The most recent episode of Showtime's Weeds has Nancy Botwin returning to her roots. In this case, those roots included a visit to her original dealer, Heylia James played by Tony Patano. Another prominent figure in seasons 1 and 2 was one of our of our all time favorite characters: Lupita. The honors go to the Botwin's housekeeper played by the adorable Renee Victor for delivering what we believe is the most hilarious lines to date on Weeds.

Lupita served as the Botwins' housekeeper in their days at Agrestic. Eventually though, she discovers that Nancy is a pot dealer and uses this information as blackmail against Nancy so she can slack off at work. It's no surprise that Lupita is let go at the first sign of Nancy's money troubles. Nancy did hire Lupita back in season 6 to care for her half Mexican son. After Shane kills Pilar, Lupita asks Nancy to drop her off at the bus stop, preferring to start anew rather than go on the lam.

We had a chance to meet Renee and talk to her about delivering one of the most famous lines to date on the show.  It was no surprise to the sassy actress that we asked her about this scene since she gets approached about it quite often.  

Check it out here:

Next time you run in to "Lupita," don't be surprised if she's sporting a Hemp Can Save the Planet Tee.  In the meantime, we hope Nancy Botwin gets back on her feet so she can hire her old housekeeper back!

If you've been keeping up with Showtime's Weeds, the most recent episode has Nancy Botwin returning to her roots.  In this case, those roots included a visit to her original dealer, Heylia James played by Tonye Patano.  Another prominent figure in those first few episodes was one of our of our all time favorite character's Lupita, the Botwin's housekeeper played by the adorable Renée Victor. 

at the Weeds party and talked to her about delivering one of the Lupita served as the Botwins' housekeeper in their days at Agrestic. Eventually though, she discovers that Nancy is a pot dealer and uses this information as blackmail against Nancy so she does not have to work as much. Lupita is eventually fired when Nancy experiences money troubles. When Nancy gives birth to Steven, she hires Lupita back to be his official baby care-taker. She observes that Nancy has a tendency to flee and is always ready to leave on five-minutes notice while working for Nancy. After Shane kills Pilar, she asks Nancy to drop her off at the bus stop, preferring to start anew rather than go on the lam.

We had a chance meet  Renée most famous lines to date on the show.  It was no surprise to the sassy actress that we asked her about this scene since she gets approached about it quite often.  Check it out here:

Next time you run in to "Lupita," don't be surprised if she's sporting a Hemp Can Save the Planet Tee.  In the meantime, we hope Nancy Botwin gets back on her feet so she can hire her old housekeeper back!

The big idea moment happened four years ago when I first read Jack Herer’s, The Emperor Wears No Clothes.   

I noticed that the inside cover quoted an article from The Wall Street Journal that celebrated hemp as a sustainable resource for “food, fuel and fashionable attire.”  

I lingered on those last two words "fashionable attire" for a bit longer as I prepared for a hemp shopping spree! I searched the internet and every eco boutique I could find.  Alas, I returned with my reusable shopping bags empty. I searched far and wide for hemp fashions, but it was clear that “fashionable attire” was about the only questionable point in the entire book. 

I wondered, would hemp activism mean giving up my innate sense of style? Would I be confined to rough burlap textures and hideously unflattering shapes? For the fashionista inside of me, this was hard to accept.

Obsessing about this book during my long drives to work, I drafted a mental business plan for the birth of a chic hemp clothing line that would embody the message that needed so desperately to reach main stream America.  As a mother, I understand the hesitation to wear a giant pot leaf on your chest, so I leaned towards a more subtle way to spread Jack’s message. Instead, I’d print snippets from Jack’s book inside each garment, and my tagline would say, “Look Within.” Ideas poured out of me and before I knew it, I was asking Jack Herer himself for the copyrights to his book. Much to my surprise, he responded the very next day with his approval. That was all it took to launch my activism through "high fashion."

It's been a crazy journey for sure, but not a day goes by that I am not thankful for finding this life altering book and for the opportunity to meet Jack Herer, my own personal hero.  I learned a lot from Jack, from his book and from him as a person.  I witnessed his raw passion when he spoke to people. Whether one on one or in front of a giant crowd, he radiated loving energy.  Even if Jack was furious about something, you just knew that he was coming from a place of love.

Since Jack wanted to share the information contained in his legendary book The Emperor Wears No Clothes with everyone who would listen, he made the text of this book available to read FREE ONLINE!  So click below, bookmark the page if you must, and get acquainted with this book.  I don't think you'll regret it.

Click Here to Read The Emperor Wears No Clothes: http://www.jackherer.com/thebook/

The local freeways have been empty all weekend so when threatened with stories of doom and gloom, Angelenos can stay put! Good job L.A.!

A trip from Calabasas to Alhambra this morning for a golf tournament took 25 minutes. You can bet that particular golfer is stoked! Let's just hope the situation doesn't drastically change by the time the tournament is over. That would be a real bummer.

In L.A., driving without traffic feels like heaven, just like our hemp!

So, perhaps we should have called our sale Carmaheaven?

www.thinksubstance.com

An item is designed. The designer tries it on for the very first time and thinks HOLY MOLY! It's chic, but it feels like a ROBE! I could live in this!

It's perfect! What shall we name it? At this exact moment, this scene comes on:

The Dude just happens to be walking through the market in his comfy, worn in robe when the name is conceived. This amazing cardigan shall now be known as the "Dudette."

As much as we like the Dude, we'll most likely be keeping fashion tips from him at a minimum.

Balmain Tee retails for $1200

May Lindstrom makes our Think Substance Tee look like $1 MILLION!

Our tee makes YOU feel like A MILLION! Plus, if you're feeling inspired to rock your own distressed tee, this weekend, for under $35 you can turn our men's tee into something that looks like it was taken from the runway. 

Shop here: http://thinksubstance.com/30/30mbasics.html

You'll be hard pressed to find a luxury tee at this price again and aren't you just a little sick of rummaging through your guys closet for his favorite tee? And look at poor Josh.  He really doesn't look too happy about handing over his hemp!

What a difference a season makes!  Alexander Gould, AKA Shane Botwin has matured before our very eyes and his character is proving that the apple doesn''t fall far from the tree.  Pictured here holding his Hemp Can Save the Planet Tee at the wrap party for season 6, it seems Shane's had quite a growth spurt.  Accompanied by his parents at this event, Alexander was sweet and pretty much nothing like his charachter, Shane. What a relief! Did you realize, however, that this Weeds character was actually the voice of Nemo in Pixar's Finding Nemo?  

Think Substance was very pleased to provide the cast and crew from Weeds Hemp Can Save The Planet Tees to thank them for a job well done.  Stay tuned to Showtime for Season 7 and pick up one of the last HCSTP tees.  

What does China's rise mean to America? 

It's suddenly clear that our blind consumerism is quickly catching up with us. The China Question unveils the debilitating situation that we are approaching because of our reliance on Chinese labor. What is this seemingly cheap labor really costing us? More than we bargained for, that's for sure! 

Here's some food for thought. While President Kennedy was in office in the early 60's, 94% of our clothes were made in the U.S. Today, the our garment industry has dwindled to a measly 5%. So where did our garment industry go? Look within your garments for a clue.  

We can't lay all the blame on China, especially since they are one of America's main suppliers of industrial hemp. Why is that? Because industrial hemp is free to grow in communist China, but not in "free" America (although, don't get me wrong, I am grateful for my freedom of speech!)  Ultimately, however, it is our consumer dollar that speaks the loudest.

Shopping for products "Made in America" should not be a treasure hunt.  That's why Think Substance is committed to only manufacturing in the U.S. and we think that by committing to using only hemp, which has over 25,000 uses, we can spur a trend that will finally answer "The China Question."

To learn more about the prohibition of hemp, read Jack Herer's The Emperor Wears No Clothes.