Get Corky

If your favorite adult beverage doesn’t come in a box or with a twist-off lid, chances are you are no stranger to one of cork’s best-known uses. But, did you know that cork’s illustrious career can be linked as far back as ancient Egypt from its appearance in early tomb excavations! While I sometimes like to think I discovered cork and its many uses, history has a way of showing us how little we actually know! Aside from being used as bottle stoppers for thousands of years, cork serves many other unique purposes...some of them which might surprise you!

After 18 months of hanging out at home thanks to the COVID worldwide pandemic, I am getting pretty tired of the views around here! Do ya feel me? And while watching YouTube clips of the most beautiful international train rides did help us feel like there is a world out there beyond our four walls, there is nothing like feeling the salty air on our skin or a mountain breeze whip through our hair to make us feel alive again! If you feel like all of Netflix has been successfully watched, and you have completed your fifth 1000 piece puzzle, you may be ready for a vacation!

When I decided to #getcorky, sustainability wasn't even on my list of why's for starting a cork accessory business. After all, I'm a designer! My creative eye saw its unique appeal, gorgeous patina, and cork's ability to turn heads. Even so, sustainability is one of the things I have grown to be proud of when it comes to my cork accessory line. If you've been around a while, you know I've talked about it more than once! But there are many characteristics of my brand that make my company what it is, and each of them delights me in its own way. Paula Parisotto is a sustainable, slow fashion, small business with a unique US-made product, and hot damn! I love what I do!

Prior to launching my Cork Accessories line, I read every business book I could get my hands on. Truth be told, I wasn’t much of a reader before that. Still, something about building something new from the ground up gave me an insatiable appetite for learning everything I could about being an entrepreneur. Amidst all the different solutions for success and steps for executing a new business was a universal note of encouragement - stick it out to the three or four-year mark because that is when new companies generally take off.

Maybe it is just me, but it seems like we are seeing more and more wedding invites coming in as this year’s wedding season approaches. No doubt it’s thanks to COVID and the many rescheduled events couples endured as we waited for the pandemic to ease across the county. But as we get ready to celebrate with those we love, it’s natural that we begin to wonder what on earth we will wear? Although personal styling is my business, I'm feeling a little rusty on this whole dressing up and going out business and I'm betting that you are too.

“She wore an itsy bitsy, teenie weenie, yellow polka-dot bikini…” Do you remember the iconic song lyrics beyond the catchy chorus? It starts out chronicling a woman’s desire to hide in the locker room out of nerves about her cute new swimsuit. She eventually comes out yet hides under a beach blanket and then enters the water but stays in until she turns blue, trying to hide her body. I think as women, we can all relate to feeling self-consciousness at the start of swimwear season! Lucky for you, I have some tried and true tips to feel confident when you hit the beach this season in your new suit...no hiding in the locker room or under a blanket for you, Girlfriend! You’re going to strut your stuff - whether it’s in a thong, tha, thong, thong, thong (yep, they’re back! Not on my booty, mind you!) - or in a full piece suit, feeling your absolute best!

Made in the USA. If you are a consumer of goods (and, who isn't?) you've heard this statement, but do you know what it means? It’s more than 3 little words embroidered on a label or stamped on a sticker stuck to the bottom of an item. Made in the USA stands for some pretty impressive standards! Here are seven facts about US production that make me feel pretty proud to say Paula Parisotto is made in the USA!

If you are anything like me, you’re a consumer who knows that making impactful change starts with where you spend your money! Taking simple steps towards mindful buying of consumer goods is great for our planet which, in turn, is great for the people, plants and animals that live on it. 

It’s no secret I am excited by and curious about sustainable living! Since starting my career in the health and wellness industry three decades ago, healthy living has been one of my passions. I’m not just talkin' fitness and eating well; I'm talking about taking long-term sustainable steps towards healthier living as a whole.

Truthfully, I don’t take the fast track for much of anything (except for those pivots the universe keeps throwing at us!) But, I believe there is one area worth lacing up those runners and racing toward like our lives depend on it (and really, they do!) I’m talking about the slow fashion movement. If you are anything like me, you’re a consumer who knows that making impactful change starts with where you spend your money! Taking simple steps towards sustainable fashion is kind to your wallet (sustainable means it lasts!) and great for our environment.