Fabulous Fedora Giveaway

Happy New Year, friends! After three long months in Uganda and India, I'm back home in Washington, DC. My apartment looks a bit like African and Indian markets exploded, littered with beautiful block-printed scarves, hand-carved wooden spoons, antique Indian coins, handmade puppets, sparkly elephants and camels and embroidered purses made from camel leather. Even though there are only 13 days left in January, I thought it would be fun to do a giveaway in honor of wanderlust and adventure. Nothing suits that better than our Lola Hat - the Indiana Jones-style fedora, fair trade and handmade by artisans in Ecuador.

Lola Hat in Chocolate, $68

Choose your own adventure this year! To win this giveaway, all you have to do is help us spread the word about One Mango Tree. Here's how to do it:

1. Mention us  on Twitter and make sure to tag us using @onemangotree
2. Like us and link to One Mango Tree on Facebook - make sure you tag us using @One Mango Tree so we can see your post!
3. Talk about One Mango Tree on your blog and link to our site, Twitter and/or FB page - make sure you comment on our blog and include a hyperlink to your blog post

If you mentioned us on Twitter, you're all set, if it's a Facebook or blog post, leave a comment here so we can find it and enter you. EACH ENTRY COUNTS, so the more you tweet, the more chances you have to win! Thanks for the love!

xo Halle

BIG Gratitude Winners

Last month we had a big giveaway - we asked you to refer a friend who you really thought needed a big Christmas gift. The winner received $100 in One Mango Tree goods for herself, and $100 to give away to her friend. November's winners were Kelly and Stephanie. Check out what Kelly had to say about her friend Stephanie:

 Stepanie, her husband and their three daughters

Christmas just got a bit more fun for my friend Stephanie.

After struggling to become pregnant, miracle baby number #1 arrived 3 ½ years ago and turned this couple into a family. Wanting to grow their family again, they were called to adoption and traveled across the world to China in June 2010 to bring home a little girl born with cleft lip/cleft palate. Lots of adjustments and some surgeries too. But, confirmation all along that they were right where they were supposed to be.

Then, something happened. They learned of a baby girl in a remote city in a country many people have never even heard of who was also born with cleft lip/cleft palate. And, she needed a family.

Unsure and a bit anxious, they took steps forward to discern if this little girl was their little girl. And, every step led to an open door; every open door to the next step.

On Black Friday, while most mothers were running around the mall, this mama was on a plane with her husband and her new baby girl. While we were eating turkey dinner leftovers, they were uniting 3 sisters for the first time.

Christmas is going to be interesting for them this year. Two international adoptions in less than 18 months = a lot of money spent. But, I have a feeling they won’t be worrying about how many or how few gifts are wrapped under their tree this year. They’ve got 3 precious gifts to celebrate.

Inspired: Louise's story

I asked Louise to share her story - the reason behind giving away her $150 fair trade giveaway in October, and the inspiration behind our BIG Gratitude Giveaway for November. Here it is:

I do Angel Tree, it's for kids who will not have a Christmas, some of their wants are super silly, but I pick the needs you can see they really do need clothes, want something pretty. When someone writes on Angel Tree "new socks, new clothes, hair stuff" and not "give me a wii," you know they want and need it. They write down their wishes and their sizes. I never get to meet them, but know in my heart, I may be bringing confidence into a person's life for school with new clothes, something fun, something funky. Also we do senior homes and send gifts to the servicemen overseas. 

There is a lady on twitter who got me even more motivated to help, we are both cancer survivors, its a good way to say thanks to God and pay it forward. I believe in karma and believe in so giving giving back, sharing what you have. You can't take it with you so why be so greedy in life, share - we are all a team here (yes she embedded that thought into me too),  working to make a better place. Lets stop thinking ME ME ME and start thinking  WE WE WE. 

I thank you for the giveaway, and letting me share what I have, thats why I enter to share a little more, so thank you.  Hope all Pay it forward this season, thinking about what they can give not get, well for me I get alot back in my heart and spirit. God Bless you!

Thank you, Louise! 

Psst...Love that image at the top? Me too - found it here.

Share the love - Our Big Gratitude Giveaway

In October we gave away $150 worth of One Mango Tree fair trade apparel and accessories to the winner of our Fair Trade Month Giveaway. Our winner, Louise, sent in her order and let us know that she selected a teenager from Angel Tree and would be including some of the products in a Christmas goodie bag for a young woman in need.

One of the best things about running a fair trade business is the generosity of our customers - sometimes I feel like our work is just a small drop in the ocean, but customers like Louise show me the ways that a small drop can send out infinite ripples of kindness.

November is a very special month for One Mango Tree - we make an extra effort to focus on Gratitude - what it means in our work, what it means for our producers, and what it means for our customers.

In celebration of Louise's generosity, we're having another BIG giveaway - challenging you to up the ante. We'll be giving away $200 in merchandise this month - $100 for the winner, and $100 to give as a gift. 

Here's how it works:

1. Choose someone who really deserves a gift, and send us a message to let us know why. Email your entry to info@onemangotree.com. Your submission should be 250 words or less - longer entries will be disqualified. Winning story will be shared on our blog, so be sure it's okay to share the story!
2. Once you've submitted your entry, be sure to either Tweet or post on Facebook about this giveaway. Your submission is only accepted when you've shared the giveaway - be sure to tag us at @onemangotree on Twitter and "like" and tag us on Facebook as well.

Get your entries ready and start sharing the love - this contest ends November 30th!

xo Halle

October Fair Trade Month Wardrobe Giveaway

We're pushing the envelope in honor of Fair Trade Month - friends, are you ready for this? Our October giveaway is $150 to buy One Mango Tree products. Our new Fall Collection arrives this month, so that means you'll get first dibs on all the beautiful new products, including sweet hats from Andean Collection and lots of gorgeous jewelry from 31Bits! Have a sneak peek here, and tell everyone you know!

 Oh yes, the Organic Shirred Tunic in Chocolate and some 31Bits. Perfect.

Charcoal Lola Hat, Sunset Hand-loomed Scarf, Indigo Organic Cozy Tee

 

 Organic Maxi Skirt in Indigo/Sycamore & Chocolate Lola Hat

Weekender Bag in Spiced Cider & Indigo Organic Cozy Tee

Getting excited? There's more where these came from! To win this HUGE giveaway, all you have to do is help us spread the word about One Mango Tree. Here's how to do it:

1. Mention us  on Twitter and make sure to tag us using @onemangotree
2. Link to One Mango Tree on Facebook - make sure you tag us using @One Mango Tree so we can see your post!
3. Talk about One Mango Tree on your blog and link to our site, Twitter and/or FB page - make sure you comment on our blog and include a hyperlink to your blog post

If you mentioned us on Twitter, you're all set, if it's a Facebook or blog post, leave a comment here so we can find it and enter you. EACH ENTRY COUNTS, so the more you tweet, the more chances you have to win! Thanks for the love!

xo Halle

October is Fair Trade Month

Every Purchase Matters.

That's really something to think about. I love that October is Fair Trade Month. Fall is my favorite season, and the perfect time to reflect as the weather turns cooler and the season's change creeps in. Summer's crazy schedules wind down, and the hectic holidays still seem far off on the horizon. We finally have the time to be present - conscious of the decisions we make each day.

Fair Trade is a Story. Here's one story about how fair trade helps farmers around the world, and your role as a consumer.

There is really only one thing we ask of our customers this month - start to think about your purchases. Our sputtering economy has most people tightening their belts and doing their best to hang on. In an effort to save, we often look to buy only what's cheap in the marketplace. This month, instead of looking at price tags alone, we urge you to make the effort to see behind the price - look for the person behind the product. Hesitate for just one minute to think about how your buying decisions are shaping our world.

Need some help finding fair trade products? Check out this great new app from Fair Trade USA - Fair Trade Finder - every time you find a fair trade product in a shop, you can check in. It's a huge, community-based effort to make it a little easier for all of us to shop fair trade.

In honor of fair trade month, we're boosting our efforts to share our fair trade story with you - you'll see beautiful photo stories of our tailors and more in-depth information about how we comply with the nine principles of fair trade.

We'll also make it a little easier for you to shop fair trade. Twice during the month we'll have two-day free shipping events - but you have to stay tuned. Check our Twitter feed and Facebook to find out when it will happen.

And then there is our October Giveaway. You've never seen a giveaway like this before.

How will you celebrate Fair Trade Month? Share your story with us.

Back to School August Giveaway

Even though I've been out of school for years, when August rolls around I can't help but think about the good old days - shopping for pencils, folders, a new lunch box. The way I see it, growing up doesn't mean you can't keep some of those old traditions... like taking a snazzy new Lunch Bag to work with you.

Lunch Bag in Cowry

Or keeping your pens, pencils and a protractor (who knows when you might need one!) in a Pretty Pleated Wristlet.

Pretty Pleated Wristlet in Cowry

So, to celebrate the Back-to-School season, we're giving away a Lunch Bag ($22 value) and a Pretty Pleated Wristlet ($16 value) to one lucky winner. Winner choose their favorite One Mango Tree print for their Lunch Bag and Wristlet.

To win this giveaway, all you have to do is help us spread the word about One Mango Tree. Here's how to do it:

1. Mention us on Twitter
2. Mention us in your Facebook status
3. Talk about One Mango Tree on your blog
   

If you mentioned us on Twitter, you're all set, if it's a Facebook or blog post, leave a comment here so we can find it and enter you. EACH ENTRY COUNTS, so the more you tweet, the more chances you have to win! Thanks for the love!

Sizzling Hot - our July Giveaway is here!

@MommysMoments was the lucky winner of our June Giveaway - but if you missed it, don't worry, you can pick up the Party Dress at only $38 with free shipping through this Saturday, July 9th! Hurry! Now, drumroll please...

Summer is in full swing, and it's HOT! To keep one lucky customer cool, we're sending out a pair of our much-loved Sseko Sandals in our *sizzling hot* red tribal print - $42 value! Ssekos are sandals produced by a group of beautiful, intelligent young women in central Uganda that have graduated secondary school and want to continue their education into college/university. When you purchase these sandals, you're directly helping to fund and empower these ladies to become successful lawyers, doctors, and professionals. You are planting a seed. The sandals themselves are incredibly easy and the best part is that you're fully capable of creating your own, unique sandal by tying, twisting, and looping the fabric in different ways. Check out this video for ideas.

To win these great Sseko Sandals, all you have to do is help us spread the word about One Mango Tree. Here's how to do it:

1. Mention us on Twitter
2. Mention us in your Facebook status
3. Talk about One Mango Tree on your blog
   

If you mentioned us on Twitter, you're all set, if it's a Facebook or blog post, leave a comment here so we can find it and enter you. EACH ENTRY COUNTS, so the more you tweet, the more chances you have to win! Thanks for the love!

June Giveaway: Our Party Dress!

Hi friends! It's officially summer tomorrow, so we decided to do a quick celebration with a *FUN* new giveaway. You only have NINE days, so hurry! Drumroll please....


We're sending out our much-loved Party Dress (in Olive) - $38 value! - to celebrate Summer's arrival. The Party Dress is part of our 100% organic cotton apparel collection. The cotton is grown on organic farms in Uganda and then knitted into super-soft, comfy knit. It's one of our very favorite seed-to-sown products. You can even see the Party Dress in Whole Foods Markets this summer (but you can only get the Olive version on our online store!).

To win this comfy/awesome/stunning dress, all you have to do is help us spread the word about One Mango Tree. Here's how to do it:

1. Mention us on Twitter
2. Mention us in your Facebook status
3. Talk about One Mango Tree on your blog
   

If you mentioned us on Twitter, you're all set, if it's a Facebook or blog post, leave a comment here so we can find it and enter you. We value any help we can get promoting One Mango Tree's work and sending out positive messages for our products. There are only 9 days to enter this giveaway, so get tweeting FAST! Thanks for the love!

May Giveaway: Signed copy of Global Girlfriend!

Friends! Our May giveaway is here, and we're so excited to share it with you. Global Girlfriends is the story of how Stacey Edgar started the biggest fair trade business in America from a $2,000 tax return and a passion to help women. Stacey's story introduces you to women artisans all over the globe (India, Nepal, Uganda!), and shows how powerful change can occur when women buy fair trade, women-made products.

Global Girlfriends is a very important story for One Mango Tree - we met Stacey in August 2009 when she came out to Uganda to visit One Mango Tree - chapter 11 is all about Stacey's visit, and the subsequent work we've done together, starting up our 100% organic cotton knit apparel line with her generous support and guidance. It's our link with Global Girlfriend that has taken One Mango Tree products into Whole Foods, Target.com and fair trade boutiques across the US.

Stacey was sweet enough to give us a signed copy of her book. Since you (our customers) are the ones who drive the success of ventures like One Mango Tree and Global Girlfriend, we want to give that copy to you!

To win the signed copy of Global Girlfriends, help us spread the word about One Mango Tree, our newest products, and what we’re up to. Just mention us on Twitter, Facebook, or in your blog (and then send it to us) so we can enter you in for the running to win a free book! If you just can’t wait, in high hopes of winning it, order it now and let us know what you think!

April Giveaway: Coffee Break Hobo Bag

Get ready friends! This month’s giveaway is our newly updated handbag, the "Coffee Break Hobo Bag" (a $32 value!). We have added new details {cute twisted handles} and changed to a more stylish shape we know you’ll love {big and slouchy}. It’s a perfect, comfortable, throw-over-your-shoulder bag for every day, and it's neutral enough pattern to wear with anything and everything. The print is inspired by the fabrics found in African markets, and we make the fabric locally from organic cotton grown in Northern Uganda.

Hobo Bag, in Coffee Break, $32

To win this adorable new bag, all you have to do is help us spread the word about One Mango Tree. Here's how to do it:

1. Mention us on Twitter
2. Mention us in your Facebook status
3. Talk about One Mango Tree on your blog
   

If you mentioned us on Twitter, you're all set, if it's a Facebook or blog post, leave a comment here so we can find it and enter you. We value any help we can get promoting One Mango Tree's work and sending out positive messages for our products. Thanks you so much in advance for all the love you send our way this month!

Spread the Love! Our New Year Giveaway is HERE!

We're packing up the December giveaway right now (a brand-spankin new Black & White Yoga Mat Bag and yummy Eye Pillow set) to @littlelindseyy to help get her 2011 yoga practice off to a joyful start! Seems like a good time to announce a fresh giveaway to kick off this fabulous new year!

Drum roll please.....

Spread the LOVE about One Mango Tree this month and you'll be eligible to win a Nassarine Clutch (a $28 value)!

We love the Nassarine in part because of the story behind it. We were looking for a more labor-intensive handbag to keep the ladies busy in Gulu (busy = more earnings!), so naturally patchwork was one of our first ideas. Nassarine (see photo, below) is in charge of cutting all of our patterns, so we named this clutch in her honor - an homage to the smile and giggle she let out when we told her how many small squares we needed her to cut from our scraps! This clutch is truly a work of art {and love} from our heart to yours.

Nassarine, chalking out a pattern

Here's how you can win it:

Step ONE: Simply tweet or blog about us! Link this this giveaway.

Don't tweet? Mention us on your blog or on Facebook instead!

Step TWO: Just tag us with @OneMangoTree (Twitter) or leave a comment here if you're Facebooking or blogging about us. Spread the love! There's no limit to the number of entries, so tweet away!

Just spread the love to win our NOVEMBER giveaway!

Friends, we've got a NOVEMBER GIVEAWAY for you!
Just in time for the Holidays...

Our Winter 2010 Handloomed Scarf in Eggplant

One lucky winner will receive a small, sweet package from our ladies in Uganda with one of our *brand new* EGGPLANT HAND-LOOMED SCARVES ($26 value) tucked inside. We're not ashamed to say we've been drooling over it for months! Each is unique, limited edition, and woven right here in northern Uganda. So, if you don't manage to grab one before they run out, you can win yours' right here. Oh, and if this deal couldn't get any sweeter: shipping's on us!

Enough of the sweet talk, here's how you can win!

Step ONE: Simply tweet or blog about us! Link this this giveaway.
Step TWO: Just tag us with @OneMangoTree (twitter or facebook)

Do this and you'll be in the running to win the apple of our affection, our One Mango Tree Winter 2010 Handloomed Scarf in Eggplant!

If you can't tell, we pretty excited to send this sweet thing to your doorstep...

So get to tweeting!

Just spread the love to win our giveaway!

Who doesn't love to win things? We're having a 'Back to School' September Exclusive Giveaway and you're invited to join by tweeting or blogging about our stellar ladies. Could it get any easier?





Step ONE: Simply tweet or blog about us!
Step TWO: Just tag us with @OneMangoTree (twitter) or reply to this post with a link to your blog post and you're good to go.

Do this and you'll be in the running to have one of our ladies sew you a *brand new* Fall 2010 Weekender! It's not even on our website yet... that's right!

If you can't tell, we pretty excited to send this sweet thing to your doorstep...

So get to tweeting!