New Products In Store

Are you counting down to Christmas? What about "window shopping" for ideas for Christmas? 

Actually, you do not need a reason to buy a gift for someone. A loved one. A friend. 

Drop by at your local Oxfam Shop to check out some new products. There are some handcrafted wood work... Cushion covers... 

Home Decor...

Are you tired of your existing bed spread?

Or, do you want to improve how your bedroom looks like with a bed spread?

Or..., do you need a new set of quilt cover?

Oh, I know, or a new floor mat or a throw rug?

One can also Layby for Christmas. :)

Hot Chocolate Stirrers

Check out the new range of commodities at the shop or online.

Introducing the new Hot Chocolate Stirrers. Enjoy a mug of hot chocolate (from Oxfam) with a chocolate stirrer to make it taste better this winter! :)

Board games for the brain

Come in and check out the board games in the shop. We have Sudoku to keep your brain active, or chess to test your patience! ;)

Noah's Ark

It's Noah's Ark theme at the Oxfam shop for the month of July. 

Come and support our producer partner. 

In 1986, a workshop was set up in India by Samuel Masih called Noah's Ark. Masih's goal was to ensure good healthcare, education and housing for very poor artisans in villages of Morabad. 

Noah's Ark has a primary goal of providing independence to its artisans. Every year, two or three of its members split off and form their own workshop. The organisation also ensures that women artisans are equally paid as men and their dignity is honoured. They do not use child labour or buy from organisations that do. Noah's Ark pays its artisans 20% more than the government's minimum wage.

As a proud fair-trade organisation, Noah's Ark's mission is to change lives through education and to help artisans become more aware of fair working conditions.

External Links:

Noah's Ark page
Noah's Ark website
Noah's Ark blog

Photo Frames

Are you thinking of displaying your favourite photographs at home or in the office?

Why don't you drop by the Oxfam Shop and check out the different types and sizes of photo frames in store for you? Oxfam has a range of quality photo frames made from timber to recycled materials (Eco-friendly!).

Something Blue for the House?

New products from Apikri, Indonesia. 

Come and check them out at the shop or online. 

Women for Women Cookbook: Share

Share is a new cookbook. For only $40.00, you are able to enjoy recipes from women living in war torn countries of Afghanistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Iraq, Kosovo, Niegria, Rwanda and South Sudan, as well as renowned chefs, humanitarians and philanthropists.

There is nothing better than bringing people together to share beautifully made food in honour of these women - their day-to-day courage, determination and generosity.

Winter is Coming

Keep yourself warm with these beautiful scarfs. Gifts for yourself or someone else... It is awesome because we do gifts that give twice - The Oxfam Moto! :)

Bolga Basket

New assorted Bolga Baskets in shop now. Come along and check them out at the Oxfam Shop, Centreway Arcade.

The Yogurt Cookbook

Something for Mum this Mother's Day?

Written by internationally renowned author and yoghurt expert Arto der Haroutunian, 'The Yogurt Cookbook' offers over 200 recipes ranging from hearty peasant fare to elegant, light dishes. Yogurt is consumed in a variety of ways in many cultures throughout the world. This beautifully photographed book offers readers a history of yogurt, detailed steps on how to make it and explanations on how it is easily used in all kinds of delicious recipes.

Products of the Day

Products of the day: [New in shop] Bamboo Kitchen storage boxes - assorted sizes. Eric

Product Story: Beautiful Bamboo kitchen tools and accessories handcrafted in Ra Tay province, northern Vietnam. Bamboo is grown in abundance in Vietnam and this fast growing sustainable resource lends itself perfectly for home utensils, furniture and even building material. Strong, insect resistant, versatile, workable and simply beautiful. These items are a perfect examples of what expert craftsmanship can make from a such a humble material.

Product of the Day

Product of the day: [New in shop] Tara Projects (India) recycled glassware - assorted colours. Eric

What is Tara Projects?

Tara (Trade Alternative Reform Action) Projects has been working with craftspeople in the Delhi area since the 1970's, with the aim to alleviate poverty through fighting widespread exploitation in the handicraft industry. It now works with 25 community-based groups of artisans.

Tara members are involved in production and marketing (local and export) of handicrafts with the aim to improve the livelihood and eduction of the producers. Tara ensures its artisans are paid at least 15% above the normal wage, paying them up to 50% above standard wages when it can. The producers work within registered cooperative societies; other groups which are not yet registered but operate on just and fair lines, and/or small family workshops are also given some help.

Tara Projects focuses especially on stopping child exploitation, setting up schools and training parents in skills that will help them find a job, so that families will not need to send their children to work. 

Tara Projects' products: The producer groups working with Tara produce a wide variety of products including soapstone boxes, brass candlesticks, boxes and statues and various iron products, such as bells. Making bells, originally to hang around the necks of their animals, is an ancient tribal craft art going back thousands of years in northern India. 

The bells are fashioned from a mix of new and used iron, then sprinkled with glass powder and brass, covered with a pulp clay and jute and fired for 12 hours using coal and cow dung for fuel (the "rasai" process). After cooling in water the blackened clay is removed leaving a golden patina that ages beautifully, and imparts the sonorous musical quality of the bells.

Today, the fastest growing craft for Tara is fashion jewellery, developing a creative as well as economic industry for young women and men struggling to make a living in the urban sprawl of New Delhi.

Tara Projects is a member of the International Fair Trade Association (IFAT).

Products of the Day

Product of the day: I vote for Kylie Kwong and her range of kitchenware which you can purchase from our local Oxfam shop. Eric

Product Story: Kylie, who is an Ambassador for the Fair Trade Association of Australia and New Zealand, felt the proposal was a natural extension of her advocacy on the issue. The idea quickly moved on to Kylie creating the first design scheme for the range, and Oxfam’s product team translating these into ceramic designs and working with the producers to develop and finesse samples.

In March 2011, Kylie travelled to Vietnam with Oxfam to meet the producers in person, finalise the designs and see firsthand how the fair trade system is working, including the benefits these workers receive. Kylie drew upon her own graphics background to come up with the striking “Lotus” range, which comprises soup and rice bowls with matching plates, a soup spoon, a teapot and teacup and a coffee cup.

The ceramic exterior of the range is charcoal-coloured and features a hand-painted pink lotus flower design, while the inner surface of the range is a deep jade green.

“I wanted to create a design that was not only aesthetically pleasing but which also had great depth and a wonderful story to it,” Ms Kwong said.

“As part of my inspiration I looked towards the symbol of the lotus flower. To me the lotus is such a deep and meaningful symbol, which represents femininity, spirituality, and the importance of nature and the environment.”

Watch Kylie Kwong in Vietname here.

Link: Oxfam