Zoe-Lee Skelton

Here’s To Fair Trade, Organic and Ethical Fashion: Nomads Review

August 27, 2015 by Zoe-Lee Skelton

Whilst I’m incredibly conscious about using cruelty free cosmetics and household goods, I could probably be a little bit better at choosing more ethical fashion pieces. So many of us shop on the high street, nab a bargain in the sales but really the huge mark up on the clothing (even at sale prices) is still a lot more than the minuscule wage someone is paid in a sweat shop.

For this reason, I started to shop more ethically and I now buy a lot of my items from charity shops or from made in Britain fashion houses and designers. But generally it can still be difficult to know where the clothing has come from. And I still get some things from the high street.

Luckily, there’s been an influx of fair trade fashion brands such as Nomads Clothing, who are a British brand with a uncompromising fair trade policy. They ensure all factories are up to their policy’s standard and even pump their profits back into their overseas charities. And the materials they use the most, like cotton, is sustainable fair trade certified which means it has little environmental impact and doesn’t touch a drop of pesticides or chemicals. They know exactly where their clothing has come from, their workers are paid a fair wage and we the consumer know what we’re buying.

Nomads kindly got in touch and offered me the chance to review some of their clothing and as I was off on holiday I chose a couple of pieces from their summer collection. I picked their beautiful maxi peasant style dress from their beautiful fair trade dress collection and a printed waistcoat come scarf to style for a fashion shoot on the blog.

As an independent brand, they’re competitively priced with brands like TopShop and Urban Outfitters, but in my opinion better made. Which is obvious from the quality pf the materials and the way they’re put together.

I took them both with me on holiday and here’s how I styled them.

If you like what you see you can get yourself 20% off at the checkout using the code BLOG20

What did you take on your holidays with you?

Holiday In Prague: 10 Things I Recommend Doing

August 25, 2015 by Zoe-Lee Skelton

I’m sorry for the radio silence. It’s been manic here and I’ve been on holiday. AGAIN. Before you get any fancy ideas about me being a high flier, I’m not. I’ve been away in the static caravan so nothing glamorous but fun none the less.

Anyway, I digress. About three weeks ago I went to Prague for the second time for a short break and ever since I’ve been back I’ve had serious withdrawal pangs. I managed to fall in love with the city all over again and can’t stop talking about the place. If you have any holiday left and £500 as a budget, you’ll be able to stay in pretty decent hotel, book return flights and eat well. Not to mention buy a fair few (by which I mean) a lot of drinks. Prague is not only cheap but it’s also a beautiful city with lots of things to do and explore. Here are ten things I reccommend doing when you visit.

1. Go to a Jazz Bar

On our first night, by pure chance, we walked into the U malého Glena Jazz bar which is highly recommended by The New York Times. There are many jazz bars across this city but apparently this one is quite popular and tipped as a must visit for a musical night cap. Expect improv Jazz in a cosy cellar with reasonabley priced drinks. A round was under a fiver.

2. Visit Prague Castle

Prague Castle sits proudly on top of a hill in the x district with a large-scale composition of palaces and ecclesiastical buildings of various architectural styles, from Roman-style buildings from the 10th century through Gothic modifications in the 14th century.

An obvious advantage point, the period building can be seen almost anywhere from the city. We walked through the Exhibition of the The Treasure of St. Vitus Cathedral tour which was a mixture of found artifacts, graves and art. There are two different tour tracks, both reasonably priced at around £5.00 but beware of an extra fee if you want to climb the St Vitus Cathedral tower – this was not disclosed when we bought our tour ticket but we were reassured that everything was included!

3. See the Astronomical Clock on the hour

This was at the top of my list of things I wanted to see when I was in Prague. The astronomical clock is world famous and is top tourist hot spot. Dating back to the fifteenth century, the dials display information such as the relative positions of the sun, moon, zodiacal constellations, and sometimes major planets.

When the clock strikes the hour, Jesus and the twelve apostles appear rhythmically at windows. But ensure you get there a good ten minutes before the hour as the space below fills up very quickly. I recommend getting a good viewing spot at a nearby bar, ordering a Czech lager to pass the time.

4. Visit Old Town Square

The same square where the astronomical clock is. I recommend finding a good spot and taking in the surroundings both the architecture and the many different street performances. I watched one guy dislocate his shoulders and shimmey his entire frame through a small tennis racket hoop. Something I didn’t expect nor go out of my way particularly to see.

5. Go to the Torture Museum

If you’re not squeamish, I recommend dropping by the torture museum just off of Charles Bridge. It’s about £5.00 entry and there’s three floors of implements of torture used by our more sadist predecessors.

6. Take a Boat Ride up the River Vltava

The Vltava river runs through the centre of Prague and you can go on an hour’s trip up the stretch and see the city from a different perspective. The Vltava is a lot cleaner than our rivers and the trip was certainly less expensive than a trip down the Thames.

7. Walk over the Charles Bridge

I walked over the famous bridge a lot in three days and really, if you want to go to any of the major attractions it would be difficult not to go via the bridge. As well as providing fantastic views of the city, there is also an abundance of street sellers, musicians and ornate statues of Saints. Just beware of pick pockets.

8. Go to the Kafka Museum

I also love Prague because it’s the birthplace of one of my favourite twentieth century writers, Kafka. For a small entry fee, you can take a walk through Kafka’s life and find out more about the man behind Metamorphosis and The Judgement.

9. Keep an eye out for graffiti

Like many cities, artists like to use the walls as canvases. But in Prague, I’ve found that a lot of the best graffiti was unexpected and off the beaten track. Districts such as x, x and not to mention the Lenon Wall are all great places to see some street art.

10. Go to the Jewish Quarter (Josev)

There are many parts to the Jewish quarter you can explore but don’t expect this to be an uplifting experience. The history of the quarter dates back to the thirteenth century when Jewish people were ordered to vacate their homes and settle in this one area.

Over the centuries Jewish people were banned from living anywhere else in Prague with exiles from other European countries being packed in. And between 1893-1913, houses were flattened and the layout of many of the streets remodelled. In all, there are six synagogues, including the famous Spanish Synagogue and Old-New Synagogue, plus the Jewish Ceremonial Hall and the Old Jewish Cemetery with it’s jagged and stacked headstones. You can access all of the attractions apart from the Old-New Synagogue on one ticket tour.

The best way to see Prague is definitely by foot as almost all of the best sites are almost all within close proximity. And on foot you’re able to take in the architecture, street performances and the best shops.

Here’s some more holiday snaps I wanted to share with you.

Have you ever been to Prague? Did you visit any of these places and which other sites would you recommend (I plan to go again soon).

Upcycling Competition: Win £25 To Spend At Hobbycraft

August 10, 2015 by Zoe-Lee Skelton

At art school, upcycling and reappropriating found objects was a key focus of my art practice. I used to trawl the streets to see what goodies people had thrown away and think of ingenious ways that I could incorporate trash and unwanted items into compositions I was working on. The concept was to inject whatever had been discarded with new meaning and attribute value once more. Here are a couple of examples from my degree show work:

My artwork started to spill into everyday scenarios where I always wanted to find a use for something I was about to throw away, from using an old sauce jar to store bobbins or using a larger pot as a vase.

Now that I’ve shared my upcycling ideas with you, I wanted to set my readers a little challenge.

Upcycling Ideas

I want you to tell me what clever ways you have upcycled old things from jam jars, boxes to clothing? Perhaps you’re already working on a project?

Clever storage specialist Bedroom Storage Maker, who offer wardrobe storage systems, are offering one lucky reader £25 to spend in Hobbycraft!

If you share your ideas with me you could use the voucher to realise an upcycling or craft project.

Here’s how you can enter:

Let me know your tips and tricks for upcycling or revamping around your home. You can either:

Leave a comment on this blog post
Tweet me @ZoeLeeSkelton using the hashtag #scavengerupcyclingtips
Drop me an email at [email protected] with your tip and your details so that I can contact you should you win

I will alert the lucky winner who submitted the best tip by the 31 August 2015. The prize is courtesy of Bedroom Storage Maker.

Good luck – oh and if you’re stuck for inspiration there are plenty of upcycling ideas on Pinterest.

7 Tips to Help You Get a Damn Good Night’s Sleep

August 6, 2015 by Zoe-Lee Skelton

I’m in no way an expert on sleep, insomnia or lifestyle issues but I used to really struggle with falling asleep most nights. I blame my old art student uni lifestyle for this as I pulled many an all-nighter painting, sewing or scribbling down my mad thoughts. It was fun for a while but it really screwed up my sleeping pattern long after I graduated.

I miss that routine from time to time as I was certainly more creative past 2am but I definitely don’t miss my inability to get up before noon and the groggy feeling that comes with a lack of sleep.

Here’s how I helped myself get a damn good night’s sleep.

1. Get into a bedtime routine

All of the tips listed could formulate your bedtime routine or ritual, but I just wanted to highlight how important a routine is as it teaches the brain to become familiar with sleep times and wake times. It programmes the brain and internal body clock to get used to a set routine.

Whether it’s taking off your make-up, laying out your outfit for the next day or having a warm bath, doing the same thing(s) every day before you hit the hay is a good way to ease your body into shutting down into sleep mode. List writing is also an excellent way to rid your brain of distractions if you worry about upcoming tasks.

2. Read a good book

Once I’ve got in bed, I’ll often read and I find that this helps me to feel relaxed and clears my mind because I’m distracted. I find that after I’ve read a fair few pages I naturally start to feel sleepy. But finding a good read could prove to be a struggle!

Stuck for something to read, try Buzzfeed’s article about 53 Books You Won’t Be Able to Put Down should keep you engaged.

3. Try a sleep tea

I never thought a tea that claims to induce sleep would actually work but I’ve found one that does the job! Yogi bedtime makes me feel relaxed in a non-drowsy way. Every time I’ve had a cup of this before bed I’ve managed to fall asleep within half an hour but I don’t recommend using it after you’ve been out on the booze or if you’ve had a lot of caffeine beforehand as it won’t have the same affect.

I got my Yogi Bedtime tea from Discount Supplements who sell an array of herbal teas and sports supplements at affordable prices. I’ll definitely be buying some more when I run out of this batch.

4. Do some gentle exercise before bed

I’ll often do 5-10 minutes of gentle resistance training or yoga before I get ready for bed. Stretching out my muscles makes me feel physically tired and declutters my mind.

5. Put a block on tech or TV after 8pm

Image source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/schmilblick/252772357

I used to swear by having the TV on quietly to get me off to sleep, but studies have shown that distractions such as TV and other tech in the bedroom actually in what should be a relaxing environment weaken the association between bedroom and sleep. Leave phones, laptops and tablets downstairs and consider removing the television from your room if you’ve got into the habit of switching it as soon as you get into bed.

6. Cut caffeine after 8pm or earlier if you can bear it

At the weekends if I have a fair few vodka diet cokes I know I’ll be wide awake at 3, 4am. That’s because of the amount of caffeine in coke. I’ve also noticed that if I drink cups of tea close to bed time I’ll struggle to nod off or even feel tired. Caffeine is a stimulant and if you drink it close to the time that you want to fall asleep you’ll be alert and far from tired. People drink a strong cup of coffee or tea in the morning to wake themselves up so it’s seems completely ridiculous to drink caffeine before bedtime.

7. Keep your room clean and tidy

I admit it. I’m messy and I probably always will be. However, my ability to tidy up has got A LOT better as I’ve got older but I’m still no home maker. My student room used to be an absolute state filled with ongoing projects and clothes strewn everywhere. I’m very much of the opinion that a tidy space equates to a tidy mind, so the amount of clutter around my bed definitely affects my subconscious. Now I live my boyfriend I have to keep our shared space neat and tidy which has been a challenge but in a way, living with someone has helped me to clean up my act as it were.

Have you got any rituals you carry out before bed? I’d love to hear them 🙂

Hope & Glory Specialty Coffee Review: Bold And Refreshing

August 4, 2015 by Zoe-Lee Skelton

Sometimes there’s nothing better than to wake up to the aroma of freshly brewed coffee. Even though I’m not a massive coffee drinker, when I do drink coffee, I prefer filtered ground bean varieties.

Hope & Glory Coffee Co.* recently got in touch and asked me if I’d like to review two of their ground bean blends and I couldn’t resist.

Who are Hope and Glory?

Hope & Glory are a British speciality coffee company. They roast all of their beans up in rural North Lincolnshire on their very own micro roaster. It’s good to know they’re a British brand carrying out the process here in the UK.

They roast an array of speciality coffees in a variety of forms, from Espresso blends, ground and whole bean options. They might be at the higher end of the coffee market but they do carefully select their beans from places all over the globe to provide unique flavours and blends. Hope & Glory also offer free postage and package their products to ensure freshness. If you’re true a coffee lover, you’ll know that it’s not worth skimping on quality and taste for the sake of saving a few quid.

The coffee tasting

I take my coffee mostly with soya milk and a very small dusting of sugar so I don’t overpower the coffee’s unique flavour. I imagine I probably take my coffee a lot lighter than most people but I’m also a fan of milky tea which has translated into how I take my coffee too.

It was good to see that Hope & Glory’s coffees passed the ‘mixing with soya’ test first off – many coffees usually separate with soya milk which looks really unpleasant and doesn’t taste particularly great.

Hope & Glory sent me two blends from their coffee collection. Here are my tasting notes.

The Blenheim Espresso Blend

The Blenheim Espresso Blend is their first ever espresso blend produced on their micro roaster at their new roastery in Blenheim North.

This is considered to be their most popular blend; I’m guessing that’s because of the striking mix of flavours, with coffee coming from Brazil, Kenya and Sumatra. The tasting notes describe the flavour as having a “plum jam acidity and butterscotch sweetness with a big ol’spoonful of melted cocoa”. It’s definitely a very distinctive blend and I could really taste the high cocoa content. It was bold and packed a punch first thing in the morning, so if you need to wake up and wake up fast, this one most certainly does the trick.

Score: 8/10

Kenya Gathongo

I find that coffee tasting is a lot like wine tasting: you’re always looking for the flavours described on the label. With the Kenya Gathongo blend, the tasting notes describe a sugared shortbread sweetness combined with winey forest fruit acidity”, which to me sounds a lot like a red wine. I was looking forward to this as I tend to like bolder flavours in wine, beer and ale.

I wasn’t disappointed with this blend. It was incredibly refreshing with a strong combination of flavours. I found it filling as well as satisfying – but I probably couldn’t drink more than one mug.

The coffee bean origins come from Meru, Easter Slopes of Mount Kenya, Nyambene Hills Central Province. Apparently, the high altitude of where these beans are from creates the zingy, fruity flavours.

Score: 9/10

If you love coffee you could try…

If you’re interested in trying Hope & Glory’s coffee there is a wide range of blends to chose from and prices range from £6.50 to £7.15 for 260g of either ground or wholebean.

Or, if you’re feeling adventurous and like to receive treats in the post, you could try their coffee club subscription. Choose from either a fortnightly or monthly subscription from £6.30 per bag.

*disclaimer – Hope & Glory gifted me two bags of ground coffee. All views are my own.