Boxed Water is Better

So, this is the only post that got deleted when the Blogger mishap went down last week.  For a brief recap:  I found this awesome product on Jennifer's lovely blog I ART U.  To find out more about Boxed Water is Better, check it out here.

Don't Worry Be Happy

This post is a little more personal than normal, but it's for a great cause.  One of my former volleyball teammates at the University of Portland received the scariest news imaginable on April 1st this year.  She was told she had a cancerous Glioblastoma stage 4 brain tumor.  Inoperable and incurable.  Some April Fool's joke, right? Wrong.  (You can read Liz's full story here).  After months of feeling ill, with no diagnosis, Liz unexpectedly went into a coma for about a week.  At this time Liz received her diagnosis and subsequently made her decision to fight.  I can attest to Liz's competitive drive first hand, having had the privilege of being her teammate and experiencing her drive to win and selfless manner.  Liz is now undergoing chemo and radiation to try to prolong her life and spend those last precious moments with the ones she loves.  While Liz does have health insurance, there are treatments that are not covered by her insurance plus numerous other costs that add up quickly.  If you want to help Liz in the biggest fight of her life, you can purchase one of these "Don't Worry Be Happy" sweatshirts or shirts.  

I Heart This

Still feeling guilty about my lack of an Earth Day post, I decided that this week's "I {Heart} This" feature will be eco themed!  All of these products are made from sustainable materials and/or are from companies with outstanding environmental initiatives (well, except for my awesome vintage blouse, but it's always green to buy vintage, so before you drop some major coin on your next shopping spree, check your local thrift store to save some Benjamin's and the environment...I picked up this gem for $5 at the Alameda Flea Market).  For more eco alternatives and re-purposing ideas, check my Old is New features to get some inspiration on  how to breathe new life into objects you probably already have.  Hope you all have a superb weekend...I'm excited for next week's posts, starting off with a great guest post from someone who has known me my WHOLE life!

| NAIL POLISH | DRESSER | WATCH | BAG | SHOES | 

Fly for Good

In keeping with the theme of Earth Day and social responsibility, I thought I would post about an awesome organization called Fly for Good, in which you can get discounted flights when you travel for volunteer work.  You can also use their Volunteer Trip Finder to locate volunteer opportunities on virtually every continent and for almost any organization imaginable.  Just a quick visit to the site got my mind wandering about a volunteer trip overseas...so if you are considering a trip at all, check this out for a thrifty flight option!

Image 1 via and 2 via

Japan with Love

Images (clockwise from top left): 1. Tory Burch Japan Relief Shirt 2. Etsy Japan Tribute 3. Japan Shirt 4. Help Japan Print 5. kate spade tote 6. via dirbble 7. Rebuild Japan Shirt 8. Help Japan Poster  

The devastation in Japan has not ceased.  Just because the news coverage has waned, doesn't mean that the country is in desperate need of assistance.  Click each of the links to these prints and products to learn more about purchasing them to support the Red Cross in Japan.  All options are extremely affordable and   every little bit counts.

The Working Proof

While Etsy is my go-to online shop for original arts and crafts, I love discovering new avenues to purchase creative pieces.  The Working Proof is a fusion of art and social responsibility.  The artist of each piece of artwork selects a charity of his/her choice, and The Working Proof donates 15% of the sale to that charity.  The site features emerging artists and brings heightened awareness to a wide array of charities and non-profits. Here are some of my favorite prints currently being featured on the site:

$30 with 15% going to Medecins Sans Frontieres

 $40 with 15% going to Little Kids Rock

$30 with 15% going to Smile Train

$30 with 15% going to Farm Sanctuary

$45 with 15% going to American Forests

I just love when you can purchase something beautiful and help someone else at the same time.

Sseko Designs

Sseko Designs is a wonderful company with an even more wonderful mission. I am always so inspired when I see entrepreneurs develop a wonderful product and promote social responsibility at the same time.  It is a true testament that it is possible to generate profits and provide opportunities to others.  Companies like Sseko inspire me to become an entrepreneur and empower others across the globe.

Enough of my rambling though...

Here is the story of Sseko: A girl by the name of Liz was a communications major and decided to take a trip to Uganda after she graduated to learn more about non-profit journalism and PR.  On the way, she fell in love with a group of women who lived in a community called Cornerstone.

"Sseko \say-ko\ Designs was created to help these bright young women continue their education. The Ugandan school system is designed with a nine month gap between secondary school and university. These nine months are intended to allow time for students to earn money for tuition before continuing on to university. However, in an impoverished and male dominated society, many of these young women struggle to find fair work during this time.

Sseko Designs hires recent secondary school graduates for this nine month period to live and work together, while earning money that will go directly towards their university education. These women will not make sandals forever. They will go on to be doctors, lawyers, politicians, writers and teachers that will bring change and unification to a country divided and ravished by a 22 year-long war." -Liz, Founder of Sseko

Here are some of the shoes (my favorite are the striped!).  And the coolest part?  The laces are interchangeable, so you can buy one pair, and an extra pair of laces! (Also, they do custom colors for weddings)

Here are some of the wonderful and inspiring women who have been impacted by Sseko.

Save Jake

Poor little Jake.  Jake the dog, pictured above, has mast cell cancer.  This form of cancer is fairly common in dogs, however, it is aggressive and can therefore be dangerous. Needless to say, Jake needs to undergo surgery and chemo in order to rid himself of the cancer.  Unfortunately, these medical procedures do not come cheap, and Jake's owner could use all the help she can get.  So, in order to pay the bills, Jake's owner started the save Jake, buy an apron campaign.  All you have to do is go to her store, pick out a fabric, send in $20, and you will get a custom, handcrafted apron!  It's that easy!  Help Jake, and get an adorable apron in return.  Here are some of my favorite patterns currently on her site:

So...save Jake, buy an apron! 

Earth Day

Dear Mama Earth,

I am sorry we have not taken the best care of you.  Your ice caps are melting and species are becoming extinct.  I promise to do better.  Even I can make a difference.  I can turn off the lights when I leave the house, take shorter showers, unplug electronics when I am not using them, compost, recycle, stop using plastic bags (or better yet, bring my own bag), use a re-usable water bottle, and shop locally.

Thank you for providing the air that I breathe, and water that I drink.  I will do my best to restore your beauty.

Affordable Philanthropy

For those of you on a budget, I know it can be tough to give back to your community.  Volunteering is a great, affordable option, but for those of us who do not have a lot of spare time, it can be tricky trying to balance schedules.  Another option to give back is to donate money to an organization of your choice, but it's tough to donate when you don't know how your money is being spent, or if your measly donation of $20 is going to actually make a difference.  One solution to this problem is microfinancing.  At Kiva, you can donate as little or as much money as you want to an entrepreneur in a developing country.  Kiva's field partners screen the loan recipients beforehand, and post profiles online of the various people who need financial assistance for their budding businesses. Overtime, the entrepreneur pays back his/her loan.  Once you, the lender, get your money back, you can reinvest it in another entrepreneur or donate it to Kiva to cover the company's overhead expenses. 

Also, another non-profit that I would LOVE to get involved with is The Girl Effect.  See the video below.  Their homepage can be found here