Newsletter ~ Holiday Edition

Contact kristy@thegypsysoul.com if you would like to begin receiving The Gypsy Soul Newsletter!

Olympian Gary Beacom Loves his New, Gypsy Leg Warmers!

Olympic Figure Skater Gary Beacom is quite the guy! A true showman, he is a natural at entertaining and being in the spotlight. His long list of accomplishments include (but are certainly not limited to) a Canadian team member in the 1984 Olympic Winter Games, 3rd place in the Nutrasweet World Professional Championships, a soloist and figure skater for numerous productions, as well as a figure skater coach at the Racquet Club of Victoria, which is where The Gypsy Soul's connection comes into play. Gypsy was asked by a friend to make a donation to the Racquet Club's Halloween Party and Silent Auction, benefitting the various programs they have available there. Of course, any opportunity to spread the Gypsy Love is accepted with open arms and hearts, so we donated a pair of leg warmers, made from reused sweater arms. Gary, being an avid bike rider, thought they were just the thing to keep his calves warm during the chilly, Victoria months. I meet up with Gary to snag a few photos of him doing some awesome tricks and poses with the leg warmers. He was definitely not shy about the added attention for his skating practice and gave me quite a show! He also took the opportunity to tell me about an upcoming event "Skate Dance", which is now accepting members (you can read more about this project on his Blog).  Here is one of my favourite skating pieces of his ~ very comical! Having a "Jack Nicholson" style approach to his entertaining, Gary Beacom is a showman to the first degree and it is a privilege that he chooses to sport The Gypsy Soul's clothing.

Launch of the NEW Eco-Friendly Clothing Line!

The Gypsy Soul is proud (and very very excited!!!) to announce the launch of our eco friendly clothing line! All of the clothes and accessories are handmade using only reused and recycled products. Each piece is 100% original ~ you are getting a one-of-a-kind, unique product! All of the materials are hand-selected, basically if it's inspiring, it's good to go! The products are created in the Gypsy Studio with a clear and focused energy, so you know you're getting a well thought out, high quality product. So take a browse, see which piece (or pieces!) inspire you to shine through. :) Oh, and delivery in Victoria, BC is free ~ thought you'd like that!

CBCF Run for the Cure!

On October 4th, the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation held their official RUN for the CURE at various locations across Canada. Here in Victoria, BC, it was held at UVic. The 5km or 1km run, walk, or stroll began with a high impact workout for the participants to get the blood burning! The run (well, we personally were in the strollers category ~ just to make sure we didn't miss anything :) was high energy with a local Marimba Band playing and lots of people dressed up in pink outfits! Melissa and I were sporting the Love Your Breasts t-shirts of course, and with all the outrageous costumes people were wearing, we fit right in!

British Columbia's Run sites boast 23,000 participants contributing a provincial total of $3.2 million raised! Across Canada, 170,000 participants at more than 56 RUN sites raised a total of $26.5 MILLION!!! Now that's a pretty penny!

Bird of Prey on Design by Humans

Also vote for Bird of Prey on the Design by Humans page ~ cheers!

Art Affirmation Design

This piece of art is saying, in an abbreviated form, “I am now allowing wealth”. The letters from this statement do not need to be repeated for your mind to understand them. This is a powerful type of affirmation that speaks directly to the sub-conscience. Meditating on the image and repeating the phrase, especially early morning or before bed everyday, attracts this energy into your life. A tee that inspires wealth and abundance!

This design is currently being voted on at 'Design by Humans' ~ a rad site that is new to me! Like the design? Wanna be able to buy it?!? Vote for Art Affirmations here and thanks for your support!

Design by Humans

CBCF Run for the Cure!

The Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation will be having their annual Run for the Cure on October 4th, 2009 this year. They have been busy promoting the Run by participating in numerous events around Victoria, BC. Media coverage by Victoria News has also been beneficial to spreading the word (click here). Be on the look-out in the next couple of months for the Pink Tent in your community and show your support!

The Market Season has begun!!

Open air markets are an essential part of what makes Victoria, BC fun in the summer time! It's a great opportunity to check out what local artists are creating and to meet and chat with the actual artist that made the products. A social time to meet friends, sip organic, local coffee, listen to live local music, while checking out artisans from your community. A great way to support small, developing businesses in your area by only spending a buck or two and having a wonderful time in the process.

Though markets from the vendors point of view can sometimes be a little different... There is a whole separate entity that people walking through never get to see. From having your products juried, logistics of setting up, not to mention the fees and costs associated with all of this. It can be a pretty lengthy processes, before you even get out on the streets! Finding the right market for your products/services is also challenging. Plus there's the fact that there are a lot of markets to choose from and only, usually, 2 days in a weekend to have them. This is part of the reason why, 7-8 years ago, vendors cleaned house at markets. It was so worthwhile to show case your products/services because there weren't many markets for the public to choose from, so they probably went to one you were at and spent some cashola. Wanting to support this type of thing for the future, maybe they spent a bit of cashola, and maybe they made a habit of coming to the same market, to that same vendor, and buying their local produce from them.

That's not to say that markets nowadays aren't as viable ~ they are. It just seems a little more 'hit or miss' than it was in 'the good ol' days of markets'. You have to do your research about a specific market beforehand. You have to have a product/service that people are, not only going to love, but purchase as well. Plus tell their friends about. Because that's what this whole market community is about ~ community. Supporting, growing, loving our own local communities because this is where we live and love to live for our own personal reasons. So get out there, find your fav community markets, and support LOCAL!

De Plastico Purses in Ethical Fashion Show!

The infamous De Plastico Purses were featured in a local Ethical Fashion Show presented by Vic High School students. There were 15 companies contributing to the event, all proudly showing their eco-friendly styles!

The De Plastico Purses are made from recycled plastic bags. Seven to 10 bags are fused together with a hot iron to create a strong base. Then different colored plastics, letters, designs, etc. are 

cut out and fused to the base. A funky handle and buttons (all recycled, salvaged, and/or donated of course!) are then attached. Some are lined with t-shirts and cloth from vintage stores.

I originally came up with the idea of making purses and wallets from plastic when my cupboard was overflowing 

with plastic! 'What do you do with all this plastic??' I asked the internet, and fusing plastic was the answer. A great way (though very toxic so take precautions!) to reuse something we produce too much of and making something useful in the process! They are  100% handmade and unique.

Amazing Raw Muesli

I can smell this awesome aroma coming from my oven as I type! I'm not much for measurements ~ kinda a see and do as you go type girl! So here's a guideline for my Amazing Raw Muesli recipe. Feel free to add more/less or substitute depending on your preferences.

Organic Oats

Quinoa Flakes

Soaked Whole Nuts (almonds, pine, sunflower, etc.)

Olive Oil/Ghee/Butter

Vanilla

Cinnamon

Nutmeg

Cloves

Ground Ginger (I like lots!)

Salt & Pepper (sm amounts)

And throw in a Vanilla Bean and/or Cinnamon Stick if you've got 'em

Preheat the Oven/Dehydrator as low as it can go! Mix everything up together in a pan (I like to use a lasagna pan, but whatever works) really well. Bake for 2-4 hours, depending on how well you like it done, stirring every 30-40 mins.

I'm currently on the Candida Free Diet, which means no sugar, yeast, dairy. Those of you who are familiar with this type of diet, know that it is damn near impossible to find a breakfast cereal or muesli without some kind of sugar or dried fruit! And after 2 months of Oat Bran, I was oated out! So, I decided to create my own and viola (!) an amazing breaky full of energy and vitamins! Enjoy!

Mother's Day!

Looking for that special gift for Mother's Day? How about a 'Love Your Breasts' t-shirt! They are meant to inspire positive emotions towards our bodies. $5 from each sale benefits either:

the BC Cancer Foundation

the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation

A perfect gift for Mom that helps Breast Cancer Research ~ what could be better?! Check 'em out here: 

www.TheGypsySoul.com

Here's a little background info about the tees:

About a year ago, a friend asked me to create an art piece for a silent auction benefitting the BC Cancer Foundation. One word came to mind ~ love, and at that moment a design popped into my head. I began creating and the ‘Love Your Breasts’ t-shirt was born! A design meant to inspire positive emotions towards ourselves and our bodies. 

The design is a heart made from words describing ‘breasts’. The universal symbol of the heart creates feelings of love, while also encompassing the two breasts. The design is meant to spark a smile.

My company, The Gypsy Soul, has been partnering with the BC Cancer Foundation for the past year and selling the t-shirts at their retail location in Vancouver. Recently, wanting to reach across Canada with this idea, we have been working with the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation as well.

The t-shirts are currently available on our website:

http://www.TheGypsySoul.com

$5 from each tee goes to either the BC Cancer Foundation or the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.

The Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation has a goal set for Canada to be breast cancer free by 2020. To accomplish this, early detection and a positive mindset are essential. I believe this design will promote awareness and increase support in achieving this goal.