New bags for everyone!

Here at Gorilla Sacks we just love giving back to the community in any way we can. We wanted to start the new year off with some good karma points, so we decided to give our bags to people who could really use them. After a little digging around to find people who would truly put our bags to good use, we found two very worthy causes that we know will benefit from our donations. 
  
The first is Totes for Tots, a bag drive that gives all donated luggage, backpacks and bags to children in the foster care system. Many foster care children have to carry their belongings in trash bags when they move between houses. Here at Gorilla Sacks we're up to our ears in bags and we just couldn't bear the thought someone not having a real bag to call their own. So we donated our Gorilla Sacks bags because we know they will be tough enough to withstand any challenge, just like the many wonderful kids in foster care.

Mary Campbell and Stacy Spriggs work hard everyday for the residents of Urban Residential Development Corporation.

The second charity we chose is Urban Residential Development Corporation. This is an absolutely awesome housing program for homeless and low-income residents. Many of these residents have been affected by issues such as mental illness, substance abuse or life-threatening illnesses like HIV/AIDS.  URDC is dedicated to providing not only housing for their residents, but also services to help aide residents in getting their feet back on the ground, such as counseling and life skills classes. We donated our Gorilla Sacks bags to the residents to use while grocery shopping or running errands.
 
We feel inspired by the charities that we found and we hope that you do too!

All moved in

Gorilla Sacks is all moved into our new office! Well, sort of. We're slowly but surely making the space our own. Although we're still unloading, the Gorilla Sacks dogs seem to be all settled in, especially our guard dog Reuben.

INTRUDERS BEWARE: Extremely dangerous guard dog awaits you.

Charlie chillin' in our new lobby.

The best things come in hardback copies

If you are looking for the perfect gift, look no further, we found the perfect item. It's the most beautiful, funny, charming and just downright awesome coffee table book we have ever seen. "Monkey Portraits," by Jill Greenberg, is a favorite here at the Gorilla Sacks office, because it will always give us a good laugh when we need one. In fact, I love this book so much I gave it to my father-in-law for Christmas (risky I know) and he loved it! If you really need to impress someone, might I suggest putting "Monkey Portraits" inside a Gorilla Sacks bag... you'll earn many many karma points.

Ger your copy at http://www.amazon.com/Monkey-Portraits-Jill-Greenberg/dp/0821257552

Our favorite Gorilla Grub

Here at Gorilla Sacks we couldn't help falling in love with kale chips! They have taken our office by storm because once you get your hands on these tasty little greens you won't be able to put them down. A word of warning: kale chips sound easy to make, but in reality are very hard to perfect. I have gone through endless bags (ok maybe just 4) of kale trying not to burn the batch, but it seems I am always 30 seconds too late. Make it easy on yourself and learn from my mistakes. Here is a foolproof recipe for basic kale chips. If you're feeling experimental, try adding some seasonings of choice, garlic salt, cayenne pepper, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, the possibilities are endless. 

These are tossed in olive oil with a little sea salt before going in the oven.

In a perfect world, this is what your kale chips will look like when you're done...

... and these are what mine look like. I promise they taste good!

Kale Chips

1 bunch of kale chips

olive oil

sea salt

Heat your oven to 350 degrees. Tear kale into small pieces, rinse, and dry thoroughly. (A salad spinner works the best if you have one.) Pile kale on a baking sheet, drizzle lightly with olive oil and toss. Spread kale out on the baking sheet so there is only one layer of leaves (if you need to use 2 baking sheets to give them enough room you can). Lightly salt kale and place baking sheets in preheated oven for 12 minutes. After 12 minutes, check kale for crispiness. If they aren't crispy, continue baking but check every minute or so until they are done. Kale is very easy to burn, so lean on the side of caution.

Don't be intimidated by how healthy they look, they are much tastier than they appear!!

Our new digs!

We just couldn't wait any longer to check out our new office, so we took a little trip to the new space. Actually, "office" is not accurate, Gorilla Sacks' new home is an enormous space, with lots of room for all of our toys, err, we mean work stuff. Check out our first visit to our new space. We just can't wait to make it our own!

Here is a photo of the back room. It's the perfect spot for all the fun events we're planning on having once we're all moved in.

Who are those good-lookin' gorilla girls?

Niche Magazine

Hooray!! Gorilla Sacks is featured in this month's Niche Magazine! Their article "Hand Bags" features seven artists who create one-of-a-kind bags you just won't find anywhere else. We absolutely love all of them, because hey, a girl's gotta have her hand bags! Check out the article at: http://www.nichemagazine.com/2010/12/handbags/

No days like snow days!

Wowee! How about that storm?! We are just beginning to crawl out of our dens and back to the office, but not before some much needed fun in the snow! We decided the crazy weather was the perfect time to play with our Gorilla Sacks. We grabbed our gear and braved the cold for some Gorilla Sacks adventures. 

Rapid fire!!

Ready to reload...

Who knew Gorilla Sacks would make excellent sleds? We did!

Look out below!

Project 'R' Cubed

Gorilla Sacks is moving! We have outgrown our current office and are moving to an awesome new space. In an effort to make our move to the new building as "green" as possible, we are furnishing our new space with only Recycled, Reused, and Re-purposed office furniture. We need help collecting new items for our space, so if you are interested in donating any goods to Gorilla Sacks that you think might look good in our new office, what are you waiting for, let us know! 

We have put together an idea board of what our ideal space might look like to inspire you. Here is a list of supplies that we need:

OPERATIONS

large packing table
metro shelving for supplies
industrial shelving for rolls of billboards
bins for components
platform dolly – wood or metal
convertible dolly – metal

OFFICE
whiteboard
chalkboard
file cabinets
bins for office supplies
shredder
office supplies

PHOTOGRAPHY
studio lighting
camera dolly and track
studio backdrop

RECEPTION ROOM
couches - mid-century modern style, Scandinavian modern style
occasion tables - modern style
large coffee table - modern, funky style
lighting
chairs

BREAK ROOM
dining table and chairs
storage cabinets
garbage cans with lids for recycling and composting
dishes, glassware, pots and pans
silverware
electric tea pot
coffee maker
dish rack

MISC
tools

If you have any of these items, or something that's not on our list but you think we might like, email us at info@gorillasacks.com or call us at (404) 688-5408. We can't wait to see the cool stuff you guys are willing to part with!