These cups made from coffee husks make the best Secret Santa gifts

This is my pick for the best Secret Santa gift out there. Aussie designers HuskeeCup create these cups made from coffee husks and have a design award under their belt to boot! They are perfect for your coffee run of course (with matching lids) but great for all liquids; I was introduced to them at a work meeting at a crowd-funding investor’s office, used for water for all the guests. They have a nice feel, look good, and have a great sustainable story.

New Zaishu art stools and side tables

I'm busy processing orders and tallying up proceeds from the Bondville Charity Auction, but wanted to share with you this super-cute stool from Zaishu. Made from sustainable birch ply, Matthew Butler collaborates with Australian artists to create these flat-pack furniture pieces with fun designs. I've seen them used as seating and as side tables and they always draw comments. This design by Melbourne illustrators Tin and Ed is particularly cute; a great way to add art to the kid zones in your house. You can find Zaishu in the online store (and next weekend at The Big Design Market in Melbourne). Read more about Zaishu here on Bondville.

Image: Zaishu 

Ellie Beck recycled skateboard jewellery

Hang on - super-cool necklaces and bangles handmade from recycled/upcycled skateboard decks? I'm in! My friend Ellie Beck and her husband Sam Messina make these amazing jewellery pieces using their stash of broken skateboards in the hinterland of Murwillumbah in Northern NSW. They're bright, fun, sustainable and each piece is one-of-a-kind - totally my style.

These bangles are cut, sanded and finished by hand. Each has a coloured side and a cool scratched-graphic side to amp up the cred.

Most skateboards are made from seven-ply of Canadian Maple in a rainbow of colours.

The rainbow skateboard deck bead necklaces are incredible too. Each is strung on a vintage brass chain.

Honestly, you can't go wrong with any of Ellie and Sam's skateboard pieces - either for yourself or as a gift. Head over to the Ellie Beck online store to pick one up. I love them all.

Images: Ellie Beck

Fable Baby super-cute sustainable handmade baby clothes

Another great find at The Finders Keepers markets in Sydney on the weekend was the beautiful sustainable baby clothes from Melbourne lable Fable Baby. There were hand-screenprinted polka dot cropped sweaters and stripey leggings, farm animal prints and knottied onesies. I love the cuffed sleeves on the tees. Oh, and the knits were beyond cute (poncho with pom poms, anyone?).

1. Hand Knitted Chunky Unisex Organic Cotton Hooded Vest - Light Grey 2. Organic Cotton Long Sleeve Top - Navy Animals on Cream 3. Handmade Unisex Cotton Spot Shorts - Blue & White 4. Handmade Unisex Cropped Spot Sweater - Grey & White 5. Organic Cotton Knottie Sleep Suit Onesie - Red Spots on Cream 6. Hand Printed Organic Cotton Leggings - Navy Animals on White

Fable Baby was established exactly one year ago by cousins Phoebe Newlan and Prue Ryan with their combined backgrounds in textile and fashion design. Fable Baby uses only high quality organic and/or locally-produced fabrics. Knitted pieces are made from either organic cotton yarn from Peru or hand-dyed wool and silk from the Otways of Victoria. All garments are designed, hand-printed and handmade in Melbourne.

The current collection includes tees, knotted onesies, shorts, pants, bibs and the cutest knits you ever did see. All babywear items are thoughtfully designed with easy dressing in mind. For new Mums, that design element can make all the difference between a lovely clothing gift that sits on the shelf and one that is worn daily. With lots of unisex colours and designs, Fable Baby is a no-brainer go-to gift for a newborn or baby shower.


You can find Fable Baby in the online store as well as stockists listed on the website.

Images: Fable Baby

Hip Products: Keep Cup

You may have already seen this fantastic sustainable, resuable coffee cup, but I was so thrilled to find out that the Keep Cup is Australian-designed and manufactured!

Abagail and Jamie Forsyth are the talented duo behind this superb product design. As owners of a chain of coffee and catering outlets in Melbourne, they witnessed first-hand the incredible amount of waste that is generated from disposable takeaway coffee cups. According to the team, Australians use approximately 500 million disposable cups a year. We discard 1.36 million disposable cups a day into landfill - that's 57,000 disposable cups an hour or 951 disposable cups a minute. Crazy!

Destined to be an Australian design classic, the Keep Cup is both functional and cool. The three different cup sizes fit under cafe Espresso spouts and there are a range of colour-matching plugs and bands (that you can personalise) to choose from. All of the materials used in the KeepCup are BPA-free. For more info on the product, see the FAQ's.

You can find Keep Cup at the Keep Cup Online Store as well as these Australian authorised resellers. Why not send the Keep Cup product info to your employer to purchase cups for your whole team at work (like the National Australia Bank). And what a great Secret Santa gift.

Thanks Sara for the reminder to write about such a great Aussie-designed product.

Images: Keep Cup

Drool-worthy Design: Bird textiles, fashion and homewares

The gorgeous eco-friendly textiles of Bird textiles are instantly recognisable. The brainchild of Rachel Bending, the colours and design of Bird textiles are inspired by the elements of beautiful Byron Bay. The label has a strong cult following, and Bird texiles now grace products from fashion to home furnishing to stationery.

Rachel's philosophy is passionately about sustainability in design and the Bird studio in Byron Bay is a temple of social harmony and environmental responsibility. The botanical designs are hand-drawn, printed using water-based dyes and handmade into delightful products using solar power.

One of my favourite products in the collection is the collaborative Zaishu featuring Bird designs on the iconic stool/table.

You can find Bird Textiles at HQ store and studio in Byron Bay, the Emporium in Surry Hills, Sydney, online at the Bird Textile online store and at stockists around Australia (check the website for details).

PS: Look! The Bird logo incorporates a darling bird illustrated by another favourite, Emma Magenta.

Image: top left - Zaishu, top right - stationery, bottom left - fabric, all via Bird Textiles

Drool-worthy Design: Earth Greetings

I love Earth Greetings: Made in Australia. Super-cool designs. Australiana. And most importantly, printed on 100% post-consumer recycled paper with vegetable ink.

Heide Hackworth launched Earth Greetings in Adelaide in 2003 with a strong vision to create an eco-friendly line of paper products that celebrate nature. Now, the Earth Greetings brand includes sustainably produced greeting cards, gift cards, wrapping paper, bookmarks and Christmas cards. All producst are printed carbon neutral in Australia, with minimal and recycled packaging, green office management and offset carbon emmissions. Truly an inspiring model for Australian (and international) businesses.

You can find Earth Greetings products at more than 300 stockists around Australia and New Zealand listed on the Website.

Image: Earth Greetings