Holiday Gift Ideas: Fair Trade & Hand-Made
At LOST PINES ART BAZAAR we strive to bring you quality, handcrafted products from around the world, while taking care that each product reflects our commitment to ethical consumerism. This holiday season, we would like to share the history and mission of some of our favorite product lines in the hopes that you will join us in supporting these forward-thinking men and women.
RIFLE PAPER COMPANY (Recipe Box and Cards)
Rifle Paper Co. is a stationery and gift brand based in Winter Park, Florida founded by husband and wife team, Anna and Nathan Bond.
What began as a small business based out of Anna and Nathan’s 1-bedroom apartment has quickly grown into a worldwide brand over the last four years. Our products feature Anna’s whimsical designs which often include hand-painted illustrations and lettering to compose a style that feels both nostalgic and timeless.
All of these paper products are printed in the USA and are inspected and assembled by hand in our studio. We use FSC-certified paper stocks with recycled content, environmentally responsible printers, and select high quality materials that allow for products that are both well-made and enhance our designs. Everything that we create is well thought to ensure that we end up with a collection of products that we would not only use but are incredibly proud of.
TEN THOUSAND VILLAGES (Wood Serving Set)
The global fair trade movement began with the founding of Ten Thousand Villages more than 60 years ago through the visionary work of Edna Ruth Byler, a pioneering businesswoman. Byler was struck by the overwhelming poverty she witnessed during a trip to Puerto Rico in 1946, where she was moved to take action. The seminal contribution of Byler ignited a global movement to eradicate poverty through market-based solutions.
Byler believed that she could provide sustainable economic opportunities for artisans in developing countries by creating a viable marketplace for their products in North America. She began a grassroots campaign among her family and friends in the United States by selling handcrafted products out of the trunk of her car. Byler made a concerted effort to educate her community about the lives of artisans around the world.
For the next 30 years, Byler worked tirelessly to connect individual entrepreneurs in developing countries with market opportunities in North America. From humble beginnings, Ten Thousand Villages has grown to a global network of social entrepreneurs working to empower and provide economic opportunities to artisans in developing countries.
STEVEN SMITH TEAMAKER (Gourmet Tea)
Smith Teamaker is a wonderfully small teaworks on a shady street in Portland, Oregon where one may encounter the finest, freshest full leaf teas, tonics and elixirs handcrafted in very small batches by master teamaker Steve Smith and his talented, hand-picked team.
As the founder of such storied tea businesses as Stash Tea Company and Tazo Teas (now featured at Starbucks), Smith was inspired by the perfumers of Paris and the fine chocolatiers of Provence to create the brand that now bears his name. He also founded the CHAI project for the benefit of some 20,000 villagers in the tea producing regions of Darjeeling and Assam, India.
ASPEN BAY CANDLE COMPANY (Spice Scented Candle)
Aspen Bay Candles was founded in 1978 by Roberta Man as Candles by Bert. After years of experimentation, Roberta developed a votive wax formulation that provided truly superior performance. In subsequent years, additional products fueled strong growth in the line, and in 2001, Tom Reed purchased Aspen Bay.
In July 2012, we re-branded our parent company and are now more clearly identifying the parent company that produces Aspen Bay Candles as DPM Fragrance. DPM Fragrance is a fragrance house that specialized in candles and other fragranced products that are proudly hand poured at our plant in Starkville, Mississippi. The result is a line of premium candles with quality you can see and most importantly smell.
Along with producing upscale, quality products, Aspen Bay has made the decision to be as environmentally conscious as possible. This commitment is seen most notably in our recycled glass jars and recycled steel lids. We also try and buy locally whenever possible.
IN2GREEN (Background Throw)
Our thread literally begins with a single thread – two friends with textile, design, and retail background wanting to make something beautiful and high quality out of recycled materials. Today, in2green continues to prove that upcycling is indeed possible in the USA.
In the recycling process, t-shirt fabrics are re-fiberized back into colored threads,then spun into beautiful cotton blend yarns. The colors have a unique depth that is only possible from blended, not packaged-dyed materials – the best part is that this process helps reduce land and landfill use and requires no additional cotton dyes or chemicals.
We believe unique products require unique materials – all our knit and woven products are made from sustainable materials, including organic and recycled cotton.
From our family to yours, we wish for you a have a wonderful holiday season and spectacular new year!
Sincerely,
The Lost Pines Art Bazaar Team