I also have some very exciting jewelry news along those same lines. How much do we love this Gladiator cuff?
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I've been jokingly calling it my "Wonderwoman Bracelet" and wearing it about town for weeks now and it's been the subject of near-constant chatter. That's the prototype and I'll be picking up a handful in Morocco this summer and hope to have them on the website by late July. Stay tuned!
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At the HSMG Conference in Denver
Those are drop-dead gorgeous leather slippers. Straight from Morocco. FOR $139.
You could certainly go that route, but may I suggest that you save almost $100 and check out our lovely selection for women at just $40? Your purchase will provide five chickens to an indigenous Berber family.
Or our supple leather slippers for men at just $45? The purchase of which provides three roosters to a local family?
Those prices left me a wee bit gobsmacked. Think of what you could do with $100 extra dollars! My mind reels with possibilities...
Sparkling Leather Slippers: $40
Small Handmade Luxe Platter: $30
Rest assured that, no matter which handmade luxury you select, we'll swaddle each one in our signature blue tissue, nestle it inside a gift box made with recycled fibers, tuck in a narrative card explaining the history of the piece and the impact your gift has made on the indigenous people of Morocco and seal it all with our logo. Can't decide? We offer handsome gift certificates, styled as Moroccan postcards.
Through May 5th, we invite you to save 10% on every order by entering code MOTHER in the coupon box at checkout from www.FromMoroccoWithLove.com.
We wish each of you a wonderful Mother's Day full of joy and peace.
Etched Brass Tea Tables
Morjana Tea Glasses in Amethyst
Burgundy Decorative Camel Saddle
In better news, our inventory counts were off by one, so our previously "sold out" Thuya Wood Bowl (one of my personal favorites!) is back in stock. If you're craving an out-of-stock item, fear not. New stock is due in the States by late summer and we'll be introducing some fab new items as well!
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We're thrilled to be featured in the April issue of Lake Murray Magazine. It's a wonderful piece and we're very grateful to the local press for the generous coverage. You can click here to access the digital version of the magazine and flip to page 37 to read the full article.
Interestingly enough, the opening scene where they meet Miriam (their translator) is filmed at the Sofitel Marrakech, which happens to be where I first feasted my eyes upon on our gorgeous Silk Tassel Curtain Pulls! Click through that link to see our exact tassels featured on this chic hotel's back patio.
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new shoes for 2 children
clothing to 1 child for an entire year
enough seeds and tools for 5 families to plant gardens
1 goat, who will provide: milk, meat and leather
11 olive trees
8 dental kits
2 chickens
I say we all give ourselves a round of virtual high-fives! Please help us spread the word- all orders are giftwrapped and include a storycard which highlights the history of the item and its place in Moroccan culture, along with a discount card for you to share with a friend (or us it yourself, either way it's 10% off!). Many, many thanks for your continued support...
Essaouira, Morocco: Gnawa African Music Festival, June 25-28 (see my video from last year's event right here)
Rabat, Morocco: Mawazine Music Festival, May 21-29 (Eight days of live music featuring Sting, Elton John, Santana, Mika + more)
Marrackech, Morocco: Popular Arts Festival, July 16-24
I'll make 2 of 4 this year, but am kicking myself that I'll miss Sting on a huge oceanside stage in Morocco. That's as close to heaven as I may ever get! I'm in Casablanca at the moment on a long layover on way to attend the Global Shea 2010 conference in Bamako, Mali on behalf of my other company (Bella Luccè). I am spreading your love and good juju here on my 15 hour stopover. I plan to spread far more of that good juju (and all those dollars you've raised) on a month-long journey through Morocco in June. Stay tuned!
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Two Berber families to receive a goat
Ten chickens to be bought
Three olive trees to be donated
Three Berber children to be clothed for a year
Two little girls will go to school for one year
Ten Berber children will receive reading books
Two families will receive all the tools and seeds needed to plant large gardens
I had no idea what to expect- I just decided to stand at the very edge of that cliff, throw my hands in the air, close my eyes and jump...hoping for the best. And I can honestly tell you that tonight I am so humbled and amazed at what ten days has brought. And that's ten days without a single piece of press (lots of magazine coverage soon, but they work months ahead of publication and nothing is on the shelves at the time of launch). Ten days without any ads placed anywhere. Ten days without us showing up in the search engines yet. Truth be told, I'm so buried in work right now that I've not even sent an email announcing the launch to the thousands of people on our Bella Luccè mailing list. That's just you and me chatting it up on blogs, Facebook and Twitter. And I think it's just an inkling of what's to come. It's pretty awesome stuff and I hope you feel the same way. Thank you, thank you, thank you- to each of you who has made a purchase, or helped spread the word or even just sent us kind words or silent positive energy. I feel it all, I welcome it all and I go to bed tonight so ridiculously excited about the good we've already done for Morocco. And it's just the beginning...please universe, let it be so.
]]>To be entered to win both of these fabulous Moroccan goodies, you must do each of these three things:1. Leave a comment at her blog. Tell her how this story inspires you to make a difference in the lives of those who are less fortunate, especially children. You may share as many comments as you’d like. Each will be considered separately.
2. Join the Indie Business FaceBook Fan Page. Here’s the link. How easy is that one?
3. Twitter a link to this post. You can do this automatically by clicking here. That link opens up your Twitter page and makes it easy for you to Tweet this post with one click.
Hurry- the contests ends on Monday, February 22nd. Good luck!
This entire Moroccan venture is very much a collaborative effort which wouldn’t have come into existence so quickly and beautifully without the efforts of some very generous souls. Please indulge me for a moment while I thank those people who either volunteered their services or offered them at ridiculously reduce prices.
Many thanks to Padraic Ryan of Ryan Design Studio for donating his time and talents to this website. Having long been our web designer for Bella Luccè, I approached him for a quote on launching this website and was floored when he offered to do it gratis. If you need a sleek, intuitive, and highly efficient website delivered on-time and in budget, Padraic is your “go-to” guy. I affectionately call him the Jedi Master of web design and am so thrilled to have him in my corner.
My dear friend Robin Nalepa, a brilliant writer, photostylist, PR gal and all-around fabulous person patiently styled dozens of products, drew up our press release, edited a small mountain of web copy and helped me maintain both my focus and my sanity. I am forever grateful. If you need a skillfully written press release or want to add some panache to your web copy, I invite you to contact Robin via rcnalepa@aol.com.
Kim Kim Foster is a feature photographer for The State newspaper. She’s also one of the grooviest chicks I know and she stepped right on up to the plate when I threw myself at her feet, pleading with her to photograph crate after crate of Morocco’s finest artisan goods. Because I have a tremendously hard time editing myself, Kim Kim ended up shooting two or three times the number of photos I originally estimated, yet she still delivered on time. I'm thrilled to announce that Kim Kim and Robin have joined forces and are poised to launch their own new venture, christened Flower Boots. Coming soon: beautiful product photography and copy writing services for small businesses...stay tuned.
Brooke Stant, of Villainess fame, is a cherished friend who also happens to design uber-cool custom blogs. She volunteered her talents and time to create Lovenotes, where we’ll keep you informed of new products, community donations, highlights of Moroccan culture and upcoming philanthropic efforts. Kisses on both of her cheeks for being so amazing.
Professional Printers in Columbia, SC is our “Printer Of Choice” and I am indebted to Clint and his team for rolling back the prices on a variety of collateral materials necessary to launch this venture. Recipients of a 2007 National Premier Award, Professional Printers uses digital presses to create some of the most brilliant work in the industry, with quick delivery and extremely competitive prices. If you need a drop-dead fabulous printer, please call Clint at 803.796.4000.
I am forever in your debt. Please help us spread the word far and wide. You can also follow us on Twitter or join us on Facebook. Hope to see you soon!
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