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The Pocono Blues Festival was amazing! Soulful blues music and the sweet scent of barbecued goodies lured in the masses from tailgating in the parking lots. The scenic views of Big Boulder Mountain, Lake Harmony, and the surrounding Pocono Mountains provided the perfect venue for a weekend blues festival. My MUSIC IS LIFE Eco Hoodie kept me warm as the Blues Festival continued into the evening. Day two, I was even more grateful for my new MUSIC IS LIFE Eco Hoodie because the rain came in swift and heavy and I stayed warm and cozy in my super soft Eco Hoodie! What better way to proclaim my love for music than to rock my MUSIC IS LIFE Eco Hoodie!?!
The hoodie is light and soft and perfect for keeping warm during breezy weather. After the Blues Festival, we headed home and over to the 2nd Street Festival in Philly’s Northern Liberties for more music and fun! We’ve finally gotten a few days of cooler temperaturs in Philly, so my MUSIC IS LIFE Eco Hoodie has been a very welcome addition to my wardrobe! I love that I can just grab it and know that it’ll be perfect for mountain, beach, or city weather. This is the softest hoodie I have ever owned and I almost can’t wait for Autumn to arrive so that I can wear it to all of the Fall Music Festivals!
When it came time for me to choose my next item for the Karma Krewe, I knew
that it had to be something that could let those around me know why I think
Soulflower is the cat’s pajamas. Besides digging all their cool threads, I
really respect their responsibility, affection, and commitment to Mama
Earth. So, I started browsing through their Circle Tees line in hopes of
finding one of their earth-friendly dyed, organic cotton t-shirts to spread
the vibe around. I was drawn to the ‘Treehugger’ tee. I am proud to be a
treehugger, and I hope that every time I wear my shirt, others see it, and
stop to think about what it means. Peggy shared a link on Facebook to an
interview about Circle Tees that she did with HappyHippie.com. She says it
all best!! You can read the interview here.
The Treehugger tee is very light weight in construction. I was afraid that
it might be too think n’ chunky for the extreme Georgia heat I know is
coming this summer, but it is the most air-flow friendly material. It’s the
coolest (literally) tee I have now. The green is a little lighter than the
catalog shows, which is something we ran into with the Mandala Bag. (which
is still going strong, and my fave bag to carry!) It is more of a muted sage
green. I have washed it twice now, and the dyes didn’t fade at all. It still
looks brand new. With regular cotton, you see a bit of a fade, or shrinkage
after the first couple of washes, but with this organic cotton…it has
apparent staying power! I can tell that this tee is one that I will be
reaching for all summer.
Go ahead and order the Treehugger tee, get outside & hug your favorite tree,
and then spread that vibe around! ~peace~
Friendly Stranger This tank is super cute! The floral patchwork design is
absolutely beautiful. The tank is very well made and has
adjustable straps for the perfect fit. I get so many compliments
on this shirt.
One of the things I love about Soul-flower clothing,
is what it says about me. By wearing this beautiful eco-friendly
clothing and promoting it, I have met some of the most amazing
people! Just last night I once again had amazingly good karma at
the Modest Mouse show. We didn’t have tickets to this sold out
show, but wanted to promote for some festivals and Soul-flower.
So we made the trek to Santa Fe. We planned on relaxing in the
lot & listening to the show from the car. Well, security was not
allowing any tailgating, which is unusual for this venue. We
decided to head to the front gate and see what happened. Long
story short, we ended up getting two tickets to this sold out show!
Thank you so much to the poor guy who got kicked out & gave us his
ticket & to the super cool chic who sold us her extra ticket for the
$18 cash we had. You ROCK! We had a great time at the show
and the band played a killer set! What an amazing evening! I owe
it all to some friendly strangers I met promoting the clothing I love.
The wheel is turning and you can’t slow down, You can’t let go and you can’t hold on, You can’t go back and you can’t stand still, If the thunder don’t get you then the lightning will.
Won’t you try just a little bit harder, Couldn’t you try just a little bit more? Won’t you try just a little bit harder, Couldn’t you try just a little bit more?
Round, round robin run round, got to get back to where you belong, Little bit harder, just a little bit more, A little bit further than you gone before.
-The Grateful Dead
The Spiral Wood earrings embody the profound interpretation of these lyrics with their whirling nature and enticing look. Life throws at you many changes and challenges. No matter how quickly they come or how difficult they may be, we must get by and keep keeping on. There are instances when there is nowhere to turn or go, and all you can do is travel synonymously with the current of time. We exist in this reality of change and we progress eternally into each successive moment. After wearing these earrings, you won’t want to turn back from their deceiving gauged effect! They can be seen as a symbol of our inevitable change over time and our inability to pause the natural and arbitrary occurrences that characterize life.
Hey there Buds! I LOVE my Mudmee Tie-Dye Bell Skirt! It is soft and comfortable and the brilliant colors make it a staple piece that you can dress up for a night out on the town, or dress down for fun Spring outdoor activities. I’m a bohemian girl at heart, but I do have a 9 to 5 which normally locks me into (UGH!) business casual!!! This skirt allows me to express my creative side at work because it looks great with a black blazer for those days when I need to dress it up. After work, I can ditch the blazer and head out with friends to outdoor Spring concerts in the park.
This skirt is perfect for the ever-changing Spring weather because you can easily wear it with clogs or boots, or just throw on a pair of flip flops. We experienced both chilly weather and then sunshine & warmer temperatures here in Philadelphia this past weekend, and knowing that I’d be outdoors for most of the weekend, I knew that my Mudmee Tie-Dye Bell Skirt would be perfect. For me, its all about comfort, but having a statement skirt with so many beautiful colors also makes me look like I know a bit about style! We had a great time at the Philly Italian Market Festival and I was happy to show off my Mudmee Tie-Dye Bell Skirt! As you can tell from my pics, I wear this skirt EVERYWHERE!
If you saw our last post featuring some groovy styles you can recreate at Soul Flower, then you’ll love this one! Janis embodies the vibe perfectly, and we have a bunch of great threads to help you embrace your inner Janis!
Soul Flower wants to help you get in touch with your inner Janis (or another unforgettable icon of the past)! Browse Soul-Flower.com and choose an item that speaks to you and evokes the spirit & energy of your favorite icon of the past. Post a comment on this blog post with link to the item and a quick explanation of why you chose it.
We’ll choose one random commenter on Monday, July 19 to WIN the item you chose. Good luck!
The Era of Love… good times for music, life and of course, fashion! Check out our collage to see how you can recreate these funky looks in a Soul-Flower way. Now bust out those vinyls and sing along to some oldies!
With the warm weather finally here, I was very excited to start going all sorts of cool places. So I recently paid a visit to Tower Hill Botanic Gardens in Boylston, MA. What did I wear, you ask? Why, my new That 70’s Patchwork Dress, of course! This dress/skirt is absolutely adorable. It is extremely comfortable and keeps you super cool in the hot weather. It looks nice in the picture online, but when you actually see it in person, it is even better! It is so soft and there are so many vibrant colors in it! All of the colors make it very easy to match just about anything to it. Plus, you can wear it two different ways! I must admit, I am quite biased to wearing it as a dress though, which is probably just because I love dresses so much :o)
The material it is made of (100% jersey cotton fabrics) is extremely stretchy, so if you are smaller chested like me and want to wear it as a dress, it may be a bit big. However, I did find that if you are worried about the top falling down, you can tie the strings used for wearing the skirt around your neck. It holds the top up nicely and it still looks really cute. Be ready to attract attention and bring happy, positive vibes wherever you go :o)
Pack it up & head to 80|35 Festival with Soul Flower! The third annual 80|35 fest is set for July 4th weekend in Des Moines IA. Your Soul Flower buds are giving away a festival pack to help make 80|35 (or your festival of choice) your best fest yet. This groovy package includes a backpack for carrying your stuff, a tapestry for resting your dancing bones, lipbalm to keep you non-chapped & kissable all weekend long, a few tunes, and some other cool soul flower surprises.
Want to win? Just comment on this blog with the answer to this question:
What are you most looking forward to about 80|35?
(And if you aren’t planning on 80|35, you can still play by answering this question: what will you most miss about 80|35?)
Be sure to include your name & email in your comment so we can write you if you win! We will choose one random winner at noon on Tuesday, June 22nd. Thanks for supporting this awesome volunteer-organized fest and Soul-Flower.com. Peace!
Blog Image After searching for so long I finally found it at Soul Flower: the perfect summer dress. The first day I got the dress I put it on immediately. It was a beautiful day out so I took my dog to the park and had a picnic by the lake with my brother. The long tie-dye tube dress was so comfortable and free-flowing I could easily move about. This dress makes me feel so good about myself, it’s flattering on any shape and I love looking down and seeing the beautiful colors of the tie dye.
After a long day in the park I had plans to go to a show. Heatbox, a beat boxer from Minneapolis (hometown of Soul-Flower.com too), was playing at a local bar so a few friends and I decided to check it out. First off, if you ever get a chance to see him play – take it immediately, he adds a lot of funk to his beat boxing and it just makes you want to groove. The show was awesome and I looked great in this dress while still being extremely comfortable. It definitely did not cramp my dancing style.Blog Image The dress moves so well too, it swirls around you like a whirlwind and I can’t help but smile every time I see the stunning colors.
A final note on this fave – I also tend to have problems with strapless dresses because I’m always hiking them up; but since this dress has a halter tie you don’t have to worry about making sure the dress is up where it’s supposed to be. This dress is just so versatile because it’s casual enough for the day but it definitely makes a statement for night time as well. Enjoy!
Blog Image Our popular Recycled Pop Bottle Tees got a mention in the June issue of Whole Living magazine! (formerly body + soul magazine) Whole Living is a Martha Stewart production that focuses on healthy, kind living through body, mind, and soul. So it’s no surprise that the Playback Clothing brand’s 100% recycled tees caught their attention!
We love ’em, Whole Living loves ’em, and we know you’ll love ’em, too! 🙂
When our very own bud Jenn chose the name “Land of Forests” for this bag, we loved it! Think images of enchanted forest folk tales, elves, fairies….it is all too fitting for this look of this magical bag. Just ask Jenn, things just haven’t been the same since she started carrying this lovely patchworked piece – here she writes a little bit about the story of it’s workmanship and about the amazing comments & vibes this bag brings to all who use it. It is truly a special piece…..
This bag is hand-crafted by indigenous Mayan women in the hills of Guatemala (the land of forests) and is over sewn with a variety of cotton patches that have been organically dyed using only plants, flowers, bark, and vegetable waste. Unless you see this in person, it is hard to appreciate the quality and uniqueness of the over sewn patches. I’ve never seen anything like it! I have been carrying it for about a week now and have had so many compliments on it. Because of the dyes and materials, all of its fabrics are 100% biodegradable and earth friendly. How cool is that? There is also a cell phone pocket on the adjustable strap and an extra pocket inside to hold the smaller things that you need to get at quicker. The top has a magnetic closure that is sewn inside the fabric so you cant even see the magnet, but it works just great! You can feel the care, time and patience that went into crafting each detail. I highly recommend it, you wont be disappointed!!
Usually when surfing the Soul-Flower.com site I go straight for the dresses but this time the Tie Dye Earth Vee Tee caught my eye. The mellow cream color of the tee really helps the colors of the tie dye pop and catch the attention of any passerby. This tie dye pattern is so unique and unlike any other kind of tie dye I’ve ever seen before and that makes this tee one of a kind. I was immediately attracted to the earth heart graphic in the middle of the tee because I love my Mama Earth and love to show it off. This tee is super soft and comfortable and the deep vee flatters any neckline. I guarantee that anyone who rocks this tee will absolutely love the sweet message and coziness of this cotton vee neck tee.
Hi Soulflower buddies! I had my eye on the Watercolor Tie-Dye Skirt for a few weeks and just received my skirt yesterday – it was so comfortable that I wore it out last night!
The material is calming and soft, with an almost organza or tissue feel to it. The garment is colorful, yet subdued due to earthy hues of umber, blue, and olive. This flowy skirt is beautifully dyed and I look forward to wearing it to both casual and also more dressy occasions. My husband and I are free spirits. We live by the moment, so we frequently decide last minute to go to concerts, take road trips, or head into Philly to meet up with friends. This skirt is perfect for my on-the-go lifestyle because I don’t have to worry about what to wear. With so many colors, you can easily make this skirt a staple piece in your wardrobe, mixing and matching it with different shirts, scarves, and even sweaters or shrugs. As soon as it arrived, I tried it on and hunted through my closet to see if I had anything that matched. It was easy to find several different looks just using other pieces that I already had in my closet.
When my neighbors decided to have an impromptu get together last night, I was excited to try out my new gear. It was a fun evening and I felt great because my skirt was so comfortable and I knew it looked cute as well.
In the past, I have had difficulty finding clothes that fit properly because I am frequently in between regular sizes and plus sizes. Sometimes plus size clothing can be unflattering if it isn’t tailored to your body type, but let me tell you folks, this skirt is a PERFECT fit! I ordered the skirt in the plus size from Soulflower and it looked great on me! I am thrilled that Soulflower decided to carry plus sizes! I would recommend this skirt to anyone who is interested in unique feminine bohemian style.
We get asked a lot of questions by our buds, some we can’t answer easily, like “Hey Soul Flower, I have been wondering what is the ONE must do festival this summer?” (that is a debated issue here & a different blog topic for sure….).
Some questions are a lot easier – “Hey Soul Flower, what is that awesome smell inside my package you sent…?” (it is nag champa incense).
And some questions deserve a little explanation & a couple of sweet photos, like “Hey Soul Flower, what is the must have piece right now from the Soul Flower line?” Hands down, if you must only get one thing, it is the Spring Buds Reversible Skirt. It has a bit of a higher price tag for Soul Flower ($68) but once you see its versitility, beauty & uniqueness, you will understand…
And she is wearing the same skirt in both of the photos in this post.
First one is straight up.
Second one is inside out with the colorful side as a roll-top waist.
And this is what Sarah has to say about the skirt –
The Spring Buds Reversible Skirt will surely turn heads! Its unique look and inclusion of bright colors throughout the primarily black and gray skirt give it great energy. It’s a simply lovely piece for any occasion. You can wear it inside out on the black side, and even fold down the top, adding a colorful band around the waist. This variety of possibilities makes this skirt an awesome choice!
For me, it was love at first sight. I am very fond of bright colors, busy prints, and most of all, I love trees, so this skirt so perfectly has a few of my favorite things all rolled into one. The tree is portrayed leafless, but with the brilliantly colored buds in bloom, it embodies new beginnings and steady growth into a beautiful entity, much like the way we humans are growing each day. This skirt tells a story, and when I wear it, I am full of life!
We so love this photo of Kristen in the Soul Flower baja hoody dress. It shows how a piece of clothing can match your personality – simply put, it’s a perfect fit. Here’s Kristen:
I love classics; classic cars, classic rock, etc. and that’s why I love this new twist on an old classic. I have always liked Baja ponchos but I love the new feminine touches on the Beach Bummin’ Baja. There are so many more colors in this hoodie than the picture on the website portrays. While it’s mostly earth tones it’s also got deep purples, reds, and yellows. This Baja is a statement piece and trust me; this hoodie-dress will get you lots of attention and lots of compliments. I was walking down the street one day and got stopped at least four times by people telling me how much they liked what I was wearing.
Not only is this hoodie stylish, it is unbelievably comfortable. Baja ponchos always look like they would be really itchy but this hoodie is soft as can be. Not only is this one of the most comfortable items of clothing I own, but it’s also extremely practical. I work for a concert production company and putting on a show requires a lot of hands on work. With this Baja I can go from stage set-up to the show to tear down and load out comfortably and while looking pretty groovy. This laid-back hoodie dress is perfect for my on-the-go yet laidback life.
Blog Image It’s not often you find clothes to match the car you drive – in Trish’s case, that car is her recently purchased VW Bus. And those pants are the Soul Flower Retro Patchwork Pants – one of our latest additions for Spring. Each pair of pants is uniquely patched with a varitey of soft cotton jersey fabrics in funky prints & have a soft, lycra waist band. Comfort & coolness rolled into one. Just like a VW bus 🙂
Here is what Trish has to say: These patchworked pants were literally shouting my name! I have always been a huge fan of patch work and I loved all the bright, funky patterns and colors in these pants. Plus they match our new VW bus!
These pants are so comfortable. The soft knit design is not only superior in comfort but is also very flattering with the wide waistband and slight flare of the leg. These pants will definitely be a year-round staple for me on all my new adventures. If you’re all about comfort, and like being different; then you’ll love these pants. I know I do! Thanks Soul Flower!
I love these Mudmee Tie-Dye pants – Hey there friends! It’s Loudog in my Electric Avenue Mudmee Pants! First off, I love any tye-dye! I spend lots of time on my own tye dying here at my home in Tennessee. Even with lots of practice and patterns, you can never be 100 percent sure on what your going to get once the product is washed out and ready to dry. When i saw these pants i had to have them. The description on Soul Flower said, “colors may vary” and I knew this to be true. So I was excited to see what mine would look like.
Second of all, due to the fact that I am a full figured chick, getting to dress the way I want can be a challenge. Most cute or cool clothes come in med, small, and extra small. So it can be very discouraging when going to department stores that cater to only youth sizes. Just this month, Soul Flower added a plus size section for customers (see it here). When I saw the measurements on the pants, knowing mine, I knew they would be a sure fit. btw, they do also offer these hip pants in a small/med too 🙂 Once I received mine, I put them on immediately! They fit great and the colors were pure, and they are made with really good dye’s. My colors were dark greens, blues, rich purple, and hints of orange and a bit of yellow. I didn’t want to take them off.
I go to lots of festivals and I am also a part of a large community of hula hoopers . Even though I love to wear skirts, It’s nearly impossible for me to hoop in one. These pants are so cool tho, they literally look like you’re wearing a skirt standing still. The bottom measurements of each pant leg have a 25″ flair! But as the hoop flies around, for leg tricks, the pants give me the freedom to move with perfect flow. If I could rename the pants, I would name them Flow Pants. Cause when I wear them I feel totally “with the flow”. Oh & I do like that even though I ordered the pants in the largest size, they weren’t too long on me. I am a very satisfied customer! Thanks again, Soulflower. -Loudog
From Your Soul-Flower Buds: We are also including a picture of the Mudmee Tie Dye Electric Avenue pants from our site here so you can see how the colors vary a bit. One of the super cool things about Mudmee tiedye is the tie dye technique because it has a black base (versus white base as you see with a lot of tie dye). The black helps to bring out a lot of the vibrance in the other colors of the pants. You can see from these pictures that they are always very different but also always very cool, bright, fun & funky. Just the way we like it!
Blog Image Here at Soul Flower we are getting quite excited about the holidays, especially now that mother nature is sharing snow with us, lots of it in the midwest! We know it’s been a challenging year on many levels for a lot of you out there…so to help spread the dollar a little further, we’re going to extend our Free Shipping Offer (priority/standard) until 12/15 on orders $50 or higher! Just use coupon code LETITSNOW when you check out. Enjoy your season!
We hope you can take part in finding your faves on soul-flower.com – we will even give away a favorite this week. Simply go to our facebook fan page (http://www.facebook.com/soulflower) and post a photo & link on our wall to your favorite fall product on our website. Be sure to include a little reason why it is a fave…then on November 4th we will pick a random person who will win their favorite item. So start checking out the site – in the meantime, here are a couple of our favorite fall things to inspire you.
Blog Image Our first fave is this mosaic reversible skirt.
This skirt is so versitile, it is hard to know where to start…
Is it that it can be worn on either side, mosaic or black? Or possibly that you can turn down the top waistband to give it a sweet lowwaist banded look? Or how about the fact that you can roll it into a ball, throw it in your backpack & still wear it that night without a wrinkle in site? No matter how you look at this one, it is a must have for this season & beyond.
Click here to check it out.
And now our second fave, the Big Easy Tie Top.
Blog Image This top is soooo soft & fun to wear. The artwork is intricate and so beautiful…when we designed this one we really struggled to name it so that y’all could tell how cool the artwork is. There is so much to see in it, it has a graffiti quality to it with a big of hieroglyphic Egyptian coolness plus the N’Awlins voodoo funkiness…maybe it is just one of those you have to see (AND FEEL) in person. So number two is the big ez tie top.
Click here to check this one out.
Trying to pick just one is the hardest part, right? So just jump on soul-flower.com, do a little window shopping & let us know your fave. That’s it, then you will have a chance to win on 11.4.09.
It is officially on the streets this week. Our 12th catalog – the best yet. We are offering so many new items & a few new vendors this season. Be sure to check it out and if you aren’t on our mailing list yet, join Mailing list right here.
Here at Soul Flower we are working hard to create some positive karma for the holidaze.
We have joined forces with the Arbor Day Foundation to help the environment by planting more trees. This year, we started planting two trees for every one that is used in our catalog production. It makes sense to replenish what has been taken, and this is just one step in a series of steps we are taking to help the environment. Read more about eco green here.
And here is a little karma for your pocketbook – we’re offering Free Priority Mail Shipping on all orders over $50 between now and Dec.15th 2008. That is $7.95 off of your order total, to receive it, just enter the coupon code TREEHUGGER when you are checking out.
Our fall/winter ’08 catalog is now in the mail but this time we’ve provided a new way to view the catalog. While you’re waiting on yours, we invite you to check-out our new Online Catalog here. This is something we’ve been working on for awhile and we’re excited to provide another (and eco-friendly) way to view the catalog. You’ll notice a new layout that is easy to view and offers more product descriptions.
As exciting as it is to have this new format, it’s even more exciting to see what’s on the inside! Please let us know what you think.
Some of my favorite creations are t-shirts. I am pretty much a t-shirt addict – I love tees that allow me to express myself. I advertise that I am a treehugging, earth-loving, green mama. And that is getting easier & easier now. Even large department stores are selling tees expressing eco-friendly virtues and ideas in so many fun ways. But I always take my purchases one step further – I ask myself “where was this tee made?” and “what is this tee made of?” If I can feel good about the answers to those questions, I pretty much always buy it.
Sometime I see crazy $50 and up tees out there – I am not going to pay extra for some designer name or manufactured “green” statement. But there is one thing I will pay extra for – organic cotton. I love the feel of organic cotton, first of all, but I also love the feeling of knowing I am wearing something that was created free of toxins & chemicals. Something completely natural.
My addiction to tees spreads right into my buying and designing for Soul-Flower. Many of our Soul-Flower tees are designed in house, others are from small, independent artists. And as we continue to bring in more and more tees, our focus is now on organic cotton, bamboo, hemp and other natural fibers. Most of our t-shirts at Soul-Flower are now organic cotton. And I know a lot of you out there wonder, is organic cotton really that different than conventional cotton? I am here to say yes, it is different and BETTER. I did a little research and wanted to pass along what I learned –
Conventional cotton farming is one of the most damaging types of farming towards the environment. Producing cotton uses 25% of all insecticides in the world and 10% of all pesticides. It is second (corn is first) in the amount of chemicals used to produce it. To put it simply, a 100% cotton shirt made from conventional cotton is actually about 75% cotton and 25% yicky chemicals and residues used to produce the cotton. Nobody wants that touching their skin.
When you choose to buy just one t-shirt made from organic cotton (versus conventional cotton), you are saving 1/3 a pound of synthetic fertilizers & pesticides from entering the environment. (These are the same chemicals that 1- damage soil so badly it can’t be farmed 2-harm animals in the vicinity, and 3-ultimately contribute to global warming ). So, that one organic cotton tee you buy supports environmental causes & helps to nourish the earth and the lives of all people involved in the process of growing, manufacturing and distributing the organic cotton. It feels good to wear that!
It might be more expensive, but that is because growing cotton organically takes skill. It takes time & patience. To me, buying organic cotton is worth it, especially for my young children, who are already exposed to so many chemicals & toxins in the environment.
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