It's Easy Being Green

Lately I've been trying to increase the ways in which I can be environmentally conscious. I've always recycled for as long as we've had recycling service where I live, but I want to do more.

As it's nearly a new year, I've made some resolutions which I hope to stick to as much as possible. Here they are!

* Buy products with less or no packaging, and recycle everything that is recyclable
* Try to use environmentally friendly cleaning products where possible
* Switch off lights and appliances when I'm not using them
* Avoid using the car for short trips when I can
* Get rid of the junk residing in the car & reduce the amount of fuel I use
* Try to buy vintage or make my own clothes instead of labels from chains

Another thing which I always do is to buy audited barn-laid eggs. A common misconception is that free range are best for hens, but to get a 'free range' label, the farms only have to let the chickens out for say 10 mins a day and the rest of the time they could be in cages. For 'barn laid', they have to be in a large enclosure, able to wander around. Sunny Queen do barn laid eggs where the chickens have free access to food and dirt to scratch around like regular chickens. Another brand I bought recently (sadly I forgot the name but will let you know) comes from a family-owned farm where the chickens are fed only organic grains and food, and treated humanely. The eggs cost $2-3 more but I think it's worth it for the chickens!

Of course the best eggs are one that come from your own hens, but as we are unable to keep any, being choosy about which eggs we buy is the next best thing!

Now to the pictures! I've had a few dresses which I bought during winter & hadn't had a chance to wear yet, but with the weather heating up they've been great versatile pieces to take with me on my travels, easily dressed up or down :)



In these pictures I'm also wearing my new prescription sunglasses, they're red-brown DKNY frames. Still getting used to the graduated tint! bonus was, I didn't pay a cent for them as they're covered by my private medical insurance. If you have HBF/medibank etc, make sure to check that you've used your yearly entitlements, as the re-set on the 1st of January. I'm planning to get some new everyday glasses next year!


Dress: Boutique in Sydney
Necklace: Diva, I think, it was a few years ago!
Sunglasses: DKNY from OPSM
Sandals: Shoe store in Bondi Beach

Dressember- Sunny Side Up

I recently attended a vintage market at a local boutique, and one of the items that I dug out of the bargain bin was this dress. It's not my usual style but cute & cool enough for a day of doing chores around the house. It's not quite the right fit for my shape, so it'll probably be going into my Etsy store soon.


The fabric is a really cute vintage circle print.




The cute polka-dot sunglasses were also a lucky find in the depths of a jumble table. I don't normally go for oval-shaped glasses but I quite like these :)

Dress: Vintage from a market
Belt: Ice Accessories (I think)
Glasses: Vintage market

Dressember- Violet Hill

I purchased this dress (along with another) quite awhile back but hadn't yet worn it. Given that Dressember is a perfect excuse, I gave it an outing. This one was quite good for a warm day running errands, but still looking a little bit dressed up.


I think it'd even be nice with heels & a cardi for a garden party or daytime wedding. I really love the fabric-covered buttons on the waist, they're such a cute detail & make it look vintage. Best of all it was only $16 on- you guessed it- eBay!


Dress: Ebay
Bracelet: Diva
Sunglasses: Random store in London

Dressember- Tribal

I love this dress because it's just easy to wear but still looks like I've made at least some effort! )


Sorry that the pics are washed out, I had to take them in the time I had and it just happened to be around noon...

Dress: Valleygirl
Sandals: Big W
Bracelets: Market finds
Sunglasses: H&M, London

Dressember- Paisley

My first post of 'Dressember' is this cute little tunic dress in a neat purple paisley print. It had been sitting in my wardrobe for quite a while, tags still on, so I decided I either had to wear it or pass it along to someone else. This one is a little shorter than I normally wear, so unless it's going to the beach or hanging around the house, I pair it with a long comfy light cardigan :)



Best of all, this came off the sale rack at Big W for only $10, yet looks like vintage! :D I really like the sleeve shape & neckline, they remind me of Regency-era dresses.



Dress: Big W (on sale)
Belt: Forever New
Sandals: 'Candy' from Kmart (on sale)
Rings: One found at a remote beach, the other from Florence

Dressember!

Yes, I just made the word up, but it's all for a good cause*. I loved the few days I managed to participate in Frocktober, and I love the idea of doing something fun for a good cause. So, I've come up with the idea to do my own month of wearing dresses, and have called it "Dressember" (clever huh!)

A cause close to my heart is that of the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS). There wouldn't be many Australians who don't know of this organisation. The RFDS was the first and is now the most comprehensive aero-medical organisation anywhere in the world. They are a not-for-profit organisation, supported by the Commonwealth, State and Territory Governments, they also receive generous donations from the community and corporations.


I've decided to donate $2 per dress(day) to the RFDS, amounting to $62. It doesn't seem like a lot, but every bit counts. I'm hoping once I'm past the quiet period at work & earning more money that I can donate more.

It would be great to get support for the RFDS and their essential work, so if you like what I'm doing, please keep checking back and if you feel so inclined, it would be great if you too could donate whatever you can by clicking here! Thanks, and stay tuned for some Dressember posts! :)

Edit: it has come to my attention that there's already such a thing as 'Dressember'. But I didn't know about it when I had the idea. So, this is *my* version of 'Dressember'...