The Green Familia » bootie boutique

TGF Ethical Christmas Gift Guide – Day 42

Brenda — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 11:00:00 +0000

Continuing on our TGF Ethical Christmas Gift Guides, here is some more great ethical goodies for you to think about buying.

Gift Ideas £30 and under

Girls Pini Dress, available from Pili Pala for £26.

Boys Jumper, available from Pili Pala for £26.

Dulwich Beach Hut Booties, available from Bootie Boutique for £28.

Star Charm Necklace, available from Kate Hunter Hamilton for £28.99.

Train Keepsake Box, available from Freya Design for £29.

Shoehouse, available from Treeblocks for £29.51.

Lava Shells Home Care Kit, available from Shared Beauty Secrets for £29.95.

Sippy Cup and Bath Set, available from Cool Green Attitude for £30.

Avotra Scarf, available from Ethnic Supplies for £30.

Ladies Tall Wellies, available from Seasalt for £30.

TGF Ethical Christmas Gift List – Day 33

erica — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 16:00:49 +0000

Today’s TGF Ethical Christmas Gift List focus is on gifts made from bamboo.

I love this festively coloured pouch bag from Reclaimed Threads, which has ties on either side at the top. At the top of the bag, there are lovely “petals”, which are folded over to reveal the interior fabric, providing a nice contrast of colours and patterns. The bottom is reinforced with bamboo and organic cotton batting to provide extra durability. All Reclaimed Threads’ bags are one off items and made out of reclaimed, recycled, vintage and/or organic materials. It would be great either as a gift in its own right or as a luxurious gift bag. Brenda wrote about Reclaimed Threads earlier this year, and you can read her post here. It’s priced at $15 and 5% of that goes to charity.

A perfect gift for a first Christmas or a Christmas new arrival, would be this soft,warm, long sleeved bodysuit and hat set from Organikids. The red trim around the neck, cuffs and legs adds a festive touch and there’s also a version with green edging. It’s made from 70% organic bamboo and 30% organic cotton. From a practical perspective, it has an envelope neck, popper fastenings and is machine washable. The matching hat has a cute pixie knot. It’s available in sizes through to 1 year and is priced at £15.

This week’s Featured Retailer was Bootie Boutique and here’s a lovely, bamboo gift idea from them. Again, it’s an ideal choice for baby’s first Christmas and is available in sizes up to 1 year of age. They’re hand knitted from spun bamboo and come in 4 colour options, all with stripey soles. The soft elasticated opening is designed to make them easy to put on, but secure enough to stay put despite kicking feet. Even the packaging is environmentally friendly as it’s made from recycled materials. They are priced at £28.

If you missed day 32 of the TGF Ethical Christmas Gift List, you can catch up here.

Featured Retailer: Bootie Boutique

Brenda — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 08:00:10 +0000

Who are you and what is your position?

I’m Kirsty Kissell, creator of Bootie Boutique, an online emporium, offering charming hand-made baby booties.

The reason for starting your company?

The company started as a hobby that got rather out of control. I love knitting, and I started off by making a few friends with babies some booties as a home-made gift, and they were recieved with such enthusiasm that I thought there was a potential business opportunity there.

How long have you been in business?

I made my first pair of baby booties just over two years ago, and Bootie Bootique has been online for 18 months.

Tell us about your products.

My range of baby booties are all named after my favourite places in London, as I was out and about when I was creating the early samples. It’s a fun range with a perfect pair for everyone. There’s the classic Marylebone style in lovely soft colours, which contrasts with the more pop-coloured Hoxton style. The stripey Dulwich and Kilburn styles, as well as the charming Pimlico style which has the option of being personalised with the baby’s name and date of birth. Alongside the classic range, there’s some more quirky booties, such as the Baby Jack, which is decorated with the Union Jack on the soles.

What is your favourite green luxury item?

My favourite green luxury item remains Green and Blacks Maya Gold chocolate. Melted over ice cream- mmmmm mmmm!

What is your top green tip?

My top green tip is to make use of recycling networks such as Freecycle.com, and save things from going to landfill. Your junk could be someone else’s treasure, and it works both ways.

What do you do to relax?

To relax, I love to cook. There’s nothing I like better than cooking up a feast, and getting some friends over to help devour it. My husband has just started a blog about our culinary adventures! www.shellingpeas.wordpress.com