CJ Armstrong, our Farmgirl of the Year 2010, is stitching and selling glamper-ific aprons using my newly launched Glamping fabric collection. You can bet I’ll be wearing one when I’m glamping this summer in my ’68 Airstream, Lily. With this giveaway, you can get your glamp on, too! Picture yourself in one of these. Now, picture your perfect trailer or glammed-up tent.
CJ sells these lovelies on her blog, Fresh Farm Aprons. You can also catch up with her on her business page on Facebook.
Here are some closeups of my “girls” that you see on the fabric above. Yes, they each come with their own personalities and names.
Sunny Brook—high maintenance hits the road
You know I’m passionate about transforming waste into wonder,
but here’s a story that goes beyond anything I’ve ever dreamed possible …
and left me with tears streaming down my face.
It begins in Cateura, Paraguay, a shantytown that’s built upon a landfill where the water supply is dangerously polluted and rains bring floods of refuse.
More than 1,500 tons of solid waste arrives each day, according to UNICEF, and Cateura’s 2,500 families, young and old, survive by separating the garbage underfoot for recycling.
And yet, amid squalor beyond most Americans’ comprehension, beauty is blooming from the most unexpected places …
An old coffee can.
Bottle caps.
Discarded kitchen utensils.
………………………………………………………………….
One person’s trash,
it seems,
can become another’s …
Bach?
“A violin is worth more than a house here,” says Favio Chavez, director of the Landfill Harmonic.
A few years ago, one of the garbage pickers, “an untutored genius of the slum,” joined forces with Chaves, a local musician, to make instruments for the children of Cateura using what they had—trash.
Like magic, violins and cellos emerged from oil drums,
flutes sprung from water pipes and spoons,
wooden packing crates became guitars,
and garbage-picking kids were transformed into musicians.
The Recycled Orchestra was born.
As the dream continues to flourish in the hearts of blossoming musicians, the orchestra is beginning to take tours around the world, stunning audiences with the quality of music that can be produced from “waste.”
At the same time, filmmakers are working on a new documentary, due to be released in 2014, which tells this tale of trash and treasure. Take a peek:
In the coming month, Landfill Harmonic is trying to raise over $113,000 to support their ongoing effort and complete the film. If you’d like to help make it happen, visit their Kickstarter page to pledge as little as a dollar.
Photos courtesy of Landfill Harmonic
Photos courtesy of Landfill Harmonic
Photos courtesy of Landfill Harmonic
Photos courtesy of Landfill Harmonic
Thanks to all those who entered the Shabby Apple clothing giveaway for a chance to win a $50 gift certificate to put some … polka dot panache into your life!
Louise reaches into the pile of names and picks out …
Robin Armstrong Miller! Congratulations!
Robin Armstrong Miller said:
“I love Shabby Apple! I am pretty partial to reds and blacks but I like the Mint Green. Something to get my pretty on for teaching!”
Robin, keep your eyes on your inbox for an email from the farm.
____________________________________________________________
And the original post dated March 23 was:
Are you pining for pinafores, perpetuated by plaid, and placated by peplums?
If polka dots predicate a pleasurably palpable prognosis, you’re not alone.
May I prescribe Shabby Apple vintage clothing—a return to what dresses were always meant to be.
Your name suggestions have been fabulous. For some reason, he’s looking like an “Otis” to me. He always looks so surprised. OH!tis. What do you think? Will Otis work for this guy?
Thanks to all who entered for a chance to win a $50 membership to the GreenPolkaDotBox!
Ashley, my DIL, and Food Stylist, reaches into the Green PolkaDot Box …
And the winner is …
Amanda!!
Amanda said:
I would love to get some pistachio butter for my husband to try, that way he has something healthy to snack on. I’d also like to try their organic broths, so when I make dinner I can feel better about the health of my family.
Congratulations! Look for an email from the farm, coming soon.
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And here’s the original post dated March 20, 2013:
If hearts could sing!! Healthy food? Low. low prices? Yes, please!
If you’re like many people out there who don’t have a local co-op or Whole Foods store, or you’re in the middle of January and the farmers’ market is months away, don’t panic.
The Green PolkaDot Box sells natural, organic, non-GMO options delivered right to your front door. Better yet? They’ll even ship produce from organic farms. If you’re wanting GOOD food ONLY in your kitchen, this is the place to purchase your goods. Think of them as the Amazon.com of the food world. Every item is sold at wholesale prices you can actually afford.
We recently partnered with the Green PolkaDot Box in MaryJanesFarm to promote how easy, awesome, healthy, and tasty their organic, non-GMO food is. I was pretty excited to “challenge the box.”
It’s been almost three years since the publication of the groundbreaking book,
Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide.
Have you read it?
If not, skedaddle on over to your favorite book shop and pick up a copy.
Today.
It’s not just a book.
It’s action,
evolution,
momentum.
From the seeds of the book sprouted a PBS television series, which branched into websites, blogs, art exhibitions, music, and a social media tour-de-force.
Like I said, this thing is on a roll.
The latest limb in the Half the Sky mega-movement is deceptively diminutive:
A game.
On Facebook.
Sounds trivial, right?
But when you consider the multitudes of Facebook members worldwide, a game to engage people in women’s issues is nothing short of
GENIUS.
The book and TV series attracted attention from those who already care about the challenges facing women around the globe, says the book’s co-author Nicholas Kristof. But the Facebook game is intended to reach those who don’t yet know the gravity of the problem.
Half the Sky Movement: The Game introduces you to a fictional character named Radhika, described as “a simple woman from India who wants to make things better … for both herself and women worldwide.”
From Radhika’s perspective, you set off on a series of quests, facing issues and making choices that many women must deal with daily in terms of health care, education, meager income, gender bias, family matters, personal safety, and so on.
The game begins in Radhika’s home country of India, and from there you travel to Kenya, Vietnam, Afghanistan, and the United States, eventually becoming a global leader and a role-model for women worldwide.
“I hope that it will lead people to some degree to think about that perspective and the choices—often impossible choices—that women like [Radhika] face every day,” says Kristof.
Along the way, you encounter opportunities to unlock real-life donations from sponsors that reflect the important issues portrayed in the game, and you can also choose to donate directly to the game’s nonprofit partners, including The Fistula Foundation, GEMS, Heifer International, ONE, Room to Read, The United Nations Foundation, and World Vision.
Here’s the game trailer:
Projects with my newly released glamping fabric are in full bloom on blogs across the internet. This one in particular caught my eye. Beautiful! This was made by Mary Ann of RocknQuilts.
What does a girl do with gorgeous “Glamping” fabric designed by Mary Jane Butters? Why, create a gorgeous wall hanging/table topper for her camper/glamper, of course!
Can’t wait to show you more, but here’s what’s done sew far…
Buy props used in MaryJane’s books and magazine!
5% of profits will benefit www.firstbook.org, a non-profit that provides new books to children from low-income families throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Here’s how:
MaryJane will post a photo and a description of a prop and its cost along with a few details as to its condition here: https://shop.maryjanesfarm.org/MaryJanesCurations. It’s a playful way to be the new owner of a little bit of farm herstory.
