Jacaranda Blue Blog

Living Ethically, the UK ethical directory, has compiled a recommended list of Christmas gift ideas for consumers with a conscience. I’m proud to say that not only did our Recycled Keyboard Cufflinks make it to the list, but they’ve been chosen as a Star Buy!

They do make a very original gift for the eco-conscious suit wearers in your life and aren’t easily available in the UK except from Jacaranda Blue. We have Mac versions available too!

Why not get a Recycled Keyboard Keyring for him at the same time?

Or for the more traditionally minded, we have these Classic Striped Cufflinks available.

Congratulations to Miss Daksha Karavadra of Nottingham who was the lucky winner of our competition!

For those of you who missed out, you can still treat yourself to the Luxury Bath Products Gift Box on our website. There are also lots of other divine organic bath products to choose from, so you can spoil someone special this Christmas knowing that the gift you’ve chosen is good for them, good for the environment and good for the producers!

Here are some other organic gift ideas from our range:

Bath Melts Gift Box

Organic Soap & Bath Melts Gift Set

Set of 2 Luxury Handmade Soaps

Organic Body Butter

We’re offering one lucky person the chance to win a gift box of luxury organic bath products worth £20. Visit Gift Chooser to find out more and enter!

Of course, if you just can’t wait for the competition to end, or if you find you’re not the winner, then you can buy the Luxury Bath Products Gift Box here.

Good luck!

I’ve just created a lens on Squidoo called Recycled Crafts - fun gifts with a conscience. Please visit and let me know what you think!

We’ve just had a few more cuties in from Kenana Knitters: an adorable lamb and a sweet little bunny. Click on the pics below for more details.

The Handknitted Wool Baby Gift Set now offers the choice of teddy or bunny.

Most of us are feeling the effects of the current credit crunch, and struggling to keep up with higher gas and electricity bills. Obviously consumers are going to be more concerned with prices than they were a while back, but does this mean that they will also be less concerned about fair trade?

A lot of people believe that buying fair trade items is much more expensive, but this is not always the case. At the supermarket I’m often pleasantly surprised by how similar in price the fairtrade products are to the standard brands. Even ‘luxury’ fair trade items, such as giftware and fashion, are reasonably priced when compared with the high street. Often exchange rates mean that just a few pennies extra in the UK make a big difference when converted to the local currency in third world countries.

I’ll admit that the current trend for disposable fashion (ultra cheap, mass produced clothing and accessories) does give the impression of better prices for the customer - until you look more closely. There are several ways in which buying fair trade is the better option:

1. Conscience is the obvious reason - no matter what a bargain a piece of clothing is, is it worth wondering whether child labour has been used to produce it, or whether your saving of a few pounds is depriving someone else of their meals for the day?
2. Value for money also comes into it. Cheap, mass produced items are not going to last, either physically or in terms of fashionability. Think about it in cost-per-wear terms. A £3 t-shirt worn once works out more expensive (£3 per wear) than a £15 t-shirt worn even just ten times (£1.50 per wear) - and a good quality t-shirt is likely to be worn far more than that! We’ve all made the mistake of buying something cheap only to find it twists in the wash, the colours run, seams rip or it shrinks. Isn’t it better to invest a little more in something that will last and that you really love (and didn’t just buy because it was ‘a bargain’)?
3. Individuality makes a big difference. Cheap mass produced items all look the same - the styles and cuts are usually very boring and basic. When producers are paid fairly for their work, they can afford to spend time on design and on detail, which makes their creations stand out as something special. Clothes and accessories that are more individual also have better longevity, as it’s not as obvious when and where they were bought, so they can last several seasons or even several years.

To summarise, when money is tight you should be spending more wisely, and cheap disposable fashion is not wise but wasteful. Think before you buy and invest in a few beautiful pieces that you really love - you’ll not only look more stylish but you’ll save money too!

Take a look at Jacaranda Blue’s range of fair trade accessories to see just how gorgeous and affordable ethically sourced handbags and jewellery can be!

Jacaranda Blue will soon be stocking fair trade gifts for babies and children, including some really gorgeous fair trade soft toys from Kenana. Here’s a sneak peek at a couple of the items that should be arriving shortly…

From the heart of rural Kenya, Kenana offers a range of toys, accessories and home furnishings using 100% natural wool, which has been home spun, plant dyed and hand knitted with care.

Kenana Knitters are a growing group of women whose success is helping build a future for their children and the community. This is a self-sustainable community committed to environmentally friendly processes. Truly ethical fair trade that makes a difference!

Click here to read more about Kenana Knitters.

Here’s a link to a basic article about what fair trade is. It’s just an introduction, but useful to those who are just starting to be interested in how buying fair trade can help.

Click here to read the article.

We’ve just added some gorgeous red roses to our online shop made from painted recycled tin. These everlasting, recycled and fair trade roses are perfect for all you eco-friendly romantics out there!

The artist who  created these was going through hard times a few years back and he dreamed he was searching through rubbish dumps for items. In his dream there were beautiful bright flowers growing out of the rubbish. When he woke up he decided it was a message to develop these roses from old tin cans, which he paints.

We’re happy to tell you that the beaded lighthouses are finally back in stock in our shop. What’s even better is that they now come in three different colours: white with a light blue, dark blue or black stripe. Just click on the image to take a look.