Kindred Gifts' Blog

The more you like yourself, the less you are like anyone else, which makes you unique - Walt Disney

Celebrate Sustainable House Day on September 11 with our top tips for stylish, eco-friendly home decorating

Sustainable House Day gives people the chance to have a good look inside houses that have been designed, built or fitted out with sustainability in mind as well as talk to owners for unbiased advice. The day provides a chance for people to exchange ideas and learn from each other, and all visits to the houses are also free of charge, so it costs nothing to see how easy and economical the move to greener living can be.

The aim of Sustainable House Day is to provide an enjoyable, informative day that contributes to local community awareness of sustainable living. Education is indeed key, as many Australians wouldn’t be aware that each year the average Aussie household contributes 13 tonnes of greenhouse gas to the atmosphere—enough to fill more than 700 balloons every day – while each household also draws an average of 73,000 buckets of water a year, enough for around 12 baths a day! Sustainable House Day is a fabulous day to celebrate and learn about greener living.

In that theme, we thought we’d put together a blog with a few of our own ideas about styling your home with sustainable, yet stylish pieces that look great but are also better for the world.

Happy Father's Day to all those fantastic Dads out there. Here's a quote to celebrate the impact that our great Dads can have on us:

'My father used to play with my brother and me in the yard. Mother would come out and say, "You're tearing up the grass." "We're not raising grass," Dad would reply. "We're raising boys." ' - Harmon Killebrew

20 Easy Uses For Bi-Carb Soda - the cheap and cheerful way to clean a home naturally.
Used by households around the world for generations, bicarbonate (or bi-carb) soda is natural, easy on the earth, and definitely easy on the pocket. An affordable cleaning solution for any home or work environment, bi-carb soda is a must have pantry staple. Throw out all those nasty, chemical laden, and expensive cleaners, and buy a big box of bi-carb for your house instead. You'll not only help the environment, but also your whole family's health, and save money at the same time!

Here are our top 20 uses for bi-carb in the home or office:

1. Unblock your kitchen sink by pouring 1 tbsp of bi-carb plus 3 tbsp of vinegar down the drain. Allwo to fizz and then pour boiling water (a full jug's worth) down the drain.

2. Pop a small container of bi-carb into the fridge to absorb strong odours.

3. Use bi-carb to remove tarnish from your silverware by applying a paste of bi-carb and water with a damp cloth and then rubbing clean.

4. Sprinkle bi-carb onto a damp cloth and then wipe over the inside of cups and mugs to remove tea or coffee stains.

5. Soften your skin by adding 1/2 cup of bi-carb to your bath.

6. Use bi-carb to clean multiple surfaces around the house. Add it to a damp cloth to remove stains from bench tops, soap scum from showers, baked on grease from ovens, and rust from sinks.

7. Soak greasy, food-caked pot and pans overnight in warm water and 2 tbsp bi-carb soda.

8. Sprinkle inside shoes to deodorise.

9. Add bi-carb to kitty litter to absorb odours.

10. Soak food and drink containers, or porous surfaces such as chopping boards, in a mixture of bicarb soda and water to remove strong food odours.

11. Sprinkle bicarb soda over the carpet to deodorise carpets. Leave for a few hours and vacuum as usual. (You can also add a few drops of essential oil to the bi-carb before sprinkling it over carpets for a fresh smell).

12. Use baking soda to relieve the itch and sting from mosquito or ant bites, or bee stings, by simply applying a paste of bi-carb soda and warm water to the affected area of skin.

13. Remove liquid stains from carpet by pouring a liberal amount of bicarb on the fresh stain and leaving to dry, before vaccuming off.

14. Add bi-carb to your wash to soften and whiten clothes. To whiten clothes add 2 teaspoons to half a bucket of cold water, soak the clothes for 30 minutes and then wash them as normal. Freshen up your laundry by adding half a cup of bi-carb to the rinse cycle of your laundry which will give your sheets and towels a nice freshness.

15. Mix three parts bicarb soda to one part water for a gentle facial scrub that won't strip oils from the skin. (You can also create an exfoliating facial scrub by adding three parts ground oatmeal to the mix).

15. Use bi-carb as a pre-soaker for soiled nappies; or to help get rid of stubborn mould, grease or oil stains. Simply dissolve 45 grams of the soda in a bucket of warm water, let the clothes soak for half an hour, then wash in hot soapy water and dry in the sun.

16. Remove the smell of baby spit or stale milk from your shirt or jacket by wiping it with a damp cloth dipped in baking soda.

17. Help your children to alleviate the itchiness of chicken pox by soaking them in a bath that is filled with slightly cool water and a cup of baking soda.

18. Create your own homemade skin acne treatment by mixing a little bit of both baking soda and water to form a paste. After washing your face first, apply this natural acne cleanser as a mask to your entire face, taking care to avoid getting it in your eyes. Leave it on for a few minutes and then rinse off with warm water.

19. Clean the dirt and insecticides off your store bought fruits and vegetables by washing them in a sink full of water mixed with ¼ cup of bicarb soda.

20. Use a paste made from bicarbonate of soda and water to clean walls and wallpaper of crayon and other dirty marks.

Suzanna Culley from Red Door Yoga in Brisbane, a teacher with over fifteen years of yoga experience in the UK and Australia, gives us an insight to the other benefits of yoga - beyond the physical and mental release.

We've discovered the inspiring and unique way to stabilize your foundation when doing yoga postures on holiday - Yoga Paws. This revolutionary mini travel mat design provides solid support, extra padding, and peace of mind and fits in your purse, pocket, or travel bag. Going somewhere? No need to lug that mat around with you anymore 'cause these things are ideal for travel!