Carol A Hanson

12/02/2022

Share the ❤️this weekend … order your bag and maybe you will be a lucky winner of a 🍫

05/11/2021

TELL YOURSELF THAT YOU’RE BEAUTIFUL

We have all had a bad hair day, or worry about how we look – we might be having a day where we look in the mirror and feel a bit meh.

But what happens when it goes beyond that?

When we have those negative thoughts on a regular basis?

Poor body image can have a real impact on our self-esteem and mental health. It can cause us real anxiety and we can get really stressed about the way we perceive ourselves.

Forget the traditional cookie cutter approach to beauty. We are all amazing beautiful unique individuals.

Be kind to yourself.

What you say to yourself can have a massive impact.

If you are constantly criticising yourself, challenge yourself to rethink the way you see the world, beauty and style.

Ask yourself if your ideals of beauty and style are actually valid.

Now it’s time to change your self-talk and say: “I am beautiful”.

Check yourself in the mirror and blow yourself a kiss or give yourself a big high five.

This week is International Stress Awareness Week. Launched in 2018 to raise awareness of stress prevention. Help yourself to feel less stressed by loving yourself and recognising your amazing unique beauty

When was the last time you told yourself I am beautiful?

03/11/2021

HELP NEEDED! WANT TO GET INVOLVED NOW?

You may recall I shared a video recently of cows living on a landfill site full of our unwanted clothes? Missed it? - link in the comments

The landfill site and images of the Ghanaian beach covered in clothes were heart wrenching. Sadly this is what happens to a lot of clothes we donate, in good faith, to charity shops. The message has to be consume less, sell more, ensure we donate to those who really need our preloved.

But that’s not going to be a complete answer. There are currently too many clothes in our wardrobes.

Also what do we do with those clothes that we know are not good enough to pass on? They’re only fit for recycling.

Thrift are considering launching a new service and are looking for help to research their ideas.

Please can you spare 5 minutes to complete a survey to help them improve their services?

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22/10/2021

WHAT CAN YOU USE OLD LIGHTBULBS FOR?

It's not a trick question - honestly!!

Tune in this afternoon to find out!

Today I'm honoured to be interviewing Lillian Brummet author of 6 books, blogger, and passionate sustainability advocate.

Lillian and I will be live at 16:30 talking sustainability, dogs and her inspiring life story.

20/10/2021

YOU WON'T WANT TO MISS THIS!

You won’t want to miss this! On Friday I’m interviewing Lillian Brummet successful author, blogger and radio host. We'll be live on FB at 16:30 BST.

Lillian’s story is one of survival, growing up in an abusive household. Her mother was married four times. Lillian was homeless by the age of 13, initially sleeping on park benches, before ending up in foster care at 16. Her foster mum was a key part of helping Lillian to deal with her emotional trauma and starting a long healing process.

Lillian is a bundle of positive energy who is an ambitious entrepreneur.

19 years ago Lillian and her husband went into business together and started a media company.

Lillian is a published author of 6 books and is passionate about sustainability and dogs (can you see our connection? 😍 )

Her brilliant Trash Talk series of books offer fabulous practical ideas on how to reuse and up-cycle an amazing array of household items.

Lillian and her husband Dave live in a stunningly beautiful part of British Colombia and so it’s no wonder she wants to see it protected.

Put the date in your diary now!

03/09/2021

KNOWLEDGE IS POWER - THE TRUTH ABOUT BAMBOO

Bamboo is often touted as sustainable and in so many ways it is:

🎍 It grows vigorously with almost no help
🎍 It self-generates which is means it’s amazing for soil health
🎍 It has no need for pesticides
🎍 It grows incredibly fast and can be harvested 3-7 years – compare that to trees
🎍 It absorbs CO2 at a crazy rate and turns it into oxygen.

So it’s a wonder plant? Yes in many ways but ....

Not necessarily when it comes to the claims about bamboo fabric … it’s time to dig a bit deeper.

Claimed to be an eco-fabric it’s lauded for its softness, breathability, UV resistance and is good for the planet for the reasons above.

But – you saw that coming… Much of the bamboo fabric produced takes a lot of chemicals to process. Then it needs dyes, bleaches or formaldehyde to turn it into the soft cotton like fabric that we find as activewear or underwear.

Essentially most bamboo fabric is not as eco-friendly as brands would have us believe.

It’s also doubtful that with all the processing that it has retained its breathability and UV resistance.

There is another way of processing bamboo that uses less chemicals and produces a fabric sometimes called bamboo linen. But this does use a lot of energy to compensate for the chemicals and is not soft or suitable for activewear or underwear.

Have you ever bought something believing that it’s a sustainable product but then found out that maybe it’s not as good as you thought?

01/09/2021

ARE YOU ONE OF THE MILLIONS WHO DO?

Buy secondhand clothes.

Secondhand is often the first choice for many of us when we're looking to refresh our wardrobe.

Check out IG (14.5M followers) and (10.7M)

Today marks the start of which encourages everyone to buy secondhand clothes rather than new.

It's better for the environment, keeps clothes out of landfill and you get some fabulous bargains too!

As an ambassador for thrift.plus I’d like to offer you a 20% discount on your secondhand purchases use the code **CAROL20** at the checkout to get an even better bargain.

25/08/2021

NOW IS THE TIME TO SHOP CONSCIOUSLY

Imagine you need to buy a new T Shirt. What are your buying criteria? I’m sure you will consider the colour, style and the price may be a factor.

You may have some other points you will take into account:

💜 How long will it last – If you love a classic T-shirt make sure you’re buying a quality T so you get tons of wear from it.

💜 How will it look when it's washed? No one wants to spend money on something that looks awful after a couple of washes.

💜 But what about the things you might not consider when you’re buying new? What happens when you decide it’s time to get rid of it? Will they offer a service, so that you can send your product back knowing it will be recycled and made into something new.

When you buy a truly sustainable product the brand will have thought the whole product lifecycle through.

The fashion industry has a long way to go in terms of sustainability. But doing your research to buy more consciously is definitely a great place to start. So you know you’re supporting brands who are making a difference and are not simply greenwashing.

23/08/2021

WHAT HAVE YOU GOT THAT YOU DON'T LOVE?

Thriftplus have teamed up with ChooseLove to support the people of Afghanistan.

They would like donations of clothes

Order your Thrift bag today and get sorting through your wardrobe. Link in comments.

Nominate CHOOSE LOVE when you donate your preloved items.

ABOUT
Choose Love does whatever it takes to provide refugees and displaced people with everything from lifesaving search and rescue boats to food and legal advice.

Thrift+ was founded to make the charity shopping experience as good as the best online clothes retailers, ensuring fewer clothes end up in landfill.

20/08/2021

WHAT SHOULD WE MAKE OUR CLOTHES FROM?

Did you know that 200 Million trees are logged each year and turned into cellulose fabric (viscose/rayon etc)?

To put that in context ... lay those trees out end-to-end ... they would circle the Earth SEVEN times.

What should we be using to manufacture our clothes that would be more sustainable

1) Recycled Fabrics
2) H**p
3) Recycled Food Waste
4) All of these?

Would be great to know what you think?

19/08/2021

HOW TO PUT A SMILE ON YOUR FACE TODAY

Some days it’s easy we bounce out of bed, feeling great and can’t wait to start the day.

Other days we need a bit more help and our wardrobes are a great place to start!

Dress in tune with who you are and how you want to show up. You may well ask me what the heck that means?

Well it means really paying attention to what makes you feel good when you wear it.

Those outfits that when you look in the mirror make you smile. You know you look good!

If you’re struggling for ideas, here are some tips you can try:

👗 Put on a bright colour today
👗 Wear something with a playful pattern (circular patterns are more playful than geometric)
👗 Wear a fabric that really feels good against your skin

How are you going to put a smile on your face today?

16/08/2021

HOW TO OVERCOME A WARDROBE MALFUNCTION IN STYLE

I’ve always liked Victoria Derbyshire, but after last week I’m even more impressed!

As the 9am bulletin began on the BBC News channel on Thursday, Victoria was seen in the studio bending over and muttering "Oh my God!" as she grappled with the 4.5in black tasselled heels.

She had begun the bulletin seated. Her shoes by her side ready to slip on for the 20-second "catwalk" which takes her to the standing mark, from which she announces the main news story.

While she struggled to pull them on, she was unaware that the camera was on her and microphone was switched on.

Afterwards she was asked if she’d considered delivering the news barefoot, she replied, “briefly but it didn’t feel right”

If we are not dressed for the occasion or something is missing in our outfit it can have a massive impact on our confidence.

What has been your worst nightmare with regard to your wardrobe?