This gorgeous shopping bag is made from old rice sacks, embellished with scraps of pretty cotton. It's fully lined, too, with a couple of internal pockets.
Designs vary as each is handmade. £36.50 from Pepper and Brown.
I also love Rice's patchwork travel bag. Hop over the cut to see if you do too!
Fabric hearts are a shabby chic staple, but I see no reason why pretty hanging birds cannot enter the mix.
These are made from felted wool (taken from old blankets and jumpers, so ethically very sound) by British designer Elizabeth Cook.
The birds are handmade and will vary slightly. They cost £4.50 each from Green Tulip.
Related posts: Bird and heart ribbon | Bird clothes pegs
I am loving the ingenuity that is being displayed during these difficult financial times - and this new company is a wonderful example of how 'make do and mend' can also equate to 'desirable retail'.
Let Them Eat Cake is making one-off cake stands from vintage china - turning odd pieces from old tea sets and dinner services into something newly beautiful and unique.
Bright red, heart-shaped and fair trade... What's not to like?
There are 19 slots for photos or postcards and it costs £12.99 from Oxfam.
Related posts: Strawberry Fields oilcloth | Shabby Chic your bathroom
Fife-based artist Jill Skulina works with fabric to create weird and wonderful costumes and dolls. She has decided to "go a little bit commercial" and produce some smaller items, like this cute and quirky rabbit.
Jill's range includes rabbits, cats, dolls, and fabric jewellery, priced between £16 and £32 each. She explains: "They are all indiviual, and could not be reproduced as I use second hand fabrics and buttons; once they're used, that's it."
Contact Jill for information on current stock, prices, visiting her studio and forthcoming exhibitions.
Related post: SPOTLIGHT: Rachel Ashwell
You may have already seen the lovely Cath Kidston 'blue spot' and 'multi floral' reusable shopping bags in Tesco, but did you know they are made entirely from recycled plastic?
Sold to support Marie Curie Cancer Care, the bags cost £3.50 from larger Tesco stores. Now there's a new design on the shelves (pictured) with a further three designs planned for release over the next four months.
*Thanks to Kate for the tip!
Louise Pringle of Eclectic Shock creates wonderful one-of-a-kind pieces from vintage jewellery. She also offers a service to reinvent beloved pieces of your own into something modern, wearable and unique.
I love the idea of breathing new life into old jewellery - and it's recycling, too. Look out for a profile on Louise soon and carry on over the cut for another of her fabulous bracelets.
Continue reading "Eclectic Shock reinvented vintage jewellery" »
In addition to lots of lovely new homewares, The Laundry has a wonderful vintage section with original items, all in great condition (and with any faults carefully described).
This set of nesting Pyrex mixing bowls in cute pastel shades will set you back £46. Love the ice cream colours, but not the price? Try Asda. I spotted ceramic mixing bowls and jugs in delicious pastel shades for just £6 and £4.50 respectively.
See also: Mixing Bowl etiquette
Is it a house? Is it a toy? No! It's a house-shaped toy basket!
This cunning storage-solution is fair trade and comes in a set of three.
Get them from Urchin.
My obsession with patterned fabric began early in life and British company Clothkits is, at least partly, to blame. I watched my mum run up pretty Clothkits pinafores and took my first foray into sewing making clothes for my Clothkitty doll.
The company was started in 1968 by Anne Kennedy, selling sew-it-yourself clothes for kids and adults, but has been out of action for a number of years. Now it's back!
