Author Archives: maryjane

Hear Ye!

Welcome New Sisters! (click for current roster)

Merit Badge Awardees (click for latest awards)

My featured Merit Badge Awardee of the Week is … Amanda Schrack!!!

Amanda Schrack (#5269) has received a certificate of achievement in Stitching & Crafting for earning a Beginner Level Buttoned Up Merit Badge!

“I have numerous button stashes around my house. Some were for making hair bows for my daughter, some were for sewing and some were for crafting. I finally put them all together into one button collection.

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Glamping Sites to Visit in 2013: Day 10 of 15

Now that you’ve read my book, Glamping with MaryJane, you need to find a fabulous place to get your campin’ glam on.

We’re back for a 10th day of where to glamp in 2013.

Are you the adventurous type? If a vacation by the pool with margarita in hand isn’t your thing, pack your hiking boots and backpack and see what the Sequoia High Sierra Camp has to offer.

The Sequoia High Sierra Camp
California

Guests stay in canvas cabins sprinkled among flourishing pine trees. The bungalows come equipped with Pendleton blankets; a sitting area; and double, queen, or king beds available on a first-come, first-serve basis. (Leave that roller bag at home, girlfriend! It’s a one-mile hike in. Oh, and forget the hair dryer too. It’s off-grid glamping.)

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Set at an elevation of 8,282 feet, the camp offers breathtaking views of the High Sierras and a vast array of trails for day hiking. Take in the stars with their high-powered Orion Telescope, available for guest use, as well as a user-friendly guide to identify the galaxies. You will be dazzled by the crystal-clear serenity of the stars, sans light pollution.

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CanvasPop

I can’t wait to tell you about a company that’s doing business in a revolutionary way—you know how I love trailblazers.

CanvasPop is a web-based company that converts photos into printed canvas art.

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Photo courtesy of CanvasPop.com

That is pretty neat in itself, but wait … it gets better.

CanvasPop has just launched a new project called Remade that aims to transform pieces of waste canvas (inherent in the canvas art biz) into wow-your-socks-off photo-art wallets.

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Photo courtesy of CanvasPop.com

In doing so, the company will reduce its manufacturing waste by 70 percent while simultaneously creating a whole new product.

AND …

CanvasPop is donating $5 from every wallet sale (which amounts to 100 percent of the company’s profit) to Charity: Water.

Can it get any more amazing?

Oh, yes. In fact, it can.

According to Alyssa Hanson at CanvasPop, “Each wallet is constructed by EcoEquitable Inc., a non-profit organization that provides employment and skill development to immigrant and underemployed women.”

­If you order a Remade wallet, you’ll also get a $30 CanvasPop gift voucher printed on plantable paper from Botanical Paperworks that will sprout wildflowers when planted.

Here’s a video of how all of this magic happens:

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Happy Day!

Our adorable Karina (graphic designer/photographer) has tied the knot this past Saturday. We plan on sharing more photos from her big day in an upcoming issue of MaryJanesFarm, but couldn’t wait to share just a photo or two. Let’s give Karina and Adam a big CONGRATS!!!!

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It seemed only fitting to send them off under a halo of fireworks, not that their chemistry doesn’t already sparkle, snap, and soar.

644210_633220073364585_1312968701_n Such happiness!!!! What would we do without weddings?????

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The Reunion — bring some tissues

UK Conservationist Damian Aspinall raises gorillas at his wild animal conservatory, under the Aspinall Foundation. Kwibi, a gorilla he hand-raised until age 5, was released into the wilds of West Africa five years ago as part of a conservation program.

Their reunion couldn’t be more surprising or sweeter!