Tasty Tuesday: Fair Trade Chocolate Covered Pretzels!

- Posted by to Tasty Tuesday

Here’s an easy yet always delicious combination…salty and sweet! Fair trade chocolate covered pretzels are one of my most favorite treats. You can certainly buy great chocolate covered pretzels at the store but I like making them too.  I really enjoy making sweet treats and this way I know that the chocolate that covers the pretzels is fair trade chocolate.

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Salty and Sweet is the best!

Plus an added bonus is that homemade chocolate covered pretzels make a great gift.  Just put them in a little cellophane bag (you can buy pretty ones at Michaels or online) put a ribbon on them and they make a simple, affordable gift for folks during the holidays or you can have them out as snacks at your holiday party.

Eva Bowls

How cute would fair trade chocolate covered pretzels look in one of these green and red bowls for a Christmas party?

Eva Hand Painted Bowls

Recipe:

Pretzels

Fair Trade Chocolate (dark, milk or white…it’s up to you)

Break chocolate bars into smaller pieces and melt in a double boiler.  If you don’t have a double boiler, no worries. I fill a large pot about half way with water and let it boil then place a large glass boil that can sustain high heat on top and then add the chocolate to the bowl.  Stir until fully melted.  Remove glass bowl from the pot and place on a heat safe surface. You can either drop the pretzels in the chocolate to fully cover them or use a spoon to drizzle chocolate on to the pretzels.

Let them cool and then enjoy!!

 

Happy Fair Trade Halloween!

- Posted by to General

Halloween is right around the corner and you are probably gearing up for the big day by planning parties, buy costumes and picking up some chocolate to pass out to trick-or-treaters!

This year may we suggest making this a Fair Trade Halloween! Fair trade chocolate is a nice way of supporting a good cause while celebrating a very fun and spooky holiday!

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NaturalCandyStore.com sells Fair Trade Candies!

And why not hand your candy out in style this year?!? Consider our very fun (and from a distance very skeletal looking) bowl.

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Haiti Metal Art – Coral Reef Bowl

Happy Halloween! Dawn

Fair Trade Sale!

- Posted by to Fair Trade News Fashion Product Spotlight

Hi friends,

October is winding down, and Fair Trade Month will go out with it. But never fear, you can continue to buy fair trade year-round on our Website!

If you happen to really, really like shopping (ahem, I wouldn’t know anything about that), then you may already know that the end of October and November are prime time for retail to go on sale! Getting ready for the holidays means stocking new products and making room for future goodies to come. So in short–=SALE TIME on all the lovelies still needing to find a good home!

We’re no exception and we love a good sale. :) Doing some shopping for fair trade Christmas gifts? Allow us to help you out with that! Here are some of our favorite fair trade sale items below:

1. Hand-woven scarves

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2. Cascade necklace

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3. Cocoki Yoga Bag

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4. Kantha Weekender Bag

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5. Lyrical Hammered Earrings

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To see all of our fair trade sale items, head to the Specials section of our Website. And check back soon for a full holiday gift guide featuring new Seven Hopes products!

Have a great weekend! :)

XO,

Casey

Paper!

- Posted by to General

I am a paper-file…is that a word? It may not be a word but I am definitely in love with paper.  Writing letters on stationary, actual paper stationary, isn’t as commonplace as it once was but I still love it! And I truly enjoy typing out stories and notes on my typewriter (I may have been born at the wrong time when it comes to these things).  Since I love paper so much I wanted to share with you some of my favorite paper finds on our site.

Enjoy – Dawn

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That’s me showing off my favorite 31bits necklace!

Happy Night Necklace

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Aren’t these colorful paper beads from Uganda gorgeous?

Raffia Twist Bracelet

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Because Christmas is right around the corner (and because frankly it’s always a good time of the year to think about Christmas) I thought I would share these beautiful paper-mache ornaments.

Eva Hand Painted Paper-Mache Ornaments

Krochet Kids {Friends With a Mission}

- Posted by to Friends With a Mission General

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In keeping with our new “Friends With a Mission” series, today I bring you Krochet Kids—one of the most inspiring and fun organizations I’ve ever encountered! This clothing and accessories line comes from Northern Uganda and Peru, and each item has a note inside from the woman who created it.

You may recall that I attended the Fourth Estate Summit a while back, and had the pleasure of meeting the Krochet Kids folks at the Common Good Exchange. The heart of their story, from their Website, is this:

{MISSION
To empower people to rise above poverty.

VISION
To create sustainable economic development programs that support holistic growth of individuals and communities within developing nations.

To inspire the knowledge of a generation about their ability to bring change to a world that is in need.

VALUES
People: We desire holistic freedom for our people to grow and enrich their lives physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

Our Product: We believe in quality, handmade products that not only bring comfort and style but serve as a vehicle for social change.

Love: We believe actions rooted in love bring lasting and powerful change. Our model for love is that of the ultimate servant: Jesus.}

Krochet Kids is transforming Northern Uganda, as they put it, through “hook and yarn.” The founders, who were avid snowboarding enthusiasts, decided to make their own cozy headwear for the mountains and soon friends dubbed them the “krochet kids.” As these three high school boys began volunteering across the world, they began to realize they could empower communities through simply teaching the the craft they had grown to love.

Their story today is an inspiration to many:

“Today, over 150 people in Uganda and Peru are working, receiving education, and being mentored toward a brighter future in creating gifts that give back. The products created abroad have been well received here at home and the collaboration of our staff and beneficiaries around the globe has created a sustainable cycle of employment and empowerment.”

Krochet Kids’ line of soft, cozy clothing and accessories is perfect for any time of year. I had been eyeing this cute pocket hoodie for a while and today I decided to order it for my upcoming Fall camping trips and evenings spent around a bonfire!

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Perfect, right?

We know you, our amazing socially minded readers, will enjoy the Krochet Kids cause and story (and beautiful products!) as much as we do. Enjoy!

XO,
Casey