Black Friday with Elevate: Life Changing Products with a Global Story

:: Thanks to Elevate for sponsoring this post ::

Happy day after Thanksgiving (a.k.a. Black Friday)!

I’m going to be honest with you… I’m not a black friday shopping fan, but probably not for the reasons you may think.

I mean yes, I don’t like the excessive push towards consuming, but my reasons for avoiding the sales is a bit more shallow actually.

I am easily annoyed. I wish I wasn’t, but I am. I’ve learned over the years to reign my annoyance in, and to give more grace and understanding to people, but…

I know my limits. And Black Friday shoppers are so far beyond my limits that I try to avoid venturing out as much as possible ha!

Now you know my dark secrets… so don’t annoy me okay!

Kidding.

But if we’re being honest, I think Black Friday sales are actually really handy when used with care. They are a great opportunity to get something you need or want at a good price.

My rule of thumb for Black Friday sales: buy things I need only, OR if it’s something I purely want, it still needs to be high quality and something I will use indefinitely.

There’s nothing wrong with buying something just because I want it, but impulse purchases or buying something that’s cheaply made just because it’s on sale isn’t really a sustainable way of approaching this day.

Enter Elevate:

Elevate is a non-profit that believes in creating sustainable job solutions globally that improve lives and transform communities.

They ensure that your purchase goes directly to support the artisans who are making their goods, as well as providing these artisans with training and community development.

For their artisans, they facilitate mentorships with local leadership which eliminates cultural barriers and which reinforces national ownership. They also seek to understand the unique cultures and worldviews of the specific communities their artisans are a part of.

and because they are a non-profit, they guarantee that 50% of their proceeds are directly reinvested into job creation for their global artisans.

With the sales of their products they’ve been able to help 6 women start their own beautician shops in Nepal and provide for their families…

Their leather shop guys were able to hire 4 MORE men for the holiday season thanks to the influx in sales…

And they are getting ready to help 15 NEW businesses this next quarter with at least 15 more on the way, so every purchase counts

This is the kind of company that excites me! I love knowing that my purchase is having such a personal impact…

it turns a purse into more than just a place to hold Ella’s cast off clothing items (she’s a nudist!). Instead it becomes a a treasured memory… something that brings me joy every time I use it.

I specifically chose the slingback bucket bag in camel for a couple of reasons:

First: it converts to a backpack! Although I usually do have a pile of clothing in my bag by the time we’re done with our outings, I’m getting to a point with my girls where I don’t need a massive diaper bag anymore, but I still like having the convenience of a backpack.

But this being such a versatile bag I can also wear it over my shoulder or as crossbody (which is what I’ve been doing the most).

Plus, it is a rather large bag, but it doesn’t take up a lot of space because it’s structure is rather flat. It’s an extremely usable bag, and it’s made of a really high quality leather that withstands the worst of my girls.

Second: it reminds me so much of a vintage bag that I carried in college. It was a similar style, but it also had that same distressed leather look to it.

So not only does this bag actually tell a story, it looks like it tells a story.

I really couldn’t be happier with it… and it takes a lot for me to bond with a bag. I actually only own a handful of bags because I’m very picky with what I like.

Some specs:

• versatile: it can be used as a bucket bag, cross body, and a backpack.
• There is a detachable fashion tassel, and a key clip
• It’s fully-lined inside
• Zipper pocket inside with 4 open facing pockets (including a water bottle holder)
• Button closure
• 16″ wide, 13.5″ tall
• Retails for $184 and comes in camel, brown, and black

But back to where I started with this post: for Black Friday, Elevate is offering 25% off (such a good deal!) their entire site! You can use code Karin25 at checkout from now until November 26.

I hope you check out their website… they really are such a lovely brand and worth supporting if you are able.

And on that note, who’s braving the crowds today? I’ll be at home making sure no one touches my leftover turkey sandwich (just kidding, I don’t really like turkey that much).

Until next time,

Karin

P.S. Here’s a blooper (a.k.a. real life) photo that I chuckled at: