Mbare
A few months ago I featured a beautifully woven palm dish handcrafted by the Tavie Co-operative in Niger, click here to read. Currently retailing on Mbare, the full range of dishes incorporate unique details such as silver Touareg discs placed in the centre; as seen in the Coucher De Soleil and Rayon De Soleil styles; whilst other designs feature indigo thread in intense hues, creating a striking contrast against the natural colour of the leaves. One of the dishes that incorporates the indigo thread is the stylish Points Du Jour, whose design sees the thread scattered around at seemingly random points. The placement of the thread however, serves to reveal how long the artist took to complete the dish, as at the end of each weaving day the artist would weave a bit of thread as a marker indicating where they left off. The dish is finished of with the insertion of the Tavie Co-operative's signature silver metal tube of authentication.

Mbare have kindly offered African Daydreams readers 27% of the Tavie Co-operative Points Du Jour dish, valid from Monday 6 August 2012 until Thursday 6 September 2012. The dish normally retails at USD$68, but will cost USD$50 once the discount is applied. This offer does not affect the amount received by the Tavie Cooperative, and is sponsored entirely by Mbare, meaning the maximum amount possible is going to support the artists. To claim your discount, you will need to do the following: 

1) Go to: www.mbare.com/points-du-jour
2) Click 'Add to Cart'
3) At the top right of the website, click 'Shopping Cart'
4) The dish will appear at full price, enter the coupon code 'DAYDREAMS' and click Apply Code
5) At the bottom of the page, the cart total will display the discount
6) Complete the checkout process to order the dish

Terms and conditions
• Customers can buy up to 5 discounted dishes 
• The offer cannot be combined with any other coupon

Bibi Invitations
Spotting a gap in the market after an unsuccessful search to find modern invitation designs that showcased her vibrant Nigerian heritage prompted designer Ify Ojo to seriously consider creating her own range and led to the founding of Bibi Invitations; an exquisite range of wedding and special occasion invitations designed to capture the vibrant celebratory spirit of Nigerian, and indeed many African special occasions. The company was officially launched in 2012 by three friends; Ify Ojo and Omena Babalola who are based in Canada, and Chinelo Agazie who is based in the UK.

Whether its layers and textures, or shimmer and shine finished with an indulgent flourish of contrasting ribbon; Bibi Invitations luxurious designs are inspired by traditional African fabrics such as Kente, Aso Oke, and Bogolanfini (Mudcloth); and are organised into three collections. Meaning Peacock in Yoruba, the Okin Signature Collection features intricate die cutting in patterns that echo Swiss lace, Aso Oke and traditional African embroidery enhanced by foil stamping on a range of metallic papers. The Ifeoma Collection is bright and bold inspired by the ever popular Dutch Wax prints; whilst the colourful Abena Collection offers stylish affordability.

Bibi Invitations are customisable, allowing you to personalise your chosen invitation by following a three-step process that involves choosing the card, paper, foil, ribbon and envelope colours from a wide variety of colours and patterns depending on the style chosen... and, if you happen to be planning your special event, or know of some who is then why not take advantage of the exclusive reader offer outlined below.

Bibi Invitations have kindly offered African Daydreams readers 10% of all invitation orders placed from Thursday 2 August 2012 until Thursday 6 September 2012. All you need to do is enter the code - 10Off at the checkout before shipping to get your discount.

Terms and Conditions
• A minimum order of 100 cards or over applies
• The offer applies to all designs across the three Bibi Invitations collections
• The promo code is free to share, to paste online or anywhere else for anyone to use within the allotted time

Note:
• Free shipping cost is not included in this promotion
• Production time for the wedding invitations is 6-8 weeks minus the shipping time 

Sseko
In February of last year African Daydreams did a feature on Sseko sandals and how the business is helping young women in Uganda go on to higher education. This month the business marks its third year in business, significant in that it means three classes of women have graduated from Sseko and are now in university. To celebrate this achievement Sseko has just released The Swiss Miss Clutch, a range of handcrafted clutch bags, that are perfect accessories for day and night; and have kindly offered African Daydreams readers 10% of the new Swiss Miss Clutch bags valid from now until Tuesday, 31 July 2012. All you need to do is enter the code - africandaydreams into the 'coupon box' at the checkout to get your discount.  

The Swiss Miss Clutch is made with a Scandinavian inspired cotton textile on the front of the bag and depending on the colourway chosen, the back has a complementary soft caramel or dark brown coloured leather. The leather used is oil tanned and comes from Kenya. The clutch is a simple fold over design that secures your items with a magnetic closure and features two inner pockets, inserted to store essentials like your phone, money and cards. Choose from three patterns and colourways; Annaliese with warm orange tones; Aubonne with bright tones; and Beatrice with multi colour tones.