Long Distance Friends | Meridian Gift Guide

This set of four pretty cocktail napkins have been handwoven in India using the finest imported Belgian flax. Our pure linen napkins feature an eyelash fringe on their side edges, and they have been stone washed to soft perfection, creating added texture and character.

Our Fair Trade artisan partner employs a full-time team of over 85 artisans in Kerala and New Delhi, India to create this line of cocktail napkins. The craftspeople receive on-site training and above-average wages, free lunch and access to interest-free loans. Using the imported Belgian flax, the team weaves the linen on traditional Indian handlooms. They dye the linen using a multi-generational process before washing the textiles with volcanic stone in order to loosen the linen’s natural fiber and create the napkins’ soft finish.

This set of four pretty cocktail napkins have been handwoven in India using the finest imported Belgian flax. Our pure linen napkins feature an eyelash fringe on their side edges, and they have been stone washed to soft perfection, creating added texture and character.

Our Fair Trade artisan partner employs a full-time team of over 85 artisans in Kerala and New Delhi, India to create this line of cocktail napkins. The craftspeople receive on-site training and above-average wages, free lunch and access to interest-free loans. Using the imported Belgian flax, the team weaves the linen on traditional Indian handlooms. They dye the linen using a multi-generational process before washing the textiles with volcanic stone in order to loosen the linen’s natural fiber and create the napkins’ soft finish.

Our found, Vintage Samosa Mould has been handcrafted by artisans in Northern India. Made of wood, its original use was to press and shape a samosa, a fried or baked pastry filled with spiced potatoes, onions, peas, lentils, and sometimes meat.

Samosas are a popular staple across cuisines of the Indian subcontinent as well as Central and South Asia, with reaches as wide as Africa, the Mediterranean and the Middle East. In India, samosas are often accompanied by a green chutney made from mint, coriander or tamarind.

Our hand carved Samosa Moulds are a unique way to store and hold jewelry on a bedside table or dresser, or to contain small items on your coffee table or in the entryway. Layer a few for a collected look and to create a conversation piece.

Our Woven Palm Baskets are handmade by a cooperative of women artisans in Northern Zimbabwe. Using a locally sourced ilala palm, the weavers create each basket entirely by hand using a traditional weaving process.

To create the baskets, the artisans first harvest the ilala palm leaves in the bush surrounding their village. The leaves are then boiled to soften the stems before they are dyed with locally harvested bark and roots. They are left to air dry in the hot sun for several days. The artisans then take the dried leaves and weave them together. The center of each basket begins with a distinctive herringbone pattern that blends into a design inspired by nature. The baskets are finished with a raised rim.

The cooperative currently employs over 80 women artisans who have learned to weave from each other and their ancestors. Earnings are used to support their families as well as cover schooling fees for their children, two of which are in high school and aspire to become doctors.

Ilala palm baskets are used in Zimbabwe for serving fruit and gathering eggs. They are also given as a traditional wedding gift. We think they are a wonderful and practical gift, either as a serving basket or featured as a collection on the wall. Every purchase directly supports our artisan cooperative in Zimbabwe.

Our 5x7 Bone Inlay Picture Frame has been created by a family of master artisans in Rajasthan, India. Using a technique that has been passed down through multiple generations, each frame is hand crafted in a meticulous and detailed process.

This beautiful frame features a traditional botanical pattern. Adorned with intricately carved recycled and naturally occurring bone, it takes a team of individual artisans to create a single frame. One artisan is responsible for hand carving each piece of bone into delicate leaf shapes. A second person affixes those pieces onto a wooden base in the intricate pattern featured on the frame. The third and final master artisan fills the outline of the pattern with colored resin to create the background. Additional team members sand and seal the piece before it is complete.

We’re in love with the stunning contrast between the intricate floral pattern and the dark resin background. Our Bone Inlay Picture Frame is a chic desk or bedside accessory. It also makes for a thoughtful and stylish gift. Every purchase directly supports our artisan partners in India.

Our 5x7 Bone Inlay Picture Frame has been created by a family of master artisans in Rajasthan, India. Using a technique that has been passed down through multiple generations, each frame is hand crafted in a meticulous and detailed process.

This beautiful frame features a traditional botanical pattern. Adorned with intricately carved recycled and naturally occurring bone, it takes a team of individual artisans to create a single frame. One artisan is responsible for hand carving each piece of bone into delicate leaf shapes. A second person affixes those pieces onto a wooden base in the intricate pattern featured on the frame. The third and final master artisan fills the outline of the pattern with colored resin to create the background. Additional team members sand and seal the piece before it is complete.

We’re in love with the stunning contrast between the intricate floral pattern and the dark resin background. Our Bone Inlay Picture Frame is a chic desk or bedside accessory. It also makes for a thoughtful and stylish gift. Every purchase directly supports our artisan partners in India.

Our 5x7 Inlay Picture Frame has been created by master artisans in Rajasthan, India. Using a technique that has been passed down through multiple generations, each frame is hand crafted in a meticulous and detailed process.

This beautiful frame features a natural and neutral resin pattern. Adorned with intricately carved recycled and naturally occurring bone, it takes a team of individual artisans to create a single frame. One artisan is responsible for hand carving each piece of bone into delicate shapes. A second person affixes those pieces onto a wooden base in the intricate pattern featured on the frame. The third and final master artisan fills the outline of the pattern with resin to create the background. Additional team members sand and seal the piece before it is complete.

We’re in love with the stunning simplicity of this complex design. Our Inlay Picture Frame is a chic desk or bedside accessory. It also makes for a thoughtful and stylish gift. Every purchase directly supports our artisan partners in India.

Our Bottle Opener has been handcrafted by Fair Trade artisans in Kenya using discarded and sustainably sourced cow bone. The artisans polish and carve each handle into an elegant spiral design. Each purchase supports our artisan partners in Kenya who are working to support their families and their communities.

Our Floating Tealight Holder has been crafted by a family-owned artisan business in the Philippines. Made of fine porcelain china, each piece is made in a long and complex process by a team of skilled artisans.

Cast by a slow and steady, trained hand, the Tealight Holder has been moulded into an organic shape inspired by the hibiscus flower. The hibiscus is a tropical flower known for its large, trumpet-shaped leaves and bright natural colors. Native to Asia and the Pacific Islands, the hibiscus has many cultural uses and symbols. In Tahiti, for example, the hibiscus flower is traditionally worn by a young woman behind the ear. If worn behind the left, the woman is married or has a boyfriend. If worn on the right, she is single and available.

We love this Tealight Holder as part of a collection of pretty accents on a side or coffee table. When holding a lit candle, it exudes a special aura. Float a few of these together in a bowl of water for a tropical and fresh centerpiece.

These salad servers have been hand carved from sustainably sourced olive wood in Kenya. Artisans have accented the handles with batiked cow bone, which has been sourced in an ethical manner. Each salad server has been treated with food-safe sunflower oil.

Olive wood is a warm wood with detailed grain patterns that is known for its durability. The carving of olive wood is a craft native to Eastern and Southern Africa, and touches upon many countries in the region. Our Fair Trade artisan partners reside in a small, rural community in Southwestern Kenya. The group is completely self-taught and relies entirely on this craft for their sole source of income. They are known throughout Kenya for their prized and detailed woodwork.

Our Banana Bark Basket is the statement basket your shelves, walls, and tables have been waiting for: Handmade by Fair Trade women artisans in Uganda, this basket bowl has endless uses. Place it on a shelf or desk for additional storage, use it on a cocktail table to hold essentials, serve fruit or bread at the dining table, or hang it on the wall using the hand-stitched loop on the back.

Add some style to your everyday with this pretty coffee scoop. Featuring a hand carved and sustainably sourced bone handle, it has been crafted out of natural olive wood by Fair Trade artisans in Kenya.

Olive wood is a warm wood with detailed grain patterns that is known for its durability. The carving of olive wood is a craft native to Eastern and Southern Africa, and touches upon many countries in the region. Our Fair Trade artisan partners reside in a small, rural community in Southwestern Kenya. The group is completely self-taught and relies entirely on this craft for their sole source of income. They are known throughout Kenya for their prized and detailed woodwork.

Treated with food-safe sunflower oil, these scoops are safe to use in the kitchen and with food preparation.

This natural fiber hand towel has been hand loomed by a talented group of spinners and weavers in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The Fair Trade group employs an art form that has been a part of Ethiopian crafts since ancient times. Our partners spin and weave 100% locally grown cotton and use AZO free dyes.

Our artisan partner ensures that their craftspeople are supported in the health, education and economic stability of their families. The group provides training and a reliable income, empowering the artisans to succeed. Our partner makes a particular emphasis on sustainability, and uses water recycling systems, biofuels, solar heating and composting in their everyday processes.

We love the neutral, natural fibers of this towel. Use it in the kitchen or bathroom for an organic, modern take on a traditional hand towel. It’s easy-to-care-for instructions mean that you can use it anywhere.

This natural fiber hand towel has been hand loomed by a talented group of spinners and weavers in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The Fair Trade group employs an art form that has been a part of Ethiopian crafts since ancient times. Our partners spin and weave 100% locally grown cotton and use AZO free dyes.

Our artisan partner ensures that their craftspeople are supported in the health, education and economic stability of their families. The group provides training and a reliable income, empowering the artisans to succeed. Our partner makes a particular emphasis on sustainability, and uses water recycling systems, biofuels, solar heating and composting in their everyday processes.

We love the neutral, natural fibers of this towel. Use it in the kitchen or bathroom for an organic, modern take on a traditional hand towel. It’s easy-to-care-for instructions mean that you can use it anywhere.

Our Marble Nesting Bowls have been hand-carved by master artisans in Rajasthan, India. The craft of carving three-dimensional forms into solid marble is one of the world’s oldest arts.

Traditionally reserved for statues, sculptures and architecture, carved marble can take on any form. Carving marble in India dates back to the 7^th Century BC, where it was considered the royal stone used to build temples, tombs, palaces and monuments. Most notably, the Taj Mahal is a magnificent work of marble located in nearby Uttar Pradesh.

Using a technique that has been passed down through multiple generations, each bowl is hand crafted in a meticulous and detailed process. A team of artisans contributes to each step of the process, beginning with the use of hand chisels and machine tools to craft the general shape. A second artisan is responsible for finishing the design and a third polishes the completed stone figure.

The material of choice for these master artisans is marble native to their region. Its pure white color with deep veins looks natural in any climate. This durable piece will take on character as it is exposed to natural elements.

Our Marble Nesting Bowls are a classic and stylish way to present spices or nuts on a table or countertop.

Our Palo Santo Bundle has been wild-grown and hand-harvested in the dry forests of Peru, where this fragrant wood is abundant in nature. These smudge sticks are crafted from certified ethical-origin wood, and gathered from the earth and split in small pieces by multi-generation families who live locally in the forest and work to support their families. Light and use it as an incense “wand”, or keep it as a decorative accent on a table surface.

Our White Sage Bundle is naturally-grown and hand-harvested in Southern California by a privately-owned family business. Our partners make every effort to sustainably harvest their sage without removing the whole plant so that they can keep coming back to the same plant for many years. Light and use it as an incense “wand”, or keep it as a decorative accent on a table surface.

This sweet Alpaca Ornament has been handmade in the Arequipa region of Southern Peru. Each ornament has been adorned with hand-sewn details and covered in luxurious, soft and natural alpaca fiber.

Alpacas are members of the South American camelid family. They are indigenous to the highlands of the Andes where their breeding is a vital component of the economy for a large sector of the population. Alpacas are prized for their natural, silky and soft fiber that is biodegradable and hypoallergenic.

Alpacas are famous for their durable fiber. They are natural vegetarians and graze on vegetation typically found on high altitude moorlands. Fewer than one alpaca exists per acre; their impact on the environment is minimal. No harm is caused to the alpacas during the sheering process, which occurs only once every 12 months.

These small Alpaca Ornaments are a natural and cute holiday decoration. They can also be used as a sweet table decoration.

This sweet Alpaca Ornament has been handmade in the Arequipa region of Southern Peru. Each ornament has been adorned with hand-sewn details and covered in luxurious, soft and natural alpaca fiber.

Alpacas are members of the South American camelid family. They are indigenous to the highlands of the Andes where their breeding is a vital component of the economy for a large sector of the population. Alpacas are prized for their natural, silky and soft fiber that is biodegradable and hypoallergenic.

Alpacas are famous for their durable fiber. They are natural vegetarians and graze on vegetation typically found on high altitude moorlands. Fewer than one alpaca exists per acre; their impact on the environment is minimal. No harm is caused to the alpacas during the sheering process, which occurs only once every 12 months.

These small Alpaca Ornaments are a natural and cute holiday decoration. They can also be used as a sweet table decoration.

Our Baule Zipper Pouch is perfectly sized for life on-the-go. It features an authentic, vintage Baule textile on the outside from the Cote d’Ivoire, and is lined on the inside with colorful, handmade block print fabric from Rajasthan, India. 

Artisans in the Cote d’Ivoire weave long, narrow cotton strips of fabric on a standing pedal loom before sewing them together to form larger panels. These textiles are often worn as a wrap skirt and used in cultural ceremonies such as the reception of visitors. 

To create the block print lining fabric, artisans in Rajasthan, India carve the block, mix natural dyes and press each piece onto a long strip of cloth to create a complex and layered pattern. This art form requires an incredibly steady hand and a precise, repetitive movement to execute a master-level block print. Our block print textiles are made entirely by hand by a family of artisans who have been printing for multiple generations.

Each textile has a specific history to tell about cultural heritage and the artisan handmade process. Our Vintage Baule Zipper Pouch is a stylish and functional way to stay organized on your travels – whether they are around the globe or across town.

Our Indigo Zipper Pouch is perfectly sized for life on-the-go. It features an authentic indigo textile on the outside from Burkina Faso, and is lined on the inside with colorful, handmade block print fabric from Rajasthan, India.

Artisans in Burkina Faso hand dye, spin and weave cotton panels to create the indigo textile that has been prized for centuries for its vibrant, deep hue. One of nature’s rarest colors, indigo has long been one of the world’s most valued pigments. The technique to create indigo is a long, multi-step process that is passed down through generations with a decades long training period.

To create the block print lining fabric, artisans in Rajasthan, India carve the block, mix natural dyes and press each piece onto a long strip of cloth to create a complex and layered pattern. This art form requires an incredibly steady hand and a precise, repetitive movement to execute a master-level block print. Our block print textiles are made entirely by hand by a family of artisans who have been printing for multiple generations.

Each textile has a specific history to tell about cultural heritage and the artisan handmade process. Our Indigo Zipper Pouch is a stylish and functional way to stay organized on your travels – whether they are around the globe or across town.

Our Indigo Zipper Pouch is perfectly sized for life on-the-go. It features an authentic indigo textile on the outside from Burkina Faso, and is lined on the inside with colorful, handmade block print fabric from Rajasthan, India.

Artisans in Burkina Faso hand dye, spin and weave cotton panels to create the indigo textile that has been prized for centuries for its vibrant, deep hue. One of nature’s rarest colors, indigo has long been one of the world’s most valued pigments. The technique to create indigo is a long, multi-step process that is passed down through generations with a decades long training period.

To create the block print lining fabric, artisans in Rajasthan, India carve the block, mix natural dyes and press each piece onto a long strip of cloth to create a complex and layered pattern. This art form requires an incredibly steady hand and a precise, repetitive movement to execute a master-level block print. Our block print textiles are made entirely by hand by a family of artisans who have been printing for multiple generations.

Each textile has a specific history to tell about cultural heritage and the artisan handmade process. Our Indigo Zipper Pouch is a stylish and functional way to stay organized on your travels – whether they are around the globe or across town.

This set of four coasters was handwoven by a women’s cooperative in Uganda in the plateau basket style. Each coaster has been woven using locally sourced sisal fibers, raffia grass and natural dyes. 

The complex and meticulous process to create each coaster produces vibrant colors and intricate designs. The artisan crafts each piece by hand, using a needle and thread to wrap hand-dyed strands of sisal around bunches of sweetgrass. The result is a tightly coiled, durable coaster that when grouped in a set takes several days to complete.

Our coasters are a modern way to add a little global chic to a coffee table, desk or bar cart. Every purchase directly supports our partner organization in East Africa that provides training and fair wage jobs to promote sustainable and scalable opportunities for their cooperative of women weavers in rural villages.

Our Elephant Bottle Stopper is created by a woman-owned, boutique manufacturer in Cape Town, South Africa. Using an eco-conscious production method, the artisans cast each bottle stopper from zinc and coat the exterior of the molded elephant with an antique brass finish. Each purchase empowers our artisan partners in South Africa.