FTF - Half United

Hey, guys, it's Friday again, and that means another installment of Fair Trade Friday!  Are you excited, because I know I am!  I wanted to share a company with you that I've known about for a while, but I'll have to fudge the boundaries of FTF to do so.  Technically speaking, this company isn't fair trade.  But, that doesn't mean that they're not doing amazing things, specifically working to fight global hunger with the sale of their products.  The company's name is Half United, and they're a fairly new company.  They were founded in 2009 by a brother and sister team with the concept that children in need would be fed with every purchase made.  The founders, Carmin and Christian Black, have their own intriguing back-story, that you can read on the website.  What I really love about this company is not just that they're doing an amazing job with fighting global hunger (according to the site, Half United has given away 30,000 meals to date), but that their products are really cool and wearable.  Here are my favorites:

Cambodian Bracelet

These bracelets are made by children in a Cambodian orphanage as an arts and crafts activity, with $3 from the bracelet going straight back to the child to help care for their needs.  They're also right on trend with the friendship bracelets that seem to be making appearances everywhere.

Aztec Sunburst Dress

Another huge trend is southwestern inspired wear, and this dress/tunic is a great example of it!  The sunburst pattern is gorgeous, and I love the color scheme.  And, there's an added bonus: this dress is currently half price!

Bright Eyes Sweatshirt

Not gonna lie, I love animal print.  The only thing I love more than animal print would have to be an animal's face emblazoned on a super comfy sweatshirt.  The only thing better than that is a animal-face printed sweatshirt is one that provides a week of healthy school lunches to a child in need.  Looks like I've found my  perfect match!

Thanks for reading!  Be sure to check out the Half United website, if you're so inclined, and have a great weekend!

Outfit Post - Brrrr!

This post is a day later than I had hoped it would be.  Unfortunately for us, our Norton subscription had expired on the laptop, and some spyware managed to take advantage of the situation and make the computer unusable.  Woo.  Thankfully, my hubby took care of the situation and made everything work.

On another note, it is WAY too cold to be wearing short sleeves!  I'm not sure if I should have figured that out on my own, seeing as it's December, but meteorology never was one of my strengths.


Outfit Details:
Coat: thrifted, $6
Shirt: Converse brand for Target, $6 (old)
Skirt: Wet Seal, $10, (old)
Tights: Wal-Mart, $5
Boots: thrifted, $4
Necklace: Forever 21, $5

FTF - Fair Tribe

Okay, so, how awesome is Pinterest?  I will admit, it's a humongous time-sucker, but I love the amount of information and ideas I can find there!  I came across this company the other day while scrolling through pages and pages of pins, and thought I would share it with you guys.

The company is called FairTribe, and they feature both fair trade and sustainable items.  The company was started by three women in the San Francisco area who are all mothers of young children, who wanted to start a "hip, fun company, [with their] shared belief that business can and should be both ethical and successful, and the desire to give consumers the power to make socially and environmentally responsible purchasing choices." according to their website.  They carry all sorts of items, such as men's and women's apparel, baby and kid's clothes, and purses.  What really caught my attention, though, was their jewelry.  It is absolutely beautiful!  It may be a little too close to Christmas for me to expect one in my stocking, but I have three months till my birthday to start dropping hints.  Here's the top three items on my list:

Fair Trade Dove Bangle

Fair Trade Orange Bangle

Fair Trade Glass and Pearl Necklace

There are so many beautiful items on this site, and I would love to own all of them, if I only had that kind of expendable income!  These are some awesome products, and I would definitely suggest checking out the whole site.

Outfit Post - Tupac Impersonator

Rock on, Lexi!

This post got its title from a comment from my husband, that basically said I looked like I was trying to copy a rap album cover with this last picture.   I found it kind of funny, simply because I am the farthest thing from a gangster, errr gangsta, this world has ever seen.

Now, for my own enjoyment, and possibly yours, a random picture of a sleeping baby.

Outfit Details:
Blazer: thrifted, $5
T-Shirt: Vanity, $5
Jeans: Wal-Mart, $12
Oxfords: thrifted, $6
Necklace: $1 Jewelry Galore
Scarf: Icing by Claire's (old)

A Trip to Silver Dollar City (in pictures)

I went a little snap-happy.

Outfit Post: Red Lipstick, Pearls, and Animal Print

You know those other people's kids?  The ones that always have adorable little hair bows, flowery headbands, or super-cute hats on their head?  The toddlers that don't seem to mind, or even notice the adornment their mother has placed on their little angelic noggin?  My child is not that way.  She will not have anything to do with placing adorable accessories on her head.  There are those very rare occasions that she will allow me to place a matching hat on her head, and those moments deserve photographic evidence that they existed.  Observe:

That hat was on the floor literally seconds after this picture was snapped.  So much for that.

In contrast, as an adult, I can accessorize with gusto.  If, for example, I am wearing a prim and proper sweater and dress, and decide that the outfit calls for red lipstick, on it goes.  Same goes for a necklace accented with a pearl, and even a tiny hint of leopard print (1,000,000 points if you can spot this one!).  One day, I will be able to reason with my child, and hopefully convey the fact that hats and headbands are our friends... along with many other, much more important concepts of course!

Outfit Details:
Dress: Wal-Mart, $7 (old)
Sweater: thrifted, $3
Tights: Wal-Mart, $5
Boots: thrifted, $4
Necklace: gifted
Belt: don't recall
Earrings: $1 Jewelry Galore


FYI: tomorrow, Lexi and I are headed to Branson with my parents for the weekend!  The plan is to see the light displays at Silver Dollar City, if the rain decides to cooperate and stay away.  Don't expect to hear from me until Monday!  Because of the trip, I'll have to postpone another segment of Fair Trade Friday until next week.  If there's ever a company you're passionate about that you'd like me to feature here on the blog, feel free to e-mail me or tell me about them in the comments and I'll be sure to check them out!  Ciao, bellas!

Outfit Post - Mixing Patterns

 Can I be honest?  Mixing patterns scares the pants off of me. (It's a good thing I'm wearing tights!  ba dum chhhh!)  There's just too many options, and too many ways to look like I got dressed in the dark.  My solution to this phobia?  I literally got dressed in the dark.  I may have gone through my closet the night before and picked out all the various elements, but on this particular morning, the lights stayed off.  I then left the house before I had a chance to change my mind.

Outfit Details:
Dress: gifted
Sweater: Sears, $3 (clearance)
Tank: Target, $10
Belt: Plato's Closet resale, $2
Tights: Wal-Mart, $5
Boots: N Style, $15
Earrings: Payless, $3 (old)
Ring: Charlotte Russe, $4 (old)

FTF - One Mango Tree

Have you ever heard of Uganda?  Well, it's a country in East Africa, also known as the "Pearl of Africa."  It is a land-locked country bordered by other countries such as Sudan, Kenya, and the Congo.  It shares a large portion of Lake Victoria with some surrounding countries.  The official languages are English and Swahili.

Uganda has been torn apart by a war that has taken the lives of thousands, displaced more than two million, and destroyed the once-vibrant local culture and economy.  The Northern portion of the country has been devastated by more than twenty years of armed conflict.  Yet despite living through such painful circumstances, these women have a reason to smile.

Meet Aloyo Gloria and Lawill Margret.  These beautiful faces are two of the many artisans that contribute to a fair trade company known as One Mango Tree.  They are given a chance to not only earn a fair wage, but to learn a trade that can support them and their families as they rebuild their lives from years of war and the ensuing poverty.  On top of that, One Mango Tree also provides bicycles for their tailors to commute to and from work, and provide education scholarships not only for their own children, but for the orphaned children that these women have brought into their homes.

One Mango Tree is doing amazing things, and a big part of what they do is to provide a market for the beautiful clothing and accessories that their artisans produce.  Each piece is also labeled with the artisan's name, so you can put a face to the product, and see whose life you're helping to change.  There are so many great products on their website, so it's hard for me to choose my favorites, but I'll make a hearty attempt!

Party Dress

First up, there's this dress.  It's such a great and versatile piece to have in your closet, and would just be so easy to center an outfit around.  I'm thinking boots, tights and a funky patterned cardigan for fall/winter, or strappy sandals and a statement necklace for summer, and you're set.  I really do love getting dressed, and I love it more when it's just that easy!

Maxi Tank Dress

I really just want to say that I love this dress.  It's just another fun piece that I'm pretty sure my closet actually NEEDS!

Lunch Bag

And, seriously, how awesome is this lunch bag?  It's funky, quirky, and just makes me want to have any excuse to have a picnic (despite the fact that it's 30 degrees outside!), just so I can carry this bag around.

There are so many more great pieces on the One Mango Tree website, and I'd highly suggest you check them out!  Plus, today and tomorrow they're offering free shipping on orders over $50, and free shipping PLUS a free gift tote (because who's going to turn down free stuff?) on orders over $100!  This company is awesome, which I may have already said, and they're definitely worth checking out.


I inexplicably feel the need to apologize for the extreme amount of exclamation points in this post, as well as the overuse of the words "awesome" and "funky."  It's just that I get carried away, and I'm sure you'll understand.  You're just super awesome and funky like that!!!