Ten Thousand Villages of Austin’s Blog

Reduce, reuse, recycle. We’ve all heard about the importance of recycling.  Places in Austin like Ecology Action and the City of Austin’s Curbside Recycling Program make it pretty easy for most of us to recycle.  Most of us know about the importance of reducing waste and reusing things as well.  But what about altogether new uses for some of your favorite products?

 
Some of the best ideas for new and unusual uses for Ten Thousand Villages products come directly from our customers.  A Ten Thousand Villages customer in Nova Scotia has been using soaps from Palam Rural Center artisans to make her own, non-toxic, environmentally friendly laundry soap.  The recipe is “easier than no-bake cookies,” but the best part about doing this is you can choose whatever scent suits your mood.  All you need is:

Ten Thousand Villages is proud to support local non-profit organizations by hosting benefit shopping nights.  This month, all of our benefit nights will be helping local dog rescue, wellness, and training organizations.  You and your four-legged canine friends are welcome to stop in to shop.  As an added bonus, our fabulous sponsor, Bark for Peace, will be providing vegan, organic treats for your pets! Also available will be greeting cards from Verysupercool with all of your favorite dog expressions!

Stop in any evening next week, May 12-15, and your purchase between 5pm-9pm will benefit the following organizations:

May 12 - Lucky Mutts Mixed Breed Rescue
May 13 - Chain Free Austin
May 14 - Schrodi Memorial Training Scholarship Fund
May 15 - Austin German Shepherd Dog Rescue

Our neighbor, Rivers & Reefs, will stay open late for last minute dog food shopping May 12-15!  Hope to see you and your pups in the store! …Taylor

At Ten Thousand Villages of Austin, we’ve just gotten in a wide array of new items in our Lotus (blue and white home accents) collection. All fair trade, all handmade, all the time!

The lotus is revered because it is typically born out of muddy water, producing a beautiful bloom that unfolds at the dawn of each morning. It has become a symbol of peace and tranquility. Like the lotus flower, these new items can bring YOU peace and tranquility in your home!

Start your day right with yoga or meditation… This meditation pillow from Vietnam is made with handmade fabric and stuffed with kapok from trees found in the villages of Vietnam.

Has it been awhile since you sent a handwritten letter to an old friend? You can make your own ink with this calligraphy set from Vietnam, complete with brushes, paper and your own stamp.

May I take your coat? This beautiful hanger is carved from meh wood in Indonesia and is treated with teak oil.

How about a nice, soothing cup of tea? This handmade teapot from Nepal is finished with a blue, two-tone glaze and bamboo handle. Don’t forget the matching teacup set!

Also, don’t forget the cream and sugar… This handpainted set from Vietnam will complement your teapot quite nicely!

Shall we go sit in the garden? This handpainted ceramic garden stool from Vietnam is reminiscent of the Ming dynasty, adorned with a garden scene.

Hope to see you in the store very soon …Taylor

Jingle Jangle that’s the sound of bangles! Ten Thousand Villages traditional Indian glass bangles are back. Gone for a short time on backorder vacation, now appearing live at Ten Thousand Villages of Austin.

We are so excited to have these beautys back in the store; Teal, Green, Red, Blue -a set of nine with matching bags. “Wear six at a time, Each bag contains nine. Glass bangles will break, Three extras you take.”

As they say in Nepal, “The sound of bangles while women work is the sound of change.” So please come on in and make some change!

Kitty 

Spring is here, and things are in full bloom at Villages of Austin! This past weekend, a woman and her fiancé came into the store. She had heard from a friend that our store has beautiful jewelry (it does!), and she was looking for a necklace to wear at her wedding in April.

We just unpacked a new shipment of jewelry last week, and she decided on one of our new pieces. It’s a beautiful filigree and glass bead necklace from India. If you’re like me and have no clue what filigree is, allow me! It’s a technique using gold and other metals where the product is designed to look like lace. So the gold beads in the necklace have a very delicate, intricate pattern that does indeed give them the appearance of lace.

This woman’s purchase is not only going to make a difference on her wedding day, it’s going to make a difference in the lives of all the artisans working at TARA Projects in India.

Why not come into the store to take a closer look? And yes… there are matching earrings!

 See you soon…Taylor

:Equal exchange has a limited edition run of loose leaf tea from India, Sri Lanka and South Africa.  Order it online.

:The Guardian analyzes whether fair trade certification is delivering on its promise.  Are farmers workers truly benefiting from the premium?

Technorati Tags: equalexchange, tea, fairtrade, uk

After the initial scare around the potential of a U.S. Department of Agriculture ruling to require each farm in a co-op to be inspected annually, a cost that would in effect put the small, organic farmers out of business, there’s now a reprisal.

The USDA issued a statement on May 1 (Labor Day!) that the rules for organic certification will not change, at this time.  The issue will be discussed further in the fall, where amendments will be addressed.

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