About Us

Let's into the world today.

These incredible ladies are the heart of our mission-based business ❤️
When your happy mail arrives, it has most-likely made a trip around the world—from India, Thailand, Colombia, or seven other countries we work with. Our makers diligently design each piece with joy, and then they ship to our homebase in Ohio. Mandy and our team then carefully wrap your orders with all the love and sunshine you deserve and send it off to you. Every little detail from start to finish is meticulously organized and so very worth it... because YOU are worth it! We are so very grateful, each and every day, for the love and light you bring to our makers' lives.
When you choose to ,
YOU are making positive change.
YOU are making a difference.
YOU are changing lives.
Come make your own magic for the world: https://bit.ly/3sKHVta

One of the foundations of our mission is to support equal opportunities for women. Did you know that 70% of all people living in poverty are women and girls? In the countries where we work, women are often viewed as second-class citizens who are held back by social, cultural, and economic barriers. Many have to decide how to feed and clothe their families on less than $2 per day, and that doesn’t even account for “luxuries” like schooling for children (yep, it’s not free), medicine if someone gets sick, housing, and transportation. If a woman is lucky enough to find employment, they are only eligible to work the lowest paid jobs which come with dangerous working conditions and unthinkable long work hours. Then, also expected to upkeep all household duties when the paid workday is over.

This is our focus and why we aim to create safe, dignified jobs for women. But what is the REAL impact that we’re making? Let’s set aside the obvious benefits of being able to afford healthy food and keeping vulnerable women out of trafficking; let’s look at how it impacts her children—the next generation.

When a woman is paid a fair wage and is able to earn a consistent, steady income, one of the first investments she usually makes is in an education for her children and young girls receiving an education is the first step to achieving gender equality. These educated girls are more likely to earn a higher income for their entire lifetimes. For every year of secondary school she completes, her income can increase by 25%. If all girls received a secondary education, 12.2 million children could avoid malnutrition and stunted growth and could even prevent the death of 3 million children.

When a woman is lifted out of poverty, she takes an average of 3 people with her. This is the impact we strive to make every day and it brings us an overwhelming amount of joy when you think of families being saved from unthinkable situations.

The power of supporting women is largely untapped, but if you’re reading this you are already part of the solution. We want to make this the best year yet and are so excited to be on this journey with you.

Crysi's Secret Stash

You know, I'm really into sustainability but this just goes a little too far for me to handle.. Would you be brave enough to try it?

73 million citizens of India live in poverty and 20% of the population lives on less than $2 per day. Imagine trying to budget for basic needs like food, clothing, and shelter for your family on this income, then try to imagine including “luxuries” like electricity, transportation, and running water in your home. Even with enormous sacrifice this is a near impossible task.

This is just one of the many reasons we hold our makers so near and dear to our hearts. We're making small changes to the world, but the changes we're making for the worthy ladies we partner with? It's literally creating miracles and they are oh so appreciative when you support them by choosing handmade.

Fair Trade is the ❤️ heart and soul ❤️ of our brand—partnering with women in at-risk communities; women who couldn’t otherwise afford their children's food and education; and women who are at risk of falling victim to trafficking, abuse, or exploit. This is what motivates us to do our best each day to bring you their unique, eco-friendly designs. And when the 🌎 world 🌍 comes together to highlight all the good this work brings, we celebrate...together. 🪅🎉🥳🎋
We’ll be celebrating throughout 2023 because your thoughtful shopping spreads hope to our makers all year long. Just wait until you see what our team has planned to show our appreciation back to you--our customers, supporters, cheerleaders, and who shares our message by spreading our makers' work around the world. ❤️ 🌎😊
🇨🇴🇻🇳🇺🇸🇵🇭🇬🇹🇮🇳🇮🇩🇵🇪🇹🇷🇮🇩

MEET OUR MAKERS—PERU 🇵🇪
Peru is known for colorful textiles, historical ruins, and rich culture. It’s home to the Nasca Lines, Machu Picchu, an ancient Incan city high in the Andes Mountains, portions of the Amazon Rainforest, and Cusco, a region abundant with archaeological sites.
Our first Peruvian partnership began in 2017. We’ve grown to partner with 3 groups of 32 women artisans.
⛈️⛰️Weather and geography 🏔️🌤️ add challenges to daily life, contributing to the economic and poverty issues. Many areas suffer from frequent floods and landslides which can cause economic activity to come to a halt while they rebuild homes and villages. Areas of the Andean Highlands typically see the highest rates of populations living in extreme poverty--their remote isolation making it difficult to trade with other villages and for children to have adequate resources for schooling. Only about 30% of children in these regions regularly attend school, causing a ripple effect of poor education through generations. This results in high rates of illiteracy—which are even higher for women—and difficulties finding sustainable jobs.
All of the artisans we partner with in Peru live in indigenous and difficult-to-reach areas. While this does pose logistical challenges, we feel so lucky to play a role in providing opportunities to communities and keep their long-standing traditions going.
On any given day, the workshops of our artisans are bustling with activity. Family is an important pillar in Peruvian society and you’ll see several generations working alongside each other to create beautiful handmade styles and continue building their tight-knit culture.
You’ll see the colorful relics of their past and present in the works of art we offer made by these artisans. The rich 20,000 year history of the Andean times has produced many techniques for working with fabrics, silver, and other natural materials and have beautifully transformed into modern styles that still embody such traditional values. We are blessed with amazing talent through our partnerships and love seeing the variations of styles that come from a country as beautiful as its people.
This country has so much to offer and we’re only just getting started. 🦙 The pride our artisans have in their work is simply unmatched and ensuring these skills can continue is so important to us and their culture.
https://youtu.be/9WE-8vSnLVo

Meet Our Makers—Peru As a woman-owned company, we’re empowered women empowering women. We’re on a mission to do good by expanding the global marketplace of hardworking people in ...

MEET OUR MAKERS—COLOMBIA 🇨🇴
One third of Columbia is made up of the Amazon Rainforest. With the rainforest covering about 40% of the total continent, its tropical climate is considered one of the few megadiverse locations in the world and is home to more bird 🦜, butterfly 🦋, and orchid 🌺 species than any other country.
🍊 Oranges 🍊 grow plentifully in Columbia--the fruit and juice included as an ingredient in many cultures' cuisines. The plentiful supply of orange peels also supply the upcycled materials used to create our best selling Made From Fruit jewelry styles!
It’s no secret that Colombia is the home of the world’s best ☕ coffee ☕. The unique climate and geography results in a rich, yet mild flavor of brew. Our makers also love to use these fragrant beans to craft jewelry. Each seed is hand drilled, one-by-one, to create your favorite Made From Fruit styles. This is the real meaning of slow fashion! Our artisans take such pride in their craftsmanship, and it shows with the ❤️ and care that goes into each step in the making process.
Each açaí berry seed used in making MY was tumbled to a smooth finish before being slowly boiled in natural dyes. The smooth white noise created by thousands of seeds tumbling at once is as relaxing as it is inspiring. All dyes are derived from fruits and vegetables--with different vegetables used depending on the desired color outcome, such as beets, blueberries, eucalyptus, and onions.
🦥 Slow fashion seeks to create the least amount of damaging environmental impact while creating fair wages and livable goals for our artisans.
From humble beginnings to a mission bigger than any one of us individually, we share in our artisans’ pride with each and every piece of jewelry created.
I Thought of You's first partnership in Colombia began in 2015 and now includes 3 groups totaling 36 women makers. Women in Colombia face many challenges due to gender inequality, unemployment, trafficking, and exploitation. Our Columbian artisans are talented makers in small towns where women are rarely able to find steady work. We work alongside these makers as they craft handmade, gorgeous accessories that are eco-friendly; made from local sustainably-sourced resources. Your partnership supports, empowers, and gives hope to our makers.
To put it simply: your purchase changes the life of a women, her family, her village, and the future!
Show your support and gratitude for Columbia Makers today (and grab a Made From Fruit item...or four! that I KNOW you'll ): http://ithoughtofyou.com/crysi


https://youtu.be/WjTV00HBBiE

Meet Our Makers—Colombia Our Made From Fruit jewelry line features naturally fragrant pieces made from orange peels, açaí berries, coffee beans, cinnamon, cantaloupe seeds, and nuts....

MEET OUR MAKERS—INDIA 🇮🇳
73 million citizens of India live in poverty and 20% of the population lives on less than $2 per day for basic needs like food, clothing, and shelter. Imagine trying to stretch your family's income to include “luxuries” like electricity, transportation, and running water in your home. Even with enormous sacrifice it is a nearly impossible task to survive India's 3000 year old caste system.
This same inequality exists in the workforce. The already low wages women receive continues to decrease as they age. In Indian society, people who don’t generate economic value (like the elderly) lose their individual value. Women are not valued as highly as men starting at a young age; are presented fewer safe opportunities to earn a living wage for themselves; and, consequently, their social disadvantages increase drastically as they grow older.
Our goal is to provide opportunity to hardworking people to help break this cycle. Of our partnership with 4 groups in India, 80% of our makers are women. We value them because their potential is beyond valuable. India's GDP would rise by $5.5 billion if only an additional 1% of girls continued to secondary school. Think of the impact that would have on underserved communities, infrastructure, hunger, and quality of life! We work to create opportunity and help give them a voice in their community while building up confidence within themselves--with opportunity comes hope.
Your purchases have already helped fund a water filtration system for a community of artisans.
Resources our Indian Makers Love:
🪨 Natural stone that is carved and polished to a beautiful finish.
🥻Traditional and upcycled fabrics like silk from discarded saris.
🌏 Earth-friendly metals like reclaimed brass and copper.
from our India artists:
-Jada Bangle Bracelet
-Khida Earrings
-Pashmima Scarf
-Khadee Stack Bracelets
and so many more!
Http://ithoughtofyou.com/crysi
I L❤️VE the work of these beautiful talented women. 🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳

https://youtu.be/HKsykn--3Ig

Meet Our Makers—India With opportunity comes hope. Your purchases have helped fund a water filtration system for a community of artisans, annually saving up to 1 million gallons o...

MEET OUR MAKERS—TURKEY 🇹🇷
Turkey is a country that spans two continents, only 3% is located in Europe while the rest is on the Asian continent. Turkey has a rich historical significance--believed to be the birthplace of important historical figures like Aesop, Santa Claus, and Herodotus, and is home to 13 World Heritage Sites.
Although their official language is Turkish, you’ll find over 30 additional languages spoken across different regions. You can take a stroll through the famous Grand Bazaar—one of the oldest and largest markets in the world, in operation since 1455—and browse more than 4,000 small shops to find treasures.
In 2017 we began a partnership with a small co-op of weavers who handcraft luxurious Turkish cotton robes and towels for larger shops. We work with them to create new styles during slow times when their large clients are not buying. You’ll find these styles in our shop seasonally.
Turkey is known for their beautiful and intricate fabrics and our makers love to add a modern twist on a time-honored tradition of working with woven textiles made from cotton, silk, and other sustainable and natural materials. Turkish cotton is extra luxurious because of its extra long fibers. Material made from this premium material is extra durable and absorbent and gets softer with every use.
https://youtu.be/dI05_NDqHsk

Meet Our Makers—Turkey The practice of artisanal craftsmanship shines light on the individuality and creativity of handmade goods. Repurposing natural materials has been perfected ...

MEET OUR MAKERS—PHILIPPINES 🇵🇭
The Philippines is a country made up entirely of islands—more than 7500 in total with 175 languages spoken across so many diverse regions.
🏝️🏝️🏝️🏝️🏝️🏝️🏝️🏝️🏝️🏝️🏝️🏝️🏝️
Our partnerships in the Philippines began in 2018 and we’ve grown to now work with 3 groups totaling 80% women, 28 makers in all. Filipinos enjoy spending as much time as possible with family and many of our makers span generations of the same family. The handcrafted techniques used to create their styles are often passed down to preserve their cultural heritage. Work can be even more enjoyable when you get to surround yourself with your favorite coworkers!
Philippine pieces often feature natural, local resources like:
🐚 Real seashells carved and polished to a beautiful finish.
Sustainable 🥥 coconut husks 🌴, carved to retain their natural beauty. More coconuts are produced here than anywhere else!
Low-VOC resins derived from 🌸 plant-based materials 🌱.
FEATURED ITEMS from our Philippine makers:
-Yari Earrings
-Nakala Earrings
-Pahaya Necklace
-Praka Necklace
-Tagla Bracelet ❤️🤩😍⭐
https://youtu.be/mO-dGSIEubs

Meet Our Makers—Philippines Upcycling takes what is no longer good and makes it useful by adding greater value to once discarded materials. Rather than throwing away what is thought to ...

MEET OUR MAKERS—INDONESIA 🇮🇩
Indonesia is a country consisting of more than eighteen thousand islands 🏝️, 139 active volcanoes 🌋, and more than 33,000 miles of coastline 🌊. Its tropical climate is considered one of the few “megadiverse” locations in the world and is home to many species found nowhere else.
Our first partnership in Indonesia began in 2014 and we now partner with 4 groups totaling 125 makers, predominantly women.
Indonesia is especially dear to the ❤️ of I Thought of You--our company started after our founder happened to meet Yulia, an Indonesian woman from a small village who made and sold jewelry to support her family. Mandy was impressed with the craftsmanship of Yulia’s pieces and found her story inspiring. After also learning that more than half of this population lives on less than $2USD per day, and that more than 80 million Indonesian children live in poverty, she felt compelled to do something more than just buy these handmade goods for herself.
That one simple purchase turned into a partnership. And the purpose Mandy was searching for developed into a cause that helped one woman find hope. We’ve now grown into a brand with even bigger aspirations, expanding to impact hundreds of families in many countries. We desire to give artisans a revived ambition and an opportunity to look forward to what is to come. 🌈💛
I Thought of You is proud to work with women in many developing countries to provide consistent work while still allowing the flexibility needed to raise families and tend to their households. Our goal is to shine a spotlight on the benefits of employing women and the value they can bring to society as a whole. Every eco-friendly purchase broadens their opportunity and gives them a voice and a place in their communities.
Locally-sourced raw materials our makers use to create your items:
🐚Real seashells carved and polished to a beautiful finish.
🎋 Sustainable woods like bamboo and indian rosewood.
🧿📿Handmade and beautifully vibrant glass beads.
https://youtu.be/wILguG6IIXs

I Thought of You: Our Why I Thought of You is a woman-owned business that creates Fair Trade styles that are beautiful and have beautiful stories behind them.What began as a trip to l...

MEET OUR MAKERS—VIETNAM 🇻🇳
Vietnam is one of our newer partnerships, we are proud to work with 2 groups in this beautiful country starting in 2018. Like Indonesia, Vietnam has miles upon miles of coastline making it the ideal location to find plentiful natural resources from which to craft sustainable, upcycled, and eco-friendly accessories.
https://youtu.be/iGUmCukU7iU

Meet Our Makers—Vietnam Our makers are masters of upcycling by creating new life for discarded materials. The environmental impact of reusing slows the need to produce new materials...

MEET OUR MAKERS—THAILAND
Thailand is known as the land of many smiles 😊, their peace-loving culture prioritizes harmony over conflict and you’re likely to find more smiles 😊 here than anywhere else. 10% of all animal species also call Thailand home (you’ll find more birds 🦜 here than Europe and America combined!)
Elephants 🐘are often associated with this culture, today you’ll find more than 5000 here with half being domesticated.
Our partnerships with 2 groups in Thailand began in 2017 and are comprised of 13 women makers. Their handcrafted styles combine a mixture of their Thai design tradition with an influence of western style to create modern Fair Trade pieces that showcase natural materials.
Our Pieces Feature:
😊 Handmade and beautifully vibrant glass beads.
😊 Bright traditional fabrics with colorful designs.
😊 Earth-friendly metals like reclaimed brass, copper, and steel.
Shop the Thailand styles today:
Http://ithoughtofyou.com/crysi
And remember to thank your maker at checkout!

https://youtu.be/aVyiXH7RFwQ

Meet Our Makers—Thailand Our mission is simple: to expand the global marketplace of hardworking people who may not otherwise have the opportunity to earn a living. We support artisan...

MEET OUR MAKERS—GUATEMALA 🇬🇹
Guatemala is the largest country in Central American and home to more than 30 volcanoes 🌋, rainforests 🌿, and ancient Mayan ruins 🌄 including the three World Heritage Sites. The rich history of Meso America is colored with intricate textiles and celebrations of color. And, of course, the birth of chocolate--“the food of the Gods.”
Our 3 partnerships in this country total 22 makers, mostly women who are able to create their works while managing their multi-generational family homes. Guatemalan families are a close unit with many generations living under the same roof. Although schooling is free, 1 out of every 5 children do not complete primary grades and instead work to help their family income. By paying our partners a living wage, our makers are not reliant on their children to work in order to contribute to the family’s finances.
The traditional handcrafted items created by our Guatemalan makers are often brightly colored and are typically made from cotton, wool, silk, metal, clay, or stone. Our makers take great pride in their work which is often made by the hands or methods of multiple generations of the same family--living, working, and building under the same roof.
FAVORITE MATERIALS:
🪨 Natural stone that is carved and polished to a beautiful finish. 💎
🧣 Bright traditional fabrics (like huipil) with colorful designs. 👗
Hand-dyed string 🧵 and natural fibers 🧶 to create intricately unique pieces.
FEATURED PIECES:
-Cadi Headband
-Scopio Bracelet
-Tiempo Bracelet
-Otono Bracelet
-Lapi Bracelet
Shop 'em here, and remember to leave a personal message for your Guatemalan maker: http://ithoughtofyou.com/crysi


https://youtu.be/T6AMENZ84L8

Meet Our Makers—Guatemala Our company started after our founder happened to meet a woman from a small village who made and sold jewelry to support her family. That one simple purchase...

🌍🌎🌏 Staying Connected 🌍🌎🌏
As we start our long journey through 2023, please keep our makers in mind and understand the real difference you make in their lives when you choose to through gifting Fair Trade items.
In today's tech-heavy world, screens are in front of us almost all the time. We can find ourselves disconnected...from the an artisan pours into their work; from human relationships that are forged by our purchases; and from the in the hearts of each woman who wears our Fair Trade pieces.
There are real people behind everything you buy from us. You may never get the chance to meet her face to face, but I promise she thinks about you often and appreciates you more than you know ❤️ At checkout, you can leave a message for the maker(s) that created each piece--your chance to send back the love and appreciation and to tell her too!
It’s our hope that by connecting you with the maker who created the products you buy from us, you realize that you’re connected to her and her entire village because you’ve changed their lives with your support.
I Thought of You makers have stories, talents, traditions, and faces as unique and beautiful as the products they make. In so many ways, YOU have supported their hope-filled futures--better living conditions, better choices, better futures.

🤔💭 What is a fair trade company?
Fair trade certification is a label given to products that meet the market-based fair trade movement standards. This system of certification is governed by the Fair Trade Labeling Organization International (FLO), which is a multi-stakeholder association and nonprofit that is made up of 24 member organizations. These standards cover a wide range of products, including clothing, jewelry, coffee, bananas, cotton, flowers and plants, fruit juices, dried fruits, cane sugar, spices, nuts, teas, and vegetables.

❓🤝 How does fair trade work?
Fair trade is a means of elevating poverty and improving sustainable development in makers' villages and communities. It is targeted at creating greater equity in the international trading system. We provide craftspeople and traders in developing countries with social and economic opportunities that can help them make their products more accessible.
All FLO-certified companies, exporters, importers, and producers must follow a set of Fair trade standards.

🌎🛍️🌍 Why choose fair trade companies?
Purchasing fair trade certified products can help encourage the production of environmentally-friendly items, reduce poverty, and safeguard humane working conditions. In simple terms, it makes YOU part of the movement trying to make the world a better place. By supporting FLO to improve the quality of commodities we buy in the market and paying the makers or those who worked so hard to cultivate the raw materials a fair, livable wage.
To recognize fair trade certified products, simply look for the fair trade label on the products--chocolate, coffee, clothing, jewelry, and so much more choices are available!
Products with the fair trade label have adhered to the fair trade standards, and the company that produces it has ensured that fair prices have been paid to everyone in the product supply chain.
Though there are numerous reasons you should buy a fair trade product, I will highlight these five:
1.Fair trade pays the maker/crafter/farmer fairly for their work. 💵
Fair trade is a way of making free trade selling accessible by the world’s poor. In free trade, the small scale farmers and producers are usually left behind when large subsidized companies take over the industry. Large contracted farms or manufacturers can sell their commodities at lower prices, but the farmers/artisans/workers who supplied the product are usually driven into debt.
The only way for small worker groups to compete with a highly-subsidized industry is to lower the prices of their products to a point where they are not paid for labor and are unable to sustain their quality of life.
This is why the fair trade certification ensures that before allocating the label to any products, the company must have paid the originators (farmers, crafters, artists, etc.) well for the products they sell.
2. Fair trade products ensure equitable trade practices in every stage of the supply chain. 🌎🤝🌍
For fair trade certified products, high traceability and transparency are necessary in the global supply chains. Maker groups that are democratically organized receive a guaranteed minimum floor price, or higher; many Free Trade companies provide their artisans and farmers the choice to set their own prices or market values.
3. Funds generated from fair trade licenses are used to create socio-economic opportunities for communities. 🇻🇳🇮🇩🇨🇴🇵🇪🇮🇳
Funds received from fair trade licenses are sent to the fair trade communities and used to improve their quality of life. This is done through socio-economic and environmental development projects like building schools, providing reliable water sources, empowering women, and disrupting unsafe and unfair gender- or class-based work practices. Fair Trade communities are allowed to determine how they will use their funds through their democratic systems.
4. Fair trade ensures that workers have safe working conditions. ⛑️☺️♥️
Fair trade ensures sustainable wages and safe working conditions for their workers. Slave and forced child labor are strictly prohibited. Most Fair Trade companies make it their mission to provide safe, fair, and bias-free working conditions. Fair Trade provides a source of income and stability free from trafficking, abuse, and exploitation.

5. Fair trade products are safe and healthy 🍎🍏🍎🍏
Every product that receives the fair trade certification is free from genetically modified ingredients. Raw materials are prioritized from sustainable, locally-sourced, eco-friendly, and/or upcycled sources. Supporting Fair Trade products ensures that everyone receives high quality products and the workers also get fair payment for their labor.
6. Fair Trade provides a level of individualism not achievable with Big Box industries. 🥻👜🧣🪷
Many Fair Trade companies are also small businesses and/or women-owned! Fair Trade fashion groups such as I Thought of You offer individually-handmade products with on-of-a-kind beauty just as unique as the hands that made it. No large-scale, "cookie cutter" products here; Free Trade and Fair Trade provide artisans the freedom to express their individual, cultural, and artistic styles.
In general, purchasing fair trade labeled items is your way of contributing to a better society. Fair Trade isn’t about yourself as much as it’s about others. Yes, you benefit from the 🌟 amazingly beautiful 🌟 and high-quality products you buy, yet, NOTHING can compare to the benefits the people who made such products receive because of your purchase. 🛍️
When you support Fair Trade, you help to create opportunities for women who don’t automatically have the freedoms and lifestyle we can often take for granted here in the US. When a woman in a developing country is given an opportunity to work, she finds a purpose for her life and grants herself dignity that she may never have dreamt possible.
In short: Fair Trade builds brighter futures, supports positive change, helps the planet, and provides customers with high-quality products and a fair price.
today and every day!
https://ithoughtofyou.com/pages/meet-our-makers?rfsn=6342537.d8692e&utm_source=refersion&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=6342537.d8692e
♥️♥️♥️🌍🌎🌏🌍🌎🌏🌍🌎🌏♥️♥️♥️