OK, as promised. Here are some details about the purchases we made in Chicago. We were in need of a new candle to burn for home air freshening purposes and found this one at GreenHeart Shop that was made by a woman named Jemima. Jemima works with a non-profit enterprise called Bright Endeavors that helps inner city and homeless young women gain skills to become self-sufficient and successful adults. They use recycled glass containers, soy wax and natural fragrances. This one is 'Lemon Tea.' It smells lovely. It doesn't quite have the same power to fill the room with fragrance as other candles we've tried, but we love the cause and the blue glass is very pretty.
We also picked up some natural fair trade birthday candles made in Thailand through Global Exchange. We plan to use them in many cakes for many birthdays for many years to come.
Also, from Green Heart Shop we found these metal bird sculptures that are hand made out of 55 gallon oil drums by artisans in Haiti. We haven't found the perfect place to hang them in our house yet, but we love the hand-hammered look and brushed metal patina.
Speaking of birds... we also bought this small watercolor bird print from Renegade Handmade and hung it in a vintage frame I found at an estate sale some years back. It fit perfectly! 
It's titled "Fall." Don't you love the colors? I can't find the package it came in with the artist's name, but I do think it's an original, not a copy.It's good to be back! More soon...
Cheers,
Sara
