Have you seen our range of recycled glass jewellery? I’m constantly fascinated by the ways in which glass can be reused and recycled. How something that can seem so fragile and so entirely broken one moment can be miraculously turned into something new the next seems inspiring.
This range from Green Glass is made from the pieces of glass that are left over when they make their popular bottle glasses and the beautiful finish is definitely a nod towards the fact that the company is based on the coast in Cornwall! Originally inspired by washed up chunks of glass many of the products also have a mix of a shiny and matt texture – just as real ‘drift glass’ does.
The lovely range of colours is primarily inspired by the sea – the greens, blue and turquoises are the most popular. And with the bracelets £7.00 and the necklaces £11.00 (both come with a gift box too) they make a great value gift, but are also reasonable enough to pop one in the basket for yourself!
A spork? What’s a spork? Before I came across this brilliant little Bambu kids spork I wasn’t terribly familiar with the concept of a spork, but I was convinced very quickly.
A spork is simply a combination of a spoon and a fork, with the two utensils combined into one handy method of moving food from plate to mouth once you’re out and about. In this case the Bambu kids spork is ideal for feeding your child when you’re on the move, and it makes it so convenient.
Sometimes you need a fork for feeding your child, and sometimes you need a spoon. But with a young child up to the age of 18 months you generally need a third hand. One for the spoon, one for the fork and one for the bowl.
Actually, a fourth hand is quite handy too, armed with a wet cloth.
The Bambu kids spork means that you are no longer required to grow additional arms, as the two utensils are cleverly combined into one. One of the questions I’m often asked is why we choose bamboo over alternatives such as wood or plastic? Clearly plastic is not an environmentally friendly solution, and whilst wood is good, bamboo is actually better in many respects.
Firstly, it grows really quickly without the use of fertilisers and pesticides, and our Bambu kids spork is made from bamboo that’s organically grown. Secondly, bamboo is a good deal tougher than wood, is heat resistant, doesn’t stain as easily and can is easy to wash. (A quick note about washing – we recommend hand washing to keep your bamboo utensils at their best. However they can be put in the dishwasher but might soften over time in the way wood does.)
If, like me, you find picnics and days out result in you running out of hands or arms, and have a picnic basket the size of your car’s boot, then why not pick up a Bambu kids spork. It will save you at least an arm, and may well help save your sanity a little too! Convenient, durable, organic, sustainable and with a great name that’s a talking point in itself!
Well, after the first barbecue of the summer (the first of many I hope!) our Bambu veneerware has gone down a treat. In the past, like many people, I’ve gone down various paths as far as serving food outdoors is concerned, especially for barbecues where the food is hot, sauces abound, and most of the eating involves standing up, moving around and holding food over a hard and unforgiving patio.
Having had more china plates cracked, chipped and dropped than I care to remember I switched to paper plates – a disaster. I refuse to use plastic plates, knowing that they cause an even bigger carbon footprint than my somewhat smoky barbecue, but paper plates are hardly the greatest idea for a barbecue.
Transferring the heat directly from the food to your hand or your lap means a continual shuffle to relieve the blistering fingers, whilst at the same time wolfing down the food as fast as possible before the plate completely disintegrates and deposits the food in your lap.
The Bambu veneerware is made of bamboo – well, you can’t get much more natural than that. But because it’s made of 3 ply it is very rigid, completely failing to fold up at the merest site of a charcoal hot dog in a bun, and protecting the supporting fingers from incineration nicely. As well as three sizes of plates and trays, we also do cutlery sets and funky ‘sporks’ so guests don’t have to suffer the indignity of trying to eat coleslaw with their fingers!
I know my guests would agree that the Bambu veneerware combines the best features of plastic (smooth) with china (firm and more heat resistant) and with paper plates (disposable and biodegradable). The Bambu veneerware biodegrades completely within 6 months, which is almost as long as it might take to scrape the burnt bits off my barbecue for next time.
Following on from my post about the wonderful Leakey Collection a few weeks ago I have now added the funky Zulusport range to the Green Tulip website. The Zulusport necklaces and bracelets are made from the same mix of vibrantly died grass and glass beads as the versatile single strands, but this time they are made into simple bracelet and necklace lengths.
The great thing about the Zulusport range is that it appeals to such a wide range of ages. I like to layer a few bracelets up, mixing colours that coordinate with what i am wearing, but if I’m honest i find the necklaces a bit short for someone of my age! However they are perfect for teenagers who tend to layer them up over a t-shirt – no doubt in colours that don’t co-ordinate at all with what they are wearing… And my 7 year old daughter loves them too – she chooses a matching necklace and bracelet, preferably in pink, with a heart or a ladybird charm (not that she’s particular or anything!).
Do take a look at the range on the Green Tulip – it’s perfect for sending as a gift because it is so light, and you may also spot something you want to treat yourself to too!
As mentioned a few weeks ago Green Tulip is proud to be a member business of the alliance 1% for the Planet. The first of the charities that we have just made our donation to is Young People’s Trust for the Environment (YPTE).
YPTE is a charity which aims to encourage young people’s understanding of the environment and the need for sustainability. They want to give young people a real awareness of environmental problems, such as disappearing wildlife, the pollution of soil, air and water, the destruction of rainforests and wetlands, the spread of desert regions and the misuse of the oceans. And by raising their awareness they will hopefully encourage the leaders (and consumers) of the future to live in a more sustainable way.
My donation will pay for 200 children to receive a free talk (in their own school) from one of their Education Officers about the issues surrounding sustainable development. The Education Office will work with the school to fit their talk around the topics that the children are studying – making it relevant and interesting to the discerning audience!
More information on YPTE can be found on their website and there is also a comprehensive database of information that can be downloaded for free (over 3.3 million pages were downloaded in the last year so it is obviously a resource that is being well used).
Finding a good natural hand cream is quite a challenge. Some just don’t soak in and leave your hands greasy – others don’t actually make you hands feel any softer. Balance Me’s Super Moisturising Hand Cream is thankfully somewhere in the middle and is fast becoming a favourite amongst our customers too.
It seems we’re not alone our my views as CEW (Cosmetic Executive Women) have just voted it Best New Certified Organic Skincare Product in their 2010 beauty awards. Voted for by their members who are all executive women in the cosmetic, fragrance and hairdressing industries that’s quite a compliment!
I’ve read a lot of blogs, articles etc in which people come up with (mostly) great suggestions on how we can all do our little bit to live in a more sustainable way. However one I read recently really made an impression on me…
“I wish for the return of people that can fix appliances and tech items like computers, TV’s, microwaves, etc. so we can stop throwing them out just to buy new ones. It is extremely hard to find anyone with the knowledge and skills to fix even a toaster now, and it contributes to our whole ‘throw it away and buy more’ mentality.”
I’m sure there are a few ads in local parish magazines for Mr (or Mrs!) Fix-Its but I agree they are really hard to find. And because of that it can seem easier to go out and buy new. Wouldn’t it be great if there was a central ‘database’ of local people who could offer these services – making it simplier and quicker for us to do the right thing (which is of course what we all want).
If you know of a website that does this do let me know and i’ll mention it on the blog…
One of my favourite ranges on the Green Tulip website (and one which I wear most days!) has always been the Zulugrass jewellery. Zulugrass is a unique and versatile type of jewellery made from vibrantly dyed grass combined with sparkling hand blown Czech glass beads – all threaded onto a strong elasticated thread.
Jewellery wise is is bright, simple and so easy to wear. But it is the story that makes it really special…
Katy and Philip Leakey came up with the idea for Zulugrass after seeing the effect of the 2001 severe drought on the people of the Kenyan bush, where they live. They wanted to help the local community by providing work opportunities without interfering with local culture, and so came up with an idea that would utilise the traditional jewellery-making skills of the Maasai women whilst their men had to drive their few remaining cattle hundreds of miles away to search for better grazing.
The Massai women like to work with the freedom to come and go as their lives dictate so the work is offered in non-factory settings at “nomadic” work stations which span over 150 miles in the Rift Valley in Kenya. Each woman can choose to work when she wants to, and is paid by the piece. They now provide work for more than 1,400 Maasai women during peak seasons.
The project was a finalist in the BBC World Challenge ’08 awards which recognises small businesses around the world that have shown enterprise and innovation at a grass-roots level.
Do visit our Green Tulip website to see the range for yourself and keep an eye on the website over the coming months as we are going to be adding the new funky Zulusport range as well as the readymade ‘Multi-Strand’ Necklaces (not to mention the full 100 colours in the bestselling single strands). The only problem you’ll have is how to choose…!
You may have noticed the 1% for the Planet logo on the Green Tulip website. It’s a charity that I signed up to soon after launching Green Tulip having heard about it from one of my suppliers.
1% For The Planet is an alliance of businesses that understand the necessity of protecting the natural environment and we all pledge 1% of our sales to charities that promote the preservation and restoration of the natural environment.
What I like about the alliance is that we can choose which charities we support so are able to select those that fit with our own personal priorities or are working in our local area. I’m just finalising details of which charities I am supporting for this year and will post details of each one in the next few weeks…
We’re pleased to introduce our new ‘Bambu Boutique‘ as part of the Green Tulip website. We’ve been running Bambu Boutique as a separate website for the last 18 months, but felt it was sensible to bring it into Green Tulip so customers get the chance to shop across our wide range of ethical gifts as well as the beautiful bambu range. We hope you agree!
We also have many new bambu products from the 2010 range arriving in the next couple of weeks. First onto the site are the new coconut bowls – each one is unique and we think they will quickly become a best seller…