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Woo be Scrunchalicious

Yay! Got my new crop pants, buds and I gotta tell you, they’re packin’ some serious scrunch! They definitely deserve the name scrunchalicious! I’m always amazed at how much I adore these garments when they arrive. Is that weird? I can’t remember ever being so happy about getting clothing before. Describing the goods with such strong emotional phrases like “love, love, love them!” Yep, aha and theses capris are so wonderful, I just love ’em, too!

The soft fabric gives them a lot of stretch (95% cotton and 5% lycra) making for one cozy pair of crops. I gotta admit, I’m more of a shorts or jeans kinda gal when I’m in casual mode. Creature of habit, maybe? Well, these scrunchie crops have changed my mind on what’s most comfortable. These cropies are mucho soft, a nice weight plus have great details and style. I feel like I’m dressing up every top I own with them. All the same, I can totally lounge around the house while sporting these puppies and don’t miss wearing jeans or shorts AT ALL. In fact, I feel like I’m in my pajama bottoms! Shhh.

As for the design, the waist has a thin elastic band that is very stretchy. The size small waist seems to comfortably stretch to twenty eight inches. Below the waist the capris have a three inch stitched yoke design. Love that 80’s throwback detail. They seem to be a little big in the hips for me but I wear long tops anyway so, no worries there. The sweetest little embroidered tree lives centered on the back of the waistband and they have a nifty seam down the middle (front and back) of each leg. Starting at the knees, the main feature, the coolest gathered scrunchieness ever! I ordered them in brown which is a really nice chocolate shade (darker than the picture online) and they go with almost everything I own. I like them so much I’m thinking about getting the black ones (which will go with everything else I own).

There’s another important benefit of owning these capris, they are part of Avatar Imports clothing line. Avatar is a member of the Fair Trade Federation, (a nonprofit trade association that promotes businesses that adhere to principles of fair trade). So, workers creating these great clothes aren’t paid as little as possible (sweat shop amounts), they are paid an amount that actually allows them to…live. Not only that, Avatar is a certified “Green” company practicing resource conservation – conserving energy, water, materials, preventing pollution, waste, etc. This inspires me to do what I can in my own life because even simple things like shutting off power when leaving a room, printing double sided or canceling junk mail CAN make a difference. These things matter. Every natural resource is precious and every being is of value and deserves to be treated with fairness and a chance at a better life for the work they do. Wouldn’t it be great if this was a priority for everyone? Today is the day to change. So, I will gladly wear wonderfully unique scrunchalicious capris from companies that believe in doing good, being conscious and fair.

Peace and love,
~Woo

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I Love the Love Dress-Skirt!

When spring and summer comes around I am always the first to break out the dresses and skirts.  I’m somewhat picky when it comes to buying a dress.

I look for these key things:
*It HAS to be comfortable, there is no way I can spend my life relaxing in a too tight dress!
*Form-fitting.  I have curves that I don’t mind showing off so I like my dresses to be form fitting.
*unique, pretty! Obviously, it has to grab my attention.  If doesn’t grab mine attention then what would make me want to put it on in the morning?
I spotted the Organic Love Dress-Skirt at Soul Flower and I was in love!  Wait, what is a dress-skirt?
This is a dress, and a skirt.  Hold up, it’s both?  That’s right!  With dual purposes the Love dress is a serious must have!  All you do is fold down the dress to fit like a skirt, and because it’s organic cotton is stretches to fit your uniqueness.

*Super Comfy!  When I tried this on I immediately thought Moby Wrap (baby carrier).  When my daughter was young that’s how I would carry her around, it was so comfortable I just loved wearing it.  This is the same type of material, you really can’t go wrong with organic cotton!
*Form Fitting, Again organic cotton is the way to go!  The Love dress truly hugs your curves, accentuating the positive!
*Unique.  I really love the color, azure blue, it puts off a chill, calm, relaxing vibe. The love design looks to me like it was written with dandelions blowing through the air.  This dress is casual with an awesome splash of radiance!

What I LOVE about it:
It’s great being able to wear this as a dress or a skirt.  Spring is funny in Georgia, someday it will be cool and others humid hot.  So when it’s too cool out to wear a strapless dress I can fold it down into a skirt and throw on a tee!

When I put this dress on not only do I feel comfortable and confident, I like feel myself.  I feel spunky and free.  I feel like I want to go outside in a meadow and run.  My inner hippie spirit comes out and I feel like a kid again.  I can’t have a bad day wearing this gorgeous dress-skirt!  Thank you Soul Flower!

karma krewe logo 300 - I Love the Love Dress-Skirt!Candice wore the Love Organic Dress-Skirt

All Karma Krewe posts | All of Candice’s posts

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Go Go Tie Dye Hoody Dress Review


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When I first saw this dress, I couldn’t take my eyes off of it—the colors and the style were mesmerizing. But would I ever wear it?, I thought. You know how it is—you see a dress that you love—it’s gorgeous. You finally break down and buy it, and then it sits in your closet, too impractical to ever actually wear anywhere.

When I opened the package, I immediately knew that would not be the case with this dress! I put it on immediately. It was a freezing cold day and I wore it over my long johns to the river to go paddling. It looked fabulous yet relaxed at the same time and most important, I was super comfortable due to the stretchy organic cotton and lycra blend. After we were done paddling, I slipped the dress back on and I noticed the second best feature for me, a whitewater paddler who travels all over from river to river—it was easy to change under.

I proceeded during the week to wear the dress on a road trip in the mountains, hiking, at work in the office and to yoga class over my yoga clothes as a tunic.

Then my birthday came and I wore it as a festive birthday girl dress. A couple of days later, I wore it to a St. Paddy’s Day party. This was like day number 6 in the dress. My husband asked if I would ever take it off and I said an emphatic NO! He said that was cool because he loved it on me anyway.

Then the weather warmed up into a fabulous warm spring fling and I could wear the dress without the long johns! We packed up our van for a weekend of travel and kayaking. I stuffed the dress in my clothing cabinet. We went kayaking and when we got back, I pulled the dress from the crumpled mess, shook it out, and easily slipped the dress on. The crumpling of it was not a problem and it felt SO GOOD against my skin after kayaking on a warm spring day. And I could dry my hair with the hoody. It was the perfect thing. I wore it after kayaking for the next few days and to another party.

This dress is so comfortable and easy to wear, I can actually do yoga in it! It will be perfect for some concerts too because it will be so easy to dance in.

This dress turned out to be the perfect addition to my wardrobe because it is versatile—it can go from riverside to being stuffed in a bag or cabinet to van living to out on the town. It’s nice enough to wear out, yet relaxed enough to kick back in. It’s stretchy and non-binding, so I can move around and just be free. I can even spill something on it and it would just blend in. (If you know me, you know this is super important!)

The extra super cool bonuses are that it’s eco-conscious and affordable. The dress is made of organic cotton, fair trade, and the company even donates some profits to environmental organizations—they tell you which ones on the tag! This dress is by the people for the people—kind to the environment, to the workers, on the eyes, to your skin, and your wallet! I never thought one dress could do so much!

~Andria

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Our 2011 Karma Krewe!


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Karma Krewe 2011…

We are seeking writers for our Soul-Flower.com Karma Krewe. Each year, we choose a team of enthusiastic & fun-loving customers who help us to spread the Soul Flower vibe across mother earth. Watch for our krewe out there: handing out stickers & catalogs; talking about Soul-Flower.com; and writing product reviews and stories right here on our blog.

So…do you like blogging & writing? Do you love Soul Flower and want to tell others about it? Do you like to be on the receiving end of discounts and free products? Do you want to get lots of karma from your Soul Flower buds? Then answer the questions below & email them to [email protected]

p.s. This is not a paid job! It is a true labor of love with free products and samples (and an ongoing discount…) as your rewards 🙂

Yes, I want to be on the Soul-Flower Karma Krewe!

Your Name:
Your Email:

Your Location:
Your Phone:
Are you over 18 years?
Your Blog:
Your Facebook Link:
Your Twitter Link:
How often do you visit Soul-Flower.com?

What is your all time favorite Soul-Flower item you own?

If you could buy one thing from Soul-Flower right now, what would it be?
What unique perspective can you bring to our blog?

 

Email your answers, along with a writing sample & photo of yourself to: [email protected] by February 21st. Thanks buds!

How people treat you is their karma; how you react is yours. ~Wayne Dyer

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How To Tie a Wrap Skirt Tutorial Video

Do you have one of these cute wrap skirt and aren’t sure how to wear it? Are you nervous to buy one because you just aren’t sure how to tie it? Let us help show you how to tie a wrap skirt! We’ve carried quite a few wrap skirts here at Soul Flower over the years and continue every season with amazing new wrap skirts. But if you’re new to this style of skirt, figuring out how to wear it can feel a bit intimidating at first. So take a look at this quick video – our bud Brit shows us just how simple it is to tie one of these super-adjustable wrap skirts. Once you get one, you’ll be hooked! 🙂

(more…)

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Free Your Mind T-Shirt: Design Process

Talk about an empowering song! This song + a favorite quote = an awesome tee design.

Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our minds.
~Bob Marley

This quote is powerful and profound, and it calls for a simple yet bold design. Our Soul Flower Block Print tees have been a hit, so we decided to channel the same hand-made vibes for Free Your Mind.

It started with a blank piece of sketchbook paper and a pencil. A little freehand lettering and cutout action with an X-Acto blade, and we’ve got a super simple (but not so sturdy) stencil!

The floppiness of the stencil didn’t matter in this case since we only needed to spray through it a couple of times. Orange was the only color spray paint we had on hand, so FREE YOUR MIND started out about as orange as an oompa-loompa! 🙂

The reason we chose to cut a stencil and actually spray paint the design on to a piece of paper is so we could achieve that cool over-spray look that occurs naturally with stenciling.

After the paper dried, it was scanned in to the computer and adjusted to be completely black and white.

The design was then sent off to the screenprinters, who completed the final step in our journey from drawing-to-stencil-to-digital-to-screen-to-shirt. Whew! It’s definitely quite the process, but the results are awesome. We achieved that cool graffiti/spray paint look, with an empowering message. And it’s available for men & women!

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Thanks to our buds Leiah & Joe for freeing their minds during our photoshoot 🙂

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Take a Hike! T-Shirt Review

As a mother I am always on the lookout for clothing that is as unique as my children. Soul-Flower always solves that dilemma and the Take a Hike shirt is no exception. When I saw that they also had the same print in adult sizes, I was ecstatic! I had visions of dressing my husband and two year old in the same outfits and well, look for yourself how that turned out!

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What I love most about the shirts are their vibrant fall-like colors and the fact that they fit true-to-size. My 2 year old is very large on top but some 2Ts fit well and some 3Ts are too small. This shirt was perfect in a 2T! My husband’s large was also a perfect fit. We went out and about for the day with the boys in their shirts and they sure got a lot of compliments. I am sure it has nothing to do with how much they look alike 😉

Dexter, being 2 1/2 is really starting to come into himself. He is noticing everything and is talking a whole lot more. Nothing gets passed him really. When I first opened the box that contained the two shirts I told Dexter that I had a surprise for him in there. He is so used to seeing packages come for the new baby that he was ecstatic to see something for him. He first pulled out my husband’s shirt and he looked at it weird and said “no me shirt” and I said, “no, thats Daddy’s shirt” He looked puzzled until I gave him his shirt out of the box. He immediately looked at it and then turned and looked at the bigger shirt. He then looked at me and yelled “Dada Dexter same!” It was priceless.

~Maggie


Kids (2T-12)                   Mens (M-XXL)

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Tree of Life Hemp Necklace Review

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The Tree of Life hemp necklace is already a much loved accessory for Autumn. The earth-tone beads are ideal for this season. If you look around Mama Earth right now, you will see the exact same hues! Very scenic, Soul-Flower!

The pendant is of medium thickness, not too thin & not too bulky. The circle around the tree almost has the appearance of twisted rope. It’s wicked cool and very dimensional! Deeper lines start on the trunk of the tree and extend up the branches. Five polished beads are lined up on each side of the pendant. The beads have a little spotted color to them, giving them a neat-o variegated appearance. The necklace itself is also not too thin, or thick, and likely to endure. It is also not too scratchy, which some hemp necklaces like to be. Luckily, one size fits all, and it is completely apropos for both gals and guys. It might even be 100% kosher, so all of our bases should be covered here. 🙂 All buds can enjoy this one!

I sure am gleeful and chipper to own this one, so order one today for yourself, or as a gift to someone else you want to see get chirpy! High-fives, Soul-Flower…this one ROCKS!

~Cam

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Land of Forests Patch Bag

When our very own bud Jenn chose the name “Land of Forests” for this bag, we loved it! Think images of enchanted forest folk tales, elves, fairies….it is all too fitting for this look of this magical bag. Just ask Jenn, things just haven’t been the same since she started carrying this lovely patchworked piece – here she writes a little bit about the story of it’s workmanship and about the amazing comments & vibes this bag brings to all who use it. It is truly a special piece…..

Our Bud Jenn with her Land of Forests Patch Bag

This bag is hand-crafted by indigenous Mayan women in the hills of Guatemala (the land of forests) and is over sewn with a variety of cotton patches that have been organically dyed using only plants, flowers, bark, and vegetable waste. Unless you see this in person, it is hard to appreciate the quality and uniqueness of the over sewn patches. I’ve never seen anything like it! I have been carrying it for about a week now and have had so many compliments on it. Because of the dyes and materials, all of its fabrics are 100% biodegradable and earth friendly. How cool is that? There is also a cell phone pocket on the adjustable strap and an extra pocket inside to hold the smaller things that you need to get at quicker. The top has a magnetic closure that is sewn inside the fabric so you cant even see the magnet, but it works just great! You can feel the care, time and patience that went into crafting each detail. I highly recommend it, you wont be disappointed!!

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Part 1 of 4: Soul Flower Warehouse!

This post is the first in a series of 4 posts about the Soul Flower warehouse and the people who work here. We are starting with an introduction to where we work – our warehouse:

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If you’ve done some exploring around this Soul-Flower Blog, you may have come across a blog post from July 2008 about the Soul Flower warehouse. We’re still in the same building we were two years ago, but the times they are a’changin’ and we’ve made some big changes to the warehouse and our process.

In this post, we’ll take a tour of Soul Flower North (a.k.a. the Soul Flower Warehouse), and in the next 3 posts, you’ll get to meet all of the SF buds!

Let’s start the tour!


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This is the hall of Soul Flower fame! All of our previous catalogs are framed up on the wall, right next to our favorite concert/band posters.
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The hallway is decorated with Soul Flower memorabilia and notes from our customers! If we love your handwritten note (and we always do!) you can count on it being tacked up on the wall some place!

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We love music. And we listen to it all day long! This shelf is filled with our favorite CDs, so there will never be a silent moment… (and if there is, we can all count on Joe to say “HEY! Can we get some tunes?”)

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All of our SF merchandise is delivered right to the warehouse via our old skool elevator lift. Some days we’ll have dozens of boxes waiting to be sorted on to the shelves! And see that stack of cardboard in the background? That stack is ready to be taken to recycling: we reuse or recycle all of our big ol’ cardboard boxes.

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Here it is: the main room of the warehouse in all its glory! We’ve got shelves and shelves of products, all sorted by type and product id number, so we can quickly and efficiently pick everything to be sent out to you! Our walls display some old tapestries to keep it lively. You can even see Joe in the last photo, rushing to pick out all the bags to be sent out!

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We have a separate room for accessories (it is temperature-controlled so our body balms and soaps don’t melt!). This room also doubles as our lunch room, which is a sweet place to kick back (with tunes, of course!) and chow down.

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In the two opposite corners of the warehouse, we store some pretty important stuff. In the one corner is tubs and tubs full of extra product that doesn’t fit on the shelves, and in the other corner is where we keep packaging supplies (boxes, envelopes) as well as our huge bins for recycling! As you probably know, here at Soul Flower, we think, work, and live green. And we recycle absolutely everything possible that comes in our door– this includes takeout dishes, pop cans, Tyvek envelopes, paper, and more!

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Last but not least, here is a glimpse in to where all the packing happens! In this beautifully-sunlit room is where we spend most of our day putting together the orders and packing each one up to be sent out. It’s a great place to work: notes from happy customers on the walls, Soul Flower goods all around, and tunes flowing– every day!

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Spring Buds Super Cool Skirt!

We get asked a lot of questions by our buds, some we can’t answer easily, like “Hey Soul Flower, I have been wondering what is the ONE must do festival this summer?” (that is a debated issue here & a different blog topic for sure….).

Some questions are a lot easier – “Hey Soul Flower, what is that awesome smell inside my package you sent…?” (it is nag champa incense).

And some questions deserve a little explanation & a couple of sweet photos, like “Hey Soul Flower, what is the must have piece right now from the Soul Flower line?” Hands down, if you must only get one thing, it is the Spring Buds Reversible Skirt. It has a bit of a higher price tag for Soul Flower ($68) but once you see its versitility, beauty & uniqueness, you will understand…

 Checkitout – This is Sarah.
And she is wearing the same skirt in both of the photos in this post.
First one is straight up.
Second one is inside out with the colorful side as a roll-top waist.

And this is what Sarah has to say about the skirt –

The Spring Buds Reversible Skirt will surely turn heads! Its unique look and inclusion of bright colors throughout the primarily black and gray skirt give it great energy. It’s a simply lovely piece for any occasion. You can wear it inside out on the black side, and even fold down the top, adding a colorful band around the waist. This variety of possibilities makes this skirt an awesome choice!

 

For me, it was love at first sight. I am very fond of bright colors, busy prints, and most of all, I love trees, so this skirt so perfectly has a few of my favorite things all rolled into one. The tree is portrayed leafless, but with the brilliantly colored buds in bloom, it embodies new beginnings and steady growth into a beautiful entity, much like the way we humans are growing each day. This skirt tells a story, and when I wear it, I am full of life!

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Our 2010 Karma Krewe

**UPDATE** thanks so much to everyone who applied to the Karma Krewe! Applications are closed now (Jan 22, 2010) & we will be announcing our first ever street team next week. Can hardly wait for you all to meet the most awesome customers in the whole world. And don’t worry if you missed your chance – this is an ongoing group & we will be adding members down the road. Peace!

To all of our Buds,

We feel like our blog has been neglected and needs a little love. And where else to ask for love than from our buds…you! You are why we are are here after all. And many of you have been with us from the start. So in an effort to share your love with everyone – we are creating our very own street team to review products for posting on this blog, take cute pics of you & yours to post on the blog, tweet, facebook, create a buzz and generally just spread the Soul Flower vibe online & otherwise.

So do you like to write? Are you into the social networking thang? Do you love Soul Flower and want to tell others about it? Do you like to be on the receiving end of discounts and free products? Do you want to get lots of karma from your soulflower buds? Then answer the questions below & email them to [email protected] by January 21st, 2010.

p.s. This is not a paid job! It is a true labor of love with free products and samples (and an ongoing discount…) as your rewards 🙂

Yes, I want to be on the Soul-Flower Karma Krewe!
Your Name
Your Email
Your Location
Your Phone Number(s)
Are you over 18 years?
Facebook Link (if you have one)
MySpace Link (if you have one)
Twitter Link (if you have one)
Blog (if you have one)
(if no blog, send a sample of or a link to something you have written)
How Often Do you Visit Soul-Flower.com?
What is your all time favorite Soul-Flower item you own?
If you could buy one thing from Soul-Flower right now, what would it be?

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More Bliss: Our winner Nana Jill

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Thanks for all the fabulous photo entries you sent in to win a soul flower gift certificate – we had so many more than expected! It was so much fun to see everyone in their soul flower threads. We have picked a winner but we also decided, because there were so many great ones, that we are doing a CircleTee giveaway too for some of our “honorable mentions”. Watch for those pictures over the next month here on our blog.

 

Today, we are posting our grand prize winner, Jill. Jill & Max are pictured here in their cool threads. Here is Jill’s message she wrote with this entry.

 

 

“The attached picture is Max and me, Jill aka Nana walking in the Old Port section of Portland Maine last August, 2008. We were on vacation, visiting family and all I packed were Soul-Flower clothing items. The dress I am wearing is the very first item of clothing I got from Soul-flower. Actually, my daughter Hope Starr (Max’s mom) ordered this dress for herself and it fit me better. Since this dress, almost every article of clothing i own comes from Soul-flower. Same for Max. We love your clothing. It feels so right to me, to be wearing clothing I got from you. It fits my personality and essence, as it does for my daughter and my grandson.
Thanks for all the wonderful duds!
Jill and Max”

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Soul-Flower Mike!

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Meet Mike, one of the founders of Soul-Flower.com:

Hi folks – I must admit that writing about yourself is kind of a strange exercise – but here I go…

My role with Soul-flower is more specialized than it was when we first started. In the beginning I wore every hat since we didn’t have employee’s, but today we have a most excellent team of folks (many of which you may have met online or via phone calls) who handle the day to day operations and I can focus on where we’re going as a company – in terms of the catalog, website, and product selection. My life today is very busy, but also laid back.

Peggy and I both live in Des Moines now, which is where we’re both from originally. We both work from home (but in different parts of the house) and our children (Siera -age 6, and Cody- age 4) have a great time playing outside, going to their schools, and getting to visit their grandparents on a regular basis. However, as much as I love Des Moines, I still love the Twin Citie’s too and you can find me at the warehouse once or twice a month.

I miss answering the phones and having “live” contact with our customers – so I have to go up to get my fix 🙂 I also enjoy being where the action is and we have lots of fun at the warehouse while your orders are being picked, packed, and shipped. Through all these years we’ve always had fun, and hopefully you feel a little of that happiness and love when you open your packages. The rest of my lifestyle is pretty easy to figure out – all you have to do is visit our website, catalog, or this blog. Soul-flower is a reflection of our lifestyle, and nothing makes us happier than seeing others who have had a Soul-flower experience and subscribe to many of the same ideals. I like to think that we created a “General Store” that you can visit via online or thru the catalog – maybe you’re just wanting to see what we’re up to or you want to make a purchase – it doesn’t matter as long as when you leave you have a smile on your face, a bounce in your step, and know that you’re part of a larger tribe 🙂
Peace and Respect –
Mike S.

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Hippie Onesies

treehugger - Hippie OnesiesSome of my favorite creations are t-shirts. I am pretty much a t-shirt addict – I love tees that allow me to express myself. I advertise that I am a treehugging, earth-loving, green mama. And that is getting easier & easier now. Even large department stores are selling tees expressing eco-friendly virtues and ideas in so many fun ways. But I always take my purchases one step further – I ask myself “where was this tee made?” and “what is this tee made of?” If I can feel good about the answers to those questions, I pretty much always buy it.

Sometime I see crazy $50 and up tees out there – I am not going to pay extra for some designer name or manufactured “green” statement. But there is one thing I will pay extra for – organic cotton. I love the feel of organic cotton, first of all, but I also love the feeling of knowing I am wearing something that was created free of toxins & chemicals. Something completely natural.

think - Hippie OnesiesMy addiction to tees spreads right into my buying and designing for Soul-Flower. Many of our Soul-Flower tees are designed in house, others are from small, independent artists. And as we continue to bring in more and more tees, our focus is now on organic cotton, bamboo, hemp and other natural fibers. Most of our t-shirts at Soul-Flower are now organic cotton. And I know a lot of you out there wonder, is organic cotton really that different than conventional cotton? I am here to say yes, it is different and BETTER. I did a little research and wanted to pass along what I learned –

Conventional cotton farming is one of the most damaging types of farming towards the environment. Producing cotton uses 25% of all insecticides in the world and 10% of all pesticides. It is second (corn is first) in the amount of chemicals used to produce it. To put it simply, a 100% cotton shirt made from conventional cotton is actually about 75% cotton and 25% yicky chemicals and residues used to produce the cotton. Nobody wants that touching their skin.

music - Hippie OnesiesWhen you choose to buy just one t-shirt made from organic cotton (versus conventional cotton), you are saving 1/3 a pound of synthetic fertilizers & pesticides from entering the environment. (These are the same chemicals that 1- damage soil so badly it can’t be farmed 2-harm animals in the vicinity, and 3-ultimately contribute to global warming ). So, that one organic cotton tee you buy supports environmental causes & helps to nourish the earth and the lives of all people involved in the process of growing, manufacturing and distributing the organic cotton. It feels good to wear that!

It might be more expensive, but that is because growing cotton organically takes skill. It takes time & patience. To me, buying organic cotton is worth it, especially for my young children, who are already exposed to so many chemicals & toxins in the environment.

Peace,
Peggy

 

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Welcome to Soul Flower Blog!

booth - Welcome to Soul Flower Blog!Hello to all of our buds in blog-land. Better late than never, we are finally starting an official Soul-Flower Blog. So much of our day-to-day work involves talking with customers and hearing your stories, we thought we should take a little time to share some of our stories with you. Our blog will create another way to connect to you (our customers and friends), as well as a place to share more about Soul-Flower and the things we care about and take an interest in.

So, to start it all off, here is Soul-Flower’s birth story:

Mike & I both were working in the corporate world when we made a decision to start our own company. We liked our jobs, but were far from getting the most out of life when most of our waking hours were spent in front of our computer screens, coding in my case, selling in mike’s case. We thought, hey, let’s figure out a way to make a living out of what we love most. And what we loved most always came back to the music. We have been festival goers for years, starting with the Grateful Dead (various shows/tours from ’85-’93), then NO Jazz Festival, Horde Fest, and many regional gatherings. We had a couple of friends with a classic hippie shop in Iowa City, The Peaceful Fool, and they were kind enuf to give us tips and ideas on opening a store. Owning our own business was nothing we had done before, but we had the love and commitment to create what became Soul-Flower. With positive attitudes, a little capital, and alot of sweat equity we started off on our own ‘long, strange trip’…

We opened the doors (in october 1999) to our 1000 square foot shop on Grand Avenue in St Paul, MN. It was a little boutique full of Hippie duds, Jam Band T-Shirts, Posters, Stickers, Patches, and lots of other cool threads. We relied on the many college students in the area, and of course there were good days and bad days, but looking back it was a blast – especially getting to know the students and locals in the community. Folks like Mike M-our local Grateful Dead statistician who could name a dead show in just a few notes of Jerry’s Blog Image storefront - Welcome to Soul Flower Blog!guitar; Carl-the guitar playing, bike-riding minimalist who would stop by daily to just say hello; Katelyn – the baby and now young girl whose mama owned the Thai restaurant next door (Pad Thai Cafe – one of the best Thai restaurants in St.Paul); all the SPA students who would visit after school each day; the list goes on…we had just a few employees – most of whom we are still in touch with, and some that are still working with us 🙂 We were also getting our name out in the midwest scene by vending various festivals and events – something that we finally have given up as our own Soul-flower family (Siera and Cody) grows.

Now fast forward 9 years and we’ve transformed from a brick and mortar boutique into an online boutique. Soul-flower
still resides in St.Paul, but now we work from the second floor of an old warehouse that has been funked up to suit the laid back and fun attitude of the team. Oh, and somewhere along this trip we decided to start printing a mail order catalog, which has been an absolute blast. So 9 catalogs later here we are, in front of our computers again…only now it is all good. I think that Soul-Flower, much like a child, has grown into it’s own entity – we created her but she has become her own, independent, growing experiment.

spring08catalog - Welcome to Soul Flower Blog!Blog Image So now, Soul-Flower is a catalog and online store, a bit different from the original boutique – but we are more passionate and committed than ever to continue creating the same friendly, community-related atmosphere online that we had at our shop. It can be a tough act – i.e., personalizing the internet – but we believe the littlest things make a big difference. A thoughtful product (from concept to existence), a pleasant phone call, an extra note (and occasional random gift) in your package, a thank you to our customers. Our company has always been defined by the Golden Rule – treat others as you would like to be treated and everything else will be fine. When you’re happy, we’re happy.

So here’s to learning, loving and growing.
Enjoy the blog.
Your Buds (Peggy, Mike, Chad, Jenn & Joe)

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