New Sari Baby Blankets Are Now Available!

Sari Baby Blankets

Now Available from our Fair Trade Partners in Bangladesh

We’ve got baby on the brain! My husband and I are expecting our first baby in August, and I couldn’t resist getting these adorable Sari Baby Blankets from our fair trade partners in Bangladesh. I just can’t help imagining how sweet our new baby will look wrapped up in this beautiful blanket made with hope and love by women from across the globe. Our colorful sari baby blankets are one-of-a-kind and reversible, so you can choose a print that will complement your unique style. I adore this print that we fittingly named “Baby Love.”

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Each blanket is lightweight, and generously sized (40″ x 40″) to make swaddling easy. The traditional “kantha” hand-stitching and vintage sari fabric creates an incredibly soft feel that your baby will love, and will continue to get softer with every wash.

Handmade Sari Baby Blankets

Best of all, our new Sari Baby Blankets are versatile: meaning you can use them as a stroller or nursing cover, burp cloth, tummy time blanket, and more! What’s not to love about that?

Each of our sari baby blankets are handmade by a women’s cooperative in Bangladesh. Our fair trade partners work with women who have escaped a life of human trafficking – your purchase of these handmade blankets provide hope for a better future, dignity, and living wages. These women have been given a chance to rise above their circumstances and take back their humanity, and we thank you for wanting to be a part of that. Our goal is to bring hope to the poor, one fair trade purchase at a time.

Our new sari baby blankets are a wonderful and unique baby shower gift that they are sure to cherish! For more fair trade baby shower gift ideas visit our previous blog posts here and here.

xo, Ashleigh

Fair Trade Pajama Loungers! {Product Spotlight}

Fair trade pajama loungers? I know you might be thinking, that’s not the most exciting topic for a Friday, but once you see the pants you’ll change your mind. Promise.

I don’t know about you, but my faithful black yoga pants are just begging for a long nap in the drawer labeled “winter.” They’re ready to be replaced by bright, soft and breezy Springtime prints! Enter our new Pajama Loungers, handmade in India. The purchase of these cozy lounging pants will support the women of the International Princess Project who have escaped forced prostitution. Each of the following pairs of pants is:

  • Wide-legged and super comfortable
  • Low-rise and sits comfortably on hips
  • Matching drawstring elasticized waist
  • 100% cotton
  • Machine washable

First up are these beauties, the Karoona Punjammie Loungers: Bright emerald cotton sprinkled with simple black flowers which grow larger towards the base, forming a natural border.

Karoona Punjammie Loungers

Followed by the gorgeous Ratna Punjammie Loungers: Cherry red fades into navy and turquoise as a white bead-like pattern streams down this airy cotton fabric bordered with a printed emerald peacock feather.

Ratna Punjammie Loungers

And finally, we’ve got the popular shorter-length Mani Capri Sleep Pants: Deep and light teal alternate in a classic vining leaf pattern sprinkled with marigold flowers. A scene with water-grazing cranes wading among the grass and reeds trims the base of the leg to form a natural border.

Mani Capri Sleep Pants

Aren’t they great lounging pants? Personally, I can’t wait to break them out for warmer evenings! And if you’re going on Spring Break, I think a pair should definitely make its way into your suitcase! :)

XO,

Casey

Socially Conscious Spring Break Packing List

Top 5 Picks
Spring Break Packing List

Happy Spring! It’s finally here & we know many of you are getting ready for your Spring Break getaways, so we thought we’d help by sharing our Top 5 Picks for your Spring Break Packing List!

At Seven Hopes United, our mission is to sell unique fair trade products that help empower and enrich the lives of underprivileged artisans around the world. In honor of the 1st Day of Spring, March 20th, we are highlighting 5 of our favorite fair trade products for a fashionable and socially conscious spring break!

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1. Large Recycled Plastic Beach Tote
Of course you’ll need a tote bag for the pool, beach, and don’t forget shopping… Our beach tote is made in India from recycled plastic bags with a cotton-lined interior and an inner pocket. The tote is approximately 20 x 16 inches.

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2. Pom Fest Scarf in Citrus
This scarf just screams spring…the bright citrus hues and pom accents are the perfect accessory for a fun getaway. Each scarf is produced with traditional block-printing techniques to support women in India.

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3. 31BITS Guava Twist Bracelet
Made from recycled paper by women in Uganda, these bracelets are a quick and easy way to add a pop of color to your spring wardrobe. Available in electric green or hot pink.

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4. Sseko Sandals
A favorite that will take you from spring to summer – Sseko sandals can be customized by choosing different colored straps and accessories, and are able to be tied 100s of different ways! How cute do these girls look in their Ssekos?!

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5. Sofia Tagua Earrings – Berry
Our Sofia Earrings are ringed in sterling silver with a berry colored tagua center. Handcrafted using sustainable materials from the rainforests of South America. Our fair trade artisans transform tagua nuts into modern accessories any girl would love.

I hope you found our socially conscious picks for your spring break packing list helpful & fun! Bon Voyage!

Fair Trade Gifts Under $25!

Hello friends!

This week, let’s talk presents. Everyone loves them, yes? Are you looking for a fun, personalized gift for someone just because you love them and want ‘em to know? We know, we have those special loved ones too. Sometimes you just want to show you care with a small surprise gift–as a thank-you or a just because! So this Spring, think fun, breezy items under $25, perfect for a loved one’s kitchen, jewelry collection, or pampering supply. Buying a fair trade gift from Seven Hopes United is easy—-you can even have it gift wrapped and sent straight to your (or the recipient’s) door!

So without further ado, here are some of our fave Under $25 gifts this Spring. Great for friends, moms, dads, siblings…the list goes on! Give back while giving love. :)

PicMonkey Collage Gifts

1. Javanese Dish Towel Set

2. Kyoto Olive Napkins

3. Retro Brown Dot Apron

4. Soft Gray Tagua Chip Earrings

5. Seven Hopes e-Gift Card

6. Fair Trade Soap and Pumice Happy Feet Gift Set 

Happy gift-giving!

XO,

Casey

How to Make Your Fair Trade Wedding Registry

PicMonkey Collage Registry Final

Calling all summer brides—have you heard about our fair trade wedding registry? Have you created a registry yet? Yes, you and the husband you have to bribe with promises of popcorn and Pizza Hut at checkout before he’ll even glance Target’s way. This blog post is for you.

There’s no getting around it—registering for wedding gifts can be kind of stressful. At least for me personally, it was. My husband wasn’t really into it, and he gets uncomfortable buying (or in this case, asking other people to buy us) stuff. Both of us feel strongly that spending excess money on household items isn’t something we want to get into a habit of. Enter Seven Hopes United.

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When you register for fair trade wedding gifts, you’re still giving your guests a helpful list of things you want for your new home (after all, they will buy you a gift anyway and it’s nice if it’s something they know you truly want). But you can feel good knowing exactly how the items are made and how your loved ones’ dollars are benefiting the lives of others.

Here’s a little bit about how it works:

With a Seven Hopes United Fair Trade Gift Registry, you are not only receiving gifts you’ll love, your gift purchases ensure that our artisans are paid a living wage for their work, working conditions are safe, and no children are exploited.

The principle behind Seven Hopes United gift giving is that your gift works in two ways:

  1. You are giving the gift of hope and a future to people who need it most.
  2. By making giving fun, innovative and convenient, your friends and family will feel good about the help their gift is giving.

It’s easy to register—just head to this section of our Website and start clicking away! If you need some ideas, we have a list here of some of our most popular items. We have all the categories you would see at say, Bed Bath and Beyond—-kitchen items, serving dishes, bedding, towels, decorative wall art, etc.

It’s also fun because you do the whole thing online—no more dragging your husband (or maybe you have to drag yourself!) around with a little registering gun. And then once you’ve registered, you can have your bridal party send the link to guests or upload it on your wedding Website.

And here’s a great extra:

For every 10 items purchased from your gift registry, we’ll make a donation in your honor. Your gift of mosquito nets will help protect a family against malaria and other deadly insect-borne diseases.

mosquito_nets

UNICEF reports that Malaria is an endemic in 90% of sub-Saharan Africa and is one of the main causes of mortality for children under the age of 5. Only 22% of children under the age of five years old are sleeping under a mosquito net, and only 5% of those nets are the insecticide treated mosquito nets. With your gift, we can help save lives.

I know that when I registered for wedding gifts with Seven Hopes United, it ended up being one of my favorite aspects of my wedding! This bride agrees:

“A progressive alternative to typical bridal registries, Seven Hopes United brings together eco-conscious brides with artisans from around the world…a portion of the proceeds from every item sold is invested back into artisan communities, helping to further promote the economic freedom and social development made possible by the fair trade movement.”   — Carolina Bride

So brides, what are you waiting for?

If you like this idea, feel free to pin/tweet/share the link to this post! This Spring, let’s get a fair trade wedding registry movement going that will impact the lives of millions of families across the globe!

XO,

Casey