Fair Trade Designs Ethical Shopping

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*I received this product for free for the purpose of review. Regardless all opinions are my own.I love shopping as much as the next girl, and some of the most beautiful items that catch my eye are often made in other countries, many of which are third-world.

However, after learning how many of these countries have terrible, inhumane working conditions and how the workers and artisans never see a living wage, I will not purchase these items unless I know for sure they are a Fair Trade product.

Over the past few months I have been searching for some colorful table linens to brighten up a glass dining table I recently inherited from my father, so when I was offered the chance to review some items from this awesome online site called Fair Trade Designs, I knew I had found exactly what I was looking for!

All of the products carried by Fair Trade Designs are hand crafted, sustainably produced and fairly traded.  They have a wonderful selection of items from home accents to clothes, accessories to stationery and so much more!

The Bird Green Place Mats I chose to review were hand made in India by skilled artisans working in an environmentally concerned workshop that uses natural resources in production and operations.   The placemats are 100% cotton, and were made using indigenous screen print and dyeing techniques.  Each mat measures 13” in width by 19” in length, and are perfect for both casual or elegant dining.  They do require hand washing and line drying to preserve their original, brilliant colors.

The mats are a lovely, deep shade of green with a lighter shade of green forming a border along the edge.  Inside this border is a simple, yet elegant scroll work-type design using the same shade green as the middle of the place mat.  Along the right hand side of the mat is a beautiful red, gold and green floral design with two colorful birds perched in the branches of a tree in full bloom.

I love these colorful place mats!   The attention to detail in the pattern is exquisite.  Not only are the mats very well made, but they are quite durable.  They add a much-needed splash of color to an otherwise dull table.   Even though they are hand crafted and dyed, the colors are all bright and even, and I see no noticeable problems.  I cannot wait to add some colorful candles or maybe a floral centerpiece to bring out more of the colors in the mats!

Be sure to keep up with the newest products, promotions and more by following Fair Trade Designs on both Twitter and Facebook.  And when you subscribe to their newsletter, you can get an extra 10% off your order, plus have access to great savings!

Thanks to the generosity of Fair-Trade Designs, one lucky Bullock’s Buzz fan will win their own set of 4 Bird Green Place Mats.  To enter simply use the PromoSimple tool below.  This giveaway will begin today and will end MAY 12 at 10am.