I’ve always been a fan of a great at-home bar. I strongly believe it’s a must-learn life skill to mix up classic cocktails, and as an avid host, it’s important to provide an array...
Looking back on Easter as a child, I remember how excited I was to dig through my Easter basket. Full of chocolate bunnies, malt ball Easter eggs, Peeps, golden coins, and my favorite Cadbury...
Lets be honest, salads can be boring. So I’m always trying to think outside of the box to come up with salad recipes that I’ll thoroughly enjoy, but are beyond easy to make. Enter...
Lets be honest, salads can be boring. So I’m always trying to think outside of the box to come up with salad recipes that I’ll thoroughly enjoy, but are beyond easy to make. Enter...
I wanted to spend today celebrating a handful of people who are spreading light around the world. As you know, I’m diligently penning my Five Minute Journal entries every day, and it’s helped me find gratitude and peace in a lot of areas where I’ve been tempted to feel anxiety or fear in the past. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed with worldly issues, but these individuals proved that single people can bring about change. Working on this post was a great reminder of the many individuals who are helping pave a better future for people, bringing a little more hope into the world.
The list by all means can go on and on, but today it includes five people whose efforts and missions have particularly spoken to me. From clean water initiatives to education and innovation, the work has not been for the faint of heart…these people are rockstars! I hope you’ll join me in recognizing these social entrepreneurs, and tell me who else I should check out. Cheers, Kat
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Boyan Slat has been an inventor since birth, and he started The Ocean Cleanup at the insanely young age of 17. As an inventor and entrepreneur, he’s created technology to solve societal problems. The Ocean Cleanup develops advanced technologies to rid world’s oceans of plastic. He came up with a system that acts like an artificial coastline, which catches plastic in the ocean with 100% natural powered ocean currents.
Slat is the youngest-ever recipient of UN’s highest environment award and has been recognized as one of the 20 Most Promising Young Entrepreneurs Worldwide (Intel EYE50). Forbes also included him in their 30 under 30 edition in 2016.
You can join the team or donate to The Ocean Cleanup’s efforts HERE.
Malala Yousafzai, a student and education activist, has done amazing things for girls’ rights and education. She actually started speaking out publicly about girls’ before she reached her teenage years in Pakistan, after she survived an assassination attempt by the Taliban when she was just 15. Malala then co-founded the Malala Fund, which invests in developing country education leaders and organizations in regions where most girls aren’t able to complete secondary education. She was the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014.
Malala Fund strives to help girls complete 12 years of safe, quality education, without the fear of violence. Their work also supports girls’ decisions to delay early marriage, while building up their academic and life skills through mentoring programs.
You can donate HERE to help 130 million girls who are out of school complete the quality education they deserve. And if you have some time, you must read Malala’s entire story HERE; it’s incredible.
“For me, charity is practical. It’s sometimes easy, more often inconvenient, but always necessary. It’s the ability to use one’s position of influence, relative wealth and power to affect lives for the better. charity is singular and achievable.” Scott Harrison, the founder and current CEO of charity: water used to be a club promoter in NYC. After realizing he was faced with “spiritual bankruptcy”, he rediscovered his faith and sought to spend his life helping others. He hopped aboard a floating hospital service called Mercy Ships, where he put a face to the worlds’ 1.2 billion people living in poverty. He was changed; he saw the lack of clean water as the common thread to so many of the devastating issues around him, and vowed to help people access clean water around the world.
Currently, charity: water funds water programs in 24 countries around the world. With hand-dug wells, rainwater catchments, piped systems and more solutions, it’s able to focus on providing rural communities with clean water.
Read more about Harrison’s story HERE and donate to the cause HERE (100% of the profits helps bring clean water to people in need).
Anna Stork and Andrea Sreshta co-founded the company, LuminAID after brainstorming up a solution after the Haiti Earthquake. You may have seen these LuminAID lights on Amazon; they’re awesome for camping. The girls majorly impressed all of the judges on Shark Tank with them, landing a deal with Mark Cuban after all sharks offered deals.
But the best part about these lights is that they’re amazing in a time of need, offering long-term lighting solutions for areas without power during an emergency. LuminAID solar lights pack flat for easy distribution, which makes it exponentially easier on the aid workers during an emergency.
LuminAID lights have been used in more than 70 countries (!) after huge disasters like Hurricane Sandy and the earthquakes in Nepal.
Peter Diamandis has a passion for space, longevity, and innovation. He founded the XPRIZE Foundation, which is committed to funding competitions that encourage major technological development that could benefit mankind. Diamandis is incredible at developing an idea, building leadership teams, developing a vision, and letting them run things. He’s known for bringing together world class talent around his ideas, and his impact around the world is beyond impressive. Forbes’ article published this week dubbed him ‘the author of technology’s future.’
So what’s this about XPRIZE? XPRIZE designs and operates large-scale incentive competitions, meaning: million-dollar contests that try to solve a serious problem that plagues the world. An XPRIZE must be a bold and audacious goal, one that seems to be unsolvable. It also must be be “winnable” by a small team, and that could be anyone from industry experts to high school students. Lastly, it must provide vision and hope for a better future.
Diamandis’ motto is, “The best way to predict the future is to create it yourself” and he sure found a way to incentivize playing our part in the bigger picture.
Check out the active prizes HERE, and donate HERE to help fund more crazy ideas that could lead to world-size solutions.
Whether you’re a big fan of Valentine’s Day or not, you’ll find a gift idea or two on the list…promise! I’ve rounded up gifts that will make anyone in your life smile, from your guy to your mother to your zen friend and teacher. My favorite part about the holiday is spreading the love all around me, even if it’s just with a simple card (these are so cute) and not an extravagant gift. Thanks to all the festive goodies in our shoppe (obsessed with these nontoxic candles and of course these Sugarfina gummies!) right now, I’m officially in lovey-cutesy Valentine’s Day spirit.
What are you gifting this Valentine’s Day? I’d love to know if any of my ideas hit the spot with someone on your list. Cheers, Kat
P.S. While I may be one with cupid right now I remember plenty a Valentine’s Days where I wasn’t; so for your friend that is feeling a bit scorned this time of year how about these gems!!
These new, nontoxic candles by Boy Smells are flying off our shelves in the shoppe. Made of coconut and beeswax, they come in a glossy black glass tumbler and gorgeous embossed matte pink carton…perfect for gifting!
It’s hard to pick a favorite, but it might be Petal for me. This lovely scent for is perfect your bestie; tree flowers, rose sage and patchouli.
Get your guy something sweet and make him smile while you’re at it. This collection of festive candies by Sugarfina is the perfect little something for him on Valentine’s Day.
Each one is wrapped in a watercolor heart sleeve with gold foil XOXO lettering. Included in the bento box: “Kiss Me” sweet and sour sugar lips, “Love You a Bunch” rosette-shaped gummies made with Whispering Angel, “You Make Me Melt” smooch gummies and “True Love” apple caramels coated in white chocolate.
Your zen friend already knows about Moon Dusts, believe me, and she’ll be so stoked with this Valentine’s Day gift. These ingestibles have a cult-following in the wellness world and we’re drinking the Kool-aid here at WOM, too. “Dream Dust” is a soothing edible nightcap that can help lull you to sleep, offering soothing support and emotional calm. It’s wonderful when you add it to your almond milk, coffee tea or smoothie. Check out the rest of the collection HERE.
It’s lovely swapping skincare secrets with my mom these days, and I love when I can introduce her to a must-try brand that she doesn’t know about already! Enter One Love Organics, officially my go-to clean skincare brand that I use every. single. day. This essentials kit is the perfect way to get Mom hooked, too.
Included in the kit: 2.25 OZ. mini gentle foaming cleanser, full size Morning Glory caffeinated serum, full size Skin Dew coconut water cream and full size Vitamin E eye balm with LOVE makeup bag.
For Your Favorite Workout Instructor
Do One Thing Every Day That Centers You: A Mindfulness Journal
My workout instructors I’ve met at my favorite studios via ClassPass were talking mindfulness before it was even a thing! I love the idea of gifting them with this journal for Valentine’s Day as a little “thank you” for kicking my butt and keeping me moving…because loving others starts with loving myself!
The journal includes prompts, quotes and advice that helps us reflect upon the little moments of the day that usually pass us without much thought. The interactive guide helps us find inner peace, solace and meaning by looking at the places and people around us. If it’s anything as good as The Five Minute Journal, it’s a must-have!!!
Here’s the perfect little “happy” for a coworker that always hears the good (and the bad) in your everyday life. This incredibly versatile handcrafted lip treatment is completely all natural and super hydrating (thank the food active antioxidants, vitamins and anti-inflammatory blend for that!). Such a subtle, lovely hue.
Okay let’s be honest, nobody can resist a handful from a bowl fill with classic M&M’s. And especially when they’re in festive Valentine’s Day colors with personalized messages! Our message? “Pizza My Heart” of course. Treat your roommates to a fun message and irresistible coffee table treat this year with a stash of these.
Celebrate a teacher you appreciate with one of these pocket pinstripe journals. It’s the perfect small something that can be used in a wide variety of ways. A true keepsake, it includes a hardcover design with black pinstripe bookcloth and a pale pink interior. Inside, you’ll find 100 lined pages with a pale pink and white grosgain ribbon to keep your place.
For Your Girlfriend
Coton Colors Grey Striped Vase with a Dozen White Roses
These gorgeous vases are brand new to our shoppe, and perfect for making your GF smile. They’re our new favorite (and very versatile) way of celebrating any occasion. Each keepsake vase arrives on the doorstep with a dozen roses, along with an inter-changable attachment and gift enclosure card. It’s the perfect way to continue the celebration long after Valentine’s Day!
Be sure to place your order by Feb. 9 for Valentine’s Day delivery. xo
Both MKR and I are slipping fast into the gorgeous, intriguing world of healing crystals. This box (full of crystals, not chocolates!) completely stole our hearts, and topped our wish list this month. Inside, you’ll find quartz, amethyst, rose quartz, geode, agate, garnet, pyrite, tigers eye, hematite, smoky quartz, labradorite, citrine, amazonite…the perfect gems to add to your starter collection.
Featured image, Rustic White for Waiting on Martha
One of my resolutions this year has been to tackle the simple “life skills” that I so often overlook and/or forgotten about. I’m thinking of these “life skills” as little refreshes I can make in my daily routine to make my life a little easier. Like what, you ask? Properly caring for my lingerie and delicates; those beauties are pricey and I want to have them for awhile. Thanks my recent visit to Rigby & Peller, I knew it was due-time to approach my lingerie laundry routine a bit differently. Protecting and treating my leather because my favorite investment bags need to last. I’ve used my hard-earned cash to score those handbags, after all. And caring for the homegrown herbs that just taste better in my cocktails. They simply taste better with fresh herbs!
Check out my top five “life skills” that are worth learning below. What would you add to the list?! Truly, MKR
Properly Wash Your Lingerie
Souple Lace-Trimmed Stretch Cotton-Blend Jersey Contour Bra
I recently spent some time at Rigby & Peller and learned a bit about properly washing my lingerie. It’s so important to hand wash the pieces because it protects the delicate stitching and helps them last longer. Here are a few steps to follow:
Step 1….Soak your pieces in your sink filled with a teaspoon full of lingerie wash.
Step 2…Allow lingerie to soak for 15 minutes.
Step 3…Use the non-hooked part of your underband to scrub any areas that need extra attention.
Step 4…Remove the lingerie from the sink, and let drip dry.
As we shared here before, an indoor herb garden will be a much-loved addition to any kitchen…the cooking and cocktail possibilities are endless with fresh homegrown herbs!
The key to successfully growing herbs at home is having the proper set up for them to flourish. You’ll want to move the herbs from their store-bought containers to new planters with care. Read more from our step-by-step tutorial here.
Properly protecting (and saving) your favorite leather products is another important life skill that takes a little bit of time.
With this kit, you’ll get a cleaner, protection cream, ink lifter, sponge and buffing cloth. The cleaner is a water-based product that will penetrate the surface and protect against future stains. I especially love the ink lifter when applied within a day of an inconvenient stain from ink, lipstick, makeup, etc. Works like a charm!
Now for your suede and nubuck, you’ll want something even more gentle to protect and clean the material. I’ve been impressed with this kit as its cleaner doesn’t change the color of the suede like most others do.
Nothing beats a fresh manicure, especially if it’s a salon-worthy manicure that you’ve done at home. Of course, this is easier said than done; getting your nails to look polished and perfected takes time and diligence. I’ve found that taking the time to do every step is crucial (and that includes the cuticle trimming and nail bed buffering!), and I always allow for at least 30-45 minutes to get it done.
My biggest trick: Allow for your first stroke of polish to start from the edge of the nail bed. Using the natural shape of the brush, make it run as wide as possible down the nail. Then I run another strip down the rest of the nail to cover the entire thing. After at least a few minutes, I apply a second coat, with a top coat to finish. Voila!
Chopping, dicing, marinating, pre-cooking and thawing. It takes time, but it’s so worth it if you can get it all knocked out in one sitting. I’ve always considered Sundays and Mondays were practically made for meal prep. Here’s how I like to plan out my meals (with my top tips on getting it all done).
