to world's end, again

i'm someone who likes to be outside, alot. i run almost every day, and to get through the winter in new england, getting outdoors, looking out, looking up, being active, being still, is all it takes to rejuvenate & inspire me.

one of my favorite places to go is on the coast of massachusetts, to world's end. i went the other day and thought i'd share a few photos, in case you are interested...

how do you recharge or renew on days where you feel inspiration or energy is low? i'd love to hear. hope that you are having a great day today! enjoy...

these beaded cuffs, by sidai designs

there is so much to love about this company, sidai designs and their special hand-made product line. but these cuffs, each purchase supporting maasai women by providing economic empowerment through fair trade, have stolen my heart today...

you can see i'm especially drawn to the all white designs. but let me tell you, there are SO many to sift through, so many to feel toward, and about, and to desire. sidai designs (and i haven't even featured the many amazing necklaces and earrings too!) features designs made entirely by hand, using ingeniously upcycled products like glass beads and threads from old grain bags, metals from old canisters. i want one for just about every single day of the year. i like these that much. enjoy!

let's talk tampons. no, really.

when molly hayward approached me about cora,her product, (and yes they are indeed tampons), i thought...hmmm, seems strange right? why on earth would i feature tampons on a design blog? but there's (obviously) more to the story, (though tampons ARE a definite design in a sense). so yes, molly's product line, cora, is about tampons, but it's also about helping to bring about "a better future for all women in every part of the world." but i'm getting to that, the AMAZING cause behind cora soon...

cora tampons are 100% certified organic (read more about why that is SO important here). women purchase and use over 10,000 tampons in their lifetime. wow. so there's that. and because of that giant number we should want the best for our bodies right? and yes, as you can see from the images above, cora's branding is fabulous, they come to your door looking like this, beautifully packaged in clean, modern ways to carry (aka, very creatively hide) and use your tampons. so that's pretty cool.

BUT, why i took on this post is because of THE CAUSE. molly has traveled extensively, and through her research concludes that approximately 100 million girls/women lack access to adequate menstrual products around the globe. um, 100 million woman. wow. products that you and i reach for in a split second, without thought. we can do better than that right? well molly is.

read more about molly's cause, through her cora product line here, it's about the every day struggle of women from different cultures, religions & countries and about why this is so important. for every month's supply of cora tampons that you purchase, AND LISTEN UP, this is the amazing part, cora donates one month's supply to women in need. women in countries where just talking about a period is embarrassing or unheard of. so they don't. and then in turn, they are not taking care of themselves. so tell your friends, your co-workers, your family! guys, tell your wives, your sisters, your mothers! women and men reading this blog, help cora support all the women they can.

BONUS!: for the next 30 days, cora is offering avant garde design readers $5.00 of your first purchase. simply enter the code CORA5ROBIN at checkout!
enjoy!

in full disclosure, i received product for this post but all opinions are my own.

i'ts friday. it's about culture & it's about japan.

after leaving one of my favorite blogs, emma's design blog, i felt i wanted to share a sexy, friday image, to send you all off on a magical weekend...

but i also felt i wanted to share these prints, for japan relief and also because they're so simply beautiful. emma's blog has even more links to more prints to choose from so check it out!
click here, to buy this print and donate for japan. just do it...
with this weekend in mind, what are your plans? it's warm~ish here today, close to 60 degrees they say! yeah for us...so we are packing up the car with the camera, coffees and heading to boston to check out the new museum of fine arts. we're going to get some culture as my mom would say growing up. i have yet to see the new addition and cannot wait! i'm in boston all the time for classes but not alot of free time to roam around. so today's the day! i'll take a few pictures and share them next week. wherever you go, whoever you're with, enjoy!! ;)