I can’t quite believe it, but September is fast approaching which for us means my daughter is starting forest school (ARGH). Alongside me, parents and carers across the country are handed kit lists, school supply lists and are probably googling something along the lines of ‘what do I really need for nursery?’…

It’s day 7 of the series. We are almost at the end! Are you discovering new brands you didn’t know about? Today we are looking at ethical and sustainable knitwear. Again, this has been a favourite because I absolutely LOVE a knit and always welcome autumn with open arms with a chance to layer up with the maximum amount of knitted items.

Welcome to day 6 of the series where we’re taking a look at jumpsuits and dresses that are sustainably and fairly made! Wow! I had SO much fun creating this incredible collection of brands below- I am an absolute sucker for a jumpsuit and apparently now dresses after drooling over how many incredible options there are available. I am in love. I’ve always been a pretty play it safe clothing-wise kinda gal. My wardrobe has always been small and because I spent a lot of time travelling and in need of easy clothing the majority of what I have owned was black, or very dark colours.

Welcome to day 4 of the blog series. If you’re still here well done! Today we’re taking a look at denim. The denim industry takes one of the biggest tolls on the environment due to the washes, dyes, chemicals and overall water usage needed to create one pair of jeans- it’s thought that it takes around 2,000 gallons or 7,600 litres of water! That’s a lot! Good on you wrote: “Over 10% of the world’s population is currently deprived of access to clean water, a staggering statistic which puts an alarming perspective on our thirsty denim purchases.”

I love advent. I love the anticipation and the preparation and I’m not even gonna pretend that I’ve not peaked too soon this year? Anyone with me?

Before I had my own kids I was a live-in nanny and I remember each year their mum would put slips of paper into each pocket of their calendar and they would run down the stairs each morning with squeals of delight, fending each other off to be the first to see what the activity for the day was and I remember my own delight as a kid as my mum handed me the dairy milk calendar. I’d always dreamed of the rituals and traditions I could bring into our home when we had children and have loved hearing of others, especially traditions from different cultures like Parols, bright and colourful lanterns placed inside the home in the Philippines, and those in Poland cleaning their homes from top to bottom to make it perfect for the arrival of Jesus.

I LOVE giving gifts, anyone with me? 15 years ago you could find me in a queue at Woolies or WH Smith excitedly buying my mum something with the ten pounds i’d saved up from my weekend job- probably something plastic and probably something completely unnecessary- and six years ago I would have had no problem ordering all my gifts from Amazon with no idea how or where they were made or what harm I could be causing in the places I chose to invest my money. A few years later and with the exposure to some hardcore facts and realities, and mainly with a strong conviction to know those making my products were paid fairly, I chose to start shopping differently even though I didn't really have a clue where to go or where to start.

Thank you so much for joining me for the non-toxic home series. I had so much fun preparing it, and it was so encouraging to hear everyone’s responses and to get product recommends and tips from you guys too!

The message I probably received most in response to my posts was something along the lines of ‘this is great, where on earth do I start?’ and ‘how do I do this on a budget?’

I thought I’d write something quick (she says…three weeks later) just to address those questions.

You may have read it in the intro, but my journey with clothes really started over 2 years ago after watching a documentary called ‘The Trust Cost’. It made me re-question a lot of the things I was buying; who had made my clothes? Was I buying on impulse? What effects were my purchases causing to people and the planet? I’d already bought a lot of second hand clothes at that time, but the 20% of clothes I did buy new were from Zara mainly, and though hard, I decided the night of watching that movie that I would never shop there again. Dramatic I know.