Sometimes it seems as if some stores are new to the scene, when in fact they have been around for a long time. My bus route takes me past the big Holland and Barrett store on the East End of Princes Street and I pass by their smaller store on Shandwick Place all the time, but little did I know that Jan de Vries was just around the corner on Queensferry Street. Continue reading “Rediscovering a vegan-friendly lifestyle store: Jan de Vries blogger event”
Summer is the busiest time of year for me at work and this usually starts around spring, so I’m very grateful for everyone’s patience with me posting here. I am happy to report that my one of my dressmaking projects (see previous inspiration post here) is now complete after encountering some difficulties.
Today, I will talk you through some lessons I’ve learned from sewing this project (having been sewing sporadically for 5 years now) and reveal my final design.
Continue reading “My finished Tissura dressmaking project: Liberty of London front zip shirt dress”
It’s been a while since I had sewn anything for myself. After sewing 9 projects for our DIY wedding (you can see all the projects we did ourselves for our 2015 wedding here) and after that, it seemed my friends were all due to have their babies at the same time last year. I was so excited about my friends expecting babies that I was consumed with making handmade toys and clothes for them that sewing for myself was put to one side.
Since becoming vegan, I don’t feel the need to sew quite so much anymore. I’m only the one person and since the OH and I don’t go to formal events that require us to be dressed up much. Added to the fact that I’m trying to clear out all the excess clothing I don’t seem to wear much, I try not to sew too much that I’m not going to get a chance to wear.
Seeing a pattern that calls to you, with a shape that you know will suit you and gives you ideas on what to make, really gets those creative juices flowing. Recently seeing one on Instagram did just that.
Continue reading “Dressmaking project on the go: fit and flare lace gown”
Hello and Happy New Year everyone! Time really flew by quickly, whether you were having fun or not (between Christmas and Hogmanay, I was bedridden with a bad case of the flu and I’m still recovering), but I know this is set to be an exciting year and I can’t wait to see what vegan offerings will be on the table!
So a year on after Veganuary 2017, what does this mean for me? Continue reading “Switching to a vegan lifestyle: a year after Veganuary 2017”
One pervading thought that still lingers in people’s minds about the lifestyle is that vegan fashion is a little behind when ‘luxury’ materials like leather, suede and exotic animal skins aren’t used. This is something innovative individuals who are environmentally conscious and animal lovers are quickly picking up on and filling the gap for. I will talk more about some of my favourite brands later, but walking through Harrods recently, I noticed how apart from Stella McCartney, there were no other designer brands that were vegan friendly and without paying through the nose for luxury fashion. happy genie is looking to bridge that gap in the market. Continue reading “What do apples have to do with sustainable luxury vegan fashion?”
Finding businesses to support when you’re vegan is made so much easier with all the festivals and markets regularly cropping up in Edinburgh and Glasgow. The Vegan Connections Festival, hosted by Vegan Connections, was held at The Briggait at the heart of Glasgow in August and brought together a variety of companies, ranging from caterers, drinks to clothing, household goods and animal welfare organisations, together so new vegans can make the switch more seamlessly.
Having been vegan for 7 months when I was at the festival, I was amazed to see the range of products available. I was mainly focused on the variety of food products sold, but I also had the opportunity to chat with a few businesses about their products and to get to know their products a bit better. Below, I’ve tried to show, through photos, the amazing products we can enjoy as vegans.
Continue reading “In photos: Vegan Connections Festival 2017”
We all dread that time when friends or colleagues start talking about the C-word within the first 6 months of the year, but before we know it, we’re already in September! We start thinking about putting money aside for gifts, what we are going to buy and where we’re going to buy it and how to find that perfect gift! Finding something personal, unique that you can say is handmade can be a bit of a muddle, but luckily for us, the Crafts for Christmas show held between 26th and 29th October at the SEC in Glasgow is your one stop shop to pick up beautiful, finished craft and gifts for friends, family and the home.
To help you along with your gift shopping, I can offer you the chance to win not one, but two tickets to the show! Continue reading “Giveaway competition: win tickets to Glasgow SEC Crafts for Christmas Show!”
Before I becoame vegan, I thought buying cruelty free was the way to go. When you’re not sure what to look for, finding skincare, beauty and household products can be a bit of a minefield, but luckily there are plenty of vegans out there who are more than happy to help fellow vegans look for suitable brands. The best way to go about it is to join a local vegan group who will be able to advise you where you can find products that are available in your local area. Sometimes having a friend who has similar interests to you can also give you the same information.
It was a friend of mine who lives in the US that recommended Deciem’s range of products. I was told that the Ordinary range is very affordable and effective, but I imagined it would be a brand based in the US that would cost a fortune in taxes and postage to get to the UK, but luckily it is so accessible you can purchase it from their UK online shop or go in their store in person in Covent Garden or Old Spitalfields Market. Continue reading “Introduction to the vegan and cruelty free Deciem: The Abnormal Beauty Company”
A quick message to say thanks for stopping by my blog! If you’ve been following me for a while, you’ll know that for the last 3 and a half years, I was blogging under the name Life of a DIY Shopaholic.
For the last few years, I was (and still am) interested in crafts and sewing and that will never change. I will still continue to feature tutorials and post about craft and sewing projects I’m working on. Since becoming vegan though over 6 months ago, I’ve realised the lifestyle opened up a whole new world for me.
I know how daunting it can be for non-vegans (and new vegans) to navigate around what it means to be vegan, what to buy and what to avoid. Sewing/crafting and veganism are now both really big parts of my life that I feel are important to share, hence why I felt the need to re-brand my blog to become Oh Sew Vegan.
Obviously being vegan, this means that I will be featuring more eco-friendly sewing and craft projects that do not involve use of any animal-derived materials (such as silk, leather or suede).
If you are still interested in reading about my other shenanigans, thoughts on mindfulness and fitness, I will be blogging under A Blogger’s Musings although Oh Sew Vegan will, of course, be my primary focus.
I hope you will continue to support me on my journey through sewing and veganism and thank all of you for your continued support!
The last time I had my hair cut and coloured was at Ishi Salon (see here) after having grown it out for a couple years before for our wedding that same year. I found out about Ishi after my first Of One Mind event held at their salon (see here) and I loved the fresh style I got when I gave Craig Kane, my stylist, free reign to do what he thought would suit. Since becoming vegan though, there are a lot of things that you realise you would need to take into account: like finding a new hairdresser that uses vegan friendly products.
It was one of those things that never crossed my mind, but when I thought about it, it did make sense. I was using vegan friendly brands for my skin and hair care products, so why wouldn’t I expect the same from my hairdresser services? Luckily, finding local vegan groups help with this dilemma and I quickly made an appointment with Emma Hall Hair Design to get my hair trimmed and re-coloured.
Continue reading “Organic and vegan-friendly hair salon: my review of Emma Hall Hair Design”
Oh Sew Vegan 