Sunday, January 31, 2010

Toasting Your Ticker


Planning a romantic Valentine’s Day dinner? How about serving some wine with real heart? Held in trust by the nonprofit Leducq Foundation, the Napa Valley–based Ehlers Estate produces certified-organic vintages like cabernet franc and merlot. One hundred percent of the proceeds from all wine sales helps fund research on cardiovascular diseases. Consider a bottle of St. Helena One Twenty Over Eighty ($45), whose name is a play on what’s typically considered the ideal blood pressure. A red with aromas and flavors of spiced plum, molasses, tea, vanilla, cream, and mocha, it’s a great way to raise a glass to your sweetie and help protect his or her sweet heart.


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Thursday, January 28, 2010

Send Some Love


In the market for a new tote bag or cosmetics case? If you buy one from Saltbox design studio, you can support relief efforts in Haiti at the same time. Now through February 14, the company will donate 10 percent of every purchase to the American Red Cross to help those affected by the recent earthquake. Just enter “Give my love to Haiti!” in the message box at checkout.


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Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Little by Little


Anyone who’s ever had a baby knows just how much gear small fries require. From pacifiers and bottles to burp cloths and changing pads, all the supplies can make any mom feel something like a Sherpa at times. Bella Tunno aims to bring some style to what it calls those baby “neccessories,” with bibs, pacifier clips, and other products for the pint-sized set done up in hip, modern prints. And kiddos get an early lesson in giving back, since a portion of the proceeds from every sale go to charitable causes like the Matt Tunno Make a Difference Memorial Fund, which supports drug and alcohol abuse prevention, rehabilitation, and education programs.


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Monday, January 25, 2010

Raising the Bar


I don’t think there can ever be too much hope in the world. Especially when it comes to things like breast cancer. Skin- and body-care company Lather is helping to spread a little of that positive thinking with its Soap for Hope Gift Set ($20). Included in the set are a natural wood soap dish and two bars of Sandalwood Rose Soap, an olive oil–based soap infused with rose petals, rose absolute oil, and sandalwood oil. For every set sold, $12 goes to the breast-cancer program at City of Hope, a Los Angeles–area medical and research institution designated a Comprehensive Cancer Center by the National Cancer Institute. The soap is also sold by the bar ($8), with $5 from each sale going to City of Hope.


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Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Clothes for Comfort


Show your support for the victims of the Haiti earthquake with a limited-edition T-shirt from Studio Number One ($15). All proceeds from sales of the shirt go to the United States Fund for UNICEF, which has been sending much-needed supplies to the survivors of the natural disaster. Find the shirt at CafePress’s Haiti Relief Shop, which features other goods that also benefit UNICEF.


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Compassionate Computing


My dad used to always tell me and my siblings that he didn’t do weather. Of course, that was before 24-hour news channels, the Internet, and applications like Seasonality ($24.95, for Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later). Available through Gaucho Software, it features everything from seven-day forecasts for locations throughout the globe to radar images and astronomical data like sunset and moon-rise times. And through the end of January, Gaucho Software will donate 100 percent of the proceeds from sales of Seasonality (minus a $3 processing fee) to Partners in Health, which has been working in Haiti for 20 years and is providing much needed medical care in the wake of the recent earthquake.

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Monday, January 18, 2010

Handmade Help


In just two days, Craft Hope has helped raise $7,000 for Doctors Without Borders’ efforts in Haiti through its Craft Hope for Haiti Etsy shop. Crafters from all over have been donating items to the site, everything from laptop covers and tote bags to pillows and jewelry. Donations keep coming in, and 100 percent of the proceeds from the items sold on the site go to Doctors Without Borders as it works to treat survivors of the devastating earthquake in Haiti.

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Thursday, January 14, 2010

A Bag with Benefits


These days, travel can definitely be something of a hassle. But it’s a little more fun when you’re carrying a spiffy-looking bag. The Plaid Travel Bag from Saltbox design studio definitely fits that bill, and when you buy it in the company’s Spencer print ($190) through January 15, you won’t be the only one reaping the benefits. Saltbox is donating $5 from every sale of the bag to the Buoniconti Fund, which is working to find a cure for paralysis resulting from spinal-cord injury.


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Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Grab Some Green Gear


Hey you! Yeah, the one with the plastic grocery bags. Still haven’t made the switch to reusable shopping bags? Then check out the selection at Blue Q. Made from used grain sacks and plastic water bottles, the bags feature funky designs depicting everything from cupcakes to Michelle Obama. So why not show a little bit of your personality while you shop, instead of just broadcasting the name of your grocery store? And while you’re at it, ditch the plastic water bottle and pick up a stainless-steel, BPA-free one. You’ll be doing the environment a favor, especially since Blue Q donates 1 percent of the sales of its bags and water bottles to the Nature Conservancy, with a guaranteed minimum contribution of $50,000.


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Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Say Something


Message tees have been all the rage in recent years. But instead of using your chest to declare your dating status or which Twilight stud you favor, why not use it to speak out for a good cause? The men’s, women’s, and kids’ T-shirts from Farofa Nation ($24 to $26) offer both style and substance. Their cool designs mean you’ll look good wearing them, and you’ll feel good about the fact that 10 percent of all T-shirt sales goes to Task Brasil, which helps improve the lives of homeless kids living in the South American country.

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