The end of the year is so dangerous for me. It’s especially dangerous this year: I’ve just resolved that I’d like to buy a house, which means “save save save”…which actually means “quit buying all the things on the internet.”

But mooooooom, LovingEco is having a saaaaaale.

LovingEco, an ethical sample sale website that we adore so much we partnered with them in September, is currently offering eight different brands at up to 90% off. Some of our favorites are likely to sell out fast.

 
I love sassy models.

I want to wear the Long Sleeve Lengthen Tee (priced at $32 – 57% off) to work on my off days. Haven’t slept? Wear an over-size (but slim-fit) tee and pretend you’re still in pajamas. Woke up with a headache? Curl up with your hands shoved into the sleeves and make your most pitiful face.

So basically I want to wear it every day.

I’d obviously pair my sleepytime shirt with these vegan ballerina flats by Kailia. Be still my heart! They were originally $119 – now only ten bucks!

The sale of this limited edition necklace by actress Maria Bello and her non-profit organization, We Advance, supports women in Haiti. Each piece is handcrafted from recycled materials, and gives you an “ethnic” look without forcing you to jump on the cultural appropriation train. At $32.95, this necklace is more than 50% off.

Vaute Couture (pronounced “vote” – think “haute” with a V) makes all of its products without the use of any animal products, byproducts or suffering. I love the shirt on the right – called “Friends, Not Entertainment” – and the script on the left is delicious. Both shirts are on sale for $28.80.

There’s a lot more LovingEco temptation to be had: PeaceBOMB bracelets, Blissoma skincare, Cityzen Green clothing, and Sword + Fern necklaces. It’s all just becoming too much for me. Time to remind myself of my goals by looking at pictures of my dream house…

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It’s Friday, and I am going to give you not one, but four gifts from Etsy. Made of wood. Because I can.

It’s Monday, and somehow, this never got posted on Friday. I’m tilting my head the way the dog does, because it’s too early in the week, I haven’t had coffee, and why didn’t you post, you silly thing you?

Anyway. Love these. Chat with these Etsy sellers about expedited shipping if you want them by Christmas!

All Natural Wood Ring with Moss: $55

Walnut Bear Necklace: $34

Twig Bobby Pins: $18.50

Ampersand Letterpress Necklace: $37

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They’re not real stones, but they look like it, don’t they?  These earrings were donated by Etsy artist Biberklau to Europe for Charity:

“This shop serves as a platform for our European Street Team on Etsy to collect money for relief whenever a humanitarian crisis emerges and to support causes like child care & education.”

You specify which cause you want to support in the “message to buyer” section upon checkout; otherwise the proceeds from your purchase will be split between Architecture for Humanity (for their rebuilding work in Pakistan and Haiti) and the BlinkNow Foundation, which supports the Kopila Valley Children’s Home and School.

To see more of our 2011 Etsy Gifts of the Day, click here!

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…but that one is super pretty.

The Laurel Earrings are perfect for the girly-girl on anyone’s list…and that includes the girls that are hard on their jewelry. These are made from laser-cut acrylic, and can handle themselves when thrown into a drawer full of baubles.

This scarf is meticulously hand-woven using hand-woven cotton and traditional Turkish handlooms. I love how soft it looks and all of the different colors it comes in.

These moss agate beads are perfection, and I love how they’re paired with vintage guipure. This is the over-$50 gift (by five bucks) and it’s unique enough to be worth missing your daily latte.

This scarf is so delicate! I guess that’s my vibe today: everything delicate. I promise I’ll get a little funky with next week’s list.

First, look closely at these ear wires: they’re almond-shaped. These earrings would be pretty enough with circular wires, but that bend in the center was what really stood out to me. They hang like little icicles, perfect for winter, but they’ll also catch the light beautifully come spring.

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I cut off my hair again – you know, as I am wont to do every few months.

I love juxtaposing boy stuff, like the shaved back of my head, with girl stuff, like precision-cut bangs and really high heels. So imagine how excited I was when I stumbled across a lovely new collection from tomate d’épingles:

bow tie necklaces.

Okay, yeah, and headbands, but the necklaces are what make me swoon. So cute, and totally recycled using old ties sourced from thrift stores. Buh. I die.

Plum and Turquoise Bowtie Necklace

Khaki and Gold Bowtie Necklace

Hi, yes, those ties are made for autumn. Also, a few friends of mine celebrate “Tie Tuesday” and, even though I don’t wear collared shirts and have therefore lamented not being able to participate, now I can. Take THAT, you adorable hipsters. (I’m looking at you, Cass and Greg.)

Double Grey Bowtie Necklace

Look how fancy she is! Perfect for a black and white event. Oh, you have a black tie event? Here’s a classic black bowtie, you rebel.

What do you think: Are bowtie necklaces the next most awesome thing, or will I regret the purchase six months from now?

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This guest post is written by Haley Mitchell, who I visited earlier this year in her home state of Mississippi. Living in rural Mississippi, in the heart of the Delta, is one of the easiest excuses I can think of for someone to ignore the ethics of shopping, but Haley finds a way. Choosing to work and eat at local, liberal-minded restaurants, supporting her local schools and making purchases that are handmade in the US are just a few ways that Haley follows her conscious consumption code. We hope to feature Haley more and more at Awakened Aesthetic, so if you like what you see, please comment and let us know!

Everywhere I go, things seem to be under construction. The Mississippi Delta isn’t an aesthetically-pleasing place to begin with, but because of the tornado, now every turn is littered with tar kettles and caution tape and orange plastic lattice and sheet-rock dust. My office building took a heavy hit in the storm and flooded inside due to a leak in our roof (the roof has been under construction for months, but is now probably looking at months longer, due to the damage) that claimed about a third of our ceiling tiles and is causing our carpets to ripple as they peel away from their adhesive backing. Everything inside is coated with a film of moisture and dust from the air, so there are dehumidifiers and fans blowing against the walls so (more) mold doesn’t grow within the sheet-rock. The carpets will have to be replaced. When everything’s new, these days won’t matter, but right now, they’re making me restless.

Right now, I keep thinking about how all of my clothes are old and how sometimes I don’t realize that I’m actually kind of poor–not as in the “I can’t go on vacation whenever I want” poor, but the “I work so much and still have very little money to spend on things that are solely for me and aren’t related to bills or gas or work or food.” I’ve been thinking about how I would dress if I had the money to invest in the things I would like to wear. So many of my things are so old, so tired. If I had the time, the will, and the money to replace them…

My favorites from this shop:

Cenobite: A warm, spicy, infernal scent, with notes of cinnamon, clove, allspice, French vanilla, and leather.

Bon Temps: A dark, distinctively southern scent for the vampire, fairy, or fangbanger with taste. Includes notes of magnolia, sweet iced tea, wisteria, bougainvillea, and a good dose of peach.

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One of the most amazing things about shopping with independent designers: you find odd objects in creative forms. It’s not uncommon for me to come across a piece of handmade jewelry, or intricate skirt and find out that the “ingredients” to create that piece was completely uenxpected.

In this case: Those rugged, vintage-feel, gold beans on this lariat are made from bullet shards.

Makes an already pretty badass piece of jewelry that much cooler, don’t you think?

Botticelli’s Niece has an entire line of gorgeous, simple, bullet-shard jewelry – including these bullet casing necklaces… for less than $100.

But if you’re a pretty straightforward person and the unexpected everyday items aren’t your thing, you could always go the direct route and pick up one of these:

That’s pretty much a bullet casing with a gemstone in it. A big, raw, un-futzed-with gem. What could be better?

If you’re looking for a new, crazy-good, every day necklace to wear at work, home, or out? Please share my excitement over this gorgeous bullet flake necklace:

Gorgeous, right? And, again, under $100.  You could be wearing bullets, as a living human, for under $100. I love it.

What do you think of found/re-purposed objects in unexpected forms? Would you wear bullet casings?

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This week, Awakened Aesthetic is being featured as a Tastemaker on our favorite ethical sample sale website, LovingEco!

Like most private sale sites, LovingEco offers deep discounts on beautiful fashion and beauty products…but they’re revolutionizing the realm of limited-time fashion discounts in two ways:

1. Everything item on sale is ethical. From clothing to accessories to beauty products, LovingEco is ethically on-point. Their products are eco-friendly and healthy, and they even offer a full-page Product Key to explain the merits of each green product.
2. Proceeds are donated to an eco-related charity. Three percent (net) from each purchase supports a vetted charity – either social or environmental in nature – including national eco-awareness charities like Global Green and worldwide community organizations like Village Empowerment.

Lindsay and I were asked to work directly with LovingEco to choose our favorite items from this week’s sales, as well as a charity to support with our choices. Here are our favorites:

Charity: Farm Sanctuary

Farm Sanctuary “works to protect farm animals from cruelty, inspire change in the way society views and treats farm animals, and promote compassionate vegan living.” As Lindsay and I learn more about ethical eating, we’re excited to have the opportunity to support an organization that works to promote those values.

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LovingEco doesn’t know this, but they have great timing: we both love ecoSkin, and it was hard to choose two favorite styles from them as our Tastemaker choices. We decided on the Magpie Top and Lyrebird Dress, which are both fair trade, organic options for your staple wardrobe this fall.

Essence of Vali

Lindsay and I keep making promises to our bodies: she’s promising to start running, I’ve promised to start getting eight hours of sleep each night…yeah. No. Not happening. When we saw the offerings by Essence of Vali, she was immediately drawn to a balm that would sooth her sore muscles, and I went for a soothing mist to help me get away from the computer and into bed.

farrah b jewelry

Look at these cute necklaces! farrah b jewelry takes vintage finds and combines them with new products to create beautiful, old-timey pieces with an interesting kick. The poet in me loves the Wish Necklace, and Lindsay gravitated straight to the Cherished Vintage Locket Necklace.

Check out our Tastemaker picks on LovingEco, as well as all of the other gorgeous options available this week. What are your personal picks?

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I’m waging an epic battle against a migraine today, and am avoiding taking lunch in hopes that I can leave my day job early and take a nap when I get home.

The above sentence is brought to you by the Committee to Create Excuses for Not Making Good Posts. And now, today’s special guest, a rat reading a book:

This reading rat cut paper greeting card is five dollars and adorable. It caught my eye while I was in a dazed, fuzzy-headed stupor. I hope you like it.

In case you don’t, here are a pair of earrings that look like faces:

Never underestimate the power of beadwork.

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One of my favorite films in the past ten years has been Everything Is Illuminated. I recently re-watched it, and was reminded of the romance that comes with being a collector.

Not romantic love, of course. That other definition.

A quality or feeling of mystery, excitement, and remoteness from everyday life.

When we collect, we add importance to that moment. Everything about it becomes clearer, brighter. Collecting helps remind us to use our senses and quit flying from thing to thing like there’s some sort of finish line.

This locket – the Daytrip Locket – holds that same kind of collector romance for me. Sure, you could order the As You Wish necklace, which is already beautifully filled with dandelion seeds – but an empty locket holds a certain kind of promise. Who is to say that you won’t find the perfect feather, right next to your feet as you wait for your bus, or a forgotten note dropped by a stranger, or a perfectly dried maple leaf?

I think these moments, full of beautiful things, often come to us just as we need them…but I also think that sometimes we need a reminder to look for them, too.

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