Half Dozen Mama

And the winners are….

I’m so excited to announce the 3 winners who will be blessed with a beautiful gift from Trades of Hope.

#1 Julie {winner of the bracelet}

#8 Emily R. {winner of the scarf}

#10 Cindy {winner of the necklace}

Thanks to all of you for entering and spreading the word about Trades of Hope. Maybe even some of you will consider becoming a Compassion Entrepreneur. What an amazing opportunity to help your family and women across the world! Thank you to the great gals at Trades of Hope for sponsoring this amazing giveaway and for being a sponsor on Half Dozen Mama.

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Trades of Hope {review and 3 giveaways}

in Giveaway,Reviews

I’m thrilled to tell you more about this amazing company–Trades of Hope. The heart behind it is really more of a ministry than a company in my opinion. Although there’s money to be made by the consultants (who are even called Compassion Entrepreneurs) and the artisans, the desire to help women in very poor places like Haiti and Nepal is what drives them. This quote says it all: ”Have a career that feeds your soul, while empowering women out of poverty.”

Let me tell you about these products. Not only are they fair trade, which means the female artisan who made it is paid a fair wage, but they are absolutely gorgeous. I received a box a couple weeks ago filled with the items for this review. I opened it with the same enthusiasm as a birthday gift. Everything was very high quality! Think of the pricier stores where you love to buy things (I love J.Jill)–it was totally on par with that! Makes me wonder about the people who make products at the stores I love and if they are paid a fair wage…..hmmmm.

So here’s what I got (and also what I’ll be giving away to 3 lucky ducks who enter to win this Trades of Hope giveaway).

Aqua Open Weave Scarf

There’s nothing like a scarf to jazz up an ensemble. I adored the way this scarf looked with some basics in my closet. The color is mesmerizing and includes not only threads of aqua, but also hints of red, lavender and blue, creating a lovely piece that ties in with almost anything. These scarves are hand-crafted out of the recycled loom ends that drop from silk looms in Kathmandu, Nepal. So, so pretty! {retails for $24}

Haitian Hand Rolled Recycled Bracelet

This bracelet is a fun piece that’s gonna get lots of opportunities on my wrist. It’s tightly strung together and the colors go beautifully together. I especially like that some of the beads are made from cereal boxes {so did my kids}. It’s strung on a stretchy string, making it easy to slip on and off. The palate of colors is beautiful and went especially well with my scarf. I wore them both together many times. It’s the perfect combination of casual style to add to many outfits. I don’t wear many bracelets, but this one is going to get lots of use and remind me that purchasing it helps keep children from being orphaned by parents who just can’t afford their family anymore. {retails for $14}

Black Glass Beaded Multi Strand Necklace

Talk about elegant! The necklace is simply stunning. It’s handmade by the women at Noah’s Ark Mission in India. It will jazz up a casual ensemble easily or look gorgeous with a dressier outfit. I really appreciated the adjustable hook so I could make it hang longer on my neck. You could also make it shorter if that’s your style. This is going to give the “wow” factor to a Sunday outfit or date night ensemble. {retails for $22}

One of the things I really appreciated about all of the Trades of Hope items I received {and even the ones I didn’t} is how truly beautiful and stylish they are. They don’t look like some tourist souvenir brought back from a foreign land, but works of art that will easily enhance your wardrobe and home decor.

Want to do more than shop?

If you’d like to know more about joining the Trades of Hope team as a Compassion Entrepreneur, I hope you’ll search out more information on their website. Or maybe you just want to host a party and share this with friends, you can do that with a home party, an e-party or a catalog party. This is such a neat, new opportunity with a young company that is sure to be well received by friends and family. Think of all the gifts you could take care of for the year just from Trades of Hope! And it’s a gift that gives twice–once to a friend and another gift of hope to a woman in need.

How to Enter

Now for the fun part! Three of you will win one of the items I reviewed here and the sweet gals at Trades of Hope will mail it to you. Here’s how to get 4 chances at winning.

Visit Trades of Hope’s online catalog and tell me an item you adore. Also, mention in that comment which of these 3 you’d like to win the most (I can’t promise it’ll work out that way, but we can try….you’ll love any of these beauties!)
“Like” Trades of Hope on Facebook.
Follow Trades of Hope on Pinterest.
Subscribe to Half Dozen Mama either via email or RSS feed.
Share a link to this post on your Facebook or Twitter.

Give yourself one entry (as a comment to this post) for every item you do. The giveaway will close on Tuesday, May 8th at noon MST. I will announce the three randomly chosen winners shortly thereafter.

This giveaway has ended and comments are no longer open. Please visit Trades of Hope’s online catalog to see how you can purchase these lovely items for yourself or a gift.

This product was given to me for review purposes, and I do not have to return the product to the vendor. I was not paid for this post. All opinions expressed in this post are all mine based on my experience with the product.

Together {5 Minute Friday}

in Faith,Motherhood

As much as it might even come as a surprise to those who know me in real life, I’m more of an introvert. I get energized by being alone. But God, in His incredible sense of wisdom (and humor, I think) gave me 6 children. So the energizing stuff doesn’t get to happen all that often. We used to have a lot more time together than we do now that they are in school which explains why there at the end of homeschooling I felt like a stuffed life-size doll rather than a flesh and blood mama.

But even though we aren’t together for as many minutes and hours as before, we are still in this family together. We journey through life together, for good and for bad, for hard and for easy. We, all eight of us Morgner family, are together letting God teach us and grow us and direct us, which sometimes feels like playing blob tag at a junior high youth group. Some are flexible and go with the flow, while others push and yank and the whole chain feels it.

But this interconnectedness, that’s what we are about. Through even the ugly and sinful days, we are a family. And long after this childhood with them, this togetherness will be spread out across country, maybe the world, and live on in the hearts of these half dozen who’ve molded me more than I have them. Lord, let the mama who has been changed by being together with you be the one that lives on in them.

I’m linking up with The Gypsy Mama for her fabulously fun 5 Minute Friday. You can too!

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Welcome Trades of Hope {new sponsor}

in My fave resources

I’m am thrilled to introduce you to a new sponsor here at Half Dozen Mama, Trades of Hope. There’s so much I love about this company! There are four precious Christian gals behind it. Yes, the products are gorgeous, hand-crafted and fair trade, but the very best part is the artisans. They are made my women artisans around the world in places like Africa and South America. And it’s an opportunity for moms like you to get involved and provide extra income to your family too. Here’s the Trades of Hope story that I know will excite you.

One out of 7 people in the world are hungry. Women around the world are forced to put their children to bed hungry every night. Many times these children sleep on dirt floors. For most of those children, there is no hope that they can go to school the next morning. Can you imagine your child hungry and lacking hope for tomorrow?

In America, we do have needs. They may not be the same, but we do have to pay our mortgages, buy groceries and new shoes for our little ones. We need to earn money in this country too. Trades of Hope provides a solution. You earn an income while essentially partnering with women around the globe, sharing their stories and promoting their beautiful products. You can be an advocate for women who have no voice. Some have been forced into the sex trade. Some have been acid attacked. Some are just in the unfortunate circumstance of being born in a desperately poor country.

There is a solution for these women! They don’t want charity, they want an opportunity! Trades of Hope marketing their products is the opportunity that they need to improve their own lives and the lives of their children. It is sustainable, long term, multi-generational change!

You can do something meaningful! You can help your family, while helping a family in Haiti, Uganda or Peru! Join the Trades of Hope Team of like minded, motivated women! Become a Compassion Entrepreneur promoting Fair Trade products by women around the world, and you become more than a successful business woman. You become a hero!

Stay tuned for my review of three of their beautiful products and a GREAT giveaway to three of my beautiful readers. You might want to subscribe to Half Dozen Mama email updates so you don’t miss the chance to win one of these pieces. Trust me, I’ve seen pictures and it’s gonna be lovely!

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And then I quit homeschooling and joined a cult

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