http://www.buttonmad.com/Site/Catalogue/Catalogue%20Page1.htm
Someone just directed me toward a site that sells fantastic buttons all handmade by women in Africa. Such a small thing, a button. But, such a huge way to support an artisan anywhere in the world with the purchase of his/her handmade items.
To this end, I’m going to begin collecting and posting information about similar sites on this blog. IF YOU are aware of a site that would support an artistan/artist/crafter in a ‘fair market’ way, please be sure to post a link to the site or shop here.
Since I’m a small business owner, I try to support other small business owners rather than having all my dollars go to the big box retailers. This can’t always be done on a practical level, but I have discovered that it’s usually worth the few extra pennies or bucks I might spend to keep good businesses local and to maintain the huge amount of expertise in all crafts/arts that will be lost if we spend all our money at the big box stores.
So, join me in this. Doesn’t matter if you’ve actually dealt with the business yourself, but it does matter that you have good reason to believe it’s on the ‘up and up’ and that the majority of money will return to the artisan rather than to some intermediary.
On this site, there are literally hundreds of buttons to chose from. Here is a sample:
Best of all, these buttons are available at MY favorite LYS (Hearthstone Knits). You can check the website for a retailer (or wholesaler) near you.
Here are some more buttons that are stunning. I love that they’re made from fallen trees rather than from the destruction of living trees.
http://www.ecobutterfly.com/catalog/Natural_Buttons-7-1.html
At the Ecobutterfly.com site there’s a section on beads. I’ve purchased a bunch of glass beads in India. As far as I know, they’re all authentic. This site tells you the questions to ask when purchasing ‘fair market’ beads to determine that you’re getting the real thing.
Another business benefits the children of mothers with AIDS.
http://www.injabulo.com/acatalog/Beads_from_Mothers_for_All.html
You can find more resources online that will use your dollars to benefit artisans all over the world. After all, when you pour your energy and money into your one of a kind crocheted project, it may well be worthy of a special button.
