For the past few days, I've been working on and off (mostly off) on a baby quilt for a friend's new baby. I keep hitting snags and things aren't going quite right, so I've taken that as a sign that I need a shopping break.

More on my purse hunt:

For displaying spring flowers:

For a Spring tabletop:

For keeping the kids busy while you shop for Spring:

All of these are from Ten Thousand Villages.  If you haven't heard of them before, Ten Thousand Villages is one of the largest fair trade organizations in North America.  They've been around since the 1940's, supporting artisans from around the globe and helping to grow the fair trade phenomenon. 

While they have a growing number of retail stores, their website is full of fantastic finds at great prices. Ten Thousand Villages works with over 100 different artisan groups around the world.  In particular, they seek out artisans who are disadvantaged.  Most importantly, Ten Thousand Villages provides a consistent source of income (through regular purchases) for the artisans and ensures the artisans are timely compensated for their crafts.

What this means for you and me, is that we can confidently purchase authentic handicrafts from around the globe, knowing the artisans were fairly compensated for their work.  Which means we can all sleep easy.