Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

Photo by Jessica Craig-Martin

Free Yoga Class - New Year's Day

If your new year’s resolution is to run a marathon, climb Mount Kilimanjaro or cycle around France, why not take baby steps and start with a gentle yoga class? Triyoga are holding 2 free classes tomorrow, Thursday 1st January 2009 at London’s Primrose Hill (first come first served). Yoga teacher, Catherine Annis has over 20 years experience and will teach the one hour open yoga classes at 11:30 and 12:45. Donations can be made on the day to the Teddy Foundation (a not for profit organisation aiming to make yoga more accessible to children within the UK). See Triyoga for further details.

Felting Workshop

I don't get to felt much although I enjoy it immensely. It just takes so long to make anything.. But whenever I get the chance to join a workshop I try my best to participate. sitting for a few hours with other creative women and crafting and talking is a favorite pastime anyway, and I love discovering the difficulties and solutions of a craft I haven't yet mastered. With felting it seems that the wool has a life of it's own, and the creation is somewhat unknown until the end.

My friend Karmit came from England. She's a felt artist, among other things. She gave a workshop in 4 meetings, each 8 hours long.
The idea was to learn as many techniques as possible, but we decided to make things and not just stay with techniques, so we don't bore ourselves to death.
so on the first day we dived into a pile of books on botanics, sea animals, birds..
this was my reference:

I love this form of fruit, with a little home for each seed.. I wanted an object that would be an invitation for playing, with a hidden surprise.

First I created the inside with the spaces for the seeds. I used beads for that and later I cut them out.

I covered the bundle with a different color wool

and then it was time for a cigarette break.

(here's the view from the balcony at Rakefet's studio, where we were working:)

amazing Tel Aviv building back side.

In the meantime, here's a stage of the work of the other ladies: Orit made a sort of a psicho-root with lots of green branches hanging from it, Michal made an acorn, and Rakefet made a beautiful jewel-object inspired by a jelly-fish.

I covered my fruit with another layer of different color wool,

and separated the leftover light-blue wool from underneath into sort of dreadlocks

Another layer...

which I then cut in the shape of leaves.

slits to pull the beads out:

here's the inside, and the seeds:

finished!!

and here are the finished objects from the other brave felters:

In the next days animals, scarves, 1 picture and a few hats were made.

I'll post more pictures soon, hopefully.

Hello!

I'm trying to start this blog by writing some sort of commitment or plan of what I will be using it for. but I can't focus on anything like that. so I'll just start and see what happens.

The Best Organic Teas for Winter

Pukka Herbs Revitalise Tea – 20 sachets for £1.99
Pukka’s Revitalise is the perfect hug-for-the-soul tea during the cold winter months. With warming organic ingredients of ginger and cinnamon and spicy cardamon, this tea is perfect day or night. Pukka Herbs draw strongly on Ayurvedic ingredients so their teas not only delight the taste buds, but they also address the rest of the body as well.
Available at most supermarkets and health food stores or online at http://www.pukkaherbs.com/

Steenbergs Organic Christmas Tea – 125g tin for £5.25
If you still want to drink in the festive charms of Christmas, there is always Steenbergs organic and fair-trade Christmas Tea. The heavenly scent of organic clove, cinnamon, ginger, vanilla and orange peel will permeate through the house and leave some christmas cheer during the dark winter months.

Tea Palace – Immune Boost Tea from £3.25
Notting Hill’s Tea Palace not only provides a chic environment for an indulgent afternoon tea but you can also order their delicious loose leaf teas online to enjoy at home. Keep your immune system strong this winter with their award winning ‘Immune Boost’ tea. Certified organic ingredients include echinacea, ginger, ginseng and orange peel. The Tea Palace also does another great winter tea, ‘Healing Hand’ which contains lemon peel, eucalyptus and echinacea.
Tea Palace – 175 Westbourne Grove, W11 2SB.
Hampstead Tea Ginger Green – 25 bags for £1.89
Enjoy the warming and antioxidant properties of ginger and green tea this winter with Hampstead Tea’s ‘Ginger Green’. Ginger is perfect too for anyone who overindulged over Christmas as it will settle any sensitive stomachs. This tea is organic and fair-trade and there are extra green points for the non-chlorine bleached tea bags made without glue or staples.

Don't judge a book by its cover...

I think my reaction to hearing that the Olsen twins were coming out with a book was "what-ever" but even I should remember not to judge a book by it's cover or in this case authors. I happened to flip through it at the bookstore recently and was pleasantly surprised. The book is titled Influence and it's less about the Olsen twins themselves and more about fabulous influential designers, artists and interesting people. I think it was the interview with David Collins that sold me though. As you know if you read my blog, I very much heart David Collins and I loved reading more about him. Others interviewed include Diane von Furstenberg and Lauren Hutton below, as well as Peter Beard, Karl Lagerfeld, Jack Pierson, and Christian Louboutin and many others. Check it out and you just might be pleasantly surprised too!

Where to Find the Best Vegan Shoe Sales

Beyond Skin – Who doesn’t want a pair of beautiful Beyond Skin shoes? Natalie Portman has worn them and now you can slip your feet into these usually pricey vegan shoes thanks to the sales. The English made shoes usually retail anywhere from £200-£300 but depending on your shoe size, you could grab an incredible steal for as low as £40 or £50. Petite feet will squeal with glee as many size 3, 4 and 5s appear to be on sale (other sizes are also on sale).

Georgette – This Belgium site has a selection of divine vegan shoes marked down to around £55. You can find sparkly silver ballet flats, stylish ankle boots and quite a large range of pretty strappy sandals. Just be quick in order to get your size!

Devidoll – A small selection of shoes on sale. Great opportunity to buy Charmone shoes at £145 down from £200.

Adili – Up to 50% off Beyond Skin shoes. If only I’d brought the red ‘Cherub Round Toe Heels’ by Beyond Skin (pictured above) before Christmas. They would have been great for all that festive partying. They were £140 and are now £70.

Net-a-Porter – If ever there was a chance to get your Stella on, it is now. Net-a-porter have discounted Ms. McCartney’s shoes by 25-60%. Thank you shoe gods!

Eco Fashion Sales

Want to know where to find the best sales for ethical and organic clothing online? Green Lashes has scoured the web to update you on what's on sale and where.

People Tree - Up to 50% off knitwear and knitwear accessories

Fashion-conscience - Great for snapping up some holiday items such as bikinis, shorts and fedoras.

Adili - Up to 50% off womenswear, beauty, jewellery, shoes, kidswear, menswear, homewares.

Devidoll - Up to 60% off selected items and 25% off new autumn winter 2008 collection.

Equa - Sale items range from under £20 to above £200. Disco divas may like the Noir silver leggings for £45 reduced from £75.

For all the girls who still love Net-a-Porter and Asos, why not try perusing the organic and ethical labels listed below.

Net-a-porter - 40% off many Stella McCartney items.

Asos.com - Green brands on sale include Kuyichi (look out for half price jeans for £45 reduced from £90) and People Tree (yoga top now £14.69 reduced from £45).

Coming soon: The best sale sites for eco shoes

Skincare and Cosmetic Ingredients to Avoid

Many popular beauty and cleaning products contain harmful ingredients that have been linked to cancers and others have the ability to alter hormone levels. Some commonly used products even contain the same ingredients used for engine degreasers, brake fluid and anti-freeze.

I was shocked to learn how hazardous many skincare and cosmetic ingredients were. If you scan some ingredient labels of products you already have in your bathroom or make up bag, you will probably find long lists of unpronounceable ingredients that require a science degree to decipher. Chemicals such as parabens appear to be in every product as a preservative. Parabens have been found in breast tissue, according to the Teens for Safe Cosmetics list of chemicals to avoid. This kind of information is enough to wake up anyone and encourage you to overhaul your bathroom and beauty cabinets ASAP.

Green Lashes aims to avoid the following ingredients on this site:
(as and when I come across new ingredient information I will update this list).

Some ingredients to avoid:

Preservatives
Formaldehyde
Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate
Methylisothiazolinone (MI/MCI) and Methychloroisothiazolinone
Parabens
Phenoxyethanol
Triclosan

Solvents
Butyl Acetate
Ethyl Acetate
Phthalates
Propylene Glycol
Toluene

Foaming & Emulsifying
Sodium Laureth Sulfate / Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS/SLES)
Cocamide DEA / Lauramide DEA

Other
Aluminium
Talc
Petrolateum
Fragrance / Parfum

For detailed ingredient information, please visit the following sites:
http://www.cosmeticdatabase.com/
http://www.teensturninggreen.org/

Mr. Mlinaric at Home

I'm off to Shadyside to shop with friends and then catch my flight back to New York so in my absence, I thought I would leave you with a little treat. The New York Times had a lovely piece on interior designer David Mlinaric (pronounced mill-in-AR-ik) and his lovely flat in London. Just goes to show what you can do in a small space. For more information, click here. Cheers!

Christmas Memories

I was telling my friend Kelly recently about my favorite Christmas memory and she couldn't believe that I had one. It happened one Christmas when I feel asleep on the sofa waiting for Santa. The next morning I awoke in my room with a new canopy bed with Holly Hobbie bedspread and linens as if by magic. I think it was also the same year that I received a doll house. Now you know why it was so memorable. Do you have a favorite Christmas or special holiday memory?

Lavera Lipglosses

Lavera Lipgloss No. 3 was my first foray into the organic and natural cosmetic world. Their gloss performed so well that I was immediately converted.

No. 3 (brown) has a subtle red earthy colour with just the right amount of glimmer. The organic jojoba oil and natural berry extracts create a gorgeous scent and feel light and natural on the lips. No. 4 (transparent) is a great staple to have in the makeup bag also to apply over your favourite lipstick for an extra gloss factor. The other two shades include No. 5 (orange) and No. 6 (Blackberry). No. 6 is the only shade containing carmine.

Lipgloss Ingredients
Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Brassica Campestris/ Aleurites Fordi Oil Copolymer,
Soybean Glycerides, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Copernicia Cerifera (Carnauba) Wax, Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil*, Calcium Sodium Borosilicate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Tocopherol, Alcohol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Ascorbic Acid, Flavor (Aroma), [+/- Mica, Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Bismuth Oxychloride (CI 77163), Iron Oxides (CI 77491), Zinc Oxide (CI 77947), Ultramarines (CI 77007), Carmine (CI 75470)]

* ingredients from certified organic agriculture BDIH certified, Carmine free: No. 3, No. 4 and No. 5

Available for £7.79 at some healthfood stores and Wholefoods London
Online at: Lavera UK / Lovelula.com / So Organic

Merry Christmas!

I want to wish all my fabulous friends and readers a very Merry Christmas!

Card from R. Nichols

Christmas in New York

Before I left for the holidays, I managed to take a few photos of the city dressed up for Christmas. The twinkle lights look especially beautiful at night! Kind of makes putting up with the hoards of tourists and lack of taxis worth it! Enjoy!

Holiday Chic Gift Guide: Gold

I wanted to do a gold themed gift guide but wasn't sure what book would work with it until I saw Megalomania: Too Much is Never Enough on Style.com. I have to say that I'm not exactly sure what the book is about exactly but at least the cover fits the theme perfectly. Kind of also reminds me of Dictator Style which is a favorite of the design world.

I don't know why they don't make gold cell phones and PDA's and the ones they do make are ridiculously expensive. I wear gold all the time and would love it if my technology matched my jewelry. It's really too bad that Vertu is priced way over most people's budget's because they are perfect. Maybe if we're lucky they will come out with a Tar-jay line since there might not be anyone left who will be able to afford them soon!

I read somewhere that the tradition of hanging wreaths on doors began when athletes of the Greek Olympics would take their laurel wreath prizes home and hang them on their doors. This gold bay leaf wreath from Jayson Home and Garden is so beautiful and simple that I think I might have to buy one for myself and leave it up past Christmas.

I already have my gold rimmed china and stemware but I love Gold Aves from Royal Crown Derby. It's a little Versace but you could tone it down by mixing it with some simple white pieces. Also reminds me of a fancy version of a Thomas Paul design.

I love the gold Piggy Bank by Harry Allen but it costs more than the money you could fit in it so my new favorite is the Doggy Bank by Ototo for $57 that I saw on Coco & Kelley! Not only is the price right but you could also tell your friends that it was designed by Jeff Koons and they might believe you.

Another kitchy piece is the gold bar door stop designed by Arik Levy from the Conran Shop. Looks like something a bachelor would have in his apartment or Bart Bass would keep in his safe. Could be the perfect gift for the man who has everything...or perhaps in this economy...nothing left.

I have a fabulous chunky gold bracelet that I bought on J. Crew for $37 that everyone thinks is vintage but unfortunately the "gold" is rubbing off and now it looks pink. I would love it if I could put this Diane von Furstenberg for H. Stern bracelet on my wish list but at $9,700 it seems a bit extravagant or crazy. Maybe someday.

I hope the gold doesn't rub off the shoes too because these little metallic gold flats from J.Crew would be perfect with jeans. Is it crazy that I consider gold a neutral?

The ultimate gold standard has to be the Portofino vacation home of Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana who obviously live la dolce vita there but then again, who wouldn't! Maybe you can make friends with their friend J. Lo and she can help wrangle an invitation. I hear she may be on the market again soon so she might just need a getaway or a babysitter. Buon Natale!