Denim Blog

It's not easy being green....

11/18/2012 21:03:00

Ok, so I am not a cute, iconic frog sitting on a log singing the blues...or should it be the greens?...but it is indeed quite tough being a green company. The sentiment and intention behind wanting to be green is a valiant one...but I am not sure people realise how tough it is carry out. So for those of you that haven't read my previous posts...here is the scoop on what makes Denim Blue green...

You probably already know that the jeans I use are either purchased from a charity store (so that the charity benefits too) or they are donated by friends and family. Why is that a green step? If I bought new jeans it would then be adding to the jean industry having to make more. Which is the beauty of 'upcycling'! (Taking something in its current state and turning it into something new) The same thought goes into the crystals and gorgeous embellishments glittering away at Denim Blue. I do not buy them new. They are all donated by a wonderful lady who makes professional ballroom dancing costumes. Her waste is my treasure. Twice a year she sends me what feels like a birthday box of goodies...all waste from her creations. I also use organic thread as much as possible and non-toxic glues. My packaging is made of recycled paper or compostable cellophane bags.

I may not be inventing alternative energy solutions (although I hear denim is a great possible alternative to that horrible fibreglass house insulation)...or discovering a way to use leftover veggie peelings for the greater good...but in my own little way I am making greener footprints. If we all try a little....it would soon become a lot right? Well, that's what I think anyway.

So there you have it....a little peek into the Denim Blue world through green-tinted glasses. Ribbit.

Long time, no blog

07/04/2012 07:17:00

I've realised the only problem with blogging is that you don't always have something interesting to say...or worse still, you think you have something interesting to say and then realise after a considerable amount of waffling...you have made no point or raised no cause to ponder. It's a sad state of affairs, but there you go...such is life in this blogging world.

So what irrelevant point or fun fact can I tell you about today, you wonder? Well, as you know I am a keen upcycler. I recently came across a company that has the same love of denim and its potential for other uses. This company is urging people to donate their unused jeans to be upcycled into house insulation. How genius is that?? It takes on average pairs of jeans to insulate an average sized house in the U.S. Can you imagine what this could mean for homes in areas where heating is too expensive? The possibilities are endless, as are the jeans! Have a look at the site and read about their wonderful work. If more people starting thinking like this I really do think it would be a huge step in the right direction. Don't you?

http://www.cottonfrombluetogreen.org/Cotton-From-Blue-To-Green-Program-History/

Here endeth today's waffle.

I thank you!

Word of the day...

03/06/2012 22:39:00

So I heard the most fabulous word today..."ecolicious"... doesn't that just make you smile? Or I have spent a little too much time pondering my part on the eco-highway? Anyway ... ecolicious ... there it is ... my new favourite word. The word I shall call upon when I am stuck for a design ... or wondering if I am going in the right direction ... and for some reason it seems to bring with it its own soundtrack with a Beyoncé-esque-vibe, with a touch of Jack Johnson thrown in. Which I quite like ... sometimes I definitely need a diva-yet-chilled kick up the whatsit!

This has to be the shortest blog ever ... but I hope at least it leads you find a word that gives you a smile ... For a fabulous nine year old I know, that word is "glockenspiel" - I kid you not ... so go forth and find your word. Need some help ... http://www.uncommonforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=22598

And while you're at it, please give this website a look too...since it happens to have a fabulous name ... http://ecoliciouscharlotte.com/

Worth the wait....

03/01/2012 14:00:00

So I haven't written a blog in far too long but I promise it is for good reason. Firstly,I don't believe in wasting words....so if you haven't got anything good to say then don't say anything at all, right? My mum would be so proud! Secondly, I have been working on some new items. It is high time the Denim Blue range was refreshed...so I have been experimenting and researching and all fun things like that! I promise that soon the DB website will be looking all sparkly and new! So watch this space!

Denim Green?

02/08/2012 15:25:00

Not sure if you have read the background of Denim Blue...if not, why not?? I'm kidding. Life is so ridiculously busy I am honoured you are taking time to read this. I just wanted to explain why Denim Blue has been featured on online sites such as Daisy Green and Upcycled as it isn't just a case of upcycling denim you see.....

Any denim used for Denim Blue creations have either been donated by friends and family or bought at charity shops. The charity shop route is my way of giving a little back because I figured I am not only upcycling the jeans but helping the charity out a little bit too....every penny counts right?

But the green footprints don't stop there....

The threads I use are predominantly organic threads. Sadly, the availability of these is still quite scarce and pricey but I try to use them as much as possible...failing that I am using every old thread I can find in old sewing boxes at home and in the charity shops.
Any buttons I use are also from charity shops or old clothes or those pesky little packets of replacement buttons that we all store away hoping we some day may find a use for the poor things.
If you happen to buy any item with gorgeous crystals on them...those have been donated by a fabulous lady who makes professional ballroom dancing dresses. She also gives me any scraps of embellishments she doesn't need, which are always a lovely addition to denim. Everytime one of her boxes arrive I am literally like a kid a Christmas!
You may also see delicate, colourful lace on some Denim Blue creations. This lace is from Bali and is the leftovers from the making of beautiful, traditional blouse-dresses called Kebayas.
I am in the process of trying all different kinds of glues to find the best green option. It is terrible how many fabric glues are toxic and flammable. It is quite hard to find a glue that is safe and strong at the same time.

So anyway, that hopefully gives you an idea of what goes on behind 'denim doors' and lets you know that I am trying my best to be an eco-friendly company. If you know of any other green products or ways to be eco-friendly, please let me know! Always open to suggestions!

Working from home...

02/04/2012 23:02:00

One difference of being self-employed and working from home to having a so-called "real job" is that you never really leave work. I get up in the morning, put the kettle on and while I'm waiting for it to boil I tend to go over...or rather stumble over...bleary-eyed...to my work room...sew something...fiddle with a design...finish off a D'Bloom. It happens every morning without fail and usually before the sun has even poked its head up. Whilst I have time that I devote to my work each day, like any other job....with essential tea and biscuit breaks inbetween, of course... it is quite easy to get distracted with other household minutia. Well, when I say distracted...it is not to say that I suddenly have the overwhelming urge to do the washing or washing up...but there is definitely a moment of guilt as you walk by it en route. Happy to say, however, the moment soon passes and I am once again back at 'work.'

Do I wish I had a job that was away from home? Sometimes. There is a definitely the social aspect that I miss...but when I can do my work in my slippers...on a bad hair day....with no makeup on...and at the same time make breakfast...I love my job. Hmmm, that didn't paint the prettiest of pictures did it?....I do of course do all of my work for Denim Blue dressed in a sharp suit, a killer pair of heels, hair in a chignon and eyes ever so slightly smoked. Believe that? No, neither do I.

Upcycled? Don't you mean recycled?

02/03/2012 10:10:00

"Uh excuse me, don't you mean 'recycled'??!" I do so love it when random people accost you out of the blue in the car park, don't you? In this case it was a lady who had read the side of my car which reads "Bespoke denim accessories made from upcycled jeans"...and she looked genuinely concerned at my mistake. So as I told her and I shall tell you...to clarify and enlighten....what the difference is between the two words.

To 'recycle' means (courtesy of the Oxford dictionary) "to convert waste into reusable material" such as recycling paper. To 'upcycle' means "reuse (discarded objects or material) in such a way as to create a product of higher quality or value than the original". Clear as mud? Let me elaborate (I tend to do that!)...so when they recycle paper they break it down into mush and then recreate it into new papery things. When I upcycle jeans I take them in their current form and turn them into something else. In other words, I don't take jeans back into their original form of threads and dyes...I just take them as is and turn them into something more than just a pair of jeans! Make sense? Hope so. And now you know! So next time the conversation lulls at a meeting or dinner...you can enlighten your audience with this and bask in the impressed expressions that follow!

And so it begins.....

02/03/2012 09:49:00

I love to create, but I also love to talk. I am good at it, ask anyone. So the fact that I work from home, often on my own is a pure waste of one of my talents, I would say. Either that or it results in my talking to myself which is a whole different matter! So for your reading pleasure and my sanity, I have decided to add a blog to the website. Will it give you insight into the intricacies and oddities of my denim upcycling world?...maybe...will it only be about everything denimy?...not likely....will it make you smile?...hope so. My mind does tend to take every tangent-path that comes it's way, I know that....so I say go with it...may just make you think about things you hadn't before. So next time you are taking a coffee or tea break...take a mental wander with me!