Labour of Love and Art for Many...Gifts for You!

     While walking through the Global Designs exhibits at the Atlanta Gift Market in January, we were searching for unusual gift items to bring back with us to HajPaj Boutique.  We are just like you in that we don't have to opportunity to explore this vast globe ourselves and experience other cultures, so we kinda savor our time in the Global exhibits.  It is a time where we open ourselves up to the art and wonder of other countries as well as learn about the plight of others in countries that are so far from ours.  The product that caught our eye in January was the bright and colorful, yet versatile fabric from Nepal called felted wool.
     According to Global Goods Partners "felt is the oldest man-made textile known, predating knit and woven cloth.  In fact, archaeologists have found fragments of felt in Asia dating back to the Bronze Age".  Today, the art of felting is found in many Asian countries, especially in Nepal.  The Nepalese women have developed the craft not only to clothe themselves and their families, but more importantly to provide a much needed income for their families. The women of Nepal have long since been persecuted and abused by past political unrest, so the skilled manufacture of felted wool products provide them with security and refuge.

     Felted wool is produced by wetting layers of sheep's wool with soap and water and when the fibers are agitated they form a dense fabric.  And when high intensity dyes are added to the process, bright textiles are formed and can be stretched and sewn into many types of items.

     We chose BNB Crafts to form an alliance with in order to bring you the highest quality felted wool products from Nepal. They were established in 2001 "to create job opportunities for semi-skilled and skilled woman to help to increase their self-reliance and to improve their living standards" BNB Crafts is devoted to preserving and promoting Nepalese craftsmanship.
     Since social responsibility is foremost in our minds when dealing with global companies, we ask the hard questions when it comes to fair trade and, what we call "the giving back" aspect of their business. We were not disappointed with BNB Crafts when we learned that they are dedicated to sharing profits towards the education of Nepalese children, in particular to those that are dependents of the women working in the Nepal wool industry.

We have several styles and patterns of these brightly color handbags!

     Now that we have talked about the serious, but very important, aspects of felted wool let's talk about the beautiful, colorful, and useful side of this Nepal export.  We picked up some of the cutest wool children's gifts we had ever seen and we are positive you will agree!  We have just unpacked child-sized handbags, coin purses (that women have been buying for themselves), and hair accessories.

We stocked coin purses to match the handbags, but they can be used alone!

     These handbags and coin purses are of the highest quality craftsmanship.  They are lined in hand sewn satin in a complimentary color.  Ladies are loving these for themselves as a way to keep their own handbags organized!  You are only limited by your own imagination!

We love these sweet hair clips...perfect for any hair style!

     Please plan to stop in soon to check out these new products.  We are proud to carry them and proud to know that there are families on the other side of our globe that are fast at work producing them and helping to not only make beautiful items, but are confident in themselves for providing for their families at the same time.  How fabulous!  Call 336.940.5501 with any questions.  See you soon!

Lottie Dotties...an Ever Changing Look!

     We've had smashing success with our Lottie Dottie line of magnetic, interchangeable jewelry from The Good Bead company.  It offers ladies an affordable way to buy one necklace, ring, or bracelet and interchange the magnetic Dottie thus affording dozens of looks with a quick switch. Back in an April 2012 blog, we looked at The Good Bead and all of their charity works.  At HajPaj Boutique we select companies that we align ourselves with based on several criteria.  One of those is what does a company give back to its community or the world at large.  The Good Bead meets and exceeds that criteria by supporting many charities.  This is their mission statement: "The Good Bead is a socially conscious company committed to building awareness and supporting causes that improve the lives of others and the world we live in." We applaud that philosophy.  Check out their story here: April 2012 Lottie Dotties by The Good Bead
     The good news this week is that we have totally updated our line of Lottie Dotties by receiving a huge shipment of new jewelry pieces and handfuls of dotties. These new pieces will give you so many more choices when selecting gifts or items for yourself.  The huge number of new dotties will allow you to update your current collection to keep on trend with the latest Spring colors and fashions.

     As we've said before, Each dottie has a super strong magnet that is attached to the bottom and the tops are so varied in style, color, and shine that one sometimes out does the other.  All of the Lottie Dotties are silver-plated and extremely affordable. Lottie Dotties let you change your look as easy and as often as you change your mind!  It's our prerogative, you know!

     Stop in soon for the best selection!  Give us a call at 336.940.5501 if you have any questions!

Lips and Wine...Must be Valentines!

     We've just restocked our DeVine Lip Shimmers at the perfect time...Valentines Day! Back in February of 2012 our Haj Paj Boutique blog explored the anatomy of lips and the amazing restorative properties of red wine polyphenols and resvertrol. These natural ingredients are found in the DeVine Lip Shimmers.  Please revisit our blog at this link: Devine Lip Shimmers Feb 2012.  It is an in-depth look at  this ALL NATURAL product.  We keep these lip shimmers in stock all year long and are excited to be one of the first to stock their newest look!  Same fantastic product, but all new packaging.  And don't forget that DeVine Lip Shimmers are made in the USA...now that's divine!

     Hope to see you soon!  Or give us a call at 336-940-5501 we'd love to tell you the "varietals" we have in stock...Happy Valentines Day!

Headbands for your head AND your heart!

    The Accessories Market in Atlanta last month was a smashing success for us at HajPaj Boutique for two reasons: 1) the weather was awesome!  Most people in the South were experiencing some unseasonably warm weather, so that made travel to and from the actual downtown market buildings so much easier and enjoyable.  2) We found some fantastic products and having the dilemma of choosing the best ones for our customers was a great problem to have.

    One of the first things we found were the Banded headbands.  We fell in love with the fact that they were fabric headbands that were of a patent pending design guaranteed not to slip, pinch, pull, or squeeze your hair or head.  Nothings worse than to have a headache at the end of the day just because you want to have your hair pulled back and out of your way.
     The velvet backing on the band keeps the headband in place all day long...even if you are very active throughout the day.  The Opti-Size patent pending technology employs a special plastic sleeve/elastic assembly that allows the band to easily adjust to any size head thus the comfort of all day wear.  And the high quality, exceptional fit comes in an affordable package.  Wow, all that in one cute headband...

These are just a few of the 12 designs we carry in the store

     But, wait, you've known us long enough to know that comfort and affordability isn't the only thing we care about.  We care deeply about products that go that one step further and the Banded headbands definitely do.  For every Banded headband, purchased three meals are donated to a child through Amazima Ministries.

     Amazima Ministries is AMAZING!  They are dedicated to helping the most impoverished people, particularly women and children, of Uganda.  As an 18 year old girl from Tennessee, Katie Davis traveled to Uganda for the first time and she was immediately struck by the overwhelming needs of that country.  In two short years, Katie started a school, a feeding program, a 501(c)(3) organization called Amazima, and she adopted 3 children of her own at only 20 years of age.  Katie feels she is truly called to help the children of this country. Today her feeding program nourishes over 1200 children Monday through Friday. Your purchase of a Banded headband makes this program possible.

     Currently, Katie is the adoptive mother to 13 daughters and she's only 25 years old.  Katie says "People tell me I am brave. People tell me I am strong. People tell me good job.  Well here is the truth of it.  I am really not that brave, I am not really that strong, and I am not doing anything spectacular.  I am just doing what God called me to do..."  Well, let us tell you, we think Katie is truly amazing and we wish for two seconds to have the heart that she has...she's is a one-of-a-kind!
     Check out Amazima for yourself and consider donating...it is truly worthwhile.
http://www.amazima.org  We hope you'll stop in to HajPaj Boutique and choose the perfect Banded headband for you!  See ya soon!