Posh Swaps Blog

This week we have some great green and eco fashionable links with some great natural, healthy and sustainable style ideas.

The Fashionable Housewife is excited about Count Me Healthy Jewelry. A great way to track your health goals so you can get healthy faster!

My Beauty Bunny explains what it means for beauty products to be natural and organic.

Posh Swaps shows how you can have a stylish Eco wedding, a great way to start your married life!

Eco bags review by Quinta Trends

Organic and Eco friendly clothing is now right on trend but how many people consider the environmental credentials of another important aspect of their style, their hair? As with clothing and fashion, many people would like to be more environmentally friendly and opt for the more healthy and natural option but they are not prepared to compromise on style.

Louise Galvin, the well known hair colourist has just launched her own range of eco friendly and natural hair and body products. The products are also highly effective giving hair radiant and healthy shiny hair. The range hydrates and protect coloured hair from fading. They are made from completely natural ingredients and free from additives like sulphates, propylene glycol, petrochemicals, silicones, which result in build-up, artificial perfumes, parabens, phthalates and no synthetic preservatives.

The range is also carbon neutral, so any carbon dioxide produced by the manufacture has been offset. Louise previously created Louise Galvin Sacred Locks a luxury carbon neutral range that was only available to hair salons and high end boutiques. Now we can all experience some of this luxury. We love the fragrance free range for mothers to be. It is also gentle and safe for using on babies and helps you have beautiful hair when pregnant as many find their hair needs that little bit of help with shine and volume.

If you haven’t yet joined in with the frugal, environmentally friendly and highly addictive (in a good way) trend for clothes swapping. What is to stop you? With parties for those who like social shopping and clothes swap websites for those who prefer to browse online, there is something for everyone. Here are 10 great reason to get swapping:

1. You can ensure that you have a balanced wardrobe with the right amount of different types of clothes to suit your lifestyle.

2. You can ensure that you have a wardrobe full of clothes that you really love.

3. You never need to get bored with your clothes, you can swap them as often as you like.

4. You can try out new looks that you never would have tried before.

5. You can help to reduce the amount of clothes and textiles going into landfill each year by recycling or swapping your clothes.

6. You can reduce environmental impact associated with the manufacture of new clothes by swapping instead of buying new clothes.

7. What better excuse for a spot of socialising than a clothes swap or swishing party.

8. You can save yourself lots if money by swapping instead of buying new.

9. You can feel happy that the expensive suit you bought last year for a wedding will get loved by someone as much as you loved it.

10.  You can avoid getting a cluttered and over crowded wardrobe by always removing an item before replacing with something new.

Neon Floral Pattern Mini Skirt - Want to Swap?

If you haven’t had a chance to make your first clothes swap on posh-swaps.com, why not give it a try? I guarentee that you will be addicted. The thrill of recieving your first swap is just as exciting as that feeling that you get from going on a shopping spree. Actually it is a lot better as you don’t have a great big credit card bill to pay off at the end of it. It is also a great way to refresh your wardrobe so that it does not get too over crowded.

It is quick and easy to list your items on posh-swaps.com. All you need to do is set up an account (if you don’t already have one), take a photo or three of your item. Then log into your account, go to the add a new item, select ’swap it’ and complete as many details as you can before submitting. Don’t forget that the more information that you give about the item that you are hoping to recieve in return, the more chance you have of getting what you really want. If you are not really sure what you want, give a few clues like size,  casual clothes etc and state that you are happy to consider any proposals.

If you have a blog or participate in any social networks like Twitter or Facebook, you can also link to your item page to help promote it.

Whilst most people understand the importance of recycling and how it helps the environment, some people need just a little bit more of an incentive than helping the environment to get them recycling. There are so many ways that you can recycle now but did you know that you can actually make money by recycling?

Here are our top ways of making money by recycling:

1. Mobile phones - www.mobilephonerecycling.co.uk allows you to compare prices and get the most for your phone. Mobile phones should not be thrown away in your bin as the batteries contain hazardous substances.  

2. Computers and laptops - find out how much money you can get for your old computer on www.wastecare.co.uk

3. Clothes  - you can sell your old clothes on www.posh-swaps.com

4. Refashion clothes - you can refashion second hand clothes into something new and sell it for a higher value on www.posh-swaps.com

5. Make Jewellery - you can turn waste into beautiful and unusual jewellery to sell at craft fairs or on posh-swaps.com. Old watches and jewellery are a great place to start but there are so many other things you could use. Think creatively.

6. Turn your kitchen waste into compost, bag it up and sell it to your neighbours. Find out how on http://www.composting101.com/

7. Sell just about anything that you don’t want or need any more at a car boot sale, through newspaper ads or online

You just need to think a bit creatively. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure so before you throw something away, think about whether it might be of value to someone else.

We have already established that clothes swapping is a great idea because it is environmentally friendly, frugal and fun, we have also discussed how to arrange a clothes swap. If you have already had a go at clothes swapping and enjoyed it, here are some ideas for clothes swaps with a difference.

1. A children/ baby clothes swap - this is a great way to recycle childrens clothes as they grow out of them. As baby clothes are only worn for a short amount of time they are often in really good condition. If you arrange a ticket system where everyone brings a bag of clothes and gets a number of tickets in return, it will allow people to swap clothes for the right size for their children.

2. A clothes swap and customising competition - not only can you get some new clothes but you could also get a completely unique and individual outfit that no one else has. You can ask frinds to bring along a sewing kit and any old buttons, trims, beads etc that they have. Once you have swapped, you can then spend the evening embellishing your clothes over a glass of wine or two. At the end, you can show off the clothes in a fashion show and award a small prize to the best creation.

3. Vintage clothes swap - If you and your friends love vintage clothes, why not arrange a vintage clothes swapping party. This is a great way to refresh your wardrobes.

4. Themed Clothes Swaps - for a bit of fun why not arrange a themed clothes swap. Perhaps try a flowers theme or  choose a particular colour which everyone should bring clothes in. In the run up to christmas, you could arrange a sparkly clothes swap with sparkly or evening clothes.

5. Accessories swap - you could arrange an accesories swap for accessories in general or for one particular type of accessories such as shoes, hand bags or jewellery.

Let us know your fun ideas for clothes swapping.

We at Posh Swaps are convinced that swapping is the new shopping. People are starting to realise the benefits of swapping clothes in terms of saving money, minimising environmental impact, having fun and finding a great new look. Press coverage and articles about second hand clothing, swishing and clothes swapping have helped to spread the word. Here is some of the most recent press coverage;

April 2009 - UK Aware the UK’s biggest ever swish?

March 2009 - BBC Radio 4 - why clothes swapping parties are gaining in popularity

February 2009 - Reuters - Fashionistas: Swap ’til you drop at a “swishing do”
February 2009 - Daisy Green - to swish or not to swish
December 2008 - CNN - London Women Swish for their fashions
November 2008 - GMTV - Swishing with Mark
October 2008 - Sky News - swish swapping is new shopping
September 2008 - The Daily Mail - recycle your way to a ’swish new wardrobe’
August 2008 - BBC - For women who love to swap

Another very common body part that people hate is the tummy. It seems no matter how many sit ups and crunches some of us do, we are they way we are. But don’t despair, with the right clothing, a bulging tummy no longer needs to be the bain of your life. You just need to pick and choose your clothes very carefully. Don’t worry if you have made some major wardrobe mistakes in the past, you an swap your way to the perfect tummy tuck wardrobe.

Swap

Hipster trousers

skin tight clothes

crop tops

shiny fabrics

belted coats

anything too tight around the tummy

elasticated or gathered waists

kaftan tops

any short tops

for

empire line tops and dresses

Matt fabrics

Ruching around the stomach

single breasted short jackets fitted on the waist

low waisted trousers

wrap skirts and dresses

slim fitting tops

Swapping is really big news at the  moment. Apart from clothes swapping there are lots of other things that you can swap. The best thing about swapping be it clothes or anything else is that you don’t have to spend any money!

Car Swapping - if you want to swap your car for a different model you can do so on www.carswap.com. If there is a difference in value, you can also exchange some cash.

Skill swapping is a great way to get some work done or benefit from someone elses skills or expertise in a particular area. Think carefully about your own skills and what you could offer for others. Some ideas to consider are baby sitting, DIY, gardening or decorating, teaching a language or musical instrument or computer skills. Try www.swapaskill.com.

House Swapping - no chain, no conveyancy fees, what a great idea. If you go through www.homeswapper.co.uk you will also save on estate agency fees although you will still need a solicitor.

Home Swapping - this is where you swap homes with someone for a holiday. It is a great way to see the world at a fraction of the cost. Go to www.homeexchange.com for more details.

A beautiful maxi dress By Malene Birger from www.my-wardrobe.com, just not practical for my lifestyle!

I was reading an article the other day by Hollywood stylist Edith Head in the Mail on Sunday You Magazine, which described how a large proportion of women have wardrobes full of clothes that hardly ever wear. They tend to buy clothes that are not fit or appropriate for their lifestyle. This definitely rung true with me. I have  a wardrobe full of party and going out dresses. Since having children, I don’t often go out in the evening and as much as I would love to wear these dresses in the day time and sometimes do, they look a bit over the top for picking the children up from school.

She goes on to describe how to build yourself the perfect wardrobe. This is a wardrobe that is comfortable and suits all of your needs. She suggests that you chart which activities you do and then ensure that your wardrobe covers all of these activities. It suddenly struck me why despite having plenty of clothes, I can never find anything to wear. Most days are spent with a brisk walk to school in the rain, wind or whatever nature can throw at me. High heels and dresses are just not comfortable for this and look ridiculous. What I need is comfy shoes or boots with a small heel and well cut trousers or jeans that really flatter my figure, a smartish jacket which I can dress up with a few accessories.

The perfect case for a bit of clothes swapping. Most of my lovely but hardly ever worn dresses can be swapped for some comfy, practical and very stylish clothes that I can wear every day. Of course I will be hanging on to a few of those party dresses just in case I ever get the opportunity for a night out.