As summer travel season “heats up,” I’m reminded why I think Zulugrass Single Strand jewelry is the ultimate travel jewelry.  According to The Girls’ Guide to Packing at LifeScript.com: “It’s a cliché, but packing multi-use separates is the best way to give yourself the most outfits.”  Double Duty Outfits?  That describes Zulugrass to a T!  Here are my Top Eight reasons why Zulugrass Single Strands should be in every woman’s suitcase this year!

8. The fabulous color combinations mean that it can be matched to any outfit.
7. So versatile, it can be worn a variety of ways. Wear it cascaded around your neck with evening attire, wrapped as a bracelet for tennis, around your ankle with your swimsuit, or to pull up your hair in a ponytail. Try it as a belt! Watch our Ways to Wear video.

6. It’s waterproof and colorfast. Great for poolside or the beach.
5. It’s lightweight and packs easily.
4. The attention to detail in its handcrafted quality makes it eye-catching and unique.
3. It’s eco-friendly since Zulugrass is made of sustainable, natural grasses, dyed with low-impact, colorfast dyes.
2. It also gives back to make a better world: women helping women. Your purchase of Zulugrass jewelry offers work opportunity to hundreds of Maasai women in Kenya who make it, providing education fees for their children and medical needs for families with no other income.

But the NUMBER ONE reason, I always pack extra strands: inevitably, I end up giving away several strands right off my wrist.  Nothing shows your gratitude for good service at a restaurant, to a hostess who puts you up, or to a newfound friend than a gift of the heart!

 Father’s Day is fast approaching.  As we each reflect on our own fathers and the influence they have had on our lives, we wanted to share some personal thoughts with you as well as what is important to a Maasai father.
 
PHILIP LEAKEY -“By example, my father showed me the importance of being independent, being a doer, and to be passionate about life.  I always tell young people to be a “player,” not a spectator.  If you want to live a full life, you must be down on the field, not sitting in the stands.  Be independent! Carve out your own way of thinking and doing things.  Passion not only creates drive, it creates curiosity.  These three traits are fundamental for creating a life filled with purpose.”

KATY LEAKEY – “My father always said, “Do what you love, and you will do it well.  Because you do it well, you will be well rewarded.”  With his constant moral support, I carved out my life as an artist against the advice of my contemporaries who said I could never make a living at it.  My father was right, and they were wrong.  I will always be grateful to him for encouraging me to follow my passions.”

Over the past several years, I have asked many rural Maasai women what their father taught them and invariably the answer was, “How to take care of cattle.”  This is one of the most important lessons for Maasai children because cattle are a family’s livelihood.

GUEST BLOGGER: Teresa Grove of INK, Inc. 

After months of planning and anticipation, we finally arrived in Nairobi for our very first African adventure.  My husband and I have been working with The Leakey Collection for over a year now, sharing their story of inspiration to the world thru our PR firm, INK, Inc.  and were now finally going to experience life in the Great Rift Valley ourselves.

The following morning, we flew to Kampala, Uganda where we spent the evening at a 5-Star Resort that was as much of an African experience as a resort facility “anywhere in the world.” We soon learned to “be careful what you wish for” as we embarked upon one of the longest and toughest 12 hour drives via land cruiser.  Our guide referred to it as the “African Massage.”   If this is what you get in Africa for a massage . . . thank you, I’ll gladly pass.

Somehow we safely arrived at the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest for our hike to see the Mountain Gorillas the following morning.  After a short hike, a Silverback Gorilla and two of its young were directly in front of us.  The next hour we spent watching and photographing some of the last surviving “gentle giants” in the Uganda, Congo and Rwanda area.  (We could actually see the Congo from where we were.)

On the road again for an “African Massage” for another 12 hours!!  The only thing that made this bearable was spotting our first wild elephants and about a million baboons. Upon our return from Ngorongoro Crater, Philip and Katy Leakey were waiting to pick us up so we could head to the Ndutu Lodge on the Serengeti.  This trip just kept getting better! At Ndutu, the lodge and cottages were very rustic – complete with banana leaf roofs.  Guards patrolled the grounds to keep the wildlife at bay, and warning signs discouraged visitors from venturing too far from the area.  The first night, we could hear lion, wildebeest and bats (which sound like dripping water) as we tried to sleep.

The following morning under the 4-wheel driving skills of Philip, we found ourselves on top of their land cruiser in the middle of the wildebeest migration!  Everywhere you looked were wildebeest, zebra and gazelle.  The next couple of days, we continued to explore areas of the Serengeti and encountered giraffe, a very large and full male lion after killing a wildebeest, and hyenas and their cubs fighting over a limb of a wildebeest. We went fossil hunting on the very locations where Philip grew up while his famous parents discovered the skeletal remains of the first humans to walk the earth.

From Ndutu to Katy and Philip’s was another long and dusty 14-hour drive.  Probably the most memorable experience was arriving at the tented camp of Philip and Katy.  Nestled at the top of a 5000 ft. mountain, the view is spectacular!  After daily outings to visit a Boma where we were presented with gifts from the Maasai and meeting the women, men and children at The Leakey Collection workstations, we’d gather at the fire pit in the evenings overlooking Shompole Lodge, Mt. Kenya, Ngorongoro Crater and Mount Kilimanjaro as the sun set.

As we picnicked by their water source, we were told, “If either of us say “tree!” climb a tree as fast as you can!”  (Water buffalo, along with hippo, are capable of doing serious damage to humans).  Over gourmet meals, we were entertained by Katy and Philip with incredible stories of their lives and the trials and tribulations of living in Kenya.

In the early morning hours, zebra would graze just outside our tent.  We were only too happy not to have any encounters with poisonous snakes or a leopard.  However, we did think twice about going to the “long drop” (outhouse) in the wee hours of the morning.

Now as we are back to reality, Africa seems like a distant memory, but Katy, Philip, the Maasai, and the wildlife all hold a special place in our hearts.

What kind of celebration are you planning this summer? How to be eco-friendly is probably NOT the first thing you think about but with just a little planning, you can bring your summer celebration to a new level – one that honors your commitment to the environment but doesn’t compromise on style.

Saying “I do” can still be the elegant event that every little girl dreams of with a few thoughtful adjustments such as these.  Zulugrass Safari Gold Single Strands offer a variety of uses that would serve double duty – napkin holders during the reception, wedding favors afterwards.

Recycled plates like these show that eco-friendly tableware doesn’t have to mean more work to clean up. Children’s birthday parties can rise above the mundane pizza party with these creative ideas. And gift giving, whether it’s for bridesmaids, birthday presents or the GRADUATE, is easy with Zulugrass jewelry that uses sustainable and natural elements such as fallen wood, grass and porcelain.

The Leakey Collection is offering our special Friendship Sets, consisting of a Zulugrass Single Strand with a matching porcelain heart charm, at 25% off through 6/14/09. Show your lucky gift recipients that you’re thinking of them on their special occasion.