Pack of 6 tealights scented with Rose Garden perfumes, £1.80 from Indigo Ocean Trading….
Rose scented tealights, pack of 6 £1.80 from Indigo Ocean
Fair Trade Blog By Indigo Ocean Trading
New Arrivals: Rose scented tealights
January 3rd, 2010New Arrivals: Lavender scented tealights
January 3rd, 2010Lavendar scented tealights, pack of 6, £1.80 from Indigo Ocean
Lavendar scented tealights, pack of 6, £1.80 from Indigo Ocean
New Arrivals: scented tealights from Indigo
January 3rd, 2010We now have a selection of tealights in packs of 6 that are scented with the following: French Vanilla, Tropical, Cool Mint, Sugar & Spice, Rose Garden and Lavendar.
Scented tealight pack of 6 in French Vanilla: £1.80 from Indigo Ocean Trading
£1.80 per pack from Indigo Ocean Trading. Ideal for the perfect Mothers Day gift or just to treat yourself….!
New Arrivals: blue butterfly door hanger
January 3rd, 2010Stunning hand carved and painted wooden butterfly door hanger in blue also handmade in Indonesia by a family who specialise in crafting butterfly giftware.
Fair trade gifts, butterfly door hanger in blue: £5.99 from Indigo Ocean Trading
This product has been exchanged for a fair wage. This fair trade butterfly door hanger has a hook painted black made from metal. This item is also available in pink and purple (see separate product listings). Dimensions: 185mm wide x 160mm deep. £5.99 from Indigo Ocean Trading
New Arrivals!: fair trade butterfly fridge magnet
January 3rd, 2010This beautiful hand carved and painted wooden butterfly fridge magnet in purple colourways has been handcrafted in Indonesia by a family who specialise in crafting butterfly giftware.
Fair trade gifts: Butterfly fridge magnet: £1.50 from Indigo Ocean Trading
This product has been exchanged for a fair wage. This item is also available other colours (see separate product listings). Dimensions: 100mm wide x 75mm deep. £1.50 from Indigo Ocean Trading
New Arrivals! Fair trade butterfly door hanger
January 3rd, 2010Stunning hand carved and painted wooden butterfly door hanger in pink has been crafted in Indonesia by a family who specialise in crafting butterfly giftware.
Fair trade gifts butterfly door hanger in pink: £5.99 from Indigo Ocean
This product has been exchanged for a fair wage. This fair trade butterfly door hanger has a hook painted black made from metal. This item is also available in blue and purple (see separate product listings). Dimensions: 180mm wide x 180mm deep. £5.99 from Indigo Ocean Trading
Top 5 fair trade gifts for Christmas
December 22nd, 2009Christmas is fast approaching and will be upon us before we know it.
So now the time has come to get inspiration ideas for those gifts which are perhaps different, quirky, well made or just beautiful. I would like to share a list of my favourite 5 fair trade gift ideas. The range is so diverse these days with so many ideas for individual and original gifts.
5. Moneyboxes. There is an interesting selection of fair trade moneyboxes currently available. The ones I have seen are based on an animal theme. Some are hand carved and painted depicting animals such as zebras, cats and giraffes. I have also seen a mouse made from a hollowed out coconut shell with wooden ears and a string tail. They really are quite original and would make a perfect gift for either a child or an animal lover.
4. Tealight holders. Again there is a good selection of beautifully made fair trade tealight holders around made from different kinds of materials. For example, there are plain holders made from glass, mussel shell or soapstone. Also more funky ones made from tin the various animal shapes like hedgehogs, cockerels, geckos, frogs and cats. I would recommend these as a fun gift for a student or someone who loves anything original. The hedgehog is large enough to work as a centrepiece on a table and makes a great conversation piece.
3. Jewellery. Although this can be quite a personal choice, there are wonderful fair trade jewellery ranges made from solid silver inlaid with gorgeous gemstones. So if you know the birthstone of the recipient it would be easy to find an elegant bracelet inlaid with lapis lazuli or moonstone for example. Even a pair of stud earrings made from blue chalcedony, tigers eye or malachite for example.
2. Bags. With the demise of plastic carrier bags, the jute bag is becoming increasingly popular as a durable and environmentally friendly alternative. The range of fair trade bags not only includes natural or dyed jute but also stunning sequinned or embroidered evening or hand bags. The workmanship and skill in the embroidery and embellishment are second to none and so would make a very special gift for females of all ages.
1. Gift baskets. Besides bananas, there are many kinds of fair trade consumables available. For example, the most popular of all would be fair trade chocolates or truffles. I know they are slightly more expensive than non-fair trade products though are high quality and beautifully boxed. I have also seen a large range of hampers containing fair trade or organic items. Some are themed for spice lovers containing organic nachos and salsa. Others focus on the nation’s favourite theme of sugar offering fair trade hot chocolate and bars of Divine just for good measure!
There are also jute carriers containing one bottle each of red and white fair trade wine. There are many other examples available and really would suit the discerning wine enthusiast or someone who loves chocolate.
So as these examples show, the fair trade product range covers a multitude of gift ideas though my 5 examples re just the tip of an iceberg. There are hundreds more items for example childrens toys such as bookends, wooden arks and jigsaws to magnets, pencils and instruments.
It really is worth having a look at the fair trade products ranges for two reasons. Firstly I feel you would be pleasantly surprised at the diversity and modest pricing for finding a perfect Christmas gift. Secondly, when we buy fair trade we are helping third world communities to help themselves for now and the future.
Why fair trade jewellery is special
September 29th, 2009We only have to walk in to a high street chain store to find a large selection of economically priced jewellery. This jewellery is largely silver plated with silver or gold strung with plastic or glass beads. It is essentially mass produced to satisfy the demands of the west world for cheap, affordable costume jewellery in this modern day ‘throw away’ society.
Jewellery has not always been as accessible or affordable as it is today though. For example, way back in Victorian times, a whole range of solid silver and gold earrings, bracelets and necklaces were made with skills reflected by that era of fine craftsmanship in general. Watches, clocks, jewellery and even pottery were made with such accuracy, care and attention back in those days. Focussing on the jewellery though, the Victorians used a delightful array of semi precious stones and if you go to an antique shop today, you will most definitely see jewellery of that era elegantly designed and inlaid with gems such as lapis lazuli, moonstone, opal, malachite, blue chalcedony, zircon blue, turquoise, black jet, pink quartz and garnet amongst many others.
For those wanting quality handmade silver jewellery made in the same care and attention at affordable prices, I would recommend exploring the world of fair trade jewellery. Although fair trade jewellery is not as readily accessible in chain stores, there are many online fair trade outlets where you can browse at your leisure at the different colours and designs available.
To explore why fair trade jewellery is special, I would really like to draw specific attention to a range of fair trade silver jewellery designed and produced in India. It is made by a community practising Jainism, an ancient religion based on Buddhist ideals. As most people know, Buddhists live their life in serenity, peace and calm.
I find their solid silver jewellery quite fascinating since each piece has been imprinted with their traditional jewellery making skills as well as their cultural vision of what constitutes beautiful jewellery.
Their range of designs are subtle with soft curves and shapes such as teardrops, hearts, ovals, flowers and spheres. Some have delicate threads of silver shaped in swirls to give a really elegant finish.
Every item is made from .925 solid silver with each piece inlaid with gemstones reminiscent of days gone by. For example there are stud earrings made with tigers eye, blue chalcedony and lapis lazuli. Hook earrings with gemstone droplets of moonstone rainbow, zircon blue and malachite. Bracelets with oval stones or malachite or even labradorite as well as pendants with coral and turquoise or zircon blue.
Whether you prefer watery colours of zircon and moonstone or the more earthy tones of tigers eye or malachite, there really is something for everyone.
So the story of this particular range of fair trade jewellery is quite fascinating though all kinds of fair trade giftware is available nowadays, not just jewellery.
If we take time to delve a little deeper in to the world of fair trade, we will find that each piece has a historical context by way of the people of a specific community that made it, their cultural beliefs and backgrounds and to me that is exactly what makes fair trade jewellery so very special.
Fantastic fair trade gifts for everyone!
September 29th, 2009The Fair Trade label is becoming increasingly common in the Western world. But while shoppers seem keen to pay a little over the odds for fair trade products, some observers question how effective it really is in helping developing third world farmers.
In my view, the more the Western market is flooded and the more Fair Trade sold, then over time, the third world will surely reap the benefits in the end?
Surely, the more fair trade clothes and jewellery we buy, the more the third world produce and sell, and then the more we buy, the more the third world earn and so on…..and this can only be a positive cyclic relationship perpetuating greater wealth over time for impoverished societies?
The craftsmanship on fair trade gifts and jewellery is truly outstanding. Quite clearly the skills of the indigenous communities who produce such gems are passed from generation to generation so skills like wood carving, hand painting, hand screen printing and jewellery crafting do not fade. We are lucky to have accessibility to the products of great artisans so we can appreciate their unique beauty in contrast to mass produced generic products that are not, in sharp contrast, skilfully handcrafted and have no soul or originality.
Hand embroidered fair trade bags
There is an organis ation in India called Touch of India who specialise in hand making fair trade bags all of which are hand embroidered. Touch of India carries out most of its work with Muslim minorities and aims to preserve old traditional embroidery techniques such as Kantha embroidery, Zardozi and Aari work. It uses a wide range of beads and fabrics in the most beautiful colours and are true works of art. All their products are exchanged for a fair wage.
Hand made fair trade candles
In Kolkata, India, the conglomerate E.M.A., carry on the tradition of candle making by hand. Paraffin was is melted in an oven and poured into a mould or ‘die’. Each candle is left to cool for six to seven hours before being taken out of the die and polished. It can be then hand painted or hand screen printed. Most of the scents used are from flowers, fruits and spices and come from Bangalore. Each candle is a work of art and has been exchanged using fair trade principles.
Hand screen printed jute shopping bags
Earth Bags in Kolkata, India, produce bags made from jute since it is a fast-growing vegetable fibre in their country. It is also 100% biodegradable and recyclable. Some of the bags are natural jute while others have been hand dyed in sumptuous pinks , greens and purples embellished with coloured sequins and hand printed with metallic gold or pink screen prints. Earth Bags gives employment to women and self-help groups in Kolkata and strives to help the environment by encouraging more people to use eco-friendly bags.
Fair trade jewellery
Produced in Delhi, India, each piece of jewellery is created from Indian solid silver. Each item is crafted and inlaid with semi precious gemstones ranging from the beautifully rich deep blue lapis lazuli, to the milky moonstone and the opulent malachite. The range of jewellery covers intricately crafted pendants inlaid with coral and turquoise to hand crafted earrings some with finely shaped spirals of silver.
All the products Indigo Ocean have to offer have been exchanged for a fair wage to help to improve the communities standard of living and quality of life - not only for them - but for their next generation….
The treasures of fair trade gifts beyond bananas!
September 29th, 2009
I feel confident the majority of us are aware of fair trade tea, coffee and bananas since supermarkets have posters everywhere emblazoned with the striking green and blue logo with a picture of the food product.
We can then choose whether or not to buy this range depending on our understanding of what fair trade is all about. Though I wonder how many of us realise the fair trade range goes way beyond such consumables. For example, there is a magnificent range of fair trade gifts available spanning across accessories like bags, scarves and purses. There are colourful, educational childrens toys. High quality hand made fair trade jewellery.Also homeware like brightly weaved or natural rugs, throws, cushions, candles and wooden plates and bowls. The list really is endless!
Not only is there something special for everyone but also everything is hand made by artisans using traditional skills passed from generation to generation. Since fair trade is literally created and not manufactured on a production line, I truly believe every piece is unique. Furthermore, we have the satisfaction of knowing no-one has been exploited since fair trade means a fair wage has been exchanged under ethical working conditions.
So what fair trade treasures are there beyond bananas?
5. Tealight Holders. If you are after something really quirky for someone with a sense of humour there are brilliant tealights ranging from hedgehogs to chickens and frogs. The ones I have seen are made by a family in Indonesia from scrap tin. Each tealight is painted in detail giving it a unique charm that could never be found in high street stores.
4. Moneyboxes. There are some really fun wooden animal moneyboxes around from giraffes to zebras and cows which would bring a smile to any child. They are well worth keeping your eyes open for.
3. Bags. With the demise of plastic bags, eco-friendly and fair trade bags are becoming increasingly common. From jute bags to recycled newspaper bags, these are worth exploring with some embellished with sequinned flowers dyed the most amazing colours.
2. Stationery. Fair trade stationery has found its way onto the market shelves at last. I’m so glad because everything is so beautifully made. There is a high quality range of colourful handcrafted cards, notebooks, albums, diaries and cards reflecting the authentic skills of embroidery and papermaking of fair trade craftspeople.
1. Jewellery. I love jewellery, what female doesn’t? Fair trade jewellery has become very diverse catering for the western world. There are wooden beads, glass beads, shells and seed beads. Long, short, wide and narrow. There are earrings, bracelets, necklaces, chains and pendants made from solid silver inlaid with semi precious gemstones like malachite, moonstone, zircon, lapis lazuli and turquoise. It surprises me they are not more expensive when you study the skill and workmanship. Definitely worth a look.
So next time you see the striking logo in a supermarket or on a bunch of bananas, I truly hope it serves to remind us of all the other treasures fair trade brings us and the people we are helping.
