One thing about being married to a person with a large family is you can always count on having a huge family get-together. Well, it turns out I also happen to love hosting all these family get-togethers at my home. That highly ecstatic person in your family that loves to flex their Martha Stewart hosting skills: that’s me! I find that it brings me incredible joy to have everyone over. It’s wonderful to hear their voices and laughter bounce off the walls and fill my home. That and playing whatever games we can find in my cabinet because we are all having a wonderful time and no one wants to go home.
When it comes to the pieces I incorporate into my home, I always gravitate towards elements that bring a positive message and value into my personal space. A lot of pieces have great stories associated with them, while others were acquired to commemorate a monumental moment. That’s the beauty of fair trade – every time you buy something from an organization that supports economic, social and environmental sustainability, you are also bringing something special into your life and creating memories with it.
That’s why when I was decorating my backyard this summer, I purchased some beautiful pieces from Ten Thousand Villages, a non-profit organization founded in 1946, that were used for all my barbeque parties on the deck. It’s why I also went back to them to help me decorate my home for fall and set the perfect table setting for my guests and most important – our annual Thanksgiving dinner.
One of the main items I serve on my table is a great, big healthy salad. Which is why I got the Salad Daze Serving Bowl. This beautifully hand-carved acacia wood salad bowl was designed by artisans from Saffy Handicrafts,which stands for Social Action for Filipino Youth. It was love at first sight because of the uniquely natural wave design and rich color. As for serving the salad, forget gangly tongs. These beautifully handcrafted salad servers made of natural shesham wood make tossing the salad surprisingly easy. Plus I love the smooth lines and the deep rich scent that comes off them.
I don’t know about you, but whenever I have a dinner party I am notorious for serving my guests an abundance of side dishes. It could be roasted potatoes, curly zucchini, or Mexican street corn salad. The list goes on, and that means I need an ample amount of bowls to hold these sides. If you’re a fan of clean and minimal design, you will fall head over heels in love with these beautiful stoneware bowls created by the Association of Craft Producers in Nepal. And while you get those, don’t forget the matching carafe.
If you’re a fan of ceramics that are hand-painted, you have got to get your hands on these beautiful Vietnamese blue and white ceramic bowl. You will fall in love with the intricate design and the decorative ridged rim.
Another space my guests and I spend a great deal of time in is the family room. It’s the space where we will snack on hors-d’oeuvres and play whatever games I have tucked away in my cabinet. It’s also a space that my guests love to sit on the sofa and the floor. To make the space comfortable, I found these gorgeous and bright Andes Patchwork Cushions that add a great deal of color to my room.
Now that I have all the pieces to make my dining table and living room look perfect for fall, I feel like all I need are some guests to help enjoy them and give me a good excuse to fill all those empty bowls. This would definitely not be possible without Ten Thousand Villages, who is helping me continue my long tradition in sourcing items that support craftsmanship around the world. In fact, last year I added some new ornaments from them to my Christmas tree. Ornaments that I am so in love with that I can’t wait to order more when I set up my tree in a few months.
This post was sponsored by Ten Thousand Villages, a non-profit fair trade organization that I have supported for many years and have purchased countless artisanal handcrafted items from. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.
I love all the decor!!
Jennifer
Effortlessly Sophisticated
Author
Thank you so much Jennifer. Me too! I am so happy how it all turned out.
– S