Entertain Fair Trade, Volume 1: A Colorful World

Welcome to the first of a new series that I'm calling Entertain Fair Trade.  For almost three years, I have been a volunteer at Ten Thousand Villages in Glen Ellyn , Illinois.  For those of you who may be unfamiliar, Ten Thousand Villages is a fair trade retailer which creates opportunities for artisans in developing countries to earn income by bringing their handicrafts and stories to market through long-term fair trade relationships. Ten Thousand Villages stores are located all across the United States.  You can learn much more and order merchandise from their website, Ten Thousand Villages.  The store carries so many unique items, including gorgeous table linens, candles and so much more.  From time to time, I will be featuring lots of items from the store mixed and matched with pieces from my own collection and setting beautiful tables. Hopefully, I will inspire many of you to entertain fair trade while entertaining friends and family.

This table begins with this vibrant orange Spring Blossom tablecloth, hand screened in India.  This cloth is accented with companion napkins.

Since I love to layer, I next added these Summer Breeze placemats, made in Vietnam from bamboo and recycled newsprint.

My own Hampton Green plates, topped with orange paisley enameled salad plates, add to the riot of color on the tabletop.

Made from bamboo by artisans in Vietnam and painted bold shades of green...

these Tidbit and Treat footed bowls add yet another splash of color.  My guests will love sipping something exotic from these Highlands tumblers...

...made in Bolivia from 100% recycled glass!  There is nothing tame about this table, so I chose this colorful hand painted ceramic Rickshaw planter from Bangladesh...

and am using it as a vase by simply slipping a glass jar inside.  As always, Trader Joe's had the perfect flowers for my table.  Matching Rickshaw candles in adorable little flowerpots add to the festive mood.

I decided to write my guests' names on them with chalk and use them as party favors.  That way, my friends will always remember the good times spent at...

...this fabulous table.  You can find out so much more about all of the products featured in this posting and the artisans who made them by clicking on the links provided.  Please support fair trade and visit the Ten Thousand Villages website.  You might just discover a store nearby.  And if not, all products are available on-line.  I had so much fun setting this table and look very forward to future fair trade postings featuring the beautiful times from Ten Thousand Villages.