Arte Ideas - Perfect Gift Suggestions
Arte Ideas are an innovative gift site who offer ethically traded items which conform to at least one of the following five requirements:-
- An item which is partially or 100% made from recycled or vintage materials.
- Made from Fair Trade principles in place, contributes to sustainable development for producers, workers and their communities. Ensuring that workers from growing raw materials to manufacturing finished products can earn a fare wage and not be exploited.
- Identifies fabrics or processes which are sustainable. Utilising more environmentally friendly materials.
- Working with organisations who actively seek tominimise environmental damage. Developing relationships around the world with artisans who are highly skilled.
- Simply, local sourced from up and coming designers in UK and Ireland.
I was really pleased to be contacted by the company as I try to look for gifts which fit into these ideas myself. I am especially keen on recycled materials and those that are locally sourced. I was invited to choose an item from their range to try out. The site splits their gifts into four different categories - mens, womens, kids and lifestyle. When you click through to each product's page it shows a badge for each of the five values that it matches with, which I found to be really useful in making my selection. I saw lots of things that I was tempted to try out but eventually selected the 'Tiny' Cutlery Set for Bud.
Children's cutlery has been something of a bug bear for me. We've bought quite a few different sets for Bud but he has struggled with some of them, either the fork or spoon feels like it is an awkward shape or he hasn't been able to get a good grip on the handle when feeding himself. Obviously other parents have felt the same because some of them have got together to form a company called tumtum, this is one of their many products.
This set offers 3 pairs of fork and spoon in three different colours, each brightly decorated with an animal's face - frog, dog or pig. The picture is shown across both handles so you can match the colour up and use all one set or mix and match to make a funny picture - half dog, half pig maybe. The cutlery is excellent quality and the handles are ergonomically designed for little hands, it is also dishwasher safe and BPA, phthalate and PVC free which is comforting when dealing with items used with food. This set is clearly marked 'locally sourced' on the Arte Ideas website. The set retails for £14:95 and I think it would make a fantastic alternative gift for the little person in your life. Bud has used his everyday since we received them and asks for the animal that he wants when his food is ready now.
I've seen some lovely products available from Arte Ideas and have been considering them for some of the (many) family birthdays we have coming up in the next few months.
My mum would love this Myla Bag
My Baking-mad niece would love this Cupcake Baking Kit
Red Rose Daddy is always looking for new ideas for his vegetable growing and I think this Potato Planter would look fab on our patio
...and as for me, it is my birthday soon. I love this beautiful Clef Necklace and these funky Envirosax
I'd definitely recommend checking out Arte Ideas if you are looking for some unusual, and ethically produced eco-friendly gifts. Certain items are reduced at the moment so you might even find yourself a bargain.
I received the item marked with an asterisk (*) free of charge but the thoughts and opinions contained in this review are all my own.
