Heartful Handmade Blog

home decor and more

Novica uses the internet to provide a global showcase for artists and artisans working in cities and villages in the Andes, Bali & Java, Brazil, India, Mexico, Thailand, and West Africa.  The artists set the prices for their offerings and Novica takes a percentage when they sell.  This model gives the artists a good deal of control and also keeps prices very reasonable.  Shipping charges are also low if you're patient and don't mind waiting a couple of weeks or more for your delivery. 

a handmade global market

Etsy calls itself an online marketplace for buying and selling all things handmade, but that does not even begin to tell the story.  This is a worldwide community of people building businesses based on creating handmade products and selling them in online shops.  It's a movement, a living vision of people gaining more control over their lives and doing what they love. 

helping village economies

Ten Thousand Villages is a nonprofit fair trade organization that markets handcrafted products made by artisans all over the world. They sell these products through their 150 retail stores in the United States and Canada, their online store, and through festivals.  This organization has been doing good works for over 60 years (they were founded in 1946), and is a founding member of the International Fair Trade Assocation.  In June of this year, they were named one of the World's Most Ethical Companies by Forbes Magazine and The Ethisphere Institute (press release).  TTV offers a wide selection of quality handmade products:  Jewelry, furniture, musical instruments, toys, baskets, scarves, purses, and much, much more. And they have an impressive collection of hand tied oriental rugs made in village homes, usually by families, using locally farmed wool, traditional methods and natural dyes.