Uncork the Fun

Has it really been over a month since I’ve blogged? Things have been extra exciting here at Brand of the Free. Area wine festivals are in full bloom, and we participated in our very first Vintage Virginia’s 28th Annual Wine Festival in Manassas, Virginia this last weekend. It was totally a blast! What an impressive festival, featuring 50 wineries, arts and crafts exhibitors, and incredible food and music!

It was a party, complete with exceptional Virginia wines, fabulous music and delectable food. We took a few minutes to grab some amazing crab cake sandwiches from Sherri’s Crab Cakes. All I can say is YUM! Joe got a chance to sneak away from our booth to sample some wonderful Belle Mount wines. Ray and Catherine Petrie are the proprietors and were very warm and down to earth. We definitely plan to visit their vineyard for a weekend getaway!

In the midst of all the festivities lies the true essence of the Wine Festival Experience…the wonderful people we met! So many friendly people stopped by our display, and it was a pleasure getting to know them a bit. We are honored and appreciative for all the support we received at the festival and every day. Thank you!

Our next weekend destination is Great Grapes in Cockeysville, MD on June 13-14. We have been hearing that it is one of the most “happening” festivals around! C’mon and join us…and stop by our booth. We look forward to meeting you!

http://www.brandofthefree.net/ Better Apparel for a Better World!www.twitter.com/brandofthefree

The Journey to Organic and Greener Living

Each journey is sparked by an initial idea or chain of events. I would like to take this blog in a different direction today, and share the events that led to my personal quest and interest in organic apparel. My journey toward a greener and more organic lifestyle began with a trip to the hospital.

Since I was a teenager, I experienced some really painful and sometimes debilitating symptoms, including excruciating migraines, chest pains, heart flutters, stomach pains and muscular aches and pains. It would happen off and on and when it became unbearable, I would go to my doctor. And each time, after many uncomfortable tests, I was told there is nothing physically wrong with me. I felt like my family, friends and doctors looked at me and saw “hypochondriac” and that it was “all in my head”. I tried to stay positive about life and just tried to ignore the symptoms.

A few years ago, I had chest pains and a stifling heaviness and pressure in my chest. My doctor insisted that I go straight to the hospital. I was admitted, and while there, I had many tests, and again I was told that my heart was fine. That’s when I got curious. Something made me think about the Chinese food I had eaten for dinner the night before and also for lunch, right before the symptoms started. I kind of remembered something being said by a friend about something called msg….

I did some research and found a site about monosodium glutamate (msg). After reading some of the posts, I realized that the stories were just like mine. After years of living with the same symptoms I had, the posters cut msg out of their diet, and most of the symptoms went away. A light bulb went off in my head (fluorescent light of course!) and I immediately started reading all the information I could find on the subject. After much research, I started a quest to eliminate msg, aspartame, sulfites and caffeine from my diet. I started focusing on fresh real food, including meats, dairy, fruits, and vegetables. Little by little, one step at a time, I stopped eating fast food, most restaurant food, msg laden snack foods, soda pop, and frozen or canned processed foods. No more boxed or canned soups, store marinated meats, gravies or quick meal mixes. Guess what? My symptoms all went away, and I feel so much better now! Every once in awhile I will eat something by mistake and suffer the consequences. However, I now know that I am in control of how my body feels. When you fuel your body with fresh, pure, and organic foods as much as possible, you will reap the rewards with a new vitality. And a little inside info for you-when you cut out the msg, you develop your natural tasting abilities again, and truly enjoy natural flavors. The chemical taste of fast food and processed food is no longer pleasant.



The next logical step for me was to realize that our skin absorbs chemicals from everything we put on it: lotions, cosmetics, hair care, and also pesticides, chemicals and toxic dyes and inks used on our clothes. I started to look for organic cotton clothes for myself and my family, and that lead to our support of organic farming and organic apparel. I developed a new respect for the care of my own body, and also the earth that I was blessed with. That led me to make small, greener choices. We started Brand of the Free.net as a company that offered American made apparel, and then branched out to offer organic products because it was important to us to offer the best quality to our customers. I believe we can all make small changes to increase the quality of our lives and the world around us.

Hopefully my story will spark some curiosity and you will research what msg truly is, and how it affects you and your children. You will be amazed at how our food supply has been invaded. Please email me @ bmaluso@brandofthefree.net with any questions you may have, or leave a comment to share feedback and/or personal experiences.

MSG Info:
http://www.msgmyth.com/
http://www.msgtruth.org/

Brandofthefree.net Better Apparel for a Better World
www.twitter.com/blmaluso

Model Nation

There is such a buzz in the air. As a nation, we feel the wave of change as we witness our first black president take office. Although we have many differences of opinion, I believe we can all agree that we want what is best for this country.

For a long time we have let our differences tear us apart. Sometimes it feels that we are not the United States at all. Instead we feel disjointed, looking for flaws and mistakes in our leaders instead of supporting the men and women who serve our country. There have been mistakes made by every elected official. You know that is true, because they ARE human, right? There is no such thing as a perfect human being. But there are human beings who make a commitment to themselves to make this world a better place, whether they are serving our country through the government or military or through raising unselfish, fruitful children who will help build communities and strengthen this great nation. We need to respect and honor all forms of service, especially when lives are put on the line.

As Martin Luther King, Jr. stated in his famous ‘I Have a Dream’ speech,

“But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred”
He goes on to say, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”

These words are very powerful and really made me stop to think. We have a great, beautiful country. Let’s all be a part of building it into the Model Nation that it should be!

Please read the complete MLK speech. http://www.usconstitution.net/dream.html

Brand of the Free Apparel - Model Nation T-Shirt
brandofthefree.net Made in America and 100% Organic

Sweet Christmas Treats

Carols are playing and decorations shine brightly-the “Season of Giving” has arrived! I don’t know about you, but I LOVE everything that comes with the Holiday Season. From the yummy cookies baking in the oven to the beautiful light displays and the wonderful way that we all seem to put our differences aside and think about ways of giving.

With the economy doing a downturn, many people are wondering how they are going to find affordable gifts. We want to help you check some things off your Santa list, by offering a Sweet Christmas Treat.

So, how about 30-50% off our 'Brand of the Free' cool graphic tees. And a super savings on select styles for only $10.00. Click here

Always Made in America and 100%Organic. Use the coupon codes on the home page.

Let’s do some shopping!!!!!

Brandofthefree.net

The Next Step

Making my way through the aisles of my favorite grocery stores, and while selecting produce at my local farmer’s market, I am noticing that more and more people are using reusable totes. Yea! That is a wonderful and responsible decision and deserves applause! As more and more consumers make the decision to carry reusable totes, the demand for those pesky plastic bags will diminish. As we all work together, there will be much less plastic littering our country and sitting in landfills.

Now is the time to take the next step in our quest for living responsibly. Don’t be tempted to purchase “cheap” bags at the checkout aisle or placed throughout the stores, without checking the labels. More often than not, the reason those bags are so inexpensive is because they are imported, mostly from China, and most are not organic.

Does it make sense to use cotton bags to replace plastic and paper, when the cotton for the bags was grown using chemicals? Is it logical to support the import of those bags, that need to be transported from across the globe, using unnecessary amounts of fuel? Doesn’t it make more sense to support American jobs and fair wages?

For me, taking the next step means going out of my way to ensure the bags that I buy are Organic and Made in America.

Go ahead…take that step!

Brandofthefree.net

Spreading the Word

For me, glimmers of hope shine from the strangest places.

While out shopping the other day with my mom, a voice pierced the normal shopping buzz. An elderly woman in a motorized scooter was announcing to anyone who would listen, “All of this stuff comes from China, I heard it on Lou Dobbs”. She proceeded to add “I saw that they unload truckloads of clothes and stuff from China. All of these clothes are made in China”.

Now, when I heard how excited she was about her newfound knowledge, I couldn’t help but smile. Then I looked at her daughter who was standing next to her. She was not smiling. In fact she looked uncomfortable and a little embarrassed. I walked right over to the woman and affirmed that she was completely 100% correct. I also let her know that if she looked hard enough, she could find some “Made in America” clothes in the store. The important thing is that she is now aware and can make informed decisions.

The word is spreading. Shoppers are becoming more aware of the fact that when they buy cheap imported products, they are choosing to support sweatshop labor, and more importantly, are not supporting American jobs.

Every purchase is a decision. Choose Sold and Made in America.

Brand of the Free
Organic graphic tees and cotton totes with a message. Made in America.

Change Starts with You

Is anyone else getting tired of hearing the words “global” and “green”? Everyday we are bombarded with how we must think green and help everyone everywhere, and how we need to make sure that “global warming” is stopped.

I say ENOUGH ALREADY!!!!

Now before you jump all over me for being an ignorant, materialistic, and greedy American, let me share my thoughts with you.

Many of us are trying to fill our lives with a bunch of “stuff” to make ourselves happy. I am talking about electronics, cell phones that can do just about anything but walk the dog, “mansions” instead of modest houses, designer clothes, too many clothes, spa/salon treatments, suvs, multiple vehicles, sportscars, excessive partying, vacations, etc etc. 

It seems to me that most of the “global awareness”, “green” and “you are evil because you are causing global warming” kind of celebrities are usually the very ones who are the biggest offenders. Have you ever noticed that? They are the ones who explain away the fact that they are living in luxury while they could probably feed an entire community, if not an entire starving country!!!

Here is my plan. Make small decisions that will affect the earth in a big way. Change yourself…be a better person. Be good to friends, family, coworkers, and everyone that you come in contact with in the course of your day. Focus on where you can help with money, food, or your time.

Be a good steward. 

Instead of using your hard earned money on a night of partying, why not use it to buy food for a food pantry. Start noticing how many paper and plastic bags that you are trashing…such a waste! Get a few reusable organic tote bags for shopping and use them religiously. You would be surprised how many bags you are saving. Personally, I used to waste about 15-20 plastic bags at the grocery store every week. I feel responsible and happy as I carry my canvas bags into the store when I shop. All it took was learning a new routine. You can do it!

Make conscious decisions when you make a purchase. How can you seriously talk about how the country needs to change, and then not be willing to change yourself? You see pictures of suffering people in other countries, your heart goes out to them, and you are overwhelmed into doing nothing.

 Be responsible with your money. You can’t help “everyone” but you can choose to help “someone”. Do some research and find a charity that you believe in. Give up some of the electronic and glitzy garbage in your life and use the money toward helping someone in need. Stop texting or surfing the net long enough to realize that there is a world full of people all around you. Open your eyes and ears to them.

Realize that everything you purchase and each personal interaction that you have is a personal decision that will affect you and the ripple that you create in the world. 

You have many choices ahead of you. Choose wisely because there is much that depends on you.

We'll even help you get started. Celebrate Earth Day all month long and you can save 30% on Organic Apparel at 'Brand of the Free'.

Go to Brand of the Free and start making some positive changes.