the PERFECT gift for the HOSTESS with the MOSTESS

Dimmalimm is one of our favorite shops. From our favorite coasters, wool felt garland & just everything eco-chic - the shop is all about eco-friendly home decor that is all made from organic materials, wool felt, hemp, recycled hand printed fine fabrics and handmade with couture finishing. What's not to love? 

What? Stay on coasters ($18) that are eco- friendly made from wool felt that are perfect accessories for your wine glasses during the most stylish dinner party! 

Who they are? We are a mother/daughter duo from Iceland, currently living in Los Angeles (relocating to the Pacific Northwest in 2011 in case we forget to update the profile). We work full time out of our own home based studio filled with industrial sewing machines, huge work table and an office. Ragga (daughter) comes from a background in fine arts and contemporary art theory, Disa (mother) as a tailor/dressmaker and a business woman in entertainment. Ragga designs, does customer service and business communication and runs errands. Disa developes prototypes, takes care of fulfillment, tracks inventory and supplies and does the books.

We started working together in the 90's on period costuming for film and theater. In the early 2000's we then opened our pattern and sample room serving local fashion designers as well as doing interior textiles. We served high end designers, pattern makers for world famous french fashion houses and project runway finalists as well as local boutiques and tiny start-up labels for several years. 

Our pattern and sample business was practically wiped out in the fall of 2008 when the recession hit as the entire luxury and fashion industry was seriously affected. In the months to come we found ourselves searching for means to create work for ourselves. We opened Dimmalimm Shop selling childrens clothing in the summer of 2009, then Dimmalimm Home about 3 or 4 months later. The funny thing is we always dreamed of starting our own line rather than working for others but kept putting it off - in the end we were pushed into it by circumstance.

Well, what are you waiting for - visit the shop NOW. 

Editor's Pick! Featured Blogger: Rachel of EcoStiletto.com!

A few years ago I was lucky enough to sit right next to Rachel Lincoln Sarnoff, Editor & CEO of EcoStiletto.com & MommyGreenest.com at a fashion show during Los Angeles Fashion Week.Well, we immediately hit it off and chatted throughout the show. I just couldn't wait to share this amazing site (if you haven't come across it already!) and the amazing things Rachel has done with it! And, I am not the only one raving about it! Check out the LOVE they have received from eco-chic celebs too! 

1.) Tell us about your baby, EcoStiletto & how was it born.

I'm a journalist and I'd been writing about fashion and beauty for a while when I realized that the products I was reviewing 1. never seemed to do what they said they would, like erase my wrinkles, and 2. contained some pretty toxic chemicals. At the same time, green fashion and beauty was exploding! Once I started learning about eco-products that actually did what they said and didn't contain chemicals, I was sold. I created EcoStiletto as a place to show women that you can be as gorgeous and glamorous as ever, while still working to shrink your carbon footprint. Hence, the stiletto metaphor.

2.) What is your favorite eco brand/line? Why?

Right now I'm loving Alaffia hair care products. (www.alaffia.com) First and foremost, they work--I was at the salon yesterday and my hairdresser took one look at my formerly-limp-suddenly-luxurious hair and was like, "What are you using?" Second, they're totally chemical free--nothing on my Big List of Things That Suck. (http://www.ecostiletto.com/index.php?/Beauty/tbltts/) But the coolest part is the story: The line was founded by Olowo N'djo Tchala, who is originally from Togo, Africa and now lives in Washington State. He sources all the shea butter from fair trade collectives in Togo and supports the communities there. He also organizes bike drives twice a year for the girls in the region, who typically give up school because they can't make the five-mile walk. And he works to educate people in his community about the dangers of things like female genital mutilation. Not the most fun subject to talk about, especially for a guy. So this is an example of the perfect line for EcoStiletto--it does what it says it does, it doesn't give money to the cosmetic chemical industry, and it supports a community in need. 

3.) What can we find in your make-up bag? 

I'm a total minimalist when it comes to makeup. I have three kids, so typically I just have time to slap on some tinted moisturizer--Physician's Formula Organic Wear, at the moment--and go. So I'm loving the Living Luminizer by RMS Beauty, which is a totally organic, chemical free line created by a makeup artist here in Los Angeles named Rose-Marie Swift. The Luminizer is amazing! You just dab a little bit on your cheekbones, around the outside socket of your eye, your lower lip, the tip of your nose and all of a sudden you look just kind of awake and, yes, luminous. You can put it on in the car!

4.) When your not writing for the site what can we find you doing? Tell us a little more about Rachel.

If I could, I'd do yoga every day. Right now I have just enough time for one class a week, and I crave it like chocolate. There's nothing better to get me out of my head and work through the little aches and pains that come from sitting at a computer 12 hours a day! And about once a month, I try to hit the Give + Take swap shop, which is this amazing boutique in Playa del Rey. (www.giveplustake.com) You bring the clothes you're not wearing and trade them in, then you get to pick from everyone else's swaps. Everything is clean and beautifully presented on wood hangers. It's still reusing and recycling so it's totally green, but it's less of a hunt than thrift shopping, because everything's already edited for you by the owner Dora, who is a fantastic on site stylist, too! 

5.) What is on your holiday wish list? 

Anything by Melissa Joy Manning. Her recycled metal jewelry with fair trade stones is consistently the most gorgeous stuff I've ever seen.

6.) What do you have planned for the future? 

Giving away even cooler eco-swag--right now we're up to $1,200 per month in giveaways to our free newsletter subscribers! And next year I'm doing an eight-event series of Green Girls Night Out parties at Kimpton Hotels across the country--they're super green, so it's a perfect match. Watch out, I may be coming to a city near you ;-)

What You Don't Know About Rachel! 

Pet peeves: Sustainabullies, defined on The Big List as n. A person who makes others feel guilty for perceived eco-sins; (s)he’s holier than thou and probably drives a Prius. Yes, I made that up.

Favorite color: When my daughter was born, my then two-year-old son said, "Mommy, I love all the colors of Julia." It's so random, but I love that. We're all made of colors--who could choose? Okay, now I sound like a total hippie.

Likes: I'm obsessed with Matcha green tea right now. It's a powder, so you can drink it hot or cold. And since I gave up drinking coffee, it's my go-to for an afternoon pick-me-up.

{STAY CONNECTED, ALL THINGS RACHEL} 

EcoStiletto.com & MommyGreenest.com

http://twitter.com/ecostilettor

http://twitter.com/greenestmommy




As always, THANKS Rachel! You are a doll! xoxo 

Still Holiday Shopping? Grab a Nahui Ollin Bag!

While one (of our many) resolutions this year is to be a little more eco-chic, we found the perfect line to start us off with a “green” alternative.

Nahui Ollin is a collection of fashionable and uber unique handbags and accessories made from recycled materials.

WE LOVE: The Rosy Cheeks Wristlet & Envelope Clutch

Due to the unique size of the Envelope Clutch ($96) it is perfect to fit just a little more than your average clutch – as for the Rosy Cheeks ($54), it is perfect for inside your Overturned bag (we love the details) or to just grab and go on the run. Nahui Ollin has a ton of great styles and colors to suit all your fashionista needs.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT Nahui Ollin

Everything in the collection is entirely handmade by folding and weaving individual soda bottle labels, gum wrappers and candy wrappers (factory rejects from independent manufactures and have never been used) – put them all together to create the various beautiful shapes and sizes of the Nahui Ollin collection. These same materials were to be sent to the garbage dump and land fill only to pollute the earth more! Not only does the process sustain the environmentally-friendly practice of recycling, it also yields creatively-fresh, long lasting and innovative products. Made from up to 4000 individual candy wrappers, each piece is passionately and patiently hand made by craftsmen and follows the same process of folding, weaving, and sewing, which can take up to 4 days to complete. And while the bags are indeed made from candy wrappers, gum wrappers and soda bottle labels, they stand the test of time and weather for tear-free, long term durability. What you once would have discarded without hesitation has been transformed.

To stay up-to-date with everything Nahui Ollin, follow them on twitter and make sure to sign up here for their newsletter!

FOR THE ECO-CHIC FASHIONISTA

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: Because Green is Good

With the holidays just around the corner we have been gearing up for our holiday gift guide (soon to come!) but we just couldn't wait to share this Etsy Designer we came across last week.

Cupcake Mag is a big fan of designers making unique things for us to drool over, especially handmade. Luckily, we found the perfect designer making her own little eco-chic masterpieces. Someone who "plunders" thrify stores and granny's closet really makes scraps into something special. Why we love it? It is seriously eco-friendly and makes a great gift for anyone living fabulously green.

Let’s take a size 8 dominatrix stiletto that has been upcycled into a new life (remove the top of the shoe, sand it, drill holes for drainage) and plant it with something sharp and you’ve got your very own little cacti family looking eco-chic in a stiletto planter ($50). Just remember to add a little water and give it a little light. As the designer says, “It’ll repay you with a stark reminder of how hard it is to … well, to be a woman.”

So what exactly is the designer Rachel's story? We couldn't wait to find out what made her create one-of-a-kind items out of things you might consider disposable.

“Now about me and how these stilettos got started....ahem! I have a friend who is an exotic dancer. She was throwing away a beautiful but beat up pair of clear stiletto boots. I took them home- not sure why. I decided to plant them with sharp cacti plants to show how lovely and painful it can be to be woman. The concept is about hard-working women, the sometimes artificial nature of American feminity, and also about the impossible images that women face in our society. It's a prickly, spiky, sticky situation.”

And we couldn’t agree more. Rachel quotes Faith Whittlesey and reminds us that "Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, but backwards and in high heels."

Make sure to stop by the ETSY STORE giddyspinster (dreamy things) to see the many different exotic planters (from cacti to aloe in various price ranges) and make sure to pick one up for the fashinista (or yourself) in your life.

Eco-Chic Trend Alert - Saving the Planet is Uber-Chic, didn’t you get the memo?

As we all know PLASTIC IS SO LAST SEASON and we LOVE anything eco-chic. Luckily, we just came across some cheeky, stylish, and environmentally hip tote bags made of 100% organic cotton. We just DIE over sayings such as “My other Bags are Prada” and “Louis Who?”

We just couldn’t wait to share the uber cute totes that are NOW available in the United States via Australia. The line offers a chic and funky alternative to the usually boring supermarket green bag or canvas tote. Snatch one up quickly as they are sure to be THE NEXT BIG THING!

Don't forget when shopping to use discount code CUPCAKE to receive 15% off your order. Pair them with the eco-chic RuMe baggies & pockets - they are a perfect fit for the tree hugging fashionista! Can't beat the prices either - from $4-$27!

The full range of fun styles can be viewed on the Bagladies website!