Be Sweet: Creative Products with a Conscience & More Do-Good Gifts

While window shopping in our neighborhood this weekend, my husband and I went into a store that was selling the beautiful handmade bag pictured here. A card propped up beside it explained that it was produced by a company called, Be Sweet. Most of Be Sweet's products are made by artisans who work in job creation programs in South Africa. They sell hand-knit scarves, shawls, hats and throws, hand-crafted bags and jewelry, hand-spun and dyed yarn, knitting patterns and Be Sweet tanks and tees printed on American Apparel T-shirts.

You can find a store near you that sells Be Sweet products here, and if you are a knitter, they've posted a free pattern.

Last week I posted about the online fair trade store, Global Girlfriend, here and on BlogHer, and asked readers to post other ideas for do-good gifts. One reader suggested the Amber Chand Collection that features gifts by craftswomen who live in regions of conflict and post-conflict. My dad (!) suggested two sites related to the Museum of New Mexico Foundation (who he works for)-- New Mexico Creates, that features the work of 400+ New Mexican artisans and artists, and Worldfolkart.org, that sells work by international artisans.

If you have more ideas for do-good gifts, please post them here. You can also check out some other ideas myself and Have Fun * Do Good readers had last year here, here, here and here.

Photo credit: Shelley Big Bag from Be Sweet site.

holiday
shopping
knitting