jonnybaker

out of the box christmas cards

out of the box is a card company that sells creative cards that are playful and inspiring. our house is full of the cards because jenny set it up! they have got some really good designs for christmas. i like this doc martin wearing angel with weary feet. obviously it's hard to get cards in shops and who is in the shops anyway??!! so do head to their web site and have a look - scroll down the card page to find the christmas ones.

inspired water

we have started NET, a network of entrepreneurial talent in london following the blah... day a while back with bill bolton. last night was an informal get together in the bar of the hms president. as part of the evening reid shared the story of belu water. it is a company that sells bottled water BUT the bottles are made from corn so bio degradable, and it's non-profit so monies made are going in to projects such as drilling wells in india. reid said that they have worked to get a zero carbon footprint. the business is expanding and have got water on the shelves in both tescos and waitrose. if there is one near you ask them to stock it. or if you have bottled water at your business suggest switching to belu. i remember first coming across belu at the big chill festival last year.

if you are interested in NET there will be a monthly get together in june and july and more stuff happening in the autumn. just leave me a comment if you want info.

howies bought

howies bought (ht kester)

progreso coffee and searching for faith

i'd not come across it before but it was wonderful to find a fabulous coffee shop in covent garden that serves great coffee, is stylish and is the antithesis of the global corporate coffee chain. progreso is run for the coffee growers who own a share of the business - their coffee sold in their cafe. oh and i forgot to mention... free wireless internet.

looks like they want to expand the business so try and get one in your area...

i also went to the book launch of brian draper's new book searching 4 faith. brian is an amazingly gifted writer. i think of him in the league of mike riddell when it comes to writing on spirituality. i've not actually read it yet but i'm sure it will be good. it's a book for spiritual seekers introducing them to jesus.

to celebrate new year chinese lanterns are hanging in oxford street (and of course in chinatown)...

howies sale

howies sale

glo4life has a new selection of organic t-shirts

howies sale

if you are in london howies have a sale. the venue is next door to the big chill bar so drop into both...

Big city here we come.

The shelves in our warehouse have been emptied. The van is loaded. There are boxes full of jeans, tees, jackets and Merino. When the sun rises tomorrow, we'll be on our way to London. It'll be nice to get back into the hustle and bustle for a while.

We're holding a sample sale this weekend.
Dray Walk Gallery, just off Brick Lane, E1 6QL.
Thursday 10th 6-9
Friday 11th 10-8
Saturday 12th 10-7
Sunday 13th 10-6
It's all good stuff. There'll be some one-offs that never went into production, plus stuff from previous seasons.

Come along and say hi. It does us good to mix with you city folk from time to time.

howies

Technorati Tags: howies

own less and find your love - worship trick 43

the latest howies catalogue is as brilliant as ever. inbetween the clothing are various reflections. these are all on the drop down menu under think on the howies web site. i am adding it as a worship trick. here's a couple that struck me:

Own Less

If you don't own the latest thing,
it won't go out of date.
If you don't own much,
you won't have much to lose.
If you own next to nothing,
you won't worry about ending up with nothing.
If you own less than you want,
you will still have more than you need.
If you spend less money on things,
you can spend more time on you.
If you own less,
you will value it more.
If you own only what you can carry,
you will carry less baggage around with you.

Travel light.

Find your love.
You know that dream you carry around with you each day?
It's kinda important.
Wasn't it what you were put on planet earth to do?
They say everyone has a calling, can your still hear it?
Doesn't it eat away at you?
That treadmill you are on, did it ever get too much?
Did you ever wonder what it would be like to do your thing?
Did you ever feel time was passing you by?
Just how many days have you left before your last?
Did you ever wonder about stuff like that?
Did you ask yourself 'what was stopping you?'
There is never a right time.
You will be too old.
Too young.
Too something or other.
When was last time you took a risk?
Did you remember how alive it made you feel?
There are no guarantees of success.
It's not called a leap of faith for nothing.
It's not too late, honest.
Jump.
You might fall.
You might fly.

Technorati Tags: howies, worship tricks

glo4life t-shirts

damian who is one half of glo4life left a comment on my howies post from a while back. i thought people might miss the link so am adding it as an entry in its own right. looks cool...

wow - lots of passion...started by an 'article' on a clothing company from Wales!
so I guess Howies is doing the job - instigating debate and inspiring change!
they have definitely inspired me - we have followed in their footsteps and started an eco-urban clothing range (100% organic cotton T-shirts)(also based in wales)(www.glo4life.com).
basicaly we are 2 designers, disillusioned by the built-in-obsolesence of most products and the dis-regard for the consequences of how they were manufactured - and it was these products we were helping to market through our design! so what could we do?
we started our own company, wanting to change the world in the only way we knew - through creativity and design.
trying to create a legacy of worth for our son!
we're not up there with Howies in terms of brand awareness, but we are making ripples in this big pond - we've been featured as a 'brand to watch' by a fashion/business magazine (Drapers weekly)...so who knows where we'll end up?
but for now, we're trying to make the right decisions and enjoy the journey!
with regards cost - we also sell at the same price as Howies (we do currently have a sale on!) - that is mainly because of economies of scale - we're a small start-up, can't afford to order huge amounts of stocks and therefore are working to the minimums which costs us more!
also there is a premium price paid to the farmers for organic cotton and to the factory who employ responsible working conditions!
but saying all this, you end up paying the same for non-organic and sweatshop t-shirts - so we think it's a good deal and we're doing the right thing!?
like to hear your feedback

howies in london this weekend

following the discussion about howies on my blog, i see they are in london for one weekend according to the blurb selling their stuff at discounted prices as follows:

fri may 13 12pm-8pm | sat may 14 10am-6pm | sun may 15 10am-6pm
dray walk gallery, dray walk (off brick lane)

you could combine this with a visit to the big chill bar which is virtually next door i think

howies tread lightly on the earth

my howies catalogue arrived a couple of weeks ago. i can't remember if i have blogged about howies before. but they are one of the most inspiring companies i have come across. it sounds weird to say but their catalogue is always wonderful. they have an ethos/commitment to tread lightly on the earth and their clothing products are all designed to be durable and made from fabrics and dyes that treat the earth with respect. scattered through the catalogue are a series of reflections such as on food | environment | life .

when i was in the US on the last visit jen and i had a fascinating conversation with some friends there about christianity and the environment. this was provoked by the creation project proost are publishing with group in june. the gist of the conversation was that these friends had never heard a sermon suggesting that looking after the creation was part of what it meant to be a christian. it simply wasn't on the map, and in fact anyone suggesting it ought to be was likely to be perceived as a 'tree hugger', at least in that part of america (colorado). this catalogue reminded me of that conversation. no doubt howies then would be perceived as tree huggers but in my view this sort of business models the kinds of instincts and concerns christians should share. how we treat the creation entrusted to our care may just be the single most important issue facing us right now...