Exchange for Change

The festival for a fashionable world without poverty

29 – 31 July at CarriageWorks

This is a great festival with lots of exciting stuff. I'm defenitely going to be part of the rethreads, the free massive clothes exchange.

"Oxfam Australia and CarriageWorks are delighted to join forces to present a series of free events that examine the inner workings of the fashion industry. Exchange for Change celebrates the positive steps many have made to address the environmental impacts of clothing production, as well as fair wages and safe working conditions for the people who make our clothes. Above all, the three day event will focus on what we can do in our everyday lives to make a difference. Stitched together with a lineup of live local music, and wintry treats from the CarriageWorks café and bar, this is an event for anyone ready to evolve their fashion sense. Everything is free!" Bring your best cast-offs to CarriageWorks on Saturday 31 July 2010 and exchange them for new pieces to reinvigorate your wardrobe. http://www.oxfam.org.au/act/events/exchange-for-change

You are Free

Love heart boots -Price $0 - Manly Council Cleanup 2010

Mambo Jumbo

Mambo Bag -Price $0 - Dump in front of Charity Bins 2010

Winter Woolies

Susan Woolen Sweater- Price $1 each - Vinnies in Manly

 I just could not believe my eyes to have found a $1 Woolen Susan sweater www.sussan.com.au at the Vinnies store and neither could the elderly lady behind the counter. She said I wish I would have seen this 'I would have gotten it for myself'. 'Susan' is a well known and respected brand in Australia by the more classical woman over thirties. With winter fast approaching anyone would love to have a wooly in the cupboard. I wear this sweater right now while typing away on my blog. It's cold and rainy outside. Most houses in Australia are build for summer and do not have a heating system in place. People use portable heating systems to warm up the house in colder months. The house we live in is built around the 1920. It's amazingly cool during hot summers and in winter it's not that bad either.  In our house, in winter, we only use fleece blankets in the evening or early morning and throw on an extra layer of clothing. I feel so much more healthy now than when I was living in the Netherlands with all houses having central heating systems. You always were living in an artificial conditioned living circumstanced environment. Your body never had the opportunity to naturally adjust. I was terrified during my first winter in Australia when friends would sit in the living room with the doors wide open. It made me cold till my bones. The funny thing was last time when I was in the Netherlands in wintertime I was sitting in my Tshirt in the house while everyone was wearing thick winter clothes. Friends and family found this strange as I was the one actually living in a warm country. How come I was not cold in winter? Because I have a natural body clock now and I bless myself for such a great health it also has produced at the same time. I can advice anyone to chuck the heather out of the door and live this way. The planet will be greatful to you too! Your health will improve immensely. Have fun trying! Let me know your experiences on the heating issue.

Our Local Habitat

Whitchery Singlets - Price $1 each - Vinnies in Manly

 Whitchery singlets www.witchery.com.au are made from 100% cotton and actually market for around $40 each new. There is nothing better for your skin than cotton, it feels nice not artificially modified if you know what I mean. Great for summer but even better for winter. They are fab to wear under a sweater as they are of a long lenght and will cover your lower back and keep it fabulously warm. I love the round necklace line of the singlets, it's a gorgeous shape and nicely double stiched. The light blue and soft brown are really tender colors. They make you feel peaceful and earthy as you are a tree in the center of the universe breathing the light blue sky. The mannequins in the photos are kindly donnated to me by Robyn Millward, project manager, from the Manly Environmental Centre for my recycle awareness project. I can use them to show you the full shape of a fashion item when I am unable to step in and photography myself in eagle eye view. As remember I'm the one woman photo studio with a simple consumer hand held camera (with a timer). The MEC is a great local organization as it raises awareness about environmental issues and works towards preservation of our beautiful local habitats and surroundings. As an Artist I have been involved with the center for quite some time with the Ocean Care Day festivals and recently also the Lagoon and Cabbage Tree Bay festival.

Young at heart

Pink Dress - Price $1 - Vinnies in Manly

 

Every girl love pink. At least little girls do! I'm still a little girl at heart. Recently I read Actrice Demi Moore's secret to being eternally young. She said it was not botox or plastic chirurgery but that she still felt like a five year old inside. I really believe this to be true! At least it is for me. I've never grown up and even as a 44 year old I still feel this eternally blissful child. I have a hard time being around adult behaving so seriously. It does not mean you can't be responsible, it does not mean you are a child but you feel like a child in your heart or your spirit (which is eternally young anyway!). I love Demi as she is a fab mum of three gorgeous girls and has a beautiful man in her life (Asthon Kutcher) 15 years her junior. Between me and my partner are 16 years. I would be classified a 'cougar' in the current media trend. I consider myself more the eternally 'young' girl like Demi and as such we attract spirit ful young men. It's not only about attraction, it's actually about building a valuable relationship between two human beings. The colors I'm wearing in the photos should actually clash according to the color rules. I don't know who made those rules? As for me they go fabtastic together. I believe as long as you find orange and pink flowers together next to each other in nature than anything goes. Or should nature have it wrong? Does right & wrong exist in the natural environment or is it just another invention of the human mind.  I love my colors, they brighten up my day. The label is cut out of this cotton dress and as such I stay clueless about it's branding heritage. Maybe you recognize it?

Intimates are Undies

Peter Alexander Intimates - Price $1 - Salvos in Manly

Peter Alexander is a well know Australian Designer www.peteralexander.com.au, well known for his different style of pj's which are pyjamas. Here in Oz, we like to abbreviate every word. Anyway I found those fab intimates as Peter will call them on his website for only $1 in the Salvos store. New I guess :-) I imagine someone must have got them as a present and did not have a clue who Ozzie Pete was. Or they must have had them thought plain ugly or thought that their bum looked big in it. Lucky me!! As I adore this style of 'undies', just plain cute. They even look like shorts with a singlet on top. You feel real comfy strolling around the house with them. NOTE; I live with five males! (all family though..) The flowers are cute as and have a romantic Victorian or fifties feel. Mr Alexander is born in the same year as me. Only difference at our fab age now  is that he has two dogs and i have four kids :-)  In 1992 Peter was named Australian Designer of the year! In Australia I love the way people love the fruits of their own lands and as such I mean what they produce in human beings. In my home country I would have found it unthinkable to read something positive about Art, Fashion & Creativity on the front page of a serious news paper such as the Sydney Morning Herald. Here you see it all the time and it delights me again and again. That's also how I learned about 'old' Pete. Peter has also a Facebook page as you do in the modern digital age, I've added my found treasure (date 20 may) to his page and I hope he's happy his 'intimates' from the Salvos store get a second life on my butt. (By the way the babe in bra is from Pete's website just to illustrate his style how it fits with my 'intimates', The bum is mine though, partly as it's a matter of my personal privacy :-)