Feeling like Santa these days, it's exciting to see all of the places that Matter Goods are going! Have recently sent packages to New Zealand, Toronto, Seattle, Chicago, New Jersey, Florida, throughout Louisiana and beyond.
It's also a thrill to see new goods mixed in, so glad that our notebooks and totes are ready (Swaddling blankets and rabbits are soon to follow)! It will be really exciting to make donations to our new and current partners after the holidays! I'm looking forward to spending the holidays relaxing with dear ones and I wish all the best to you and yours.
On a sidenote, I'm thinking about adding a 'no smokestack' logo to our packaging in the new year. I like thinking about that.. picturing all of the people that make our notebooks, totes, and birdies, in their lovely studios & workshops without any smokestacks puffing away.
Must get back to it, but I hope that you and yours enjoy your time together & thank you so much for your support of Matter! If you're still looking for gifts we have 3 days left to ship to arrive in time & 20% off with discount code 'GIVESTOMANY'. Happy Holidays & New Year from New Orleans!
Excited for travels coming up next week! First I will be traveling to give talks to students in design & entrepreneurship at Syracuse University! So excited to visit & meet these students Oct. 3,4. And also for an added bonus of getting a little peek of fall!
Directly following that will be heading to my old/always hood NYC for a few days to attend the Feast for Social Innovation Week. And I am so honored for Matter's Goods to be for sale at the Pavilion on October 5, 6! Come on by, be so glad to see you!
Also** October 5, host a dinner for Social Good around the world, be a part of the Feast wherever you are! Details here.
Two products focus on different aspects of education needs, but that share one basic element that many students don't have, access. We will be donating to groups that provide access to books, help needed in learning to read & building confidence. Our first notebooks series serve as a place to build dreams, the most basic item in a dreamer's toolkit. They have letterpress covers and are made of beautiful, 100% recycled French's paper, powered by hydroelectric since 1922. We find a new donation partner with the "I have a Dream" Foundation for these notebooks. They provide mentor-ship for low income students from elementary school to college andy work with an entire class to give them all the help, access, & insights to the many possibilities that are available that they need all along the way.
The second focused on education is a beautiful linen napkin, this napkin is unique in that its design shows you how to fold it into a rabbit. When I saw this idea, I fell in love with the magic created by folding the napkin over your hand. Cécile Thalmann & Adel Kassem are the designers behind this lovely idea and are currently living in the beautiful city of Amsterdam. Cécile's grandmother used to entertain her using this trick and she continues to play with this linen rabbit trick today. Building upon the benefits of play and reading, this linen rabbit becomes a reading buddy for children learning how to read. Using the power of imagination & invention, children see how a napkin becomes a toy, more and more important in our digital age. This product donates to a local one-on-one tutoring group, S.T.A.I.R. & First Book, who enable access to books for children nationwide.
The third idea, from paper to loom, is a blanket that will help with disaster relief. This idea was inspired by the needs brought by Hurricane Sandy. Hearing and seeing images of the immense devastation, imagining myself in the individual's shoes, made me want to give that person a hug. Also, hearing about the widespread power outages in the bitter cold and lack of access to basic needs inspired the idea for a blanket. Disasters hone down everything to the most basic human needs. The group that we will donate to for rebuilding is Architecture for Humanity. I selected this group because of their commitment to individuals and community needs as well as their focus on rebuilding for the long term.
So, on our third birthday, Happy Birthday to you & to Matter and may we make a meaningful difference for the environment and our communities. Big hug from me to you & great week/weekend ahead!
