Earth Day, WWF and an Offer

There are still millions of people across the U.K. who rarely - or never - shop second hand. 

When 73% of clothes are incinerated or go to landfill, the best way to prevent waste and protect the planet is to shop second-hand. 

Fast fashion means that the fashion industry emits more carbon every year than planes and ships combined. It’s time to slow down, and to shop less new.  Think second hand means risky, poor quality clothes? Think again. You can get a wide selection of quality-assured second-hand clothes on Thrift Plus, with a 30 day returns policy. Still not convinced? Today, Earth Day, you can get £10 off your first order of £30 or more with free returns. In addition, £5 will be donated to WWF and and a third of the sale will go to the donator’s charity of choice. 

Buying second hand clothes is the best way for each and every one of us to reduce the environmental impact of fashion. Check out the wide selection of quality-assured clothes on Thrift+, and get £10 off your first order. I'm working in partnership with Thrift + on this campaign and will get some Thrift + credits but I chose to take part because of the ethical and environmental importance of slowing down fast fashion.

https://linktr.ee/clairejustalittleless

Second-hand Shopping with Thrift +

 

Hi, do you like my dress? I absolutely love it as I think it ticks all the minimalist boxes as well as being classy. 

I got it from Thrift +, an online kind of charity shop. I discovered Thrift + via someone on YouTube who was using Thrift + to donate unwanted clothes during lockdown. I immediately checked out their site and was won over.

At Thrift + you can donate unwanted clothes for free, raise money by nominating a charity of your choice to get a donation from your sale and also get some money back yourself in the form of credits to spend on their site. They do all the photography, listings and other admin. 

During lockdown I was frustrated because it was difficult to donate unwanted clothes and at the same time I was shocked by hearing how many people were clearing out their wardrobes for the first time in years. 

I've always shopped some of my clothes second-hand, as you know, but I've also bought new. The availability of good quality second-hand clothes is better than ever probably because so many people are constantly adding to their wardrobes. I'm now convinced that buying pre-loved clothing is a better choice for me, my budget and the environment. 

As I've told you before, my wardrobe has grown from the 40 piece capsule I created a few years ago. However, I now only own as much as I can comfortably fit into my wardrobe space, which means my 1 wardrobe and 3 drawers hold my all year-round 4 season wardrobe. This helps me to remember what I've got from season to season. I actually like all my clothes being visible as I can see them and know that the next season is around the corner. Hello, summer!

So, I've been donating and buying from Thrift + for a few months and have now joined a small team to become a Thrift + ambassador to help with their #1millionsecondhandshoppers campaign. I will be getting some Thrift + credits as part of this partnership, but this is also a great opportunity for me to help a good cause. I sincerely believe that second-hand shopping via Thrift + is one of the easiest ways to donate as well as having the benefit of being able to browse pre-loved clothes from the comfort of your sofa without having to enter a bidding war or be worried about the restricted space of some charity shops! 

As part of my partnership on Thursday (tomorrow) which is also Earth Day, I'll be able to give you a unique link to gain access to £10 off an order of £30 or more plus free returns. The offer is available for 1 day only, so if you're interested pop back here tomorrow and in the meantime go and check out their listings and see what you could get.  Thrift + will also donate £5 from each new customer's order to the charity WWF. A great way to honour earth day don't you think?

I'm so excited to share this news, my new to me dress and this offer. The pink bag and white trainers (5th image) are also second-hand via Thrift + too. I hope you'll join me in trying to buy second-hand clothes instead of new as well as trying out Thrift +. I'm also posting about this on my Instagram account @clairejustalittleless.

I'll post the link tomorrow xo

How to Make a Vertical Pallet Planter

Here's the vertical planter we've been working on to brighten up our small garden. Whilst last year's gardening was all about changing the design and planting from scratch this year we've tried to be more creative. Our garden style is part Zen part reclaimed chic. This pallet planter definitely fits into the second category. Inspired by what we've seen online and out and about we set about creating our own easy version.

You will need
A pallet (ours was 120cm /47 inches wide by 80cm /31 inches high)
Geotextile membrane 
2 x compost bags (we used size 40 litres)
Plants 
Wood offcuts
2 x screw in metal eye hooks
Electrical ties
Tools: Staple gun, small saw, scissors or knife. 

Instructions
1. Improve the appearance of your pallet if needed. Ours came from my in-laws and didn't need sanding but needed darkening with one coat of fence paint.
2. Lay the pallet on its front. Slide the unopened compost bags into each half of the pallet. 
3. Secure in place using geotextile membrane and a staple gun. 
4. Turn the pallet over.

5. With the pallet horizontal make rectangular cuts in the gaps between the planks with a knife or scissors.
6. Add plants to the gaps but allow room for growth. Work from the top down and leave the bottom row empty to allow for trailing space (we left too much space at the top in hindsight so ignore the photo). We chose nasturtiums, lobelia, trailing tomatoes, French beans and thyme.  

7. Leave the planter horizontal for 1-2 weeks and water daily.
8. Gradually make the planter vertical over a week to 10 days. We used our garden table to prop it up at different angles. Move it carefully to ensure the compost bags don't slip out.

9. Secure the pallet to the fence with screw in metal eye hooks and electrical ties (you could also use chain wire or rope).
10. Stand the pallet on small blocks made from wood offcuts so that the surface underneath has chance to dry out after watering. 
11. Once the pallet is vertical cut open the top of the compost bags and add more plants.
12. Water daily if possible even if it rains!

13. Finally enjoy your colourful and bee friendly planter.

We love our vertical planter. Budget and bee friendly it gives a Mondrian splash of colour to our tiny garden and is inspiring us to experiment further with vertical planting. Using compost bags certainly saves time and mess. I hope you like our vertical planter as much as we do!