French For Tuesday | Local business
French For Tuesday
Phone: +61 407 921 920
Reviews
to load big map
25.01.2022 Mind the gap is a great call to action for all of us to rethink how we live and consume everyday. When our demand of resources exceeds supply, the sustainability gap measures by how much. We know the planet is heaving under our overuse. Always thinking about the Refuse - Reduce - Reuse model at the top of our minds helps to rethink the way we consume. Our commitment to community and the planet is so important right now. Mind the gap, take one step at a time and tread carefully xxx
25.01.2022 Kneading and baking hot cross buns from scratch is easier than you think and ready in next to no time. My family loves these sweet breads for their flavour and freshness, preferring sultanas only with no bitter fruit peel. This double batch made me about 30 buns and are 100% free from plastic wrapping and those pesky little plastic bread tags. Glazed with golden syrup/ water glaze, I prefer to skip the cross section, similar to me skipping the icing on the cake - let’s tuck in and enjoy! Happy Easter weekend.
23.01.2022 Getting my sewing skills on with night one of the Scrappy Patching workshop by Upcycle Newcastle. I was in fabric colour and pattern delight choosing my colour combos from fabric remnants before sewing the pieces together. Came together as one larger piece of useable fabric! I look forward to the second part of the workshop, where I’ll up my sewing skills and learn how to sew a zipper to make a small pouch!
23.01.2022 I found this collection of coloured and weathered waste mainly in the one spot on our rock-hopping walk between Forresters and Bateau Bay beaches on the Central Coast. The D-shackles were an amazing find amongst rocks close to the tidal line. I wonder if they were left over from the containers that went overboard at the end of May? I also spotted individual medical masks and cloths wedged between large rocks. They were impossible to dislodge by hand. An interesting forage and find for the school holidays.
22.01.2022 Hi there! My name's Mardi, I’m an eco living educator based in the Newcastle area of NSW. I love spending time listening to all sorts of stories, and am in awe of nature's imperfect beauty. As an educator, I love sharing my local knowledge and authentic experiences to help you live sustainably every day. I do this by: - hosting in-person workshops and speaking events in the Newcastle and Central Coast area, - sharing informative eco-based stories and videos on my website, ...French for Tuesday - collaborating with local brands who also align with authentic sustainability, through my growing online marketplace and second hand shop, French for Tuesday Why the name, French for Tuesday? Here’s a beaut fun fact - Mardi is a day of the week in the French language... Please comment below with how I can help you and your community live more sustainably.
22.01.2022 This Friday morning I'm participating in the Take 3 for the Sea CEO Cleanup at the North Entrance on the Central Coast. As your Central Coast and Newcastle eco-living advocate, I really appreciate your financial support in helping me clean up a part of the coast by donating to Take 3 for the Sea. Head to ceocleanup.com/fundraise to support my efforts and strengthen Take 3's education on plastic pollution and waste. Choose to Sponsor a CEO and select Mardi Lee - French for Tuesday from the dropdown box. Thanks a huge amount for making a one-step-at-a-time difference!
22.01.2022 Captured by the design on this t-shirt, I made this practical & affordable reusable shopping bag by upcycling a t-shirt from the op shop.
22.01.2022 The Re: Club is reinventing the way we shop for clothes so we can re-wear and re-share on repeat. Sheona, founder of The Re: Club, was shocked to learn that only 15% of op shop donated clothing sells. Sheona was on a mission to keep clothes away from landfill and toreduce clothing waste. ... The Re: Club an online shop andclothes swapscheme started in January 2020 to recognise better solutions to mitigate the unsustainability ofmass consumerism. Read Sheona’s story online The Re: Club is reinventing the way we shop for clothes at frenchfortuesday.com.au or link in bio
22.01.2022 A little anecdote about my connection with water From the coastal burbs of Sydney to the coast of Lake Macquarie. From Point A to Point B, with a constant variable of one beach throughout - Bateau Bay on the NSW Central Coast. Water is an essential everyday necessity for living. But it's also my lifestyle. Reflecting on water, it's the common thread that unites my choice of place.... My water experiences have a different story with a distinctive vibe, like when I snorkelled for the first time at the beach. This was so many feelings rolled into one experience! Hearing my own breath through the snorkel, and the sound of being submerged in water. Watching the sand shift slowly with the waves. The feeling of temperature changes around my body whilst swimming through the water. Hello, fishy fish, crabs, stingray, rocks, shells, and seaweed! My known family catch cry "We are so lucky to live here!" is heard everyday when I see the water. Living with easy access on the coast is definitely a luxury. A move away from the clean, fresh and salty water would be a different story. See you at @coastlifefest where you’ll find me and Diana from @seeyasista facilitating a very hands on creative workshop. Sunday 28th March 2021. Coast Life Fest - celebrating the unique magic of living by the water.
21.01.2022 Hello there on a chilly day! Grab a cuppa, rug up warm and light your natural beeswax candles for ambience. Stay cosy.
21.01.2022 Pockets of small, individual initiatives that help us to rethink our everyday and tread lightly can happen anywhere in our community. Building a sense of community and sharing local is as simple as popping a Raw Honey for Sale sign out the front of your house. Lovingly looked after by John at Bateau Bay on the Central Coast, this honey is direct from his backyard hives. When there’s too much honey for two people (and family), it’s a wonderful way to share local, unadulterate...d food with people who walk past the house. And what flows from this, is a starting conversation with people. Because of a simple hello-it’s-a-beautiful-day chat, Robyn (new to the area) was so pleased to have found her locally sourced jar of sweetness. Thankyou John and welcome Robyn!
20.01.2022 As an experienced early childhood educator, I’m so pleased to be a part of this inaugural online market that is specifically for families and educators of young children. Market opens tomorrow at 10am! You can find some exclusive offerings that aren’t even available on my website!
20.01.2022 What I loved about today’s opening of the Reconnected art exhibition is that all of the artists were Lake Mac locals. Reconnected: a Recovery Story is an exhibition of hope to reflect on recovery and a positive way forward, based on the recent pandemic. Most of them are available to purchase, which is a brilliant way to support local. Support handcrafted. Support artists. My two photos are by local artists Kimberly Brown and Bruce Pussell
19.01.2022 Tonights beautiful night sky means I can see the full moon clearly shining above my home. The moonlight reflects off the colourbond roof. The moon is a whopping 380,000km away from us! Unfortunately, space is becoming a dumping ground of our stuff needed for space exploration and technological advancement. Space junk is everywhere, but what is the plan for dealing with so much of it? What is the ethical and environmental responsibility of every country’s exploration, use of t...echnology and use of space? (Much food for thought after reading an article by wired.com)
18.01.2022 Borrowing from the library is so cool, reading all the books and magazines you can without needing to purchase. But did you know that Newcastle has a library of things, where you can borrow stuff without the need to own? The Share Shop Newcastle is part of the library of things movement, which challenges people to rethink about whether you need (or want) to own goods you rarely use. Bringing people together, The Share Shop supports the daily habits of reducing the amount of w...asted resources and gives you a place to borrow items you need occasionally. This snazzy gate is found at Pachamama house, where you can find The Share Shop. Open Thursdays 4pm - 6pm and Saturdays 10am - 12 Noon, go check them out. You can also read their story on my website, French for Tuesday.
18.01.2022 Picnicking in the sunshine whilst watching my son play soccer felt so good. Fresh air, feeling the wind and sun. Super Saturday family vibe.
17.01.2022 Head back to school, uni or work in eco friendly style with Biome’s huge range of sustainable, waste free lunch boxes, water bottles, reusable cutlery, toxin free insulated lunch bags and more. I’ve noticed a real difference in the temperature of my water with my stainless steel drink bottle. And my stainless steel lunchbox fits a huge amount of food in it for one person in one day. Biome’s range is free from BPA, PVC, lead and phthalates. These harmful chemicals can leach i...nto the food stored inside, and pollute the environment in their production and disposal. Phthalates, sometimes referred to as plasticisers, are often used to make vinyl plastics soft and flexible, such as the lining on insulated lunch bags. Also, Biome cares deeply about the people who make their products and grow the ingredients. They ensure that everything in their waste free lunch range is made without exploitation or harm to people or animals. This is such a sustainable initiative, making sure that it’s all about the people and the planet.
17.01.2022 Every little bit of rubbish adds up to bigger and bigger problems. Rubbish is not the right fit here.
17.01.2022 Playing creatively with waste is my newish pastime. I’ve collected a lot of teeny waste from friends, my own rubbish-usage, as well as scouring the shoreline for marine debris to create these postcard sized project-in-progress. I’ve been thinking about it all year and have only just registered for the Lake Mac Council Waste to Art exhibition, which inspires the community to think and be creative with waste. This is my starting process for the upcoming October exhibition. Which ones take your fancy? Are there particular colours or style you like? Your feedback will help me refine my project for the exhibition, so I would absolutely love to hear what you think!
16.01.2022 As an ex-preschool educator, I look forward to being a part of the Early Childhood Resources Market. Due to Covid-19, the Market is an online market, free to browse and shop for a range of items from me, French for Tuesday as well as a selection of other vendors.
16.01.2022 Instigated by an inbox message, I discovered that socks are miscellaneous textile waste that add to the little book of tricky things of a sustainable lifestyle. Socks’ obsolescence is evident when our shoes gobble them up, the balls of our sock-feet thin, and the holes in the fabric multiply. When socks come to the end of their original intended use, I’ve learned three other options to consider, before popping them to landfill.... Read more about how Socks are Miscellaneous Textile Waste by heading to my website, French for Tuesday (direct link is in the comments)
13.01.2022 Second-hand shopping is the way to go when it comes to living more sustainability. Nothing New: A History of Second-Hand clarified the historical significance of secondhand-ness. Is it a new thing to do, or has it always been done? The inside of the dust jacket says, the book by author Robyn Annear is itself an emporium of the social, economic and political history of second-hand. This copy is borrowed from my local library. As a wonderful casually-written reference book,... I plan to buy it brand new (only published in 2019) for lots of circulating re-use amongst friends and at my speaking events. The delicate cream lace top is a stunning new for me addition to my second-hand wardrobe. Send me a DM for the link if you would also like to buy this book for your sharing.
13.01.2022 DarNET! A Coloured Spectrum of Waste Waste conjures up a motley mess of blacks, greys, and browns a disarray of worthless, useless or defective stuff. When foraging and sourcing waste for my Lake Macquarie Sustainable Neighbourhoods Waste to Art project, I intrinsically wanted to classify my waste collection into their respective colour hues. It made waste feel more palatable and useful. Yes, I found the less-loved colours, but there was also an extraordinary amount of rain...bow-coloured waste. Read the entire story by heading to my blog, French for Tuesday. Type in DarNET to search for the story. To see all of the amazing creations, visit The Lake MAC Waste to Art exhibition at the SEEN art space, Swansea from Wednesday 28th October 2020.
12.01.2022 Melinda shares her story on sewing couture-style dresses from waste, highlighting how you can make something beautiful and spectacular from things that people have thrown away. Exhibiting each year in the Lake Macquarie Sustainable Neighbourhood's Waste to Art Exhibition, Melinda's story will encourage you to start creating! Registrations are now open for your creative project to feature in the upcoming Waste to Art Exhibition (by Lake Macquarie Sustainable Neighbourhoods Gr...oup). Rego is free and anyone in the community can participate. With reuse and repurpose, the Exhibition helps to highlight how waste is such a big issue and we need to reduce our consumption. The Waste to Art Exhibition registration link is in the comments below.
10.01.2022 So many of you love Woohoo Body deodorants because it's all natural and it works! Fun fact - did you know that it's proudly made here in my home town of Newcastle NSW? As a fellow Novocastrian and low tox deodorant lover Phoebe, of Woohoo Body, has penned her top 5 tips on how you can get the most from your trusty natural deodorant paste. Phoebe and her husband Aaron are the founders of not one but two brands based in Newcastle NSW. Happy Skincare is all natural skincare whil...st their sister brand, Woohoo Body, has become one of Australia's favourite aluminium free natural deodorants. Every single one of Phoebe and Aaron's creations are all natural, 100% vegan, 100% cruelty free, and locally crafted with lots of love. Head over to frenchfortuesday.com.au to read Phoebe’s 5 Tips for Loving Your Trusty Natural Deodorant Paste
08.01.2022 Magnificent scenery so local to home - my childhood backyard of the Royal National Park, Sydney. Thirty kilometres trekked over the two night, three day hike with my super-duper-hiking-extraordinaire Mum (71 years), and my family (two teenage boys and hubby) over the weekend. I rediscovered that being out in nature can teach us about the core values and elements of living sustainably: Resilience: we all have different coping thresholds... The Power of Conversation: essential for understanding other and building relationships. But also spacing this out with time to think and let our minds wander. The Value of Natural Fibre Clothing: I love silk and wool for hiking. The silk feels divine, is so light and quick drying - my night time sleeping luxury that takes up absolutely no space in my pack; wool is the perfect natural wicking material, keeping me really cosy in the night. Living Minimally: a capsule wardrobe at it’s finest, wearing one set of clothes the whole time to suit the weather. Redefining Luxury: having a table and chair to sit on at the end of the hiking day is luxury; Availability of water is luxury Waste Free Eating: Planning out pre-portioned food for maximum satiation and consumption. With no garbage service, we need to take our rubbish home to keep our natural environment natural. Treading Lightly: The juxtaposition of having quality, hard soled, durable hiking shoes helps us to tread lightly through mud, water, rocks, roots and uneven terrain. Our home is so welcoming after being in the bush for a few days. To think that last night we were tucking ourselves into bed at 7pm for lights out at 7.30pm!
06.01.2022 This part of my home is either gifted, thrifted or struck except for one thing. Buying nothing new is a great way to increase the lifespan of an item and give it another life. What’s your secondhand-ness look like?
06.01.2022 I popped in for a chat with Angela from High Tea with Mrs Woo and checked out their new premises Studio Melt . Such a peaceful and divine space in the heart of Newcastle. I walked out with the Makers x Traders Newcastle Treasure Map and bought the Kintsugi Visible Mending Kit. I’m now really looking forward to mending the holes and stains in the clothes I love and want for longer than the holes would normally allow. Stay tuned for my mending updates over the next couple of weeks.
05.01.2022 Sunday is Feedback Organic Recovery’s Urban Farm Open Day! This box of produce is all locally grown in my local council area of Lake Macquarie (damn that’s local as!) and is grown straight outta compost. Converting local food waste into urban farm produce is their expertise for your enjoyment! The big root daikon radish was my fave veggie in this box. Took me back to my trip to Japan earlier this year. It’s so good to have such an innovative sustainable and local practise ...right here in Newcastle. To support locally grown food, this is your go-to veggie place. Dave and the team at Feedback (as they’re affectionately known) do a super job with the closed loop system as well as provide lots of community and schools education. If you live outta area and can’t buy this box of goodies, check out your local area. There may be something similar for you to support local and sustainable food crops. What have you found?
04.01.2022 Creating your wonderfully strong sense of community, where everyone feels a strong sense of belonging takes time and comes with a massive intrinsic feel-fantastic invigoration. As an early childhood educator for twenty years, I learned the cyclical benefits of how having strong and positive connections with people influenced each person's behaviours and involvement within a community. In my latest blogpost Creating your Wonderfully Strong Sense of Community I share my own stories for how you can start living wholeheartedly in your everyday area, place and space.
02.01.2022 Shop Local. Support Local. Buy Local. These simple sentences are gaining greater traction in our lingo over the last couple of years. Backing our close-to-home businesses has community and environmental benefits that sit behind the obvious economic gains. Our big-hearted local love is a step forward in our everyday eco-living and supports thriving people and community. Read my latest story on the five sustainable-living benefits to shopping, supporting and buying locally. Yo...u can find the link to "Shop Local. Support Local. Buy Local" in the comments below. Thanks to local coffee shop Sotos tea & Coffee bar Belmont for letting me feature their shop front for the article.
02.01.2022 Handmade soap made with a mix of plant oils, beautifully scented with natural essential oils and a lot of local love makes this my new soap of choice. As I walked into Savant Apothecary’s shop in Kotara (Newcastle), Kathy was carving up a new soap bar with a knife and a mitre. Yep, handmade and cut right to the end! Kathy shared her soap super knowledge about how they make it in store and how the fancy swirls patterns are created. My soap of choice is this green clay coloure...d soap, scented with Lemon Myrtle and Lemongrass. Talking to both Kylie and Kathy (the beauty of locally owned!), I learned that olive oil makes big bubbles and rice bran makes small bubbles! I see the bubbles on my skin when using the soap, but yet to perfect the art of sharing the bubble-fest with you in the photo! As a fellow Novocastrian and sustainable living supporter, Kylie founded Savant Apothecary just 3 years ago. Starting at the local Olive Tree Markets, Savant Apothecary now has two stores in Newcastle - one at Kotara and The Junction. Pop in and say hello to Savant!
02.01.2022 Wow! Look at how amazing this handmade paper is in all it’s colour. Each one of these sheets has been handcreated by my lovely friend Fleur, who has been making handmade paper for a very long time! I love the organic, not-perfectly-cut edges and choose to use this paper to write you a little note each time I wrap and send your order with French for Tuesday. This paper is totally up there with sustainable-living - supporting a local creative who uses what’s already in circulation ie paper, which is then upcycled and made into more paper.
02.01.2022 Look at these stunning natural colours made from plant-based vegetable powders! Sweet potato, spirulina and beetroot are the colours I used to make these batches of play dough. Made from all natural ingredients, including essential oils for a subtle scent, this play dough is so soft and so pliable. Thanks to @thesourceerina for the plant-based colour options. Playdough is a wonderful creative modelling resource for children under 5 years of age. As well as supporting creativi...ty, playdough is perfect for little hands to strengthen their fingers. Making balls, rolling snakes and forming coils is a wonderful foundational step for children to get ready to hold a pen for writing. This is a trial product and is not yet available in my online shop. If you’re interested in more information about the play dough, such as pricing and quantity, just PM me!
02.01.2022 Circularity from decades past - When old becomes new for you. Reusing and repurposing materials to create a more contemporary feel is a beautiful way to keep things in circulation for a lot longer. The dried flowers were the inspiration for this new-for-me home decoration. The small wooden sewing thread spools (pre-80’s) are a perfect vessel for the petite dried flowers (from the 90’s). The green fabrics are from the 70’s. And there’s the salvaged wooden set square set and tray featured from a couple of insta posts ago.
