A bit of Easter Weekend joy spreading. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry! It reminded me of one of my all time favourite lyrics, "we share the same biology, regardless of ideology" from Russians by Sting, and made me wanna dance! Have a lovely weekend, enjoying the important things in life. xx

  

I am not the best at baking [I once made buns that tasted of soap], so I thought I would look to one of my favourite yogis (next to my Mother) for a sweet treat this Meat Free Monday. I love almond butter, especially homemade almond butter as it is easy to make your own. However, as I had some leftover homemade peanut butter, I thought I would get a bit adventurous and substitute the almond with the peanut butter. Tara Stiles's recipe is easy to make and extra easy to follow, and can be enjoyed by Vegans and Non-Vegans Alike, so what on earth are you waiting for. 

Ok, maybe the green wig is a bit too much, but it did get your attention, right? Many of my friends and family have dyed their hair at some point, and I always feel as though I should be a bit more adventurous and try out a colour (or two). Perhaps platinum? Blonde maybe? (I hear they have loads of fun.) Well, maybe not platinum (for now, although an encounter with a wig at Diane von Furstenberg has me contemplating it) or blonde, but a colour change might be nice, or highlights. However, if I am going on this natural journey, surely I should look for natural hair dyes, or at least hair dyes that are best suited for natural hair-natural product women. I've found only a few, but would definitely love to hear what others have tried, and get some recommendations as to which ones I should use. EEK!

So far I have found: EcoColors, Clairol Natural Instincts, Henna Hair Dyes, especially Light Mountain & Lush's Caca Mama range, and the use of coffee, flowers teas, paprika, juices, lemons and other natural food items.

My Inspiration for the colour change, thanks to DvF

Of these the Henna Hair Dyes have been the rage, but I have yet to try them. I have known of their benefits to all hair types, especially when it comes to strengthening, protecting, thickening and sealing your hair from split ends. 

What have you tried? And what have been your results?

We sometimes forget the wonder that comes from the developing world. The innovation that comes from having so little in one's possession, has inspired the greatest minds to think outside of the box and produce some of the most necessary things we find today. As great or small, there have been many such documented innovations, that may seem small at first, but manifest into greater aspects of society that some may find endearing. I find them ingenious. 

Inspired by last month's National Geographic editorial entitled "Joy is Round," Jessica Hilltout captures the beauty of how the sport of football has inspired young people to become inventors by making their own "magic orbs" from old clothes, plastic bags, yarn, even inflated condoms (well at least we now know they are multifunctional). It depicts a message to the world of how Africa embraces football, as well as how accessible this sport is through salvaged rubbish made into upcycled cherished possessions. 

However, this piece is not merely about my admiration for these clever innovators, but relates to my WASTE obsession, and how Waste has given hope and inspiration to some of the most vulnerable people--children. Hence, the rest of this blog post will highlight some of the crafty ways youths are keeping their wonderment alive through the things/toys they build.

I got so caught up between the emotions of elation and great sorrow for the devastation that afflicts mankind every second, of every minute, of every hour of every day. So caught up that I forgot I wanted to do a quick post on Comic Relief & Red Nose Day

For those outside the UK, COMIC RELIEF is a British Charity that helps the poor in both the UK and Africa. It was founded by comedic scriptwriter Richard Curtis and comedian Lenny Henry in 1985 as a response to the famine in Ethiopia. The main fundraising activity occurs during Red Nose Day, which is a biennial telethon held in March.  What makes this amazing is the fact that all the celebrities get involved, and not from the UK, but many of them go to these impoverished countries with some of the most heart-breaking outcomes and get involved from the ground. It is truly something I admire, regardless of the schizophrenic-type state it gets you in--one minute you're laughing your head off, and the next minute you're crying your heart out. Despite this Red Nose Day inspires us to be more aware of what is going on in countries less fortunate than ours. 

After donating, Jonathan Ross announced how much they had raised from the British public before his session ended, and it really got me emotional. OVER £66 Million raised, and much more was coming in. Amazing! I felt proud, but that we could do much more. Although I have witnessed many of the struggles with curable diseases that take the lives of children, or famines that wipe out entire villages, it still hits close to home. So this is why we at the Conscience Collective are proud to say that we support Red Nose Day & Comic Relief and we hope that you do too.

Love and had to share these hand crafted frames by Takemoto which I found through this pin. Glasses of any kind can be ridiculously expensive and are generally carbon copies made of plastic. It's refreshing to see the number of alternative glasses makers, often hand crafting glasses from alternative materials at an affordable, or at least, a realistic price. Click read more to see more! 

I am in love with TRICOTAGE, en francais it means knitting, but to us it is an amazing Danish company specialisng in clothing made from organic cotton. I first learnt about the brand through my Danish friend, Maja, who sent me the loose fitting scratch print top. I wear it everywhere as the cotton is breathable, which is perfect for the summer, and a great piece to use for layering in the winter. As you can see, it was one of my staples in Suriname, during my UNDP contract. 
Tricotage Organic Cotton Clothing was founded in 2010 by Danish designer duo Karin Bjørneboe and Ida Anesdatter Schmidt, who wanted to create collections of beautiful basics that are easy to wear and made from sustainable materials, and were ecologically sound. They use certified organic cotton, which guarantees that the cotton used is organically grown and the processing of the raw material is as environmentally and socially responsible as possible. Their supply chain assures that ethical labour principles are followed, such as no child labour and ensuring that labourers are paid at least the minimum wage.  

Click to shop 

MY OUTFIT: Top from TRICOTAGE | Sunglasses from streets of Brighton from an elderly man with a ever-so-sexy grin | Headwrap was handmade by Emma H. just for me using discarded material.

Ever since I started my journey to My Own Version of Vegan and Stacy wrote about why she prefers real leather (I do too for the record) examples of when leather might be considered ethical have been constantly on my radar. Gucci is the latest fashion house to jump on the bandwagon and have teamed up with Livia Firth of Eco Age and the Green Carpet Challenge to create the world's first zero deforestation leather handbag collection featuring ethically sourced versions of its famous Jackie, Hobo and Tote bags. Made from the hide of cows raised exclusively on Rainforest Alliance deforestation free certified ranches in the Brazilian Amazon, each bag comes with a passport detailing its creation from calf to final product. Along with China, Brazil is now the world's top exporter of tanned leather with some 10% of it's hides exported to Italy where they are retanned and 

This easy recipe for lip balm from AWAKE MY SENSES, will turn you into a lip balming junkie--for yourself, your friends, your family and your colleagues. And this recipe is so easy that it will have you trying your own combinations of flavours and scents (coconut and vanilla anyone?).

    10 grams beeswax

    5 grams mango butter

    20 ml pumpkin oil

    10 ml carrot infused oil

    20 drops sweet orange essential oil

         (makes 8 tubes)

If you're anything like me, all the different grains can be really confusing. As a result, I thought this little diagram might prove as useful to you as it was for me.