Remember that old pair of jeans or t-shirt... no matter what mood you were in, it always felt good.

It might of had a sentimental stain or a hole here and there. But that's what made it yours. Or you could buy this sentiment ready made. Ripped jeans and faded t-shirts (without the war stories) are 'in' every season by the big $$$ brands. I think it's hard to purchase a memory.

Op shops have some good stories. Not always forthcoming. But what you can imagine from the warn down jacket elbows and the softness of pre loved denim, is endless. Add your own touch, a favourite scarf, and your story has linked with someone else's. Not only does this feel good but it also makes sustainable sense. 

In 2007, 3.25 million tonnes of clothing and textiles flowed through the UK each year, that's approximately 55kg per person. A recorded 30kg is wasted each year with only an eighth of that going to charities for reuse. Our hunger for fast fashion greatly out weighs our ability to sustain fashion waste. 

Share the pre loved. 

Get your next favourite at an op shop and while your there, hand over the clothes you won't use any more. Everyone benefits.  

Can you colour in or out of the lines????

We're launching a range of quirky colouring books for all ages (but mainly for those big kids who are tapped into their inner child). We're looking for an awesome colourist who we could use as our cover art.

The drawing to colour is above, called Pet Rocks. Improvisation and abstract additions are welcomed. The winning entry will not only be on the cover but will also win a $50 Etiko voucher 'Wear no Evil' www.etiko.com.au 

Entries close 31st October and you can enter as many times as you like. See this link to download a copy of Pet Rocks. Paint, crayon, food dyes are all acceptable in fact we are looking for the best colourist regardless where you get your colour from!

Post entries to Hive Organisation, PO Box 258, Glenhuntly, Victoria AUSTRALIA 3185. Email your scanned entries to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . If you would like copies of Pet Rocks sent out to you let me know at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .  

Don't forget to include your name and contact details when you enter. 

Happy colouring!

Let's consider that everything has a purpose. 

Maybe not just one purpose but many.

We can use newspaper for news as well as wrapping, as paper towel and even in the garden to stop weeds growing. We can use water for washing clothes and then again for watering plants. We can use egg cartons, toilet rolls, card board boxes, milk bottles tops (and much more) for kids craft. You get the idea. 

It's great to think about how the things we use everyday can be re-vamped into something else for some other purpose. We're really enjoying the creative process of re-purposing. We're looking at using what normally gets wasted and turning it into hand made, functional products. Remnant designer material that gets left on the cutting floor is still worth a fine penny, so let's not waste it. Let's make something with it. Electrical wire and wasted metal... turn it into something useful and beautiful.  

You don't have to look far to see some amazing examples of re-purposing. It's more than recycling, it's a movement that gives ordinary objects a 2nd even 3rd life. 

What can you re-purpose today? 

Waiting for that right moment just at the right time, sets you up for a host of excuses.

'It didn't feel right, I just didn't get that vibe' or one of my favourites... 'It just wasn't meant to be.'

But to be or not is up to us. I'm not saying that we all have 'The Secret' and can wish for all sorts of goodness and wish away bad luck. There is a power to our actions that means if we do something, something else may come of it. Most of us have heard of the 'Butterfly Effect' which put simply suggests that the effect of a butterfly flapping its wings could 'lead to the creation or absence of a hurricane'. This effect can be seen by the unpredictability of weather or by placing a ball on a top of a hill which will roll down the hill differently when there is even slight  changes to how it is originally placed on the top.    

So what if we do or don't walk instead of driving to the corner store, if we do or don't buy local veges, wear a jumper instead of turning on the heater or smiling or not looking at others when we walk down the street. What difference can it really make?

Even little things like the size of a banana, do we make any difference to that? Our duopolised supermarket supply in Australia between Coles and Woolworths was criticised by, Agriculture Minister Tony Burke regarding the waste of a third of Queensland's banana supply. The duopoly suggested the bananas were too small for consumers whilst Mr Burke suggested lunch box sized bananas is just what the market needs. Eventually outweighed by the supermarket giants, Woolworths stated 'as with everything we sell it's our customers who make the final decision and it's their buying decisions over many years that inform our banana specifications'.  I still haven't seen small bananas in Coles or Woolworths however the cost of bananas averages $13 a kilo since the catastrophic Queensland floods. Farmers markets and green grocers are starting to supply the smaller bananas particularly once asked. 

I'm starting to think less about what difference do I really make and more about what else is possible from my actions no matter how small.