Good Morning from London! We will be here for the week and hope to find a place to live for our family. Fingers crossed… and if you like you can follow our journey through my Instagram this week.
And you probably noticed already that I am very drawn to anything Autumn at the moment. It is such a beautiful season! So I found the new collection from Fin & Vince and it is the perfect fit to my Autumn scheme…
Established in 2015 by Sara and Makel, two mums that design for collecting moments for the little people in our life.
Here you can find minimal heirloom baby & kids clothing made with high quality fabrics like linen or double gauze cotton in neutral tones.
And like I said, the new collection is full of adorable pieces in the best shades – such as terra-cotta, honey, dusty rose or marigold. Oh, isn’t marigold a beautiful colour?
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Sara and Makel have 5 boys between each other. And the inspiration behind each garment is, that it becomes a part of a little person’s life. Going on adventures, maybe hold a tear or two and capture memories.
The romper you wear nearly every day during summer or the dress on your first day of school. Later, these heirloom pieces, full of stories, will find a place in the cupboard of their siblings. Or even the next generation!
Fin & Vince embodies a charming and timeless design, that appeals to a modern audience.
‘These elements really play into the heirloom quality of our products. Their main desire is that our clothing is something that you cherish. Something that lasts the test of time, and will ultimately be a part of your families generations.’
All products are ethically made in the USA from start to finish! From the fabric, to the custom low-impact dyeing and custom hand-drawn printing, to the sewing of the product.
Let’s strive to slow down and keep collecting moments.
The word ‘sustainable’ seems to be everywhere at the moment. Everything, everyone and everywhere is sustainable. And as I absolutely agree that we should think about our impact on the environment and our future, I wonder if we all know what it actually means?
What does being sustainable mean? Sustainable family living? And how much do we or should we do to provoke change? Because sustainable, in an environmental field, actually means ‘using methods that do not harm the environment so that natural resources are still available in the future’.
The whole going vegan thing actually became a topic out of this. Because livestock and dairy production are the second highest contributors to atmosphere – altering gases. Livestock/ dairy products cause huge air and water pollution. And just as an example: It takes more than 9500 liters of water to produce just 500 gr of meat. You can save more water by not eating that meat than you can by not showering for six months!
And since vegetarians still consume a lot of animal products (eggs, cheese, butter, milk…) we did decide to go for vegan directly.
Joseph Poore said:
‘A vegan diet is probably the single biggest way to reduce your impact on planet Earth, not just greenhouse gases, but global acidification, eutrophication, land use, and water use.’
But today I do not want to talk about diets (again), I want to talk about things we as a family do, to live more sustainable. Because there are a lot of little things that altogether can make a difference. And if we all contribute something, we can achieve something too. (And also because some people asked me about…)
We have four children in our home and of course, we want them to grow up in a green world. And we want them to understand that little things do help and their decisions can make a difference. Which goes the other way around as well. Not paying attention to small things that do harm our world, do make a difference as well. Unfortunately not a good one. Something to keep in mind and to remind people who still believe that their -sole- impact would not help to make our world a better place!
Things like turning off the lights when leaving the room are no ‘shocking news’ anymore and we probably heard that phrase since we were teens. But there is more and talking with your children and asking them for ideas and input is a great way to implicate some more ways in a more sustainable family living.
Here is a list of things we do in our family. I am sure that you already do some/ most of them but maybe there are one or two that inspire you to adapt:
Home cooked food!
I love to cook and currently I am super excited to try out quite a few new recipes from the vegan blogs and books of this world. Cooking your own food instead of packaged meals is better because processed food is resource-intensive to produce and unhealthy to boot as well. It includes that we do shop local ingredients – last time I saw herbs coming from someplace in Africa, totally unnecessary – as much as possible and we also go with the seasons. (no strawberry tart in December!)
Waterbottles to water plants!
When the kids come home from school and empty their backpacks, the water bottles are often not 100% empty. Instead of emptying the water down the drain we use it to water our plants. With four kids this really adds up over a week and then think about a term…
Laundry check!
Instead of just putting everything into the laundry basket, we ask the children to double check their clothes. Not talking about underwear and socks, but jeans and cardigans are often fine for another round.
More about laundry!
Laundry uses a lot of water and a lot of products. First: Ditch fabric softener.
Next: 90% of the energy used to wash your clothes goes to heating water. Most washing powders clean just well in cold water as they do in hot.
Only wash with full loads because the use of water and energy is nearly the same for a machine that is only filled half.
Buying eco/ organic!
Next, to buying seasonal and local, we do buy organic. A few points why organic is better:
Organic farmers build soil with natural fertilizers in order to grow crops. They rely on the natural enemies of pests
and use crop rotation to conserve soil. Which means that more animals and plants can live in the same place in a natural way. Organic farming makes without the use of synthetic inputs, including synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, plant growth regulators, nanomaterials and genetically-modified organisms (GMOs).
Recycle envelopes!
Snail mail is less these days but we still get some official letters and other stuff. The envelopes are great for writing down to-do lists, shopping lists or just as general note papers.
Fabric napkins!
No more paper towels or paper napkins. Fabric it is and it looks so much nice on the table too.
Reusable shopping bags!
I always have a reusable bag in my handbag. You just never know when you may need it…
We have a drawer full of cotton bags that everyone uses for shopping, bringing things to school and so on.
No straws!
Long-lasting clothes.
You know that I believe very much in the whole ‘quality over quantity’ thing when it comes to clothes. For the whole family. Invest a little more in timeless, long lasting clothes – better for the environment as well as your bank account in the long run!
I recommend this article to you.
Separate waste!
Separation of waste allows for efficient reuse and recycling. An example: When waste is not separated properly it leads to less recycling and many resources may be wasted. And you can help by starting segregating the waste in your own house.
Reduce waste!
Seeing the points above already helps to reduce waste. Even separating helps because it shows you so clearly how much there really is. Other examples of how to reduce waste: Ditch plastic bags, make meal plans and shop accordingly, buy in bulk for less packaging or choose products that can be refilled. Just a few and actually a topic well worth a post on its own.
Soap bars instead of plastic bottles!
Buy soap instead of shower gels in plastic bottles. Even shampoo comes in form of bars now…
Cycle!
We do not own a car and we are not planning to get one either. If we really need one we can always rent one and I believe that carpools and car sharing are getting more and more popular.
Tap water!
Yes, here in Sweden the tap water is excellent. And so it is in many other countries. And you can always go for a filter too… just do avoid buying water in plastic bottles.
Reusable containers!
For snacks, lunch etc…
Purchase energy efficient appliances!
If you need a new machine, make sure it is energy efficient. Same goes for light bulbs.
Plant seeds!
Or even more, if you have space. Like I said – every little thing helps.
Natural cleaning products!
Use the most natural cleaning products you can. Vinegar, for example, is a great cleaner.
Do you have tips to share? We want to hear them in the comments…
You probably already noticed it in the shops, but if you want to get your kiddo T H E item for the winter season: Go for a golden jacket.
The bling factor that children adore. Because… I mean, how cool is a golden jacket?! That you can actually wear every day and be warm.
So yes, be golden this winter with one of these statement coats. And – more good news. There is one for every budget!
Let’s dare to wear gold:
1. Gold with a faux fur lining for the extra cosy factor.
2. Puffa coat with bow and a warm waterproof padded material.
3. Snowdance jacket from Finger in the Nose (who do the golden jacket for years!) – it is reversible in case you do not feel that golden for a day…
Today’s post is going perfectly with the rainy, misty weather going on outside… we will not complain after all these glorious weeks. No no… instead we are going to look at the new collection from Tocotó Vintage called ‘The Secret Garden’. It is so beautiful that I can hardly get enough…
This collection is inspired by the magic and mysterious atmosphere of secret gardens. And the chance of an encounter with some mythical and strange creatures. You can find a lot of floral patterns and details inspired by animals. The colour palette includes many earthy tones as well as stunning blues that I absolutely adore.
All these wonderful knits and layered looks. Totally up my alley… Checked dresses, ruffles, cute pants and some boho feeling… personally I think that this is Maria’s strongest collection to date.
Do you like it as well?
By the way… Tocoto Vintage was created in 2008. 10 years ago… congratulations!
For today’s Interior Tuesday I am taking you up to Stockholm again. We are visiting this lovely family apartment situated in the district of Södermalm – Sofo. The area SoFo, translates into “South of Folkungagatan”.
This lovely apartment is another great ‘case study’ on how to maximize space. One shared bedroom and another small kids room that is as cosy as it can get. And isn’t all about having a room that you love instead of the size? (maybe it is the person talking here who knows that moving to London will mean that we need to downsize!) (may I add that I also think that in some cases a great location can make up for a few sqm less than you had hoped?)
Let’s have a look:
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Beautiful blush tones in this small yet lovely room.
Similar cushions I found here, the string shelf seems to find a spot in every children’s room and yet it is clear why – practical, timeless and you will probably still have when the grand kids come for a visit. For the bed linen – I like this one, very similar and even available in lots of different colours.
Also notice the different colours on the walls – it is a lovely touch and creates a sweet atmosphere.
