Our Threads

Instant Karma Embroidered Bag = Instant Love

Before this Instant Karma bag, I shudder to think what transpired daily my dears. From my mouth I uttered “where’s my darn phone?!”, too many times to count.  My friends’ response was always the same “Check your bag!” My response to their response would be “Already looked there!” And their response to my second response would be, “Check again!” Meanwhile, (in complete frustration) I had frantically torn my place apart. Then after having called out search teams in a 200 miles radius, I would decide to look in my bag just one more time. Low and behold there my phone would be, exactly where it had been the whole time, at the bottom on my enormously huge shapeless, compartment-less bag.

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Instant Karma Bag = Instant Love

So, it is due to this daily saga that I finally realized it was time for a new bag, a different kind of bag. One with a more functional inside, a zipped area for odds & ends, a cell phone compartment and a better shaped form so that I don’t have to use x-ray vision to see what’s lurking way, way down in the hidden crevasses! Now, I do far less stuffing, tossing & searching and much more putting, placing & finding. 🙂

Although this could be my sole reason for wanting the Karma bag, with one look you’ll know that its pretties grabbed my attention just as much! With an adorable patterned lining and beautiful embellishments, this canvas bag was made for a gypsy queen! A great look for any day and tons (TONS I say) of roominess when you need it in a cubed kind of way! Why just the other day I put a sweatshirt, a hat, four recycling grocery bags, three books, a wallet, a phone, a makeup bag, sunglasses and still had room for more! Yet to my surprise there was an even bigger, better, more amazing quality to this bag then I had known. The Instant Karma bag is giving back in a big way. A portion of the profits from selling these bags go to organizations like Oceana, Sea Shepherds, Trees for the Future and the Environmental Defense Fund. So, buying this bag is helping to clean up beaches and help animals affected by environmental disasters. Here I thought I’d be elated just for getting a cell phone pouch in a beautiful one of a kind purse!

I am a happy woman, a happy woman with a new bag… a bag that betters the world. Now that’s instant karma!

Just be, Woo

 

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Inspiration

Spring Inspired

The last few days have been AMAZING outside! I’m talking sunshine, birds chirpin’, windows down kinda wonderful. Since I’m inside at a desk, and chances are you are too, I patched together some Soul Flower inspired Spring for us to enjoy while indoors! <3

spring+patchwork - Spring Inspired
SPRING!

I’m done with socks! I can finally be barefoot

Blast my radio with the windows down
Play them soulful summer songs
Go to the park
Go for a walk
Bike ride
Be outside
Bring Spring to my step!

 

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Our Threads, Stories

An Elephant Never Forgets

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!

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Our Threads

How to Win a Soul Flower Summer Dress

Patience is a virtue. If we’ve heard it once, we’ve heard it twice. But I believe the people who have patience down pat are the ones who know how to entertain themselves while waiting in the long line. The Soul Flower Spring/Summer 2012 catalog will be released in April, but when you’re craving pages upon pages of cool threads now, April is a looong line to wait in.

But fret not, buds! Set your Sudoku puzzles aside & get your creative groove on – cuz this line just got game!

Name this dress to WIN it!
collcontest - How to Win a Soul Flower Summer Dress
 
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Embroidered Mountains & Sun

Details: Simply comment on this blog post with the name you would give this sweet summer dress. Please don’t comment anonymously; we’ll need to contact you if you win! One lucky winner will be selected on Monday, March 5, 2012. If your dress name is selected, we’ll be sending you this very dress for FREE! 🙂

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Style Influencers

Forever Young: Play Hard -Wash – Repeat

I have been trying, really trying to take some good pics of this shirt. My buds at Soul Flower sent it to me to review, and I had a tidy little write up on my computer, but no photos. The problem? The shirt was constantly in the dirty laundry bin because it’s constantly getting worn! I kept saying to myself, today will be the day. This will be the day I put on the shirt, go out in the winter sun, and take some cool shots. But being a mom of two little ones the reality is more like this… put on the shirt, baby smears food on it, I manage to drool on it while brushing my teeth, my older son leaves a goopy glitter glue filled art project somewhere and I manage to brush against it, and so on. So by the time I have a rare free minute to whip out the camera I am a mess. And so is the shirt. And it goes back in the laundry bin, and it comes out looking awesome again, and we start over.

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~BE FOREVER YOUNG~

What’s not to love… it’s 50% organic cotton and 50% recycled PET. It’s soft and wears well. Of course the “Forever Young” theme with the kid on the swing is classic and joyful. But my favorite thing? It’s purple! I love purple and this is the perfect purple. It makes me smile and always brightens up my frumpy mommy look. And it hides kid goop. So excuse my photos, I just took a close up as the shirt was drying on the line and a quick camera photo. This shirt is way too busy for the paparazzi.

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Ha! Back to the Laundry Bin! 

Stay Forever Young!
Cindy

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Our Threads

Freedom Never Felt So Good!

I love to be able to move around: dance, do yoga, play, sit on the floor at a dinner party… and I don’t want my clothes to hinder me.  At the same time, I don’t want clothes that are so loose as to get in the way or are boxy; besides, my husband will complain if my clothes are too baggy.  These pants are the perfect combination of loose, fun, and free, while accentuating the female figure. They hug the butt and hips just a bit without being too tight, and then the legs of the pants flow and dance around with freedom and sass.  Wearing these pants feels like wearing a flowy skirt that twirls and a pair of pants at the same time!

yoga+style+pants - Freedom Never Felt So Good!

The tiers of heavy-duty 100% cotton fabric wave over each other to create a cool effect that’s fun to look at and to experience.  Instead of the pants feeling big and clumsy, the pants are put together just right so that the fabric never gets in the way.  The cotton is also somewhat stretchy, so that the pants will stretch a bit if they are a little snug in the butt and hips.  However, it’s not super stretchy, so choose your size accordingly.  I am 5’3″-5’4″, have 35.5″ hips, 32″ low waist, and a 29″ inseam, and the smalls fit just right with no extra room.  I am thrilled about the length since I have trouble finding pants that aren’t too long for me.  I have been tying them around the tops of my hipbones; and I probably could wear a medium too, and then I’d tie them up higher.

Since the cotton is heavy duty, the pants are nice and warm, but not too much so.  I wore them outside on a cold winter day and inside at a dinner party and was comfortable both times.  I’ve also added long johns underneath.  Since cotton is breathable, they’d also be great on a cool summer day or evening as well.

You can’t go wrong with the earthy color choices that the pants come in.  I got the brown and they go with almost anything.  You can match them with other earth colors or wear something bright for contrast, and it still looks good.  These pants do steal the show though, so be sure and let them have center stage!

Another wonderful thing about these pants is that you can go anywhere in them.  They look great dressed up for a show or a party.  They’re super fun and comfortable to dance in!  They have this cute little hip hugger tie that ties around the hips and make me feel like a belly dancer, which encourages me to shake those hips!  They’re also great if you have an office job where you need to look kinda dressy, but you want to maintain your funkiness and feel comfortable.  They’d also be great for going to class since they’re so comfortable; and then they transition well to the pub after.  They’re also super fun and easy to do yoga in and they’d be great for belly dancing and hooping as well.  

One of the many reasons that I love Soulflower is that it is a company run with consciousness—of the environment, of human relations, and of art.  The Waves of Freedom pants are fair trade from Nepal, and they are a true work of art that will accentuate the artistry of every wearer.  

To celebrate the art that is you, I’ve put together a playful standing pose sequence—play with me at http://www.yogaventures.blogspot.com

Peace!

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About, Behind-the-Scenes

I Hug My Computer Because Of You

This Valentine’s Day I would just like to tell all of you how amazing you’ve been. Good vibes abound here at Soul Flower, thanks to you! We can’t help but Love you buds! Your enthusiasm and support never fails to amaze us. Every time we go onto Facebook, (i.e. the internet) we’re always welcomed with wonderful energy and great stories.

There have been several instances where I almost hugged my computer, because the messages you send put a huge smile on my face. You go beyond the support of buying our product by sharing your insights, humor, and soul through your comments & letters, and it never goes unnoticed.

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Ha- that’s ME! (…If I were bald & not lovingly addicted to the internet)

 

My job title here at Soul Flower is Copywriter/Daydreamer, and part of my role is to keep tabs on our Social Media.  I want you to know: I read every little line of it; I even read the best ones out loud. I gush and geek out over the pictures and witty, inspiring words of wisdom. In fact, that’s how this blog came about. The other week I burst into the office across the hall, ecstatic about the response you buds were giving on a post. I gushed, “Do you see this!? I want to hug my computer; they just rock!” To which our photographer, Jenn said, “You should tell them that!” It only makes sense.

 

So, here I am. Writing you a love letter of sorts. 🙂

I heart my job to pieces, and a lot of that is due to YOU! Some of you post frequently, and I’m starting to feel like we’ve hung out, or hiked a favorite trail together – it feels like I’ve actually met you! You’ve made social media the friendly place it was intended to be, and you spread the good vibe that Soul Flower stands for. If your messages one day stopped (fingers crossed they don’t!) and my inbox became a ghost town, I’d miss you all tremendously! So please don’t let that happen. Instead, be Soul Flower’s Valentine?

Our soul flowers for you! <3

 

 

 

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Our Threads

Nothing But Nature Belt, Nothing But The Best

The Nothing But Nature Belt is nothing but the best! The bright colors are so delightful, it’s by far the prettiest belt I’ve ever had! The hand sewn flowers look like they’ve just been picked from a garden, (a garden in Peru to be exact), then delicately braided together for me to wrap around my waist. How many belts do you have like that? A belt you actually notice and better yet, love looking at?



This got me thinkerin’ about belts. For the most part belts seem to sadly get overlooked in the world of clothing. I mean, I can’t honestly say I’ve had a lot of belt excitement in my past. But why? For starters they are sometimes hidden and this reason alone could cause them to lag in funky/coolness. And yes, they serve a purpose (we need them to function correctly) and function means durability and durability doesn’t always mean good times. But who says function & purpose can’t be fun, colorful and mean good times? NOT SOUL-FLOWER!

Let’s look at some belt bennies (benefits): 

1. Belts just make pants look better… and butts, too! But, it’s not about the butt…it’s about the belt, The Nothing But Nature Belt! 

2. Belts ARE like a piece of jewelry for your jeans…a headband for your waist, a necklace for the navel! The Nothing But Nature Belt stands out in a sea of waist jewelry.

3. Belts are really starting to come into their own these days (partly due to the 1980’s return). So, show’em how it’s done Nothin’ But Nature style! 



So, who says we can’t have a party ON our pants? ((I said on, just to clarify)). 🙂  I say be colorful! Be fun! Be vivacious belts and let’s see where that takes us, shall we? Yes, we shall! I’m on board with this party and another reason I picked this belt was because it’s a great piece of art…walking art. I appreciate the colorful embroidered work, the craftsmanship and the quality of the Peruvian wool. So far, I’m impressed with it’s durability (belts do get a bit of a workout) and the hardware is very sturdy, too! The uniquely shaped buckle is made of heavy duty metal (no flimsy flam here) and has a rustic brass look with a funky carved pattern. Oh! And it has that little extra free floating loop that holds any extra fabric (the extra belt fabric after you’ve buckled) against your pants. Not all belts have that feature, so yay!



The Nothing But Nature Belt proves that belts can be colorful, functional, durable and still party like it’s 1999! You go NBNB! Me likey, me likey… and me likey!

Just let the soul flow, bubs!

~Woo

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Inspiration

All You Need is Love…Inspiration!

Valentine’s Day is ONE week away! So if you want to show your buds some love, now’s the time to start some thoughtful planning. Whether you plan on baking a strawberry bunt cake, serenading them outside their apartment window, or sending a simple love trinket, we’ve created a few lovely ideas to help inspire you. 🙂

Spread the Love by jackyleev featuring:

The Spread the Love collage items are perfect for the sentimental heart – that friend of yours who gets all worked up over romantic movies, keeps every little keepsake and doodles hearts anytime she has a pen in hand. The Love Thyself Pendant, Heart Peace Earrings, and Love (Spread the Word) T-Shirt are particular favorites this Valentines.

Strawberry “Doughnut: Cake” (YUM!) what friend or lover wouldn’t want a gigantic doughnut?  IT HAS SPRINKLES!! and just looking at the picture makes you want to hug and kiss people; can you imagine the real deal? Man. Watch out.

 

Buy Her Flowers by jackyleev featuring:

 

On Valentine’s Day, instead of buying flowers that will sadly die in a week, you could instead buy lasting floral pretties, like these! Then write something corny (yet grand) about how this flower is lasting, like your love. There aren’t too many girls out there who don’t appreciate a soulful flower. The Flower Hats and Marigold Cuff Bracelet also make great best friend forever gifts.

Or a great idea (for him or her) would be to make a “52 Reasons Why I Love You” book. It’s real easy to make if you have an old deck of cards lying around, and 52 things you like about the one you love. You could even do your own spin on it and create a love list of 52 – whatever! Making 52 redeemable coupons would  be pretty cute… as long as your willing to do 52 things. 😉

 

Show Him Love by jackyleev Featuring:

 

And ladies, don’t forget to show the guys some love! Men enjoy a bit of attention, too. Your best bet is picking something comfortable, funky or fun.. Also, homemade dessert, cocktail concoctions or dinner are always super successful game plans as well!

Now get out there and SPREAD the LOVE!
Jacqueline Lee

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Our Threads

Lotus Long Sleeve Burnout Review

The Burnout Tee makes me feel anything but burned out!  When I put on this silky soft tee, my mind and body feel totally revived and alive.

This is yet another item from the Soul Flower line that I have trouble changing out of.  When I wake up in the morning, I love pulling this soft shirt against my skin with a layer over the top.  Then, for my afternoon yoga practice, I keep the shirt on because it’s yoga ready!  Then as the evening chill set in, I can add a vest and a warm hat, grab a porter, and I am in bliss.

The fit of this T is what I am always looking for in a long sleeve yoga top.  I actually am always looking for a long sleeve T that fits to my body while I practice, yet is not binding or constrictive.  This T is like a second pair of skin that moves with me—the only time I notice it is in a moment of pure bliss as I notice the softness.  The T also keeps me warmer than I thought it would, being a burnout fabric.  I am very pleased with how it keeps me warm at the beginning of my practice, yet isn’t too hot as my body heats up.  I also love how the lotus chakra pattern reminds me of the alignment of my charkas throughout my practice.  It’s a good indicator of how my body is aligned and reminds me to feel the openness and flow throughout the charkas.

This shirt is also good for other activities, such as hiking, walking around in town, or just hanging out and looking good in the office and at home.  As I’ve gotten older, I don’t go out nearly as much.  I spend most of my time in my office and hanging out at home with my husband.  Soul Flower’s clothes are comfortable enough that I want to wear them day-to-day, but instead of making me fell frumpy, the simplest clothes can make me feel gorgeous.  I imagine it would be good for students because of this reason too.  When you have so much to do, you don’t want to have to think about your clothes—you want to just put on something comfortable that you can wear all day; and with Soul Flower, you can be assured that you’ll look good wearing it.

These pictures were taken near Summersville, West Virginia on a reclaimed mountaintop removal site.  For more info about mountaintop removal and the work being done, visit ilovemountains.org

Peace!
Andria

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About, Inspiration

We’ve Got it Pinned!

Hey Buds!

Guess what? We’ve finally joined the Pinterest craze! If you have a Pinterest account (or will be making one today) be sure to come follow us. We’ll be pinning our latest fashions, craft interests, quotes and overall inspiration.

Here’s the start of our pins :

On Pinterest you can “pin” photos in order to save ideas and links that you love. It’s much like creating your own personal online magazine. To keep your pins organized you are able to create as many boards as you like, such as “Style Inspiration” or “Words of Wisdom.” They will look like this:

 

And the real fun part is that you can follow your friends, (like us!) to see what they’re diggin’ these days.

For example, here are some of our latest pins:

life+is+beautiful - We've Got it Pinned!

Want more? We’ll be sharing all of our Soul Flower favorites, such as Karma Krewe reviews, Fresh Picks and videos, along with random beauty and inspiration from a variety of outside sources, (like the painted rocks and wall graffiti pictured above). Anytime you like what you see, all you need to do is click “Repin,” and BOOM! it’s on your board. With the pin button, you can also go on all of your favorite websites and start a pinning craze all your own.

And that’s one thing about Pinterest:

IT IS ADDICTING! But I’ve placed it in the category of “good addictions,” you know, like coffee. Some addictive insanity is needed to stay sane…at least, that’s the saying I made up to make this ALL okay for ALL of us. 😉 So, if you pin once and find you’ve pinned a thousand times by tomorrow, you can’t say I didn’t warn you!

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If you do plan on “Following” us, Thanks in advance! We appreciate all your kindhearted support. You buds rock! Pin It

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Our Threads

Mandala Burnout Tunic

Hey there Buds!

Crazy past couple of months with school starting, getting back to Hawaii, trying to find a place to live, moving in, starting a new job, realizing my roommates and I aren’t a good fit, trying to get out of the lease, finding a new place and settling in again DURING MIDTERMS!!! Whew…glad that’s over with…

There’s always a silver lining to every cloud, though. I have met some truly awesome people this semester and thank the universe every day for making our paths cross. It’s crazy how during the hardest of times you see people’s true colors, which could be bad, but also can be incredibly bright. One of the people who I consider an angel, along with her boyfriend, have helped me more times than I can count and asked nothing in return. They are simply happy to have my company, or at least they say they are ;). Another friend reminds what it means to be strong and stand on your own even though the road is rocky at times, she teaches me with her actions every day. Of course, there is the crazy radical (puts me to shame!) who is there to challenge authority and challenge me to get to that next level of understanding. Of course, my family has been there every step of the way! My dad flew out here a few days after I called home to help me get out of that awful living situation, I don’t know what I would do without him or my mom who helped from the sidelines and held the fort down while he was gone.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that you can’t dwell on the negatives in life. Of course bad things happen and goodness knows I’ve punched a wall or two in frustration, however, I’m a firm believer that things happen for a reason. That’s why I like my Mandala Burnout Tee, the design reminds me that the universe is cyclical and our lives are just part of its cycle.

This tunic is a great length, I love shirts that can act as a cover up at the beach (like I said in my Headdress article). It works great for a yoga session, or just lounging around in your yoga pants. I can wear it to a nice dinner with the right skirt or I could wear it to class with some jeans. It’s not a snug fit but it isn’t lose either, it fits like a shirt you’ve washed a bit but is still relatively new, which makes it snug in all the right place and loose in the places you need some extra wiggle room. The fabric is thin and lightweight and very soft, however it could be a bit see through. It’s fine if you don’t wear a neon pink or green bra with it ;p

Mahalo buds!

And let someone know that you’re grateful for having them in your life, yeah?

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Stories

Happy Birthday, Janis Joplin!

Our Threads

Beautiful & Versatile World Tree Tapestry

Soul Flower has the perfect tapestry to fit beautifully in with any home decor or festival… The World Tree Tapestry! My first thoughts were “omg it’s huge!!” I love that it’s big, it can cover plenty of empty wall space or be folded to cover a bed or couch. It measures 80 x 100 inches and is available in Sky blue or natural, I had to have the sky blue!

It’s gorgeous!!! The amount of detail put into this tapestry is amazing! You can find everything from deer to wild monkeys and flowers, and of course an enormous tree! If you are like me you can never have enough trees around you so this is a wonderful addition!!! This can be used for so many different things. Just to name a few: A bed cover, couch cover, hang on the wall, hang in the middle of dorm room for a divider, hang up while camping at a festival to mark your campsite, sit on at a festival/fireworks, and so much more!

We used this outside during a party! It was such a unique and cool decoration that I will keep it up year round! I love how light this tapestry is, it made it super easy to hang up! We hung it off the side of the deck to the underneath sitting area and it was too cool! I absolutely love this tapestry and I know it will be in our family for a long time!

Peace,
Candice

karma krewe logo 300 - Beautiful & Versatile World Tree TapestryCandice reviewed the
World Tree Tapestry
All Karma Krewe posts | All of Candice’s posts

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Style Influencers

Adrienne’s Week of Soul Flower Fashion

Shortly after the new year, our bud, Adrienne, began posting pictures on our Facebook wall of her “Week of Soul Flower.” She spent 7 days wearing Soul Flower gear, old and new, and had us all completely entertained. And, since we had never known Adrienne personally until this week, we just had to ask:

What inspired your week of Soul Flower??
I am a busy stay-at-home wife and mom to 2 boys, so its easy to forget to take time out for myself, especially during the Holidays when my attentions are on the home, family, food, gifts and spending lots of fun time together. This week of playfulness was a small thing I could do just for me. It gave me a fun reason to plan great outfits and look at my clothes in all new combinations. I paired summer things with winter stuff in ways I would have never thought of otherwise. Plus I always love a reason to take my picture (dorky I know) and show off the beautiful area where I live. I had a great time planning cute shots and the fun I had with my son taking my pictures.

 

Your 5 year-old took some of your pictures for you, and did an impressive job! What was their favorite outfit of mom’s?

Ha! My son, Mason, loves to take pictures, of anything!  He loved being the photographer and says that taking the pics was his favorite part. I got him to say that he likes my “fancy clothes” and he said my earrings are his favorite. Mason would be happy if we all wore BMX or skateboarder gear all the time, but Im working on him.

 

Out of all the online stores out there, why us?? Cuz we’re awfully flattered!
Because youre the best of course!!  I dont remember how I first found Soul Flower online but I know I loved it right away. Ive been shopping from them for about 3 years now. There was an issue once, long long ago, with a pair of knitted gloves I had ordered and they had to be sent back for an exchange. My package showed up to Soul Flower torn and empty 🙁  I actually received a phone call from them saying what had happened and how the envelope arrived with no item in it to return, and that they were still going to send me out a new pair (because SF is awesome)! I remember that this all went down during the Holiday season and I was so impressed with the awesome customer service, and the friendly phone call from an actual person, here in the actual USA, and they sounded like such cool people…I was hooked!

Soul Flower has consistently offered amazingly cute things at reasonable prices, and have always had renewable, organic, recycled, Earth friendly stuff.The catalogs are always beautiful and super artful, and I love getting them and passing them on. Another thing I absolutely love is when I get a package from Soul Flower, most of the time there is a short handwritten note or hello on my reciept….that makes my day to know that someone actually cares enough to say hi & spread some joy while they were packing up my stuff. Did I mention the awesome customer service??



What inspires your overall style?
I would definitely say comfort first of all! If something looks amazing but isnt comfy, it wont last 5 minutes. I live in a mild, coastal climate so the ability to layer is another big thing for me. Im a pretty basic girl, I dont like super feminine things or super tough things either. Im my most happy in an old pair of Levis and a few great shirts, with an amazing pair of boots of course. That is one of my big weaknesses, I have tons of pairs.
Im not a big fan of synthetic fibers, so I really appreciate that Soulflower offers so many choices in natural & organic.

What’s your favorite quote?
My first one would be ‘Forever and a Day’, that is something that I share with my husband and it is special to both of us.
Another that really is true for me is ‘Let go, laughing’, its from my favorite song by Sugarland called It Happens. Its all about how life happens, good and bad, and how you cant do anything to change it so all you can do is let go, laughing. I love it!

 

I had a great week with this and I cant wait to do a spring/summer edition! Thanks Soul Flower 🙂

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Our Threads

Mehndi & Heather Soft Memories

Mehndi, Mehndi so good to me…Mehndi, Mehndi it was all I hoped it would be!! Yep, find myself singing a little Mammas and Pappas whenever I wear my mehndi. Along with being particularly songstress on the occasion it’s got me thinking about my childhood, my father (who consequently sang this tune quite often himself) and my old favorite tee.
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When I was a kid my father traveled quite often for his job. Although I was always sad to see him go, I knew he’d be home soon with stories to tell of his adventure. Along with these stories and photos my father would bring us home a postcard like t-shirt that we would (proudly) wear to represent his travels and feel that we too were part of the story. Upon his return from one such trip he brought home a heather blue West Virginia ringer t-shirt. This became THE TEE for an entire summer. I remember it had a super soft lived in feel from all the washing and wearing. I went everywhere in that thing until I wore it out completely and then when it was no longer wearable, parting with it was like losing an old friend. Its funny to talk about clothes that way but have you had that experience? This treasured piece of my past eventually got forgotten until I happened across the mehndi sweatshirt and it’s brought back that past, like finding a little piece of…home.
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The blue in this hoody is a really pretty color and the heathering is full of awesomeness (just like my old tshirt)! I’ve always felt heathering gives a softer look to any clothing and this feels like I’ve had it for years (thanks to the recycled materials). Soul-Flower clothing always seems that way, like something I’ll wear until it disintegrates into the air. Something I’ll always remember enjoying. This mehndi is that for me and I love wearing it when I want to be warm and comfortable…like when I’m painting. Believe it or not I haven’t got paint on it …yet!   
This hoody is made for Soul-Flower right here in the USA using low impact dyes (which puts less dye into the water when washed & uses less water to rinse) and an eco blend of 55% organic cotton and 45% recycled polyester. The uniqueness of this sweatshirt shows in the beautiful mehndi flower designs growing all about. “Mehndi” (the application of henna to the surface of the skin) dates back to twelfth century. The temporary decoration which uses dried ground henna leaves usually lasts one to three weeks, luckily for us these mehndi flowers are for keeps! 
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AND maybe you’re thinkin’ these bloomin’ flowers look familiar. If so, you’d be right! Their roots have spread all over Soul-Flower land, growing and blooming throughout the catalog, blog and website. But just how did these designs come to be? Read about it here.
 
Well, I’m zipped up and ready to paint the long winter away with scenes of travel and places I hope to one day be… before my mehndi blooms go to seed!
Stay warm buds, Woo

 

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Our Threads

Purple Aplenty: Astral Skies Patchwork Dress

First, I’m a purple lover! If it contains even the slightest hint of it, tastes grapey, smells like lilacs, is a tune by the great purple Prince or resembles a big kid lovin’ dinosaur, it’s safe to say imma be like’n it! That was my first pull toward the Astral Skies Patchwork Dress. Purple variations o-plenty going on here! Vivid violet, mild maroon and night sky blue to (nick) name a few and all with a slightly muted pre-wash fade. Gorgeous colors and a nice weight for the cooler months!

The second gotta-have-me was the patchwork! Sewn together with neat-o exposed stitching gives this dress really great texture! I’ve been an admirer of patchwork since the days of my grandmothers hand sewn blankets. Using left over fabric from various projects she would carefully pick just the right collection of pieces to create each blanket. I acquired many of them through the years but every Christmas I looked forward to the next just to see the designs and color pallet she had chosen.

Third, the Astral Skies unique look! I like seeing the variations in each patch and beyond that, knowing every Astral Skies dress out there is doin’ its own thing! The little bleached spots sprinkled throughout this dress remind me of snowflakes and stars. As if I’m looking up while they fall towards me from a pretty purpley patchwork sky.And just as no two snowflakes or stars or grandmothers blankets were ever the same, the Astral Skies dress can claim that too! It’s in these variations, the way each piece is chosen, cut and placed that brings theone of a kindcreation together. How very far out of each Astral Skies Dress to have its own vibe. We all have ours, seems fitting that our clothes should too.

Peace to you all! May your new year be filled with love and kindness.

~Woo

P.S. I’m looking forward to wearing this soft-n-comfy dress for the holidays! Maybe my nephew can count the snowflakes and stars? At three, I bet he’d be up for that!

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holiday stress - Yoga for Holiday Stress
Inspiration

Yoga for Holiday Stress

Here at Soul Flower we are busy packing hundreds of orders every day.  That much repetitive activity causes havoc on the back and legs.  Here’s a quick and easy yoga sequence to take the edge off the holiday stressors of wrapping gifts, frosting cookies and standing in high heels at holiday parties.

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Our Threads

Takin It Easy In the Take It Easy Fleece Pullover

I recently was bombarded by life issues, and I found that my energy was depleted.  I really didn’t have time to do much besides deal, and my body felt run down and tired.  In times like these, I like to turn to cuddly clothes, resting at home, and restorative yoga.

GatePose - Takin It Easy In the Take It Easy Fleece Pullover
Ahhhhhh – Release!

Good thing I had Soulflower’s Take It Easy Fleece Pullover to put on to keep me cozy as I tried my best to take it easy as life threw it’s swings.  When you put on this sweatshirt, get ready for some serious downtime!  Put on some soothing music, grab a glass of wine or a hot cocoa, and take some time for you.  You’ll confront life’s difficulties much better if you are well rested and calm.

Dandasana - Takin It Easy In the Take It Easy Fleece Pullover
Be sure and smile during your yoga practice–don’t take yourself too seriously!

 

As you’d expect, this Soulflower label sweatshirt is super soft.  The cotton and rayon are soft on your skin, and the polyester locks in that warmth from your body.  I love how the wide neck reveals the collarbone making the sweatshirt feel sexy.  I love this about all of Soulflower’s designs—I can feel comfortable and sexy—why settle for frumpy?  I love all of these features, but perhaps my favorite is the warm fuzzy little hand pouch on the front of the sweatshirt.  I have cold hands, and this makes it so convenient to warm them up!  Plus you can put stuff in there, like say, tissue for when you get the inevitable winter colds and flu; or maybe some lip balm to soothe dry lips from winter’s fury.  Even more, as the long, dark, days of winter envelope you, the warm, sunny design on the sweatshirt will remind you to enjoy taking it easy.

For yoga, this sweatshirt is the bomb.  You can wear it over a short sleeve or yoga tank until your body heats up and then put it back on to cozy up for savasana.  You don’t have to worry about it flopping around on you either—it has a band around the bottom and around the wrists to help it stay put.  As you slide in and out of poses, the soft elastic fabric is non-binding.

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Peace

Because this time of year tends to be stressful and busy, and it’s also a time when we often get sick, I put together a Take It Easy Restorative Yoga Session for you!  Check it out at yogaventures.blogspot.com

The bolster used in the photos is from Inner Space Yoga:  innerspaceyoga.net  Support small business!

Peace!

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Behind-the-Scenes

13 Ounces or Less: Shipping Cheap & Sending Cheer

Did you know you can get cheaper shipping at Soul-Flower.com if your total order weighs 13 ounces or less? True, true! Rule of thumb is, if it’s 13 ounces or less, it’s a First Class go!  Here are some cool 13 ounces or less Soul Flower items of awesomeness that you can send while saving!

 

 

Basically, you just want to think small and light – Pretty simple. Once you get the hang of thinking in terms of 13 ounces or less, the creative mailing possibilities are endless. If you’re shopping on a tight budget, shopping according to product weight will definitely prove helpful. If you shop Soul Flower according to cost, most every item in the $10-$20 gift range falls into the 13 ounces or less category, as well!

 

Even thinking outside of the Soul Flower box, there are many creative gift ideas out there that you can ship on the cheap. Did you know that there is an entire blog dedicated to this very topic? Giverslog is the perfect blog to follow for mailing inspiration. With an entire category dedicated to exciting DIY 13 ounce gift ideas, you’ll find yourself running to your mailbox waaay more often! So, if the author of Giverslog, Amberlee, can come up with a blog FULL of 13 ounces or less ideas (all of which are super fun!), we’re positive you can come up with a few splendid ideas as well! If you’d like more lightweight mailing ideas this “Roundup” post covers a selection of her 13 ounces or less favorites – click here! If you do poke around her blog, you’ll find all sorts of sweet ideas! Like mailing a flip flop! Tell me it isn’t rad to receive one flip flop one week and another the next week– you can’t! 😉 It’s just a fantastic gift idea, especially for all you lucky ones enjoying the warm sun this winter.

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What 13 ounce gifts will you be mailing this holiday season? 🙂

 

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Learn

Creative & Eco-Friendly Ways to Wrap

Sometimes wrapping gifts the old fashioned way can become a bit boring, and if you’re buying rolls and rolls of brand new wrapping paper, it isn’t exactly great for the environment, either. One quick fix is to grab old magazines, newspapers and all those gift bags you received last year. For our Holiday Lookbook, we mainly used recycled magazines and cut up paper bags, and it really added some festive color under the tree. It’s also a  wonderful way to make your gifts feel more personal.

 

Outside of using recycled paper to wrap gifts, why not get creative and wrap a gift inside of a gift? It’s certainly an easy way to get your bud super excited (you know, that: WhoooooA!- I -want- the- outside -of- that- package- soooo- bad- what- could- possibly -be- IN -IT!?!  kind of excited)!

A few simple ways to accomplish this over-the-top enthusiasm:

Use a belt instead of ribbon

 

 

Wrap the present in a scarf

 

eco+friendly+holiday - Creative & Eco-Friendly Ways to Wrap

 

Use a Grateful Dead Bandanna for smaller presents, we tied this one shut with hemp twine and added a Soul Flower button for an extra special touch. 

 

Mudmee Tie-Dye Skirts work great for wrapping larger gifts, and the elastic band ends up looking like a funky ribbon on top. If you have a super huge present, try using a tapestry (who wouldn’t flip over a tapestry wrapped present?)

 

 

Soul Flower Coolies are just the right size for small jewelry boxes

 

Long socks, gloves, or arm warmers make for super cute bows. 

 

And, Mukluks make for awesome stockings; a lotta goodies can fit in there!

 

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