Noonday Collection {GIVEAWAY CLOSED}

I recently learned about an organization called Noonday Collection and got immediately excited about it.  Their mission is  

"to create economic opportunity for the vulnerable" by partnering with artisans around the world and creating a marketplace for their goods.  Noonday empowers their artisans by offering no interest loans to help get their businesses off the ground, making advance payments on orders, and of course paying fair living wages.  In addition to creating a sustainable marketplace for underprivileged artisans, Noonday donates a portion of sales to help place orphans with forever families.
  

Beadwork from Guatemala 

With the spirit of Thanksgiving still ringing in our ears, I thought now would be the perfect time to encourage you to "purchase with purpose" this gift giving season!  Supporting organizations, like Noonday Collection, that make a greater impact in the global marketplace and in the lives of everyday people in a real tangible way is something I try my best to support whenever I can.  I encourage you to go into this shopping season with a similar goal in mind.

Artillery beads from Ethiopia

To help you get in the gift giving spirit, Noonday is kindly giving away one $50 gift certificate to shop this holiday season!  All you have to do to enter is visit their website, and leave a comment below telling me what you would buy for yourself and one thing you'd gift to someone special (I'm eyeing this bangle, this scarf, and this leather tote.)   I will randomly draw a winner on Friday, December 5.

Embroidery from Peru

If you are in the Denver area and are interested in learning more about Noonday Collection (while eating, drinking, and shopping their winter collection, maybe with your new gift certificate!), I will be hosting a Holiday Trunk Show on Sunday, December 7.  Let me know in your comment below if you are interested in attending and I will send you more details!

If you are not in the area, no worries!  Just visit Noonday's website and fill up your shopping cart, then when you check out choose 'Dawn Post' as your ambassador, and type 'Megan Lombardo' in for the trunk show you are supporting.

Thanks in advance for supporting artisans from developing countries around the world this holiday season!  Now, get to shopping!

-mel

**Congratulations Eirin!**

Olive Us

Happy Friday my dear internet cosmos!  Hope you had a fabulous week.  My Mr. just started a new rotation which means he's working part of the weekend (blech) but hopefully we'll find some time to have a little fun.

I've been in love with Ben & Gabrielle Blair's (yes, of Design Mom fame) video project, Olive Us, for quite some time now.  The series follows their six beautiful children through their everyday adventures and captures the magic of childhood to a tee.  The beautiful video production team, Tiger in a Jar, makes every video seem right out of a dream.

Their most recent episode, "Betty in Paris", is probably my favorite yet.  Is there anything more magical than seeing the world's most romantic city through the rose-colored eyes of a child?  I think not.

And make sure to check out the other episodes of Olive Us here.

I hope you all have a wondrous and awe-inspiring weekend,
MEL


Betty In Paris from Olive Us on Vimeo.

El Cosmico

So, I know I'll probably catch some flack for this, especially since all I've been doing since I moved here has been bragging about the perfect weather and how CO can do absolutely no wrong.  But it seems, every paradise has it's rough edges and CO is no exception.  Here's my issue:

I'M COLD.

Yes, I said it.  I'm freaking cold.  We'll have a week of temps that never get above 20 degrees and then we'll have a glorious reprieve of a few days in the 40's and 50's.  Which in CO is damn right balmy.  Right now is one of the wonderful sunny weeks in the low 50's which really is perfect, but I know next week we'll get another snow storm and another freeze and the cycle will start again.

I never thought I'd say it, but I think I'm ready for a winter getaway.

I've been dreaming of El Cosmico in Marfa, TX for a long time now and it's looking more and more necessary every day.  This dreamy lodging location boasts completely restored trailers (think streamlined, chrome, shiny bullets), safari tents, teepees, and camping, all in the meditative desert of west Texas.  They also have really fun events from time to time, like this upcoming culinary weekend featuring renowned west Texas chef, Lou Lambert.

I never thought I'd ever want to go back to TX to vacation.  But if any place can do it, El Cosmico is definitely that place.

(All images from here.)

  

Paris

My best friend is flying to Paris today for her job.

She will be spending a week exploring the famous flea markets, scouting out beautiful textiles, prints, trends, and colors, discovering French design aesthetics to bring back to the US and produce en masse.

Yes, that's right.  That's her job.

Now would be the time to call her any mean and derogatory names you'd like.  I would, but I've already called them to her face and I can't print them here; it's a family friendly blog, after all.

Anyway, in honor of her gruesome work trip--full of stressful board meetings, stale coffee, and conference rooms with no windows (insert childish put-downs and jealousy-induced name calling here)--I decided to put together a little Parisian inspiration board to help get us all in the mood.

Bonne journée!

1.  A modern-day Versailles
2.  Parisian Icon
3.  Potato Salad a la France
4.  Lauren Moffatt does Parisian stripes
5.  Diane Kruger in Chanel = The Definition of French
6.  Paris street style
7.  The epitome of French food