Looking for special handcrafted gifts - have you checked out Sitara Collections yet?

If your looking for that special gift, whether it be for a birthday, a wedding or for the Christmas season and want something that has a story behind it, handcrafted and makes a difference to the local community who make the item then I suggest you check out Sitara Collections

Sitara Collections work with local Indian artisans who make wonderful, unique, quality handcrafted gifts in order to support their families and improve their local villages.

Why is Sitara Collections different from another company?
Because it was born from the love of Indian people.  Founded by Linda Singh, who after many trips and marrying her Indian born husband, Vinay Singh, she decided to leave her well paid job to ensure that the Indian people, she met throughout her travels, were given the helping hand they so needed. Not only helping them showcase their handmade gifts around the world but to make sure they were paid and treated fairly.  Each sale also sees a donation to the Sitara Foundation that is used to help local Indian children with their education.

The Shiksha Vikas Vidyalaya school (SVV for short) in Vinay's ancestral village in Chanchali, India

They sell a wide range of gifts from jewelry, fashion to home decor and seasonal items. We had a chance to check out two of their items, first we chose the eye catching Tree of Life Journal followed by the Woodpecker Window Thermometer.

"Leather used to make this journal is Cruelty Free, which means leather obtained from animals that passed from natural causes. Livestock has a lot of agricultural and household value for the vegetarian population in this region (Rajasthan, India) which makes it economically unwise to kill animals for their skin."

It was the design of the journal that immediately struck us, the tree of life along with the celtic designs it was a real pleasure to look at.  Hubbie writes a daily diary which is what he intendeds to use this for .

The design is also displayed on the back cover.  Knowing it was handmade and seeing the signs that the leather had been hand cut, that somebody had spent time on making it, just made it more special to have.

"Paper is made from handmade cotton rag paper, making it 100% tree-free. Artisans collect cotton waste and turn it into a pulp. The final result: a rich texture paper, great for writing, drawing and painting."

The paper is similar to recycled paper, the coarse natural feel of it yet quite soft too.

The journal measures approximately 8 in high x 6 in wide.  More info

"This larger window thermometer is hand-carved from albesia wood. Each piece is hand-painted on both sides & coated with polyurethane to protect them from the environment. The thermometers are mercury free & read in both Farhenheit & Celsius."

How on earth could we resist this fun addition to our garden!!
Especially as we are avid bird watchers, we do get Woodpeckers in our garden that come over from the Nature Reserve so this seemed a natural choice.

As you can see the Woodpecker attaches to the outside window by suction caps.  It's colourful and has a lovely smooth feel to it.  There is so much detail to this that it's obvious they have taken great care in the design.  I think it looks right at home, don't you think?  Our new friend measures approximately 10 in high x 4.2 in wide.  More info

As the festive season is not that far off here are a few items you might like....

 
  

Visit their online store HERE
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(by sharing a product on your social media you will recieve $3 discount on your goods !!

or refer a friend and you will both receive 20% off your goods)

Sharon x

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