It's Better Being Single

My goal in writing a blog is to always be as honest as possible and to really share the true things that happen in life in general and in my life. So it's about to get real deep, and I'm not talking about the baby pool! One of the big struggles I have in my life is my singleness. Like all things in life it comes in waves, so there are days where I'm completely content with being single, on my own and independent. But there are days where society's world seeps into mine and messes things all up! 

Our society tells women everyday, that their worth comes from having a man by their side. Women only go to college to find a husband and there must be something wrong with you if you aren't in a relationship. And if I'm going to be perfectly honest, I've never been in a relationship, I've dated some guys but never have been in an actual relationship and at 20 years old that means that there's something wrong with me. 

However, Being single does not define who I am, It leaves me free to be exactly who I am so that I can live each day with bright and bold colors. By being single I can find myself and really figure out not only who I am but what I want to do in this world! I'm able to develop so that I don't have to pretend for someone else but so when a man does come into my life he can know and see the real me!

The other night I was not dealing with being single very well. (Probably because I was watching an over the top girly movie about an unrealistic relationship while i was painting.) Of course as any rational girl would do, I went on pinterest to distract myself and saw a post from my friend Coleen's blog She Has Worth, about the bad views on being single, and it was just what I needed to hear. 

She mentioned the idea of God preparing the heart of the man that will be in your life or that he is currently doing work in Africa (we can only hope!)

There is little reality TV that I watch but I do love the show Guliana and Bill on Style. Guliana is a girl after my own heart. She married at 30 (to a great guy, if I do say so!) and worked on the career that she wanted. She has pursued her dreams and created a life for herself. She's a real girl with a real story and even a real fairy tale ending. Her and her husband have the most functional relationship of all the reality stars and are just such down to earth and fun people (with some really great clothes!) But what I love about Guliana and her story is that she didn't sit and wait for a man, she didn't listen to society when they told her that her worth came from being in a relationship.

Guliana went after her dreams and along the way a man entered that dream and became a part of it. She was the woman that she needed and wanted to become and developed in a way that ended up being perfect for the man of her dreams. 

"For a whole to be a whole, the 2 halves must be whole" - Unknown

So continue on being you and working on fulfilling your dreams. Search for your heart and not for the heart of another. Because as you look for yours, and when you find your heart, his heart will be waiting there soon after. Before someone else can really know you, you have to know yourself.

Welcome to your journey. . .

XOXO

Change in Plans

Hello World!!!!

How is your summer going??? I'm so excited that my summer online classes end next week and I can focus on reading and relaxing and fully enjoying the rest of my summer. I move back home with my family at the end of July before I head out to Africa, which will be great time to spend before I leave especially because I get to watch the Olympics with my family. It's an odd feeling, the idea of moving back home, even if it's for a small amount of time.

Here's the good news, in my last post I talked about ending Born to Dazzle and only having one blog. But due to recent conversations and more thought about who I am and what I want to say to the world I've decided to keep Born to Dazzle as my women empowerment blog as well as Undercover Peacemaker as my activist blog. 

I've been working on looking at my life differently and not trying to make as many plans (key words - as many). My goal in life is to live each day by trying to make it more beautiful than I came into it. It's not always so easy to have the right outlook in life and today I'm really feeling that. I know that I have exciting things in my future, like Africa! but sometimes over this summer I feel like I'm just wasting away doing nothing while everyone else is out having adventures. I see summer as a time of rest but also as a time to explore and see the world in a new light.

 So that's what I'm struggling through right now, making my adventure the adventure of finding and creating beauty everyday that I get to open my eyes! So to start the right mind set I got in a super fierce outfit and did my hair to feel like a rock star.

Dressing yourself up the way that you want to be and showing exactly who you are to the world is a great way to empower your soul and to love yourself!

Always remember, you were Born To Dazzle!

XOXO

Zuckerberg's Little White Wedding Dress

You may or may not know that I love weddings! Both my siblings have gotten married within the past three years so I've been involved with them some and more and more of my friends continue to get engaged (what's in the water, right?) But the Zuckerberg wedding is a somewhat of a HUGE deal for my family. That's because, my beautiful, talented and oh so funny sister-in-law Malea was one of the consultants that sold Pricilla that very Claire Pettibone dress! (She specifically picked out the veil! Which, I say makes the whole out-fit!) News stations, radio stations and now tabloid news (Inside Edition) are all itching to talk to Mrs. Malea to find out all the details about this amazing purchase right her in Denver, Colorado!

Malea say's that there's not much to say. They didn't even know she was Mark Zuckerberg's fiancé until after the wedding when the designer of the dress, Claire, called to tell them how wonderful she looked and how excited they all were. Talk about a surprise phone call! She had been using a fake name during their appointments and usually avoided any talk of her fiancé. 

I can't say enough good things about my amazing sister Malea. She is one of the most kind hearted, humorous, good looking women I know. She works so very hard at her job and is always around when you need her. She's adopted the nick-names that the rest of the family calls me and all together fits perfectly with the Hutt family! She was made for us!

So in case you didn't hear, Pricilla got it at Little White Dress Bridal Shop in Denver - If you're in need of a beautiful dress, an amazing experience and a consultant you'll always remember, make sure to ask for Malea!!! She'll be sure to hook you up and make you gorgeous for your very big day!

I'll be sure to post whatever interviews I can of her and their big story! Keep a look out for, she's heading up the wedding ladder and could be dressing the next big celebrity wedding!

XOXO

Summer Time and Fanny Packs

Summer is my season! I love everything about it. Sitting on the front porch reading, all the green and plant life that has come out of the most peculiar places, warm sun hitting your face, Barbecues in the backyard, thunderstorms bringing the smell of rain, fresh fruit and even the smell of skunk (I think I'm one of the few who actually like that smell, it reminds me of summers growing up!)  I love it all! And the summer clothes don't hurt either.

I've decided to accept the inner "hipster" in me and I'm now using a fanny pack instead of a purse (you can get one at almost any thrift store if you're looking). So far I love it and I love not carrying all the junk that I usually do. Seriously how often do I use half the stuff that I carry in my suitcase of a purse???

I've been soaking up the summer air as much as I can these past few days and am planning some fun summer adventures to have, since I won't be doing any traveling this summer. . . did I mention that I'm moving to Uganda though??? So I guess I'm okay with no travel plans this summer! There are so many random things to do in Colorado. Some I've never done, others I haven't done since I was really little so I'm going to become the ultimate Colorado tourist! And lucky you, are along for the ride!!!

If you're anything like me you need to listen to music whenever you are doing anything!

Let me help you with some wonderful pandora stations I've found.

1. Katie Herzig

2. Carrie Underwood (Embrace the country girl in you!)

3. The Civil Wars

These are my three favorite stations and I've found so many good artists through these stations. What are you listening to these days?

XOXO

Shopping With Your Whole Heart!

SUMMER TIME! 

I'm so glad to be done with this year and these classes! Although I'm taking classes online over the summer it's nothing compared to classes everyday and the feeling of having so much to do. This summer will be pretty calm, a little work here and there, but a lot of time to start focusing on fundraising for my trip to Uganda. – Don't worry details on that will be coming soon! 

I recently found this new website (through facebook ads of all places) and have fallen in love! It's a site that shows you amazing companies that sell products to make the world a better place. Each company is either a Humanitarian, Eco-Friendly, Ethical or Enhancing the community or are doing all of these things. You will love all the fun things to find on this website and to see the companies that you already love!

I have a list of places that I need to get things from (especially when it comes to getting gifts and Christmas time). Not only do I want to buy stuff from these amazing companies but I'm already looking into trying to work for one of them when I graduate next year.

I hope you enjoy this place as much as I do and that you bookmark it on your computer. . . cause you'll be needing it later I promise you that!

XOXO

Easter Eating

Happy Tuesday!

I don't know about you, but for me this semester just seems to be going so slow. I'm ready for summer fun and weekend BBQ's! Projects and homework are piling up and things are only going to get worst before they get better. (I hope that means they'll be getting better soon!) 

With all that said I've still been doing a lot to keep things together and things are looking up!

Last weekend I went to my parents house for Easter and another chiropractor appointment. (I've been working a lot on my health and will have some fun posts about getting healthy in a safe a good way soon!) We are celebrating Easter with the entire family next weekend but for Easter Sunday we put together a beautiful dinner for my grandparents in assisted living. It was a great time with my parents and grand-parents and coming from a golf family, watching the Masters was well missed. (Especially my favorite guy Adam Scott, who got a hole-in-one during the game! So proud!!!)

My grandma loves it when I wear fun and cute outfits to show her so I made sure to dress up special for her on Easter, she did mention it being her best Easter ever. But I think that had more to do with the amazing set up my dad did in their living room so that they could have a REAL home cooked me :)

I am starting to miss my longer hair for some reason. I usually love having short hair but I seem to be in an awkward place where I'm just not quite happy with it!

However, this dress is my favorite dress in the world, so I still feel pretty darn fabulous!

And here's a picture of the whole family at Easter dinner

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday with your families and are finding ways to have fun and love as much as you can even if this time of the year is getting a little crazy!!!

XOXO

Letting Go of the Bad Energy

Sorry I haven't posted in over a week. School and work and life has just been going crazy I haven't had any time to just sit and write. A couple weeks ago I had a doctors appointment to see why I'm having a hard time with my digestive system still (10 years this has been going on) and then in the last few years I've been having problems with blacking out and then in January I finally passed out. So after a bunch of tests and doctors appointments I found out . . . NOTHING! I hate that! I just wanted some answers so that I could solve the problem. In wanting to go to Africa, I've been really trying to get healthy and put myself together. So, my mom's friend who I like to call our "Spiritual Wellness Guru" told me to see this special Chiropractor. She focuses on people with anxiety problems and PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). By realigning my skeletal structure and asking my body about the bad energy it's been holding in for years I've slowly been getting a lot better!

Something really interesting I learned was that when something happens in your life your brain reacts to it in 3 ways. You have a visual memory, emotional memory and a physical memory. Therapists work on the first 2 issues but rarely is the 3rd matter taken care of. To deal with this you have to release that built up energy by shaking. When people talk about being so angry they were shaking, they had actually reached the climax of their anger and the shaking was bringing them down to a normal energy level. This is also why you shake after a major adrenaline rush. By doing some basic yoga moves and allowing your body to shake when it starts to (you know that feeling when you work out) just let it shake. 

I've been doing this about 3 times a week and my life is changing. I'm having less nightmares at night and I sleep better. When I'm awake I feel energized and ready to move. My next step to getting healthy is letting go of my sugar addiction and paying more attention to God by being present and being thankful. I'll keep you posted on how that goes.

AND, this is super belated but, my girlfriend, Anna, just got me the photos from our Oscars party night! I had promised everyone that when I dressed up for the night I would dress up as Peppy Miller from The Artist, which ended up being a great idea because they won almost every award!

You can see that we don't take the Oscars lightly around here! We all dress up to the max and drink champaign while we watch! 

I was voted best outfit of the night since I went full fledged Peppy Miller with the fur coat, 40's hat, vintage purse and pin-up curls. In the bottom left photo you can see Will with the bow tie, he was the host for the night, what a stunning guy he is! -And ladies he's single ;)

Since we're on the topic of the Oscars I might as well share some thoughts on the red carpet looks since that is the best part!

I separated the night into the colors that were the hits and the best of the dresses for each color!

White/ Pastels were a big hit for the evening and boy did these women look Good! Jessica may have won for best dressed for me. I loved her dress and the details in the gold embroidery! and George and his  date Stacy. . . Hot stuff! Enough said.

I loved Gwyenth's coat that sat over her shoulders, Octavia looked like a goddess with this perfect fitted sequin gown, Louise was a reporter for the night but I just couldn't get over her dress. The draping done in this dress is spectacular and I thought the soft pink was perfect on her skin. And "The Girl With the Dragon Tatoo" looked fierce in her white mermaid gown, low cut in the front but well structured around the bust! You go girls!

I'm a huge fan of Emma Stone and I just thought she was to die for in this stunning red gown. With pulled back neat hair and a bow neck line, she was very classic. And a lot of times red heads going red don't look good but I think with her hair pulled back she really rocked this look!

Angelina I love you girl, but the wide angles of this dress and your skinny figure made you look WAY too skinny. And there is just too much slit for anyone to handle. The dress is beautiful but girl, it just wasn't for you.

Hope you all are staying healthy and loving life and get the chance to wear your red carpet looks even when it's not the Oscars, we can all use a dress up girls night every now and then!

Much Love

XOXO

Fly Me To Africa

Okay, so I have some big news to share with you all. . . I'm currently in the process of applying for an internship with an organization in Africa. If I'm accepted and this all works out then I will be living in Uganda for 6 months next year!!! The more and more I learn about Uganda and the people, culture, language, geography etc. the more I fall in love with it. So as for now this is all I know, but of course I will be keeping you updated with anything that happens!

Aside from applying for internships I've been crazy busy with school, Invisible Children screening that is this wednesday, artwork, work and everything else in my life. School has been extremely stressful lately and I'm not sure how to handle all that work that keeps piling on, on top of all that I already need to do in general. I'm really hoping that next year I'll be in Africa for a year off to really rest from school and learn from the real world about issues that I care about and want to help solve.

My good friend Jessica Morgan did a photo shoot of me and a friend a few weeks ago to add to my lookbook and to add to her portfolio. I'm so impressed by her photos and love this top one the most! She did an amazing job!

These photos were taken at Horestooth Reservoir and a local park in Fort Collins. It looked to be a beautiful day but it was freezing!!!! 

I hope all of you are off to a good start this week and not letting a case of the Monday's bring you down! Try and find the beauty in each day and find some time to do things that you love to do and that bring you peace, I know I'll be working hard at that this week!

Until next time. 

XOXO

The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games. I read the first book months ago and fell in love right away! What makes this book amazing? Besides suspense, cute boys, great character connections, twisted government leaders and insane archery skills, is the strong and fierce female characters. 

Katniss Everdeen, the heroine of the trilogy, speaks her mind, protects her family and knows how to hunt squirrels by shooting an arrowing straight through their eye. She is beautiful and confident and doesn't need a man by her side. Basically she is the woman hiding inside of all of us waiting to jump out, which is why we are all in love with her!

Jennifer Lawrence does an amazing job portraying Katniss and embodying all that she is. Jennifer has made it on to the cover of almost every major magazine since the trailers have come out. Who wouldn't want to interview the star of the best film of the year? Each magazine shows her beauty, and her skill as an actress all while revealing the strength that she herself holds as well. Katniss Everdeen and Jennifer Lawrence both go down as female role models in my book!

The story line is about 12 districts where 1 boy and 1 girl from each district, between the ages of 12 to 18 are given as tributes to fight in the hunger games to the death. 1 person of the 24 will survive and bring their district honor. The Hunger Games were created after the people tried to go up against that capital 74 years ago causing a horrible war and the slaughter of many. The Capital came up with the Hunger Games in order to remind the districts of their past, but really it's the governments way of keeping control over the districts. 

Katniss' sister Prim was picked for her districts tribute at the age of 12. Katniss, in order to save her sister, offers herself as tribute to fight in the hunger gamers, along with Peeta, the boy tribute from district 12. The rest of the story is the process of showing off the tributes before the games begin and then the rough and torturous games themselves.

Finally, the hunger games are not only entertaining in their character relationships and intense action but the costumes are to die for! Katniss is from a poor district and therefore the fashion in her district looks like a concentration camp (enhancing the depressing nature of the "reeping" –choosing the tributes– and the overall suffering in the district). However Katniss continues to look like a badass when she's dressed in cargo pants and a leather jacket with her bow and arrows. 

The Capital has a fashion standard all of their own. In a couture/futuristic vibe Effy Trinkette portrays their fashion style perfectly. Different colored hair that matches the outfits along with perfectly matching eye shadow colors. Crazy patterns and bright colors and face paint to add to the look. The Capital is a whole new type of fashion to say the least. –I'm interested to see what trends will catch on and I'll be sure to document them for you!

If you haven't read the books do so before seeing the movie. The books are always better and there is so much character relationships and details that you'll miss out on that really enhance the story line and make it even better. The movie will be more enjoyable if you already know some of the details since the movie can't show them all!

Happy Hunger Games and my the odds be ever in your favor!

XOXO

A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes, Into Reality

This evening I had an "A-Ha" moment when I realized I'm the woman I always hoped I would be when I grew up! Story: I helped put on a showing of Blood Diamond tonight at Colorado State University to get people interested and talking about child soldiers and prepare the for the roadies coming in next week (YAY!) Afterwards one of the girls came up and wanted to know all about how to get involved with Invisible Children and be apart of the revolution that has begun. After a nice long talk she thanked me for all that I do and said she would see me next week for the screening. I remember being in her shoes just years ago! SO COOL, it's such a nice feeling, feeling like you are right where you're suppose to be.

Life just continues to get better and better.

And for my next piece of excitement. . . a new look!

My Grandpa turned 90 a couple weeks ago and so the family got together to celebrate his big day! We all drove to Denver to meet at my grandparent's home and have dinner. My cousins, Aunt and Uncle were there along with my immediate family. My Grandma always loves the outfits I put together –– especially my vintage/feminine inspired looks. So I made sure to put together a very special look just for her.

The jacket was a Christmas gift from my sister and brother-in-law from American Eagle. The headband was a D.I.Y project. The skirt is an old find from Forever 21 and the shoes came from a cute boutique in the mountains that sadly is no longer there.

Hope you are all enjoying the beautiful weather that seems to be spreading and leading to summer, soak it up! 

XOXO

Beauty

It's been a long couple of weeks with a lot of stress and a lot of work. My Grandma was put in the hospital this week which was a big scare and then a friend of my (Holly) from my social justice camp was killed followed up with some tense drama with some friends. I don't take death well at all, as in I don't deal with death. Holly was not someone super close to me, we were in the same group at our camp and so we talked some, but the hardship of knowing someone and then them leaving for good is such a hard thing to face. My passion for social justice comes from these same emotions. Knowing the names of the people that are hurt and killed, feeling that connection and that loss that their loved ones feel is really what the human connection is about. 

With all this happening its needless to say I was in need of a night out and a night to forget everything going on in my life. So my best friend Carli and I had a wonderful girls night out this week. We had boy talk, free ice cream and after realizing a full moon was rising we decided to drive up to Horsetooth and watch the moon over the city and take some pictures. After getting in trouble by the cops for where we were parked we drove home and played Donkey Kong on Super Nintendo for hours. It was seriously the best night out I've had in a very long time!

And here are some of the photos from our adventure on Horsetooth!

Notice that you can see the constellation Orion, I have some sort of obsession with it for some reason!

I hope you get the chance to see the beauty in every moment of your life, even the dark ones.

XOXO

Photography and Fabulous Friday

Classes started this week and I will admit that I've never been this excited for a semester of college! I'm taking all creative classes – figure painting, intermediate drawing, digital photography and writing– and every class has an amazing professor (and a cute boy in one as well) ;) I have a feeling this is going to be one good semester! 

Although the week was off to a good start for the semester today, not so much. I woke up with a sore throat and an unhappy tummy so I've been in house lockdown until I get better. Which means, lots of reading and catching up on all the shows I've missed this week because of my busy schedule.

 I've been reading this amazing magazine by Jasmine Star about her journey to becoming a professional wedding photographer. And although I'm not sure if that's what I want to do when I "grow up" it defiantly is on the list (along with artist, designer, work for Jedidiah clothing, work with women in developing countries and of course be a superhero with all the powers included!) I love being behind my camera and learning about manipulating light and people to enhance a photo or to create a story. It's just another form of art and my heart has fallen in love with it as well.  Jasmine's magazine is really helping me see that life isn't worth it if you're not pursuing your dreams. And with life being so short and so few living life to the fullest, I'm really dedicating myself to living my dreams no matter what that looks like!

If you're interested in making this scarf it's just the bottom half of a t-shirt. Then I cut strips along the bottom and braided some and knotted the end of the others and WA-LA you have a simple fun scarf! Got to love the simplicity in that!

XOXO

Accessorize

This week is all about getting some last minute things done before I have to return to reality and go back home. Spending all this time at my parents house has been so nice that I'm a little sad to leave, but also ready for the next semester to start and to get busy with my new year and new ideas!

A few weeks before Christmas break my friend Renee had a small house party where we got to hear all about this fun jewelry line that was Christian based, affordable and good quality. The best part of the whole thing was really getting to hang out with a bunch of amazing girls and play dress up. Renee went all out and made some amazing appetizers and really put this whole thing together to make it a great day for all the girls.

I loved some of the ideas we got after looking at this jewelry show. Like taking a long strand of pearls and folding it in half and using a ribbon to hold around you neck or to crochet the strand of beads and add a ribbon or broach to hold the end of the crochet so that you get really cool knotted pearl necklace.

Bringing In The New Year

WOW! It has been awhile since I've posted, sorry about that. But man a lot has happened in the last week that I'm still catching my breath from. First of all Christmas was super amazing. My family is so much fun and we always have a great time together! I got a ton of super cute clothes (including a surprise faux fur jacket I've been drooling over! ~Thanks dad!) and some good books that I haven't even started yet but can't wait. All my homemade gifts were a success and I need to get some photos of them so I can share them with you all!

Last night I got all dressed up in my new clothes and Birthday boots (early present from mom) to go to a friend of the families New Years Eve party that was oh so much fun! My sister called me after midnight to bring back some memories of the past when she caught some good gossip about me and a guy I use to date. (drama, drama, drama!) and then today my mom and I drove to Denver to FINALLY check out the new H&M which was fantastic but sadly we didn't buy anything. (of course that didn't stop us from hitting the sales at Target. Got some great deals there!)

My mom, whose a therapist, had me take a personality test called an Enneagram, which caused a few problems in my life. (I'm a number 3 if you want to compare). I learned a lot about myself, like that i have a problem with pride, needing others approval, struggle with intimate relationships and following my own heart ~ embracing my feelings. Most people don't know this about me but I don't like to talk about my feelings. I love talking to others about theirs feelings and whats going on in their lives, but there are very select people in my life that I share how I'm feeling with. I think what hurt the most about learning this stuff was I realized how much I need others approval in my life. My personality type doesn't want to disappear into the background and I find my value in my successes. Because of this I'm very competitive with the people around me –most of the time without them even knowing it. So this year my resolutions are not only to live each day to its brightest and boldest colors –living in the moment, excepting things for what they are and really embracing life – but also to find value in my life on my own terms. To not compare myself to the artists, writers, students, christians, women, etc. around me. My success will come from what I say it does!

These are my New Years Resolutions! What are some of yours?!

This top was originally a Ralph Lauren Mens XL shirt! I took it in and spiced it up to make it into one of my new favorites!!! 

Hope all of your Holidays were as wonderful as you were dreaming them to be! 

XOXO

12 Days of Giving Back ~ The ending

Merry Little Christmas eve! In Denmark they call it "Lille Juleaften" or in our family we call it "lille galdieu yule" we're not quite sure which one is correct but we stick with tradition. Anyways, little Christmas eve is a night of parties and all kinds of special danish foods and this is when gifts would be opened. In our family however, it was an excuse to open one small present from under the tree (usually from a relative or neighbor). Keeping with Christmas traditions, right now my family and I are watching "It's a Wonderful Life" by the fire. A favorite Christmas tradition of mine!

Since it's the eve of Christmas eve I hope that all your Christmas shopping is done and now you can focus on time with friends and family and eating way more sweets than you should be!

My final gift that keeps on giving counts for two days, the gift of quality time. Being home this past week and spending time with the family has made me realize that my favorite part about Christmas is that the whole family gets together and spends the night together. I love getting to see my Sister-in-law and brother and although my Sister and Brother-in-law live near by it's fun to have them back home with everyone's dogs running around. It's just nice to all be together, to reflect on old times and to talk about our futures. So this Christmas I hope you get the chance to spend as much time as you can with your family and close friends and remember that that's what Christmas is really about. Coming together as a family because of the birth of Jesus is a pretty cool thing. 

Have a very Merry Christmas

XOXO

12 Days of Giving Back ~ Day 4-3

I'm sitting here by the fire and Christmas tree, sipping tea and watching the interview with Lady Gaga on the CW. I'm in love with her. I just think that she is so fabulous and bold. Her fashion and music really do cover shock art and I just love how comfortable she is in her own skin no matter what that looks like. To me she is kinda couture. In the fashion world, very high end, over the top outfits are created for the runway. Magazines and popular stores like H&M and Forever21 create toned down versions of these outfits to sell. Lady Gaga is the couture of confidence and of being outside the box, now it is our turn to step outside our comfort zones and to embrace the beauty and the fame that is in us! 

Now that I've gotten that all out, back to the gifts that keep on giving.

Moral Fibers and Radiant Cosmetics are the next two must haves on your Christmas shopping list or just your shopping list in general. 

Moral Fibers are T-shirts that are painted by different artists and are a full print put on each shirt. The idea is to help artists in developing countries to make a wage and to further their artistic endeavors. 15% of the revenue is given to the artist directly while another 10% is given to a charity close to the heart of the artist. All the shirts are high quality and guaranteed to not be made in a sweat-shop, which is always a high priority for me! Radiant Cosmetics could be my new make-up company. 20% of all revenue is used to help stop human trafficking around the world. Giving women a real voice through their make-up. Not only does this mean great things for the world but their make-up looks wonderful and is a reasonable price. (Not much more than Revlon or Maybelline.) It's defiantly the kind of make-up you buy one thing at a time when you can but I'm adding it to my shopping list! 

I hope you check out both of these amazing companies. We all have the potential to make a difference in this world. Lady Gaga uses her fame to encourage people to find their true self, to support gay rights, to be an advocate for AIDs awareness and more. Moral fibers, and Radiant Cosmetics have both found ways to use their passions of beauty, art, fashion and women to make a difference just like all these other companies that give back. Imagination is key in creating a new world and being the change we wish to see in the world. So keep your mind open and your imagination growing.

XOXO

12 Days of Giving Back ~ Day 6/5

Happy Hump day! I just finished watching the sweetest holiday movie with my parents call "The Gathering" it's from the 70's (you can tell from the decor) and it's about a father who finds out he has about a month to live and wants to mend all the relationships be destroyed with his wife and kids. It is such a sweet Christmas movie. If you can find it, I recommend that you watch it!

Today I went with my mother to a prayer group that she attends once a week and they had a Christmas Tea  party today, which was so festive and lots of good photos were taken. As soon as I'm finished editing them I will be sure to post them. I tell you, women and their tea parties, they defiantly go all out!

Tomorrow I head to my brother's house to do some video editing for his wife's bridal store that he hired me to do. I get to spend all day with his cute mini poo, Lexi and eat their food while I work on some videos. I'm very excited for a relaxing work day -No stress.

Todays gifts that keep on giving are really fun!

PACT is an underwear brand that uses 0 coal to create it's product. It's a little more expensive because they are so good for the environment. They come in a selection of styles and colors for men and women. You can also get some fun socks or T-shirts too. These would be a fun gift to give since we all usually get underwear for Christmas!

The second brand is called AFRCN APPRL and they are based out of Boulder, CO. A friend of mine actually help start the business and all the shirts are made in Africa, screen printed in Boulder and then the money is sent back to Africa. The guys that started this company are so much fun an have a great eye for design. It doesn't hurt that they love Africa too!

I know the days are winding down (and I seem to continue to run late in posting) but all of these brands aren't just good for Christmas! Birthdays, Holidays or just any day of the week all these companies make great products that always give back!

XOXO

12 Days of Giving Back ~ Day 8/7

What a week it has been. Finally classes are over for the semester and I couldn't be more happy about it! I'm really not the best student if I'm going to be honest, and sometimes I don't really know if school is the place for me. For now though, I don't have any other ideas of what I should be doing so this is where I am. I did apply for that job this week and sadly didn't get it. I was so sure I would but apparently God has bigger and better plans for me than even I could have planned for. So I hope that some amazing things happen for me next semester. I've been keeping busy with making Christmas presents, working on commissioned paintings and getting ready to go home for break. I got home last night and plan on being lazy the next few days and then will jump back into my usual go getter self. (Relaxing has never been my strong suit!) 

Since Christmas is getting close I'm going to finish the count down 2 at a time! Today I wanted to share a new company I found along with a company that I've known for a little while. 

~GIVE THE GIFT OF LOVE~

The two images on the top are from the company Collaborative World. They are a company that is dedicated to giving and bringing the world closer together. They are a 50/50 brand so that half of everything that enters Collaborative World, will eventually leave as well. Making the world a more beautiful place! They are so amazing with some really sick shirts! (I really want the pirate ship T-shirt!)

Day 7 Brand is Krochet Kids. After three friends went to Africa they knew that they needed to do something more. All knowing how to crochet they decided that they would crochet hats and sell them to raise money for the people they fell in love with. Their mission is to "empower people to rise above poverty". An amazing brand with some amazing merchandise that anyone would love to get for Christmas! 

So if you're still looking for last minute Christmas gifts, this year give the gift of love!

XOXO