Last year I began making a concerted effort to accessorize more. I’ve found a cute necklace or scarf can do wonders for disguising the fact that I own three of the same shirt (in different colors, of course).
By the end of winter, I’d managed to accumulate a handful of cute, colorful scarves. A few weeks ago, though, the weather turned cold and I went into my closet to pull out my pink-striped scarf. I couldn’t find it anywhere!
It is the weirdest thing! Three (maybe four – I can’t remember) scarves have just disappeared! It’s like an episode of Nancy Drew around my house: The Case of the Missing Scarves.
Except I don’t know any girls named George, and I have yet to track down said scarves.
Thankfully, my friend Annie (who, by the way, just released her first book that is a must-read for teen girls) sent me a beautiful new scarf. And even more importantly than the fact it has teal stripes, matching my favorite new {teal} sweater, the scarf was made by Meselu, an Ethiopian woman, as part of a non-profit, sustainable business.
And because of that scarf, Meselu is ABLE to send her son to school. Here’s her story:
“My husband and I got in bad disagreements. When I was 25, I left and took my son and started sleeping outside a church’s door. I met this woman who had a prostitute business, and she offered me money and a house to rent. This is how it began…
My neighbors said there was a company who helps women with situations like mine. Now I work here making scarves. My job has taught me how to love, have self-respect, and it has been a positive change in my life.”
Isn’t that cool???
fashionABLE was started by Barrett Ward, founder of Mocha Club, an online community of people giving up the cost of 2 mochas a month – or $7 – to fund relief and development projects in Africa. The purchase of a fashionABLE scarf creates sustainable business for women in Africa. Their commitment as a non-profit is to the development of people. fashionABLE works with women who have been exploited due to the effects of poverty. So when you purchase a scarf, you are providing jobs and the profits go back to holistically rehabilitate more women. Scarves provide jobs; profits provide restoration.
A fashionABLE scarf would make a GREAT Christmas gift for someone – or several someones! They come in six beautiful patterns made by six amazing women, and the price ($22) is so reasonable.
P.S. You can also follow fashionABLE on Facebook and Twitter!
Do you wear scarves? Just in the winter or all year long? And where do you think my scarves went??
This post will be linked to Things I Love Thursday at Diaper Diaries.
I lost my scarf and my earmuffs in the past few weeks. My scarf somehow ended up in boyfriend’s closet, and I JUST found my earmuffs in an old tote bag. I need to find those little kid clips to attach winter accessories to my coat so I don’t lose them!
I only wear scarves in the winter. I’m not hip enough to pull off the look otherwise. Another great place to buy charity gifts is through the Great Good Network that runs thehungersite, thebreastcancersite, and a handful of others. They have cute items in their gift shops and the purchases go to fund food, breast exams, etc. related to the charity you purchase from!
I love gifts like this, though – they give on both ends. I’ll have to check this site out! :)
Thanks for the site suggestion! I’m barely hip enough to wear a scarf with a sweater, so yeah, I stick to the winter, too!
Well, I haven’t seen your scarves, but I HAVE seen two of those fashionABLE scarves in my house, because my sweet DD ordered them for gifts!
I’ve become a scarf lover the past couple of years. Now, here in Texas, I laugh at the thought of a “summer scarf” – yes, I’ve seen that phrase!, but they’re so fun and cozy in the winter. I will definitely have to check these out!
Now, if it were my house, the scarves would have been donated to Goodwill or something. I do that a lot, and then wonder where all my stuff went. I’ve had to replace many an item that way!
Yes, the thought of wrapping something around my neck in the summer is pretty laughable! :)
This is really neat. I bookmarked the site to go back later. My Christmas shopping is pretty much done, but these would make such great gifts.