fair trade

100 places to shop small for gifts online

November 20, 2015 by Angela

Shopping season is here! I love it. I love it so much that as a kid I used to pretend I ran a gift shop and could find gifts for my family whenever I wanted. (Yeeeah.) But nowadays I’m at odds with myself because as much as I love shopping, I want to make conscious decisions with my purchases. Everything makes an impact, and I want to be sure that impact is on the positive side. Well, living consciously doesn’t mean avoiding gift giving or sale shopping completely. It just means rethinking how you do it. I don’t think I’ll ever stop decorating for Christmas or handpicking (or making) meaningful gifts for my friends and family. It’s a gesture that’s as nice to give as it is to get, and there’s definitely value (the non-$$$ kind) in that! So I rounded up a huge list of 100 of my personal favorite online destinations for gift giving this season (and all year). [Read more…] about 100 places to shop small for gifts online

5 ways to have the perfect fall day

October 22, 2015 by Angela

The more I read (and write) about self care and the importance of doing you when you need to, it seems, the less I take care of myself. I can write about it all day, and I can even put off those anxiety-inducing projects in the name of “needing time” (which only makes it worse, I admit), but taking actual steps to incorporate regular self care (and just plain happiness) into my day is quite a lot harder than it seems. In coming across a lot of cozy fall wonderfulness that I totally want to indulge in this season (and in working on Moorea Seal’s 52 Lists Projects which really opened my eyes to the simple things I don’t spend nearly enough time enjoying), I decided to put together a few ideas for treating yourself this fall. I hope you’ll pick one (or 5) and go for it! [Read more…] about 5 ways to have the perfect fall day

Fair trade Guatemalan bags

January 28, 2015 by Angela

I can’t get enough of the ‘ethnic’ trend right now. In fashion, design, and decor, stunning color combinations and pretty, intricately woven threads are mixing with bohemian eccentricity and breathing new life into both styles. I recently thrifted a cute “woven” bag that I love, but am saving my pennies specifically for an authentic Guatemalan beauty like the ones below. Let me tell you, the designs are endless. Generally no two are alike. They’re definitely investment pieces, but I can’t see me getting sick of one of these any time soon, not to mention the amount of money I’ve spent on lower-quality pieces over time…

I actually wear a lot less color in everyday life than my style posts + pinterest boards show. but then I get lost in color, pattern, texture. and then I think, maybe it’d be best to stick with something like no. five, subdued but no less of a statement piece. Are you into the woven trend yourself? Sources below.

mu’s bags / one world projects / altiplano / hiptipico / five + six both from athinaeum