Giving Back | Sweet Peas & Stilettos: The Modern Mommy Guide

Posts in the ‘Giving Back’ Category

ModeWalk & Samasource

Wednesday, May 16th, 2012

Yesterday afternoon I was certainly one lucky girl. I was invited (thank you Rhonda!!) to attend a ModeWalk trunk show in Los Altos Hills where a portion of proceeds benefitted Samasource. I was so excited because I have been a huge fan of Modewalk from the time they launched and all of the gorgeous clothes and accessories they have in their online showrooms. In addition, I had recently read an article about Samasource and was totally inspired by the great work they had been doing all over the world. And behind each of these organizations are super smart, super chic women. Love that!

Do you love fashion? Do you wish you could pop over to Paris for a little shopping trip? “ModeWalk is for the woman who treats her closet as a collection.” What I love about ModeWalk is that they celebrate the people behind the clothes – the designers, the seamstresses, and the muses who inspire them. The ModeWalk shopping experience is different because you feel like you actually get to meet the creative minds behind the impeccable designs and creations. Just one click and you are off to Paris!

Samasource enables companies to save money and time and do good at the same time. Who doesn’t want to do that? They also bring hope, pride and a livelihood to people who are smart and driven – they just need the opportunity to demonstrate the value they can bring. Samasource’s mission is to bring dignified, computer-based work to women, youth, and refugees living in poverty.

Leila Janah and her team have already created jobs for people all over the world and are partnering with top corporations to prove that this idea is one that works. Please check out their website to learn more, to be inspired and to see how you can help.

Posted in Fashion & Style, General, Giving Back, Inspiring Women, Shop 'til You Drop | No Comments »

The Honest Company Product Review

Thursday, April 26th, 2012

Many of you have probably read about Jessica Alba’s company, The Honest Company by now. They have been getting a lot of press lately and I must tell you – the products are fabulous! This picture shows a number of the products we have been trying at my home and I am here to fill you in on my thoughts.

1 – The packaging is close to perfect. I swear – even the cardboard box that arrives at your doorstep is cute. (I actually converted it into a recycling bin in my office because I didn’t want to part with it.) And then you open the cardboard box and you are greeted with vibrant turquoise blue happiness and a surprise ‘thank you’ note at the bottom. They have not skipped a single detail and have been incredibly thoughtful in making every aspect of interacting with, and consuming their products a delight. The colors and flowers on the individual packages are so pretty too. These are not items that you will want to hide in a cupboard under your sink. They are so fabulous you will want to proudly display them near every sink and bath in your house. If I was giving out grades here, I’d give a hands down ‘A+’ to the graphic designers and packaging team at The Honest Company. Kuddos!

2 – They smell so so so so good. I hate most scented products for the bath and end up sneezing away whenever anyone lights any sort of scented candle. Of course I love the smell of warm chocolate cookies baking in the oven – but this is not about cookies… (Maybe I am just hungry tonight for something sweet…) All of the products from The Honest Company smell incredibly clean and fresh. Not that powdery fresh – just really crisp and clear and clean smelling. The items that are in fact scented, like the tangerine dream bubble bath and sweet orange vanilla conditioner, are farmer’s market fresh. The scents are subtle but delicious. My son has been asking me why I have been putting so many bubbles in his bath lately and the answer is easy – because they smell so darn good.

3 – Light but effective products. It is one thing for the products to be pretty and for everything to smell yummy, but do they actually work? Yes! The face and body lotion is so sheer – perfect for an infant and his 40 year old mother alike. The conditioner, the hand soap, everything I have tried, I have honestly loved. When I first saw that they had dish soap, I thought it would be good for baby bottles and sippy cups. I have to tell you it has actually worked on all of my pots and pans too.

4 – Giving back in an honest way. At the heart and soul of The Honest Company is a foundation of giving back. “That’s why with every product you purchase, The Honest Company donates product, money, time, and effort to addressing critical health & social issues affecting children and families.” It doesn’t get better than that.

I want to thank the team at The Honest Company for their generosity in sending me some of their products to try out. I can honestly tell you it has been a sheer delight to use them.

Posted in Cool Baby Stuff, Cool Kids Stuff, General, Giving Back, Great Green Ideas, Health & Spa, Mommy Must Haves | No Comments »

Book Cover T-Shirts

Thursday, April 19th, 2012

Out of Print celebrates the world’s great stories through fashion. Their products (t-shirts for men, women and kids, totes, coasters & more) feature iconic and often out of print book covers. The t-shirts are even treated to feel soft and worn just like a well-read book. Love that! And for every product they sell, Out of Print donates one book to a community in need through their partnership with Books For Africa. Help spread the joy of reading today.

Posted in Children's Books, Fashion & Style, Fun Books, General, Giving Back, Shop 'til You Drop | Comments Off

Altruette Charm Bracelets

Friday, February 24th, 2012

How gorgeous and utterly fabulous is this charm bracelet? Love it love it love it! So here is the scoop. I was reading Maria Shriver’s site (which I also love) and I read this great article by Julie Schlosser and Lee Clifford, two former Fortune Magazine journalists who left their day jobs to start Altruette, a line of jewelry that raises money and awareness for non-profits. The article reminded me a little of my own adventures of starting a company. As an added twist to their story both Julie and Jane got pregnant in the midst of launching their company. Can you imagine? Holy cow.

This wonderful charm bracelet has a unique philanthropic twist: each charm represents a different non-profit organization, which receives a substantial portion of every sale. How cool is that? In addition to the spectacular shopping I must admit I was in awe reading about these non-profit organizations and the variety of unique services they provide. Check out their site to learn about these inspiring organizations.

So yes, you too can look good and do good in 2012…yeah!

Posted in Bling, General, Giving Back, Mommy Must Haves, Shop 'til You Drop | Comments Off

glassybaby

Tuesday, February 7th, 2012

In 1998, Lee Rhodes, glassybaby creator and founder, was raising her three small children and fighting what would become a 7-year battle with a rare form of lung cancer. She fell in love with these fabulous hand blown glass vessels and the way they radiated light with a simple tea candle and added color and cheer to any table. Over the next few years, Lee learned to blow glass and she created glassybaby. To Lee, these colorful vessels represented “that deep breath that we often forget to take.” The success of glassybaby has enabled the company to donate hundreds of thousands of dollars to charities dedicated to health, healing and quality of life. Lee Rhodes is a true inspiration for us all.

Posted in Art, General, Giving Back, Home, Inspiring Women | Comments Off

Tory Burch Flats Benefitting Breast Cancer Research

Monday, October 17th, 2011

As you all know, during the month of October many companies are selling specially designed products where a percentage of proceeds benefit Breast Cancer awareness. There are tons of great items available from a wide array of companies. I think it is amazing that every year more and more companies get on board. Every one likes to shop for a good cause.

Looking for a super chic, comfortable and versatile way to show your support? Check out Tory Burch’s specially-designed limited edition pink patent Eddie ballet flat, benefiting The Breast Cancer Research Foundation®? Tory Burch is donating 15% of this purchase to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation® up to a maximum donation of $15,000. BCRF is dedicated to preventing breast cancer and finding a cure in our lifetime by funding clinical and translational research worldwide. For more information about BCRF, visit www.bcrfcure.org.

Posted in Cute Shoes, General, Giving Back, Mommy Must Haves, Shop 'til You Drop | Comments Off

Somaly Mam Fundraiser

Wednesday, October 12th, 2011

Somaly Mam is an incredibly inspiring women. I heard her speak at Maria Shriver’s Women’s Conference a few years back and she brought me to tears. She was full of grace, determination and heart. She has done so much to help women and girls all over the world so that they do not have to suffer and endure the pain that she did as a young girl.

Somaly Mam travels all over to share her personal story of sexual slavery, and to raise awareness of human trafficking. Her foundation, The Somaly Mam Foundation works around the world to provide direct services for victims, advocacy, and outreach.

For those of you who live in or around New York City – please consider attending the Somaly Mam Foundation Fundraiser Gala on Thursday, October 20th. Help spread the word if you know friends who might want to go too.

If you aren’t in NYC, you can still help. Please visit Somaly.org to learn more.

Posted in General, Giving Back, Inspiring Women | Comments Off

Little Giraffe Supports Breast Cancer Research

Wednesday, October 5th, 2011

We all know how super duper crazy soft and luxurious Little Giraffe blankets are. I will admit that I have been very close to buying a whole slew of them and making pillow cases for every pillow in my home so my cheeks can happily sleep on that amazingly soft fabric every night of the week. Luckily I own a few Little Giraffe blankets so there is always one near by for my son and I to fight over…

I am thrilled to share the news that in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month, Little Giraffe is donating 10% of all proceeds of their fabulous luxe pink throws and blankets to support breast cancer research activities. I can’t think of a better time to stock up on baby gifts, or to simply to treat yourself.

Posted in Cool Baby Stuff, General, Giving Back, Mommy Must Haves | Comments Off

Nutcase Bike Helmets

Thursday, September 29th, 2011

Safety first. Of course. But looking cool is a very very close second. My 4 year old son cruises about town on his Mater bike with training wheels wearing his Little Nutty watermelon bike helmet and is without a doubt, the hippest kid in town. I can not begin to tell you how many compliments he gets on his helmet. People love it. Most importantly he loves it so it is never a struggle to get him to wear it. In fact, he thinks it is so cool, he wears it like a hat – even if we are just going to the grocery store. I happen to have my very own Nutcase sunburst helmet too, as does my very good friend Srinija who originally introduced me to this very creative company.

My son actually learned how to unbuckle his helmet all by himself this week so I thought I would celebrate by telling all of you about these super cool helmets. So go check out their Little Nutty line if you are shopping for kids, or simple Nutcase for adult helmets.

You can also shop for a good cause at Nutcase. They have some very cool green and yellow helmets on sale that benefit The Harrington Family Foundation. The Foundation believes every child has a right to receive a quality education and proper health care in a safe and nurturing community. You can protect your child’s brain and help support children in need – a win win all around.

And one more thing….If you are into winter sports – they make snow sport helmets too.

Posted in Cool Kids Stuff, General, Giving Back, Shop 'til You Drop | Comments Off

Lusso Bags

Sunday, September 11th, 2011

At Sweet Peas & Stilettos I have always loved to feature companies that have a charitable cause and the core of their company. Lusso Bags is one of my latest finds that does just that. They create cute, practical products and they have found a way to make a difference in the world too.

This super handy shoe bag (pictured above) is “made in Kolkata, India, of eco-friendly and fair trade (ECOCERT) 100% organic cotton by women that have traded a life in the sex trade, for a new life as a seamstress. Each bag is sewn with love and care, and just five bags pays one day of honest wages, medical insurance, and childcare for one woman.” How wonderful is that!

They also make these adorable baby bags that you can use for all of those miscellaneous items in your diaper bag. This set is the ‘girl’ version and they have a ‘boy’ set too. You can feel great about any Lusso Bags purchase you make because they give back 5% of sales to help fight human trafficking. “Help a Little…Help a Lot” every time you purchase Lusso designs.

Posted in General, Giving Back, Shop 'til You Drop | Comments Off