I love drift wood! It has been on a journey, from leaving it's tree, through the ocean and back to land arriving on a beach. Each piece has it's own story to tell and is so wonderfully individual.

Where we live we have plenty of drift wood; the hill and mountain either side of Gokova Bay are covered in trees, mainly pine and it washes up at the beach ready for some imaginative use.

So after collecting rather a lot I went on an internet hunt and found the picture above by Bleu Nature.

A bit adventurous for Project No.1, so I started with a simple lamp for our stairwell.



And then finally my own version of the Bleu Nature lamp.



It took some time to put together as I had to collect more drift wood, this time more specifically pieces with a curve to help with the structure and shape of the ball.

To make this lamp I simply started at the top and with a glue gun worked down and round continually turning the lamp to ensure it was a circular as possible.

It is now proudly hanging in our lounge and throws the most beautiful shadows across the room.

This is the YikeBike and I YIKE it! I love nothing more than the power of the peddle to get me from A to B but I can definitely see the benefit of this little fella!

Basic bike design has not changed in 120 years and why should it when it is perfectly stable and safe to ride. Rather than take a normal bike and squash it up the guys at MiniFarthing designed a bike that is more suitable to the task of modern city living.

The first licencee of the MiniFarthing is YikeBike, who have created a super high–end all electric version made of carbon fibre that weighs less than 10 kg.



The Yike is super small and light, there is no parking hassle as you can pack it up and carry it with you in under 15 seconds and it is very stable and manoeuvrable with a speed limit of 20km per hour. The custom 1kW motor has a better power to weight ratio than most sport cars and with the latest nano lithium phosphate battery technology, it can be charged in 30 minutes with a range of 7-8kms!

Not only is it economic, green and compact, it is also rather cute and personally I think it kicks the Segway's ass where design is concerned!

Visit the YikeBike website to reserve your Yike 2010 at a mere 3,500 euros and to keep up with the continuing developments of the YikeBike.

I am going to have a gushy moment - I am in love with this VW Westfalia Camper! I grew up with camping and caravaning so all forms of 'home from home' are always of interest for me. But this, this is the ultimate in modern day camping!

Originally shown at the Detroit Car Show back in 2004 this redesigned Eco-camper also won the 2004 Michelin Design Challenge.

Alexandre Verdier, a French Canadian designer, is responsible for this redesign and is a philosopher and industrial designer. Verdier believes that the solution to environmental problems “resides in smart, simple design and employing technology to make better use of natural resources.”

The camper comes in five different models designed for your own unique personality: Woody, Geeky, Ebony, Blueberry, and Purity.



The Camper features a BioDiesel hybrid, 2.7 liter engine with a four-speed automatic transmission. It also comes with two large batteries that can be powered by the 12-watt solar panels or by running the engine, so when you aren’t on electric you can be running on recycled cooking oil.

The solar panels have a GPS Sun Tracker system to ensure that the panels are optimally orientated to the sun (when stationary) and can tilt up to 45 degrees in two directions, which mean you may not need the diesel at all!

Three different suspension settings allow precise driving and stationary stability to the van by lowing it onto the tires for ultimate stationary comfort.

Every bit of space in this camper counts for something; whether it is storage, beds, a fold-out kitchen (so that you can cook indoors or out) or even stairs built into the back of the passenger seat to get to the bed above (yes the roof is also extenable!). The Verdier also has two gazebos which pop out of each side, with matching folding furniture housed in a special compartment in the rear of the van (out of the way, so as not to clutter your living space).

It also has built in containers for rubbish, recycling and composting, as well as refrigerator/freezer combo.

And it doesn't stop there! This camper even has an on-board entertainment center, complete with a projector, 6 speaker surround sound, and a roll down screen. You may be camping, but that doesn’t mean you can’t kick back and chill with a movie!

The on-board computer, built into the front passenger dashboard, allows you to get on-line and the the GPS software takes care of navigation as well as monitoring your camper’s energy and fuel supplies. Plus, you can take it with you by removing the tablet from its base.

The Verdier Eco-Camper starts at around $69,000 but if you want the full monty you are looking at about $129,000.

All donations welcome!

The time has finally come for me to buy myself a laptop. My desktop is still functioning fine but travelling a lot (whist studying) means it sits at home gathering dust while I continually borrow BFs!

The world of laptops is a complete mine field to me but the one thing I did know was that I wanted to go for second hand - recycle, recycle, recycle!

BUT although I feel like I have done my bit for the environment by buying second hand, what about the accessories?

First stop was a protective sleeve. There are a few ecological options out there made from recycled plastics, such as Shoreline Cases Eco-Friendly sleeve made from recycled plastic PET bottles.



Next I needed a mouse. Currently I can only find one Recycled Mouse brought out by Google in May, made from recycled plastic and packaged in recycled materials.

For more information on the Google Recycled Mouse or to purchase visit the Google Shop. I have a blue one on its way!

Now that Google have opened the doors I am sure we will start to see a lot more recycled mice and computer accessories on the market over the coming months!

Recently I blogged about Pandora Design's Eco Aperitif set - stylish, ecological, biodegradable and a little pricey...

On my search for Eco-picnic ware which comes from a sustainable source and is 100% biodegradable I have come across Vegware, who offer just that and much much more!

Vegware offer all types of packaging which is all 100% biodegrable, from a sustainable source and can be pre-printed with your company logo or left plain for domestic use.

They deliver across the EU and with 50 7" Bagasse Plates costing £3.20 why would you want to buy anything else for your Picnic's/BBQ's this summer!?!

Have a look around their site for all sorts of home food storage solutions.