Mad

Katie Thompson's website reads... “It is more comfortable to be mad and know it than to be sane and have one’s doubts.”

Is being creative mad? Or is seeing the world a little differently a more sane approach to being? It may be a stretch, but when you consider the jealousy many feel for those who like things a little bit more free and un-confined around the edges, maybe being slightly mad is a better way to live.

South African designer Thompson thinks so. Beginning her furniture, interior design, and consulting firm Recreate after graduating from Design Time School of Interior Design in Cape Town, her Suitcase Chairs are made from a classic tufted chair inside a beautiful and well traveled Samsonite shell. Upholstered in 100% white linen, these would be a beautiful, simple, unique addition to any type of room.

Bottega Nights

I lurve lurve deli fresh and nothing comes lovelier than Deli Bottega (Shop 1, 144-148 Glenayr Ave, Bondi Beach) - A gorgeous delicatessen and family friendly cafe in Bondi, Sydney, Aussie. Great menu, gorgeous Swiss chef (Nicholas) and delicious cheeses. What more could you want from a store! Check it out.

Clean Shakti Soul

Sickness. Its your body's way of telling you that you're burning the wick beyond the ability to self repair. Everyday we're bombarded by an assortment of poisons - daily accumulations of metabolic by-products, environmental pollutants, processed foods and chemicals which result in toxicity within our bodies.

While the day to day can make it hard to truly focus on your self and its easy to be complacent, making your soul, body and energy into one focal point each and every moment becomes a way of life that can see you grow and blossom into your one true self.

There has been lots of press recently about the Shakti Mat. We found it a year or so ago after an acupuncturist recommended sweet home remedies due to killer days (and nights) working in the advertising industry. With around 6000 points of acupressure on the mat, it stimulates pressure points which increases blood circulation and promotes the release of happy hormones - endorphins and oxytocine (if you've never heard of this one, trust us, you want more of it...).

Most use the mat for back and neck treatment - helping headaches, confusion, excessive thoughts and stress - but to assist in realigning all of the energy points through the body, standing on the mat works all of the reflexology zones which can be found in your feet.

We're sharing one of our favourite ways to realign... essential as we battle through season change and being slammed with illness...to look as truly refreshed as beautiful Isabel. Enjoy x

For the love of Linda

Once upon a time, after watching a filthy filthy movie (that was disturbingly graphic) on the fast food industry in America, the notion of vegetarianism popped up.

For over 12 months, friends over dined on nutritious black lentil dahls, amazing ginger and garlic stir fried greens, chickpea and zucchini curries and sweet potato, chili mushroom and houloumi wraps. Slowly, due to fine dining experiences meat made its way back onto the menu, but, in keeping with some of the principles of being vego, ensuring that the produce being eaten included the ethical treatment of animals became an essential.

Lately however, we've been doing our bit to make a simple contribution to the world and have stopped eating meat on Mondays. Supported by amazing people like Sir Paul McCartney, Sir Richard Branson, Bryan Adams, Chris Martin, Moby, Yoko, Siouxsie Sioux and Twiggy, supporting Meat Free Mondays is an easy way to help the world by reducing global CO2 emissions, slowing the rate of climate change and protecting the environment.

Research done by the UK’s Food Climate Research Network suggests that food production from farm to fork is responsible for between 20-30 percent of global green house gas emissions. Livestock production is responsible for around half of these emissions. This means, the more meat we produce and eat, the bigger our carbon footprint.

By making a simple change in the way you eat - for just one day a week - you join a global phenomenon that's world changing, good for you and also good for the planet.

Get involved - sign up, and receive a recipe each week from our icon du jour Linda McCartney. Its not that hard... In the words of Sir Richard Branson - "I love eating meat. But I love our planet even more." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02bawEDh-JQ