About Me
I am a Mom, earned BA and all opinions if any, are my own. I support President Barack Obama and while I do tweet deals I look for them too. I am a buyer/seller/user of new, vintage and gently used household items. I have been a part of the work force since age 18, after experiencing some issues with some folks, I had to quickly learn and become an Activist/Advocate for my children, my family, and myself.
I come from a fishing hunting based family and as a kid I ran track, was a song dance and cheerleader, a gymnast with 10yrs of dance training, love reading, music, food, gorgeous men and movies – Not necessarily in that order. I grew up wearing hand-me-downs as a kid. Unlike most, all the women in my family had/have great taste, we all sew and two of my sisters were fashionistas, all influenced by designers like Donna Karan, Albert Nippon, Mizrahi and Diane Von Furstenberg among others and they all definitely had a significant impact on my love for fashion over the years. I definitely redesigned all my hand-me-down Levis jeans, shortened skirts, dresses and made rompers for summer while at home. When I left home, I became an avid designer & thrift shopper while in college. I have to be honest, where I come from designer and great thrift shopping was an unknown entity, but the move to the city changed that. The city screamed Urban and Thrift shops were everywhere, the prices and the fashion choices beyond right. I say avid because shopping is definitely a sport and by definition avid means having an ardent desire marked by a keen interest and enthusiasm, which describes my state of my mind when I shop for designer and or thrift. After becoming a part of the work force my shopping changed to more designer brands and the thrift shopper waned …not forgotten but my preference changed over the years. Then life stepped in and I became a single parent, which was definitely lifestyle change. It forced me into taking a step backward to look at what is important.
So, going back to shopping … shabby chic and on to refurbishing consignment etc. I cannot begin to tell people how compelled I feel sometimes, to take home- reclaim pieces sitting on the curbside that have absolutely nothing wrong or a slight flaw that might need a little work or that my kids have been beyond embarrassed at times and thankful as well after getting a great reclaimed repurposed item. Yes, we are at a time when going back to the basics makes sense, yet this is not why I recycle, reclaim, or push reuse to be sure and I do not take every piece for obvious reasons. It is important to say that living a more sustainable lifestyle is just more cost effective, it was the way my family lived. My mom, who along with some friends were green living activists in our neighborhood and advocates for those in need, they quilted blankets, jarred, smoked and pickled all kinds of fish but mostly salmon, made soap, and when making soap became too tedious my mom and friends collected “leftover” slivers of soap; created both liquid and bar soap. Hey, do not forget the marble; anyway, my mom recycled everything that can be and anything biodegradable was usually used in her garden -she lived a green life.
My mom was a teacher while in Florida, she moved from FL to Washington alone, to find a better place to bring up my sibs( 3kids) while my dad worked, they both worked hard over the years to maintain a household of 10 staying active in the community, registered voters, and attended marches for civil, women and human rights with a focus on VETS. 
Yes, we all had chores but her garden of greens, herbs, etc. worked only by her and often accompanied by food from the fishing and hunting trips family friends etc. went on. My mom was and still is my DIY Mentor and I think about her every day like most children. I definitely was a hand-full as a kid and though none of us could fill her shoes, we definitely reflect upon her as our mentor and power source. After years of watching others be subjected to and having experienced discrimination myself in school and in the workforce I felt a need to stand up against, help mobilize and find solutions for issues like discrimination, child care, landlord tenant/union and worker rights, which came very easy. My grams, pictured below … had her own business .. this is amazing and definitely makes you wonder … she was born in 1893, here she is with her fresh pearls, handmade dress and matching hat! told she was definitely a force to be reckoned with. 
I cannot say Katrina led immediately to,” Be a Seed for Change”, but life experiences, several business ideas and names later had a profound impact on wanting to live a more socially conscious lifestyle. I can say my family history and a combination of what I have learned loved and have several years of experience in becomes apart of who you are , the job doesn’t define you, but the interests of living green is a choice to go full circle and includes, but not limited to: buying/selling new, vintage, gently used clothes, sewing, recycling, Public Defenders as a docket clerk, started a food bank program at one of my first jobs, onsite Worker Rights Rep., Child Care Canvasser/Organizer, worked in Conference housing, Customer Service , Cold Calling, Brand/Marketing Rep and several years in the Event Industry — Booking Events, Venue Tours, Event Set-up/Tear down, facility management and yes, janitorial duties as well.
Be a Seed for Change
Virtual Thrift Shop Owner
Act locally ~~ Aim globally 
Living & Blogging about a Eco-Conscious Life Style
Reuse Redecorate Re-purpose Reclaim
~~ Reduce ~~
The amount of materials going into landfills
and
buy local to Reduce your Eco-footprint
Carmenc@beaseedforchange.org
Be a Seed for Change 
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