Yesterday I posed a challenge to all the parents out there trying to manage an Easter Outfit for the kiddos (skip new clothes and donate the cash instead). Today’s tip is related. If you need to catch up on the conversation, click here.
If you are looking for a fun and festive way to swap stuff with folks, consider making a whole event of it. A few years ago I discovered a group that did clothing swaps for moms. Most women have a variety of shapes and sizes in their closets (from postpartum pants to the skinny jeans that will never really fit right). Rather than just keep these items sleeping on a shelf this group of women got together and made an event of swapping stuff. Here is how it can work:
Each woman brings 4-5 pieces that are at mostly in style and definitely clean. They brought jewelry and purses too. The items are dropped off at a particular time before the event. The hostess then sets up her house like a little boutique, serves up some appetizers or dessert, wine or coffee, whatever the mood. Then women show up and shop one another’s stuff. Voila!
My friend Jennifer Grant (a great writer and thinker you should know about — click here to learn about her) did this same thing with purses and handbags at her home this past winter. She used the event not only to help her gal pals savvy up their closets but to raise money for a charity she loves. For each purse/item that a woman took home, that woman could also drop into the hat a donation of $5.
So, back to that Easter Dress Challenge. If you need a way to swap some items, consider doing a children’s clothing swap. Not enough time before Easter? That may be true. But summer is coming! Consider hosting a swap night like this in your neighborhood where women bring hats and shoes, sundresses and sandals to share. It keeps us all out of the malls and helps us dress up without making a big impact on the environment.
Giveaways for Week Five of Lent: Win fair trade, eco-friendly goodies! Just comment on the blog, Facebook or Twitter and you will be randomly entered to win some goodies.
Our Lenten give aways this week are:
1. Two stacks of sustainably harvested, hand-dyed wrapping paper created by Nepalese Women
2. Chocolate Cherry Supremes Cookie Mix (a fair trade food item by Soup of Success a job creation program in Elkhart, IN)
3. A copy of Ben Lowe’s book “Green Revolution: Coming Together to Care for Creation.” Ben is the latest staff addition to the EEN, a great organization empowering churches and organizations on caring for the earth. You can find the EEN here and Ben here
4. A leather luggage tag handmade via Bajalia, a job creation program to empower women in micro-enterprise programs around the world http://bajalia.com
One final note, a shout out to last week’s Earth Aware Lenten Journey Winner Jen! And she’s from my hometown! Always fun to pick a local gal outta the hat!
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