Globally-Conscious Goods

I'm always looking for fun clothes, shoes, and accessories, much like any other twenty-something girl. I've found some products that I just love that do a lot of good as well. Most of them don't just give money to those in need around the word, but also give them a job making the product being sold. I really like that idea. It's the whole "catch a fish vs. teach them to fish" saying. I wanted to share a few of my current favorites!

Sseko Sandals.

I bought these last year and have loved them ever since. They are made by women in Uganda. The company helps them raise money for college with the hope that they will come back to the Sseko company in the profession they studied. How cool is that?

Toms Shoes

Most people know all about Toms, which is a great thing! For every pair of Toms shoes that you buy, they give a pair of shoes to a child in need. They now are doing the same thing with glasses, too.


Amazima Magazine Jewelry

I just found out about Amazima Ministries and the inspiring story of Katie Davis yesterday. Katie moved to Uganda to care for vulnerable children and is now mom to thirteen (13!) girls she met there. Did I mention that she is two years younger than me? I can never again complain about being busy. Anyway, this jewelry is made through Katie's ministry and employs Ugandan women to give them the skills to go start their own small business after working with Amazima. Doesn't hurt that these necklaces are super cute. Last I looked, they are sold out of items but they frequently restock.


Mend Bags

These are my newest favorite. They are made by women who were directly affected by the LRA conflict in Africa (which Invisible Children is currently raising awareness about). I wish I had a birthday or holiday coming up soon so I could ask for this!

Now go forth to shop and do good! :)

Super Heroes

My mom is absolutely wonderful. Her giving heart and daily sacrifices to those around her truly inspire me. I want to be like her one day. She is my super hero.

 

We take that kind of literally in our family.

Instax Photos of Michigan

I finally had a reason to bust out my Instax camera last month when Jake and I took a vacation to Michigan. Between Lake Michigan, vintage fudge shops, and tulips, our travels gave me plenty to shoot. I really liked how they turned out. They remind me of the photos I found in a shoebox of my parents when they were younger.

Marquee Sign Wall Art

Jake and I found the coolest antique store while in Grand Rapids, Michigan last month. While there, we found a huge bin of marquee letters. They're the letters you see on signs like this.

Hehe. Love that.

We bought enough of them to spell out a few phrases. I knew I wanted to do some type of wall art with them, but I just wasn't sure what. Here's what I finally came up with.

SUPER easy to create. Take a piece of string and use wooden clothes pins to attach the letters to the string. 

Because we are renting our house, I try my hardest not to put too many nail holes in the wall. Instead, I attached the string to the wall using thumb tacks. I didn't really like the look of the tacks, so I made a cover for them.

This is a cap to a 2-liter bottle. I cut fabric to the size of the cap and hot glued it on. Then, I hot glued the cap to the flat part of the thumb tack.

Start looking at Goodwill, thrift stores, and flea markets for marquee letters! They're a lot of fun to play with.

Bits and Pieces

What an awesome three-day weekend! It was just the right mix of free time and activities. I got some cleaning and crafting done, and Jake and I finally played some bocce ball. Of course, the weekend was rounded out with our Weird Al show. So excited to have many more weekends like this one during my summer break!

 

New Saltwater sandals/ Bocce ball/ Husband's game face/ Saturday doughnuts/ Batman at free comic book day/ Old National Theatre/ Jim Kimo West meeting fans/ Weird Al in concert

Weird Al

Yes, you read that title correctly. :)

Our good friend, Kevin, makes guitar pedals. One of his clients is Jim Kimo West, lead guitarist for Weird Al Yankovic. Whenever the band is in town Kevin goes to the show and catches up with Jim. We got to go along for the ride this time! 

Jake was a Weird Al fan as a kid, so in his words, "My seven-year-old self is freaking out right now!" We had the privilege of going onstage before the show and watched sound check. The show itself was so fun, full of videos of Al through the years and lots of costume changes that matched the songs. We even got to meet Al briefly after the show. Such a cool experience, and those darn songs are going to be stuck in my head for quite a while...

 Kevin, Jake, Jim, me, and Michelle

 Amish Paradise, of course.

 Fat suit Al

 Soon I'm gonna be a Jedi...

Ah! It's Al!

Happy Birthday, Blog!

My blog is one year old! Truthfully, I didn't know if I would be able to stick with it, but I am very glad I have. I really enjoy sharing little pieces of my life with you, friends. I hope you enjoy it, too. :)