Our Top 5 Ethical Christmas Gifts

Evening lovelies! After spending a good few hours on the old world wide web the last week or so scouring for some presents for my besties, I decided to go all out ethical this year!

I love supporting local businesses and finding some unique handmade gifts and I know its a winner because I always love receiving them too! Finding that special present is such a thoughtful thing, regardless of price.

Here's my top 5 last minute ethical gifts for every budget!

#1 Bicycle Cushion

From the wonderful sight Daisy Daisy, this cushion is an embroidered fair trade beauty perfect for any home at £35

#2 Embroidered Scarf

For the not so budget conscience buyer! This beautiful yellow and black embroidered scarf from People Tree for the fashion lover at £95

#3 Raw Quartz necklace

Natural quartz dipped in gold to adorn your neck at £12.99. Handmade by kissthefuture for Etsy. Jewellery is a safe option for Christmas - so make sure it's a special piece! 

#4 Gift of Reading

For the bookworm - a vintage book is always a thoughtful present. Last Christmas my mum bought me a 19th century edition of Alice in Wonderland and it's one of the best presents I've ever received. This 1950's edition of Pride&Prejudice is for sale by Eager for Word on Etsy at £12.50

#5 DIY present - Free!

Budget conscience? Everyone loves a DIY present. It's not always about the money you spend, the thought is really what counts. If you don't have a lot to spend, you can make these amazing 'Tub Teas' for the bath! Find out how on the Martha Stewart site!

xoxo

♥

The Ethical Christmas Jumper

It's that time of year again - the festive season is well and truly upon us and the shops have gone predictably crazy! A quick jaunt through town this week saw shops full to the rafters with Christmas decorations, Christmas cards, Christmas food and of course, the fast fashion favourite: the Christmas jumper.

An item that has done a complete 180 from "wouldn't be caught dead in one" to  "must have must have must have!". It's easy to see why the big fashion retailers have jumped on the trend, and while they're offering affordable fashion it's worth remembering that it's also possible to get an ethically sourced Christmas jumper too! :) 

Save the Children have teamed up with Wool & The Gang and 12 amazing designers to create "Christmas Jumper Day" on the 13th of December 2013. Each designer has put their own stamp on a Wool & The Gang handmade jumper, and you can bid on your favourite :) The lowest unique bid wins so take a look and pick your favourites (we really like the Paul Smith one)! The auction closes on the 29th December so be quick :)

In the spirit of Christmas Jumper Day we thought we'd do a roundup of our favourite ethical Christmas jumpers available online this year.

First up we love this super cute skier jumper (£98) - an investment piece made from a soft blend of wool and man-made fibres by ethical fashion retailer Lowie.

Did you know you can now buy clothes from Oxfam online as well as in their charity shops? This festive jumper (£50) is a little more subtle - don't the beads look a little like snowflakes? Oxfam are always updating their stock so it's worth keeping an eye on it :) (they also have a ton of party dresses in stock too if you still need one for your Christmas do!)

This Not For Ponies Christmas jumper (£35) from Not on the High Street combines two of the biggest trends from the last couple of years - Christmas jumpers and moustaches! Good work, guys. They also have a great range of kids and men's Christmas jumpers and all of their stock is handmade in their studio in Manchester. Great stuff!

Of course you can always go for a vintage jumper (try eBay, ASOS Marketplace or our very own Hubbard's Cupboard for some real gems). We especially love this uber tacky 1990s Christmas sweatshirt (£18).

Last but not least, if you're in more of a crafty mood (especially if you have some old jumpers lying around already) Oxfam have posted a fantastic Create your own Christmas jumper tutorial! Christmas Jumper Craft Party, anyone? (If you decide to hold one of these please invite the Ears & Whiskers team!)

We hope we've inspired you with your Christmas shopping selection - remember, a Christmas jumper is for life, not just for Christmas ;)

Love

Sarah 

// Shopping Local

It's always a pain buying Christmas presents - and I certainly am not one for buying in the High Street at Christmas.

Having a small business, Christmas is the one time of year I look forward too with all you lovelies looking for something a little different, I try to source all the handmade curiosities that I'd love to buy for presents myself. So my little trip to Bath this week was as much a business trip as it was a shopping trip (or so I try convince myself)

Bath is a lovely city for those of you who have never been, the architecture is amazing and the shops are so cute, so I thought I'd share a few images with you of the market and town itself looking very festive!

Bath Christmas market  is a great place to get some unusual gifts this Christmas - in fact any Christmas market. Right here in Cardiff they have an amazing Christmas market with loads of handmade goodies. Supporting local is a big part of boosting the economy - so if your in John Lewis, Debenhams or any other High Street/Department store reading this then get out! Get around the corner to one of the lovely independent shops in your City and get something unusual this Christmas.

xoxo
♥

// Photoshoots

We recently teamed up with some amazingly talented companies to create a stunning styled shoot in the absolute best location!

The photos of the shoot are soon to be released on Gwen's Bridal Bazaar and we absolutely can NOT wait!

Without giving too much away, here's a sneaky peek at the amazing Laura Power's images from the day and a quick phone shot of the beautiful dress we had the pleasure of making...

I can't wait to tell you how i got all my inspiration for the dress once the shoot is released! Its a good un!

xoxo
♥

Ethical Party Outfit Inspiration

Sarah here again! :) I can't believe how quickly this year how flown by - how is Christmas party season upon us already?! It seems like just yesterday it was June but apparently the calendar I'm using is way off because it's almost December people and that means you're probably starting to think about what you're going to wear to all of those Christmas dos you've been invited to. 

If you're anything like me you're also starting to panic a little bit about it but worry not, I'm here to help! :)

At this time of year the shops are full to bursting with fast fashion - cheap to buy but also cheaply made - but these pieces aren't always designed to last. Instead of buying a dress that you'll wear once and then realise it's falling apart slightly (we've all been there right?) I've put together a couple of outfit choices made entirely from ethical fashion pieces. It can be done! :)

If you normally spend your money on throwaway pieces, I challenge you to buy something from an ethical retailer instead - boost your wardrobe and your karma! :)

First up I've put together a look for the bold among you - shorts! Patterns! Crop tops! Before you write this outfit off as unwearable or only for the skinny among you: those gorgeous shorts are high waisted and everyone knows that patterns are born to clash with each other. Don't be afraid to mix it up a bit this year (tights optional if you're brave enough to face the weather!).

Kimino | Bralet top | Shorts | Polka dot clutch bag | Earrings | Copper necklace | Floral heels

I've also put together a look featuring a gorgeous (& flattering to most shapes!) dress, in case the thought of wearing shorts in December leaves you feeling a bit chilly. It's okay - I understand.

Cardigan | Striped dress | 1940s Vintage clutch | Diamond earrings | Triangle necklace | Glitter heels | Panda brooch

If you prefer not to wear real diamonds then try this quirky 'diamond' pair of earrings instead (I love these!). Add in a pair of vegan shoes, splurge on a 1940s clutch if you can afford it and you should have an outfit for every occasion :) 

What are you wearing to your Christmas party this year? If you're struggling to find ethical retailers to take your pennies then let me know in the comments and I'll do my best to find you something amazing. After all, everyone deserves to look amazing no matter what the occasion, right? :)

Love

Sarah

Dress mess...

In my fairly short time of designing wedding dresses, I've had a lot of brides that were last minute panickers... as far as I can tell, it's mostly stemmed from that budget dress they've had on order.

This post is pretty close to my heart and is as much about throwaway fashion as it is about weddings, because it's not all weddings I've had this problem with! 

Maybe it's because I'm a massive perfectionist or maybe because I was taught to make couture, either way I now find it very hard to shop (especially on-line) as I scrutinize the quality of the clothing. I'm even seeing more and more brands who's quality is dropping but the prices certainly aren't! As much as I'm a lover of the ethical, budget always comes in to play and now an again I will opt for the not so well made cheap piece to add to my wardrobe but where ever possible I will save to purchase a top quality garment as in the long run, it's much better value for money.

On this subject, if there is a ever a time to not cheap out on a garment - I would suggest your Wedding dress! This week reminded me of this little nightmare and if I can ever give you some advice - it is this... Do not buy your dress on-line! 

Granted - there may be some success stories with Brides who have bought their dress cheaply on-line and had the best dress they can imagine - but more often than not I get the last minute panickers who have ordered their dresses only to be completely gutted at the quality of the garment, the fabrics and the fit.

A few months back, BBC's 'Fake Britain' took a look at the sale of counterfeit wedding dresses on-line, this is what was said  “Brides think they are buying what they see in the pictures, but they are not, these dresses are only available from official stockists of the particular designer…The fake dresses are made for pennies from lining material or something equally as cheap, seams and stitches are often unfinished and they mostly arrive with no underlay; meaning it falls like a sack.” 

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news girls but if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is!

Getting your dress made you can choose and see the quality of your fabrics, you can watch your dress coming together, change any little bits (if your as fussy as I am strap width is always a biggy!) and you can relax knowing its going to fit you perfect. Even buying from a reputable shop - you can guarantee the quality and know you have some insurance if anything were to go wrong.

So please, no matter how nice the picture looks - don't buy your dress on-line! Get it right the first time and don't end up spending more than you bargained for.

xoxo

♥

A Round Up of Ethical Fashion Blogs

Hola Ears & Whiskers readers! :) It's Sarah here, the newest member to the E&W blog. For my first post I thought I'd start simple and do a round up of the sewing and ethical fashion blogs that I like to read - after all, everyone loves to find new blogs to read, right? :)

First up: Ms Wanda's Wardrobe. Billed as 'the home of sustainable and ethical fashion', Ms Wanda's Wardrobe also has a directory of ethical brands and blogs, which is really helpful when trying to find ethical brands to shop from :)

Second we have What Katie Sews. Katie originally blogged her sewing explorations on her main blog, What Katie Does but started to enjoy it so much (sew much? Ha) that she started a new blog just for her projects. Her progress is amazing - it's so fun to see what she's going to tackle next :)

Next up is Style Is... (who also wrote a post on ethical fashion inspiration, I'll be checking out those other links pronto!). This blog is super varied and always has something interesting to read on it :)

Emma writes Adore, reflect, sustain. She actually ran some ethical fashion workshops this year, which is pretty cool. Emma doesn't just write about ethical fashion, she covered the whole spectrum of ethical living. She has an ethical brand directory as well - useful!

Jana writes Clothes, Camera & Coffee - a fashion blog mostly focused on second hand and vintage clothing - my kind of blog! :)

E&W is based in Cardiff (you can pop it and see Sophie at Hubbard's Cupboard in the Castle Arcade if you're ever in town, just don't blame me if you end up buying something, the shop is full of irresistible bargains!) and so is our next blogger, Elena from Seamless. Not just a seamstress, Elena has gone one step further and pledged not to buy any new clothes this year - eek!

& finally we can't really mention ethical clothing without talking about Who Made Your Pants - an ethical duo making the world better, one ethical pair of pants at  a time. While they don't have a blog (yet! Fancy starting one, girls?) they do have a Twitter account so follow them there if you fancy :)

I'm always keen to follow new blogs (especially fashion blogs!) so if you have any favourites then pop them in the comments and I'll take a look! :) Who have I missed?

Love

Sarah x