Made Trade

The world of ethical shopping is expanding every day. Many new viewers tell me they are just starting their journey to a more sustainable lifestyle, but one setback most of them have in common is finding the right place to shop. Trying to figure out what products align with your principles and which are transparent enough for you to support is pretty overwhelming. Made Trade is at the top of my list of places to check out first. The website is inviting, wonderfully organized, and lovely to look at. It includes many different price points, sizes, styles, and values, so you'll surely fall in love with something no matter where you are in your sustainable journey. 

Three Reasons to Love Made Trade

Beautifully Curated: The creators, Cayley Pater and Andy Ives have an eye for style. They met in 2005 in their Fair Trade Club at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, so they’ve been a part of the conscious movement for a long time. They have done an incredible job picking the best brands and products for us to shop. I love a one-stop shop, and with Made Trade, you can buy for your living room and your man’s closet under one roof. 

Easy to Shop Your Values: Made Trade ensures each product covers one {or more} values - Sustainable, Fair Trade, Heritage, USA Made & Vegan. Each value has a little symbol next to the product, so you know exactly what category it falls under. Read more about Made Trade values here.

Great Way to Learn About New Brands: Even in the industry for almost five years and working with hundreds of brands, I’ve found some new ones through Made Trade! I even introduced one of those new brands to my own living space. 

What’s In My Home

Kiliim Rosetta Rug: Fairly designed and handmade in Egypt, this sustainable rug comes with a lot of tradition. Kiliim is an Egyptian social enterprise and lifestyle brand reviving and sustaining the local craft of handmade Kilim. They combine modern designs with ancient techniques to create eye-catching and vibrant rugs like the Rosetta shown here. They are all made with quality wool yarn and dyes in Fowwa, a small village near the Nile Delta. The craftspeople are paid a fair wage while being able to continue their craft and share their heritage with people like you and me! I know I will treasure this piece for many years to come... and maybe get a couple more ;) 

You can also find my slippers, jacket, and shoes at Made Trade!

This post is sponsored by EarthHero. Thanks for supporting the brands who are working to make the world a better place!

EarthHero

There aren’t many online shops that curate conscious goods as great as EarthHero. Their product list is comprehensive; you can shop anything from clothing to audio + tech. They even have an excellent section dedicated to zero-waste shopping. Since Christmas is right around the corner, I can’t think of a better last business feature of the year! You’ll be able to knock everyone off that list of yours :D 

Three Reasons to Love EarthHero

Brands You Can Trust: EarthHero has done its research, so you don’t have to. I know how exhausting it can be to vet every product you purchase. I mean, who has time for that?! I love it when a curated shop can do all the hard work for us. They make sure all products have better materials {like hemp, bamboo, sustainably-harvested wood, up-cycled cotton & recycled rubber}, cleaner production {like low impact dyes, energy efficient, sustainable manufacturing, handmade & BPA Free}, a lower carbon footprint {such as offsetting carbon, recycled/recyclable packaging, compostable packing and made in the USA}, high quality {like in their recycled stainless steel, wool, sustainably-harvested rubber, and recycled cotton} and less waste {such as compostable and recyclable}.

One-Stop Shop: Grab your Christmas gift list and see how much you can find on this site. I bet it’ll be most of what you need! For the techies in the family and the outdoor enthusiasts, EarthHero has done a fantastic job at curating their products for all lifestyles. This site is like your ethical Amazon - you don’t have to visit multiple sites to shop, and it’s a wonderful way to learn about new brands. 

EarthHero Rewards: With every item purchased and reviewed, you can earn rewards towards future purchases. Reach 100 points, and earn $5 back! For example, buy a Simply Glass Straw and earn 9 points - how cool is that? You get rewarded for buying better ;) 

What Elliott’s Been Using

Kozy Koala Plush Toy: Made entirely from organic cotton, this cute little guy is soft and toxic-free for your little one! He even has a rattle inside for some added fun. Let’s say, Elliott has spent a lot of time with Kozy Koala :D 

Under the Nile Onesie: While this particular style is out of stock, several sweet onesies from the same company are still found here. All of their designs are fairly made from Organic Egyptian Cottons and are incredibly soft & safe for your baby’s skin.

A few more suggestions for your holiday shopping…

stockings stuffers

Avocado Food Huggers $10.95

Eco-Dough Holiday Set $7.99

Bamboo Wood Smartphone Stand $19.95

zero-waste gifts

ZipTuck Reusable Snack Bags $6.99

Tea Infuser Bottle $24.99

Reusable Beeswax Wraps $41.99

Zero Waste Lunch Kit $59.99

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This post is sponsored by QuiQuattro. As always, views are genuine and products are truly loved. Thanks for supporting the brands who are working to make the world a better place!

QuiQuattro

As someone who lives very close to the water, I’ve done my fair share of trying out different towels. Hands down, I’ve found my new favorites! Not only are QuiQuattro’s towels beautiful, but they are absorbent and ethically produced. It doesn’t get much better than this when it comes to soft goods for the home {& outside by the water}!

Three Reasons to Love QuiQuattro

Handmade by local artisans each season. QuiQuattro partners with Turkish artisans and women who need work but cannot leave their homes. The name QuiQuattro translates to ‘Four Here’ in English and celebrates the colors and aromas of the four seasons. All their products are hand-loomed, hand-poured, hand-knitted, and hand-stitched for the season! You can meet some of the artisans here. 

Very absorbent and great for travel. I used to think a terry towel would be more absorbent until I started using these Turkish towels last month. They work much better than my other conventional towels. Plus, they are incredibly easy to travel with and don’t take up nearly as much room. Besides being able to dry you off well, they make for wonderful little blankets!

Beautiful & minimalistic designs that give back & empower women. A product is so much more beautiful when it does more than bring value in our lives but adds value to others. Each purchase contributes 10% of the proceeds to women’s education in Turkey.

What I’m Using

Pebbles Towel in Blue: Definitely one of my favorite towels I’ve ever owned, this striped Peshtemal towel is hand-loomed with 100% natural cotton with hand tied fringe for a nice finish. I love the delicate stripes, and you can find them in multiple colors! 

Where to Purchase

You can find QuiQuattro’s entire collection online - here - & I’m super excited for their bed covers coming soon! If it’s anything like these gorgeous towels and cover up, I know I’ll be a happy sleeper ;) 

Join their newsletter to receive 10% off your order {find the signup page at the footer of the website}. 

Are you passionate about empowering women? Their Brand Ambassador program may be perfect for you! Click - here - to learn more. 

Enjoy soaking up the rays or treating yourself to a bath with your QuiQuattro towel on hand!  

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This post is sponsored by SOL Organics. As always, views are genuine and brands are truly loved. Thanks for supporting the brands who are working to make the world a better place!

Sleep is a luxury these days with a newborn, and I appreciate every uninterrupted hour I can get. It helps to have a great sleep when your sheets are comfortable! Don’t you sleep better knowing your sheets are better for your health and the environment? 

Shop the Look:

Classic Organic Sheets in Steel Grey, Sol Organics $149 

Even though I live in Florida, where it’s hot most of the year, I opted for sateen sheets. We constantly have the AC and the fan above us running, so I need my sheets to keep me nice and warm. SOL Organics lives up to these four features: sustainable, organic, fair & transparent - but I can add on cozy, too! What I love about the sateen is the pairing of a smooth surface and a sheen appearance. You can purchase this set in 6 different colors and a hemmed or pleated style. These sheets are made to last using long staple fibers spun into single-ply yarn {ah, brings me back to my textile classes}, and always with GOTS Certified Organic Cotton and low-impact organic dyes. You can sleep confident knowing the person who made them was paid a fair wage, too! 

Zahliah Bralette, Troo $70

Socks, Thought Clothing $7

p.s. my mornings just don't seem complete without a lot of baby feet

I am a Brand Ambassadör for IKEA U.S. This is a sponsored post.

ikea

Gone are the days when I shrug off a ‘big box’ store and dismiss them from my purchasing realm. I used to think, ‘that store is too large to be taking any of the necessary eco steps I like to see in a brand.’ This simply isn’t true, and if we want to see real change in the world of consumerism, we have to support the global brands who have decided to implement small changes into their supply chain. The concept of sustainable manufacturing isn’t going to reach the masses unless stores like IKEA are leading the way. After listening to an hour-long presentation on their sustainable initiatives, I am excited to have IKEA featured on Sustainably Chic. It’s a store most of us know and has access to, which makes it a perfect focus for the blog. With price and accessibility being two of the biggest deterrents to sustainable consumerism, I feel it’s necessary to applaud and showcase what IKEA has in store. 

Most of you have shopped at IKEA online or in one of their many brick-and-mortar so you may already be aware of their packaging. They got it down! I hate receiving items in the mail that use the ‘one size fits all’ type boxes because it creates excess waste and adds unnecessary space when shipping. You usually have to fill those boxes with extra paper and packaging, so the item doesn’t shift around. IKEA doesn’t do this. Their packaging is customized to the shape of the item, which usually comes broken down for you to put together easily. See how my new chairs were packaged here? I find this sustainable initiative to be brilliant and necessary action with how much this store ships globally! 

Okay, now for the fun stuff! How sleek are these indoor ODGER chairs? I’ve had this little round table for a few years but could never find suitable chairs to pair with it. I’d say I hit the jackpot with these two! They are incredibly lightweight but very sturdy. I was even surprised to see how comfortable I was sitting in them for several hours. The ODGER chairs are made from renewable wood and at least 55% recycled plastic, which {besides the aesthetic} is a big reason I instantly gravitated towards them. They are very smooth, making them easy to clean off, and you don’t need any tools to assemble them - just a few clicks and you’re ready to sit & relax! 

When I think of a sustainable product, I consider much more than the environment. Is it affordable? Is it quality? Is it practical? IKEA is doing a great job of checking all of these requirements off my list regarding these chairs. Now that Jacksonville has an IKEA, I am happy to think more people have access to this furniture in their backyard. 

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