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

Cupboard Love – Upcycling an abandoned find

So I have been meaning for ages, to link up to Me and my Shadow‘s Magpie Mondays with my pre-loved cupboard which we found, abandoned outside some flats on the school run…

So here it is! We’d walked passed this battered and now unloved piece of furniture for a couple of days. As it forlornly leant abandoned outside an apartment on the main road.

When it was still there on the third evening, I asked my lovely neighbour if she could help me to get it into the boot of her car under darkness of the night…

We pushed and pulled it into the house, and there it sat in my kitchen, odd, and missing drawer pulls, and the bottom of the drawers absent (and therefore useless), the fronts of the drawers miss-matching wood finishes, and slightly whiffy too…

I won’t say it got the immediate attention it required, in fact, some stylish, minimalist, visiting friends told me to chop it up for firewood…

BUT – eventually I found some replacement 1950’s drawer pull knobs, (searched for “six vintage round wood knobs” on Etsy and found these beauties on Violetteslippers, PERFECT – with brass metal centres).

And, using some leftover paint (from a re-furbished garden bench which took almost as long to finish!) I painted the front of the drawers, and fixed the insides up too, and now it works, and looks cute too!

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The True Cost Movie

Cupboard Love – Upcycling an abandoned find

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