Are you that person who feels like you don’t deserve to be happy?

Guilt about feeling happy can arise for different reasons. Deep down you may believe that you don’t deserve to be happy because you hurt someone in the past, had more than others growing up, or maybe you received a mean comment from someone you admired. Perhaps it once seemed that painful experiences always followed happy ones; now whenever you begin to feel happy, you find yourself waiting for the other shoe to drop. Happiness may even just feel uncomfortable because you’ve gotten so used to feeling down. The truth is that when you feel too guilty to let yourself enjoy positive emotions, you are denying a part of yourself that has a right to exist.

By limiting your life experience to just the negative feelings, you are cutting yourself off from the fullness of life which the positive emotions are included.

Fortunately, you can begin to shift the way you respond to happiness right now. From now on, when happiness begins to blossom in your heart, close your eyes and have deep conscious breaths, allow your heart to open up and accept the feeling. After a couple of deep long breaths, now feel how the feeling of the happiness affects your heart, and affects your whole body. Feel the sweetness and the calmness of this subtle happiness. And again remember back to your conscious loving breaths!!!

It isn’t about you deserve or don’t deserve the happiness. It’s about allowing your wholeness and your connections with life to be a part of the oneness. The next time happiness appears for you, try not to feel guilty about it. Instead, welcome your happiness in like a long-awaited friend.

“Greetings, I just received your Nataraja in double thread Turquoise Necklace and I am very pleased with your item. Quick delivery and well packaged. I put the necklace on and went to the store and found a person who\’s car won\’t start. I asked if I could give it a try and loo and behold the engine started right up! Coincidence??? Maybe. However nothing in our creation happens by chance. I hope to do business again with you….Thanks so much… Namaste” ~ DONALD ZELAZNY~ ROCHESTER, NY

Oops!! It’s almost Thanksgiving already. I could not focus on the latest newsletter since the last couple of months have been so busy. I volunteered to be one of the select few planners for Phoenix Fashion Week this year, which was a tremendous amount of work and responsibility. Despite the time and effort involved, I am happy that I participated to help the local community, spread knowledge about Attapinya and meet many new people… it was worth it!

I gave so much attention to make sure that my responsibilities were carried out to the best of my ability and to work in a cooperate spirit so that the event could be smooth as possible. In addition to volunteering, Attapinya unveiled two new pieces on the runway and participated in the trunk show. I spent my energy to the last drop. It was a glorious ride that ended with my total exhaustion. One of the new pieces seen at the Phoenix Fashion Week is a stirring bracelet called Hope in Africa. The second showpiece, the Global Warming Bangle, is a gorgeous work of conscientious art.

Hope in Africa Bracelet was created to support the Partners in Malawi non-profit organization www.partnersinmalawi.org. Attapinya donated the first Hope in Africa piece to the PFW for the fund-raising auction, with 100% of the proceeds going to Partners in Malawi. Now, Attapinya is making this beautiful bracelet available to everyone. For each piece sold, 25% of the proceeds will go directly to Partners in Malawi. This is beautiful and well done design, perfectly suited to sponsor such a wonderful organization. I talked to Dr. Janson, the founder, and told him that I would love to volunteer to work at his clinic in Malawi, Africa. He joked that, as long as I do not mind paying for the $2,500 for the plane ticket, I am more than welcome along with anyone else who can do it. He is a very down to earth, well-meaning person. Already, he has inspired me to keep going with Attapinya and all the beautiful things I believe in strongly.

Global Warming Bangle is just a hit. We are already proud of this wonderfully original design, but knowing its potential to serve as a reminder for sustainable, responsible living makes us ecstatic!

The PFW was a four day event. Attapinya participated in the trunk show on Tuesday night, November 6. On the night of Thursday, November 8, we were featured in the runway show along with Sir Alister Rai. Sir Alister Rai www.siralistairrai.com features a beautiful line of clothes that carry a spiritual motif. I highly recommend that you look at their products for yourself. Kiran, the president of Sir Alister Rai, is a beautiful and amazing woman, I am thrilled that I got to partner up with her.

There were two reasons for Attapinya to get involved in the fashion event.

   First, we sought to inform people in the Phoenix valley about fair trade business and why it is so meaningful. It is too unusual to meet somebody in the area that understands the depth behind the act of purchasing. With a simple, informative wake up call, we hope that people will look further than price to discover that a well-informed purchase can make a positive impact on laborers and the environment compared to an irresponsible purchase.

   Secondly, we set out to ask people to live and act in consideration of the consequences of global warming and an exploding world population. Great change is afoot and it is our present lifestyle that will determine the lifestyle for so many down the road. Modern industrial life has blessed us with incredible convenience, but not without a cost. It is time for a pause in productivity, time to account for the side-effects and to ask ourselves, “how long can this last?” We believe that investing money and effort for cleaner living now is monumentally wiser than reacting to a predictable calamity.

Considering all the work that Attapinya did in preparation for and during the Phoenix Fashion Week, we are encouraged to see that the local media is listening to the voice of our action. We have tremendous hope that they will further publicize our responsible line of products and help create responsible shoppers for a happy humanity and a clean planet.

And finally, we hope you will enjoy to look at our latest video clip online www.youtube.com/attapinyadesigns. It provides an intimate view of the teamwork, the desire to learn, and the love for what we do, all the things that make Attapinya special.

Happy Turkey Day everyone!!

The useful sources from Co-op America to make our life easier in finding home for our unwanted objects. Hopefully, we all will do a little of our own effort to safe the earth and our own backyard before it turns into a landfill.

1. Cardboard boxes: Contact local nonprofits and women’s shelters to see if they can use them. Or, offer them up at your local Freecycle.org listsev or on Craigslist.org. If your workplace collects at least 100 boxes or more boxes each month.

2. CDs/DVDs/Game Disks: Send scratched music or computer CDs, DVDs, and PlayStation or Nintendo video game disks to Aural Tech for refinishing, and they’ll work like new: 888.454.3223, www.auraltech.com. (For recycling see “Technotrash”)

3. Computers and electronics: Find responsible recyclers, local and national, at www.ban.org/pledge/Locations.html

4. Exercise videos: Swap them with others at www.videofitness.com (See “Technotrash”)

5. Eyeglasses: your local Lion’s Club or eye care chain may collect these. Lenses are reground and given to people in need.

6. Foam packing peanuts: your local pack-and-ship store will likely accept these for reuse. Or, call the Plastic Loose Fill Producers Council to find a drop-off site: 800.828.2214. For places to drop off form blocks for recycling, contact the Alliance of Foam Packaging Recycles, 410.451.8340, www.epspackaging.org/info.html

7. Oil: Find Used Motor Oil Hotlines for each state: 202.682.800, www.recycleoil.org

8. Phones: Donate cell phones: Collective Good will refurbish your phone and sell it to people in developing countries: 770.856.9021, www.collectivegood.com. Call to protect reprograms cell phones to dial 911 and gives them to domestic violence victims: www.donateaphone.com. Recycle single-line phones: Reclamere, 814.386.2927, www.reclamere.com

9. Tennis Shoes: Nike’s Reuse-a-Shoe program turns old shoes into playground and athletic flooring: www.nikereuseashoe.com. One World Running will send still-wearable shoes to athletes in need in Africa, Latin, America, and Haiti: www.oneworldrunning.com

Technotrash program with GreenDisk is an easily program to recycle all of your CDs, jewelry cases, DVDs, audio and video tapes, cell phones, pagers, rechargeable and single-use batteries, PDAs, and ink/toner cartridges. For a small fee, GreenDisk will send you a cardboard box in which you can ship them up to70 pounds of any of the above. The fee covers the box as well as shipping and recycling fees. 800.305.GREENDISK, www.greendisk.com

Proceeds from Attapinya’s “Hope in Africa” Bracelet will go to Partners in Malawi

 SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (October 8, 2007) – In recent years the problems of poverty, famine, and AIDS have continued to exacerbate one another in Malawi.  Over 1 million of its 11 million inhabitants are HIV positive and of that, over half a million children have become infected or orphaned by AIDS.  Red ribbons and red products help to raise awareness and funds to help fight the AIDS epidemic all over the world.  Here in Arizona, one local Fair Trade jewelry designer has joined the cause and created an elegant, one-of-a-kind piece to help in the crusade.  Attapinya designed the “Hope in Africa” bracelet to support the Partners in Malawi Organization, a southern California-based nonprofit that works to promote awareness of the epidemic through the efforts of Dr. Perry Jansen and the Partners in Hope Community Clinic in Lilongwe, Malawi. On November 5^th, Attapinya will debut the piece at Phoenix Fashion Week during the opening night Celebrity Charity Fashion Show from which all proceeds will be donated in full to the Partners in Malawi organization.

“Deeply inspired by the work of Dr. Perry Jansen [founder of the Partners in Malawi and Partners in Hope organizations], I created the Hope in Africa bracelet so that when it is worn, it will remind the wearer to pray for strength and hope for our sick friends on the other side of the world.  It is a statement for those who never mistake the power of hope and prayer, “ said Aphinya Deley, chief designer and president of Attapinya.

The “Hope in Africa” bracelet is an 18K white gold vermeil chain with an 18K yellow gold vermeil toggle closure in the shape of the African continent, and an 18K yellow gold vermeil and garnet charm in the shape of the African symbol, Nyame Biribi Wo Soro, meaning “God is in the Heavens”.  In Africa, this symbol is a reminder that God listens to all prayers for healing, strength, and peace. Retailed at $450 USD, the Hope in Africa bracelet can be purchased at www.attapinya.com and 25% of all sales will be donated to Partners in Malawi.

About the Partners in Malawi and Partners in Hope Organization
The vision of Partners in Malawi and Partners in Hope (a Malawian nonprofit organization) is “to have a significant impact on the HIV/AIDS epidemic and in the lives of people infected and affected by HIV in a way which brings glory to GOD and demonstrates Christ’s love in word and deed.”  Spearheaded by Dr. Perry Jansen, the southern California-based organization strives to meet the immediate physical and spiritual needs of all patients as well as develop skilled Malawian leaders in the fight against HIV/AIDS.  For more information, please visit www.partnersinmalawi.org

About Attapinya
Since its inception in 2004, Aphinya Deley, chief designer and president, has transformed her love of nature and Yoga into a socially responsible line of Yoga jewelry and bags whose production enhances the lifestyle of not just the yogi consumer, but also the artisans themselves.  An ardent supporter of the Fair Trade Federation and member of Co-op America, Attapinya adheres to eco-conscious business standards that benefit low-income artisans and laborers in developing countries in order to create economic self-sufficiency. For more information on Attapinya, please visit www.attapinya.com. 

For more information on Attapinya, please visit www.attapinya.com.  For media inquiries, please contact Lindsay Hebert at (203) 942-7242.

Everyone knows how important it is to recycle. Why let our old cans, bottles, and paper block landfills when we can turn them into new cans, bottles, and paper, and save resources in the process?

Toting our recyclables to the restrain for collection is only the first part. We also need to purchase products made from the materials we recycled which we call closing the loop.

To be an effective shopper, it’s helpful to know the terms companies use to define the kinds of recycled materials they’re using in their products and packaging. Understanding these terms will help you make the best choice and the biggest difference.

Virgin Materials

Virgin materials are created from things found in nature such as virgin paper is made from trees. These kinds of materials take the biggest bite out of the environment because they consume natural resources, and need large amounts of energy and water to turn themselves into usable commodities.

Pre-Consumer

Pre-consumer recycled materials are made from things that have been recycled at the point of manufacture rather than by consumers. For example, paper mills will take the scraps and roll-ends that are left over after a batch of paper is made and simply toss them back into the pulp machine. This type of recycling has been going on for as long as there have been factories.

Post-Consumer

Post-consumer materials are obtained from things people have actually used in their daily lives and then recycled at the home or office. Once your recyclables are collected, they’re taken to a processing center, sorted by type, and sent to manufacturers that use them in place of virgin materials.

The higher the percentage of post-consumer content a product contains, the more preferable it is.

Next time when you are shopping, look for and select products made with the highest amount of post-consumer content. If no post-consumer options are available within a particular product category, look for products with the highest amount of pre-consumer content. These aren’t as earth-friendly as post-consumer products, but they’re still better than products made from virgin materials, which you’ll have to use if no recycled content alternatives can be found.

If you really have to purchase products made from or packaged in virgin materials, look for those made out of materials your local recycling program accepts. It’s a way your purchase still can make a contribution to recycling and an important difference in the world.

**Tara Christiansen**, my dear friend and a fan of my works. She and I become friends because God wants it.

It was one of amazing moments in my life of how we were getting to know each other. We was at the coffee shop, sat at the different table which not too far from each other, then I felt the beautiful energy from her directly toward me. Sound’s weird, isn’t it? I was so surprised with this energy movement, then with not doubt I got up and excused myself to tell her what was happening. Can you imagine how she should response to my approach? To make it short, it worked out great since she tuned into the energy right away. The conversation that day was on top of the world since I could share deep messages with her and she didn’t make a weird face J because she knew them as well.

I am honored to her support and feel very fortunate with the progress within Attapinya.

Tara still wears Attapinya, one of the first designs, necklace. It is such a good reminder to see how far we accomplish.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Attapinya Designs, a privately-owned web based boutique, introduces one of a kind exquisite yoga accessories and bags handcrafted by a team of artisans in Thailand. Since its inception in 2004, Aphinya Deley, Founder and Chief Designer, has transformed her love of nature and Yoga into a socially responsible line of Yoga jewelry and bags whose production enhances the lifestyle of not just the yogi consumer, but the artisans themselves. An ardent supporter of the Fair Trade Federation social movement, Attapinya adheres to high business standards and environmental principles that benefit low-income artisans and laborers in developing countries in order to create economic self-sufficiency.

Not just socially and economically responsible, Attapinya accessories also represent spiritual growth and the fusion of nature, yoga, and cultural diversity inspired by Deley’s travels as a former professional Thai dancer and her avid passion for the spiritual practice of Yoga. Intricately crafted bracelets, necklaces, and earrings adorned with global symbols including om, peace, and infinity, in 18K gold, turquoise, black garnet, citrine, and pearl add an inspiration for harmonious living to consumers from a variety of backgrounds. Each piece represents a personal statement or mantra and the website promotes a personal shopping experience that guides consumers to determine what is the right piece for them.

For the Yogi and Yogini enthusiasts, Attapinya’s luxurious yoga bags are woven in bold colors of silk or cotton and adorned with traditional Thai patterns, symbols, and alphabet characters. Another testament to honoring individual style, Attapinya’s yoga bags are one of a kind and handcrafted by skilled artisans one at a time making each product individually unique.

Attapinya’s designs are fashioned by a five-person team that creates luxurious and intricate prints for the boutique’s line of yoga bags and jewelry that includes bracelets, earrings, necklaces and pendants. Attapinya’s design team includes Worapan, yoga bag designer and her jewelry designers including: Boodsara, Karunee Tengprasert and Wirawan Keereepetch. The close nit team pulls from their background to create products that are built upon the company’s mission of creating high quality and beautifully handcrafted products. Available exclusively online, Attapinya bags and accessories can be purchased directly from the website, www.attapinya.com.

For more information on Attapinya, plese visit www.attapinya.com. For media inquiries, please contact Brosseau PR at (480) 247-8090.

Shane Wilson is a great friend who has practiced meditation and yoga for many years.
Right now he teaches meditation at his house www.meditationlearningcenter.com and at Inner Vision Yoga studio in Chandler Arizona.
He loves Attapinya’s yoga bags exclusively.

What shane have to say about Attapinya………………..
Prior to using at the Attapinya yoga bag I would pull my car into the yoga studio parking lot and feel unorganized
whilst scrambling for my clothes and yoga mat. Now I feel more confident, and although I am excited to get into the yoga class, I just simply grab my yoga bag and I’m on my way. These bags look great; they are very stylish and practical.
Every yogi and yogini should have one.