EthicalEarrings

Mates that straight away offer to take cute pics of you in front of a wild rosebush & use the portrait setting are everything.🌹

Earlier in the day for this pic, I was stood crying and panicking at the bus stop waiting to meet my friends. I felt so full of overwhelm and fear, and was convinced I'd end up sitting at my mates house crying or drinking to try and calm down.

I told them while I was waiting for the bus I was feeling v anxious and my pal said 'Ohhhh sugar, you're welcome no matter what mood you're in ☺️'

Immediately that helped and took some of the pressure I feel to always 'mask'.

If you have mates with mental illness or struggle with anxiety, even if you're sure they know they can be themselves with you, it can always help to remind them!

P.s. I am living that I have pink hair in time for Barbie next week 👛

***r

Ya gal turned 30 & it was f*ckn fantastic.*Tw:su***de
I've been spoilt. Forgot to take photos at a beautiful surprise celebration living that in the moment life. So here's a few random snaps lately

I never thought I'd make it to 30. I just always thought it wasn't a part of my future. But bitch, I'm here & it's f*ckin lovely. (Touch, but lovely)

So so grateful 💗

💗If, like me, Father's Day, is a big fat trigger & makes you feel how Marbles looks, I'm sending you big love.

For those of you who also choose to keep your Dad out of your life for your own wellbeing, I'm with you, mate.

💗

Bitch, we made it to the weekend. 🙌🍓 I am ready to be filled with the holy trinity: hummus, pizza & wine.🍕

Hope you all have a lovely weekend

It's just the T, Christine 💅

I'm fortunate that my friends are understanding and ✨get it✨ but mate, isn't it the most exhausting thing to explain again AND AGAIN to people that don't?

It's understandable if people can't relate to invisible illnesses, why they have sympathy for physical illness more. But you'd hope people would trust more and try to look into it a bit.

The only way I see through addressing the stigma and misunderstanding of invisible illnesses is to just KEEP TALKING ABOUT THEM.

Many people on Insta inspire me with their openness & you can bet I'm not going to stop keep it real about living with chronic mental illness 💅

Tw: Mental illness, healthcare, Tory gov ruining the NHS, therapy

I could probably write a novel dedicated to my last year and a bit in therapy, but for now here's a short version of how I advocated for myself.

Putting your needs first is so hard when you've had a lifetime feeling like you don't matter.

But this Sad Bitch has started advocating for themselves, and let me tell you, it's a ✨revelation✨

This last week I've noticed I've said kinder things to myself & I feel super proud.

I keep advocating for myself more at work, and even in friendships. It's a scary, hard process but for anyone battling with low self esteem and mental illness, hear this,

YOU ARE WORTHY OF JOY
YOU ARE WORTHY OF THE BEST
YOU ARE A FU***NG MARVEL

***r

International Women's Day 💘

Please keep this as a place of empowerment and solidarity.

💅Any gross comments will be deleted.

thank you for your post xoxoxo

[Tw: su***de] Yesterday I changed up my meds AGAIN. Lately my moods have been pretty erratic with one second being in crisis then the next having a laugh out with a mate. It's all pretty exhausting and unpredictable.

To help demystify what it means to live with an invisible disability, I've always been an open book and want to show how medication isn't a failure, it's a genuine lifeline.

To help with my PTSD, anxiety, depression etc I take

💊Antidepressants: Mirtazapine
💊Antipsychotics: Quetiapine
💊Beta blockers: Propranolol

Adjusting meds can be wild. In the past, it made me feel in the short term:

Suicidal,
Like I have the flu,
Migraines,
Body pain,
Vivid dreams,
Wild anxiety (not a medical term, just a bit much)

There loads more. BUT I've always found it worth it, compared to being off meds. It's different for everybody and every body 😌✨

For me, medication is one part of how I manage my conditions and is essential. I used to feel shame about being on max doses of meds, as if I'm not trying hard enough. But over the years I've learned, it's the opposite. It's self care.🤗

✨✨I'll be updating my stories with how things are going with my latest med changes and I hope it's comforting to those who have similar experiences and I hope it's helpful for those who don't have these disabilities but want to know more!

It's Britney, bitch. Yes, after a long break I've decided to make a come back. BUT instead of being focused on my jewellery making, I thought why not just do it all.

As you ride or dies from back in the day may remember, I'm a massive advocate and loud mouth on things like

❤️‍🔥Sustainability hacks
❤️‍🔥Fighting mental illness stigma
❤️‍🔥LGBTQIA+ rights
❤️‍🔥Food & cooking when disabled

Things have changed a little since I was last on here. I'm much more tapped into my q***r authentic self! 💋

I've managed to stay in full time employment and be a massive advocate for myself and my disabilities 💪

I've been in therapy again for well over a year and stayed on my meds 💊

I've got ambition again with some new lifelong dreams involving a venture related to my love of food and things I've learned around cooking with disabilities 🌭

I'm still a ™️ that has a hard time, but I feel in a place where I'm ready to come back and share that energy with extra lashings of unapologetic q***rness and kindness.

Oh and of course, you'll be seeing cameos from my Mrs and everyone's fave executive assistant diva ragdoll, Marbles.

Can't wait to see what you've all been up to xoxoxoxo

***r

Swipe to make a pair of upcycled & sustainable
🟢 The zigzag pieces is a coloured sustainable metal piece, sourced in the UK
🌟 The stud finishings are from donated, secondhand items that I repurposed.
🟡 The circle sparkly, gold circles are leftover from makes last year & not are added to this joyous pair.
Available to purchase £12 with standard £2.70 p&p.

💘Got to say, it warms me soul customers at are enjoying my Upcycled & Sustainable collections so much and having a good old rummage!

💫It's been going well with so far and I'm really glad and grateful people are excited to own a pair!

🌱🌻 Remember, they're all backed on seeded card, so you can plant to get a lovely additional gift of either Marigold flowers or basil plants.

Ahead of the Giveaway closing this Sunday evening, anyone who buys a pair of EthicalEarrings at Leeds Refills, you can get FIVE entries into the draw

All you need to do is
🌏 Follow EthicalEarrings
🌏 Put a pic of you wearing them & DONT FORGET to tag

That's it!

Good luck all

🎄I'd love your help to get some meaningful & lovely gifts for my loved ones this Christmas.

🥳I'm definitely this year & want to support UK based, eco conscious makers!

😶My head is all scrambled at the moment & trying to find affordable small gifts that are kind on the earth feels a bit impossible at the moment.

So, if any of you have gifts that could be suitable for the different interests on the fourth image, let me know!💗

💘Comment with what you sell, how their eco positive & tag any other independent UK based businesses that sell ideal beauties!

💫🤩Don't forget too, I have a Giveaway running that closes soon. Check my story to find the post quickly!

While I take a break, here's some lovely reviews that have been submitted on from recent orders.

Don't forget to click on story or visit the profile to enter the giveaway.
I hope you're all keeping well or at least having some time to rest & self care

Do you have Instagram? The has all of the updates & behind the scenes, but also GIVEAWAYS! 👯‍♀️👯‍♀️ Click this link to enter for a chance to win a free pair of upcycled earrings 🎁🎄https://www.instagram.com/p/CWAyM5JMHGl/?utm_medium=copy_link

A few sneak peek snapshots from last nights packaging session. Making cute, personalised parcels for the EthicalEarrings is lovely.

But what makes it even lovelier is knowing I've done all I can to be eco sustainable & upcycling as much as possible!

Heres a few ways I make sure your packaging is guilt free!

🎁 All wrapping is upcycled packaging Ive salvaged or made of eco approved products aka i never buy new plastic sellotape or wrapping

🎁 Its all personalised & branded but by using stamps & ink - no new, plastic tape or packaging here! (I even hand stamped the brown eco tape 😅)

🎁 I only post in the UK & NEVER order materials from overseas. I use independent & small shop services as long as the products are available

Behind the scenes - photographing some new additions to the upcycled collection & resorting some pieces from the sustainable collection.

Made using discarded, donated & secondhand jewellery and materials. Nothing goes to waste at , which makes it so much nicer when one of a kind pieces are made.

If you like the look of any and wish to bag them before they go on , & . Its happened a few times now & I'm always grateful for the save on admin 😂

Remember, I never purchase or use any sneaky new plastics to create the jewellery. All upcycled materials are paired with UK shop sourced, sustainable metals to ensure your carbon footprint is minimal & the impact on mother nature isn't a worry!

While is happening, let it be a reminder that while big organisations and corporations need to radically change what they do, its important as individuals to shop locally, responsibly & use materials already in circulation, as opposed to buying new.

Sneak preview ahead of an exciting announcement to come!

I wish I could say, but I'm keeping it shtum as to not put pressure on myself while I'm unwell.

Butttttt, all I can say is:

🌏📇 It may involve an amazing zero waste, eco organisation

🌻♻️ These are snippets of designs I'm having printed on biodegradable, seed paper so people can plant and grow flowers after they've used the card info

That's it. I'm not saying any more!

Finally getting round to updating my , & shops.

Now and again I'll find a pair I've made, convince myself they're available to buy and OH WAIT, they aren't 🙈

I wonder sometimes if its imposter syndrome that holds me back from selling all of my work, but I'm a firm believer that you can't make progress if you don't give something a full chance.

But its scary putting things out there sometimes!

I've recently made a pretty bold decision to invest more into , so when I'm in a better place in my PTSD diagnosis, I can go full speed ahead!

When did you guys decide to invest your all into your work?

Also, have you ever had imposter syndrome and how have you come through it?

Sending lots of healing Sunday love to you all!

Swipe to 'see what they look like on'. Years ago, back before I knew about fast fashion and the eco impact, I used to order on so much. The amount of times things I'd adore didn't fit, weren't so nice, its mad. But when you try something on of a friends or in a shop you wouldn't normally, you can be surprised 'how nice it looks on!'.

So with this, I'm going to try and get more photos 'trying on' earrings from my EthicalEarrings collections so you can see what they really look like (and fall in love, I'm sure!).

This pair was a real labour of love. It took a long time tonfigure what to do with this bag of random size/colour beads, none of which went together I thought.

I hand picked all beads that were similar colour theory and saw so many pulled up - all that plastic and glass that could just be chucked away.

I remembered all the beautiful chandeliers earrings and went on finding sustainable pendants and head pins to pair with the secondhand beads.

Its a real process - it takes literally hours of research to find

💞 Just the right pendant that suits
🌏 Making sure the store is in the UK and ethical
♻️ Triple checking the materials are right & not made of a material thats damaging to the earth

This is all before designing and creating the earrings, let alone promoting to all you folk!

Small businesses with eco centered values take so much time, often for a financial profit of 4 quid. I could decide to do it easily- go bulk, buy plastic, buy overseas & greenwash you all, but not to worry - I pledge to never do that!

Hello all. Congratulations to all for making it through the

Today has been another emotionally challenging day as I've been preparing for my initial assessment next week.

But for the evening, its all about distraction and getting through. So I thought why not share some learned wisdom (if I can call it that?🙈) of my jewellery making so far!

These 3 top tips are basic but it takes a long time to navigate what you actually need & how to use things versus what Pinterest or social media says you 'must have' to be a jewellery maker.

The top 3 tips id be more than happy to answer any questions & show you folks what tools I own and how they work. Before I look at making content for this, feel free to let me know what questions you have for this or any top tips you wish you knew of when you starting your makers journey!

💎Earrings of the day!Handcrafted, upcycled statement earrings. Using secondhand necklaces & earrings to create this beautiful unique pair!

Available on Etsy xo see link in bio

Swipe for colour! So so so proud of this pair. It was fiddly as heck, and required a lot of patience, and trial and error.

But they turned out a beauty! From materials that were once a necklace, comes this upcycled joy, finished with handshaped, sustainable brass metal finishings with stud closures.

Bloody marvellous. Yes bitch 💅

Going to make myself another pair with some of the leftover materials.

Mindfulness & grounding 🌺🌳🌱Check out my story to follow along on my mindfulness walk today. I only managed 40 minutes walking on my own today, but its something.

I've been having a really hard time being able to craft & upcycle new pairs of earrings lately, which is my usual go to for a mindfulness activity. I'm hoping the creativity comes back soon, but in the meantime I'm going to focus on trying to ground myself the best I can this week.

If you have have any grounding and mindfulness tips, please comment/let me know!

Coming soon to Etsy...
Large (approx 2.5-3 inches long) upcycled kidney threaders, with upcycled use of beadings. Jade beads, paired with rose etched spacer beads.

Another unique, upcycled pair.

Reached my 20 sales milestone. I have 5⭐ average reviews on Etsy & 5⭐ average on Vinted also

Very proud! I am fully self taught, and have made many a botched pair in the process, but kept at it. I'm putting it out into the universe that its one of many more milestones to come.

It makes me so happy that people love their ethical, unique earrings. It takes a lot of effort, from hours watching videos & practicing, to hunting sustainable sellers & materials in the UK to design earrings. Let alone making/advertising/packing/posting

Its a lot of effort, but making eco conscious & responsible decisions is something all creators should be doing. EthicalEarrings is zero green washing & transparent

If you ever have any questions, advice or youre even curious to some of my claims, feel free to comment/dm

Now on Etsy. Real gold threaders, upcycled beading, sustainable sunflower charms 🌻

Heres two of the original upcycled earrings from way back. Using secondhand, thirdhand and broken jewellery comes these beauties!

I'm able to make these to order for a few more pairs of either styles. But once the materials are gone, that's that!

EthicalEarrings are truly one of a kind as I upcycle donated & discontinued materials with sustainable materials. It makes for lots of different styles & colours, meaning there's likely something you'll love!

Go and have a nosey on my link to see what other unique, handcrafted beauties are on other.

Lately I know I've been focused a lot on the mental health side of things, and the celebration of what is created in mindfulness, zero waste upcycling hasn't been there..

So here are 10 pictures of different upcycled, handcrafted beauties. There's rarely a similar strand as it depends on the materials there to work with.

Do you have any favourites? Theyre all available on Etsy with many others!