2.20.2017
VOZ - had to pass this onto you!
The VOZ collection is something I have wanted to bring to the shop for quite a while now and I just haven't been able to... I love her pieces, they are meticulously made with love and in partnership with artisan weavers. The mission of this company is pure and clearly to help these weavers do the work they love and receive a fair wage. The designer Jasmine Aarons works directly with the weavers to create the textiles and she then assembles them in her NYC studio - you really need to see them to believe.
VOZ means “voice” in spanish. VOZ is an ethical fashion company whose mission is to protect the livelihoods, well-being, and cultural values of rural indigenous women globally. They honor and empower artisans creatively, economically and culturally through a collaborative business model that showcases, preserves, and supports traditional art forms.
In addition they work in collaboration with politically and economically marginalized women to create beautiful fashion collections and to provide design leadership, training, and opportunity for indigenous women in the rural regions where they reside. They have a primary rural artisan education center is located in Temuco, Chile and supports Mapuche artisans. They have also scaled their operations to include Puno artisans in Peru, and Tangail weavers in India.
I just received an email from her, which I thought was a great way to introduce you to this beautiful talented woman. She is offering a beautiful solid poncho for a terrific deal... and I hope this will give you a taste so that you can come back for more and shop at full price - so that everyone benefits from the company mission. If we only buy things when they are on sale (at an incredible price) it's not necessarily helping anyone's bottom line - don't get me wrong we all love a good deal, but it's important to note that in support of these small creators making great things with artisans it only helps when we support the WHOLE business - that means shopping at full price from time to time.
This wool poncho hoodie, which is usually $525 - is now $210 - click here to shop!
Shop the full VOZ collection here
2.18.2017
cold and flu season
Just about each year I write about Cold and Flu season - you can read some of my history here - and just so you know many of the remedies that we have used over the years we are still using and I still believe in them so check out my old blog posts for more information. But lately I have been thinking about how illness usually follows an intense sugar time. For example Valentines Day - which I believe has turned into another candy-fest. It takes a toll on our bodies, and moreover our kids bodies. That amount of sugar can easily debilitate our bodies, lower our immune system and it becomes so much easier to get the cold or flu.
Our tried and true remedies that we still use are salt baths, Astragalus (I put a piece of the dried sticks into my tea for just about every day in the wintertime), exercise and a daily turmeric tea (see recipe below). You can drink this tea year-round!
DAILY TURMERIC TEA
mix a paste of 1/3 cup of honey and 2 tsp turmeric and keep in a jar, it will last you about a week.
1 tsp of turmeric/honey paste
drizzle of coconut oil
pinch of pepper
squeeze a wedge of lemon and then throw the whole thing in there (the oils from the skin are the best part for you - so be sure to use organic lemons!)
warm water
Nobodies perfect mind you and when we are given the okay to eat chocolate and candy with a holiday it's next to impossible to ignore it. I just find it funny when after the Holidays or after Valentines day everyone is so "surprised" that people get sick! Like they didn't see it coming... Well from now on you won't be surprised, you will remember these words and maybe the tenth time you will say to yourself let's try to have a holiday without sugar! I haven't been able to do it yet...
stay well!