Coffee Date for Your Friday

- Posted by to coffee date

Original-Starbucks-2
Hello to you!

It’s finally Friday! For me, that always means my Keurig gets the day off, and Starbucks picks up the slack. Usually just a tall coffee with cream is good enough for me—but sometimes I go for the fancier varieties. That’s what I refer to as a “Friday Treat.” :) Grab a Friday Treat of your own and join me for a virtual coffee date?

If we were having coffee right now, I would tell you how excited I am that today is officially the first day of summer! {Also known as the “Summer Solstice,” which just sounds all-around better, don’t you think?} I’m a Midwestern-girl-turned-California-transplant, so I’m still grateful for and amazed by beautiful summer scenes like this one:
Summer
{From a Sunday night hike last week that was all fun and games until we saw a rattlesnake. Then it was back to walk around our safe neighborhood we went.}

If we were having coffee right now, I would tell you that my closet needs some summer updates, and our Seven Hopes Sseko sandals are just begging to be added to my shoe rotation:
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A girl can never have too many pairs of shoes, right? Especially fair trade shoes!

If we were having coffee right now, I would tell you that I’m thrilled to see that the fair trade movement is growing and catching the attention of bigger corporations. Check out this encouraging article for more.

If we were having coffee right now, I would tell you that my new puppy has stolen my heart. This face makes up for a multitude of behavioral “issues,” including but not limited to chewing furniture and pottying on rugs:

BarkerWhat would you tell me if we were having coffee right now? Hopefully that you have fun plans for the weekend with loved ones! Until next time, friends!

XO,
Casey

Wedding Wednesday: Fair Trade Wedding Favors

- Posted by to General Wedding Wednesday

Fair Trade Favors

When I was planning my wedding there were a lot of things I decided on along the way and with the help of my friends and family but there was one thing I knew for sure; I wanted fair trade wedding favors.  For a few years leading up to my wedding I had been involved with a group, which promotes the use of fair trade so I was familiar with the beautiful and unique items that could be used as favors.  A visit to Ten Thousand Villages in Cleveland where I am from introduced me to some great choices and ultimately we went with little stone boxes made in Vietnam.

Here are a few of my favorite fair trade wedding favor ideas from Seven Hopes United.

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You could choose a few colors or two colors, one to represent each person getting married.

Eco Friendly Brazil Nut Candles

recycled hearts

A beautiful little keepsake, which people could keep in their pockets and which will remind them of your wedding.

Recycled Sea Glass Hearts

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You could even put lovely quotes about marriage inside for your guests.

Decorative Gourd Container – Leaf

How Tuesday: Fair Trade Fashion

- Posted by to Fashion How Tuesday

When I was a girl and even into my early adult years I was not in the least bit fashionable.  I didn’t think fashion mattered at all and I think I was concerned that I would spend too much time on something silly like fashion.  But after living in New York City and now in Southern California these past several years I’ve learned that fashion isn’t silly at all. I have learned that I don’t need to spend a ton of time to look good and consequently, like working out and eating well, I feel better when I look nice. And fair trade fashion makes me feel even better because it gives back.

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Emma Watson showing off some fair trade fashion.

So today I thought I would give you a few tips that I have learned over the years about fashion, my own little style guide and also pair up some fair trade jewelry with some of my favorite outfits.

Dawn’s Personal Style Guide (please note that this little guide isn’t exhaustive):

1. Be Yourself!

2. Animal print (in small quantities) goes with just about everything.

3. Don’t spend as much on super trendy pieces; they won’t be long enough to get your money’s worth.

4. A beautiful bag and lovely shoes make all the difference.

5. Accessories are a must, along with the bag and shoes, earrings, bracelets, rings and necklaces can make the most drab outfit look fun and fresh.

This is the short list; there’s always more to add but these are my favorite. Now on to a couple of outfits.

Casual Outfit Pairing:

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A simple white t-shirt is always a good piece to have. It goes with everything and this one has a lot of detail but not too much to be over the top. The jewelry really pops on the white and those are mint green skinny jeans underneath.

Dress Up Outfit:

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I’ve worn this outfit to work and out for drinks as well. I like how the colors really stand out on the black and white of the zebra print. Here’s also an example of using a little bit of animal print to jazz up an outfit and along with the blue pencil skirt and jewelry I think it’s a fun outfit!

 

 

 

How to Register for Your Wedding with Seven Hopes United!

- Posted by to General

me and bouquet

On Wednesday, we left you with the promise of Wedding Wednesdays here on the blog. Along with summer comes warm evenings, freshly mowed lawns, softball games in the park and—you guessed it—weekends filled with weddings. Are you one of those summer blushing brides gearing up for your own big day?

If so, we want to invite you to have a different kind of registry for your wedding. One that will make the world, as well as your own home, a more beautiful and meaningful place. Our handcrafted bowls, dishes, decorative items and more display the creativity and heart of our artisans and will add an extra dose of love to your wedding day.

When you register with Seven Hopes United, you’re choosing a gift registry that gives back. Consider this:

“For some brides, the whole process of registering for lavish home goodies can seem a tad bit self-indulgent. But thanks to our new friends at Seven Hopes United, we’ve found the perfect solution for couples who would rather give than receive.” ~ GetMarried.com

Would you rather give than receive? {And stock your new home with unique, practical “married life” necessities at the same time?} Then head to the registry section of our Website and check out how easy the process is.

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.

In addition, 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.You can also feel good knowing that 10% of guests’ gift purchases from Seven Hopes United will be invested in community development initiatives throughout Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. This donation is made at no additional cost to you or your guests.

And if you don’t receive everything you registered for? For up to 6 months after the date of your event, you’ll receive a 10% discount toward the purchase of any remaining registry items.

Sounds like a pretty good deal all the way around to us. If it does to you too, start the process of registering here. Here’s a little preview of our top registry items:
Registry collage

Gorgeous, right? And those are just the beginning. Happy wedding planning!

XO,

Casey

Wedding Wednesday! Fair Trade Weddings!

- Posted by to General Wedding Wednesday
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Mata Trader dresses are a beautiful and fair trade addition to this wedding!

We at Seven Hopes United are very happy that so many couples have chosen to use our wedding registry for their nuptials. It is an honor for us to be a part of their new lives together.  The other day we were thinking of ways we might be able to offer even more support to those who are interested in having a fair trade wedding.  It occurred to us that we could offer suggestions and tips on how to have a fair trade wedding right here on our blog.  So we will be sharing our thoughts about having a fair trade wedding here in our Wedding Wednesday blog posts!

Of course, having a fair trade wedding means different things to each couple so our posts will cover a wide range of topics and we are happy to cover ideas that our readers would like to see as well.  So please send us your thoughts.

Have a wonderful day – Dawn