Fair Trade Fall into Color!

Fall was by far my most favorite season as a kid growing up in Ohio.  I loved ‘sweater weather’ and the excitement of high school football games and the anticipation of the holidays! Still the the best part of fall was and is far and away the beautifully colorful leaves! In Ohio the streets and front lawns were covered with leaves and we always found joy in jumping in piles of them.  Admittedly, leaves don’t change so drastically on the coast of San Diego, where I live now, but we are lucky enough to have cozy little mountain towns not so far away where the leaves do change and can bring back happy memories of childhood.

In honor of summer soon turning into fall we wanted to share with you some of the beautiful fall colors gracing the pages of Seven Hopes United today!

Have a wonderful day – Dawn

ChiliColor

Our inspiration!

 

red-green-tribal-sari-throw

Kantha Throw – Red Green Tribal

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Autumn Ginko Pot Holder

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Leaf & Twig Bowl

decorative-gourd-container-hummingbird

Decorative Gourd Container – Hummingbird

Red_Orange_Lotus_Runner

Red Lotus Flower Table Runner

Custom Cutting Boards {Product Spotlight}

custom-engraved-cutting-boardSometimes, even though I love cooking dinner, I just don’t feel like cooking dinner. You know? I’m sure I’m not the only one. It’s late, I’m tired, the dog is trying to counter-surf, and my husband reminds me that he had tacos for lunch yesterday. The motivation to make my planned Mexican casserole is waning.

So, in an instance like this, I need a little extra inspiration. I’ll pour myself a glass of wine (BTW—did you know you can purchase fair trade wine?)—put on some music, and get to work. And my absolute favorite way to motivate myself is by using gorgeous kitchen products. Some of my favorites are this stunner of a salad bowl and these fun oven mitts.

And then there are these beauties!
custom-city-state-cutting-board

How cute is the above Custom City State Wooden Cutting Board? US state or country silhouettes are engraved on the cutting board, and customized with a little heart on the city or location that means the most to you. Great for a wedding gift to represent the couples’ wedding location, or give one to a college-bound child as a reminder of home. Or you could always purchase one for yourself to celebrate the memories you made on your honeymoon or favorite vacation!

modern-cutting-board-angleThen there’s this Personalized Modern Wood Cutting Board. This design includes a couple or family name as well as date established. Love the font!
personalized-cutting-board-family-tree
And above is the Personalized Family Tree Cutting Board. This one features a modern typography design and an artful family tree. Thinking of purchasing this one for myself!
personalized-serving-trayAnd finally, we have the Rustic Personalized Wooden Serving Tray. This gorgeous piece is perfect as a kitchen table centerpiece, living room accessory, or gift for the newlyweds!

Each of these cutting boards is available in medium or large, and crafted in the USA from sustainably harvested wood. You can order all of these in either Maple or Cherry:

maple-cherry-reference

Now that you have some kitchen inspiration, it’s time to get to work on dinner!

XO,

Casey

 

Summer Sandal Sale!

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As excited as I am for Fall (hazelnut lattes! roasting marshmallows while wearing a cozy sweatshirt! pumpkin carving!), I’m not quite ready to say goodbye to summer’s warm breeze. I’m definitely not ready to give up on my summer fashion. If you’re feeling the same way, I’ve got good news, because our beautiful Sseko Sandals are on sale until the end of August!

You may have heard it said that a girl can never have too many pairs of shoes. But what’s a thrifty Carrie Bradshaw to do? Well, when you purchase the Sseko Sandals base, you can make endless pairs of shoes out of it. Pretty clever right? Just buy the base, then you can go to town on the many pretty straps you can buy separately. If you’re on a budget though, never fear—you can still create a ton of different looks using just one set of straps!

Behold:
Shoe collage

I love all of these looks. And they’re fairly to simple to master once you know what you’re doing. Check out this link for how-to’s! There are several different videos showing you how to get the above looks and more.

And don’t forget to accessorize. How cute are these fun add-ons?
Shoe collage 2

If you haven’t heard of Sseko Sandals before, here’s a little more info on the talented women that make them from our Website:

About Sseko Designs:
Sseko Designs hires recent secondary school graduates for a nine month period to live and work together, while earning money that will go directly toward their university education. These women will not make sandals forever. They will go on to be doctors, lawyers, politicians, writers and teachers that will bring change and unification to a country divided and ravished by a 22 year-long war.

Enjoy the end of the summer! And don’t forget to check the 7 Hopes site frequently for new Fall merchandise!

XO,
Casey

Wedding Wednesday: Color Inspiration!

‘What are your colors?’

I recall being asked that question quite a bit when I was getting married.  Mine were pastels in orange and pink! Whatever your colors were or are or some day may be, color plays a large part in most weddings!

We thought it would be fun to share some color inspiration that comes from Seven Hopes United’s many colorful items.

What better color to start with than the one that is most closely associated with weddings: BLUE!

fair trade wedding blue scarf

A little something blue to wrap around your shoulders!

fair trade wedding

Blue sandals for the wedding itself or perhaps on your honeymoon!

fair trade wedding

This lovely blue tote is a reliable way to carry your many wedding sundries!

fair trade wedding

This darling little bracelet could be a simple addition of blue to your wedding day ensemble!

fair trade wedding

Okay, it’s hard to think about winter in the midst of summer but if you are having a winter wedding wouldn’t this be a cute little gift for your bridesmaids or even for yourself?!

Have a wonderful day – Dawn

PS – What was your something blue? Mine? My husband and I entered our wedding reception to Gershwin’s song “Rhapsody in Blue”!