eco

Suli Box February 2019

plumesworld, , , , , Leave a comment

I wrote about my previous and first Suli box here. But if you haven’t read that Suli stands for SUstainable LIving and is a subscription box bringing you lots of eco products that you may not be aware of.

My box arrived in an extra royal mail bag as it was leaking and smelling strongly of patchouli. Unfortunately my first product of bath salts from Handmade Haven had leaked out and there were none remaining in the packet.

I contacted Suli box about this on Saturday night expecting a reply on Monday but they replied within half an hour offering to send out some more on Monday or including it in my next box. I opted for my next box as I didn’t want to increase the amount of packaging used.

The next product in my box was this kitchen cleanser from Mangle and Wringer. I have been using more natural cleaning products so I was interested in this. It’s rosemary and eucalyptus scented and smells amazing. I used it on my brand new hob which was only installed this week so not majorly greasy but it did do a good job.

Lastly this month we have these bamboo socks from Thought. All my socks seem to be developing holes at the moment so these are very welcome and the design is super cute!

Have you tried any new eco products recently? What are your faves? Let me know in the comments below.

Plumes x

Advertisement
Suli Box February 2019

The Suli Box

plumesworld, , , , 1 Comment

The Suli Box (short for SUstainable LIving) is an eco-friendly subscription box to help you reduce waste and your plastic use.

I originally bought this box a few weeks ago but as we moved shortly after it’s taken me a while to retrieve it from the mountain of boxes we are still sorting out.

Like many subscription boxes you can choose how frequently you want to receive it and can choose from different size boxes. I’ve decided to go for every other month and the size that has 4 items.

The box uses natural straw for packaging the items which is a first for me, although it did end up getting everywhere! I thought the personalised message inside the box was a really cute touch.

The first items we have are some natural chewing gum from Chewsy.

I’m not a regular chewer of gum, however I do love my garlic so it’s handy to have in your handbag! The gum comes in little cubes and the flavour lasts a long while.

Next up we have a turtle bag. I already have one of these in green so it was nice to get a different colour. These bags are really strong and I love the style of them. Another great one to keep in the handbag. This was an item that I’ll be picking the straw out of for a while!

Next we have some washing powder which I’ll be interested to try out. I’m interested in trying more natural cleaning products and things like the Suli box are a great way of trying out and finding new products you weren’t aware of.

Lastly we have this delightful little package…

Which was some ginger bread soap. I do love a proper bar of soap but they do tend to take quite a while for me to get through so this will stay in the cupboard until I get through my current bar.

If you fancy trying the Suli Box out you can buy a one off box or if you subscribe you can cancel at any time.

Do you subscribe to any eco boxes? What do you think? Let me know in the comments below.

Plumes x

The Suli Box

Spring cleaning out my closet

plumesworld, , , , , 3 Comments

I am taking part in a No New Clothes challenge for 2016. I am not buying any brand new clothes but am allowing myself to buy second hand from charity and vintage shops.

I don’t buy a lot of clothes and am quite careful about the things I do buy. Where I have seen others taking part in the challenge cleaning out bundles and bundles of clothes I thought I really don’t have that much! My problem is that although I don’t buy much I also don’t throw anything anyway! I like to wear my clothes until they are literally falling apart. However throughout the years this has left me with some good quality clothes that I don’t wear for various reasons clogging up my wardrobe.

I have had a clear out and thought I’d show you some of my pieces and use this post as a cathartic exercise. All these clothes are heading for the charity shop so if you are based in the UK and see anything you might be interested in let me know. Most items are a UK size 12 and properly creased as they have been stored in bags in the bottom of my wardrobe.

First off are some clothes I bought in online sales. They never fitted me nicely but as they were sale items I didn’t want to return them for store credit. I thought they would do for target clothes as I was losing weight, but as I have lost and gained weight over the years I think these were more wishful thinking than achievable targets! Now its a few years since I bought them they aren’t clothes I think I would choose to wear now.

This is a dress from Next which I wore a couple of times for work. I really love the colours and detailing but as I have learnt, fitted Next dresses don’t work well with my figure and sitting down can sometimes be difficult!

20160411_104608-1

I really like this dress (yes it is a dress not a top!) I haven’t worn it many times as I haven’t had the occasions to and now I am in my 30’s feel it is definitely too short for me! Here I am wearing it on a night out for a friend’s birthday about 5 years ago.

This dress I haven’t owned too long, another online purchase. I like the colour, the detailing and the shape but the bodice is too tight and as I’m quite slim on top unless I get a couple of ribs removed I don’t think this will fit comfortably on me!

20160411_104735-1

I bought this dress from Oasis when I was on a trip to Dublin with my Mum in 2012. Again I like this dress but just feel its a bit too short now.

20160411_104800-1

I wore this dress to my eldest Goddaughter’s baptism, the only issue I have with it, is that is can create static when worn with tights so I have to wear a slip with it and even then it sometimes annoys me!

I have had this skirt longer than I have been with my Husband so its getting on for 10 years! We’ve been through a lot together I just don’t wear it anymore.

20160411_104825-1

Another couple of skirts. I really like the pattern on the left one but again just feel its too short for me now. I love the brocade pattern on the right one but as its puffball its more of a clubbing/party skirt and I don’t go to many of those nowadays!

A puffball dress this time, which I bought from my friend Michelle, so will be third hand now! This is a hell kitty dress with some lovely details, the straps are adjustable with buttons and there are darts throughout the skirt. This is another one from my party days where I just don’t have the right events for it anymore.

20160411_105211-1

I bought this puffball dress for a holiday to Greece in 2011 with my cousin. I love this for the memories but haven’t worn it in years.

These last two pieces as a couple of my favourites and the hardest to give away! This skirt I bought to wear at Christmas, I do like a Christmas day outfit! I have worn this at work Christmas parties too. I haven’t worn it in recent years due to the length (quite short again!) and as it is wool it doesn’t fit in with my vegan sensibilities. Here I am wearing it at my in-laws for Christmas day 2010.

Women of a certain age will instantly recognise the design on this corset top. Jane Norman was the shop of choice for many of us, even if it was just get our hands on their posh carrier bags to put our P.E. kits in! I used to shop for my Jane Norman fix in their concession in Debenhams rather than the Jane Norman shop as Debenhams tended to have bigger sizes (of which I mean 10 – 12!) I bought this top when I was about 20 and it has made me feel fabulous. I love the embroidery on it but it does look a bit 00’s to me now! The last time I wore it was in 2012 for my work Christmas meal.

What are your shopping habits with regards to clothes? Do you want to change them? Would you consider doing a no new clothes challenge?

Plumes x

Spring cleaning out my closet

Shopping in Bournemouth

plumesworld, , , , , , , , , , 1 Comment

I went shopping this morning in Bournemouth with my friend Karen who I’m staying with this weekend.

First stop for me was Sunrise Organics which I had found online when I was looking up vegan options. They had a great selection of products, including fresh vegetables, perishables, dried foods, snacks and chocolate and beauty products.

First I picked up a breakfast sandwich from Amy’s Kitchen to have tomorrow before my long journey home. I love these and their great if your missing a “McBreakfast”.

20160312_152007-1

I then saw this blue cheese from Risella. I hadn’t seen it before and I really like their smoked mozzarella so thought I’d give it a go. The proprietor was also singing it’s praises so I’m looking forward to trying it.

20160312_152018-1

I then saw something I was really excited by! Vegan Egg from American company, Follow Your Heart. I have seem so rave reviews online about this product, previously unavailable in the UK. I have also tried their vegan mayonnaise which is so good! I know a couple of stores in London are stocking it, but I’m glad I’ve saved myself a trip as I expect they’ll sell out fast as the man in Sunrise Organics also said.

20160312_152652-1

After our lunch at Mad Cucumber (see my review here) we headed over to Molly’s Den to get our vintage shop on!

Molly’s Den is an emporium made up of lots of different stalls under one roof selling everything from furniture to crockery to toys to clothes.

The first thing I liked was this dress for £7. I love the colour and I really like this style of dress that ties up at the back.

20160312_152510

I then tried on this fabulous coat. It was a bit snug, but as my parka is on its last legs with a rip near the hood and a zip that pinged off when it caught in an escalator a couple of weeks ago I thought that would see me out until the spring and this could be my target coat for next winter.The tag inside says “made in Paris” and I don’t think I’d find a coat of this quality for £28 brand new.

20160312_152349

The last clothing item I picked up was this 60’s dress. It didn’t have a size on it but for £5 I thought you can’t go wrong! It just needs a bit of sewing on one side where the tie goes round.

20160312_152615

I also bought a couple of presents so won’t post them here. I’m glad I’m travelling home by train and could only buy what I can carry else I might have spent a lot more!

Plumes x

Shopping in Bournemouth

Cleaning Products

plumesworld, , , , , , 5 Comments

When I first went vegan I did it gradually. First tackling the food by slowly reducing the animal products I ate one by one, then I moved on to my toiletries and cosmetics everytime I finished a product I would replace it with a cruelty free one (see my post here). Clothes weren’t too much of an issue as I didn’t buy much leather/wool/silk in the first place. The last area I had to tackle were my cleaning products.

Cleaning products are regularly tested on animals. I know many people who wouldn’t dream of using non cruelty-free make up and toiletries but this idea does not extent to their laundry detergent or their washing up liquid.

There are some great companies out there that wear their credentials on their sleeves.

20160308_190651

I use ecozone for my dishwasher tablets/rinse aid and laundry detergent/fabric conditioner. Their eco balls are great, you just put them in the drum with your washing and they last 240 washes, then you can just purchase refill pellets to go in the balls. I usually order online when I’m running low on anything. They are  Cruelty free International (formerly BUAV) approved and carry the Vegan Society logo.

20160308_190722-1

 

Another company I love is Astonish. I generally use their spray cleaners for the kitchen and bathroom. They too are Vegan Society and Cruelty free International approved. They are also very reasonably priced and available from a wide variety of retailers. Check out their website to see your local stockists.

Screenshot_2016-03-08-19-10-44-1

I’m also interested in trying out more homemade and natural cleaners like lemon, vinegar and bicarbonate of soda but I think that’s more of a work in progress!

What are your go to cruelty free cleaning products? Do you have any tips for making your own products? Let me know!

Plumes x

 

Cleaning Products

First Charity Shop Clothes Shopping of the Year!

plumesworld, , , , , , , , Leave a comment

I am quite proud of getting to the last weekend of January before buying any clothes for myself. So I am one twelfth through the year and I’ve kept to my new year’s resolution of not buying any brand new clothes!

I did buy a vintage jumper for my cousin Amanda when I went to a Pop-up Vintage Fair (you can read about it here) and I got a few non-clothes bits in my first charity shopping trip of the year.

My Husband and I visited my cousin Dan and his fiancee Amanda last weekend. On Saturday we left the guys with the PS4 and Rocket League whilst Amanda and I went into town.

Amanda is a lover of charity shop shopping so its great when we get together. We are the same size which has its positives in terms of borrowing clothes but sometimes I get quite jealous when she spots something we both love first when we’re on the charity shop trail!

I bought this skirt for work from Shelter for £3. The tag says “Epilogue” which is not a brand I have heard of. It’s a nice length and works really well with my ankle boots.

20160203_210957-1

I’ve been looking for some flat black shoes for a while. It is quite difficult finding shoes in charity shops, first you need a style and colour you like, then there’s the size and I have the additional requirement of no leather. I was very happy when I came across these in the Oxfam shop for £7. They were slightly big but I think this will be sorted with a couple of in-soles.

20160203_211307

I came up trumps in the Mind shop. There were quite a few things I liked the look of so was in the changing room for a while! Firstly this dress from Next for £5.50 I really like how the butterfly pattern covers the whole dress and the material felt lovely.

20160203_211114-1

I also bought this Next t-shirt for £2.75. It’s quite long, but not long enough to wear with leggings so I think I will keep this for when I can get back into my jeans! This, again, felt really soft and looks like it’s barely been worn.

20160203_211223-1

The third thing I bought in Mind (which I forgot to photograph!) was a London 2012 Paralympics DVD. My Husband and I were lucky enough to go and see some of the events in 2012. We saw Swimming, Table Tennis and my Mum joined us to see the athletics where we saw David Weir win Gold. He is from my Husband’s home town and we were so proud when we saw a local post box painted gold in his honour. I hope watching the DVD will bring back happy memories and get us in the mood for Rio in the summer!

Have you made any good charity shop finds recently? Let me know!

Plumes x

First Charity Shop Clothes Shopping of the Year!

Happy New Year!

plumesworld, , Leave a comment

Happy New Year Everyone! I am looking forward to 2016 as much as saying goodbye to 2015. 2015 was exceptionally tough especially the last three months.

I’ve already mentioned my New Year’s Resolution  of only buying second hand clothes in 2016. I’m looking forward to this challenge. The things I am most worried about are finding shoes (although I have discovered Oxfam’s online shoe shop) and if I need an outfit for a particular event. I also want to reduce the amount of clothes I buy, so just because they’re second hand and potentially cheaper I can’t go on a spree!

I also have other ambitions for 2016. I want to continue with my healthy eating so I can get back into some of my clothes I haven’t worn in a while. I would also like to take up a new form of exercise. I think I’ll have to try a few different ones before I get one that suits me!

I hope to move home in 2016 which will involve saving as much money as possible and we’ll need to do some work on the flat. So less meals out, takeaways, holidays, trips out etc. it’ll all be worth it in the end but might be a bit of a slog getting there!

I am really looking forward to spending my Birthday in Brighton in February, my cousin’s wedding in April and spending time with friends and family.

What are your plans for 2016? Let me know in the comments

Plumes xScreenshot_2016-01-01-10-13-48-1.png

Happy New Year!