love blooming...josefina pouch - Mercado Global

This gorgeous pouch pops with color and texture! I love the hand-embroidered traditional pattern against the modern black leather found on the Josefina Pouch! 

Sparked by an idea when working with artisans in rural Latin America, founder Ruth DeGolia began Mercado Global while still a student at Yale.  In 2004, Mercado Global recieved a start-up grant from Echoing Green, and has exponentially grown over the last 11 years into a globally recognized company with a powerful mission: empower indigenous women to overcome poverty and become agents of change in their communities.

Mercado’s mission is two-fold.  First, it provided business education to talented female artisans so that they can grow their skills into a business.  Secondly, it connects these indigenous women to global markets to sell their products on a large scale, which in turn empowers them to support their families and provide more opportunities for their children. Over time, this model pulls entire communities out of the poverty cycle.

Mercado Global has partnered with over 400 women across Guatamala!  This hard work translates into beautiful products supporting a beautiful cause.

Totally Smitten!

recycled rubber bangles - Made With Love Project

These vivid, recycled, wrapped, rubber bangles are so well constructed and hip, they make me happy!

Made With Love bracelets are made by a Women's Cooperative in Djenne', Mali, West Africa.

In 2007 designer Mary Jane Marcasiano formed MADE WITH LOVE. MWL is a global call to action, dedicated to raising funds and awareness for NGOs aiding women and children. Through the production and sale of products that provide a fair income for women in Brazil and Africa, Made With Love is addressing the need for aid.

Made With Love works in tandem with the Cygnet Foundation, which through the proceeds realized from art-related programs, seeks to help those in need: women and children, the homeless, the hungry as well as abandoned and endangered animals. 

The women are paid a fair price for their work, so the money the bracelets provide create a means of support, and are sold to raise funds for L'Empire des Enfants.

L'Empire des Enfants is a center for homeless children from the streets of Dakar, Senegal. L'Empire grants shelter, meals, education and training programs. They also work with local organizations to return homeless children to their families.

Smitten.

grateful - The Giving Keys

I love the new oxidized finish on The Giving Keys classic necklaces. I wrote my first article about The Giving Keys when I was looking for an anniversary gift for my husband...something significant and loving.

I am grateful and thrilled that this organization exists. Go The Giving Keys!

My being Smitten continues...

a touch of cream and gold, ethical neck-lace - 31 Bits

Gracefully wrapped beads, delicately strung together to create dazzling neckwear. I couldn't love 31 Bits more!!

Perfectly named The Romantic...it is whimsical, hip and pretty. A simple strand of gold accent beads adorned by a row of marble shaped paper beads, here shown in Cream and Gold.

The Romantic is also available in: Cream, Black, Multi and Mint.

- Handmade in Uganda

- Beads are made from recycled paper

- Approximately 29" when laid flat

- Single strand

- Fastens with a button clasp

All their beads are made from recycled paper. "All accessories are handmade in Uganda with exceptional quality and sophisticated design."

More information on 31 Bits from notablySmitten.

Always and forever...Smitten. 

luscious lashes - Josie Maran Mascara

I've written about Josie Maran Cosmetics in the past...her entire line is outstanding!

The way that she has infused this exquisite oil into her cosmetics is superior to any company I know of.

Here, I introduce her highly nourishing and natural, argan oil treatment mascara. Lengthens, adds volume, lifts, and curls lashes for 24 hours.

The unique formula: 100% argan oil mixed with black iron mineral pigments, infused with the lash strengthening properties of bamboo.

The argan creates a lash-softening effect, hence it being called a treatment. Creamy, and delivered by a five-ball brush that reaches every lash.

Josie Maran Cosmetics favors fair trade practices, sustainably harvested ingredients and eco-friendly packaging.

Beautifully Smitten.

upcycled neckwear - Article 22

This Talisman necklace is a magnificent, elegant piece of jewelry...with an extraordinary story.

I introduced Article 22 to notablySmitten last year...and I am thrilled to continue to write about this unprecedented company.

Made by artisans in Laos. These jewelry pieces are made from a combination of Vietnam War era bombs, plane parts, and other aluminum scrap. Each Peacebomb is hand poured and cast in wood and ash molds.

This gorgeous neckpiece comes complete with story card and hand-woven cotton pouch.

Your choice of chain: rose gold, yellow gold or sterling silver.

Forever Smitten.

display your fight against hunger..."Darcy" charm necklace - Half United

Yes, the "Darcy" necklace from Half United is delicate, charming...and tis' delightful. Handmade in Los Angeles, the charm is stamped with LOVE...literally. But the most important bit to know about the "Darcy" is that it feeds hungry children.

For every product purchased, Half United will give 7 meals to a child in need! Currently focused on the United States, Fiji, Cambodia and Haiti.

Food is really just the beginning for Half United. Currently primarily focused on hunger-alleviation, they also have strategically partnered with organizations that work hard to empower, educate, and inspire the children, families, and communities they feed.

Hangs on an elegant 18" gold plated chain. And also available with the words "GIVE" and "FEED"...

Smitten!

clever, pretty panties - Good and Fair

Looking for yummy, sexy, sporty, altogether covered panties? Well, look no further...the perfect knickers!

These are made of soft, 95% organic cotton and 5% Lycra...creating an ideal amount of softness and stretch. These are super-fitting, low rise with a supple elastic waistband.

Good and Fair Clothing produces its wares ethically, with a funding and supply chain dedicated to treating workers with dignity and respect.

Fair Trade Certified, Good and Fair also produces other basics such as tees, scarves and boxers for the guys!

How could we not be...Smitten!

summer joy. . .perfectly patterned shorts - Mayamiko

These snappy shorts are perfectly printed, pastel and are necessary for this cloudless, sunny summer weather!  Fashioned from traditional African cotton (known as kitenge or chitenge,) these "bloomers" are just what your wardrobe wants.

If you are looking for natty, jazzy, modern textiles and design...check out Mayamiko.

Ethically made in Malawi, Mayamiko is an exciting collection of clothing, accessories and home wares - intermixing traditional African techniques with contemporary designs.

Established by Paolo Masperi in 2013, the collections are produced at the Mayamiko Lab just outside Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi. The Lab was designed to provide skills training, education, nutrition, and promote fairer trade practices. Currently the project provides training in sewing and tailoring to local, disadvantaged women affected by the HIV pandemic.

Working diligently to help lift this part of the world out of poverty.

Paying living wages and adhering to their Ethical Promise, Mayamiko helps to keep graduates and local staff employed. They also fully fund the workshop activities and reinvest in the growth of their workshops.

P.S. They also have a very cool line called Rebirth. A fully up-cycled capsule collection, giving a whole new life to pre-loved reclaimed fabrics.

Love...Smitten.

right-sized, go-to make-up bag - All Across Africa

This is just a simply perfect gift for any pal in your life that deserves a little pick-me-up. It's bright, colorful, chic, and functional. Would make a divine gift for bridesmaids as well...filled with all their favorite beauty effects!

 ·      Approximately 5” X 4”

·      African cotton print fabric with plastic liner

·      Made in Burundi

These right-sized, go-to bags are made with pride by youth from the north of Burundi, trained to create income for their families and future. 

All Across Africa is a Benefit Corporation. A new, revolutionary class of corporation, working to create a positive impact on society and the environment without losing sight of their bottom line.

It's a healthy, sustainable business model, which does not rely solely on fundraising and donations.

Their work reaches deep into rural villages in the under-served areas of rural Africa, providing artisans with a "market bundle" that includes education, finance, materials, training and market access.

While financial aid has many benefits, All Across Africa believes providing jobs and promoting self-sufficiency, creates a true partnership between the artisans and the market.

"It allows us to offer training to create the highest quality product so that each season there is a market for their outstanding workmanship."

Smitten again!!

304 pages of goodness - Global Girlfriends

In 2003 Stacey Edgar didn't have a business plan. . .or a passport. That didn't stop her from creating a socially conscious business that has helped poor women in five continents feed their families and send their children to school.

Stacey Edgar refused to be paralyzed by the size of world poverty. With a $2,000 tax return and a profound desire to help provide economic security for women in need, Global Girlfriends was created. GG is a passionate testament to Stacey following her convictions, a template for us all to follow. Take simple actions to eliminate extreme poverty.

Global Girlfriends has grown into a multi-million dollar enterprise that specializes in handmade, fairly traded, eco-conscious apparel and accessories made by women from all over the world. 

An excellent read, a dream...and a guide.

Smitten.

paper triangle drop earrings - Global Goods Partners

These entirely chic, lightweight, geometric lovelies are made from stacked, glued, cut and sanded recycled magazine pages! Totally modern, totally original, swank, sustainable, everyday accessories.

These beautiful earrings are:

~ Made from 100% recycled magazines

~ 3/4"W x 3/4"L, hangs 3"

~ Choose from Aqua, Black, Pink, Orange and Green

Both professionals in International Development, it was part of Catherine Lieber Shimony and Joan Shifrin's job to travel to impoverished areas around the world to see what could be improved. What they began to witness over and over again, were creative, energized women producing magnifient handmade goods...yet, they lacked any access to sustainable markets in which to sell their products.

Catherine and Joan had witnessed women in marginalized communities throughout Asia, Africa, and the US being able to advance the wellness of their families when their income was stabilized. In 2005, the friends founded Global Goods Partners to create a practical pathway for women to generate income opportunities and gain access into the consumer marketplace for handmade, fair trade merchandise.

Global Goods Partners (GGP) is a nonprofit social enterprise dedicated to alleviating poverty and promoting social justice and empowers women to create sustainable change.

Once again, Smitten!

silver and gold - Raven + Lily Neha Cuffs

I have written about Raven and Lily in the past, and I don't doubt that I will continue to write about them in the future.

These delectable pieces were featured in In Style Magazine, April 2015... gorgeous Neha Cuffs made with traditional Indian wood-carving with a band of silver or gold leather in the center, adding a bit of shimmer to the natural wood. The aesthetic is modern and chic.

Dimensions: 2.25" wide, 1.5" height

Raven and Lily was brilliantly conceived by close friends Kirsten Dickerson and Sophia Lin, who both share a love of fashion and ethical design, socially conscious Raven and Lily was created as a platform to help alleviate poverty among women and is committed to offering products that are made by hand and follow fair trade standards.

These cuffs are handmade by marginalized women in Northern India.

I will continue to write about Raven and Lily...

Smitten.

home spun fair trade - Oimei

This is a truly gorgeous pillow! Made of homespun cloth, decorated with traditional Akha embroidery, created by hill tribe artisans in the North of Thailand...which would be a lovely gift for friend, or self!

After traveling to Bangkok in 2010 to study, Aimi Duong found her trip growing from four months to sixteen. She traveled through Thailand, and most of Southeast Asia, where she witnessed poverty firsthand. She met some amazing, hardworking, tenacious women...struggling to live dignified lives. Deeply inspired, Aimi decided to start her own social enterprise.

Oimei was founded in 2012 with the mission to sell fair trade pillows and home decor. Supporting rural artisans by providing them access to new markets gives them the opportunity to be self-sustainable and empowers these women to rise above poverty.

Oi Mei is Aimi's name in Chinese and means “love beauty.” The name was given to Aimi by her eldest sister who passed away in 2009.

Oi Mei was created as a lasting celebration of my sister’s life and serves as a constant reminder to embrace all the beauty around us.

Smitten with Aimi and Oimei.

wear peace - Falling Whistles

Falling Whistles gives palpable meaning to the words "statement jewelry."

In 2008, adventurer and activist Sean Carasso traveled to the Democratic Republic of Congo, where one of the world’s most savage wars has dragged on for decades. He learned children too small to carry weapons were being sent ahead of troops to the front lines to blow whistles warning soldiers of approaching enemy fire.

Horrified and appalled, Carasso and friends began to spread the word...and Falling Whistles was conceived.

The whistle pendant designs are very similar to those worn by the children. These powerful pieces were created not only to aid those affected by this merciless war, but as a statement of shared intention to end this heinous practice.

Today Falling Whistles works alongside Congolese community leaders to help war-affected children with rehabilitation programs and to help advocate their freedom. 100 percent of all proceeds are invested back into Falling Whistles.

I am Smitten with this campaign, this movement!

Wear Peace.

upcycled baubles - 31 Bits

This vibrant, beautiful, multihued adornment is made out of paper. Yes...paper! Each and every bead is created using hand rolled paper. All jewelry at 31 Bits is hand crafted by women artisans living in Uganda.

31 Bits began five years ago, when 5 college friends, Kallie Dovel, Alli Swanson, Anna Toy, Brooke Hodges, and Jessie Simonson, with graduation just a year away, found their lives changing drastically.

Kallie, had just returned from a trip to Uganda where she met and spent time with women that had grown up in war and had nothing. They were single moms with no education and no job prospects. What struck Kallie the most, the women were her age. The contrast of the lives the women were leading was stark.

Kallie witnessed, that though the women had not had the opportunity of an education, they made up for that with amazing artistry and ingenuity - making unique, beauteous jewelry out of old posters.   

Miss Dovel brought a box of the jewelry back with her, when the rest of the friends fell in love with it, they all knew a business was emerging.

A few of the girls went back the following summer and spent time with the women making jewelry and sharing life stories. Kallie stayed through the following year, setting up the organization.

Fantastic!

31 Bits has also implemented a five-year holistic development program in Uganda, where each woman receives health education, finance training, counseling, and business training. They currently have 120 women in the program whose lives have been transformed.

100% Smitten.

Through your purchase, you are helping to empower women rise above poverty with dignity and grace.

kick a** socks - Conscious Step

These socks walk the walk they talk! Conscious Step helps “give an ordinary purchase an extraordinary purpose.”

Can socks change the world…why yes, they can! Conscious Step is surely going  to make a difference “one pair of socks at a time” – 50 percent of all profits go toward 3 partnering charities. Currently Conscious Step offers three exclusive sock designs, each reflective of the cause it supports:

One pair funds Action Against Hunger that provides three therapeutic food packages for malnourished children living in refugee camps in Kenya, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The second pair funds Trees for the Future, which plants 30 trees in rural Ghana and provides an education in agroforestry to women and children, giving them the ability to replenish degraded soils and generate sustainable sources of food and fuel.

The third pair funds Engineers Without Borders that sends Australian engineers to Nepal to build clean water sources in schools so that young girls can have the same education opportunities as boys.

The wonderful entrepreneurs behind Conscious Step are Dr. Hassan Ahmad and Adam Long from Sydney, and Prashant Mehta from New York City. All three, firm believers in “the more profitable you are, the greater your impact”…and “knowing that my sock drawer planted a forest in Ghana”, is more motivating than donating $5 to a charity and having no idea how it will be used or what difference it will make,” says Dr. Ahmad.

These socks are made from 200-needle count, organic, fair trade cotton and are sweat resistant. Each style is embroidered with it’s own unique distinguishable symbol…and did I say they kick a**!

Smitten with these socks.

simply red - the Red Thread Movement

This is about a movement, and it is called the Red Thread Movement. It is a call to action with the sale of red thread bracelets. This is what one little vibrantly colored, handsomely crafted little bracelet can do! 

The Red Thread Movement battles human trafficking and has partnered with a Nepalese anti-trafficking organization that has set up border units between Nepal and India (which is open and allows for citizens from both countries to travel freely with no visa or passport.) As there is an estimated 12,000 victims of sex trafficking between these countries every year, the success rate of these border units is extremely high, each rescuing up to 15 girls a month. 

Many girls are not able to return to their villages after rescue, as social rejection and shame are common. Safe houses are established to provide shelter, counseling and vocational training for girls who cannot return to their villages. It is at these safe houses that the girls make the Red Thread Movement bracelets.

The bracelets make a difference in 3 important ways:

1. They provide a Fair Trade income for rescued girls who do the craftsmanship and hand weave the bracelets themselves.

2. Additional proceeds fund anti-trafficking border units and safe houses through the work of Red Thread’s partner, Kingdom Investments Nepal (K.I. Nepal.)

3. Wearing the bracelet generates awareness and declares sex trafficking as human rights crime.

These bracelets are an outstanding way to fundraise and spread the word!

I am Smitten.

breathe, love, dream - The Giving Keys

It was late in the month November 2013. I had waited until the last minute (surprise!) to get my husband a 4th year anniversary gift. This was actually not so much about my procrastination issues, more the lack of inspiration for a unique, meaningful gift.

I don’t go for all the traditional elemental gifts: paper, brass, china...all that. I just wanted to get him something that had significance and expressed love.

As it was the eleventh hour, I had very little time before dinner reservations at 8:30. I landed at a tried and true, happening boutique off of Melrose that I frequent for gifts. I scanned the men’s section with keen eyes and landed on a case filled with colorful, sporty, rubber watches. They didn’t necessarily scream “significant”...but they were hip, manly and fun.

Out of the corner of my eye to my left, I spied some dangly well-worn chains swinging. At the bottom of each chain was an intriguing tattered key with an imprinted word on the front: HOPE, FAITH, FEARLESS, COURAGE, LOVE. I was instantly attracted. The placard on the wooden display read:

The Giving Keys

"When you get this key, you must give it away at some point to a person you feel needs the message on there. Then write us the story of why you gave it away."

The chains with keys were delicious looking, I loved the instructions, but the last sentence on the mission statement knocked me out:

We employ those who are looking to transition out of homelessness.

The Giving Keys was founded by Caitlin Crosby (an actress and singer/songwriter,) when she began wearing a NY hotel room key around her neck as decor. She had the idea of engraving old keys with inspirational words. She felt we were all like these keys...unique, scarred, flawed, and at risk of being discarded.

The idea was for the keys to be repurposed over and over. The message on the key is yours until it has served you, then you pay it forward to inspire someone else.

The charitable dimension came to be after Caitlin met Rob and Cera sitting under an umbrella on Hollywood Boulevard with a sign that read: Ugly, Broke & Hungry. Over dinner, Caitlin discovered that Cera made jewelry. Both Rob and Cera joined the team and started making Giving Keys the next day.

Later, the business partnered with the United Way and PATH (a reputable transitional home in Los Angeles,) to help to find workers to employ and help build The Giving Keys team. 

Since the beginning, The Giving Keys has employed 19 people experiencing homelessness, helping to provide opportunities for the team members to move into permanent housing.

The 'Pay It Forward' blog is really terrific!

So I found the one that was imprinted with LOVE. There were a few ancillary gifts that evening...the chain with the aged key was the one that made the impression I was hoping for. 

I’m Smitten with The Giving Keys. 

They are carried in over 500 stores in the US and internationally. Anthropologie, Fred Segal, Henri Bendel and Kitson to name a few local to Los Angeles.