VirtuArte.com

The holidays are meant to be a time for family -- for singing carols and shipping hot cocoa in front of the fire place.  But, more often than not they end up being a time of rushing from store to store and waiting in seemingly endless lines at the mall.  Thankfully, we've done some of the work for you and put together a holiday gift guide.  Whether you've got a stylish teenage girl or a successful business man or both on your list this year, we've got you covered!

Yesterday I read an article in Forbes.com by Angie Chang, a woman business owner, who has yet to start her Holiday Shopping.  A few weeks ago she was reading a blog post about a woman business owner and her product and immediately thought this product would make a great Holiday gift.  In this article she wonders if she can spend at least 50% of her Holiday Gift dollars on women-led businesses.  Angie has decide

Walmart plans to offer 500 fair trade certified products made by 20,000 women from more than 20 countries by 2016.  It's an interesting plan for the retailer known for low prices and a few large suits involving treatment of workers.

The news seems to have surprised many, as one of the goals of fair trade is to make sure farmers, workers and artisans are paid a "fair wage."  Walmart is known for driving down the prices it pays its vendors.  In fact, there have been many articles about how Walmart calls in companies and tells them to lower their prices.

The Smithsonian Folklife Festival ended yesterday and if you live in Washington, DC I hope you had the opportunity to attend.  As stated in our previous Blog post the Festival is an international exposition of living cultural heritage that was started in 1967.  This year's Festival highlighted Colombia's bio-cultural diversity, the 50th anniversary of the Peace Corp and the powerful influence of rhythm and blues music in American popular culture.

Originally part of the Jordanian heritage, ceramic art was slowing dying out.  One of the reasons why this traditional craftsmanship was starting to be lost was the forcing of the roadside potters off the roads by the government because of the pollution created by the use of kilns.  Also contributing to this loss  was that children of the potters were not being encouraged to take up pottery.

Tomorrow is Earth Day!!  This year's theme is A Billion Acts of Green.  Have you made your Act of Green pledge yet?  To mark this day we decided to do two things:

• Feature artists whose Act of Green is to work with artisans in Brazil to create eco-friendly, fashion forward products; and
• Offer one winner the opportunity to select a gift from one of our three featured artists. (Read further to learn how to enter.)

The last artist to be featured this month is Patricia Amsellem.

In honor of Earth Day we are continuing to feature artists who are working with artisans to create eco-friendly, fashion forward products.  This post features Escama Studio, a collaborative design studio based in California and Brazil.

As stated in our previous blog post, during the month of April and in honor of Earth Day we will be featuring three artists who work with artisans to create eco-friendly products from recycled and/or natural materials.

As stated in our previous blog post today is International Women's Day, a day when women are recognized for their accomplishments.  Today we will be featuring Carol Cassiy, who works with artisans in Laos and Cambodia, and Ellen Dorsch, who works with artisans in Ethiopia, Swaziland, Afghanistan and Senegal.

Tomorrow, the 8th of March will be the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day, a day when women are recognized for their achievements.  It is an occasion for looking back on past struggles and accomplishments and more importantly for looking ahead to the untapped potential and opportunities that await future generations of women.