Andrea's Conscious Gifting Share
How are you guys doing this holiday season? It’s probably different than all the rest, am I right? No traveling, stay in place orders, no large family gatherings, wearing masks in any public outings, kids on-line for school then back to school then back to on-line school, businesses open then not open… It’s becoming one of the most challenging and inspiring years to come to PEACE with all the spontaneous changes we all our wildly effected by. I pray for our willingness to graciously adapt time and time again. It’s not easy but we are also very capable when we are taking good care of ourselves. We can really do this– I believe in us all.
While we are trying to limit our trips out but also support businesses we love and care about, I personally have been planning my shopping with more purpose and intention for the holidays this year. As I’ve been becoming a more conscious shopper, I wanted to share a small list of aligned brands and companies that have a give back program, have sustainable efforts to support our planet and or products to support your mind, body & spirit. While I admit Amazon has been a gift for many needs while having “stay in place mandates”, I really encourage you look for how you can support small businesses in your local community as well and any other business’s that are aligned with you and help you feel good about where you spend your dollars. It’s been a rough one for so many, our support can mean a lot.
Enjoy My Conscious Giving Suggestions:
MINDFUL WELLNESS
“Think Like a Monk”: Train Your Mind for Peace and Purpose Everyday is a book that has easily just become one of my absolute favorites that I plan to revisit frequently and will be a gift to pay forward. Jay Shetty, social media superstar and host of the #1 podcast On Purpose, distills the timeless wisdom he learned as a monk into practical steps anyone can take every day to live a less anxious, more meaningful life. This is one fantastic human using social media for reasons I love, helping others in a major way. Shetty’s vision is to Make Wisdom Go Viral. He is on a mission to share the timeless wisdom of the world in an accessible, relevant, and practical way. Shetty has created over 400 viral videos with over 5 billion views. Learn more at JayShetty.me. I believe this book provides such influential wisdom and perspective in a practical way that gives you the motivation to take action and live more awakened.
Manifest Your Mission guide book USE CODE MYMAndrea for $5 off the book and a $10 book tutorial for free. I’ve been a part of The New Hollywood, a 501c3 nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting socially conscious storytellers, entrepreneurs and changemakers through goals and grants since 2015, utilizing a continuously upgraded version of this book by our author and founder Brianna Brown. In Manifesting Your Mission, Brianna boils down the key components to success into bite-sized, achievable action items utilizing both the right and left side of the brain, all the while strengthening intuition and keeping goal setting and dreaming big fun, accessible, tangible, and with a sense of fluidity and play. Whether the reader is trying to survive a crisis or wanting to level up their life, when used consistently, the results are miraculous and life changing. This guidebook is like having a business-coach, therapist, and spiritual guru all wrapped up into one.
My testimonial: Unless things are written down somewhere with a plan in place of why and how I want to achieve a year full of dreams, I lose my way. Manifesting Your Mission has all the elements and tools to keep me feeling on top of my game and striving to do and be better every day. Especially since moving out of LA and becoming a mother and wife, it’s so important for me to continue to thrive in my creative passions. Using this book effectively continues to be one of my favorite things to take time for myself and sit down and write in. It gives me clarity, appreciation, hope, acceptance and structure, which for me is huge for getting things accomplished and relishing in some self-love. So much of what I write down in this book are also the things I pray and meditate on. It’s pretty remarkable when you realize you are capable of MANIFESTING a life you are so grateful for.
Koala Eco makes affordable cleaning products that are safe for your family and kind to the environment. Having safe, non-toxic cleaners in our home is a huge part of wellness for our family. Everything about this family owned and operated brand is awesome and their products are just exceptional! They’re Australian, (but also available in the US), eco-friendly and ethical and their products are antimicrobial powerful cleansers with the scents of only essential oils never synthetic fragrance. Each time you buy a KOALA ECO product, they’ll donate to the charity One Percent for the Planet to assist in the ongoing protection of land, forests, rivers, oceans, and also to encourage sustainable methods of energy production. Note: Vegan, All Natural, Palm Oil Free, Environmentally Friendly, No Synthetic Fragrance, Effective, Anti-fungal, Disinfectant, No dyes, No masking agents, No SLS, No Phosphates. Kills 99.0% of germs.
GIVE BACK
Rose and Rex is a toy boutique, offering curated content and a selection of elegantly designed toys that promote imaginative play. With a mission to give every child an opportunity to play, they make sure to Play It Forward with every purchase. Rose and Rex partners with like-minded organizations that share their dedication to people and the planet, so they ensure that every purchase makes a positive impact. I’ve made so many adorable, thoughtful purchases for our little girl and given as gifts over the years and love knowing our dollars spent are supporting children.
The Giving Keys employs people who are transitioning out of homelessness to make necklaces from keys with engraved inspirational messages. There’s a “Pay it Forward” concept where the buyer must embrace their word, then “pass it on” to someone they feel needs it more than they do.They've sold more than 500,000 keys and created over 130 jobs for those transitioning from homelessness. There’s a great story to how it all began with a lovely friend of mine, Caitlyn Crosby (founder and CEO) worthy of reading in her beautiful published book “You Are The Key”. It will give you another level of appreciation for what this inspiring woman is capable of. I’ve shared yoga practices with their staff and have seen how hard everyone works to keep this business thriving as people’s lives change for the better. Besides all that goodness the line is gorgeous, heartfelt and makes wonderful inspiring gifts.
SONOMA LOCAL LOVES
Purely Sonoma is a clean beauty salon, marketplace, and community where men and women gather to nurture their most beautiful inner and outer selves. Founded in Sonoma—the heart of Wine Country—by two entrepreneurs who are clean beauty and lifestyle obsessed, longtime friends and fellow moms. Purely believe’s that healthy is beautiful. Results-driven products don’t have to be toxic and ingredients and brands should be sourced with care and responsibility. Believing in safety, sustainability and performance, Purely Sonoma dedicates their mission to cultivating a purely holistic way of living.
A few of my favorite products are: Oway moisturizing Hair Bath (shampoo), Oway smoothing conditioner, OSEA anti-aging body balm, Westman Atelier Vital Skin Foundation Stick, Westman Atelier Eye Love You Mascara… have fun shopping!
Chateau Sonoma is a way of life filled with gatherings, meaningful treasures, adventure, self care, growing your own and bringing more beauty into the world. They believe in and practice sustainability. Whether it be repurposing a vintage piece of furniture or composting in their garden. They are determined to do their part in protecting our planet. They graciously support local artisans creating lovely products. I’m blessed to partner with Sarah Anderson (founder of Chateau Sonoma) for all things wellness as she exudes such an admirable way of living life. We have hosted yoga/ wellness retreats together and I teach yoga at her Farm property weekly. We’ve fallen in love with her store from the moment we landed in Sonoma and always find gorgeous things to add to our home or gift to others. A few of my favorite staple things are the Chateau Sonoma Candle, Monogram Cards, Plum Elderflower Jam, Tatine Candle 2 oz, and check out my favorite gift set: Book Self Care, Sage Stick and Apricot Fleur Soap
Halfpint Sonoma is family owned and operated since 1989 and is simply the best children’s store in Sonoma. The owner and staff are delightful and source wonderful, quality clothing and mindful toys. I’ve bought so many lovely products for my daughter here and it’s my absolute go-to for gifts.
Bread boards Inspired by vintage European breadboards, Pinocchio Boards are handmade in Sonoma, California from one solid pieces of sustainably sourced white oak and finished with natural, food-safe oil. They feature an elegant, curved handle that is both beautiful and comfortable to hold, and are perfect for all kitchen and entertaining. These are made by a local artisan friend of ours and are so worthy of checking out in three different sizes on Etsy. We bought all three as Christmas present for our new home. They come beautifully packaged and with a lovely care card.
Listed below are a few more of my favorite stores we are so grateful Sonoma has for quick, easy shopping. They’ve also done a great job of pivoting on-line if they weren’t already, showcasing merchandise on social media. You’ll find awesome everyday pieces for clothes, quality books, great gift ideas, and house hold items. The Loop, Wildflower Sonoma, Reader’s Books, The Sign of the Bear and Global Heart.
Here’s a quick list of our favorite local restaurants where perhaps a gift card may be a great present and supporting our local delicious spots: Cafe La Haye, Glen Ellen Star, Layla at MacArthur Place, EDK (for burgers), El Molino, B & V, Taub Family Outpost and Valley Bar + Bottle.
I’m feeling more inspired than ever to continuing seeking brands and business’s intentionally that I can support, not just for the holidays but year around. Do some investigating and see how you can support your community, small business owners, minority owned businesses and local artisans.
Well, as we all head into the last ten days of 2020 I send warm hugs, prayers for good health and happiness. I hope you all enjoy your holiday season with so much love and gratitude, even if it feels remarkably different than all your other years. We are ever-growing human beings, honor all that you’ve done to adapt and adjust this year and let’s go out on a high note. Blessings to all of you and thank you for your continued support.Your comments are always welcome here. I always look forward to writing and paying things forward with you and hope it’s more frequent in 2021!