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This Friday and Saturday we’re having our famous Spring-Clean WORKROOM SALE.

There will be something for everyone. Choose from an extensive selection of fabrics and trims, samples and seconds, and a range of discounted past season’s stock. We’ll be open Late Night Friday and this year we even have eft-pos. See you all there.

Level 10,
173-175 Victoria St (next to Farmers),
Fri 18th Nov: 10am – 6.00pm,
Sat 19th Nov: 10am – 4.00pm,
eft-pos available.

Thanks to all of those who have sent in their favourite eco-tip for a chance to win an Electrolux Ergorapido Green vac. There’s been some really innovative and inspiring ones that we’d like to share with you. Here are just a few of our favourites to date. It’s quite a big list but worth a read.

#1
Use recycle coffee sacks in the vege garden, as biodegradable weedmats or dog beds. They are available from cafes, often for free, but there’s one on Ponsonby Road, Allpress Espresso, that wants a gold coin donation, that then goes on to help local schools – so it’s a double win.
Thanks Janice Adamson.

#2
Put a bowl of water in the microwave. Add a few slices of lemon. Run for a minute or two. The steam will loosen stains and splatters while the lemon will deodorize it. Wipe clean.
Thanks Kathleen Allison

#3
Choose sustainable or recycled material to wrap your presents in. Here are a few ideas:
– recycled gift wrapping paper from the children’s various parties
– adorable fabric remnants (including old woolies)
– gorgeous tea-towels – cheap as chips at discount stores and emporiums
– brown recycled paper from a big roll, just like Nana used to use.
Sustainability needn’t stop at the wrapping, the garnish can be an eco-delight to:
– bows can be string, wool, old ribbons
– old buttons
– plastic flowers rescued from the 10 cent bin at St Vincent de Paul.
Thanks Megan Smith

#4
Mini ‘trench composting’. Dig a 25cm hole in your garden, tip in your bowl of food scraps, cover with dirt and tramp down firmly. Dig the hole in a slightly different spot each time. Within a few months you will notice that the health of your soil is greatly improved and that there are lots of worms.  The soil will be great for any plants.
Thanks Anna.

#5
Use vinegar for almost all cleaning and various other tasks. Just a few of the things I use it for are:
Its a mild bleach, is antiseptic and antibacterial.
In the washing machine: I use it as a fabric softener in the final rinse, it also removes detergent residue, it whitens and brightens clothing, using it with sheets minimises fluffing, it removes deodorant stains and other stains when rubbed on them before washing.
I use it with water in a spray bottle to clean bathroom and kitchen surfaces, windows, mirrors and everything else … and the list goes on.
Thanks Jeanette and also Erin Krebs.

#6
Babywipes are a complete have! A damp cloth with water works just as well! You can even travel with them – just pop a few in separate little zip-loc plastic bags…but no need to buy them – re-use the ones you get from the stupidmarket bulk-bins. Actually, these bags can be used for heaps of purposes, rinse and use again and again. I take carrot sticks to work in them every day – don’t worry no one in my house in nappies anymore so no risk of mixing up carrot holding bags and babywipe bags…cos that would be gross.
Thanks Jo Gascoigne.

#7
Use facebook to shout out to friends and family for the items you need to use, but don’t necessarily need to own.  When my grandmother died I inherited a collection of crystal vases, plates, platters and a cake dome !! I’ve lent this collection to a number of friends for birthday and anniversary parties – the crystal makes a wonderful addition to a “high tea”. Thanks Ana Gilling

#8
My best eco tip is for Xmas card tags for presents. I hate all the wastage that goes along with paper and cards for Xmas so I keep all my cards and tags and then next Xmas cut out the nicest part of the card or tag, put a single hole punch through the corner and thread some coloured ribbon and then write my message on the back of it and cellotape to the present! People hardly look at tags but they look pretty and it saves money and helps the environment too.
Thanks Amy.

#9
The children in my class cut up the banana peels into small bite size pieces and we layer them up in a bin with our very own school made compost. We then use this banana fertilizer in the garden. It has done marvelous things in our school orchard and gardens!!
Thanks Keren Rego and all of the Year 1’s at Point Chevalier School.

#10
Lemon oil – it is the best most effective way of keeping spiders and their webs away, never to be seen again as long as you put it where it wont get rained on, useful all around inside and outside your home. simply use lemon oil from the shop or make your own,by getting the zest of the lemons and put in a bit of cloth and nuke it so the oil goes into the cloth, tie it onto your broom and start dabbing in the corners and along the ceiling, or verandah roof, under the carport etc its the best ever.
Thanks Amy Stephens

#11
For cleaning the grout around the shower – don’t use nasty chemical cleaners use a paste (made from white vinegar & baking soda) – brush on with toothbrush and leave. The mould dies. Then wash off with water.
Thanks Craig Balme.

At fashion week this year Louise Mills from The Body Shop created a wonderful dark and moody look to complement our theme Lunatopia – where glam rock meets the spectacle of the night sky. Louise provided this brief descriptor on how she created the look and how you can adapt it for a more ‘everyday’ application.

“The theme for Starfish’s collection required a dark look with a splash of drama. This was created with shades of black and gunmetal covering the eyes using the Shimmer Cubes Palette in Blue Moon. A shot of copper from the Baked-To-Last Eye Colour collection was added to create the illusion of depth. These were all softly blended to give a very subtle smoky effect.

The eyes were complemented with Extra Virgin Minerals™ Foundation, which gave the skin a velvety smooth appearance. This was accentuated with a pale shimmery highlight on top of the cheekbones as a way of referencing the sparkle of stars.

To finish the look a very soft nude lip with a hint of gloss was applied.

The look is easily converted from runway to everyday by skipping the Midnight Black used on the inner corners of the eyes, leaving a subtle smoky look.”

Thanks Louise ­ and it’s great to know that The Body Shop new Extra Virgin Minerals makeup is made with 100% mineral pigments and 100% community fair trade cold pressed virgin olive oil.

This year Starfish are partnering up with Electrolux to create a design for their ‘vacs-from-the-sea’ awareness campaign in which they use plastic washed up on our shores to create limited edition vacuums.

Plastic is a material with many advantages. But when plastic ends up in the wrong place it becomes a problem. This is a great vehicle to highlight the issue while also communicating that conscious consumer choices can be integrated in to all aspects of our lives.

This is such a great project and we’re proud to be envolved in it. We’ve gone for a star design (thanks Jen for such a great job) which reflects our winter 2012 collection Lunatopia which is all about daring to dream big. We’ve also used the technology to create jewellery for our catwalk show at NZFW, and it looks great.

If you want some more info check out this link –

http://www.electrolux.se/Innovation/Campaigns/Vac-from-the-sea/

We’re really excited about showing at New Zealand Fashion Week this year and to get the show on the road we’ve been collaborating with like-minded organizations. The collection is called Lunatopia, and it’s all about daring to dream big.

When choosing potential partners to collaborate with we always talk with organisations who share the dream of sustainable business practices. We’re strong believers that two voices speak louder than one and have learned that the more we share our experiences, the stronger we contribute to raising awareness and action. Together, we believe we can co-create conscious consumer choices in the daily lives of our customers.

The partners we seek are innovative thinkers that have similar ethical values to ourselves. Our partners celebrate with us and contribute their own way. We all understand that being sustainable, or producing with an ethical focus, is fundamental to doing business in the future. And, this year we’re proud to announce that The Body Shop, Electrolux, Powershop and Project Crimson will be joining us at the event.

The Body Shop will be using its brand new line, Extra Virgin Minerals make-up, made with 100 per cent mineral pigments and 100 per cent Community Fair Trade cold pressed extra virgin olive oil, to create a fresh and flawless complexion on the Starfish models.
 Laurie, who as a young woman was profoundly influenced by the Body Shop founder Dame Anita Roddick, says, ‘I’m still in complete awe that Starfish and the Body Shop are working together to build a strong partnership. It is really befitting that the Body Shop will be providing our make-up look at New Zealand Fashion Week, and that together we can show people that you can still have great style while making ethical choices.’

Electrolux, a company that raises public awareness about the plastic waste that fills our oceans by gathering plastic debris from vulnerable marine habitats and produces limited edition vacuums out of it, has engaged with Starfish with its colourful and compelling Vac from the Sea campaign. Our talented ‘Woman Friday’ – Jen – has created a Vac from the Sea cover, as well as distinctive pieces of jewellery using recycled plastic and Electrolux technologies.

Powershop, a company which allows consumers a choice in which brand of power they use, is actively tracking the power usage of the Starfish show at New Zealand Fashion Week and will then offset the carbon consumed. We’ll also be collaborating with Powershop in order to encourage people to manage and reduce their electricity usage

Project Crimson, a trust that aims to protect and restore pohutukawa and rata trees in New Zealand, is teaming up with Starfish for the third time to create a limited-edition fundraising T-shirt for the summer. All profits earned from the sales will go towards protecting the trees. This year we’ve added a special touch by inviting New Zealand renowned artist Shona Moller to join the partnership. Titled Pride, these distinctive New Zealand made T-shirts will be launched immediately following the Starfish show.

Lunatopia will be presented at New Zealand Fashion Week on Tuesday, August 30 at
5 p.m. in Shed 2 of Auckland’s new Viaduct Events Centre. Starfish will also participate in the Merino Show on Friday, September 2 at 1 p.m. in the Westpac Shed.