I recently got to try out some awesome lip balm samples from Anti-Body (that’s short for “anti-poverty, beautiful body”). They sent me their peppermint lip balm, which I’m always a sucker for. It’s no wonder why this balm is one of their best-sellers. It’s full of nothing but ingredients you actually know and can pronounce, including fair trade shea butter and fair trade coconut oil.

I’d been hooked on the C.G. Bigelow mentha lip balm before, but upon second glance, there’s a lot of ingredients in that balm with long, chemical sounding names that I’m not really sure what they are. And though the Anti-Body balm doesn’t have quite the tingly pepperminty kick of the C.G. Bigelow balm, I’ve found it’s left my lips feeling a lot softer for a lot longer.

I made my boyfriend try out the chocolate hazelnut balm from their Nutcracker Sweet set, and I’ve gotta admit that when I kissed it off of him, it was pretty tasty stuff. My friend Gwen from Sigh Co. Graphics tested the sugar plum flavor for me and she really enjoyed it as well.

Every Anti-Body product features one or more fair trade ingredients, and as more fair trade ingredients come onto the market, their goal is manufacture 100% fair trade body care products. All of their products currently feature recyclable packaging (with most of it being made from recycled materials), they are free from parabens and are never tested on animals.

While you’re busy scoring all those Cyber Monday shopping deals, check out Anti-Body’s online store and use the coupon code MissMalaprop for 10% off your total order, good now through December 31st, 2008.

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Tonic, a new online shopping destination that partners with non-profits working in the areas of the environment, education, poverty and social welfare, just launched a new line of tote bags featuring exclusive designs by British designer Luella Bartley.  Proceeds from each design benefit a different charitable organization, and the designs are available on cotton canvas tote bags, which fold and zip up for compact storage and portability.

I particularly like the stag design, which provides one soccer ball to school children in Kenya with each purchase.  Each soccer ball is made by Alive & Kicking UK to be durable and repairable so it can hold up in harsh climates, and each one carries a message about HIV/AIDS and malaria, which teachers can use to engage children about risks to their health.  Their goal is to sell 2,500 tees in order to provide 2,500 soccer balls to these kids.

I also really like the Education tee, which is part of Tonic’s “Every T Counts” initiative.  It features an exclusive design by American actor and designer Tara Subkoff, and is printed on a t-shirt made from 70% bamboo and 30% organic cotton.  A purchase of this tee will provide safety, nutrition and education to kids who otherwise face a life on the street in India.

I really love what Tonic is doing.  On average they donate 40% of the revenue of each sale directly to the related cause, and they work hard to make sure their products are created in a sustainable, fair trade manner.  They try to use as much of their revenue for doing good as possible, so they don’t spend much on marketing.  So if you’re a fan of Tonic like I am, tell your friends and help spread the word!

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I love the new Metal for Monsters line of limited-edition pendants from Blend Creations.  I learned about it recently when I did an interview with owner & designer Vivian Cheng for the StyleList blog.  Vivian and her husband teamed up with nine artists who contributed the monster illustrations.  Only 100 of each of the 20 pendants will be available, and $16 from the sale price of each pendant will go to UNICEF, with the goal of raising $10,000 for the international children’s charity.  It’s such a worthy cause, and the pendants are pretty freaking amazing.

I’m also loving the incredible octopus art I picked up a few weeks ago at Voodoo Fest from artist Serene Bacigalupi.  She only has a Flickr photostream right now, but I told her she needs to set up an Etsy shop because I think she’d do great there.  Isn’t her art fabulous?

My friend Gwen from Sigh Co. Graphics recently brought me back an awesome octopus brooch from the H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival in Portland, Oregon.  She got it from the very talented jewelry artist and printmaker Liv Rainey-Smith, who has an Etsy shop dedicated to Lovecraftian goods.

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I know a bunch of you out there are parents trying to make smarter choices for your kids and family.  I just learned about two really cool sites to help you out.

Craftsbury Kids is a great online boutique offering up the best in independent craft and designs, specially catered to kids.  Owner and founder Cecilia Leibovitz is a mom of four and step-mom to two.  Her mission is to offer parents and gift-givers an alternative to mass-produced goods.

With fears about lead in toys made in China being only one good reason to shop handmade when it comes to kid’s products, Craftsbury Kids is a great resource.  They’re helping artists and crafters earn a living doing what they love, while encouraging a life-long appreciation for the arts and high quality, handcrafted goods in the kids who receive these products.  There are some adorable last minute Halloween costumes and treats, plus tons of great gift ideas, including many items under $20.

Elyse C. Bec Designs offers up a line of SuperCute! Baby Sweaters, in addition to scarves, hats and gloves for men and women.  All of these designs are handcrafted from the finest alpaca, silk and cotton, by knitters working under fair trade conditions.

The knitters who create these designs are primarily single mothers living in Bolivia, one of Latin America’s poorest countries, and they make their living using the skills which have been handed down from generation to generation, as Andean women and men have been weaving and knitting alpaca wool for centuries.  The SuperCute! Baby Sweaters are exactly what their name implies, and just like the goods from Craftsbury Kids, these sweaters are made to last and would be great to hand down as new family heirlooms.

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Today is Blog Action Day and this year’s theme is poverty.  When I participated last year, the theme was environmental awareness, and obviously both of these issues are very dear to my heart.

I’m a huge supporter of micro-lending and the idea that small-scale entrepreneurship can be one of the greatest tools for alleviating poverty in many parts of the world. One of my favorite places for lending is Kiva.org.

I love it because you can see and get a sense of the individual entrepreneurs that you’re helping. (That’s Aurelia pictured here - she’s one of the entrepreneurs I’m currently lending to.)  I also love that you can start out lending a really small amount but still feel like it’s making a difference - the minimum amount to contribute to a loan is $25.  And once the loan is repaid, you get that money back, so you can use it again to help out someone else.  They also have gift certificates, so you can give a certain amount of money in someone’s name but then let them choose how it is distributed.  I know I’ll be doing some of these in a few months for holiday gifts.

There are so many easy things you can do to help: Be mindful in your every day purchasing decisions.  Read labels, look for fair trade products, and seek out brands that support socially responsible business practices.  Check out World of Good, a shopping portal started by eBay that has tons of cool fair trade options and eco-friendly products.  Volunteer and help to eliminate the causes of poverty right in your own community!  There’s so much that we can do, and while poverty is a BIG issue, there are plenty of small choices that we can make that can make a big difference if we all pitch in.

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A couple of cool quick links…

If you’re already working on some early holiday shopping, think about gifts that give twice.  Phyllis of personaltreasures.etsy.com made a great post recently about some Etsy shops where 100% of profits benefit a humanitarian project in Africa.

Phyllis was inspired to post about other shops doing this particular kind of giving because her husband is planning to return to Africa in early 2009 to do volunteer work with refugee and orphaned children in Liberia.  Her husband Bill did two tours with the Peace Corps as a teacher in Liberia in his younger days and Phyllis wanted to use her Etsy endeavors to help raise money for Bill’s upcoming trip.  It’s a really interesting story and a great cause.

Also, Jen over at Indie Fixx is doing a really fabulous contest: it’s her Indie Fixx Autumn Cornucopia Giveaway.  There’s 2 different prizes (both prize packs are valued at nearly $400 each!) and 2 ways to win.  All the details on how to enter can be found at Indie Fixx.

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Betsi from zlanarama.com just emailed me to let me know about a fabulous charitable event she’s participating in.

Her friend Shira Lipkin is doing a Blogathon on her site, Never Silent, to raise money for the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center (BARCC), and she’ll be posting to her blog every half hour for 24 hours on July 26-27 to raise money for this great charity.

In order to help raise funds for BARCC, Shira has coordinated an eBay auction with tons of handmade goodies, including this pink-yet-punk mirrored perspex skull pendant by Betsi. Every item in this auction will have a short-short story written about it during the Blogathon, and the winner of each auction receives a story card with their item. 100% of the proceeds of the auctions will go to BARCC.

Help a great charity and check out all the cool stuff up for auction!

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Have you seen or heard Al Gore’s speech from yesterday yet? If not, I HIGHLY recommend it. I listened to the whole thing on NPR yesterday, and found myself nodding along, but there is also footage on YouTube.

If you agree with Gore’s challenge to America, like I do, please add your voice at We Can Solve It and take action. Help spread the word, write a letter to your editor, call your elected officials, contact your utility company, etc.

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I’ve been meaning to mention Goods 4 Girls for awhile now, ever since I first found out about it through my friend Lara. I was reminded of it today when I came across Party in my Pants via Bust magazine’s newsletter. Party in my Pants (aka PIMP) makes reusable cloth menstrual pads and through their shop they offer a way to let you purchase pads to donate to Goods 4 Girls.

Goods 4 Girls is a fabulous non-profit that collects new cloth pads to distribute to women and girls in Africa without access to menstrual care products. I was so happy when I found out that so many other people had the same reaction I did to companies like Tampax and Always, who have been recently airing commercials about how many young girls in Africa end up missing school due to lack of access to menstrual care products. Tampax and Always claim that by purchasing their products you help them fund sending lots of their disposables to these girls, thus ensuring they don’t miss school anymore.

Personally I think this is a little ridiculous. While the thought is nice, the way they’re going about it is all wrong (but of course they make the disposables, so they’re not going to advocate reusables). Deanna Duke had the same reaction to this issue and decided to do something about it by starting Goods 4 Girls. Check out their blog to see all the amazing work they’ve already accomplished in a very short time or donate to help out the cause.

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Diana Ferry, an indie jewelry designer whose work can be found at D Celestine Limited, contacted me to let me know about about a fabulous event she’s organizing.

The event, called Pink at the Plaza, will take place on Saturday, May 17th from 10am - 3pm in Charlotte, North Carolina and will benefit the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. This event will feature artisans and crafters from the area and beyond selling their handmade goods, with a percentage of profits to be donated to the Walk. The first 50 shoppers will receive goodie bags and there will also be a silent auction to raise additional funds for the Walk. Some of the Avon Walkers will also be set up selling their goods in order to raise money for their participation in the Walk.

If you’re a crafter who is interested in participating, they’re accepting applications until Saturday, April 19th. It’s a great cause and it sounds like it will be a really great event. I wish I could be there for it!

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Even though I’m currently preoccupied with Mardi Gras, the upcoming Valentine’s Day holiday hasn’t entirely slipped my mind.

Little Whims on Etsy is stocked full of cute handmade cards perfect for Valentine’s Day as well as plenty of other cards and paper goods for all occasions.

Envirosax, one of my favorite reusuable shopping bag companies, has created two exclusive pink versions of some of their most popular styles just in time for Valentine’s. These bags are very limited and are currently on sale for $8.50 each now through February 10th. Available here.

And remember, the Bleeding Hearts Benefit I mentioned previously is TODAY ONLY! There is still some stuff up for grabs, including two of my neckwarmers: here and here. It’s for a good cause, plus there are plenty of perfect V-day gifts! Check it out.

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Yesterday I read a post over at Indie Fixx about the Bleeding Hearts Benefit that Renee of Wolfie and the Sneak is organizing to benefit the Sierra Club.

Renee was recently reading about the impact oil drilling will have on Alaska, should the US pass legislation to begin leasing drilling rights in the Chuckchi Sea. Being a fellow fan of this planet we all call home, Renee was moved to action and wanted to do something to help out. She was inspired by the upcoming Valentine’s Day holiday and says, “I believe there is no better time to show the world a bit of positivity through loving actions.”

Renee is organizing a one day only benefit sale in her Etsy shop, set for February 1st, with 100% of the proceeds to benefit the Sierra Club, a great organization working to protect the environment and trying to prevent new oil drilling in Alaska.

If you’re an artist or crafter who would like to donate items to this fundraiser, you can email Renee at nobiting [at] gmail.com for more info. She will be accepting donations through this Saturday, January 26, 2008. I’m going to be donating a couple of my neckwarmers to the cause.

Shopping for this benefit won’t be open until February 1st (and remember, it’s one day only, so mark your calendars!), but you can already get a sneak peek of some of the items that will be available.

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