Argan Oil (rancid...)

Just like the past five years (it´s already tradition...)last weekend i went to the Fil Feira Internacional de Artesanato-Lisboa, a very popular Arts&Crafts International fair held in Lisbon every year.
So,this year i bought an amazing dress from an Indian seller...

...an African phone pouch...

...and finally,a rancid Argan Oil bottle bought to a North African seller!As all the bottles were sealed i wasn´t able to try them before buying it...It has a smokey smell and it is definitely rancid, good&fresh Argan Oil should smell nutty and not like this one :(

But, iam the "nutty" one!Even smelly,i tried it on my face (yes,blergh!),BUT,amazingly, even rancid,it left my skin super smooth,super moisturized and it was immediately absorved by the skin, just as a fresh Argan Oil would!

I mixed it with my favorite parfum oil essence (to prevent me from fainting when iam having it on my face...) and im quite happy with it now.

I don´t advise you to do the same, but as for me, for this one, ill go rancid! :D

This oil (extracted from the fruit of Morocco's argan tree)  is well know for its its endless hydrating and healing properties.does not clog pores and helps minimize fine lines,Argan oil can also help people with mild acne as the oleic acid found in the oil helps promote healthy levels of sebum production, and its linoleic acid helps prevent excess dead skin cells by promoting healthy skin turnover.

Its extraction,by traditional methods is a very  thought process that envolve the folowing steps:

1.the women harvest the nuts from the argan trees, which grow only in southwestern Morocco. Apparently, Moroccan goats are great at climbing trees, i saw one but no one believed me...they are super cute, actually one of my fav animal :)

 2.The women let the nuts dry. When they pick them, they look like green olives,To make a liter of oil, you need 88 pounds of fruit!

3, Once the nuts are dry, the women use two stones to break apart the dried flesh of the nut, and then to break away the hull. Its hard work!

4.They squeeze the paste by hand to extract the oil. The oil is bottled and the remaining solid stuff left from squeezing is fed to the goats as a special treat (one of the women said it was the animal's version of chocolate).

However, the oil used in cosmetic and culinary products available for sale today has most likely been harvested directly from the tree and processed with machines.

Ive been twice in Morocco, but unfortunately did´t had the possibility to watch the Argan Oil production process http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jfnc1ySS4D4 (i was more busy getting lost in the Medinas looking for their super cool-colorful local Drug Stores!) but, Its on my TO DO list.

El Fna square in Marrakesh © CatiaCoias 

"Welcome to my beautiful shop"...somewhere in the High Atlas Mountains © CatiaCoias 

The fresh and colorful Yves Saint Laurent Majorelle Garden in Marrakech!© CatiaCoias 

The Majorelle Garden saved me from the 48°degrees felt on Marrakesh that day!it was super hot,the air seemed to  burn my nostrils!As you can see by my face...i was in an excruciating pain © CatiaCoias 

We proudly present you our first NEW PARTNER:The Feral Childe!

Feral Childe is a bi‐coastal design duo of Moriah Carlson (Brooklyn, NY) and Alice Wu (Oakland, CA), who both come from a fine arts background. Each season, their collaborative drawings form the basis of the collection's textile prints, wry construction details, and absurdist accessories. Feral Childe combines thoughtful choice of sustainable materials and attention to quality construction to make smart, wearable silhouettes for forward-thinking women manufactured in NYC.

We love their clothing,their sympathy :) and their sustainability!And seems iam not the only one...the incredible performer Esperanza Spalding does too!She was found on tour wearing this beautifull Feral Childe Shirtdress (Ohhh love!):

Collard Shirtdress in Victory Garden Print SP13

So run and check their amaziiiiiing collection at their offcial website www.feralchilde.com & show them some LOVE at their Facebook  page:https://www.facebook.com/feralchilde

Feral Childe Daikon Dress in Silk Crepe and Organic Cotton SP13

Liebemarlene highlights Feral Childe SP13

Summer were are you?At The North Circular?

With all this weird "summer" weather soon we´ll start using gloves in  July and pop out our bikinis in January!
If so,here´s The North Circular, a  Fair Trade collection of knitted wool hats, gloves and  scarves, a company co-founded by famous supermodel and ecologist activist, Lily Cole.

The North Circular donates five per cent of its profits to the Environment Justice Foundation and iis a bit pricy but its surely justified to ensure workers not to be exploited during production: http://thenorthcircular.com/
At their website you can even meet the knitters and the sheep that bring you the best organic wooll!

Welll done Lily for getting involved with Eco Fashion and spreading the word because change need to happen!

In 2002, textiles and apparel manufacturing accounted for $400 billion in global exports, representing 6% of world trade and 8% of world trade in manufactured goods. Textiles and apparel exports are equationated with the explotation of workers from developed countries such as ( 2002):Bangladesh: 85.9%,Macau: 84.4%,Cambodia: 72.5%,Pakistan: 72.1%,El Salvador: 60.2%,Mauritius: 56.6%,Sri Lanka: 54.3%,Dominican Republic: 50.9%,Nepal: 48.7%,Tunisia: 42.4%

The explotation of workers from developed countries (like some in Bangladesh that are for example, paid 0,5 cents p/ hour, on a 80 hours work week) is a sad reality that ensures big textile companies to sell really cheap clothing.
This means that if you paid 1,50 euros for a pair of socks,beside of the obvious bad quality material used on its confection,its manufacturing must also have been really,really cheap...
So next time you´ll find a hole in one of your 1,50 euros sock, instead of running to Primark to buy a new pair (we presently think in a very disposable way like "they were so cheap so not worth the sewing work"...well think twice,sit in your couch,put some relaxing music, grab your mother old sewing kit and enjoy a 5 minute sewing moment like in the old ways!

If life gives you lemons,make lemonade!

As for me,besides lemonade, i also make body scrubs :D

I´ll soon post some images of my new pink Lime/Lemon Body Scrub...(yummy)soon available in our Etsy Shop!

AND,did you know that lemon peel contains more nutrients, vitamins, and health benefits than the lemon juice (it contains 5 to 10 times more vitamins than lemon juice)!

Lemon peels contain high amounts of calcium and vitamin C wich have been shown to aid preventing osteoporosis, inflammatory polyarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis!

With so many benefits we should learn to eat it!

And actually there are many different ways to do it!You can prepare your lemon peels this way:

1.Place your lemons in the freezer for a couple of hours. Then take them out and grate them. You can sprinkle the grated lemon peel on your meals or in your drinks.

2.Grind your lemon peel (without freezing).  Sprinkle the lemon peel pieces on your meals or in your drinks

3.Or you could just bite right into one.

As for skin,it has amazing benefits:it lightens your skin but it will take time...the citric acid in lemons does have natural lightening components.But hey, lemon is quite acidic,it  could dry out your skin, so remeber to  moisturize your skin thoroughly daily and be also sure to apply sunscreen as it can also cause sensitiviy under in the sun.

Lemon is also great for removing wrinkles, blackheads and dead skin cells.

Check here more amazing uses for lemons:http://www.whydontyoutrythis.com/2013/05/45-uses-for-lemons-that-will-blow-your-socks-off.html

Lemonnnnnnnnnnnnns for all!

Summer readings!

There´s nothing like a good Summer reading, by the pool,under a tree,on the beach...ahhh

Here´s a  link for some green book recommendations from TreeHugger: http://www.treehugger.com/culture/summer-reading-book-recommendations-treehugger.html and for http://libgen.org/,an amazing online library where you can download,freeeely,almost everything, from comics to scientific articles!;)

As for me i,i really like having them physically around me (a very bad habit i have to break...) and i leave Kafka for the winter...summer means Steven Saylor books yay!:D

http://www.stevensaylor.com/

Shoe Problem...Recycle them!

My mother says ive got a "shoe problem"...in my defence i say that Im just a girl...and girls DO shoes!( and bags and dresses  oops) ...and after i discovered Birkenstock (sigh*) a new "Shoe Era" suddenly revealed to me,so the others just turned totally obsolet,I don’t wear them anymore and never will, so why do I still keep them?I did some research and realised the amazing things we can do with our old shoes,check them out:

-Offer them at Freecycle (a local organization where neighbors share discards and items they no longer need. Visit the freecycle website for more details):http://www.freecycle.org/

-Visit the Nike’s Reuse a Shoe program (a program where old athletic shoes are recycled to make playground material and sports services):http://www.nike.com/us/en_us/c/better-world/stories/2013/05/reuse-a-shoe

-Swap shoes with friends(ehehe)

-Check if your local recycle center have a shoe recycling program...mine dont but probably you'll be luckier

-Soon you´ll also be able to swap discard items like shoes with other items at the Kyosk-Casa das Trocas in Torres Vedras (Portugal).Check their Facebook page:https://www.facebook.com/CasaTrocasTorresVedras and website http://www.believeinportugal.info/

-Contact Souls 4 Souls to see how to recycle or donate your used shoes..Souls 4 Souls is a global not-for-profit institution dedicated to fighting the devastating impact and perpetuation of poverty.  The organization advances its anti-poverty mission by collecting new and used shoes and clothes from individuals, schools, faith-based institutions, civic organizations and corporate partners, then distributing those shoes and clothes both via direct donations to people in need and by provisioning qualified micro-enterprise programs designed to create jobs in poor and disadvantaged communities: http://soles4souls.org/our-mission

-Visit Recycled Runners to learn about different shoe recycling programs around the world:http://www.recycledrunners.com/

-As for me,i opted to donate them to an homeless shelter,

(staring at the "shoe everest" pile...)

Ps-By the way,now that we are "talkin shoes"just check Shannon Jensen incredible photo work of shoes belonging to refugees who had travelled by foot  across the border from Sudan’s Blue Nile state over to neighbouring South Sudan to escape Khartoum government’s military campaign against Southern liberation movement.

They sure makes us wonder...

http://www.shannon-jensen.com/#/1/

Wowww
How cool is this?

Sprout™ is a pencil that wants to be a plant when it grows up. When it's too short to use, plant Sprout to grow herbs, flowers and more!

http://democratech.us/sprout/

Tiger Measuring kitchen spoons

They are so lovey and quite pratical for my diy cosmetics measuring ingredients!
I bought them on a Tiger Store.
Check their website on the link above!

you can check their website here:

http://www.tiger-stores.pt/

Top 3 grocery list apps for android...and why it saves you money!

A Grocery List Saves You Money BECAUSE it means:

Fewer Unplanned Purchases;
Less Spoiled Food;
Less Likely to Wander and 
Fewer Grocery Trips!

This also means 1 less piece of paper!:)

We leave a link for the best Grocery Apps for Android:
http://androidforums.com/application-reviews/710208-top-3-shopping-list-apps-android-in-2013-a.html

DIY striped Tshirt without sewing!

Want one looking like this one?Just Follow this easy 3 steps!

and..there you go!

DIY striped Tshirt in 3 easy steps!

Sneak a peek....

...soon i´ll have the photos ready, i´ll post  and share them with you!

How to customized old Tshirts!

After a very hot & colorful running  (wich left this cat here looking like the Nyan Cat) ...

© catia coias(more images here: https://www.facebook.com/catiacoias/media_set?set=a.10153025162565691.1073741833.876290690&type=3)

...he decided to recycle his old tshirts (the ones not used for the last 3 years...) and transform them into something...fresher!

They look amazing and its so simple,no seewing,just a scissor and some old tees!!

Soon i´ll have the photos ready, i´ll post  and share them with you! *Meow!

Cloth/Paper Wet Wipes DIY!

Summer has finally arrived!And Baby Wipes are known (beside its common use...) to rehydrate,wipe up hands and faces&refresh our skin on those hard heat days...

How many of you are fond of them?Well,iam but,wait....did you know that harmful chemicals are found in  most commercial baby wipes??? (yes,the baby ones...)

AND did you know that you can do your own baby wipes??yes!And they are free of those chemicals,they are far softer and it  will also save you a ton!!You can choose do it  with a soft paper roll or with reusables cloth/Fabric (made of Flannel,Cotton,Mixed fabric etc..,this ones produce far less solid waste then the paper ones)

What will you need:

- 1 container 

- 1 single roll of paper towels (for the paper ones) or small pieces of fabric ones

- 2 & 1/2 – 3 cups of warm water (The main ingredient in each recipe, cleanses the diaper area and dilutes the other ingredients)

- 2 tablespoons of olive or Almond oil

- Optional: Some essential or scented oils to your preference (added for antibacterial and/or aromatherapy purposes)

-Castille/Baby Soap (Be sure to use something that is chemically safe)

(I used an old Shower Gel i bought  last year in Turkey. Its is quite synthetic though but this was the only way of recycling a Shower Gel that was supposed to stay in the shelf forever...)

add a little black cat...

Mix everything...

and finally...

What to do:

• Boil water.
• Add the natural soap
• Add some white vinegar or tea tree oil for antibacterial properties and to help resist mold/mildew.
• Add the Olive Oil and the essential oils seclected
• Pour over wipes in a box (commercial baby wipes container and dip cloth wipes into the solution or a plastic box, kitchen type)
• Cut the roll of paper towels or the fabrix in half with an electric knife in the center
• Mix the water with the other ingredienrtes and pour over the paper towels.