Inspirational Stones

Last year I received a pile of rocks as a shower gift.And I loved it--really!

They are called "Inspiration Stones."They are a beautiful blue-ish grey colour, are perfectly smooth and polished, and each is etched with an inspirationional word.The ones I have are: Hope, Joy, Peace, Love, and Courage.I also have two without words that are carved into a heart shape.

These look really great on their own, perhaps in a bamboo bowl, or, what I did, was place them around scented candles on a dish.They stay on my coffee table as a constant reminder to have courage, or to be joyful...

What I like most about these, aside from how cute they are, is that the money goes to support a good cause.These stones are handmade in India, and sold by Ten Thousand Villages as fair trade.So not only did I know I was getting a unique product, but I also knew that the artisans were being treated well and receiving good pay for their work.You can search for a local Ten Thousand Villages Store here.

Ten Thousand Villages sells these stones individually for $2-$3 each, so you can pick the exact ones you want.

Recently, I also saw these stones on The Hunger Site.I don't know if the Hunger Site sells these as fair trade or not, but they too do charity work, and donate food to a needy country with every purchase from their gift shop.They do not have as large of a variety, though.They sell four stones--Peace, Wisdom, Love, and Harmony--together in a small bag for $12.