Christmas at home

05/12/2016 By admin 14 Comments

Christmas at home

Where do you spend Christmas?

I’ve many memories of Christmas over the last fifteen years. Since I’ve become a parent. Some admittedly merge into others – whereas some memories are more special – our first Christmas for example, with a six week old baby boy, our good friends Jane and Rick welcomed us into their home, it was warm, cosy, and I nursed my baby, curled up on their sofa; I closed my eyes, and dozed post-lunch and they looked after the baby, Janie paraded around the sitting room, in front of a roaring fire, wearing a pair of new slippers, and a lovely warm woolly coat that Rick had picked out for her… happy times.

I feel so contented remembering those special moments, and the kindness and generousity of our friends. And look forward to spending Christmas with family this year.

It gives me shivers to think of those without somewhere to go this Christmas.

‘National Slippers for Shelter Day’

Shelter helps millions of people a year struggling with bad housing or homelessness – and they campaign to prevent it in the first place.This Christmas, 120,000 children in Britain will be homeless. Will you help us do something about it?

I will be wearing my own Slippers for ‘National Slippers for Shelter Day’ on the 9th December and donating -you can join in HERE… We’d love to see your slippers over on instagram and twitter, on the 9th December (this Friday) – please use the hashtag #SlippersForShelter and get donating.

SHELTER are here so that no one has to fight bad housing or homelessness on their own.

To join the campaign, make a donation here, or get expert housing advice, visit shelter.org.uk

No one should be without a home at Christmas….

We’ll be looking for the hashtag #SlippersForShelter this Friday – join in, and give what you can.

talking Calendars with Hannah Bullivant

01/12/2016 By admin 2 Comments

Talking ‘Calendars’ with Hannah Bullivant

We had a chat (click here to watch on youtube) this week with Hannah Bullivant of Seeds and Stitches – Hannah has been working on a lovely project – the “Embracing the Seasons” 2017 Mini Calendar!

Featuring illustrations by Emilie Maguin, the mini calendar is designed to help you be a tad more mindful, organised and inspired for 2017.

Each page of the month is beautifully illustrated, with a series of ‘actions’ at the start of each month to inspire you to take notice of the season, to be a little more mindful, and a little more connected with what’s happening in the outside world.
Hannah and Emilie have partnered with the I Do Community, a group that enables creatives to give their time, skills and profile to support, raise funds and/or create awareness for various non profit projects and causes. They are donating 20% of the proceeds of the calendar. Read more here

Orders for the calendar will be taken up to the 5th December 2016. All orders will be shipped on the 14th December, in time for Christmas! {In order to reduce paper waste, Hannah and Emilie are putting into production the exact number of calendars ordered}.

Order your calendar here

And subscribe to incredibusy over on YouTube for more weekly vlog news…

To read more about Hannah, click here – Hannah has previously been a guest judge on our ‘so good in every way’ #sgiew instagram challenge.

Instagram challenge – WONDER theme

29/11/2016 By admin 2 Comments

Instagram challenge – WONDER theme

So this fortnight’s theme is #sgiew_wonder – with guest judge @FeatherandWild.

Read Victoria’s blog here

And as for me – well what a “wonder”ful few days it’s been… A long weekend in Wales at @Fforest with @sisterhood_camp and back to London for a day at #youtubespacelondon with @redtedart @natashaleeblogger and little @chloemejustme – anyway back to tonight; how about #sgiew_wonder for this fortnight’s theme?? @featherandwild Victoria is our guest judge and me, Maggy and @willowdaygram Gina are your hosts as usual so join in!

Tag your celebrations of #wonder – whether it’s the wonder of nature or the delight and wonder of a warm cosy corner in your home – check out @sogoodineveryway for last week’s winners…

UPDATE:

Here are the beautiful winners in a pretty pinnable grid!

Oh my goodness – @featherandwild has chosen WELL… (Thank you Victoria 🙏) And your photos have been amazing this week; thank you so much to everyone for taking time to join in with #sgiew – #sgiew_wonder has been “wonderful”!!
And on the grid today are:
@fionabailey
@oftheeveryday
@nonkiskeef
@traces_of_traces
@hockerfam
@ayellowafternoon
@titibibi
@rose_eberson
@kdenke
.
Big thanks from your #sgiew hosts @incredibusy @redtedart and @willowdaygram
bring it on @cotton.twist…our next judge!

If you like it, PIN it!

Braintree Clothing rebrands to THOUGHT

21/11/2016 By admin Leave a Comment

Braintree Clothing rebrands to ‘THOUGHT’

I’ve long been a fan of sustainable fashion brand Braintree Clothing. Made from natural, sustainable and recycled fibres like organic cotton, hemp and bamboo, the whole collection is designed exclusively in-house and offers a contemporary mix of classic garments and accessories that are desirable, wearable and affordable.

This week, Braintree will once again be holding its #thoughtfulfriday campaign – known in general retail terms as ‘Black Friday’.

50% of all sales made through Braintree’s website, www.wearethought.com on Friday 25th November will donated to charity.

This year, the donation will be split between two charities, https://www.refugeecouncil.org.uk/ customers will nominate a second charity from a shortlist which will be announced through their social media channels on the 23rd November.

John Snare, Braintree’s founder said, “Black Friday doesn’t sit well with us as a business but it’s impossible to ignore. This is our way of participating without compromising our values and is a very good opportunity to support some important causes”.

Editor’s Winter Picks

Birnberg organic cotton sweater ~ Organic-denim jeans ~ Renee organic cotton trench coat ~ Ansel bamboo scarf ~ Piper black blue boots from Po-Zu

‘Thoughtful consumerism’

Braintree has also undergone a significant re-brand ready for the SS17 selling season which includes a change to their name.

Their new name ‘Thought’ is part of major re-branding initiative to elevate the business and better align the company’s name with its ethos and the evolution of its design. The business originally formed in Australia, launched in the UK in 2002.

The newly named business ‘Thought’ will continue to focus on expanding its wholesale business, increasing its presence in premium boutiques and large department stores across the UK and Europe.

As part of the re-brand, the business is also re-designing and re-platforming its website. Their new site www.wearethought.com will be ready for the consumer launch of their SS17 collection in early 2017.

John Snare, www.wearethought.com‘s founder and owner explains “These are very exciting times as we take the business to the next phase in its life. Our new name ‘thought’ is built on our celebrated “thoughtful clothing” message and we feel gives us a fresh confidence whilst reflecting our philosophy about ethics and sustainability. In recent years we have really evolved our collections and we believe a new name will allow us to edge further into the contemporary fashion space and build on what we have already established. Initial reactions to our new name from our wholesale customers has all been extremely positive.”

If you enjoyed this post, you may also enjoy what-is-tencel?

And make sure to subscribe to my youtube channel here for weekly vlogs and some stop motion animation thrown in for good measure….

Landfill Harmonic

20/11/2016 By admin Leave a Comment

Landfill Harmonic – a symphony of the human spirit

I’ve been chatting with the production team of this amazing film… what an wonderful thing they have done, bringing this story to the mainstream via Vimeo – Having watched the trailer with my 12yo, ukelele-playing son, and seeing how in awe he was – I wanted to make sure you all got to see it too…

Such a moving story – you’ll have goosebumps….Landfill Harmonic follows the Recycled Orchestra of Cateura, a Paraguayan music group of children who live next to one of South America’s largest landfills. This unlikely orchestra plays music from instruments made entirely out of rubbish.

just watch the trailer here:

When their story went viral, the orchestra was catapulted into the global spotlight. With the guidance of their music director, they travel the new world of arenas and sold out concerts.
However, when a natural disaster devastates their community, the Orchestra provides a source of hope for the town. The film is a testimonial to the transformative power of music and the resilience of the human spirit.

Schools, colleges, universities and libraries can now purchase a license, buy the DVD, Blu-ray or digital copy of Landfill Harmonic for their institutions through our educational distributor Tugg. Communities and non-profit organisations can also host screenings at their local theatres by using this platform.

#LandfillHarmonic is now available for worldwide viewing through Vimeo On Demand.
Visit this link: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/landfillharmonic

www.landfillharmonicmovie.com

Support the Orchestra
Support the Orchestra’s music school project by making a donation through Go Campaign. Please visit www.gocampaign.org/special/supporting-the-recycled-orchestra

So good in every way has a new home

15/11/2016 By admin 4 Comments

So good in every way – has a new home

We’ve moved!
Incredibusy.com is the new home for instagram photo challenge ‘So good in every way’ {#sgiew}.

I know, you’re confused, we’re confused… actually I’m not {Ali}… I’ve been running several blogs at the same time and I’ve decided to sort of amalgamate them and #sgiew will now be hosted from here…

As we have a new home for #sgiew, we felt it apt that the theme this week be #sgiew_HOME – so do your best for us!

We are looking to see inside your home… (admit it – you like these darker evenings when you can’t resist peeking through the windows to see inside someone else’s home!)

For me, my kitchen is the hub of my home… closely followed by the sitting room with its open fireplace – so this shot of my kitchen floor and kindling sums it up nicely tonight, although, may be a little ambitious with the wood-chopping as it’s a rather balmy 16ºC here in London today… If you follow my instagram stories, you’ll know we got lost in Oxshott woods this morning, and were peeling layers off like it was summer…

Anyway, I digress… so without further ado, meet Jane Day from Tea with Ruby, our guest judge this fortnight, in our instagram photo challenge. (we just love Jane’s instagram feed – pop over to @teawithruby for more inspirational and homely shots like this one…)

We asked Jane to tell us a little about herself:

Jane: “I am a blogger, freelance writer, interiors addict and stylist on the side. I love creating images so yes I admit it I’m an instagram addict and don’t even get me started on Pinterest! You can find everything you might want to know about me if you follow my instagram feed instagram.com/teawithruby, my style, my passions and my lifestyle all captured in squares.”

Thank you Jane, and as ever – to join in with the #sgiew photo challenge on instagram,
1) follow the #sgiew hosts
@sogoodineveryway
@incredibusy
@redtedart {www.redtedart}
@willowdaygram {www.willowday.com}
and this week’s judge @teawithruby

2) Tag your relevant ‘homely’ photos with #sgiew #sgiew_HOME and
Jane will pick her nine favourites to be featured in a GRID. after the closing date midnight GMT Monday 28 November.

UPDATE

Here’s Jane’s grid of 9, Jane says “they all make me want to be there in that space, they all exude warmth and wonder of what home is.”

So from left to right, top to bottom starting with:

@amandabanhamceramics

@featherandwild

The global guardian project

08/11/2016 By admin 2 Comments

The global guardian project

Have you heard about the Global Guardian Learning Capsules?
The Global Guardian Project is a monthly online subscription, the most beautiful materials to explore with your family – focused on global stewardship for families and children, home schoolers and anyone who loves to learn about the world and help make it a better place.

Each month as a subscriber you will receive a learning capsule via email focused on a specific country and its wildlife. The current capsule INDIA will only be available until November 14th. As of November 15th, subscribers will receive the THAILAND capsule, which I am particularly excited about – having travelled there a LONG time ago before children, and would love to share my experiences with them.

Future capsules will feature other countries including Australia, England and many more. Each capsule contains beautiful photography, facts and info about the country, its wildlife, global change-makers and inspiring people, recipes, vocabulary and much more.

There are also art projects and free digital downloads, podcasts, videos and guided meditation recordings.

And a gentle introduction to sustainable development – defined as in the UN Bruntland commission: “sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs…..Sustainable global development requires that those who are more affluent adopt life-styles within the planet’s ecological means – in their use of energy, for example. ”

What does it mean to become a Global Guardian, who are they?

The Creators of The Global Guardian Project say:

“We are a tribe of parents, educators, activists and artists who share a common goal.

We want to raise our children to become guardians of our planet, to be inspired and empowered to care for the Earth in a way we adults haven’t. It’s no secret that we’ve created a mess. But we can do something about it today, while our children are young, that will teach them that proper care for our Earth is our duty and within our reach.

It’s Global Guardian Project’s mission to create learning tools for families to just that.

To educate children on how to care for the earth.

To inspire them to make simple, daily changes that will become positive habits. And to challenge them to become free thinkers and little change makers.”

We’re in… are you? What do you need to do to join in…

Children love the format of The Global Guardian Project. A monthly subscription service helping parents to engage and educate their children on how to respect and protect their planet. Each month parents receive resources and tools including: DIY projects, interviews, reviews and recommendations from people and organizations who are serious about change. With all the information and resources at their fingertips parents can feel confident about educating their children about an important topic that impacts us all!

The monthly subscription cost is $14.99 a month and is automatically debited on the 15th of each month.

You’ll be charged month by month and may cancel at ANY TIME, no questions asked.

Here’s a sample of the monthly capsules: OCEANS – free learning packet.

If you’d like to receive these beautifully curated capsules, enter INCREDIBUSY to save 10% on your subscription, sign up link is HERE.

And here are a couple of example pages of Brazil, one of the previous capsules:

instagram challenge – doors and window

03/08/2016 By admin Leave a Comment

[ so good in every way ]
#sgiew
#sgiew_DoorsAndWindows

This fortnight the instagram photo challenge takes you outside… outside those doors and windows – with guest judge and sponsor Hannah Bullivant. (@hanbullivant pictured)

Hannah is a writer and stylist with a big love for nature and the changing seasons. She blogs at www.seedsandstitches.com and we are excited with this theme as we hope that it will encourage you to see beyond your four walls (and doors and windows) and get outside! The brief is to capture the enticing views from your window, or looking back at cool doors… go for it!

So whether it’s a country idyll, like Hannah’s photo here, or a door in urban decay, like this one from me (Ali, incredibusy, spotted on our Pokemon Go walk with the teenagers!)

… have fun, and most importantly, as a community, it’s so nice to add those tags and then click #sgiew_DoorsAndWindows and go looking for, liking and commenting on your fellow #sgiew IGers!

We asked Hannah to tell us more about herself and her own projects:

What is Stitch + Forage Hannah?

Stitch + Forage is a guide put together by writer and stylist Hannah Bullivant (that’s me) and Herbalist Natasha Richardson. It’s all about having a simple, joyful summer on a budget because we have a deep conviction that it’s not necessary to spend lots of money to make the sort of summer memories you’ll treasure for decades to come.

We want to inspire people to live the best summer they can, with whatever time and means they have, whether they’re planning to spend the whole summer wild camping in the mountains, or they’re a parent juggling work and childcare. We wrote this for anyone short on time and money who’d like to make the most of the natural beauty of Summer in a mindful and eco-friendly way. The guide is super practical and involves all sorts of links, how-tos, lists, and some beautifully illustrated printables. We have worked with some of our favourite people on the internet and are super proud of our contributor list- some of whom #SGIEW followers may recognise. @geoffreyandgrace @theforagedlife @me_and_orla @aplayfulday and @circleofpines

What’s involved Hannah?

I’m giving away one copy of Stitch + Forage as this month’s prize! here’s whats you get:

Over 100 pages of inspiring features and beautiful photographs all showing the joy of a simple summer well lived.
Practical features full of printables, lists and stockist info covering topics such as:
- The joy of a summer fire and how to build one
- How to survive Hayfever with Herbal Remedies
- The Simple Joy of Camping; both maximalist and minimalist
- A beginners guide to foraging, including a kit list
- A masterclass on the medicinal and health benefits of lots of summer herbs
- Tips on styling and preparing for a summer dinner party
- A guide/ love note to summer beers from the founder of craft brewery Boutilliers
- Simple, useful summer crafts including a summer wreath and no sew garden canopy
- Best of the summer’s flowers and vegetables
- Delicious, easy recipes for Seasonal Foods
- Practical tips on taking care of your skin in the sun
- Lots of ideas and strong encouragement to take time for you- an in depth meditation guide meditation to skin care
- The best holiday, garden and beach reads
- Simple, joyful ways to entertain kids with tons of fun and practical printables and lists.
- Ideas to have a more mindful, eco-summer
The guide is delivered via a swishy magazine publishing platform. Its viewable online or can be downloaded as a PDF.
Each module comes with it’s own video looking in detail at one or two of the features in that module.

Why have you put this together Hannah?

I’m passionate abut nature and the changing seasons and Natasha and I began talking about some ideas of how we could put it into some sort of publication combining her vast foraging and herb knowledge and my styling and motherhood experience. We came up with an idea of putting together an e course on embracing each season. It was also essential for us both that it encompassed living lightly too, and the ideas sort of flowed from there. We write this because this is our experience- we are both navigating summers in which we can’t afford big holidays, but where we want to slow down and embrace small joys- both of which happen to be very helpful in also being a little more eco conscious too.

We’ve also been working on “asoulfulsummerwithkids” this year, and this is available to purchase online too.

So for a chance to win a £30 www.stitchandforage.com Summer Guide join in with #sgiew theme over on instagram. Add the hashtags #sgiew and #sgiew_DoorsAndWindows and make sure to follow your hosts @incredibusy @redtedart @willowdaygram and our guest judge and sponsor @hanbullivant.

Check out the most recent #sgiew challenges:
#sgiew_PAUSE
#sgiew_PetPose
#sgiew_Handmade

x9 photographs will be selected 16 August, and one lucky winner will be announced by @sogoodineveryway

Switch off – enjoy the fields and the silence of Fforest

19/05/2016 By admin Leave a Comment

Switch off – enjoy the fields and the silence of Fforest
Living in London with kids – it’s great, you can go up into town, walk along the Southbank, visit the comic shops, try out the noodle bars in Soho – it’s great, but sometimes it’s good just to escape all of that.

My sister, the boys’ Aunt – lives in Swansea, so we visit regularly, and are envious of their free lifestyle – my brother-in-law carves wooden bowls and spoons in a little workshop under their house, and they have a view of the sea from their balcony.

So a few days in Swansea were enjoyed – frolicking with their dog on the beach, and catching up in front of their woodburner… and then we were off again.

Across to Cardigan, and the most enchanting place we’ve been to for a while Cold at Night…. – Fforest Farm where the kids sleep in cosy bunks, toast marshmallows under a giant tipi,and run wild in the fields, whilst we, the grown-ups, calmly looked on and breathed in the silence and the freshest air.

We walked (through the nature reserve, into the small town of Cardigan) we talked, we ate, and had a wonderful break – we will be back again.

As their website says here:

“Simplicity, luxury, beauty. But still outdoor living. Bwthyn Crogloft is the Welsh name for a traditional type of crofter’s cottage.
Our take on this traditional form are the crog lofts. Each of the four cottages can accommodate up to four adults or a family of four and combines the fforest outdoor experience with the comforts of a boutique hotel. The south facing crog lofts are within their own compound, ideal for group use and are frequently used as the main base for larger celebrations and events.”

The Crog Loft was perfect for our family, underfloor heating, luxury bathroom, stylish Welsh furnishings, and retro ‘mid century modern’ styling, an instagrammers-dream! With a quirky covered ‘kitchen’ just outside the Crog Loft door, basic self catering is a lot of fun!

Breakfast is a communal affair should you wish to participate, at the Lodge, this is the Hub of Fforest farm and where they serve breakfasts and fforest suppers during the main holiday season & for special events.
Just up from the Lodge is the Bwthyn, their very own little pub! It is the oldest building on the farm. On site you will also find the cedar barrel sauna tucked into the woods.

Do check out their other self-catering rooms here – Eco Domes, Kata Cabins, Camp Shacks, Bell Tents – lots of options….

We plan a visit with friends, and would LOVE to stop in Ty, the Georgian Farm House, freshly renovated and waiting for us to move in for a week!

Check out my instagram feed for more wonderful images of Cardigan www.instagram.com/incredibusy

And do check out their beautiful instagram feeds too

https://www.instagram.com/fforest/

https://www.instagram.com/coldatnight/

The True Cost Movie

12/09/2015 By admin Leave a Comment

The True Cost Movie

The True Cost is a groundbreaking documentary film which I would recommend you ALL watch – if you’ve not yet seen it. We watched it with our boys, who were 11 and 13 at the time, perhaps a little young for some of the more disturbing sights, however, our 11 year old said that all schools should show this – as they and their school friends start to ask to wear the latest fashion brands, perhaps it will make them ask ‘Who made my clothes?’

The film that pulls back the curtain on the untold story and asks us to consider, who really pays the price for our clothing?

We are lucky enough to have ‘hand-me-downs’ from local friends with older teenage boys, so we are not directly buying into this culture of fast fashion, however, as the boys get older, they see their friends at school wearing ‘designer’ brands, and have started asking for the same themselves as special birthday gifts.

Some of our favourite thoughtful brands that cater for teenage boys, Lost Shapes – great raglan sleeve screen printed designs, printed in Frome Somerset, using organic cotton, and fairtrade Ts. And Po-Zu.com whose unisex, ethically produced eco sneakers really appeal to both teenage boys and girls.

We do however find it really hard to buy ethically for teenagers – and would welcome suggestions in the comments box below….

Well, what an incredibly diverse week I have had… hanging out at #ZandraRhodes penthouse with Fritha @tigerlillyquinn (thank you @peopletreeuk), look at Zandra Rhodes’ floor!! 💕 THEN watching the #truecostmovie at the #hackneypicturehouse (great food; life-changing film, a complete *must-see* excellent work @safia_minney @lucysiegle) and spending the evening with Jill @themiddlewick… And then today realising you are a mother of an 11yo boy and spending his 🎂 birthday bouncing around on trampolines (what a hoot! Thank you #oxygenfreejumping) where I was the dodgeball champion. I thank you. 👑 Exhausted. Now at home with a Gin and Tonic. As you do. #feelinggrateful #embracehappy #nothingisordinary #nothingisordinary_ #amazingfloorsandwanderingfeet #fblogging #ethicalfashion #floortiles #ethical #sustainablefashion #eco #fashionrevolution #fashionrevolutionday #slowfashion #PoZuShoes #ihavethisthingwithfloors #soveryhappyandglad #fromwhereistand #happyhipsterfeet #london_by_incredibusy #makegreenmainstream #enbroguepleasureandpain #PTxZR ☺ #lfw #ss16

A photo posted by Ali Clifford (@incredibusy) on Sep 12, 2015 at 10:39am PDT

Rent or own the film today! Visit http://truecostmovie.com for more details.
Director: Andrew Morgan
Producer: Michael Ross
Sound Mix & Design: Michael Flowe
Composer: Duncan Blickenstaff
Exec. Producers: Livia Firth & Lucy Siegle
Vincent Vittorio & Christopher L. Harvey

Christmas at home

Talking ‘Calendars’ with Hannah Bullivant

Instagram challenge – WONDER theme

Braintree Clothing rebrands to ‘THOUGHT’

Landfill Harmonic – a symphony of the human spirit

So good in every way – has a new home

The global guardian project

The True Cost Movie

On Instagram