Raven + Lily Cards

I love volunteering with www.ravenandlily.com We get together and eat cookies and drink and make stuff. It's one of my favorite things. 

Tuesday

It's Tuesday, a pretty mundane day, other than the fact that I came across this butterfly on my lunch break. The spots in it's feathery brown wings were like drops of aluminum. So beautiful, that nature. Today has been redeemed. 

RIP Dusty

One of my dear friends passed away on Saturday after battling cancer for the past 5 years. We were friends since I was in high school, lost touch for about 10 years then reconnected a little over a year ago.  It was like no time had passed. During that time I had the chance to visit him in NYC where he was living.  (Who in their right mind moves to NYC when they are sick?!) That just shows what a fighter he was. I spent a week with him at NIH in DC for his chemo treatments, and to celebrate his one year immune system transplant. We met up a few times in L.A. and Dallas too. We always texted and emailed, and I kept up our old tradition of letter writing; Something I have recently gotten out of the habit of doing, but was glad to pick it up again. I let him know early on I was thankful for his presence in my life again. The past five years had brought me a different kind of hardship in the form of depression and burn out. Seeing him was like seeing the opposite of myself; He was dying on the outside but alive on the inside while I felt I was alive on the outside but dying on the inside. I needed this so desperately, this terrible, beautiful visual to remind me that life is worth living. Till the end he fought hard. The last time I heard from him was two weeks ago. I knew from update emails he wasn't doing well, so his text shocked me. I was at work and instantly burst into tears. He just said, "Are you still in Cali? I miss you." I honestly never thought I would hear from him again, but even so I had been texting and calling him every few days just to let him know I was thinking and praying for him. I rushed outside to call him. I left him a message saying, "I am so proud of you Justin. What I love about you is that you are such a strong, fighting spirit, and the beautiful thing is that that is what will live forever. You are such an inspiration to me and a dear friend. I am so thankful for you in my life. I love and miss you. Good-bye." And now bravely yet reluctantly he has moved on before us. We will all be with him before we know it, time goes so fast. But in the mean time I will take the time I have left to live on the inside too. Thank you Justin Sullivan, for who you were here on this earth; for driving me crazy, for making me laugh, for being creative, for singing me rap songs, and for always being you. You will be greatly missed.

Twilight

It's the truth. But I still love it. 

Sharing:

I walked by the most beautiful flowering tree today. As if it was spring it was all decked out in pink and frills. I cut a piece off to add to my wardrobe. Such a fancy tree with bountiful flowers should share. Wouldn't you agree? 

Sat. 21 Nov.

Beauty

http://www.timflach.com

Raven + Lily Online Store Launch TODAY!!

Our products from our trip from Africa plus our India and Africa Collection 

are now up on our new STORE site!!!

www.shop.ravenandlily.com

Happy Halloween!!!

This year was out of control.

When I was a child I used to go to this place called Crystal's Pizza. It was a magical place full of miscellaneous oddities such as a "study" room full of books with a fish tank coffee table you would eat on, a movie theatre room you could eat in, a live singer/piano player in the "dining" room, loads of video games... And, on the way out there was one machine that always caught my eye. It was a little frightening, a little terrifying, and I liked it. It was ZOLTAR! Most people know him from the movie "Big" with Tom Hanks. It's a fortune teller in a box. Completely mechanical, completely chance fortunes, but he was going to make you pay. A dollar to be exact. 

So, this year I decided I would become ZOLTAR. It's probably my most epic costume of my life. I will never top this one. I have reached the height of my Halloween years, and I will probably have to retire after this. But it was worth it. I hit up a party on Friday and Saturday night and won "Best Costume" at both.

How it worked was like this:

1. Put dollar in dollar slot (provided to the left)

2. Wait for Zoltar to respond

3. Zoltar will read your mind 

4. Zoltar will choose your favorite candy and then deposit it through the candy slot

5. Zoltar is never wrong. If you don't think Zoltar chose the right candy, it is because you have been repressing your true candy urges.

6. Have a Happy Halloween

Zoltar out of the box with Flapper Girl, and Gold-digger

Maria Shriver's "The Women's Conference"

Volunteers Lori Fox and Sarah Mark. 

Sarah designed our awesome bamboo canopy out of Raven + Lily remnant fabric scraps 

and pure imagination! The photos don't do it justice.

www.californiawomen.org Raven + Lily will have a booth this Monday and Tuesday at First Lady Maria Shriver's "The Women's Conference" in Long Beach, California. It is a conference that "empowers women to be architects of change." We are proud to represent our women's co-ops in India + East Africa + Los Angeles, sell their products, and sign up volunteers for our Los Angeles group! We are expecting 14,000 in foot traffic at the event. Just wanted to share what is going on and a photo of our booth!

Victoria & The Boss

Book Front

Book Back w/ CD

My friends Billy and Sarah Mark were planing to sub-let their place to a nice British woman name "Victoria Bishop" which contacted them from a posting they placed on Craigslist. Her boss, called "The Boss" sent them a cheque and told them to go ahead and cash it. But, OOPS! He accidently put her spending $$ on the same check! They would have to send the couple thousand overage back to him. They did. It was a hot check. Billy and Sarah were now $2000 in the red. IDEA! Billy decides to make an art project out if it. He writes amazing music and Sarah sews amazing things! VOILA! A home made story book from two brilliant Los Angeles artists turning a terrible loss into a way to break even again. 

Help a Brother and a Sister out!

Find out more at http://victoriaandboss.webs.com/

Book and CD set are $20 (autographs extra!)

My Friends Company on ABC this Sunday!

A Friend of mine was chosen to represent her company on ABC's new series "Shark Tank", which will air this Sunday. I was working on the show as her assistant! Look for me in flip-flops and shorts! (-:

Soul's Calling appears on ABC's "Shark Tank"

Get ready happy people! Founder Gina Cotroneo will be appearing on ABC's new hit reality show "Shark Tank" this Sunday, August 30th! Gina will be pitching five independently wealthy "sharks" to invest in Soul's Calling.

Can't leak the outcome, but this is tremendous national exposure for the brand.

Tune in to ABC this Sunday at  9PM Eastern / 8PM Central to watch the action.

Learn more about the show and watch full episodes on ABC's Website.

Thanks to all who have helped the company come to be where it is today!

Shark Tank Dallas Viewing Party

Sunday, August 30th 7-9:30 pm

Kenny's Wood Fired Grill - Beltline & the Tollway in Addison

972-392-9663

Map »

 

Peace, love & sunshine,

: )

Gina

50% off f o x L O R ((this week only!!))

www.foxlor.etsy.com!

Also check out this great blog by a fellow FIDM grad! www.stylemeetsy.blogspot.com

My Favorite Thing (Today)

Airport Security: No bringing spoons into the Nairobi airport, ya hear?

My Favorite Thing (Today)

The Cake Cutting Ceremony

There's this funny tradition all over East Africa where if you are a guest, they have a cake cutting ceremony to welcome you. I felt like we were getting married every few days!

Ethiopia

Entoto is a mountain in Ethiopia where there is supposedly holy water that heals those with AIDS. The church there does not allow those on the mountain to use helpful drugs to treat HIV/AIDS saying they should instead have faith to be healed, and they do nothing to educate those living there about their disease. Most come there on their own or are dropped off by family members and left to die. It is a dark place of hopelessness as no one is ever healed. BEZA has been going to the mountain to educate the women there, get them the HIV/AIDS treatment that they need, and provide them with work through their jewelry making, chocolate, and yarn spinning programs. Being with the women  it was easy to forget the hardships they suffer because they were so beautiful, lively, and full of hope. It is an honor to partner with them.

One of the women hard at work!

A women in the Entoto Project Program modeling one of our designs that she was crafting.

Kirsten and I working with the women to finalize the designs.

Sophi and Emily at BEZA International. Sophi and her husband started BEZA.

Bujumbura, Burundi Women's Group

PACWA/WOGA Women's Centre

Everyone here has an unbelievable and miracle story of survival. Our host Peace began this project after she had fled to Canada during the genocide with her kids. After rebuilding her life there, and after her children were adults, she felt God tell her to return to Burundi to help the women there. This program was the result. It was this program that pulled on my heart the most, causing me to want to come on this trip. I have met Peace twice as she has come to speak to our Women of Global Action group in Los Angeles. She is the strongest women I have ever met. Two days before we arrived here another tragedy struck her life. For security reasons I won't say much, but one of her family members was murdered, and they believe it was politically motivated. 

As I sat in this sewing room and salon with all these women they began to tell us there stories. All of them have either been raped, widowed, starving,  HIV/AIDS +, or all the above. Yet there is a fierce hope and peace like I have never seen before. It is the Gospel in action. Alive. Transforming. Even now I am crying as I write this. They have touched me deeply by their faith. They are roll models to me. And their Joy is contagious.

My Favorite TWO Things (Today)

African Crane Bird, in the wild, at the pool. SO BEAUTIFUL! (this place is wild.)

Kirsten under the Novotel hotel pool-side umbrella

Burundi Market

This was the primary market in Bujumbura. Westerners never go here. Some of the local's don't even come here. Our host Peace apologized for bringing us here but said this was the best place to buy fabric. Before we stepped out of the car she made us empty everything we had on us into her bag. When we got out, something told me to "hold on tight." The streets were crowded and all eyes were on us. When we walked into the market, a large, sprawling awning with make-shift stalls as "stores", Kirsten had something thrown at her face, and I had my pockets patted down. The dirt on the floor created a permanent dust cloud in the air. We waded through the haze until the fabric stalls began to appear. 

Most of the people looked like the guy in the photo to the right. Beady eyes full of darkness, hopelessness, and survival. It's impossible not to feel the tension in the air. Two genocides have left this country socially, economically, and tribally unstable. Anyone could "snap" at anytime and there is nothing to protect you. Don't tell my mom, but it's a little scary being here. There are no safety nets only survival of the fittest. This morning before we came here we attended a church service. The message was from the Old Testament: The story of Amos raping his sister. My first thought was, "Where is he going with this?". My second thought was, "...We're not in Kansas anymore." The entire sermon was on rape and murder. That if you have been raped God still values you. You are pure in His site and He still has a plan for you. If you have raped someone you need to repent and turn from your wicked ways and accept Christ's forgiveness. You are a new creation in Him. Also if you have murdered someone or plan to murder someone you also need to repent. It was a heavy and intense message. Many people came forward afterwards for prayer. It was very sobering to see these tough issues that Burundians face on a daily basis. 

Jet Lag

ps- my staying up late jet-lag experiment worked!

Normally when I travel East I arrive at my destination in the morning. I sleep on the plane as much as possible so by the time I get there I am ready to go. This time we arrived at night so I had to reconfigure my plan. I stayed up all night the night before. Flew from Los Angeles-DC with no sleep, then from DC- Switzerland slept as much as I could. From Switzerland to Kenya tried not to sleep though narcolepsy kicked in a few times. It worked. Totally. Loads of water too. And Swiss Chocolate. All secrets to success.

Beautiful Burundi

One of the women making a children's soft toy block

Kirsten and Lori working on a purse pattern

Showing the leaders how we want the baby bib to look...

Today we went with Peace to meet the women at the sewing cooperative that we will be working with. They welcomed us in song and dance and then introduced themselves to us. Even now as I type it brings tears to my eyes to think about all their stories of how this program has completely changed their lives. They are all so talented and full of potential and just need the opportunity to grow. Nobel Peace Prize Winner Muhammed Yunus said,

"Poor people are a like bonsai tree, a little tree. You pick the seed of the tallest tree in the forest and take the best seed out of it, and plant it in a flower pot. You get a tiny little tree, we call it a bonsai. Nothing wrong with the seed, you've got the best seed possible. Nothing wrong with the tree, because you actually picked the tallest tree in the forest. But actually it grows [small]... why? Because we put them in the flower pot. The base. Society is the base. And society is so stingy it doesn't give the poor ppl the space to grow..."

These women have all the brain power and will to do what needs to be done, but no where to grow. We are hoping we can make that flower pot a bit bigger by opening up a US market to them. They were very excited about the designs we showed them. We kinda are too! (-:

Burundi

BELOW: (Emily (WOGA- Colorado), Kendra (WOGA- Colorado), Brandon (Film Maker), 

Kirsten (Raven + Lily), Peace (PACWA leader, Burundi), Lori Fox (Raven + Lily)

We arrived in Burundi from Kenya. It was an amazing welcome for us as we went with our host Peace to her cousin's wedding and nephew's graduation celebration. The wedding was filled with tribal dancing and drumming and singing from Burundi and Rwandan traditions. 

Next we went to the grad celebration and listened to a few speeches and were able to partake in a Burundian feast! What a way to dive into the culture!! It was a day none of us will forget. 

We ate potatoes, boiled bananas that tasted like more potatoes, fish, rice, kale, salad, OH MY!

My New Favorite Airport In the World...

Bujumbura, Burundi

aka: Star Wars

My Favorite Thing (Today)

The "Lucky Bra" School Van

Nairobi, Kenya

Kenya Sweet Kenya

It is the dead of winter here in Kenya. Temperatures drop into the lower 60's F. Somehow we are surviving. The constant flow of coffee and chai are helping.

(Ladies Homecare Retreat Center: Karen, Nairobi)

Emily, Kendra, Kirsten, and I arrived safely to the Nairobi airport after 24 hours of economy air plane food, layovers, and verticle naps. We were taken to Ladies Home Care Retreat Center in Karen, a village just outside of Nairobi, where we met Dr. Judy (who heads the groups we will work with), Brandon (documentary film maker and mosquito dodger who has been here sice last Thursday) and the staff. Good food, warm chai, smiling faces, and (at last) a proper bed filled with horizontal sleep.

(Kendra, Rev. Dr. Judy Mbugua, Kirsten, Chai)

The sun rose at 6am right on cue with the crowing rooster and flock of birds that nested outside our windows. After a quick breakfast we met with Dr. Judy to introduce her to the vision of "Raven and Lily". She was was overwhelmed with excitement and joy at this new venture that will be such a huge and practical help to the women here. As our meeting came to a close a van pulled up in the driveway. The tribal Maasai women, covered in traditional beads and blankets, filed out and came to meet us. They brought three tables full of their traditional bead work for us to see. Many of the women have little or no education and one of the leaders pointed to the jewelry and said, "This is the only education they know." And from the looks of it they are masters. After formal introductions, hand shakes, a few songs, and Maasai dancing, Kirsten and I received our bracelet order and began working on new designs. We created some solid pieces that we can't wait to share with you!

The women were so greatful and touched that we want to partner with them. They thanked us many times and shared with us that with this work they will be able to send their children to school and have food for their families. I had to keep myself from crying. It's so amazing to see first hand how something as simple as a bracelet can give so much life and dignity.

Tomorrow we will be venturing to the marketplace to gather samples and source fabrics for our time in Burundi.

From Antarctica, I mean Kenya (((bbrrrrrrr))),

lorifox