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Archive for May, 2012
Meet Clay: Our “Steady Freddie”
He is the milk to the cookies, the macaroni to the cheese, and the jelly to the peanut butter. (You get the idea.) He is Clay Reed, our VP and CFO, better known to us as the patient and steady strength behind an office of six strong Consuela women. Yikes! We figured it only appropriate to make sure you know the man who makes us laugh and helps keep us truckin’ along every day.
A man of thought, you can often find Clay in a pondering position, much like the infamous French statue by Auguste Rodin, The Thinker.
We’ve even made up a slew of company culture words that allude to his grounded influence on everything. Examples:
Needless to say, you can’t find a more amazing sense of humor than Clay. We tried to grab a candid Q&A moment with the King of Operations over a cup of really strong office coffee.
Q:“What is the most challenging thing about working with six strong women?”
A: “Conni, Maggie, Alyssa, Rianna, Karen, Brittani.”
Q: What is the best part of working with six strong women?”
A: “Conni, Maggie, Alyssa, Rianna, Karen, Brittani.”
And…just as the paparazzi arrived, he was off to make phone calls about complex things we muse over everyday such as production, fulfillment, distribution, planning, and growth.
In all gratitude, Clay has been a rock alongside his beautiful wife and our Founder/Designer, Conni Reed. They are proud parents to their sweet doggies, Kacy and Scout, who have been known to love Consuela blankets! For seven years, Clay has been a steady presence with Conni as Consuela has grown leaps and bounds: cultivating Conni’s dream of Consuela (2005), taking roadtrips for retail shows (2006), moving into our first office in Dripping Springs, TX (2007), producing the goods for our first ever wholesale order (2008), sourcing materials on international trips (2009), growing the product line evermore (2010), expanding Team Consuela (2011), lifting us to what’s next (2012).
Home Sweet Home
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May Music Picks
Music is a soul force…and in the Consuela office there is no shortage of iPod’s jamming to energize ourselves throughout the day. We figured we’d share with you some of the songs that are moving us on the inside and outside. Enjoy some of our current “favies” and why we love them!
Conni’s Picks.
Jump On My Shoulders - AWOLNation
I get addicted to songs and play them over and over and I think this one will always be a favie. It’s good to run to, great in the car just jamming, and has a great message.
Something Kinda Ooooh - Girls Aloud
In the spring, I love light-hearted dance songs that make me want to shake my groove thing! This song makes me visualize neon off-the-shoulder sweatshirts, ice cream cones, and convertibles!
Maggie’s Picks.
Not Over You – Gavin DeGraw
I dig the bluesy rock roots in his voice and the raw and real words about aching for someone.
Windows are Rolled Down - Amos Lee
This song makes me literally roll down my windows and just breathe in Life, Spirit, and Possibility. I can’t get enough of it! Just lifts my entire being.
Alyssa’s Picks.
You are the Best Thing – Ray LaMontagne
I am a newlywed and this is my wedding song. Quite simply, it lifts my heart!
Guns & Horses – Ellie Goulding
I’m loving the whole Lights album; it is the perfect blend of relaxing and upbeat at the same time!
Karen’s Picks.
The Weary Kind – Ryan Bingham
I love his gravelly voice and descriptive songwriting in this beautiful academy award-winning song.
I Don’t Wanna Grow Up – Hayes Carll
Originally written by Tom Waits, Hayes brings humor and an interesting timing and twang to his music.
Rianna’s Picks.
1940 – The Submarines
Sweet voice, sick beat, makes you move!
Country – Empire of the Sun
Slow build, chill bumps, and all around beautiful song like moving through a dream.
Brittani’s Picks.
Hold Tight – Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich
Down in Mexico –The Coasters
While I listen to everything, I love these songs that are used in the movie Deathproof which is one of my favies! It is such a hardcore power chick flick movie. If you haven’t seen it, you should!
Clay’s Picks.
* Due to the fact that the name on the cassette tape in Clay Reed’s truck was rubbed off, we could not ID his favorite picks. We’ll do our best to acquire a walkman device and let you know what the mystery tape is!
Check out the tunes below!
Nail Art.
Now that summer is right around the corner, we are diggin’ funky polishes and nail inspiration around the office. From bright neons to eclectic patterns–we are loving them all! Check out this tutorial on “water marbling” your nails. So cool! You can also check out our pinterest board for more summer nail art inspiration.
Happy Mother’s Day!
Happy Friday all! We want to wish a very blessed Mother’s Day weekend to all of you special women. Mothering is the ultimate selfless act, and we celebrate you for cultivating so much love.
To honor you all, we wanted to share with you an uplifting video from DiscoverHope, one of the philanthropic organizations we support. DiscoverHope provides an opportunity for women in poverty to create their own prosperity through microcredit, entrepreneurship, and training. By gaining access to capital and education, women who are historically denied credit and education build support to create their own businesses, lift their families out of poverty, and shape their own destinies.
We’ll keep you posted about our proud sponsorship of DiscoverHope’s upcoming Band Together for Hope concert featuring Del Castillo on June 15 in Austin. Enjoy the footage of over 200 mothers rejoicing; we hope you do the same!
Flower Power.
We ♥ flowers! Maybe it’s the full bloom of the season, the fireflies twinkling in the evening air, or the saturating sweet warmth of the sun. One thing is for sure: we are blossoming here at Consuela.
Austin is truly a magical place for entrepreneurs. One of the most awesome aspects of this city is that mentorship and idea-sharing are coveted elements of our culture. You could say that in Austin, you are always invited to “bloom.”
To match the magic of spring unfolding with our gratitude for inventing your vision, today we are loving Austin businesswoman Erika Pinktipps who channeled her love for fashion and nature into a passionately colorful business, Bloomers! Erika’s floral creations have graced brides, fashion shows, musicians, artists, and most recently—even crowned super model Karlie Kloss in the December issue of ITALIAN VOGUE. Why not put a beautiful blossom in your hair this season and let yourself color the world?
Kindness.
Mother Teresa was on to something wonderful. She was a role model of the kindest of women—and in that sentiment of compassion we thought we’d share a couple ways to cultivate your happiness and give it away to others:
Wishing everyone a GREAT week!
Hair Craze: Chalking!
Consuela is diggin’ the latest hair craze… HAIR CHALKING! Want funky hair color without the commitment? Hair chalking is the way to go. With the use of water, a curling iron, and soft pastel chalks that you can pick up at any art store- you can easily transform your look for the day and add a rainbow of color to your locks! Want to know how easy it is? Check out the tutorial below, and enjoy coloring your life.
Check out more hair inspiration on our Pinterest!
Ni-Hao from China!
Hello from China everyone! I always have so many sweet and supportive comments and questions about my travels abroad, so we thought we’d share the travel as it unfolds…so here it goes.
Brittani (our superstar product manager) and I are here checking on the production of our newest bag collection. Traveling gives me continual amazement and humility every day. I feel deep thanks for the lessons that come with seeing the world and interaction across cultures. I always dreamed to see the world and to experience life outside of my normal day-to-day routine. Now that I’ve been given this opportunity, I try to rejoice each day and be grateful for it.
I was reminded of that appreciation when we arrived in Hong Kong, which is astounding…and reminded again when driving through the beautiful green hillside over the bridge where the water is spotted with tons of oyster fishing platforms into Mainland China. Breathtaking for sure!
But the road isn’t always glamorous. There are so many physical and emotional difficulties and hardships in traveling abroad, and also in trying to work with partners abroad. Physically, you are very hot and sweaty most of the time. You often don’t eat or go to the bathroom for 12 hours or more…driving in cars on roads with no apparent traffic laws or rules. Simple things we take for granted for sure.
Yesterday while in the middle of an intense and very stressful meeting with one of our partners, a huge rat (I mean HUGE) meandered across the little ledge near the ceiling and into a hole where it hung out with its tail dangling from the wall during our negotiations. I couldn’t help but keep my eye on its every move. Then…the long journey in a car driving in China traffic while the sky turned completely black and started pouring as we got dropped off at the wrong hotel! 
All you can do is let it go sometimes. Ha!
You definitely have to believe in what you are trying to do. I remind myself of the blessings in the lessons presented to me. My motto is to keep your chin up and have a glass of wine at the end of the day if at all possible.
I know today is a new day. Although the end of the tunnel seems far away, I never lose faith because I believe in what we are doing (more than making handbags), the great things we can do for people as we grow with philanthropic activities and our Consuela Culture Club events lifting women. We are building an amazing positive platform that will be able to do good things for people, and this is what is most important in my life.
So today, I’m starting out with my favorite daily reminder.
“This is the day that the Lord has made. Rejoice and be glad in it. Begin the day with open hands of faith, ready to receive all that I am pouring into this brief portion of your life. The best way to handle unwanted situations is to thank me for them. This act of faith frees you from resentment and allows good to emerge from them.
To find joy in this day you must live within its boundaries. I understand human frailty, and I know that you can bear the weight of only one day at a time. Do not worry about tomorrow or get stuck in the past. There is abundant life today.”
Hope you have a good day and find a moment of joy wherever you are.
Love,
