The Sun Shines On

I recently discovered this beautiful range of homewares and stationary by Australian illustrator and designer,  Leah Bartholomew, whose brand goes by the name of Beneath the Sun.

I absolutely love these bright, sunny prints and love them even more knowing that all of the products are made using locally-produced and environmentally conscious natural materials.

Based in Northern NSW, Leah's designs incorporate collage, watercolour and block printing with vegetable inks and are perfect for brightening up your home or study nook.

Find out more about 'Beneath The Sun' at

http://warmbeneaththesun.tumblr.com/about

http://www.leahbartholomew.com/

http://www.facebook.com/beneaththesun

Images sourced from

http://www.beneaththesun.bigcartel.com

Some insights into 'raw living'

I've really learnt a lot since trying out the raw foodie/vegetarian lifestyle over the last couple of weeks so thought I'd share my thoughts, the positive effects and struggles that I've experienced lately. 

After the first week of eating completely raw food (which you can read about in my previous blog) I definitely noticed positive changes. I had so much energy, felt healthier and even my overall daily attitude was more positive. Most nights I was staying awake till after midnight, not at all tired, which was pretty amazing for me! Also my skin was hydrated, hair shinier and I lost a bit of weight (1.5kg) - after only 1 week! I have to be honest, I haven't felt that good in a couple of years... 

I didn't miss eating meat, but here's where I came to a cross-road. Reading different articles, watching documentaries and learning about a raw food lifestyle I'd never known before was great, but at the same time I'd found myself falling into a 'raw food rabbit hole'. 

I promised to be honest with you when I went into this journey so here I go. 
Because I was learning about the various aspects of being a raw vegan (preventing animal cruelty, factory farms and more) I was really questioning my lifestyle to the point of wondering "should I become a vegan permanently?" then wondering where I would draw the line. This is all expected when looking at taking a lifestyle change... but I realised I didn't need to put all of this pressure on myself. I was getting pretty stuck, feeling like I had to label myself and struggling with how I wanted to approach it... Am I wanting to become a raw vegan? Am I vegetarian? Do I want to never eat meat again? 

After a day of thinking and weighing up my ethical stance on the subject I came to a conclusion. Not to label myself. I've since redefined Love Living Raw. Raw means natural, fresh and green, and this represents eco-friendly design, organic products and plant-based food for a well-rounded green lifestyle.
Research proves there are so many benefits to eating raw and plant-based foods, but I also believe its a very personal journey and there is no right or wrong way to eat raw. So this is my vision, to inspire others to live a green lifestyle as lightly or as passionately as you wish, and let people know its ok to not have to label yourself as 100% raw or even vegetarian. 

It's better just to give raw food eating and green living a try. If you want to go raw for a week or a lifetime it's really up to you! Some people do it for their health, the environment, animal welfare or all of it combined, so it's something you should really think about when going into a raw food journey. Although I haven't eaten any meat yet, I'm not saying I never will again, but I'm still enjoying eating as a vegetarian and switching to raw food here and there. 

Make sure you check out the 'about' section of my blog if you're unsure what 'Love Living Raw' represents and email me if you have any questions or feedback, I'd love to hear from you!  

~ Arielle