[marketplace] bike ride with the fireflies

Just returned from a nighttime bike ride in the park accompanied by a trotting Happy, the best dog ever, and fireflies. I  love watching fireflies during summer nights, and I'm always so sad during some summers when they just aren't there. There's really nothing like staring into the woods, so dark that the leaves blend into the setting sky, and seeing millions of fireflies. It's like watching star constellations dancing or a cave full of glowing jewels, magical.

Here are some pretty things that make for a perfect bike ride with the fireflies. Wear this Sugar Jar blouse from Spool No. 72 and Bronze filigree ring at UO, and have your Stockholm Carrie bike basket from EmmoHome, Ecote Classic Canvas backpack, and Etched jars by Lyrial Zander. Then hang this Fireflies watercolor print by AlisaPaints in your bedroom to send you off to sleep.

hot air balloons and cotton bouquets

I'm so excited to be attending several weddings this summer, especially to see my friends all grown up, and being able to celebrate their new lives. Plus, nothing tells me I'm an adult now like shopping for china on Crate and Barrel registries.

With thoughts of weddings and summer romance on my mind, I am so inspired by Lauryl Lane's work--unconventional, pretty settings that remind me of childhood, playing in the backyard making up stories about princes and princesses.

[marketplace] why I love the shoes of tomorrow

Finally, a TOMS post! When I was an undergrad a couple years ago, a friend of mine introduced me to an up-and-coming organization with an interesting idea, buy a pair of shoes and they'll give another pair away to a child in South America or Africa. Since then, Blake Mycoskie's TOMS Shoes has absolutely exploded. In New York, I see them everywhere, even being sold in stores like Neiman Marcus. They have a commercial with AT&T, which is pretty cool. Plus, a few years ago I had to Google "toms shoes" now just "toms" is enough. That's how you know you've made it.

So here are five reasons why I love TOMS:

1. They are truly stylish and comfortable. I love how they are simple in style, perfectly fitting your feet without the bells and whistles, and that they are inspired by Argentinian cloth shoes. My pink and canvas classic TOMS (shown above) have lasted me through trips in West Africa and Asia, from the dusty trails near Cape Coast to the wet fish markets of Hong Kong to the mall (and trust me, I don't really take good care of them).

(that's me and my TOMS in Northern Ghana. photo by Jaimie Shaff, 2008)

2. Cordones. I just tried on my cousin's charcoal pair a few days ago, and they are unbelievably comfortable, like wrapping your feet in soft, downy cotton. Add a moleskin notebook and a well-trimmed mustache, and you're instantly a 1950s ex-pat poet living in a balmy, tropical place!

3. When their lives as shoes have run their course, you can take the leather soles and do a little diy crafting. Leather bracelet with a TOMS logo? Cute! I've even seen a TOMS soccer ball made entirely out of those soles. Awesome!

4. It's fun wearing and seeing others wear their convictions on their feet. True, the world is full of huge problems, and we often feel powerless to do something, to help people "over there." But as consumers in the US, we have incredible power everyday just by what we choose to purchase. The fact that TOMS is so trendy now shows that consumers care, and are willing to pay a little extra to do some good. More and more I'm able to be pleasantly surprised when I look down because I see people wearing TOMS--it's such a great feeling, being proud of complete strangers.

5. The final and best reason, the One for One Movement. Go to their YouTube channel and watch a shoe drop, your heart will just lift. I remember when CHILD(not)SOLDIER at NYU hosted a TOMS "design your own shoes" party, a volunteer told me that in many places like Sub-Saharan Africa and East Asia, there are soil-transmitted diseases that are just devastating for the people living there. It prevents adults from working and children from going to school, and all it takes to combat these parasites are shoes. Giving shoes to children who don't have them protects their feet, protects their bodies, allows them to go to school, and of course, lets them play!

(cordones and smiley kids)

[marketplace] tam tam and afropunk

This weekend. 2010 Afropunk Festival.
Commodore Barry Part, Fort Greene, Brooklyn.
There will be skateboarding, BMX, fashion and art booths, DJs, and live music.
get your tickets here.

I missed it last year, but hopefully I'll make it this time around. Sunday's music lineup includes Mos Def and K-OS!

This African wax print Tam Tam dress $315, from Boxing Kitten definitely gets me inspired for the festival.

Here's the beautiful Solange Knowles looking absolutely adorable in it.

And here's why I love Mos-Def, from GOOD Magazine: if Mos Def were president.
" If you have more, you should do more."

[marketplace] Of Rags

Buying fabric in Accra was, for me, always an exercise of optimism and possibility. On a top floor of the Kaneshie market, in tin-roofed stalls along major streets, even at a refugee camp, you can find some of the most colorful and imaginative, patterned fabrics--some in tie dye print and others hand stamped with West African Adrinkra symbols. You could get high off of a few yards of the stuff. Seriously.

I remember my housemates and I lived for the days when our lovely seamstress, Marjorie, would drop by to take down orders of our newest design-whims. One of my favorites was an apron pieced together with different swaths, and I was pleasantly surprised to see that Of Rags is offering a sweet dress in a similar style:

Of Rags is a fair trade fashion cooperative that benefits special needs children in Accra, Ghana while creating jobs for the community. On Tuesday, May 25, they're throwing a concept party, featuring their new line at Nuyorican Poets Cafe, 236 East 3rd Street (Between Ave B & C), $5 at the door. For more photos, check out their facebook page.