This Week in the Store: Fair Trade for Spring

 

With Spring just around the corner, we’re starting to fill the store with new Fair Trade home items that will help make your table pop! From bright yellows to cool blue greens, we’re really loving the freshness a few new pieces can add!

New from Bolivia, these recycled glass tumblers and carafe would be perfect for morning juice or an afternoon cocktail.

From Cochabamba in the Bolivian highlands, each glass has it’s own unique finish with hand blown bubbles.

Also in recycled glass, we have new vases and a pitcher in  bright Aquamarine:

The pitcher would make the perfect vessel for cold lemonade or even a batch of sangria! And we love the way they complement our glazed appetizer tray from Vietnam!

  

Table linens are getting a breath of fresh air as well, with napkins and runners in new spring colors.

Napkins inspired by greenery and the sun.

Table runners from India with a spring floral motif, which we love with our new salad servers in the shape of leaves!

Placemats in aqua hues that compliment our white washed mango wood bowls and bamboo salad servers from Bali.

And there’s so much more! New baskets in fun colors, as well as planters to brighten your porch or sun room.

It’s really starting to feel like Spring!

Bring Bali to You!

We had SO MUCH FUN in the store yesterday!

Laura was so excited about all the new orders that came in! She spent time at the New York Gift Fair a few weeks ago, finding new and unique fair trade vendors for the store, and she couldn’t wait to share!

One vendor in particular, Zen-Zen, sent so many beautiful items that we were having a hard time choosing our favorites!

April’s new favorite products are the gorgeous wooden coasters from Bali. Offered in four different color combos, it’s hard to choose the prettiest one.

 

 

Each set of 8 comes in a sweet little box that’s covered in hand loomed cotton. The perfect gift!

Another tabletop item from Zen-Zen that we’re in love with are these new gorgeous napkins!

We love the way they add a pop of print to our handmade recycled silk placemats! It’s an easy, effortless way to spruce up your table:

But the best new item, that everyone instantly fell in love with, were the CAPIZ WINDCHIMES!

These gorgeous chimes bring the look and feel of Bali right into your home! We’re fully stocked with dreamy aquatics:

that pair perfectly with our new fabric lampshades.

And don’t forget the warm brown tones:

and pops of watermelon!

So many choices in the capiz chimes, we love the look and sound of them all!

And we love Zen-Zen and the way they do business! Another fair trade company, making sure that it’s truly FAIR FOR ALL. Zen-Zen tells us more:

We use ecologically sustainable, natural materials such as bamboo, vetiver, capiz shell and organic cotton. We also try to recycle as much as possible. We make patchwork and carpets from our fabric scraps and decorations on our bags too. Everything is hand-made by village artisans or in our Balizen in-house, fair trade workshop with the smallest carbon footprint we can manage. We utilize, sustain, support and promote traditional, indigenous village handicrafts, so they can be enjoyed by this and future generations. We train our workers and outside suppliers to improve efficiency and sustainability as well as practice the 5 R's – Reduce, Re-use, Recycle, Refuse & Repair. We also believe strongly in continuous improvement and are always looking to make things more efficient and sustainable. We support and are involved in sustainable education, re-forestation, organic farming, community empowerment projects and contribute to the GreenSchool Bali scholarship fund.

We are a registered fair trade company – proud members of the Fair Trade Federation. That means everyone we employ including our subcontractors gets a fair living wage and has good working conditions. Our Indonesian employees also have health insurance, a pension plan and organized Friday afternoon sports. But for us, fair trade means more than that; fair trade means fair to everyone – from our most basic material suppliers/growers to the end retail users. No one gets a huge markup while someone else is getting little.

In short, we believe strongly in providing a quality, ecologically sustainable product at the best price possible, delivered in a relaxed and pleasing way that causes maximum customer satisfaction as well as an appreciation of craftsmanship and global cultures.

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We’re adding a ton of new and unique items to the store everyday; We can’t wait to see what we unpack today!