My friend, Carrie works at New Day Foster Home in a small village outside of Beijing, China. After living for nearly 2 years in a village where most residents don't even have indoor plumbing, Carrie and her husband began understanding that many of the social problems they saw were fundamentally rooted in poverty. In November 2009 launched Scarlet Threads, a sewing cooperative in their village seeking to empower rural women through employment.

When you purchase a Scarlet Threads product, you become intricately connected to a woman half a world away. You give her the chance to provide for her family in a safe and dignified way, and you make Scarlet Thread's vision a reality.

Scarlet Threads is a compassionate boutique, specializing in adorable aprons that would make the perfect springtime party gift. You should check out the shop! Place an order with Scarlet Threads and enter "thedesigngirl" at checkout to get 10 percent off your total order until March 16th.

And there's more! To celebrate International Women's Day, Scarlet Threads is partnering with The Community Cloth, an organization in Houston, Texas that helps refugee women through employment, by giving away a beautiful hand-woven scarf made by a Karen refugee woman from Burma. Check out their blog for giveaway details.

And, coming next month to The Design Girl... a Scarlet Threads giveaway featuring something adorable from their upcoming Spring Line! Stay tuned.