Heart of Haiti- Rwandan Women Build Their Futures

I know my blog is usually pretty upbeat and silly, and I love to make myself the butt of the jokes. But tonight, I want to write about something a bit more special. I'd like to turn your attention to the Heart of Haiti collection at Macy's. If you've been reading this blog for very long at all, you'll know that I absolutely love color. Instead of painting my walls with vivid colors, I love having warm neutral walls to serve as the backdrop for colorful pieces- pillows, art for the walls, cute whatevers to display on shelves and mantles. I am all about color!

"Ok, Laynie, what's that got to do with Haiti?" I know you're wondering. Well, something happened a year ago that you might have heard about- an earthquake. I think y'all probably know what happened and why it was a bad thing, so I'll try not to get too sappy on ya. We're coming up on the one year anniversary of that earthquake, so I know you won't have a problem finding the details if you look.

Instead, I want to share with you the Heart of Haiti, a selection of handcrafted items made by the people of Haiti. Every piece you buy puts money into their pockets, helping them support themselves using their traditional crafts.  It's a win-win situation, because you're helping people who need it, and you get something beautiful for your home!

Let's look at some of my favorite items from the collection. For instance, this potholder and oven mitt. I love the vivid blues in them, and if you click the picture, you can actually see a name stitched into the top of the oven mitt! I love the idea of having a bit of someone's personality showing through in the piece. I'm not sure why, even, it just feels like there's a bit of connection between the person who brought this piece into existence and me, the person using it. It just makes me happy. :D

Then there's this bowl. Do you love this bowl?? Because I do! I can't even begin to tell you how much I love this bowl! It's so bright, so cheerful, so fun! I want to pile it with fruit- apples and oranges and bananas, so that it can sit on my table and make me smile when I walk past! Or maybe I could find a use for it in my crafting area- put pretty supplies into it so they can be both useful and decorative! It's 8" x 5", so it's not giant, and it's only $16! I'm in love. There's also a watermelon bowl if that's more your style, but I can't get enough of that gorgeous yellow.

Finally, I have to share this candle holder with you. I know, it's not colorful. What can I say, I also like metal! Seriously, though, I love how organic this piece looks. I love the coral motif and the way the artist has used that motif to wrap around the candle. It's just very pleasing to my eye, and I'd love to have this in my home! I can imagine it lit, casting shadows on my table and wall...

Oh, sorry. I got lost in a happy daydream!¹  Whatever. Just go look at the stuff in the Macy's Heart of Haiti collection, and if you see something you like grab it. You'll be doing a bit of good for people who really need it.

¹  Wait, it's night, but I'm not asleep. Does that make it a night dream? Just a dream dream? Heck, I don't know.

I was selected for this very special “CleverHaiti” opportunity by Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity. All opinions are my own.