Eco-Chick · The modern girl's guide to living green & fabulous.

Gorgeous Vintage Travel-the-World Bags

One of my favorite parts of travelling is packing; bear with me here. While I don’t relish putting together my bigger suitcase or bag (which I always check), setting up my carry on, whether it’s for a long train voyage or a shorter (but more stressful) plane flight, is good fun. I save up copies of Elle, Monocle, and the New Yorker, carefully choose at least two books – yes I still read on paper – and ensure I have enough moisturizer, facial spritz, hand wipes, lip balm, healthy snacks and podcasts loaded on my phone. It’s fun to pack it all in there, the minimum number and quantity of items that one needs immediately while voyaging.

To read the whole story, click over to our sister site, Eco Chick Escapes!

Beautiful BKR Glass Water Bottles: Well Designed and Just Right

Finding the right water bottle is a little bit like a Goldilocks and the Three Bears: Some bottles are too big, some are too small, some are made from the wrong materials, or the drink opening is the wrong shape for drinking from while working out, or too small to clean properly.

And then Bkr sent me one of their pretty bottles to try. And it was like I had found bottle nirvana. It was made of glass, which keeps water cool naturally, and won’t leach anything into liquids, hot or cold. Glass is also easy to clean, and Bkr bottles are covered with a translucent silicone sleeve, so even if you drop the bottle, it’s not likely to break (of course it still can, but so can plastic if dropped far enough).

And look how pretty they are!

Digby and Iona: Handmade Jewelry with a Whimsical Touch

Aaron Ruff, the designer behind Digby & Iona, in his Brooklyn studio.

It’s rare that I obsess over jewelry; I am lucky enough to have inherited all my grandma’s and great-grandma’s necklaces, rings, hatpins, brooches and bracelets, pieces from 1880-1980, and rarely find anything that’s as interesting or beautiful as what I already have. I’m darn picky, in other words, and only respond to jewelry that’s really interesting or different. When I stumbled up on Digby & Iona, I audibly exclaimed; here was a collection of interesting, humorous, intelligent pieces that compliment each other or stand on their own. And was I excited to hear that it’s made here in NYC from recycled metals? You know it.

Designer Aaron Ruff’s latest collection, Me and My Arrow, is made up of and is inspired by “…the classic Harry Nilsson album The Point, Me & My Arrow retells the fable about Oblio, the only round-headed boy in Pointed Village, where everyone and everything had to have a point.” I got a chance to ask Aaron a few questions about his new line and his design process, and he was generous enough to provide the answers herein.

The bluejay arrow necklace

Starre Vartan: Where do you find your inspiration? I’m loving the arrows collection, how did you come up with the idea to use real bird feathers?

Aaron Digby: I’ve mainly worked with silver and brass for the last few collections and really wanted to use color. The feathers were a great natural material with a huge range of colors and textures I could work from. Almost all my designs are rooted in my childhood. Anything that interested me as a kid seems to bubble up to the surface in my designs, I was a little obsessed with Indian craft techniques. The bow and arrows are just miniature version on the ones I made when I was 8.

The Inspector Clouseau necklace.

SV: What are your sustainable/ethical practices, and why do they matter to you?

AD: I work with one of the few metal casters in New York who casts recycled sterling silver. The materials I work with are a limited resource – there’s only so much of any given precious metal on the earth, especially silver and gold and the vast majority of it has already been mined.

The 14-point stag ring.

SV: If you could make any piece of jewelry, price and resources being no object, what would it be?

AD: If we could add an unlimited timeline as well that would be the icing on the cake! I’ve always dreamt of making some little clockwork masterpiece that was not only beautiful and intricate but also fully functional.

The Stump ring.

SV: Can you give us a hint about what your next collections will be influenced by?

AD: I have a few collections I’m developing at the moment but haven’t decided what will be released for Spring 2012. So far it’s down to one based off of implements of measurement or the War of 1812.

A pendant-type bow necklace.

It’s a worth a look through all six collections on the site; the woods-and-sea background of native Mainer Aarron Ruff comes through variously and in different iterations but is always present.

Pag Island’s All Natural Waste Wool: A Creative Eco Fashion Challenge

Guest Post by Kristin Vukovic

Pag is a northern Croatian island made famous by its intricate handmade lace called Paška čipka, and Paški sir, its unique sheep’s milk cheese. The dry and craggy island of 8,000 inhabitants has a long tradition of cheese making and agriculture—and the island’s sheep play a starring role.

There are 30,000 tagged autochthonous sheep on Pag Island, and a few thousand “untagged” that roam free outside of organized flocks. Come shearing season in June, each sheep gives approximately 1 kilo of wool—that’s 66,000 pounds of wool annually! Presently, shepherds leave the wool lying in their pastures, which is unfortunate in many ways: the wool itself is wasted, and nothing can grow where the wool is left to rot.

Ivo Butković is a Pag Island native and founder of the Suhozid Association, which literally translates as “The Drywall” Association. The organization takes its name from the drystone building technique still used today in Croatia. Suhozid aims to preserve the cultural heritage of Pag Island by creating projects that bring awareness to island’s wealth of history and natural resources.

One of Suhozid’s projects, which has been in the works for the past few years, involves building a real drystone “ethno village” in the town of Kolan that would allow visitors to see how people used to live on Pag Island. Discarded wool will be used to show tourists how the fibers were processed to use as material for clothing, and how crafts were made in old times. Wool clothing, accessories and souvenirs will be available for purchase in the ethno village. Suhozid hopes the project will be live by summer 2012.

Kolan’s ethno village will not be able to use all 66,000 pounds of Pag Island wool produced annually, which is why I’m determined to find an eco-fashion partner that will bring awareness to the issue of discarded wool on Pag Island by helping make use of it.

The wool could be used to make a limited edition or capsule collection, and include a tag that reads:

Wool from Pag Island’s autochthonous sheep was used to make this garment. By purchasing this item, you are helping Croatian shepherds maintain a sustainable lifestyle. A portion of the proceeds benefit the next generation of Pag Island shepherds.

If you would like to become involved in this project, please email Kristin Vuković at psfrompag@gmail.com. Read the latest news at psfrompag.com.

Images by Kristin Vukovic.

Make Your Own Deodorant: A Crafty Eco Chick Reader Shows Us How!

Ashley Goode, an Eco Chick reader, recently entered our People Towels giveaway contest. In her comments, she also left the following info on how to make your own deodorant (which I have done a few times too). I loved her comments so much I wanted to share her information with the rest of you!

Why does she make her own? “Store bought deodorants come in many fun shapes, sizes and scents but are toxic due to the aluminum zirconium (which studies indicate contribute to Alzheimer’s and DNA mutation). When I learned this I decided to make my own safe deodorant, but it HAD to be made from recyclables and 100% biodegradable after the fact,” says Ashley.

DIY Deordorant:

- I use the cardboard from the toilet paper rolls as my ‘stick’

- Heat up 1/4 cup each of coconut oil, baking soda and cornstarch in a pot (coconut oil is a solid at room temperature)

-You may personalize your deodorant by adding a few drops of an essential oil into the mixture. I prefer sandalwood (though rose is nice too).

Once the ingredients are melted together, I place the cardboard roll vertically on a plate, and pour a small part of the mixture in. Allow it to solidify and then add the rest. You may leave it out to solidify, as long as the air temperature does not exceed 24 degrees Celsius (75 degrees F).

Once solidified, all you have to do is peel away the cardboard as you use the deodorant, and those cardboard pieces can be put into your compost pile!

You can follow Ashley on Twitter: @OneGreenGoode