fashion rep | Coffee & Tacos

I’m so sorry for my absence in posting during the past couple of days! I’ve been home sick with a lovely little summer cough & cold combo but I’m back in action today, mostly in thanks to a powerful cocktail of antibiotics and steroids (ah, the joys of modern medicine). So! On to the Bites, Sips & 31 Bits recap…

As you know, Lauren and I concocted the idea of hosting a party to raise awareness for 31 Bits, an amazing organization that provides Ugandan women with the opportunity to sustain themselves with careers they love. I am so happy with the ambiance that we created at my house for the party through our homemade coffee filter garland, the beautiful 31 Bits jewels, Allison’s darling floral arrangements, tons of delicious treats, and a build-your-own Prosecco bar inspired by our friends at Forth Chicago. We had a great turnout – so many amazing women came over to check out the jewelry and hear the story behind the brand. It was a beautiful, motivational evening surrounded by good food, great friends, gorgeous baubles, and overflowing libations. All in all, it was a fabulous night!

In June my fabulous friend Lauren and I are hosting a party to benefit 31 Bits, a super cool cause-oriented company that sells fabulous jewelry & accessories. Here’s what 31 Bits is all about, per their website:

Our model is to empower people through the fashion industry. We work with our beneficiaries in Uganda to create fashionable, quality products. They earn an income enabling them to provide for their families. We care for them holistically through counseling, health education, finance training, and business mentorships. After five years in our program, our beneficiaries are ready to graduate. A graduated beneficiary has her own business and is educated, health, and confident. She is empowered. And guess what? Everything we do is funded through product sales. That means every time you make a 31 Bits purchase, you have a direct impact on women’s lives in Uganda.

Lauren is on the precipice of launching her own company called Else Agency (website coming soon!). With a background in fashion merchandising, Lauren has worked in showrooms for the likes of Ella Moss and Splendid. She loves fashion and style but she grew a little weary of doing something that didn’t have a direct impact on bettering the world. Lauren and her husband (Patrick, of wedding video fame!) are amazing travelers, dear friends of ours who went to Ghana with me last summer. They are incredible servants in their church community in Dallas and they have a heart for using their talents and skills to make the world a better place. So Lauren started dreaming of starting a company that would allow her to work as a fashion rep for cause-oriented groups, companies like 31 Bits. She’s already scored accounts with 31 Bits and Sseko and when her business launches itself into the world wide web, I have no doubt that she’ll be well on her way to obtaining more amazing like-minded clients.

But I digress! When Lauren told me about her new life plan, I wanted to celebrate, and what better way to do that than by hosting a party to benefit one of the companies she represents? 31 Bits makes it unbelievably easy and fun to host a party on the company’s behalf – the sign-up process was simple and quick. Lauren and I have already started dreaming about all of the fun details of the party (which we’ve aptly called Bites, Sips & 31 Bits – catchy, right?), including a build-your-own Prosecco bar that we knew had to be incorporated into the scheme of things the minute we spotted it online. Tonight Lauren is coming over to help me make this super cute coffee filter garland that will serve as decor at the party, and we’ll drink bubbly and giggle and probably watch the wedding video a time or five. I can’t wait!

Image via 31 Bits