So, if you shop now, you can still save 20% off any order at bluedango.com. Just enter the code JULY4 on the confirmation page of the checkout process and select Update Price.

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When you shop fair trade at bluedango, you’re giving the gift of opportunity.  And, that deserves a lot of celebration.  So, shop between now and Monday, July 6th and you can save 20% at bluedango.com.

To take advantage of this special offer, just enter the code JULY4 at checkout, on the confirmation page of the checkout process and select Update Price.

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De-clutter by cleaning off counters and tables and finding a place for those odds and ends. You can use a decorative basket to collect mail, newspapers and car keys that need to be handy.

Shallow baskets make a great way to collect those odds and ends.  Simply choose a basket that matches your kitchen or office, and you can easily de-clutter your kitchen counters, table, or desk.

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Distinguishing Characteristics

The unusual technique of painting, burnishing and firing used in Chulucanas results in pottery most notably characterized by elements of stark contrast.  The pottery pieces are formed by hand, colored using lead free mineral oxides, fired, and then smoked. Smoking the pottery creates deep black and brown hues, which are then offset with contrasting colors to further emphasize the design.

You will often see Chulucanas pottery designs with white or ivory accents counterbalanced with dark backgrounds of black or brown. The inverse, where potters use the smoking process to create black or brown accents in contrast to lighter backgrounds, is also characteristic of Chulucanas pottery. In many contemporary pottery designs, potters offset the dark hues with bright, vivid colors, maintaining the contrast of color that has made Chulucanas pottery so popular.

Designs and Uses

With the variety of designs available, Peruvian pottery can make attractive home accent vases for display on tables, or in bookshelves. For decorative use, you can easily create a centerpiece using dried botanicals. Often times you will find various sizes available in the same pattern, or even complimentary patterns, so you can easily group two or more pots or vases together to create a more dramatic effect.

Potters in Chulucanas, Peru and Fair Trade

The majority of the Chulucanas, Peru community is now involved in making pottery. Handmade pottery that is produced according to fair trade standards benefits the potters and their families. Fair trade practices and payment allow Peruvian potters to maintain their craft, while earning a fair wage and the income necessary to provide the basics, such as food, health care and education for themselves and their families.

Visit bluedango.com to find Peruvian pottery, home accent vases, and other ethnic home accents designed by international artisans.

We’re so excited to introduce our newest addition.  Brightly colored, the Senka Sari throw is handwoven and made from recycled sari scraps.  Ideal size for lap blanket.  Packaged in a natural sea grass basket with handles, this bundle makes a great eco-friendly gift idea.

Save 25% off now, with our special introductory offer.

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Well, that got me to thinking about talking MP-3 players, and then I had this great idea…actually, that’s all just too much to get into right now because, today we’re going back in time.  Sorry.  We’ll come back that another day.  Today, I’ve gotta tell you about my newest funky find.  And, to do that, we have to go back in time.  Back to vinyl records.  You may remember them, or actually you may not.  In dog years, I wouldn’t either…but in people years, well…again, all of that is a story for another day.  Right now, it’s back to vinyl.

See, there are these bowls made from vinyl records.  Recycled record bowls?  That’s right.  These recycled record bowls are made from 12″ vintage vinyl records, the original label is intact and protected with a seal.  Call it recycling, or upcycling…I would actually call it a touch of retro deco.  A funky Quinton find.  So, go check out Jeff Davis’  recycled record bowls at Modern Artists.

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention.  You can even pick from Jazz, Rock, Country…pretty much whatever groove you like.  What a great gift for music lovers!  You really can’t beat that with a stick (or, I might have said a set of drumsticks)…

Freshen up the look of your rooms by changing out a few things.  Remember, it’s ok to put some things away for now, too.  So, take a look around, see what you have and where else you could use it.  Move furniture around in your room.  Or, shift it from one room to another.  Same goes for accessories.

So, go move that chair…shift those pillows…rearrange those vases.  Voila!  Your rooms can look completely different (without spending a dime).

Handmade, fair trade, and suede.  Each is sewn together by hand, using high quality suede scraps that would have been thrown away otherwise.  They’re kind of like Superman, you remember the drill, it’s a bird, it’s a plane…only in this case, it’s a throw, it’s a rug…It can even be a wall hanging (built-in pockets).  You know, if you don’t want to throw them around.

Front:  100% suede with black cotton edges.  Backing:  100% cotton with built-in pocket for hanging.

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