Give From the Heart

Posted | 0 comments

When I began Charm & Magic I knew I wanted to be able to support a meaningful cause, but since I am still in the ‘investment phase’ I felt like I couldn’t really give financially at this point.

A few months ago I met an amazing new friend, Eileen, who spent two years living in Africa and is returning to Kenya to take a group of girls, now known as the Girls on Fire, on a leadership camp. Her mission is incredible and her strength and determination to make a difference was so inspiring I really wanted to support this project in some way. So while Eileen was raising money, I was making 19 mini malas for the girls who are about to embark on this life altering journey.

IMG_7056

By the time I finished designing + making + packaging these gifts I was completely depleted – but in the very best of ways, and I was reminded how incredibly rewarding it is to give from the heart.

And so I am thrilled that in 2015 Charm & Magic will have the opportunity to partner with The Human Plant Project, an organization offering yoga to underserved communities in NYC! More on that to come.

So I’d like to leave you with two things:

#1. Know that when you purchase a Charm & Magic mini mala you are also supporting these growing organizations.

#2. If you are feeling tight on money this holiday season and still want to give beautiful, meaningful gifts – remember the best ones come from the heart (as corny as that sounds – it’s true!) – you can always make something, bake something, write something, record something, organize something… in a way that only you can do.

Happy Giving!

 

Read More

Charm and Magic : Mini Launch

Posted | 2 comments

I have been making mini malas for the past 11 months – but really they have been in the works for years. This seed may have been planted when I started making jewelry for my friends in high school, or when I started practicing yoga and meditation. Either way, I have loved building this handmade business with roots in creative expression + mindful awareness.

photo 1-18

Behind the scenes it’s just me, in a little corner behind the couch in my living room. Wanting to create and make a difference. My beads are in baby food jars, bags, and boxes in an IKEA medicine cabinet and in metal tins on the window sill. I sometimes find an incredible flow and mini malas just pour out of me, other times I spend hours creating and destroying.

This year has been filled with the best kind of learning curves, and now I have a mini collection that I’m thrilled to share with you in the Charm & Magic online shop!

Have a most magical last month of the year – filled with intention and charm!!

Read More

Craving Specificity

Posted | 2 comments

I make mini malas – a necklace strung with 108 beads and a unique charm. They are a playful spin on the traditional japa mala, which is used for meditation and prayer. They are smaller, and might be slightly more fashionable than they are functional. They are asymmetrical. They are handmade.

These mini malas have become a physical representation of my love for yoga + spirituality and my desire to express myself and make things. I create these necklaces as a tool for people to be able to connect with themselves in a world that is moving so incredibly fast.

photo-153

Lately, I have been unearthing a lot of questions and I am craving answers regarding my business and my general life purpose… you know the usual. I wonder how I want these mini malas to live in this world – in the most meaningful way possible.

I wonder…

  • How can these mini malas add the most value in people’s lives?
  • How can they be packaged beautifully, functionally, and eco-conciously? 
  • Where can they be so the people who would love them most will find them.  

If you have ANY insights, any questions of your own, or anything else that comes to mind I’d LOVE to hear from you. Like really love it. And if you’d like to see if anything catches your eye in my online shop – you can click here.

So I will be sitting here with uncertainty, waiting for answers to reveal themselves and continuing to wish that these mini malas support people to find peace and presence within their days. Thanks so much for reading and sharing whatever thoughts you might have!

Read More