Fashion Find: Born Shoes

Well it happened again. I bought these fabulous blue walking shoes meant to be comfortable to wear for long distances, but they failed me today. I was actually quite surprised. I have worn them before, and they proved to be very comfortable. As such, I felt quite comfortable wearing them for a longer walk. Unfortunately, they didn’t last very long on my feet, and I ended up having to purchase some £8 flip flops at the sea front just to make it home. Is it so hard to make a cute comfortable shoe that doesn’t make your feet bleed?

Well, I haven’t given up hope yet. As I was doing a bit of browsing therapy, I came across Born Shoes. I must say I was very impressed with their designs and their dedication to comfort. The company prides itself on its innovative style and their designers meticulous attention to detail. Their shoes really are works of art. Here are a few of the styles I am crushing on at the moment. I think I will give Born Shoes a try. I’ll write about my experience when I’ve had a few walks in.

Images via Born Shoes

Rottingdean Moon Pools

Dennis, Sam and I happen to come upon these rock pools while we were on a walk. We knew it would be low tide, but we never though it would be like this. The pools were amazing, and there was so much life in them. It was a truly wonderful day. We are very happy to have stumbled upon them.

Link Loving

~ Really trippy optical illusion on Richard Wiseman’s Blog.

~ The Waterpod: A very fascinating floating eco-habitat concept.

~ You are what you eat. 20 foods for a better smile, lovely skin and healthy hair on Ecosalon.

~ Talking to the trees at the Bronx Grand Concourse. A fascinating article about an invisible tree museum posted on Inhabitat.

~ 4 do it yourself all natural facial masks for different skin types. A very helpful article on skin care from Ecosalon.

~ An interesting article about the increase of cancer among marine wildlife. This is very unfortunate. I didn’t know the cancer rates were so high among these creatures.

~ A gallery of 13 very trippy eco-cars via Tree Hugger. I usually get around by sneaker power of public transportation, but these concepts are a real vision.

Image by Aneta Blaszczyk

Portable Garden Design By David Barry

Irish Designer David Barry developed The Eden Project which is a very creative green solution to urban gardening. The concept involves the use of portable gardening pods which allow the user to grow their own food. The pods can then be stored away after the growing season has passed.

I love this concept. It is an absolutely brilliant idea. Dennis and I live in a very small place, and we have been looking into ways of our own food. At the moment, it has been incredibly difficult. We managed to grow a tomato plant, and we are working on a cucumber plant. While we did have success, it was incredibly difficult to find space for them. Moving them around after they grew to be a certain size proved to be a problem as well. These portable garden pods would eliminate this issue.

Images via David Barry

Beautiful Pencil Sculptures by Jennifer Maestre

I was directed to Jennifer Maestre’s some time ago, and I was simply amazed at her sculptures. I had never seen such a creative way to use such a common object. Her sculptures were originally inspired by the sea urchin. She takes hundreds of pencils, cuts them to 1 inch in size, sharpens them and drills a hole in each one. Then, she essentially beads them together using a technique called the peyote stitch. She is an artist that certainly inspires me in my own work.

Images via Jennifer Maestre

Fashion Find: Sassy Headbands from The Candy Thief

I became a huge fan of The Candy Thief headband designs some time ago. I adore funky hair accessories, and these fabulous feather and leaf headbands are just perfect. I would usually wear a hat or a scarf to add that brilliant pop of color to my outfit, but these babies will do just that and more. They are certainly a conversation starter. You can purchase these and other related products on The Candy Thief via Etsy.

Images via The Candy Thief

Style Crush: Harem Trousers

I absolutely adore this trouser design. Apart from being incredibly comfortable, they do an excellent job of hiding a few problem areas for me. I’m certain some of you can relate. I never thought they would fit so well until I tried them on. I was under the impression they would just make my hips look bigger, but they really didn’t. The trousers are cute, comfy and very feminine. The ones below come from a fabulous Danish company called NOA NOA. They have an excellent selection of harem trouser designs.

Images via NOA NOA

Blue Skies of Edinburgh

The next day Dennis, Sam and I took a flight to Edinburgh, Scotland. We had an absolutely wonderful time there. The people were friendly, the food was fantastic and the architecture was outstanding. We did have a bit of rain the first day, but it quickly cleared up. We took in the city, ate at The World’s End Pub and took a tour of Edinburgh Castle. I wish we could have gone on the Loch Ness tour, but we didn’t have enough time. Maybe we will next time we visit.

Two Days In Dublin

Dennis and I took a flight to Dublin this past Tuesday to pick up Sam for his month long holiday in the UK. We had a fantastic time. The food was glorious, the Guinness was amazing and the people were lovely. Additionally, we were in the area of the Dublin Silent Protest. It was very interesting. I am glad I snapped those images.

Lovely All Natural Elephant Poo Paper Products

I heard about this concept some time ago, and I became very interested in the process. I was a bit skeptical about the ingredients used to make this, and if they were in fact created with real elephant poo. There are so many gimmicks these days trying to bank on the green message, but I was pleasantly surprised with these lovely paper products. This entire range of recycled stationery and gifts is made entirely from elephant poo. A percentage of the proceeds are helping fund elephant conservation projects and sanctuaries in Thailand. All of their products are 100% recycled and odor free. I think their designs are very stylish and chic. The company is called The Great Elephant Poo Poo Paper Company, but you can purchase their products from Nature’s World.

Images via Nature’s World