs chamomile tea leaves (organic)
3-4 rose buds (organic)
80 ml of distilled water
Steps
Steep your chamomile and rose buds for about 5 minutes. Let it cool and then place it in the refrigerator to help seal pores. Apply with a soft cloth or cotton pad, starting from the centre of your face and move outward.
Why these ingredients?
Rose helps to soothe irritation, hydrate and brighten your skin tone.
Chamomile holds antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties, which helps to fight breakouts. Chamomile also helps to neutralize free radicals reducing any signs of aging.
Distilled water has the ability to bind to dirt and impurities that it comes in contact with, which helps unclog pores. It is also free from chlorine that can strip the moisture out of your skin, making it lose its elasticity.
Frozen DIY Candles with Autumn Berries
Every season has its own beauty. Spring has its blooming flowers, summer has its lush gardens, autumn has its fruiting shrubs (and changing leaves), and winter has the heavy branches of spruce being weighed down by snow.
Something I like to do every season to try to capture some of this magic and bring it into my home is make these frozen candles.
I have these two small glasses that I bought from the market in Jiřího z Poděbrad by SRNA Sklo, a company that recycles glass products into pieces you can use every day in your home. I used them for this project, but you can use any glass jars/cups you have laying around.
The first thing you need to do is scavenge around to find some pretty things outside to put inside your candles. I found some bushes of firethorn and other autumn berries I thought would look nice.
Since I wanted certain berries to fall at a certain level, I did the freezing process in 3 steps (bottom, middle, top). This ensures that the berries are evenly spread and don’t all float to the top of your candle.
The top layer is most important as this is where you freeze your tea-light in — that way when it’s burning it will begin to melt the surrounding water and make for a nicer look.
What I love about these candles is that not only do they look different every time they’re made, they are easy, inexpensive, and change as the water melts.
A perfect way to bring some autumn into your home, and have some fun making instead of buying.
I hope you have fun with these! I would love to see what they look like when you’re done.
Happy Autumn DIYing!
Life Update #1
It’s been about three months since Griffin and I decided to uproot our lives and try something new. Having just graduated from university, moving to a larger city in the GTA was not really possible. We wanted to travel and we weren’t entirely sure what steps we wanted to take in terms of further education or work. And so, by the end of June we boarded a one way flight to Prague in hopes of finding inspiration, meeting new people, and getting to know ourselves even more.
During the first month, we each completed a TEFL certification so that we could teach English if we weren’t able to find a job in our field. Fortunately, within a week of moving I was able to land a copywriting job in the city. However, a few days into the position there were some big warning signs that the company wasn’t for me. I suppressed these feelings until the environment became so toxic that I couldn’t bring myself to go back in. I was terrified that I wouldn’t be able to find another job, but had to listen to my intuition to get out of there. Since then, I’ve transitioned to teaching English online and investing more time into this blog.
Though the teaching salary here isn’t a lot, we were both able to find positions that work for us. Truthfully, money wasn’t the driving force for this move — as long as we have enough to enjoy ourselves and put aside a little savings, we’re happy.
So far our experience here was been better than expected. Prague is full of seasonal markets, coffee shops, galleries, and stunning architecture. It’s been easy to fall into the lifestyle here, and I keep thinking about how much I’ll miss it when we’ll have to go.
A little corner of our new home.
My personal favourite bread from Antonínovo Pekarstvi: 80% Žitno-pšeničný chléb (80% rye-wheat bread).
Mama Coffee: A really nice series of coffee shops here in Prague with a cosy atmosphere, and not to mention ethical coffee.
Antonínovo Pekarstvi: Our staple bakery so far. We go about 2-3 times a week to pick up some fresh loaves.
Autumn Scent: Golden Neroli, by Abel
I finally found a fair-trade and sustainable perfume with naturally derived ingredients.
A couple weeks ago, Griffin and I were walking through our neighbourhood and stumbled upon a little shop called NILA that was filled with original home deco and ethical fashion. I wasn’t really looking for perfume, but I happened to spot some bottles on the far back table that, if you knew me at all, you’d know I couldn’t leave without smelling.
I’m going to be honest with you, I’ve never really loved the scent of neroli. To me, it had always been too heavy and musky until experiencing Abel’s iteration of it.
I’m also fairly sensitive to smells, so I try look for ones that are free of harmful chemicals. So, I was happy to read about Abel’s commitment to deriving their ingredients from natural sources, ethically.
This unique and subtle scent brings just enough warmth to carry into the Autumn season, but also carries an energizing quality that keeps summer close.
Shop Here.
Golden Neroli, by Abel
Top Notes: neroli, matcha tea
Heart Notes: petitgrain, ylang ylang, jasmin, sambac
Base Notes: East Indian sandalwood, vanilla