treasure chest

today's pre-loved treasure is brought to you from the sunshine coast (where it is still summer, bring on the 28 degree days!)

i used to have a bangle nearly exactly like this (that i of course bought from a second hand store), but i wore it so much that pieces of it fell off! some may think that this makes it sound dodgy, but it was just the fact that i wore it pretty much everywhere... sometimes to bed.

i love the wooden effect, couple that with gold detail and i'm a happily accessorised vintage fashionista.

chuck it with a few other matching bangles, or even just by itself, and it dresses up a plain outfit really nicely (with or without the necklace, i'm just still chuffed with it, so it's in there).

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natural body lovin' part three

the next body lovin' installment comes in the form of this cute little bottle:

pretty smelling and indefinitely useful, i present to you: lavender oil.

lavender itself is a very basic scent used in a large range of products from air freshener to laundry detergent to simple perfume. however, it's uses extend beyond making different parts of yourself, your belongings and your home smell good.

as an essential oil, lavender is used in aromatherapy as a relaxation aid which also helps to reduce anxiety. it is also used to relieve tension headaches, coughs and respiratory problems when added to a vaporiser.
it can also be used as a mosquito repellent (i've never tried this one, so if you have, please leave a comment about how effective it is!)

lavender oil can also be applied to small cuts and burns for pain relief and as an antiseptic, plus it also aids with healing, reducing scarring.
oh, and for insect bites and stings (it helps with the bitey, stingy bit).

as a massage oil, lavender can help relieve joint and muscle pain.

all this from one little bottle! and from one pretty plant.

there have been media claims that lavender oil has properties that mimic sex hormones, but the evidence is shaky. if you have any concerns about these claims, i highly suggest doing some further research for yourself.

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saturday seconds! (a day early)

this striking 3/4 jacket is my new autumn love! (courtesy of op shopping of course)

i've worn it with everything since i took these photos (including the necklace i put together a few weeks ago).

one outfit that i've yet to try out (that i'm waiting for a lovely evening outing to dress up for) involves a cute but sexy black dress and the jacket. a long necklace to accessorise, and a cute but sexy pair of chocolate heels to match.

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beautiful planet

beautiful planet

drink to your health!

some quick facts about water bottles (the ones we all think are recyclable): 80% of plastic bottles are recyclable but only 20% are actually recycled.

plastic bottles take 700 years to begin composting.

24 million gallons of oil are needed to produce a billion plastic bottles.
also, some research suggests that common plastic water bottles start leaking chemicals into your water as soon as they are filled, depending on their manufacturing process. Yummo!
interesting huh?

if that makes you stop and think to yourself “oh!” (in a negative way), here’s another fact that will make you think “oh!” (in a positive way!): the original polycarb pop-top can be reused up to 1000 times without leaking any chemicals into your precious h2oh! (hehe)

now there are more than one kind of reusable water bottle (check SIGG out for starters!), but I’m personally using a polycarb, because it is light and just like a regular pop top, and it doesn’t make your water taste funny like all the stupid plastic water bottles you get off businesses and sports teams as marketing promos (yay!)
i bought a litre bottle for $6.95 from my local organic store. for over 1000 safe uses and recyclable afterwards, bargain.

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Scrub up! (naturally) with natural hand sanitiser

In my literary travels I came across a handy little recipe for a natural hand sanitiser. This is particularly well timed because we are going into winter where I live, and with winter comes all the lovely cold and flu germs! So sanitizing after touching potentially disgusting public surfaces (like public toilet door handles) is sometimes quite a must.

If I'm honest, it's a good find for me for everyday use, as constant hand washing dries my skin out like crazy, and normal chemical hand sanitisers also dry my skin out like crazy (because of the high alcohol content - a very drying agent).

Oh, and I never grew up, so I'm always getting into all kinds of messes, mucking around outdoors, with kids, playing with animals (for example, tonight a family of possums decided to come and eat dinner with me, so of course, I petted them and fed them. Repeatedly. And every pat was followed by a hand wash. If I'd had my sanitiser I wouldn't have used half of my hand moisturiser!)

So to make an all natural, skin friendly sanitiser, mix;

• one cup of aloe vera gel
• 1-2 teaspoons of witch hazel
• 3-4 drops of tea tree oil
• 3-4 drops of peppermint oil

Stir all of the ingredients together, mixing in more aloe gel to get a thicker consistency, if that's how you like it :)

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