Supporting a cause close to my heart...

Almost two years ago my boyfriend, Jon and I ventured out on what was certainly one of the biggest adventures of our lives to date. With a group of over forty other men and women we did the four day hike up Machu Picchu in Peru. That alone, would have been fantastic, but the fact that our journey helped to support an amazing cause made the trip that much more emotional, and important.

Months before our October 2008 trip we learned about the Love Hope Strength Foundation, an organization that was arranging musical journeys throughout the world in order to raise money and awareness for cancer. The cause struck a note in my heart because several members of my family had fought battles with cancer, and even with all the best treatment in the world at our fingertips, their battles were lost.

I began to think about the need for education, especially in rural areas of the world, where cancer often times kills silently, because people are completely unaware that they have it, and treatment centers are non-existent. I realized that through working with LHS we could raise money and awareness for much needed changes in these countries.

In the months leading up to our October trip Jon and I jointly raised $10,000. Our money directly funded the purchase of a mobile cancer unit, including a mammogram machine. The mobile unit visits rural areas of Peru screening for all types of cancer. The unit’s doctors and staff help to educate Peruvians about the signs of cancer, screening yourself, and how to get treatment.

Our four-day journey, as with all of the journeys Love Hope Strength continues to embark on, was used to bring awareness to our cause. The musicians who joined us on our trek played impromptu concerts on the mountain. (This attracted much attention from the Peruvian government because that was, in essence, taboo.) Once we reached the town of Aguas Calientes, our musicians again played a concert. The entire city came to watch, and the mayor even spoke to the crowd about the importance of the organization.

While sitting in the audience at the Aguas Calientes concert a small girl came and sat on my lap (pictured below). Maria watched the concert so intently and listened so closely to the mayor’s words, that I knew in that moment her life was forever changed. At the young age of four or five, Maria had learned about cancer. She had heard how to detect it, and that there were options for treatment. It is because of events like this and donations to the LHS Foundation, that men, women and children throughout the world are detecting and treating cancer before it is able to take their lives.

I believe spreading our knowledge about a deadly disease, and bringing treatment and education to some of the world’s most remote areas, is a very important and noble cause. This is why I have chosen to support LHS.

For every purchase made, Sam & Goldie will donate a portion to the Love Hope Strength Foundation. We all know someone who has been affected by this deadly disease, and by contributing to this organization we are preventing another person, and another family from having to go through the nightmare that is cancer.

For more information on the LHS Foundation please visit www.lovehopestrength.com

See below for some of my favorite images from this unforgettable journey.




Self-explanitory


Jon and I at the top of the mountain.


All of the LHS muscians playing a concert in the
square at Aguas Calientes.


Nick Harper. Check out his song, "By My Rocket
Comes Fire."


Maria, the little girl talked about above,
with my friend Katie.


Prayer flags hanging the the square at Aguas
Calientes


Little girls in Aguas Calientes



Boys giving LHS the thumbs up in Aguas
Calientes.

Spring has Sprung

Spring has sprung in New York City. I just returned from my home away from home, and I was so excited to get my fix of new fashions and trends. As much as I love Denver, New York always leaves me feeling excited and invigorated. All of the different cultures and types of people that live in the city (and in my new favorite borough, Brooklyn) inspire so much creativity.

I spent my time in New York meeting with several different media outlets to discuss what Sam & Goldie has to offer now, and to brainstorm about some exciting new ideas for the Fall and holiday season. I even designed a brand new piece to be featured in an upcoming issue of a fantastic magazine (more info to come). I was especially inspired by the “tribal” trend for the summer, and have decided to add a surprise online only collection for the summer coming May 1^st.

Also to come will be more metal. I love everyday jewelry and so I really want to make each collection wearable and accessible. Don’t love a big chunky necklace? How about some funky but classic mixed metal bangles? Never wear anything but earrings? Be on the lookout for additions to each collection, and new collections as well.

Another change I have decided to make is to name each piece. Many of you wondered why the collections were named after different cities and so by naming the pieces within the collections I hope to give you a better idea of where each collection name and inspiration comes from.

Just as new flowers bloom in the Spring new ideas are popping up all the time in my mind. It’s my hope that my customers will always feel like Sam & Goldie is like the Spring: fresh, new, and consistently beautiful.

inspiration

People often ask what inspires me. Often times I have a hard time concisely answering their questions. Not because I don’t have inspiration, but because I have too much of it. Frankly, my entire life inspires what I design and produce- and often that life has been a bit wacky.

Looking at my current collections yes, I was inspired by the places they are named after, however those pieces came to shape once I was home from those trips, and don’t we always have a different vision of a trip once we are home from it? At the risk of sounding cliché we really view most experiences in the past with rose-colored glasses, or at least I do. Maybe I stayed in a hostel where my roommates were mostly of the bug persuasion, or trekked for four days with no shower; once I am home I have always viewed those experiences as “part of the beauty of experiencing a city.” So, although in Buenos Aires I was often frustrated with my inability to communicate with the locals I was so taken by the European-esc beauty and sophistication of the city (not to mention the incredible steak!) that I felt I must create a collection around my memory of it.

Once home those memories along with my day –to- day life, (maybe I cooked a fantastic French meal last night and now all I can think about making is a 50’s era Parisian necklace) are what truly inspire me. This may be why some people look at my collections and feel they don’t “go together.” Frankly, I’m not sure they ever will. I am not one way, one style, or one personality and neither are most women. I am a mix of everything that has inspired me since birth.

Snapshots of my mother, sitting on a car, hair down to her knees- flower tucked behind her ear from the 70’s, one of my grandmother elegantly dressed in chiffon for a formal event in 50’s, or even one of my great grandmother on vacation in Cuba in 30’s all remind me of where my different personalities, styles and choices have emerged from.

So, when I make a piece of jewelry I make it based on where I am in my life that day, what music I am listening to (Belle and Sebastian right now), what food I have eaten, what movies I have seen, who I have met and of course-as you can see from the current collections- where I have been.

Welcome!

Welcome to the new Sam & Goldie Blog! I am so excited to be launching my line on the brand new Sam & Goldie website, and I am so happy you have stopped to check out the postings here.

The three new lines you see were named after some of my most memorable trips within the past few years. Of course, so many places have inspired me and will continue to inspire me so I look forward to creating lines for everywhere I have been and everywhere I will go. Look for lines inspired by the Middle East, one of the most intriguing places in the world, in my option, in the future. Also, look for new and interesting stones and findings. I love searching out my own supplies and take great pride in discovering new and interesting findings.

As much as I love making and designing jewelry, I must admit my history in the field of International Relations makes it very hard for me to turn a blind eye to the injustice that goes on in the world, especially in manufacturing. For this reason I have chosen to design and create all of my own pieces. Any hiring I do will be completely within the United States.

Once, again welcome to Sam & Goldie. I hope my pieces will inspire you like they have for me.

Samantha