The Joy of Bicarb Part I

We stink! Advertising campaigns bombard us with the message that we smell; from feet to hair, from groin to armpit. According to them, Smell is Bad. Yet research has shown that the chemicals in sweat known as pheromones can create bodily responses in other humans. Apparently some of the constituents of sweat even help deter predators but I'm afraid I've lost the source of that claim.

As consumers we are told that both smelly sweat and excessive wetness from perspiring are anti-social. I tend to agree with the first point although regular washing with soap and water should cut down the worst iffy niffs unless there is some underlying problem. Some people find that drinking more water and eating less protein can also improve body odour, but most of us need an extra something to make sure we smell sweet and fresh.

Go into any supermarket and you're faced with an arsenal of chemical weapons. Deodorants to stop BO (whisper it), anti-perspirants to prevent wet armpits. The big brands feature magic ingredients that keep everything under control whilst you win the World Cup, take your daily 10 mile run, close that multi-million pound deal and flee from women baying for your fragrant body. But could these smell-busters be doing more harm than good?

The Good Guide is a useful online resource which lists the ingredients and likely toxicity of common products, including deos and anti-perspirants. A similar site is Skin Deep. Further online meandering reveals numerous websites linking deo substances such as Triclosan, parabens and aluminium salts with increased health risks, most notably breast cancer. With all this evidence it seems sensible to choose a deodorant that doesn't contain chemicals and substances that may have a negative impact upon your health but is safe and effective.

There are lots of excellent products available in shops or by mail. We stock deodorants by Lavera and Weleda in our shop. Be aware though, most (if not all) 'crystal' deodorants DO contain aluminium despite some claims to the contrary. They're actually made from alum, also known as alunite, which is a compound of aluminium. What these crystals don't contain is aluminium chlorohydrate which is the aluminium salt that may be linked to health problems due to its ability to break through the skin barrier. Apparently alunite/alum doesn't have this ability, but if you're wanting to err on the side of caution and avoid aluminium altogether then don't buy crystal deodorants or any product based on them.

I'm undecided about their health implications but I'm irritated when I see retailers or manufacturers claim that crystal deos are 'aluminium-free'. I've contacted a few about it and usually the companies are great and amend their copy, but I have had some truly horrible replies. One supplier (who shall remain nameless although I would love to spill the beans) even threatened me with a multi-million dollar lawsuit for illegal harassment. One of their retailers had refused to alter their website and I had said I would report them to Trading Standards (the UK department who deal with inaccurate product claims). After the threatening email I followed through; Trading Standards duly carried out a product purchase, tested the product and ordered the retailer to remove the claim. Result.

Anyway, dragging myself down from one of my favourite hobby horses (I sound like a zealot!), I thought you might be interested to hear how quick, easy and cheap it is to make an effective deo at home from store cupboard ingredients. That's what I do myself. Actually, it's a bit of an exaggeration to say 'make a deodorant' as pretty much all you're doing is getting a pot from the kitchen cupboard and dusting it on. And the magic ingredient? That multi-tasker, bicarbonate of soda - also known as baking soda (NOT washing soda; far too harsh). If you ever do baking I'd be willing to bet that you have an old pot of bicarb lurking in your cupboard that is well past its sell-by date. Baking soda does deteriorate over time which reduces its effectiveness as a raising agent, however it's still fine as a deodorant. I often use baking powder which contains bicarb along with some other ingredients (wheat flour and disodium biphosphate on my tub) but all perfectly benign.

Use the bicarb just like talc, dusting it under arms and onto feet. I'd avoid using it on intimate areas though. If you want a bit of fragrance you can add a few drops of essential oil - pick ones with deodorising properties if you want to boost effectiveness - shaking the pot daily for a few days to disperse the scent. Personally I like herbal fragrances so use thyme, rosemary and lavender.

Bicarbonate of soda is extremely versatile and I plan to blog about it again in due course, but in the meantime here's a useful link to some household uses.

Beautiful, functional, sustainable, innovative

Images from Robin Wood's blog - shamelessly borrowed.

Went to see Robin and Nicola Wood in Edale yesterday evening.  I've already blogged about Robin's bowls and spoons, but when I saw their new timber framed building I knew I had to write a quick post about it.

The proportions are beautiful and the quality of joints and woodworking is extraordinary.  This is a building that is functional, personal, quirky and has an organic quality that is so at odds with conventional modern building techniques.  It's been designed so that it can be dismantled and rebuilt if necessary as the joints are all pegged rather than nailed or screwed.

One fantastically clever feature is the little round porthole windows at the gable end, which are made from the glass from old washing machine doors.  How clever is that?

If you want to watch the building being made go and have a look at the YouTube video.  Whilst there, take a gander at Robin turning bowls and hand carving spoons.  Mike and I are on his spoon carving course for the next three days - greenwood carving is wonderful and Robin is a great tutor - can't recommend it highly enough.  Here's the link to course information on Robin's site.

Solar Manchester

You know how sometimes you hear about something and are amazed you weren't aware of it before?

Well, it just happened to me. Mike (hubby) turned to me, slightly smugly I thought, and asked 'Where is Europe's largest solar array'. I plumped for Spain but he shook his head. 'Manchester' he said. 'What, Manchester, Italy?' (note the feeble attempt at humour to mask my surprise). 'No Manchester, Manchester!'

Apparently, The Co-operative Insurance have covered their impressive building in photo-voltaics and are making the claim that Mike so cheerfully waved in my face. According to a factoid on the CIS website, the array produces enough electricity every year to make 9 million cups of tea. Sorry, make that billion! Nine billion cups of tea.

And do you know, I had no idea. We live only about 25 mls from Manchester (this is Manchester in the UK by the way) and are account holders at The Co-operative Bank, but I'd never heard about this until now. Of course some of you are now casually studying your fingernails and saying 'Oh yes, that's old news' but I was genuinely surprised. I must have been asleep in 2007.

For those of you who want to read more take a look here, although the site doesn't appear to have been updated for quite a while - not even with the details of the completion and official opening a couple of years ago.

So all this is lovely and positive, but I have to confess that I shudder every time I see a glass clad building. The death toll for wild birds that crash into these shiny towers is horrifying. Thank heavens that some architects are now awakening to that fact and are planning to do something about it, shame that the movement is based in the USA - read more on Treehugger.

* sunshine *

nacre, originally uploaded by Scoobymoo.

When did we all become afraid of the sun? In the 1920s and 30s sunbathing was seen as health-promoting and people would pay for sun therapy. Now we slap on the factor 50 and scuttle for the shadows; no wonder we all have vitamin D deficiency.

There's increasing evidence that Vitamin D plays a vital role in health but the best source is from exposure to sunlight and today's lifestyle doesn't encourage exposure. Many of us only feel the sun's rays on our skin as we rush from house to car, from car to work, or into the shops. Then when we do decide to sunbathe so many of us overdo it, damaging the skin and increasing the risk of skin cancer.  In fact, researchers are finding that vitamin D actually reduces the incidence of cancers.

Seems to me that the sensible path is careful sun exposure. So here are some tips:

* Don't sunbathe during the hottest hours (how many times have you heard THAT?)

* Vitamin D starts to be formed in the skin after about 15 minutes exposure (depending upon intensity of the sun's rays). A good guide is to let your skin start to turn a little pink and then cover up well.

* How can you check if your skin is burning? Press a fingertip onto your skin and hold for about 5 seconds then remove. If a pink mark appears shortly after then your skin has had enough.

* I believe that skin cancer is caused by repeated sun damage - please notice that last word - careful exposure to the sun is healthy; being silly and going beetroot and peeling is NOT.

* Shock! According to some sources, if you wash sun-exposed skin with detergents within 48 hours of exposure you are washing Vitamin D off! Apparently Vitamin D3 is formed in your skin through the conversion of a cholesterol derivative but it takes a couple of days to be absorbed into the bloodstream.  You can always use soap for armpits, groin and feet but just rinse the rest of the body with water.  Read more at Mercola.com (you have to register).  Even if this isn't quite true it makes sense not to wash off all your skin's natural oils every time you shower or bathe.  No wonder the big bodycare companies sell so much moisturiser - it's to compensate for the loss of natural skin protection by the overuse of their detergents.  Nice trick.

Have fun in the sun and increase your vital vitamin D levels. Don't be scared of it.

Ta Daaaa!

recycled wrap - available on the Eco Eco website


Well here it is, and isn't it beautiful?

Our first Eco Eco product - we're so proud. As is the designer Lucie Summers!

We spent ages with the printers and Lucie to get this right. We plumped for double-sided printing so that you have the option of colours when wrapping - no need to keep loads of different wrap around the house. It's available in two colourways: fire engine red which is just as it sounds, backed with powder pink, and chartreuse which is a lovely appley green reversing to a deep seafoam turquoise.

The paper is cracking quality too - a hefty 130gsm FSC 80% recycled content - printed with vegetable based inks, by Severnprint here in the UK who are powered by renewable energy provided by Good Energy.

It's available on our website and in our shops already - we couldn't wait to get it out there.

The design is so versatile you could use this paper for all sorts of covering and craft jobs; I'm planning to make some bunting for the shop window (keep an eye out for the blog post in a few weeks). In fact, we love it so much we're working on getting it printed onto organic/fairtrade cotton in the next few months. We're even vaguely muttering 'Wallpaper' under our breath.

Watch this space!

Sign and Save

Whale, originally uploaded by LinkTree.

An opportunity to add your voice to a call for a global whale sanctuary. As The Humane Society International says 'Commercial whaling is so last century!'

Petition here

heritage

To most people 'heritage' means The National Trust, castles, museums, and perhaps morris dancing or other local tradition. However the newly formed Heritage Crafts Association highlights the unique contribution of makers and craftworkers to our cultural legacy. Do follow the link on the right to register as a supporter (it's absolutely free). Makers of traditional products as diverse as trugs, besoms, hurdles, baskets and scissors need our support. Most of the items these talented craftworkers produce are sustainable in the best sense; using local timber and materials they manufacture on a small, personal scale, and the things they make have an inherent beauty and practicality that can last for generations rather than being discarded and replaced at a whim.

I use the bowl and spoon above every day at breakfastime. The bowl is wonderful to hold, cradled in the hand with the thumb supporting it securely. It's a replica of an Elizabethan porringer that was found at a dig near the Globe in Southwark, and the spoon is inspired by German medieval illustrations. Both items were made by Robin and Nicola Wood of Edale, just a few miles away from where we live. These are truly sustainable pieces; made by a 'Robin-power' pole-lathe from local wood they should last far longer than comparable ceramic bowls.

Both Mike and I have our own individual bowls and spoons - you tend to become very propietorial! They are just as practical, if not more so, than ceramic and metal versions. They wash easily in hot soapy water, and the wooden bowl is naturally insulating when you eat hot meals. They don't tend to break if you drop them either. I think I may follow an ancient tradition and ask to be buried with my bowl and spoon.

It seems a shame that some of our makers, such a Sheffield scissors company, are going through hard times trying to compete with cheap imports. If only more of us would take a little longer to think about purchases and choose to buy products made in the UK that use local skills rather than rush off to B&Q or department stores to buy the cheap, inferior versions from abroad.

We need to broaden our concept of heritage to include traditional skills or we will lose them.

sneak preview

Here's an exclusive preview of our wonderful new wrapping paper. This is the first product that Eco Eco has commissioned and it won't be the last.

This stunning paper features a pattern by the extraordinarily talented and versatile designer Lucie Summers who is currently swanning around on a beach somewhere in Portugal (are you blushing yet, Lu?). It won't be printed in black and white as in the printer's proof above, well not yet anyway; I think it looks rather tasty as a monochrome design.

The paper we're getting printed will be double sided in two different colour combinations: pink/red and apple green/turquoise so customers will have more than one option when wrapping gifts. It's being printed on a recycled/FSC paper in a really good weight so it's not like some of those nasty, cheap papers that rip the moment you start wrapping. It's being printed with vegetable based inks at a factory powered by renewable energy. I'm in two minds whether to tell the printers not to trim the sheets but leave on the extraneous marks around the edge which would eliminate waste. What do you think? Would you like to have the extra margin which might help with wrapping or even be used for other things? Perhaps we'll do that next time.

As a further teaser I'm willing to reveal that we are looking into printing this design and possibly others onto fairtrade organic cotton, and even wallpaper. Watch this space!

* c o l o u r s *

Quick drive-by posting. Just found a stunning section on the National Geographic website. The pages feature extraordinary nature photography themed around different colours. The shot above is from the Life in Color: Green page. From there you can follow the links to groups of images celebrating other colours. You can even download the photos to use as wallpaper for free. I shall be enjoying the view of the green snail for a few days before selecting a different shot that speaks to me on that day.

Recycle and Grow

I'm very taken by these raised beds created by The Ranelegh School for The Chelsea Flower Show.

Made out of recycled pallets, the beds contain a variety of fruit trees, vegetables and a few flowers. Just goes to show that you can create an abundant and prolific garden in a small space and from recycled materials. Not only that, but it looks great too.

We have a few pallets lying around that arrived at the shop with deliveries so I'm now thinking we'll have a go at making some of these too.

There is a growing trend (sorry!) at The Chelsea Flower Show for recycling and sustainable plantings. Read a brief overview at Treehugger.

dawn chorus

Image from the Dawn Chorus animation by Suky Best

We're lucky here in the Peak District.  When we wake at dawn the birdsong outside the window is overwhelming.  It wasn't always the case; when we moved to Derbyshire we saw hardly any garden birds at all.  Since we've started putting out food regularly the variety of birdlife has grown so that we now have greenfinches, goldfinches, sparrows, tits, blackbirds and wrens (not to mention the crows and magpies that lurk in the field behind us and swoop in for an extra snack).  We now see it as a duty to feed all those mouths as we've been the direct cause of the increase in the local bird population.  If we stopped feeding now the local birds would suffer, and that doesn't bear thinking about.  That's one of the reasons it's important to feed regularly and all year round.  The RSPB has some useful guidelines.

The dawn chorus is a special event, even though it happens daily.  I just stumbled across a lovely animation by Suky Best that captures what is important to those of us who love the sound of birdsong.  Do go and have a look - it's a little oasis of calm in a busy day.

Fabulous Places

Deb at Fabulous Places has kindly chosen us as her fabulous place for May.

It's a great idea: Deb chooses shops, cafes and restaurants in Derbyshire that she loves and features them on her website. It's purely her choice as to whether or not a business is featured and you cannot buy your way onto her list. Visitors to the site can leave comments on the businesses featured - our pages are here and here (thanks to those of you who have said such nice things about us).

There are regular competitions and goodies up for grabs if you join the FP club. And it looks like Deb will soon be searching out lovely places in Nottinghamshire. Fingers crossed for further expansion.

If you live in Derbyshire put Sunday 26th July 2009 into your diaries. The Fabulous Places Summer Fete should be an event not to be missed. We'll be there along with many other FP businesses. Do come along and say hello.

Carbon Footprints

Laugh Out Loud Cats 1117 from Ape Lad on Flickr

Too good not to share. Can thoroughly recommend the cartoon adventures of Meowlin Q Kitteh and faithful sidekick Pip - take a look at Ape Lad's Flickr photostream or buy one of his books.

* Laundry *

Today is what my mum would have called 'A good drying day'. Line-dried textiles smell like nothing else (what causes that?) and, obviously, it's a far more eco-friendly way to dry your washing. It's relatively easy to set up a line in your garden, or on your balcony, and it's much cheaper than using a tumble dryer. Apart from the occasional dash into the garden when it rains it's really a win-win situation. However there are certain useful tips, or dare I say wrinkles, to make laundering certain fabrics that much easier.

A lot of people shy away from linen and hemp clothing because of its tendency to crease. Others see that as part of its charm. Either way, there are laundering techniques that solve a lot of the problems associated with the care of linen-weave textiles.

Firstly, wash and iron garments inside out - especially if they're dyed. When linen-type fabrics crease the colour can wear off a little and you get lighter crease lines; turning inside out when laundering prevents this happening. Keep the item turned inside out when you iron these fabrics (and also cotton) or you can end up with a nasty shine on raised seams and details. Alternatively press with a cloth in between iron and garment (a damp cloth for preference).

Secondly, always iron linens whilst damp. Don't leave them on the line until they are solid! If they've dried too much simply spray a little water over them a few minutes before ironing, to allow the fabric to relax. Alternatively the damp cloth helps with this problem. Obviously steam irons are invaluable too.

Thirdly, when you take linens from the washing machine give them a good tug back into shape. Spend extra time doing this and there will be much less ironing later on. Years ago I had problems laundering some old napkins and tablecloths and my mum passed on a tip which I now pass on to you. When the item is still damp from washing pull across the weave in both directions; in other words if you're washing a tablecloth then pull from corner to corner one way and then the other, trying to do this over the whole item. Then pull straight across, working from top to bottom; hold both sides and pull quickly apart to get a nice 'snap'. Then turn the item 90 degrees and do it from the other side. By now a lot of the worst creases will have disappeared so try to dry it on the line carefully to avoid adding more. Even better, whilst the linen is drying give it a quick tug to remove even more creases every time you wander past. Doing this will sometimes allow you to get away with ironing entirely if you're not worried about a slightly rumpled look and aren't after the crispness of freshly pressed linens.

Lastly, another little tip for reducing creases when you're wearing a linen or hemp garment. These fabrics are lovely, are wonderfully cool in summer, and have a charming natural appearance but they tend to crease during wear. This is most noticeable where the garment creases such as around elbows and, heaven forfend, the groin! To reduce these a little simply damp your hands and rub over the offending area. The aim is, again, to relax the fibres so you can pull out some of the creases. Don't soak the fabric unless you want some strange looks; just slightly wet hands are enough to reduce the creasing.

Happy laundering!

So Busy

Apologies for the terrible quality of the picture which I snapped with my iPhone.  We took part in a charity fashion show organised by local Profile magazine to raise money for Macmillans.  The photo here shows our two models, Grace aged 7 and Jan aged... sorry, not telling.  Thanks to them both for helping us out.  I would describe the clothes but you can't really tell what they're wearing!

We've been so busy.  We're trying to get more products online (there are so many waiting in the wings) and we've been settling into our new home as the clothes shop moved around the corner to much nicer premises a few weeks ago. We also attended an evening award ceremony where we picked up our Peak District Environmental Quality Mark award and met other businesses who all care about the environment and sustainability.  It was an exciting evening that makes you realise you're not working alone.

Spring snow showers

Woke up to snow.  We weren't expecting that, although it was pretty cold last night.  The water in the bird baths was frozen and the countryside was covered with a soft layer of snow, melting rapidly in the sun.

Turned off our lights last night from 8.30 onwards as part of Earth Hour.  We played Boggle by candlelight for an hour and then went to bed because we were both exhausted.  Well, it confused the cat.  If we hadn't been so tired it would have been fun so I think we may schedule in regular candlelit evenings.

Grey is so last year

Difficult to believe it's not April 1st.

Some of you may have seen this in The Telegraph

Nature is extraordinary. Long live Pinky!

An end

I'm sitting here feeling very low as our vet has just left after putting our beloved Mouse to sleep. Mike couldn't be here with us as he's finding this all incredibly difficult and couldn't put himself through it. I understand completely. I would give anything not to have had to do this but Mouse was diagnosed with a terminal throat cancer in December and has gone downhill over the past few days.


Apparently these tumours become excruciatingly painful and we wanted to save him that. The last two evenings he's had real problems eating, despite obviously wanting the food so we decided that it was best for him to ease him from life now rather than waiting until he was in obvious constant pain. We could probably have left the decision for a few more days but really that would have been for our benefit I think, rather than his.


I felt terrible doing this to him as he had a good morning. He actually managed to eat quite a bit of food and went out for a wander round. I am concerned I made the wrong decision but this was not an illness he would recover from and he could only get worse. I know from personal experience that often animals (and people) have a really good day just before they go seriously downhill and I'm guessing that was the situation here. But I feel completely shitty.

Mouse was the most loving cat I've ever known, and would nuzzle into your neck when you held him. He was also a cheerful and stoical little soul, despite nearly dying twice from a blocked urinary tract and suffering a number of operations for other issues. He always bounced back immediately and never bore any grudge. I WISH HE WAS STILL WITH US.

Sorry, feeling a bit too emotional to carry on. I will blog later today or tomorrow about something far more positive but I just needed to let some of this out. Don't expect anyone really to read this but needed to say how much I loved Mouse and how much godawful pain I'm in now he's gone.

You're standing on my grass

You're standing on my grass, originally uploaded by publicenergy.

I'm very fond of cows... well, all creatures really. Cows seem to have an air of independence and intelligence that has bypassed (most) sheep. My brother, who was a herdsman for a while, told me stories about cows who could break out of locked byres and bypass complicated feed systems to gain an extra snack. He also told me about an unlikely relationship between one heifer and the farm cat, who used to ride around the fields on the cow's back.

If you share my fondness for farm animals do take a look at Dave Wild's photos at www.notsowildlife.com. His images are candid and funny and capture the innermost thoughts of these domesticated beasts. You can also order prints and more from his site.

Decorating with natural paints

Things are moving on in our new clothes shop.  The seagrass matting is being fitted again today (after a slight delay) so we are on schedule to move in next week.  There's still lots to do, including finding that new desk and installing the racks and rails, but hopefully we'll be ready to open the following Tuesday, 3rd March. 

Most of the painting has been done using Earthborn paints but there is still some to be touched up.  I'm currently debating what colour to paint my office upstairs.  It's south-facing, overlooking Hope churchyard, so has fantastic light and could therefore take quite a strong colour.  Or do I opt for something light and fresh?  I shall wait for a few weeks to see the new range of Earthborn Claypaint colours I think, and also choose some photos or art for the walls to guide me.  Alternatively I'll use some Auro emulsion and their colour concentrates to make the exact colour I want.  I've always been happy to mix paint shades, having worked for a while creating decorative paint finishes on walls and furniture, but there are risks; you need to mix enough to complete the job and you can end up with a colour you hate but with no way back.  My advantage is that I can just wander round the corner to our Eco Eco Home shop to select what I want on the day!

The paints are wonderful to use - no odours - and the Claypaint has a fantastic ultra-matt finish.  It's like painting with liquid slip.  It also covers brilliantly.  The ProAqua eggshell is extraordinary, drying to the touch in about 10 minutes depending upon how heavily you apply it.  It's re-coatable in two hours which means all the woodwork can be given three coats in a single day if necessary.  It's also odour-free.  Obviously both the Earthborn and Auro paints are eco-friendly and non-toxic, like everything we choose for our shops.  

Perhaps when we've finished these new premises we'll finally get around to decorating at home.  It looks a bit sorry at the moment as we've been so busy with the business that our house hasn't been receiving the attention it deserves.  Come the spring there's lots to be done, including a new fireplace and a new porch.  There will be plenty of opportunities to use the natural paints there too.  Can't wait.

It starts here

The new clothes shop

Welcome to our new blog.

We'll be using it to discuss developments within our business, along with musing on green living, sustainability, creativity, and anything else that tickles our fancy.  We'll share projects, links, recipes, niggles and delights.  Do please contribute.

 

Our first update is on our clothes shop which will be moving around the corner to a new premises in Hope, Derbyshire (see above).  The building has been a pub (The Durham Ox), a bank and a cobbler's workshop and parts of it date back to the 17C.  We're busy with the decoration which will use our stock range of eco-friendly paints by Earthborn.  The seagrass matting will be fitted next Monday, and we've installed Marmoleum flooring in our kitchen area.  Marmoleum is the trade name for what is basically old fashioned linoleum, made from sustainable ingredients such as linseed oil, woodflour, pine rosin, jute and limestone.  It's also completely biodegradable but it is a bit pricey.

I'm currently working on sourcing low-energy light fittings and toying with LEDs, which have improved dramatically in the past year or so.  We haven't quite decided what to do for a desk as yet.  The existing one is made from reclaimed timber but will be in use up until the move; also it needs to be a bit bigger.  I would like to buy an old Victorian shop counter like the one that I managed to find on Ebay that adorns our Eco Eco Home shop, but the access to the shop area is limited so we will probably have to build something in situ.  I'm waiting for inspiration to strike.  The dress rails will be mainly recycled timber, painted in ProAqua eggshell, again by Earthborn.  It should be a nice place to work.