conscious living

found: Etsy shop & designer Karina Manarin

March 5, 2015 by Angela

I’m not quite sure what I was looking for when I came across Etsy shop + designer Karina Manarin the other night (little things like motives get lost when you shop on Etsy the way I do). But it’s an instant fave. Dusty pastels, artful hand-dyed fabrics, and natural textures kinnnda have my heart. Seeing that the entire shop is eco-friendly right down to the packaging was like extra extra icing on a beautiful, funfetti cake (seriously, look at the pattern below). It may not seem like it, but a lot of Etsy shops tend to miss the mark when it comes to eco-friendly, which is easy to spot when you have to excavate your product from all the plastic packaging. Besides that, each piece is unique and offers an explanation into the artist’s inspiration in the description. The pastel celestial marbled tee above is an absolute fave, but I picked out a few more to share…

Chunky agate slices, little pouches, and other clothes + accessories can be found in shop.

shop / instagram

How to use circles to shop on Etsy

February 19, 2015 by Angela

Etsy is generally my preferred method to shop online, and I usually stop there first for whatever I need before heading elsewhere. Even though I am not selling right now, and not super keen on a lot of the changes that have happened to the user experience in the last six months, I still like to peruse the site almost daily. Now, when you log into Etsy, you’ll see a curated home page based on the people you follow (formerly known as circles) and your favorited items (formerly hearts… good times!). If you’d like to shop outside your circle (ahem, following), you have to use the good ol’ search, either recency or relevancy. As someone who has never quite nailed down relevancy, I can’t see exclusively shopping this way. Why? Because a ton of shops that may or may not be exactly what I’m looking for basically do not stand a chance in the search if they have not tailored their tags and keywords accordingly. Whether or not a product ends up being relevant to me, I still want to know my options. Usually this ends with searching through fifty pages of listings just to find an item. Because I never quite got it down, and I do believe I had a pretty great product, I wouldn’t want to miss anyone else in the same sitch. Not only that, but sometimes I’m simply in a shopping mood, or the mood to do a blog roundup for example, so I don’t know exactly what I’m looking for.

Beklina sustainable fashion online sale

February 12, 2015 by Angela

I don’t currently happen to be at the level to feasibly support this cool online destination for USA made designer fashion, Beklina, that I’ve been eyeing lately per se (read: I’m broke), but if you happen to have a little disposable income (a tax return, perhaps?) that you’d probably spend impulsively one way or another, they are as guilt free as it gets and they are having having a sale! This sale on sale is 30% off the Beklina final sale section using code now30great, and includes clothing, accessories, and home goods too. A few favorites, in no particular order…

While California-based Beklina has been around since 2006, I hadn’t hard of them until I saw this stunning(sold out) rug going around Pinterest. Lucky I clicked through! They’re all about nature, design, and the freshest ways artists combine the two. Oh, if I still needed long sleeved articles of clothing in my life, I’d be irresponsibly erasing my progress on my credit card bill with that Edith A. Miller moto jacket. I think it’s the most amazing moto I have ever seen. Well, enjoy!

Edith A. Miller Moto Thermal Jacket / Lina Rennel Wool Throw / Ace & Jig Trouser / Lizzie Fortunato Citrus Safari Clutch (all images: Beklina)

Ethical shopping: home décor resources

February 5, 2015 by Angela

Every now and then something reminds me why I set off to live a more conscious life to begin with. It hits me like a ton of bricks. Reading an article about unfair wages, a news story about injustices beyond my control, learning about yet another company with shady business practices that we all, it seems, must conform to. All of these have been little reminders this week, and the best thing I can do is in some small way make a difference. Even though the things that weigh on me lately have little to do with shopping or design, I like to think the things I write about will help someone else take that first step to a more conscious life too—even if it starts with buying your next blanket from one of the sites on my list as opposed to the mass-produced alternative. Even a blanket has its implications. Sometimes I don’t see it that way, and sometimes it’s the only lens through which I look at the world. When thinking of all these heavy topics, we make a choice to be hopeless or hopeful.It’s a conscious decision.

Photo gifts from Artifact Uprising

February 2, 2015 by Angela

I can’t remember the last time I’ve printed photos or given a photo gift, and it’s something I used to do all the time. It was our anniversary over the weekend and we also are looking for a new apartment so it seemed some meaningful little gifts were in order. I put together this wood calendar through Artifact Uprising and was so so happy with the results, twelve sturdy matte squares to make our recent trip up the California coast evolve from four days to one year.

A turquoise coastline in Big Sur, rocky shores of Monterey, Painted Ladies in San Francisco…

I wrapped it right in the kraft paper the box came with. No surprise that I finally decided on what photos to print less than a week before I needed this gift, so I couldn’t blame AU if my photos were late. Luckily, they arrive early and we got to review our photos over an anniversary latte.

I guess I had forgotten how nice it is to hold memories in a hand. There are also 25 packs of photo prints, so I ordered one full of little adventures over the last year or so, but those will be saved for new walls.

Fair trade Guatemalan bags

January 28, 2015 by Angela

I can’t get enough of the ‘ethnic’ trend right now. In fashion, design, and decor, stunning color combinations and pretty, intricately woven threads are mixing with bohemian eccentricity and breathing new life into both styles. I recently thrifted a cute “woven” bag that I love, but am saving my pennies specifically for an authentic Guatemalan beauty like the ones below. Let me tell you, the designs are endless. Generally no two are alike. They’re definitely investment pieces, but I can’t see me getting sick of one of these any time soon, not to mention the amount of money I’ve spent on lower-quality pieces over time…

I actually wear a lot less color in everyday life than my style posts + pinterest boards show. but then I get lost in color, pattern, texture. and then I think, maybe it’d be best to stick with something like no. five, subdued but no less of a statement piece. Are you into the woven trend yourself? Sources below.

mu’s bags / one world projects / altiplano / hiptipico / five + six both from athinaeum