Looking for a unique gift for Mom this Mother’s Day?

I love the gift baskets from Global Exchange, each of which is made up of goodies from fair trade artisans from all over the world, and stuffed into a handmade basket that can be used again and again.

This Mother’s Day Gift Basket contains fair trade dark and milk chocolate, Code Pink tea, a handmade Tunisian mug, a Bolivian banana leaf gift box, bath bags, and a Chinese garden-in-a-can, all inside a Kaisa grass basket from Bangladesh.

Their other gift baskets are equally cool & unique. My other top picks are the New Mom
and Chocolate Lover’s (yum!) baskets. And don’t forget that maybe the best thing about these baskets is that they’re fair trade, so your purchase helps less fortunate people around the world earn a fair wage and support their families.

Also be sure to check out Global Exchange’s selection of fair trade coffee - always a great treat for any coffee lover. You could even pair it with one of their handmade mugs for a quick & thoughtful gift.

Global Exchange Gift Baskets - from $54.

It’s Fair Trade Friday!

...And play it often. You’ll have no trouble when you download an album or buy a CD of traditional folk or dance music by fair trade farmers and artisans from around the world. It’s fun for kids to listen to and a great introduction to different kinds of music and rhythms they otherwise may not be exposed to.

Try:

Musicians Farmers and Poets by Nicaraguan Fair Trade Farmers (CD or MP3 download)

Music from the Chocolate Lands

Putumayo World Party - Dance music from around the world

Acoustic Brazil - Brazilian music & Portugese lyrics. A portion of the proceeds form the sale of this CD are donated to AMENCAR, an organization dedicated to helping the struggle for the civil rights of children in Brazil.

From $6.99-$16.95

These pull toys are all made with sustainably harvested wood, vegetable dyes, and non-toxic coating, making them completely safe playthings. What a stark contrast to the majority of toys out there made for our kids!
Handmade by fair-trade artisans in India, they are beautiful, eco-friendly, and sure to provide years of enjoyment. Sounds like a win-win-win to me!

~It’s Fair Trade Friday!~

Wouldn’t this look amazing in your home or child’s room?

These gorgeous traditional African art prints are made by Heidi Lange, who has lived in East Africa since 1970 studying the people and different tribes, including the Maasai. Through her work she seeks to portray the unique culture and preserve the heritage of the Kenyan people.

The silkscreen tye-dye and batiked prints depict a wide range of people and subjects, preserving them and their traditions and educating the world about them. Her art is displayed in many museums and galleries around the world, and she has won numerous humanitarian recognitions. She also insists that good art doesn’t need to be outrageously expensive. Her cotton prints are reasonably priced so that average people in many countries can afford to purchase and display them in their homes to further multicultural awareness.

Fair Trade companies Worldgoods and GlobalCrafts sell her work, starting at $9.95.

Forget the plastic and electronic musical toys, and introduce your kids to a creative way of making their own music.
These Thai Folk Art hand-carved frogs are unique musical instruments. Just slide the stick across the frog’s back and it sounds like a realistic “ribbit”! Fun and educational, it’s a great tool to spark musical interest in little ones.

This larger cricket is another great percussion instrument. Hand-carved from Monkey Pod wood which is a renewable resource in Thailand, he comes packaged in a handmade paper gift box ready for giving.

$12.00 - $19.00 each at FairWorldGallery