Posts in the fair trade category

There's nothing quite like the joy of Christmas to a small child. Adults may be inclined to forget the sheer excitement the mysterious red-robed visitor gives to kids, who leave perhaps a slice of cake, a drink and the obligatory carrot or celery for the reindeer on the evening of the 24th. Christmas inspires kids to hope, to be grateful, to spread joy through sharing and to celebrate love. At Dragonfly Toys and, of course, at Ignite Minds - where we train our educators in the most important job in the world, looking after children in family daycare - these...

The word Papoose comes from the American Indian word to swaddle a baby. Renske Carobone, the lady behind Papoose, said she chose the word because it evoked the feeling of soft, natural,warm felt and she also liked the word for how it looked written down. Through a series of life changes she made her way to Nepal, where she discovered their talent for the traditional craft of felting One of the stories about how felt originated was that it was discovered by sheep herders who had lined their footwear with plucks of wool from the sheep they were minding for...

We are so pleased to have in stock the most gorgeous fair trade crochet baby rattles from Pebble Child. The simplicity of them makes them perfect for babies exploring this new amazing world around them. A knitted snake with a bell inside- so traditional but ever popular. All children love snakes. When my four year old came into my office I had the just delivered Pebble Toys spread out to price and admire them and the first thing he did was yell 'snakey!' and grab one of the knitted snakes to shake and cuddle. My favourites are the Pixie Rattle...

Kala Raksha has the most beautiful board games! From India, these games remove the 'board' from the board game and replace it with embroidered and appliqued fabric. Founded in 1993, Kala Raksha is a grassroots social enterprise located in the Kutch region in India. Its aim is to preserve the traditional arts and crafts of many of the cultures in India. Artisan initiative and participation continue to be the pillars of Kala Raksha's work. Artisan Design Committees create exquisite contemporary work based in their traditions. Artisan Pricing Committees establish fair wages. Finally, artisans participate in sale of their work, linking...

[gallery] Linda and I own a small workshop based in India in the beautiful hill station of Macleodganj, home to His Holiness the Dalia Lama. Currently we employ 7 Tibetan women who sew for us. The workshop is something that we are working hard to get off the ground. After having a lot of personal contact with the women we feel a great responsibility and affinity towards them all. Most are mothers, like us, who are supporting their family with the skills they have at their disposal- their hands. We pay the women a weekly wage, not by piece, so...