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Friday Five with Laura Day

Laura Day is a country girl that relocated to New York City to carry out her passion of becoming an Interior Designer. She has completed many spectacular residential and commercial design projects for rock stars and Grammy award winners alike. Her career has also included such highlights as designing for TLC’s hit series Trading Spaces, participating in DIFFA’s Dining By Design with Elle Decor, and being featured in such publications as The New York Times, Vogue, and Traditional Home. Her most recent venture, lauradayliving.com, is an on-line shelter magazine that has been described as “a blog on steroids.” Laura has also used her website and DAYly blog as a platform to advocate her love for green-design and healthy living.

Here are five items that benefit a great cause.

1. Falling Whistles
I purchased one of these necklaces in the Summer because I was so inspired by the story behind them. 100% of the proceeds are used to rehabilitate war-affected children in Congo and advocate for their freedom. I love their tagline: …”wear your protest and be a whistle blower for peace.“

2. Kahi Lee’s “Unlock the Cure” series
Interior Designer and HGTV personality Kahi Lee designed a line of furniture entitled “Unlock the Cure” series. It is focused on discovering the “right key” to cure cancer. The collection includes coffee tables, end tables, trays and lanterns with a cut-out key pattern. There are over 20 finishes to choose from. It’s so sleek and the shadows created from the cut-outs look magical!

3. Bebe Ravi
Former fashion model and designer Siamanda Chege is the brains behind the children’s clothing line Bebe Ravi. All of the clothing is made by women from Nakuru, Kenya (where the unemployment rate is as high as 40%.) Aside from providing these women the opportunity to become breadwinners within their family, a significant percentage of the revenue goes back into the Kenyan community through the Patrick Chege Memorial Orphanage.

4. Ten Thousand Villages
This website creates opportunities for artisans around the globe to earn fair wage by making their products readily available to be purchased on-line. They have SO much stuff , it’s hard not to find a handful of things you can’t live without. My personal favorites are the Essential Companion Tote and the Buffalo Horn Candle, pictured above.

5. Change For Kids-CFK “Stac(e)y” Bracelet
Jewelry designer and personal friend of mine, Stacy Helfstein partnered with another personal friend and trainer of mine, Stacey Griffith to design this bracelet made out of wood beads and paired with a diamond, sapphire, or ruby ball. 100% of the proceeds go to Change for Kids, a charity that partners with New York City public schools to empower underprivileged children by providing them with a broad range of innovative literacy, arts, and music programs. To order a CFK “Stac(e)y” bracelet visit changeforkids.org.

Jaime Derringer, Founder + Executive Editor of Design Milk, is a Jersey girl living in SoCal. She dreams about funky, artistic jewelry + having enough free time to enjoy some of her favorite things—running, reading, making music, and drawing.