Upcycled Desk.

I love a bit of a recycling project and this one is no exception. Beautiful col and I love the wall of vintage wallpapers!




Image via recycle chic.

Supermarket Sarah

This has to be the funnest and most original shop idea I have come across! Supermarket Sarah is an online shop with a difference where the owner decorates the walls of her home with exciting finds and original pieces! She also has a stall at Portobello Market and has just opened a "pop up shop" in the Selfridges concept store!

MANILLA MADE Give Away Competition!

Today's give-away is your chance to win x8 greetings cards.
They are hand made by me from recycled card and decorated using vintage and found fabrics and papers. You will win exact cards shown in pictures below.





For your chance to win please comment on this post leaving your name and email address and answering the following question:

***Does a products "eco credentials" effect your decision when purchasing?***

Closing date is Saturday 17th April 2010 at 12:00pm GMT.
The winner will be picked at random and announched on Monday 19th April.

papernstitch

Papernstitch is an online exhibition space that was created to promote talented artists, designers, and makers selling handmade goods with direct links to their shops.
Check out these great recycled, handmade items!





Recycled Birds.

Recycled notebooks.

Recycled Tissue Flowers.

Recycled Herb Garden.

Display your herbs with style!!



What a novel way to recycle your old jumpers, or any old fabric for that matter!

Recycled Herb Garden Project from craft stylish.

Happy Easter!

I hope everyone has a lovely Easter! I am taking a few days off so will be back next Tuesday...Enjoy!



Recycled Bunny by Ellie Bond available from the io gallery in Brighton.

Modern Patchwork

Patchwork doesn't always have to be about quilts and cushions! I love the way these designers have taken a modern look at patched fabrics.





Beautiful drawers from squint.
Fun chair from bokja design.
Patchwork dress from evie green pixie’s flickr photos.

Ethical Trend - Denim.

Denim was a big trend on the Spring Summer 10 catwalks. Here's my pick of the best Ethical Denim out there!



Clockwise from left:
Ralph Lauren SS10 Collection. Image via Style.com
Recycled Denim Cushion from Laura Cifford
Organic denim Jeans from Howies
Recycled Denim Bag from Pouch

January Sales

The January sales are in full swing. Here are my pick of the best buys from my favorite eco shops;




"Home" Tealight holders from Boutiko.

Clipper Organic White Tea from Natural Collection.

Recycled Felt Birds from Branch Home.

Keeping warm in style!

Warm yourself in the knowledge that there are always stylish solutions to keeping out the cold!



Love these gorgeous blankets from Danish company ladak.
(Handmade from recycled materials with 15% of profits going to a homeless charity)

200th POST and Boutiko Giveaway!!!

I am so excited! Today is my 200th post on Manilla Made and I am so happy ;0)
Thank you so much to everyone that visits and especially those who leave comments. It is always so nice to hear from you lovely people.

To celebrate I have teamed up with Tara at the beautifully ethical online shop boutiko. We are offering one lucky reader a £5 gift voucher to spend in her shop. (Perfect just before Christmas!) Just leave a comment on this post with your email address and a short note about you favourite item from the shop. Entrants will be drawn at random on Thursday 26th November and announced the following day so stay tuned!

I have picked out my favourites for a Christmas wish list below!



1. Hand-knitted hotwater bottle.
2. Recycled leather address books.
3. Handmade earrings.
4. Natural soy wax candles
5. Handmade bracelet
6. Recycled paper notebook
7. Handmade soap
8. Framed chair print

Not only that but Tara is also offering 10% discount to all Manillamade readers for a period of two weeks starting from today! Just enter discount code MM09 at the checkout and get shopping! Check out Boutiko here.

If that wasn't enough!!! Tara has also kindly answered a quick questionnaire for us so hope it inspires you!

1. Tell us about your website…
Boutiko has been up and running for two years now, although I recently had the website revamped so it's now a lot easier to use. It has always been about ethically produced gifts, but with the revamp I decided to focus solely on ethically produced gifts and accessories for woman and home. I look for items that are recycled, handmade, organic, sustainable, locally produced or fair trade, or as many of these as possible!

2. What inspired you to set up your own online eco boutique?
I did some travelling after leaving my previous job in teaching, and was inspired by the beautiful handcrafts in countries like Guatemala, and the incredible weaving and sewing skills of the people there. I felt that I would like to make those products accessible at home and therefore also helping to support these craftspeople, so when I got home I looked into starting up the website. I spent about nine months researching and writing a business plan, and found that there were more companies than I realised based in the UK but importing fair trade, handmade goods from countries all over the world so it was easier to buy wholesale than I'd thought. More recently I have also started supporting craftspeople closer to home; I aim to have a good mix of ethical products from here in the UK and abroad.

3. What is your favourite item in your shop?
Oh that's a tricky one! Of course because I choose all the stock myself I love it all! But I do have a particular soft spot for Sarah Hough's recycled stationery, because it ticks all the boxes and looks fantastic right down to the packaging, and I also love the Oneless bags, made from vintage and recycled saris by disadvantaged women both here and in India. I use mine every single day and it's pretty AND indispensable!

4. Tell us a few random facts about you...
I love art and paint at every available opportunity.
I am fascinated by all things esoteric and have trained to Level 2 in Reiki.
I love to travel; I actually set up Boutiko with a view to travelling to source products - so far it hasn't worked out quite as planned but the travel bug is still there!
I lived in London my whole life until last year, but now I live by the sea.
My favourite colour is aquamarine!

5. Name one thing that you own that you could not live without?
Very boring but my laptop! Without it I wouldn't be able to run my business, and I find the internet an incredible resource for all sorts of things, from new products and new music, to interesting blogs and new friends!

(Small print - upon entering this giveaway you will be added to the Boutiko mailing list if you do not wish to receive updates on then you can unsubscribe at any time.)

Printable Mibo Calender.

It's that time of year again when all of the Calenders start to come onto the shelves. My favourite has to be this one from UK based company mibo studio. It's sold as a downloadable file for you to print at your leisure! For that extra twist why not print it onto recycled card. It would make the perfect Christmas gift.

Also available from mibo studios. are these adorable Christmas Creatures. Available as a downloadable make and do pack!! As seen in this month's Elle Decoration magazine.

P.S Just to let you know that tomorrow will mark my 200th post!! Not a huge milestone I know but one worth celebrating! I will be running a fabulous competition so please come back tomorrow to check it out ;0)

Uncommonly Beautiful.

Funky recycled accessories from uncommonly beautiful. Check out their online shop here!

Dottie Angel!

Beautiful things from Dottie Angel’s Esty shop. Have a look here.

Folksy Favs!

Apologies for the absence this week. I have not had much chance to get to a computer! So here's what I was supposed to have posted ...all my top finds from Folksy all in one go!

Cool beads from glitterysah.

Best of Folksy!

I thought this week I would bring you some great finds from fab crafty website Folksy.


I like these cards from Caroline Saul. Made from recycled plastic, you can buy them here.

Folksy - Upcycle Christmas Competition.

Folksy, the Uk's answer to Etsy is running a competition to Upcycle Christmas!
In conjunction with Sue Ryder Care they are asking people to take five items of second hand / charity stuff and make it into something ‘new’ and desirable to be sold at an online auction starting on the 7th December.
The entries are being judged by some big names including Wayne Hemmingway and Antoni and Alison. The winners get to to showcase their portfolio in the Sue Ryder Care Camden store in a specially constructed Folksy set!
Sounds like a great opportunity for all those budding upcyclers out there!!
Find out more here.

Ethical Stationary...Lollipop.

Oh my gosh! How beautiful are these home accessory and stationary items. Designed and made in the UK by Lollipop - an environmentally conscious stationery designer.
Via snowhome.

Ethical Designers...Maxine Sutton

Printed teacosies and lavender hearts all lovingly handmade from mixture of natural fabrics and found/recycled/vintage materials from Maxine sutton.

Ethical Etsy...Alexandra Ferguson.

Recycled felt applique cushions from etsy shop Alexandra Ferguson