♥ Grace Neutral: Art and Apparel ♥

Hand Poke Tattoos • Artist  • Designer

Grace Neutral is perhaps best known for her tattooed lilac eyeballs, her stretched nose, pixie ears, removed belly button, her beautiful manga and disney tattoos, and her scarification, but what her lovely individualistic persona leads to is so much more. To say the least, Grace Neutral is such a fascinating, captivating, and talented individual. She struck my attention first on Instagram with her unique and traditional method of hand poke tattooing; from there, her art drew me in, her presence became mesmerizing, and her talents endless. I always admire an artist with so much to offer beyond just their artistic abilities, but getting to see a piece of their lives, of their personalities and characteristic quirks always leads me to follow someone's work even further. Again, I will say this lovely talented woman from the UK is nothing short of astounding. With so much to offer the social media-crazed world we currently live in, it's no wonder she is gaining popularity so quickly--and certainly so very well-deserved. 

Grace, to me, is captivating in appearance but also in her personality; and this is a personality that certainly shows through her work. She is non-traditional in the best ways, completely unique, and not afraid of changing her body to her own liking, unafraid of judgement, and crossing boundaries of expected representations of women. All of these are so admirable in a society that continues to oppress people, and women in specific. Grace is a refreshing breath of fresh air and a positive addition to the social media world. 

After getting to talk a little bit with her, I have to add that she is an absolute sweetheart and I hope to one day meet her in person. 

Hand Poke Tattoos. 

If you are fortunate enough to live nearby--or like me, hope to one day make a trip to the UK-- then Grace Neutral will offer you a unique tattoo experience with amazing artistic talent to back up her traditional method. You can find her at Good Times Tattoo in London, tattooing a variety of fantastic mandalas and cartoon characters that are just too fun. I also love her geekery in general; the tattoos she does surrounding pop culture, disney, cute things, and, of course, Ghibli characters are just too adorable and fantastic for words. Whatever you're looking for, she no doubt will tattoo something unforgettable for your tattoo journey.  

Apparel and Art.

If you aren't fortunate enough to live in the UK then you can still take home with you a piece of Grace Neutral's astounding talents. She runs an etsy shop featuring several brilliant mandala designs on t-shirts and other apparel, some wicked tie-dye stockings and undies, keychains, tote bags, prints, and more. Some of these are limited prints so I definitely recommend getting your hands on anything that catches your eye so you don't miss out. I immediately fell in love with the Totoro and Ghibli mandalas--what a fun and gorgeous idea for shirts! 

Grace Neutral was awesome enough to send me a Totoro mandala tee, as well as a fun "optical illusion" mandala tee. Both are ridiculously fun! They are printed well and with quality; they are also surprisingly comfy for being printed on Gildan t-shirts (I would love to see her designs offered on american apparel or other softer tees though). Both of these shirts are now two of my favourite in my collection. Totoro will always be a favourite amongst Ghibli fans, but I feel that a design this unique only comes around so often--so don't miss out! 

Be sure to check out Grace Neutral on all her social media platforms and show her wonderful art some love! 

Find Grace Neutral:

Shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/GraceNeutral

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/grace.neutral.7

Instagram: http://instagram.com/graceneutral

Tumblr: http://ahistoryofweedcraft.tumblr.com/

If you found this article to be helpful, please consider a small donation or visit the shop. Thank you for your love and support.

☆ The Cost of Cheap Fashion ☆

 Just this morning as I was sipping on my morning smoothie, scrolling through my Facebook feed, an ad popped up. It was a sponsored ad which a few friends had liked. It was an ad for some super cozy looking sweaters. Visually enticed, I clicked through the link. After all, they looked so cuddly warm and pretty and I just couldn't help myself for curiosities sake. The cozy looking fleece-lined hoodies were $15, And free shipping. $15!? AND free shipping?! Too good to be true? Absolutely! And for so so many reasons. Allow me to explain… 

While prices this low may seem like an amazing deal, in the long run, in the outlook of human workers, in the outlook of the planet, in the outlook of anything morally right in the world, these low prices are Not. In the words of a lovely Care2 article: 

"Cheap goods equal a not so cheap global footprint. Even though you’re probably not thinking so rationally while being bombarded with club-thumping music and eye-catching merchandize, try and restrain yourself; the planet will thank you.

A new book by Elizabeth Cline entitled Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion critiques the mindless, shopaholic culture permeating modern day society and takes the reader on an eye-opening journey behind the name brands and store shelves and into the depths of the economics, resources and labor required to make your clothes.

Cline explains that the clothing industry is able to maintain such incredibly low prices due to sheer volume of production.  In order to further cut costs, clothing companies have resorted to cheaper materials and, as a result, an overall loss in quality. Have you ever noticed that those new jeans from H&M didn’t last very long?  Perhaps holes in the knees developed sooner than you’d prefer, or maybe that shirt from Target felt thinner and lighter in quality than you’d like?

This business model is by no means accidental and it’s bad news for human rights and the environment as most high volume, low price clothing stores employ cheap labor and promote extreme turnover and waste. In fact, we throw away “68 pounds of textiles per person per year,” according to Cline, which leads to overflowing closets and thrift stores now bursting with low-quality items.  It’s a vicious cycle, particularly for those who can’t afford anything better.

With respect to market extremes of super low prices (think big box stores) versus super high prices (think Madison Avenue), Clines states that “There are very few middle-market brands and retailers and everything has become very cheap or irrationally expensive on the other end.” Leaving little room for quality products that don’t cost a fortune, most of us fall victim to clothing items we know aren’t the best sourced, yet we buy them anyway. There’s often simply no other financial choice and going naked obviously isn’t an option.

So how can we balance the need for affordable clothing with labor rights, a local designer economy and a healthier environment?  Cline reiterates the need for more independent fashion designers who use and promote sustainable products.  Check out Fashioningchange.com if you want to learn more about sustainable comparable clothing alternatives.  Also, and most importantly, be sure to choose quality over quantity when given the choice. Although initial sticker shock might dissuade you, the handmade dress that lasts for 10 years is worth much more in the long-run than five t-shirts that will last a summer."

Care2 Article: http://www.care2.com/causes/cheap-clothing-costs-a-lot-more-than-you-think.html

Now, adding to this lovely piece of writing… 

Absolutely choose independent designers. It actually really isn't that hard. There is a Huge marketplace full of ridiculously talented designers who offer their goods at totally reasonable prices. Okay, so a pair of leggings may not cost $10 when they're handmade, but, as stated above, there is a reason for cheap fashion and those leggings will fall apart within the year while something bought from an independent designer will last years! Cheap fashion is cheap for a reason. 

I cannot even fathom how a fleece-lined hoodie could only cost the company $15, what when shipping is probably almost that amount, you know they must be paying their employees Nothing and the fabrics they are using must be absolute garbage! The fabric alone if I were to make such an item would be More than $15!!!

Cons of Cheap Fashion: 

Environmental impact: think 68 pounds of waster per person annually; the chemicals, water loss, and mass pollution from factories (and quadruple it because they keep pumping out more garbage every day).

Unethical Labour: Yes, I'm sure you're familiar with the reality of underpaid workers and children in China and other countries making your clothes. Yes, you pay more for ethical fashion for a reason! 

Garbage: As already mentioned, those cheap clothes will last you a season of wearing them at best. It may look cute at first but chances are it will fall apart in no time. 

Cheap Fabrics: The online shopping world is forever expanding (as mentioned at the very beginning of this post) and that means more bargain deals at steal-of-a-deal prices! That $15 hoodie you may never receive because of poor customer service, you'll probably get sent the wrong one (again, poor customer service), and the item will Not look even close to what you actually order--due to fancy looking photography that makes the item look appealing when that's not what you're actually getting. 

Again, cheap fashion is cheap for a reason, so try to restrain your initial temptations for cheap clothing. Don't get me wrong, I get it, I've been there and fallen victim to the cheap clothing. Again, so not worth it. It's actually cheaper for me to buy that cheap clothing than to make it myself, so I feel your struggle. And this is not some shameless post to get you to buy My brand of clothing either--it's simply a reminder to what most of us already know but like to ignore: that there is a huge cost to cheap fashion. 

Support local independent designers--again there are Tons of them out there! Places like Etsy are fantastic to browse if you're unsure where to start--all artisan made! You support a better planet, someone's actual livelihood, you'll have clothing that won't fall apart, and you can keep your conscious clear. Wins all around! 

If you found this article to be helpful, please consider a small donation or visit the shop. Thank you for your love and support.

♥ New at ReLove Plan.et Shop ♥

Make Happiness a Habit!

I haven't done an update of new products from ReLove Plan.et's etsy shop in a while, so I thought I would take a moment to do so ;) 

Just in time for Mother's Day, there are two new adorable cards for the occasion.

Also, five other fun cards for any occasion.

Adding to the mini Zippered Pouch collection is this lovely little Sheepy. 

And, finally, all Plushies are back in stock for a limited time only--this will likely be my very last batch of these, so don't miss out if you'd like to add one of these cuties to your Plushie or ReLove collections! ;)

Find ReLove Plan.et: 

Etsy: http://www.reloveplanet.etsy.com/ 

In Stores: "Republic of V" in Berkeley California. 

If you found this article to be helpful, please consider a small donation or visit the shop. Thank you for your love and support.

♥ Rose Pedals Jewelry (Review) ♥

Remember when everyone was wearing feather earrings? Oh wait, people are still doing that… well, I have something far more awesome to share with you than cruel feather earrings! I introduce to you; Rose Pedals Jewelry! 

Okay, so first off, Rose Pedals Jewelry makes the prettiest, spunkiest, just plain awesomest, faux-feather earrings I've ever seen. They're made from cleaned and recycled bicycle parts, innertubes, brake washers, chain links and rivets, all cleaned and polished and given a new life as wearable art! Plus saving unnecessary goods from ending up in the trash. So, we've just combined eco-friendly with cruelty-free (so, yay, vegans can enjoy!), which are all A's in my books! Oh yeah, and the earrings are gorgeous, did I mention that already? 

You won't just find faux-feather earrings at Rose Pedal Jewelry either, there is a whole line of necklaces, bracelets, and other pretty styles of earrings. Something for everyone! 

I just love how elegant and sleek all the jewelry looks, and the styles are all very creative and unique. When I received my pair of earrings (I chose the mismatched feather earrings) I was ecstatic. I don't think I ever want to take them off! The jewelry hangs perfectly and are super soft to the touch. Everything about these pieces are simply magical. I feel like a warrior princess wearing these! 

Not to mention, the feather-styled pieces are cut so breathtakingly perfect, with all the little slits to give them a beautiful and realistic resemblance to real feathers. I seriously can't even put into words the attention to detail and care that looks to be poured into these pieces. I am extremely impressed! 

Everything about this shop is just so perfectly wonderful!  What's also fun is that you can easily dress it up or play it down to make these pieces work with whatever look you're in the mood for. And who doesn't change their mood and style from day to day? I know I sure do! 

Megan Rose is the lovely owner of the shop and she has just been so wonderful to communicate with and is such a great seller in every aspect. She runs her shop to great customer satisfaction, which makes the online buying experience all the more enjoyable. Megan hand-makes all the necklaces and earrings in the shop from her home workshop on Denman Island, British Columbia, Canada. All the recycled bike parts come from either her home bike shop or the recycling bin at the community bike co-op where she volunteers.

Her line is inspired by the cycle culture and street level fashions of the city itself, and continues to grow in its new location on the west coast of British Columbia. Megan Rose lives happily on Denman Island with her husband Eli, a cat and an organic garden. 

Now get going and check out Rose Pedal Jewelry, buy yourself a special something or a gift for your favourite person! 

You can find Rose Pedal Jewelry here:

Shop: RosePedalsJewelry.etsy.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rose-Pedals-Jewelry/300427196666003

If you found this article to be helpful, please consider a small donation or visit the shop. Thank you for your love and support.

♥ Pre-Order Hoodies and Sweaters! ♥

It's that time of year again! Time for the pre-orders for Hoodies, Sweaters, and Long-sleeves!!! ^_^

I do these a couple times throughout the fall, winter, and spring. If you want to get your cozy sweater then you must pre-order as I don't tend to get extras to customize, so don't miss out! ;)

Sooo, details...

Pre-Orders: 

Maniac Sweatshirts - $68.00 (+shipping)

Pullover Hoodies (Zip-Hoodies available, just ask) - $70.00 (+shipping)

Slouchy Long-sleeves. - $65.00 (+shipping)

These are sooo comfy and cozy! And are all eco-friendly. There are lots of colours to choose from, size options, and, of course, you can choose from all of ReLove Plan.et's cute character artwork. 

ORDERING

You can place your order through Etsy, or you can email (alter_eco@hotmail.com) with your Order Selection (choose from the "Order Options" in the etsy listings) -- ordering through paypal invoice instead of etsy means you get a 10% discount. :)

Hope you're all having a lovely summer still and are looking forward to a cozy fall! 

If you found this article to be helpful, please consider a small donation or visit the shop. Thank you for your love and support.

♥ ExandOh (Review) - Handmade Wigs! ♥

"I started doing this because I've never felt more beautiful then when I put my first wig on! & now I want others to feel the same way I did."

~Cristina

(Owner, Maker, Designer, Model of ExandOh)

Alright, Loves, today I have a lovely etsy shop to share with you that is so colourful and exciting that I think I need to warn you to hold onto your seats. Are you sitting comfortably? Good, on to the awesomeness of ExandOh! 

To start, you may already know that I generally promote not dying your own hair--I've written articles in the past about "not wanting to die to be beautiful" due to the highly carcinogenic chemicals in hair dyes if you're breathing it in and bleaching and dyeing it into your lovely natural hair (and your poor poor head). But colourful hair is so ridiculously fun so it's hard to resist the urge to indulge and do it anyway. Well, I have another, less permanent, solution for you: wigs!!! 

As I said, I love colourful hair. Just Love it! So when I finally decided to take the plunge and get my first wig I was ecstatic. Before this moment the only wigs I'd worn were for halloween--which is super fun too--so this was an exciting new venture in my mind. Why had I not thought of this sooner? 

As usual, I had high standards. I wanted something that was made with quality, made to last, and handmade. And, of course, I wanted to support a small business as well, and etsy just seemed the logical place to turn to. I'd favourited ExandOh's etsy shop a while back when a friend of mine posted a photo of her wearing this gorgeous red wig on instagram. When I saw how real the wig looked (I had NO idea it was a wig and neither did anyone else who had left her comments), I decided immediately that I wanted one for myself. 

ExandOh's selection of styles, lengths, and colours is, simply put, astounding! To be put into other words would involve a lot of ecstatic exclamations that probably can't actually be put into actual words, so we'll stick with astounding. It took me forever to choose one, and the only thing that narrowed it down for me was that I'd always wanted pink hair but had never dyed it that colour before I had stopped dying my hair for good a couple years ago. Still, there were so many options and shades, and all as equally as wonderful as the next. 

Anyway, I don't think I have to say at this point how much I love ExandOh's wigs. When I received my lovely and pretty pink wig I was ecstatic. It fits like a charm, is super comfortable to wear and stays in place beautifully. Whenever I wear it I get a million compliments -- plus no one can tell it's not my real hair! A girl at my favourite coffee shop (they all know me there by now) loved it so much that she actually called her coworker to tell her that I was in the shop and that she needed to see it because she thought it was that fantastic. I don't think compliments get much deeper than that! 

[love my ExandOh wig!!]

Cristina, the lovely lady who runs the shop, is simply a doll and works so hard to please her customers. I was very impressed and deeply grateful for her communication and ease with the purchase. The neat part, as well, is that her shop started with a wig made for herself that made her feel great about the way she looked and made her want to pass on that same feeling of joy to others. ExandOh was created with passion and love, so you know you're shopping in the right place. 

ExandOh's wigs are made up of High Quality Synthetic Fiber, most of which are low heat resistant which allows you to style them as you wish. They also use 100% Human Hair and Human Synthetic Blends--all of these fibers create a very natural looking hairpiece that you can wear anytime. They redesign, reconstruct and hand alter their pieces to create unique and beautiful wigs for you to enjoy! 

So, if you're like me and have been dying (no pun intended) to get that colourful hair but don't want to subject your poor head to the chemicals and destruction of hair dying, then here's your solution! You can get the beautiful effects of dying your natural hair but never actually do it; plus you can switch it up as often as you'd like and be a red head one week and a brunette the next! 

ExandOh also do custom work to make your dream hairstyle become a reality! Plus, halloween is coming up quite quickly so now is the perfect time to indulge and get your perfect wig for that perfect costume. These wigs are also super fun during festival season and, well, pretty much any time anywhere, you don't really need an excuse to wear one--they are that amazing and comfortable! 

So go check out ExandOh's shop -- you'll be very glad you did!

Etsy Shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ExandOh

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/ExandOh-Wigs/311252208902967

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/ExandOhWigs 

If you found this article to be helpful, please consider a small donation or visit the shop. Thank you for your love and support.

♥ KnotaGeek (Review) - Handmade Crochet Accessories! ♥

I am so excited to share this lovely etsy shop with you today! Ever since I first saw this shop I've been eyeing up items. It's so full of colour and life and temptation. Who doesn't love temptation? Which is why when temptation came knocking with this adorable Rainbow Summer slouch hat, I couldn't resist. The second I saw it, I knew I have to have one. Instantly. 

So, let me tell you a bit about KnotaGeek, just in case you haven't already fallen in love with their beautiful products…  

KnotaGeek is a shop specializing in unique handmade hats, cowls, scarves, bags, and other fabulous fashionable accessories, all handmade by two lovely ladies: Nicole and Erin. The shop focuses on quality products; each item is one of a kind and made using vegan (yay!) fibers such as luxurious bamboo, eco friendly and organic cottons, and soft and versatile acrylic blends. Vegan and eco-friendly are always pluses in my books--and as if I wasn't already in love with this shop enough. 

Hearing about Erin and Nicole's start sounds like one of those things that was simply meant to be. The two knew each other from a mutual horrid job and later discovered that each of them shared a love to crochet and create--which they only found out after having oddly-almost-identical Facebook photo albums where they posted their most recent creations. One approached the other about starting a shop, and it all took off from there!

So, I recently got my hands on one of their amazing Rainbow Slouch Hats. I can't say enough about how much I love it! I've worn it more times than I've kept track of already, and every time I'm out and about I receive many compliments. I feel like it brings out the hippie in me (umm, more of the hippie in me), as well as the colourful fun of summer! The craftsmanship is superb, the quality absolutely stunning, and the slouch hat fits like a charm and is very comfortable. The fibres are lovely and soft and feel very sturdy as well. I can see this product last a very long time, which is always nice. What drew me in was having a fun summer beanie hat that I could wear with my head still being able to breathe in the hot summer months we have where I live. I love love love it. What a dream! The open-stitching makes is perfect and makes it so breathable and comfortable. I can't recommend them enough. In fact, I want another one, that's how much I love mine. 

The entire look of KnotaGeek is just so whimsical and utterly fun. Browsing through their products is enticingly joyous, the colour choices, as well as colour combinations are just lovely and brilliant. Without a doubt, I recommend KnotaGeek for your next knit purchase. They are super nice sellers, easy to deal with, and great communication. I couldn't ask for more in any type of seller. So go check them out and choose your favourites! 

You can find KnotaGeek here:

Shop: knotageek.etsy.com

Facebook: facebook.com/knotageek

Twitter: twitter.com/knotageekshop

If you found this article to be helpful, please consider a small donation or visit the shop. Thank you for your love and support.