What has your silver lining been in 2020? This year has been… intense. Crazy. Unpredictable. Heartbreaking. Surprising. A dumpster fire. A blessing. Weird.
We’re still in the thick of it, but since we’re nearing the end of the calendar year it’s a good time for reflection. Here are a few prompts to get you thinking about the positives of 2020. A few of us here at Soul Flower included our responses.
~A photo session from our second Adventures at Home series. Written & photographed by our bud Hannah. (Featuring our bud Oliver.) See our first feature, A Walk In The Garden here.~
We’ve all seen them: the bread makers. Those people in quarantine that rolled up their sleeves and got to work creating fluffy, salty and experimental bread loaves. So I thought I’d take a minute to share with you all that my kitchen has also been taken over by bread. How does this pertain to Soul Flower? Well my partner joined our Soul Flower family over quarantine as our new assistant screen printer. Now he can print you a t-shirt and make you a beautiful garlic and chive loaf. So put on your fave SF tee and some fresh tunes and let’s make some bread. Or just look at these pictures I took instead.
Our bud Burnell at Raven’s Wing Studio recently stayed in Woodstock NY and experienced everything from tie-dye, new age shops and bookstores, organic produce, hip restaurants, and a weekend flea market to a guitar expedition and a community drum circle. This is a trip any hippie would appreciate!
Ryan, our screenprint magician, recently hit the road for a tour with the band Cloud Cult. Check out the first installments here and read on for more synergy between Soul Flower and Cloud Cult. This diary features an interview with Singer/Songwriter Craig Minowa.
We continue with Ryan’s adventures on tour… Ryan, our screenprint magician, recently hit the road for a tour with the band Cloud Cult. Check out the first installments here and read to see some cool Soul Flower threads and Cloud Cult stories.
Rock climbing takes serious endurance, but to start you just need to face the wall.
My sister and I have had climber’s blood in us since we were born. Our father climbed all the way up the summit of Boundary Peak in Nevada (that’s 13,143 ft.) with two blow up bananas to get a photograph for me, his Hannah Banana, when I was one. And while I inherited my father’s photography skills, my sister took to the mountains with his love of a challenging climb. Last week we headed over to Midwest Mountaineering’s bouldering cave so Josie could climb, and I could sit safely on the ground with my camera.
Another day in life of Cloud Cult Merchandiser Ryan Seitz, who also happens to run Soul Flower’s print shop. Read his first post here and read on for more:
Our own graphic designer and illustrator extrodinaire, Ryan, recently hit the road for a tour with the band Cloud Cult. Ryan’s usual job involves running our screenprint shop and creating sweet new designs for Soul Flower. But he also has an unusual job of selling merchandise for Cloud Cult and going on the road with this cool indie band. It makes for some pretty good stories and, lucky for us, he kept a diary on his travels. Check out the first installment right here–
Packing for a trip is never easy, let alone packing for a trip to a country that is tropical – and given the time of year almost an 80 degree difference from where I live. Being a northern midwest girl I have quite the collection of clothes. I knew that I had some serious packing to do before my trip to Bali. (more…)
Like most people in the world I have an itch to travel, but I never thought that living out of a car for two months would have been the trip that changed my life. (more…)
I love the great outdoors but I hate summer -or really the heat that summer brings. I’m not a fan of being hot, it makes me grumpy… give me autumn or winter any day!
Meet Allison! She’d the founder of Shred Scarves! They’re a creative use for fabric that would have otherwise been thrown away! Learn more about the woman behind it all and how the shreds came to be in our interview!
Little, black, what?? Nope. This isn’t an acronym for the perfect dress for any occasion! LBS stands for Local Bike Shop! (more…)
Ever wondered who the people behind your purchases are? Luckily for you, we hand-pick all our designers and suppliers! Check out this interview with Soul Flower (SF) and bohemian jewelry designer/creator, Dani Awesome (DA) to find out the inside scoop on those gorgeous necklaces and earrings of hers that we sell. (more…)
Soul Flower was featured on The Organic Life Blog, where Tara shared some amazing pics of her new, eco-friendly Sing It Tomboy T-Shirt, and sang a lil tune for us. (more…)
Amongst the many yoga schools and styles, studios and retreats, trainings and workshops, videos and magazines lays an unspoken truth: authentic yoga is what is taken off the mat. (more…)
We’ve been receiving your Kindness Matters Giveaway entries and love all of your heartwarming volunteer stories. Below is a letter we received from our bud, Jen, sharing her volunteer experience: (more…)
My husband and I work with a non-profit community development organization. He and I co-direct a team of people who run programs for children and youth. But our entire family, and some friends volunteer with a non-profit partner called Fair Foods Inc. that does food rescue, and we host a produce redistribution site on our street. (more…)
Here’s another Kindness Matters winner, Kimberly, who works with sick, injured, and orphaned animals! (more…)
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Dedicated to our photographer, Jenn, whose daydreams are kept in high up leafy branches
Did you know that the Soul Flower catalog is printed with soy ink on 90% recycled materials? Each year we take strides to make our online boutique more eco-friendly than the year before. One of those ways is by helping out the Arbor Day Foundation. For every tree used to print our catalog , 3 trees are planted.
This year the Arbor Day Foundation sent us a wonderful email informing us that our donations have been used for planting 2,000 Jack pine trees in Pere Marquette State Forest in Northwestern Michigan to improve the habitat for the endangered Kirtland’s warbler.
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This little birdy makes its home in the northern lower peninsula of Michigan. It is often referred to as the “bird of fire” because, oddly enough, its survival depends on the burning of its native Jack pine forest to nest, but since natural forest fires are often suppressed, the Kirtland’s have been placed in jeopardy. Back in 1971 only 201 pairs of these warblers remained. Luckily, due to habitat preservation through the planting of Jack pine trees, the population has grown to more than 1,800 males, and the Kirtland’s may soon be removed from the endangered species list! 🙂
We’ve been happy to help, and if you love your trees and feathered friends as much as we do, you can help too: http://www.arborday.org/takeaction/index.cfm
Peace,
Your Buds at Soul Flower
It is said that elephants never forget. Is this true? A better question may be: How would we know?? Did some perky pachyderm spill the beans one day? I don’t know, but that saying has stuck with me my whole life.
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| Adrienne (our newest Karma Krewe member!) =) |
My love for elephants began early in life, my mom and I used to visit Packy (a longtime resident) at the Portland Zoo when I was young. I remember eating a slice of a giant sized cake on Packy’s birthday in the early 80’s.
Another great time was when my dad took me on a camping tour of Oregon when I was about 7. On that trip I had the opportunity, at a wildlife park, to take a ride on an elephant. Being that up-close with such a magnificent creature really touched me. Feeling its rough, dry skin and gazing into those big, soulful eyes…well, I fell in love right then. I have had an ever-growing collection of elephant things since then. Everyone knows I love them and I get many as gifts.
That trip and those times with my parents are some of the greatest memories of my life. To me that’s what “elephants never forget” means – it reminds me to never forget the special times in life. I hold on tight to remembrances of my past. I can taste my Grandma Rosie’s famous strawberry jam and can still feel the wind from riding with my Grandpa Jack in his ’64 Mustang convertible to the old country store for ice cream. Many long summer afternoons were spent with my cousins running around the hills of Astoria, building forts in the woods of my grandparents’ property, and hitting the arcade & beach in Seaside.
One summer I drove cross-country with my grandparents and met many of my distant relatives in the tiniest town of Birchtree, Missouri. I got to see the cabin my Grandfather was born in and the schoolhouse he attended. I remember how hot it was that summer and the endless hours of AM country radio as my Grandma sang along. Another great trip was when my family moved from Oregon to Michigan the summer I was twelve; many fun memories were made on that long drive, the best being when we took old-timey photos in Wyoming.
For me these memories are magical, a glimpse into the happiest and most carefree days of my life. They keep me focused on my family and remind me that the most important things surround me every day…my home, husband, children, family and community. Now that I’m a parent I am very aware that every day we are creating these same sacred memories for my children. Extraordinary moments in an ordinary day can be the most special times of all. I remind myself often that “elephants never forget” and neither will I. I keep my life and heart open to accept the gifts offered to us every day.
Wearing my wonderful clothes from Soul Flower keeps me in a positive, grounded state of mind and reminds me to live comfortably, naturally and with a conscience. These are the days that will stick with me forever. I choose to live with moxie and style and make the most of every day!
As the seasons are changing and the sun is warming the Earth, I encourage everyone to pause for a moment each day and appreciate the memories you are making. Share a moment with someone special – dance in the rain, splash in a puddle, take joy in the small moments in life and by all means, live like an elephant and Never Forget!
Adrienne reviewed the Pin It
And if you’re in the Minneapolis area, come out to The Cabooze for a tribute to the life and music of Janis Joplin, Saturday January 21 to party it up!!
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.JPG "An Elephant Never Forgets")
.JPG "An Elephant Never Forgets")
