As the days get shorter and the nights get colder, the winter witches of the north take to the sky. Meet Bente (above left). She’s a festive Halloween and Christmas witch. With her pointy red hat and a dress speckled with yellow moons and stars, she hovers mid air on clear line, holding tight to her broom stick.

And the distinctive little fellow on the right is Tobias. He’s one of the Nisse. The Nisse are household spirits said to exist in every Norwegian home. They are typically country dwellers and their preferred homes are barns and out houses, where they spend their time tending to animals and keeping track of the mischievous mice. However, sometimes they do venture into the towns and cities, especially where there are animals to look after. It’s said that if a farmer wants to get the most out of his crops for the coming year, he must pay his respects to the Nisse. According to tradition, he must leave a bowl of porridge in the barn or on the doorstep on Christmas Eve. Here it must remain until the following morning, so the Nisse may feast and party the night away with their family. In the morning when the porridge has gone, the farmer will know that the Nisse is happy and content for the following year.

These wonderful characters and their friends can be found at Colour of Norway, which is an intriguing and colourful shop bursting with Norwegian customs and mythology. Owner and creator, Katrina, is half Norwegian and inherited these customs and traditions from her parents. She now lives in the Yorkshire Dales, where she works hard to share this little known culture with us.

Wayne Charmer is passionate about colour and texture. His beautiful glass work is based on the power of colour, which he uses to stimulate or soothe the mind of the viewer.

We’re so used to seeing stark furniture and furnishings, that you can’t help but be drawn to Wayne’s bold, illuminated wall hangings. Each one consists of kiln formed glass panels mounted on stainless steel. The colours meld together as the light shines through and appear almost liquid. Marine life, stones and spermatozoids are recurring themes in Wayne’s work.

As well as the wall hangings Wayne also creates bowls, lights, pendants, coasters and tiles. The products depicted above are the Chromosome illuminated wall hanging and a selection of coasters.

Following on from yesterday’s ethical theme, Worn Again is another environmentally aware company that makes shoes for people who want good-looking feet, without a guilty conscience. Everything from old coffee bags, car seats, reclaimed jeans and raggedy old suits are given a new lease of life as hip, edgy trainers.

Worn Again explains that making shoes is one of the most resource-intensive, polluting and toxic industries there is. That’s why the company is committed to improving the social, economic and environmental conditions in the regions where they operate, while at the same building a profitable business.

The Bigger Shoe trainers above have been created to celebrate the Big Issue’s 15th birthday. Materials include firemen’s trousers, scrap car seat leather, jeans, men’s shirts and recycled rubber. £6 from the sale of every pair will go directly to the Big Issue.

British Summer Time officially ends this Sunday (29th Oct), so don’t forget to put your clocks back. For me this means an extra hour in bed on Sunday morning. However, some people have different ideas entirely. In a recent and bizarre conversation with my sister, she mentioned that she ’saves her hour’. When I asked her what she meant by this she explained that she doesn’t put her clock back when she gets up and starts the day an hour ahead. Then at some point during the day she uses her extra hour - when she can make the most of it.

I know, not really an indie-related post but it made me laugh.

Looking stylish and living a cruelty free lifestyle needn’t be mutually exclusive. Beyond Skin have proved this with their classic, yet unique collection of vegetarian/vegan shoes.

In 2001 owner Natalie Dean set out to create beautiful, handmade and ethical footwear, that was produced ‘in a manner that is non-exploitative to animals or humans and - wherever possible - the greater environment’. Each pair of Beyond Skin shoes is handmade in the UK by a small manufacturer in East London. The shoes are made from a variety of man-made materials including sumptuous satins, soft suedes and organic cottons.

And if you’re thinking that ethical shoes can’t possibly be aesthetically pleasing as well as cruelty free and kind to the environment, think again. They really are beautiful. Their latest collection ranges from Mary Janes to calf length slouch boots and they come in a huge range of contemporary colours and trims. And for handmade shoes they’re very reasonably priced from around £165 to £185. I’ve already picked out my favourites - the ultra feminine Dorothy shoes in black faux suede/brown faux snakeskin and the sultry 40s style Lorelei shoes in black faux suede with focal brooch.