Packaging - my pet subject!

I am a bit of a plastic bag nutter, meaning I hate the things. I can't understand why anybody would want to stuff their shopping into these. They pull your arms out, lengthening them in the process, the handles dig into your fingers and they have a tendency to split when you don't need it. And they are such a killer of wildlife and a general drain on our oil resources.......
Why can't the supermarkets at least give away biodegradable and compostable plastic bags? I did some research and they are not that much more expensive than the oil based ones. They are sturdy and carry your goods home. They take around 6 weeks to fall apart when you put them into your compost or in a landfill site.

Is it laziness, ignorance, stupidity....? Personally I use a trolley and a rather chic one at that. I don't think I look silly and even if I did, I don't care as my posture and health are more important to me than looks. Plus they are environmentally friendlier than plastic bags...

Anyway, I am now looking for compostable bubble wrap and biodegradable jars. Do you think I can find any? Nope! Scrolled through page after page on the web, read loads about what could be done and how easy it is to produce the things (especially the jars) but I can't find a supplier that sell small quantities. And there is not one producer here in the UK, they're based in USA.

What's wrong with the British? Why don't we care about our environment and our future? Is it because we live on a small island? Can't we get the bigger picture? Are we so self absorbed that we just don't care?

There will be a time when our landfill sites are full and we HAVE to think about alternatives. Better start now as in 2 years it will be too late....

Anyway, enough ranting and raving. Does anybody know where I can buy my jars? 1/2 oz or 1 oz. size...

Cebra scoops Marie Claire best fair trade product award

In celebration of Fairtrade Fortnight, Marie Claire has voted our Alaffia shea butter hand & body balm the best fair trade product.

You can read their verdict by clicking here.

Naturally I am thrilled as I kept telling everybody over the last few months how brilliant shea butter is and how it can really give you a great skin if you keep using it.

In fact, I just had a phone call from a lady telling me how grateful she was for having found our website and the best thing she did was order our handmade African black soap and the rooibos & shea butter antioxidant cream - she will come back and order for her friends and relatives as well as she wants all of them to experience the healing qualities of our skin care products.

We shall soon be introducing unrefined shea butter as a refill for your glass jars. The shea butter can then be ordered as 100 g or 500 g unit. You may either refill your exisitng Alaffia jars or store the shea butter in one of our herb baskets (very decorative in the bathroom) or any clean jam jar (for example).

I am also trying to get my hands on shea butter oil. This is great for cooking but also a fantastic carrier oil for essential oils which can be mixed together and used as an aroma roll-on, bathing essence, massage oil or to use all over the body as a moisturiser.

Other new items on our website:

Handbags and stylish rucksacks (with and without leather straps) from Costa Rica.

The fabric for these is hand loomed by Borucan Indians. They are a small tribe living in the rainforest of Costa Rica and fabric weaving is a thousand year old tradition and skill that has been passed down the generations. It needs to be preserved as it is one of the few sources of outside income for these people who are now threatened by civilisation and tree logging. All the yarns for this fabric are dyed with natural colours. Read more about the Borucan Indians and our handbags on our website.

Glass beaded tea light holders from South Africa.

These are made by hand from tiny glass beads by a small group of Xhosa women. The lady who runs the group has received award by the United Nations in 2005 and she goes to extreme lengths to ensure that the Xhosa people have a regular income by creating new designs and coming up with fresh ideas every 6 months or so. I am quite fond of their products and I shall be stocking more items in the near future. The tea light holders come in two colour schemes and as a pack of three each colour. Also available are tea light holders made from porcupine quills that were collected in the bush.

Decorative Kilim floor cushion covers.

A kilim is a flat woven textile, traditionally hand woven by tribal women in Central Asia since the eleventh century A.D. The techniques and designs of the kilim weaving tradition are believed to be a legacy of Turkoman tribes of Iran, Afghanistan, and Turkmenistan. These cushions are available in four colour schemes with the main colours being: grey, indigo, red and brown. Size: 69 x 69 cm and they come in set of two cushion covers.

More unusual cushion covers will be added to the site in a couple of weeks. Watch out for our pure silk tusser cushion covers with a stunning kalamkari border. Hand made and printed in India. I love them!

As always - more stunning and new fair trade and eco accessories can be found on my website under "What's New". I am sure that here you will find a nice Easter present for someone special - or for yourself.

Take care for now. And thank you for supporting fair trade and our artisans.