It’s my good friend’s birthday on Wednesday, and I want to give her a fun birthday gift that is not only meaningful and fair trade, but something she’ll love as well. I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to share some of my favorite cute birthday gift ideas for your friends. I tried to choose gifts that were not too expensive, and would be great for a wide variety of personalities.

My friend Erin is a professional baker, and LOVES wine, so my top two birthday gift ideas for her are this cute little Elephant Wine Bottle Cork and a super fun Apron made from a recycled flour sack in Peru (how fitting!).

There are several other fun birthday gifts below – I had a great time coming up with ideas that my friends would love. Please leave a reply with your cute birthday gift ideas from Seven Hopes United – I’d love to check them out!

1. Antiqued Elephant Wine Bottle Cork - Who could resist this ele cork with a bottle of wine?!
2. Tagua Chip Earrings – Berry
3. Beach Coasters – Cork Coaster Set - Perfect for the girl who loves the beach!
4. Recycled Flour Sack Apron
5. Wooden Earring Stand
6. Market Basket – Mini Bolga - So sooo cute!
7. 31BITS Kya Bracelet
8. Big Dragonfly Felted Birdhouse - Ridiculously adorable! I think my friends could come up with 100 uses for this sweet creation.

Finding the Perfect Gift Can Be A Lot of Fun!

Friends who know me well know that I enjoy giving out creative and unique gifts for birthdays, holidays and hostess gifts. This past New Years Eve my husband and I along with a group of good friends rang in the New Year at a Great Gatsby themed party being held at our friend’s home.  The hostess did a marvelous job of bringing the 1920s to life again. She went all out to make it a special night for all of us and indeed it was. Knowing how much time and talent my friend had spent on the party I knew I couldn’t just bring my traditional hostess gift of a bottle of wine. Instead I scoured the Internet looking for a 1920s themed gift and finally found the perfect tumblers on Etsy.  They were glass with photos and names of popular film stars from the era and since my friend also loves movies it was a win-win!

Look No Further!

While not every occasion requires hours searching the web I do feel that every gift should be bought with loving care and the person in mind. Thankfully, you don’t generally need to look much further than Seven Hopes United to find great gifts. Is the birthday girl a cook, why not a colorful apron? Does your boyfriend or husband deserve some relaxation, well then the Dreambean Basket might be the perfect fit? And are you staying with an old friend and you want to show him or her how grateful you are then I suggest vintage sari throw; everyone likes to feel cozy under a warm blanket, especially one so gorgeous and rich in color as this one.

Check out a collage of these and other gift ideas below.

Have a wonderful day, Dawn

Hi everyone! I’m Dawn and while I’m new to blogging I’ve been interested and have loved writing since I was a kid. San Diego is my home but a bit of my heart will always dwell in the Midwest where I grew up. Traveling, literature, stationary and old photos are amongst my favorite things and I find great amusement in reading about baked goods in French, it improves my French skills and piques my food lover’s imagination. I’ve been passionate about fair trade for a while and I proudly support its principles and am excited to be a part of a business that also shares my enthusiasm for fair trade! But above all else I love my great husband, two pups and my most precious one-year-old son Declan he just melts my heart!

I’m excited to journey with you in the Seven Hopes United blogosphere.

Have a wonderful day! Dawn

“Fair trade” and “free trade” sound like very similar terms, and it’s easy to confuse the two. However, they are two different ideas, and some supporters of fair trade believe that only one seeks to improve the dignity and circumstances of those living in third-world countries.

FAIR TRADE IS:
A movement dating back to the 1950s in the US that calls for fair treatment of all workers. Fair trade ensures the producers in the developing world benefit from their hard work by mandating that goods are bought from them directly at a previously agreed-upon price.

FREE TRADE IS:
The international exchange of goods that is unrestricted by government interference, such as import quotas and protective tarrifs (which is a tax attached to an imported good). Free trade allows the exchange of goods across country borders without a government interference in prices.

WHY FAIR TRADE?
While free trade aims to benefit the global economy as a whole, often those who see the most profit from it are the world’s wealthiest countries. Free trade allows goods and services from all over the world to become domestically available, often at a cheaper price than the domestic products and services. Some argue it drives an even bigger chasm between their mounting wealth and the mounting poverty of the third-world countries struggling to compete.

Proponents of fair trade might suggest that the existing terms of trade between wealthy and poor countries are unjust, because current market prices for the products made in third world nations are too low for the workers to collect enough wages to keep their familes afloat and keep their dignity intact. The idea behind free trade—which is that people’s quality of life is improved through the ability to consume higher quality goods at cheaper prices—does not always hold true when the country’s economy is not at full employment.

But it’s important to note that without free trade, we wouldn’t be able to purchase goods from other countries at all, so the two don’t have to be opposing sides of an issue. What do you think? Can fair trade and free trade exist simultaneously and work together for the good of the global economy?

XO,

Casey