Friday Find: Punjammies! (+Giveaway)

We’re all about the girl power here at Buy-Her, so when I come across a company with cute stuff that actually helps others, I cannot resist sharing it with everyone. Ladies, may I introduce you to Punjammies, lounge/pajama pants made with gorgeous Indian fabrics by lovely Indian women who have been rescued from the sex trade and are learning to be self-sufficient.

The company is run by the International Princess Project, which establishes micro-enterprise sewing centers in partnership with indigenous Indian organizations who help these women.  Each pair of Punjammies is sewn by a woman earning fair-trade wages and becoming a part of a viable business. Not only does this help them support themselves, it boosts their self-esteem and gives them a permanent way out, thereby helping to reduce re-trafficking. All the profits go back to the centers so they can keep on doing their good work. Most importantly, Punjammies helps get the word out about what is going on outside the US.

Here’s one the story of one of the company’s team members:

Struggling to stay alive and provide even the basics of necessity, Bhagya was looking for hope and opportunity. A man came to her village one day and befriended her, and she fell in love with him. He promised her a job in a nearby village. Filled with hope, she followed him to the village, where she knew no one else. A few days later, the man that she loved sold her to a brothel owner and disappeared. The job he had promised was a lie. Manipulated into working off the price paid for her, Bhagya was forced to service up to 20 clients a day with no hope of freedom.

When in the hospital after surgery on a tumor, Bhagya met a teacher with Harvest India, one of International Princess™ Project’s (IPP) partner organizations. After hearing her story, the teacher was moved and invited Bhagya to come to the Ashraya home, IPP’s second of three sewing centers. Through the efforts of IPP and Harvest India, Bhagya was released from the captivity of prostitution and offered a job sewing Punjammies™ in a safe, loving environment where she could heal from the nightmare she once lived. With tears in her eyes, Bhagya said, “I thank God for food, shelter, and a new opportunity at life!”

Now, the good part: These pants are CUTE. The fabrics are lovely, and the pants themselves look comfy. They are made from 100% cotton and have drawstring waists. Punjammies are available in regular and capri lengths. You can also buy a coordinating t-shirt if you want to make an outfit. The prices are reasonable and they feature sizes x-small to xx-large. I’m thinking with the new pajama trend, if you got a nice tank to top these off with, you could probably wear them for a night out… if you’re a trendy kinda woman!

Now, the best part: We’re giving away Punjammies! Two lucky readers, chosen at random,  will win a pair of the Punjammies of their choice. Simply leave a comment below between now and Sunday, February 26 at 11:59 pm, letting us know what you think about today’s Friday Find and if you’d ever  to wear your Punjammies out of the house. Two winners will be chosen at random on Monday and notified via email. Tell your friends!

About The Author:  Megan is a professional writer, amateur photographer and an accomplished beauty product crash test dummy. She'll try anything once, especially if it's a free sample. She's still trying to figure out what she wants to be when she grows up, but it will probably involve travel and Colin Farrell. And maybe some writing and photography. You can visit her at onethousandwordsormore.com or follow her on Twitter: msmegan.

A Twitter Contest: Win A Flip Video Camera

I recently participated in the Girlfriend Getaway Florida promotion for Chevy.  As part of that promotion, we were given a Camaro to drive and a Flip video camera so that we could make videos about our experiences with the car.  YAY!

Except?

I already have a Flip.

Yes, mine has less recording time than the brand spanking new one they gave me, but I’ve never had any complaints about what I’ve got.  And it seems awfully silly for me to have two Flips.

You see where this is going?

Yes, I’m going to give away the new Flip that was given to me.  The one that can record 120 minutes worth of video instead of 30.  The newer, shinier, slightly fancier version of the one I already have.  Because that’s how much I love you.

Well, OK, and because I want more people to follow me on Twitter.

What?  Yes. There are currently 2,987 people who follow @missbritt on Twitter.  I’d like to hit that magical 3,000 mark.  SO -

I’m going to bribe you to follow me on Twitter with the chance of winning a Flip video camera!

Here’s how it works.

To enter to win the brand new shiny Flip Video Camera:

1. Follow @missbritt on Twitter. (if you already do, good job! Move on to step 2.)

2. Tweet something with the hashtag #missbritt.  FOR EXAMPLE:

“I’m following @missbritt on twitter because she’s bribing me. #missbritt”

3. Each tweet counts as an entry. So, yes, you can tweet with the hashtag more than once. But, uh, I would probably advise you not to be too annoying with it because people will unfollow your ass for that kind of thing.

4. All tweets between right now and Monday at 9am EST with the hashtag #missbritt that come from an account that follows @missbritt will be entered into a random drawing.  Winner will be announced on Monday (hopefully!), so that I can bring the Flip with me to BlogHer if the winner is attending.  If you’re not attending BlogHer, I’ll ship it (but probably not until I get back.)

Good luck!!

(P.S. Like winning stuff?  If you live in Florida, you can enter to win your own girlfriend getaway by voting for me as your favorite Chevy Girl On The Go blogger.  Enter and vote here.)