At MANGO Think Up we’ve shown you several examples of DIY techniques to help you customise or create new garments or objects for decoration or organisation.

There are many advantages to DIY philosophy. On the one hand the satisfaction of making your own creations and on the other, saving money. Plus, DIY is a way to channel and express your creativity. Personally, I love this way of thinking and creating and recommend it to everyone.

Moreover, you could make some money by selling your own creations through webpages like My Crafty Closet or Etsy. A bit of extra cash would come in handy for buying that MANGO item you like so much, wouldn’t it?

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We’ve already said a lot about celebrities as possible new faces or designers for MANGO. But one of the groups we’re most interested in, halfway between celebrities and normal girls like you and me, are bloggers: a new generation of fashion lovers who have made their voices heard on the internet and have become improvised icons from their (no longer quite so) humble style diaries.

They are all over the world. Some are internationally famous and others are local muses, but they all have the same approach: teaching what they wear.

Would you like any of them to collaborate with us? And if so, who’s your favourite blogger?

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When we suggested the contest “The best THINK UP idea” I loved reading all the original and affordable ideas you sent in. Your imagination and experiences gave us new ideas for being on trend without spending too much.

There were several suggestions I found very original, like the Fashion Swap Party, a brilliant idea I would like to share with you since it’s great to have one with your friends.

So, what do these three words mean? A Fashion Swap Party is a party where friends all get together to exchange clothes. It’s like going shopping with your friends, but at home and without spending anything at all.

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I know we’re in the middle of an economic crisis and that talking about money is not the done thing, but I’ve always been very interested in the habits of shoppers. A few weeks ago, Victoria Beckham made headlines for spending 300,000 euros all in one go in one store. Posh justified this spree to her critics by saying that this was her own way of helping increase spending. And she’s right.

It seems easy to spend huge amounts of money on certain brands, but what is the most you’ve ever spent, say, in MANGO?

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Everybody likes to surprise their partner, friends who are getting married, grandparents on their anniversary, decorate their room differently or surprise first-time parents who have no time to organise the thousands of photos they have taken of their baby.

Here you have Shape Collage, a tool you can get off internet for free and which will make it easy for you to arrange your photographs in the best way possible. Read more…

Travelling from your computer screen to the most beautiful places on the planet sounds like a good idea, doesn’t it? Yes, I know it’s much more interesting to see World Heritage sites in person, but if you can’t do so because of a lack of time and money, here is a tool that will take you straight to these paradises.

UNESCO and Google have joined forces to show the world several sites that have been named World Heritage. With Google Maps and Street View you’ll be able to enjoy panoramic views of these sites, with horizontal views of 360 degrees and vertical ones of 290 degrees.

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We’ve travelled to New York with Gossip Girl and Sex and The City, two series where fashion is the star.

We’ve discovered the secrets of Washington with Dan Brown and we’ve seen the settings for Twilight. If you haven’t been able to tear yourself away from the Millenium trilogy, how about heading off to Stockholm? Read more…

Train stations, bus stations, airports… these are places where you’ll always find books by Marian Keyes. You’ll recognise them thanks to their covers in bright acid colours.

She’s one of the most-read international authors. One of the reasons her books, translated into more than 30 languages, are so successful is because she has created a new trend: chick lit, romantic novels written by and aimed at young professional women, not just single, between 20 and 30 years old.

But why are these books such a hit? Read more…

After a quiet calm Christmas, here we have the first sales of 2010. Even in the middle of the economic crisis, which affects most of us, you can deal with this just like always by getting your act together so as not to waste money.

The circumstances are in our favour given that the global economic situation has been and remains unstable, making consumers reticent to purchase. Almost all of us have resisted the temptation to purchase, while waiting for this moment. All the more reason to establish a spending plan now that we are going to grasp at the sale period with so much enthusiasm.

The first thing you need to do is set a spending limit and stick to it. Depending on how much money you can (and should) spend you should then establish a list of priorities.

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When one year finishes and another begins it’s traditional to make a list of resolutions, either mentally or on paper. I’m sure this sounds familiar, right? The bad part is that quite often as the year progresses these good intentions are forgotten and it shouldn’t be like that!

The MANGO THINK UP philosophy has always been based on enjoying life to the maximum without wasting money. You can be on trend and have a great time by spending your money sensibly. Our philosophy will be the same in 2010, so here you have the first resolution on your list.

These last few months we’ve been talking about do-it-yourself as a way of saving money while developing your creativity. We’ve applied it to cooking, decoration and accessories. And we love it! We’ll keep at it in 2010.

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