The Green Familia » erica

Callula Glass for your Home

erica — Fri, 18 May 2012 18:30:40 +0000

Callula Glass makes a wide range of brightly coloured fused glass products. They’re all hand made in the UK. Fused glass is made by taking layers of compatible glass and joining them together by heating them, in a kiln to around 800 degrees centigrade, until the glass becomes fluid. The pieces of glass then fused together and are cooled down very slowly to reduce the risk of thermal shock. As the pieces are made by hand, they are all slightly different, so you get a unique item.

I love the bright, summery colours of the Tango Collection from Callula Glass. These coasters would look lovely in a sunny room, conservatory or outside. Rubber feet on the bottom protect the surface of your furniture too. A pack of four coasters is priced at £40.

If cool blues are more your thing, then you might fancy adding this seaside clock to your home. The clock features a quartz, sweeping mechanism (so there’s no annoying ticking sound) with silver coloured hands. This would look good on a shelf, mantelpiece or beside the bed. The clock costs £40 and measures 20cm x 10cm.

Border Aromatics’ Candles

erica — Fri, 18 May 2012 18:15:25 +0000

Border Aromatics make some lovely candles and fragrancing products. All the wax used to make their items is 100% soy with no palm additives, plus it’s farmed only on sustainable farms. None of the ingredients have been tested on animals either.

I like to use candles around my home to provide fragrance, gentle light and a feeling of warmth. This Black Linen and Amber Candle is natural white with grey swirls within the wax. The candle comes in a heavy bottomed glass tumbler within a navy linen, textured gift box. It’s designed to have a fresh linen scent using cotton blossom, crisp ozone, white blossoms, cashmere, amber, musk and patchouli. Each candle should last 50-60 hours and it’s priced at £15.

If you prefer to use melts, then you might like these Wedding Day Melts. Blended to give a romantic fragrance with top notes of pears and apricots; heart notes of roses, orchids and birds of paradise; and bottom notes of fresh English ivy, sandalwood and musk; these melts would be perfect for a wedding or other romantic occasion. Each box is tied with a ribbon and contains two white melts embellished with a dried rosebud. They are priced at £3 each.

TGF Rated Review: Inn Teas’ Green Tea

erica — Fri, 18 May 2012 17:37:08 +0000

What is it? Inn Teas specialise in organic, high trade teas. I was recently sent some of their green tea to try out.

Who is reviewing it? Me – a tea drinker who regularly drinks a wide range of teas including green teas.

Set Up This is a loose leaf organic green tea, so you need a teapot and strainer or similar set up to use it.

In Use The tea has a fragrant scent on opening and once made it comes up a light yellowy green colour, but still has a delicate almost floral fragrance. It tastes fresh and green and is a pleasant tea to drink.

Any Negatives Would be good to have a tea bag option for days when time is short.

Price and Availability Available from Inn Green Teas for £5.23 for a 50g pack.

Overall A nice green tea made with quality leaves.

Rating 3.5

Outdoor Mirrors from Brighton Roc

erica — Fri, 18 May 2012 09:22:06 +0000

Mirrors are a great way to increase light and the perception of space inside your home and there’s no reason why you shouldn’t use them to give the same effect outside. Outdoors you can use a mirror to increase light in a dark corner, to show off a garden feature or favourite plant, to catch the eye to add a little interest or to increase the feeling of space.

Brighton Roc make a wonderful range of outdoor mirrors based on gothic style windows. They are cast in fiber cement to enable them to resist the elements. The mirror frames are pre-aged to give them that mellow, cotswold stone effect. They will continue to weather naturally once placed in your garden. This Small Traceried Double Light Mirror would look wonderful in a dark corner. It’s priced at £70.

If you’ve a bigger spot in mind, this Double Traceried Light Mirror might be just the thing you’ve been looking for. It has that high gothic look and instantly will add height and interest to whatever spot you place it in. The frame is ornate with two cinq foils. It’s priced at £140.

Seeded Gifts and Cards from Big Tree Little Tree

erica — Mon, 14 May 2012 08:00:53 +0000

Big Tree Little Tree sell an innovative selection of cards and gifts. Their collection of cards and bookmarks all come with seeded shape attachments, once your intended recipient has finished with their card or gift, they can then remove the seeded shape from the front of their card or bookmark, plant it in a pot and watch it grow.

This Grow Me A Flower Card comes in four different, traditional, flower varieties: poppy, daisy, violet and forget-me-not. Each card contains an appropriately seeded shape that can then be planted to get some plantsof that type of your own. Each card is priced at £3.60.

If vegetables or fruits are more suitable for the occasion or the recipient than flowers, then these recipe cards may be just the thing. Each card offers a seeded shape and a delicious sounding recipe using the vegetable concerned. You can choose from: cheesy courgette tart, honey roast beets, strawberry fool and tomato cream crunch. They’re priced at £3.99 each.

Little Wren Gifts

erica — Sun, 13 May 2012 20:41:27 +0000

Little Wren Gifts are based in Wales and specialise in selling goods made by different artisans. Many of their products have strong eco credentials too.

I do like these cute vintage style coin purses. They are made by hand from colourful, vintage look fabrics and decorated with complementary buttons. You can use them to keep money safe or to hold other small items. They measure 10 cm in height by 12 cm in width. As each one is handmade, they will vary a little. They’re priced at £10.50.

Another favourite of mine is this geometically patterned, handmade, wooden jewellery box. They’re made by a craftsman in Merseyside . The top of the box is Louis cube design using 3 different colours of wood in the veneer and the sides are fashioned from iroko wood. A closed box measures 19 cm width by 10 cm length and 5 cm depth approximately. Inside are six compartments to store all your bits and pieces away neatly. They’re priced at just £26 each.

Baby Clothes from My Baby Boutique

erica — Sun, 13 May 2012 20:40:17 +0000

If you’re on the look out for a new baby gift or a baby shower present for a child expected this summer, you might be looking for a romper suit. I like this elephant print romper as it can be folded over at the bottom to cover up tiny feet, but in warmer weather or as they grow, the baby can wear it footless. The cotton used to make it is 100% organic and it’s made in the UK too. It’s side fastening so the poppers won’t get in the way during tummy time sessions. Best of all is the cute elephant print and there is a ivory binding round the edges too. It’s priced at £14.99.

This jeans and stripey t shirt set is practical and fun too. Sizes range from 6 months to 3 years. The twill jeans are made from a slightly stretchy fabric for comfort. There’s a soft elasticated rib waistband, side pockets and turn-ups. The T shirt is a simple classic with it’s red and white stripes. The set is also available in raspberry, blue and green. The price is £30.99 and once again the fabric is 100% organic cotton and the garments are manufactured in the UK.

Jewellery from Becca Williams

erica — Thu, 10 May 2012 19:22:04 +0000

Becca Williams is a West Midlands based designer whose work is, surprisingly for someone working in landlocked Birmingham, influenced by the seaside. She produces handmade contemporary jewellery with a soft, delicate look.

This Black Heart Pendant from the Flotsam range is very simple and very pretty. It’s made from hammered sterling silver and has a dark, blackened finish with a soft, almost floral feel. It measures 2.5cm round, 6mm deep and hangs on a light 0.9cm snake chain. You can choose from a 16″, 18″ or 20″ chain and the price is £60.

Another favourite of mine are these Seaside Stacking Rings. These simple, delicate rings are made from reticulated silver wire with little silver and 9ct red gold pebble details. They’re sold in a group of four to stack on your finger. They have a soft, textured surface and the colours are beautiful muted. This stack comprises: 2 plain sterling silver rings, 1 sterling silver ring with pebble embellishments and a single 9ct red gold ring with silver pebble detail. They’re priced at £120 and are available in ring sizes K to Q.

Beamers’ Greetings Cards

erica — Thu, 10 May 2012 19:17:08 +0000

Beamers Designs is a Herefordshire based small scale publisher of contemporary Art based greetings cards. They source their designs from within the UK, so they support UK based artists. The cards are printed using vegetable inks and supplied in vegetable based biodegradable wrappers.

Lots of the images used on their cards are taken from the natural world like ‘Hare in Winter’. Others are humourous and a little quirky like ‘Dancing’.

You can select the pictures you like and buy from 6 cards at a time. The price varies depending on how many you order, so it’s £10 for 6 cards, £19 for 12 cards and 18 cards for £28. I like to keep a selection of cards in the house, so buying in larger quantities suits me.

Bags from Bagladee

erica — Mon, 07 May 2012 08:00:25 +0000

I love buying and using bags. As well as serving a practical purpose, bags can add the finishing touches to an outfit and bring the whole look together. Bagladee bags are handmade and there are some beautiful designs.

This Louisa Shoulder Bag caught my eye. It has a delightful blue/green, modern print on the outside, which co-ordinates with the mint green lining. To keep your bits and bobs secure, there’s a magnetic fastener to close. Inside the bag, there are pouches that are suitable for a mobile phone and personal items. It comes with a detachable, flower brooch adorned with a rhinestone button and crystals. It measures: 40cm(W) x 25cm(H), 55cm(H) from the base to the top of strap. It’s very reasonably priced at £40.

If you’re looking for a fun bag to team up with a summer party frock, this Juicy Clutch may be the one for you? There’s a real vintage feel to this vibrant, lemon slice print, but I think it has a contemporary twist too. It’s a chrome bobble frame clutch bag with co-ordinating black lining. There is a matching, decorative bow detail, with a rhinestone flower and crystals. It’s priced at £45.