[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.

[marketplace] looking for an excuse to eat more ice cream

Does social responsibility come to mind?

I always knew I loved Ben & Jerry's. They were the first US ice-cream maker to use fair trade ingredients and now they're committing to going all fair trade (that's a lot of flavors) in three years. In an article from foodnavigator-usa:

"By transitioning all of our coffee extract to fair trade, Ben & Jerry's hopes to help increase incomes for coffee producers," said Yola Carlough, head of social mission for Ben & Jerry's. "Displaying the fair trade logo on our pints will hopefully help raise awareness among consumers about how their buying decisions can support positive change."

Not only are they helping farmers earn what they deserve, Ben & Jerry's are spreading the message to other companies that indeed, fair trade is profitable.

"Consumers care about quality. Increasingly, they also care about where their food comes from and how the farmers who grew it were treated."

See their map for more, and enjoy some Chunky Monkey guilt free this summer. Yum!

officially an e-reader

I am a 22year old today, and I will celebrate by adding as many free books as possible on my new amazon kindle. A big thank you to my cousin, auntie, and uncle for the thoughtful gift!

For anyone considering purchasing one, true the functionality isn't mindblowing, but I love how the kindle does not have a normal screen. The e-ink is amazing, allowing me to see in direct sunlight without glare and with little battery use.

Currently, I'm reading the original Twilight, that is Bram Stoker's Dracula. And I'm wondering, what you reading and do you have any suggestions for fun summer reads?

(and thank you all for the kind birthday wishes)

we'll take it from here, king george

Wishing you happy fireworks, tangy bbq sauce, and time well spent with family and friends.

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.

things from my grandparents' house

Summer nights make me wish I was still in Shanghai, at my grandparents' house.

Na bu (grandma) cutting a melon, na gong (grandpa) poring over his books, laundry swaying on the balcony next to some ferns, and my grandfather's trademark long jing (Dragon Well) tea. 

He drinks it just like this everyday since he was 20 years old. There's a funny story in my family that when my cousin and I were little, our grandfather took us to an amusement park. While we were playing, he sat on a bench drinking this tea from a jam jar. A stunned, little boy came up to him, pointed to his jar and screamed to his father, "Look dad, LEAVES!" My grandfather, always stoic never fazed, simply stared at the boy and kept drinking his tea. It wasn't until much later that I learned of such things like tea filters or teapots.

[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)