Simply ethical. Simply fair trade and eco chic » ethical shopping

Fairtrade Eco Chic Home Accessories

Sabine — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 10:02:17 +0000

Perfect for your garden tea party – our handmade teapot cozies come in a variety of patterns. You put your teapot inside and pull the satin band at the top and your tea stays hot for at least 3 hours. They look fabulous and are sure to be the talk of your garden party.
Our teapot cozies are machine washable and dry quickly. Material: printed cotton.
Price: £19.00 incl. 2nd class delivery via Royal Mail.

For the dining table we have some lovely felted hot pads handmade in Kazachstan by Mongolian herders. The sale of these hot pads support the Snow Leopard Conservation Project in the area. Snow Leopards are highly endangered due to poaching for their pelts and shooting by herders trying to protect their flocks of sheep. By selling these pads the herders’ women have found a way of supporting their husbands’ income which in turn has led to a more understanding acceptance of snow leopards by the herders.
The hot pads are 10″ in diameter and they look fabulous on your dining table. I use mine all the time and it protects my table top perfectly from hot rings and stains. Assorted cream colours.
Price: £14.00 incl. 2nd delivery via Royal Mail.

And finally – why not treat yourself to some new scatter cushion covers. Handmade and printed in Kenya, our Kikoy scatter cushions are ideal for your garden chairs and benches. Of course they also come in handy on you sofa or bed or indeed anywhere where you need a bit of comfort, back support or an earthy dash of colour. Machine washable and quick drying. 40 x 40 cm in size. Available in two colour schemes.
Price: £13.00 incl. 2nd class delivery via Royal Mail

Whatever the weather and wherever you are – enjoy your summer.

Stand Out From The Crowd…

Sabine — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 08:52:26 +0000

I founded Cebra ethical chic 4 years ago as a purely internet based business. At the time I read up and did a lot of

The new Fetch Tote

research about consumer habits and spending but I was also trying to find out whether people were ready for sustainable accessories. In my opinion they were, so the next step was finding great quality accessories such as handbags and jewellery that were made with sustainable materials but most importantly without the use of child labour and they had to fall in line with my fair trade philosophy.

It wasn’t easy to be honest. I had high standards and I didn’t want to compromise. Many long nights were spent talking to people from the other side of the world, asking relatives living in Africa for advice, browsing on the internet, getting in touch with organisations and charities and visiting a few place myself to get an impression of what was available and what I could do to support not only the cause but also people living in desperate poverty from which there seemed no escape.

Madagascan artisans creating raffia handbags

Today I am proud to say that I have built up a great network of artisans and suppliers and that the little I can do makes a big difference to these peoples’ lives. People such as this artisan group in Madagascar that makes all our raffia handbags – by hand, with sustainable materials (raffia) and using eco friendly techniques (vegetable dyes).

What is Cebra up to?

Sabine — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 17:48:17 +0000

I support the Snow Leopard Trust and to that effect I created a shop section on cebraonline.com. Every month new products are added and in February there will be a range of new adult slippers, children’s booties, handbags, rugs, coasters and heat pads as well as a few toys such as felt balls.

The adult slippers have proven such a success that the Inilchek version is sold out now until new stock arrives in July. Pop over and have a look. The baby booties are particularly cute….

The arrival of our chocolate brown fair trade alpaca wool ponchos and a fab range of alpaca wool, hand knitted women’s sweaters is awaited by us with eager anticipation. Ponchos area such great clothing items. When the days get longer and warmer, they are the ultimate “coats” – just pull over and go. They keep you warm and cosy and look chic and trendy and this colour, chocolate brown, can be combined and worn with any outfit. Our ponchos are hand knitted in Peru from the finest alpaca wool and can be worn for years to come.

Hand knitted, soft alpaca sweaters in black, chocolate brown and cream – a great choice of colours and superior quality. These are the type of jumpers I have been searching for for a long time and finally I found them. Hand knitted from the finest alpaca wool in Peru, they complement your wardrobe perfectly and make for an elegant and sophisticated fashion statement. Available from mid February, so please check back regularly.

New in our vegan registered range: bath fizzies, aloe vera gels with seaweed and essential oils, organic fairtrade shea nilotica from Uganda (our own range), hand crafted shea butter soaps with herbs, shea butter moisturiser bars and in the body care section we are launching a new 100% vegan hairbrush as well as a new, slightly larger baby hair brush.

And finally – our weavernest tealight holders handmade from coloured glass and fairly traded with an Indian community were featured on Good Morning America.i Very briefly I must say with just a pointer at them by the presenter, but nevertheless. They were on American television – hey! If you look very closely they are on the video picture to the right behind the presenter, hanging up on a bamboo stick……and they are listed on page two – scroll down to the middle of the page.

Listed only on MISI – exclusive fairtrade fashion, sterling silver rings & cute dog coats

Sabine — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 23:21:46 +0000

Brown cotton blouse

I am not only passionate about fairtrade – I am also adamant that fairtrade fashion needs to be trendy, good looking and of outstanding quality. With that in mind I set out to source some inspiring and wonderful cotton blouses, handmade in Thailand. With fabulous hand embroidery and in adaptable colours. I have also sourced some stunning sterling silver rings in the process, also handmade in Thailand and a couple of cute dog coats. The latter are made from hand loomed cotton based on Inca designs and they are absolutely unique. Something for the pampered pooch (of which I have three!). Hop over to MISI and have a look – these items are ONLY listed on MISI – not on Cebra and not on allthingsgreen (my other portal). Everything sells on a first-come-first-served basis and as always I donate at least 10% of sales back to the community and/or a chosen charity.

5 Top Tips for a Happy Life

Sabine — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 19:28:00 +0000

Apart from the obvious like eating freshly prepared food, being nice to your neighbours, giving up smoking and drinking (but not necessarily the odd glass of wine every now and then) and being generous, ethical shopping can have a big impact on your outlook on life.

Looking your best really is a big mood enhancer. Physical appeal aside, beauty is about your aura, how you feel about yourself and therefore how others perceive you. It has been proven time and again that chemically loaded facial creams don’t do very much for your appearance, especially if you suffer from allergies as some chemicals can cause your skin to come out in a rash.

Recycling is another great mood enhancer. Yes, sorting your plastics from your papers is a good start, but why not go and buy more recycled products and even extend this to buying recycled gifts for friends or décor for your home and garden?

Buy more fair trade – it gives you a clear conscience and that lets you sleep better. Sleep in turn is great for your skin…….fair trade makes sure that small producers receive a fair share from selling their products. And real fair trade makes sure that only sustainable or recycled ingredients are used in the making of products. You can make a difference when buying fair trade.

Creating a green corner in your home, if you don’t have a big garden, gives you a positive mindset. Sowing seeds to see them grow into flowers, herbs or your own salad leaves is a real thrill – for you and your children. It is also great for teaching and learning about responsibility.

And finally, buying only good quality and well designed products, whether for yourself or a friend, is kinder to your purse in the long run. Which makes you happier. That handbag you bought for £9.50 the other day, fell apart the next day and you lost your keys, your money, your driver’s licence and now you have a hellish time replacing everything. Which will cost you – what? 5 times as much as that handbag? Better save up and then buy a handbag for £75 that will last, is stylish and can be recycled by passing it on to your daughter. For example.

That’s it. In my experience anyway.

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