shak-shuka

Panama Hat - Fair Trade Style

The sun is shining!!!! As always, we're waiting for the other (bad weather) shoe to drop, but until then, we're soaking up as much Vitamin D as our body's will allow.....

Sun is good thing but not when it comes to aging your face at a rapid pace. Besides slathering myself in sunscreen from head to toe even when it's cloudy and cold, this summer I've been searching for a great hat to keep me in the shade. I love the look of a Panama Hat, and I was so happy to not only find them, but also that they are fair trade! The only summertime straw hat company to carry the Fair Trade Organization label, the brand Pachacuti fits the bill (sorry, hat pun intended!) and then some. I am personally torn between a few styles, most notably the Twisted Weave Wide Brim and the Black Spiral Weave Fedora. Oh who am I kidding, the summer just started, let's get both!!!

Mama Shuks Wish List

So, hooray! This Saturday I will be celebrating not only my birthday, but the birthday of 2 of my favorite little people: one of them turning 3, the other turning 4 - and me, turning involving one of those numbers in the double-digit region ;-) Saturday will be filled with 3 parties for each of us girls - starting from 11am until the evening when we finish off the day celebrating ol' Mama Shuks birthday with pizza and beer (for the adults, not for the kiddos!).

In case you were wondering what's on my birthday wish list, or even if it hadn't crossed your mind, I thought I'd share with you some of my favorites. I might not get all of them, or even any of them, but it's fun to have a nice little "wish list" handy should the occassion every arise when someone wants to buy me a little gifty-poo!

 

 

Ordinary Sundays Nude Shawl - even though summer is approaching, I still can't live without a scarf or shawl. I love the idea of "nude" in the summer!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shampoodle Tracksuit Set - yes, even though we own a store that carries them, this is on my wish list. I think I might gift myself one!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Swedish Hasbeens Ballerina Perforated - because I have nearly all of their other shoes (heels, boots, clogs) I thought it was best to round out my collection with these babies

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Deux Filles en Fil Le Sac Enveloppe - ethically sourced leather, in a perfect shape for my everyday needs. love.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Silhouette Necklaces for Mama

I just love when serendipitous things like this happen: we received a magazine in the mail from Germany (Nido) that features some of our products, and we end up falling head-over-heels for said magazine. Love, love, love it. Nido is such a modern take on the traditional "family" magazine, and they really nail the interests of the young, budding family.

Their features on products (like ours, of course ;-) are also spot-on, and I couldn't help but include this one, which is unbelievably gorgeous: WSake. A German father-daughter team who makes the most amazing, dare I say tear-jerking necklaces that feature a silhouette of your child(ren). I have seen purses and t-shirts with blazing horrible photography of daughters and sons that parents wear with pride, but that takes a certain amount of courage. I dare you to find a woman who would not want to wear this necklace and show off her little ones! The necklaces are available for a single child, or multiples (not sure how it would work for a family of more than 3 kids though - you might need 2 necklaces!). All that you need to do is send in a photo of your child(ren) sitting with their profile showing, send it in, and VOILA! you have a keepsake treasure that will last you a lifetime.

Must-Have MIRO Bags

So remember how I said I am NOT a bag kind of lady? Well, just stop listening to me. Although that's not necessarily true, as I really don't like carrying bags - if given the option, I would stuff everything in my pockets, even if I end up looking like a "hips don't lie" Bozzo the Clown.

But if I do have to carry a bag, I have decided that it needs to be a painfully stylish one that will last me for ages. Think "heirloom, past it down through the generations" material. I've given away most of my "what was I thinking?" bags, and now am on the hunt for classic finds that I can perch on my Made by Gup tree branch that will sit in our bedroom soon! Good thing I'm always searching online, as I ran into these beauties by MIRO - a Dutch duo that makes all their bags by hand, and using leftover fabric nonetheless. I really love the organic, sack-like quality of the bags, and of course - the main feature of these bags is the versatility of the handles. One of my biggest biffs that I have with bags is that I (ideally) would like to change from a shoulder bag to a hand-held bag depending on how much stuff I was schlepping around that day. The MIRO bags allow you to do just that: there is one longer part for an "over the shoulder" look, and then there is a shorter side for the "OMG how am I carrying this much stuff" look. Love it, love it, love it. Now, my only issue comes down to this: the large Black is sold out, so do I do the Seersucker for summer, or will I be regretting it? Nah, I'll just get both - I need some instant gratification as well as something to look forward to!

Dress Your Neck(lush)

 

Have I mentioned that I am personally declaring 2011 the Year of Accessorizing? I have never been a strong accessorizer, instead claiming that I am more a "simple, understated" kind of lady when in fact that is just a lie as I don't really own much jewelry, etc to adorn myself with!

Given this information, I have been on the hunt for new and fun things to update my (drab, drab) winter wardrobe. One thing that I have been hankering for is something like a necklace, but with a softer feel to it. I don't know about you, but one of my daughter's favorite past times is attempting to dangle herself from my necklace. No no! This would not be as painful if I were to get my grubby paws on one of these gorgeous Necklush accessories. Something like a hybrid between a necklace, scarf, and hundreds of fabric strings, Necklush takes accessorizing to another level. You can loop it as many times as you want, or don't want, for a really different look each time. I personally fell in love with the fact that many of them are made from organic cotton, come in a variety of styles and sizes, and the color palettes that they come in are all to-die-for-gimme-gimme-ish. One accessory down, many more to go....

Glittery Holiday Shoes

I'm sure you know that we've written about TOMs' fantastic shoes before, and their commitment to buying/sharing a pair (with children in various countries worldwide), but this last trip to the US got my tongue wagging with their new holiday styles. Yes, the usual canvasy-twilly pair will do, but why not jazz it up with this Glitter or Moroccan Stars pair? I personally fell head over heels (quite literally) over the Gilded Herringbone because it looks like a warm, golden-enhanced tweed that looks great with everything else I bought on my trip home to the US! The cuteness didn't stop there as they just got the Pink Glitters back in stock for the Tiny TOMS fans (think Lil'Miss) so at her upcoming birthday party I just know which shoes she'll be rocking! So yes, all in all, Toms shoes should make it up there on your Holiday Wish List, and you can feel good knowing that someone else will benefit from your shoe obsession as well.

Clutches with a (Hi)story

I'm realizing that in this blog I'm getting myself in quite a sticky situation - I will say that I don't really care for one thing, and then the following month I will proceed to write more posts about that subject than probably anything else. Case in point: bags. Although I have stated my claim that I don't like carrying them around, I have written quite a few posts about bags, because I am discovering that possibly I have a (closeted) bag lady inside of me.

Although my social life nowadays doesn't really call for "nighttime" bags, I fell in love with these bags at first sight: graphic patterns in a variety of textures, in bold colors on black so they would feel just at home with the essential "little black dress" or a funkier number. These embroidered clutches are made by Mexican designer Dalia Pascal, and she creates these clutches from Mayan textiles that are recycled from old dresses, capes and tablecloths. The textiles are collected by a community of women in the border area of Southern Mexico, many who are survivors of domestic abuse. The bags create a livelihood for these women, and have created a way to support their own community. Personally I love an item with a bit of history, and these clutches not only have that, but also their own personal story, making them a bold and ethical fashion statement.

Kid+Eco Friendly Hair Accessories

For a mother, it's a funny time in life with your child when they start asking to have their hair "done". I was feeling super lucky for such a long time that I was able to get away with Amelie/Coco Chanel-bobbing my daughter's hair, but now that she's starting going to pre-school, she eyes the clips and hairbands in the other girls hair and wants them. Now. Like yesterday. Gimme!

I have to be honest that the hair accessories out there for kids is generally quite awful. Glitter, bows, dangly things, colors that don't match anything. Yikes. Don't even get me started on their carbon footprint, un-eco-friendly practices, and the labor used to make them. Alas, you can always rely on us to find the solution! Our favorite brand Franck & Fischer, who has supplied us with wonderful toys and children's bedding made from organic and sustainable materials using only fair trade labor, now has a line of hair accessories just in time for our little "hair episodes". Monkey clips, cat hairbands, stripes - pick your fun accessory and go! Not only are they adorable, but they're made from 100% organic cotton yarn and made in women's homes in rural China under fair trade working conditions. Usually I am not a sucker for hair-wear, but I have to say Franck & Fischer has once again outdone themselves, and now Lil'Miss Shuka will be rockin' some eco-sweet hair accessories.

Gobstoppingly Gorgeous Necklaces

Things are becoming increasingly busy over here at Shak-Shuka headquarters: think holiday rush, taxes, moving, child-raising....just to raise a few! Surely many of you identify, so I'll keep this post short and sweet so you too can get back to your "regular program".....

Gorgeously delicious. That is how we would describe the new collection from Kris' Color Stripes: necklaces features ruffles, double loops, and the famous "Mama+Me" necklace sets in new colors. We're thinking these are all perfect gift ideas for the holidays: the mama+me set for the girls, and the ladies necklaces for the lucky mamas. The only problem will be to decide what color? Just like a scrumptious candy, these necklaces could cause a rush of excitement and desire for more, more more!

Beyond the Papier Bag

You've heard me rant about how much I despise carrying bags. I only carry bags when absolutely necessary, and even when I do, it's usually not a pretty site (I tend to wear across-the-body uglies). Color me delighted when I ran across this stunner while doing some online shopping for our home. Imagine me doing cartwheels in front of the computer when I saw it: simple construction, "broken in" look, and oh yes, did I mention it's made of paper?!!!! The "Papier" bag from designer Saskia Diez is created from a Tyvek, a synthetic paper that is not only lightweight, but also tear and waterproof (double yay for mamas schlepping the kitchen sink in the rain around here....). The green street cred - it's also recyclable! There are two sizes to choose from, and I have to say, they both have a very Birkin-esque quality about them, but are much more eco and wallet friendly. Consider me a Papier convert! Available at both Saskia's own website, or from Droog, where we found lots of other goodies for Casa Shuka: consider yourself warned!