G&G in Metro Magazine October 2011 issue

The October 2011 issue was Metro Society's Advocacy Issue. Much of the issue was devoted to different advocates and their causes. We are proud to say that G&G was featured here twice!

On page 122, Associate Beauty Editor Marichelle Ligon and Photographer Tinee de Guzman wrote about Gifts and Graces and "a graceful partnership between entrepreneurs and local communities. . ." The article featured the different G&G products photographed in our showroom including modern Filipino foldable overnight bags with native woven cloth accents, picnic baskets made out of directory pages, stuffed toys made out of high end upholstery retaso and many more.

On page 151, Metro Society asks "If you could change the world. . ." and talks to people and corporations who, insteadof waiting for others to fix it, lend a hand and even help other change the world. This section features Gifts and Graces once more. This time Associate Features Editor Lexi Schulze and Photographer Pat Mateo captured the Gifts and Graces social entrepreneurs together with more G&G products - agate bag charms, luggage tags, and our very popular handpainted newspaper bags.

In line with this article, Lexi talked to different G&G board members. Read our other blog post featuring Lexi's conversation with Sandy Romualdez.

We'd like to give special thanks to Editor-in-Chief Raul Manzano who in his Editor's letter said

          "Gifts and Graces operates on a smaller scale (as PBSP), yet it is just as important. Established some five years ago to help poor communities. . .by producing crafts for the home, accessories, toys,. . .Gifts and Graces not only gives these communities steady income, but more importantly, a reason to hold their heads high and be proud, functioning members of society."

And this reflects how we feel about our partners as well, we are proud with how far they've come and we are happy to be part of their journey towards breaking the cycle of poverty.

Thanks again to Raul, Marichelle, Lexi, and the team at Metro Society for believing in Gifts and Graces and helping us promote our cause! Cheers!

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Conversations

At the Partner's Conference. Mike facilitates with
Darlyn Ty and Anurag Goel

Earlier this month we posted part 1 of this Conversation with AYAD volunteer Michael Golsworthy who, like Chiqui Go, shared his thoughts on volunteerism. For our second Conversation, we ask Michael more questions about his stay in the Philippines. Here Michael gives us a unique perspective from someone who enjoyed his 8+ months both in G&G and travelling the country on weekends!

G&G: What are two interesting things about the Philippines that the average person doesn't know?

MG: 1. The Philippines is the undiscovered jewel of South East Asia for travellers. Before working in the Philippines I'd never thought about travelling there, but as soon as I landed that stormy Friday night I realised it was a country I'd have fun exploring. The fun and friendly reception from our Filipino volunteer coordinators, the colourful jeepneys weaving through the traffic blaring out MC Hammer and Justin Bieber and the karaoke on arrival at the hotel.. And it only got better from there. From the great people to the stunning beaches, the perilous volcanoes to the fantastic festivals.. the Philippines has a lot to offer those who venture past the traditional holiday destinations of Thailand and Vietnam.

2. Manila is actually a pretty cool city. Much like my home city of Melbourne, you won't see the highlights of Manila in a tourist brochure. It takes work to hunt out the gems in this chaotic metropolis, like the great live music scene which seems to thrive solely by word of mouth.

G&G: Did anything go wrong that seems funny now?

MG: Most of my favourite travel stories start with something going wrong... While visiting the island of Siquijor, I had a bit of a motor bike accident, when a stray basketball from a game by the side of the road almost went under my wheel.. After riding all the way back to the hotel in second gear with potentially broken left foot, I had to race to the boat, then the hospital in Dumaguete to try to get an xray before my flight was leaving for Manila. I got the all clear 40 minutes before my flight was due to depart, so given you have to check in 45 minutes before the flight time, I didn't bother trying to make it and went to an internet cafe to book another flight. 20 minutes later I got a call from my friends at the airport telling me to get on a tricycle and get to the airport the airport staff said not to worry about the 45 minute check in rule... I got to the airport with 30 seconds to spare and ran/hopped all the way to the plane late and holding everyone up... and then a little behind me a filipino guy moseyed on up to the check in counter, checked in his bag and walked on the the plane, relaxed as you like... Apparently I hadn't quite adjusted to Filipino time in the provinces.

G&G: What was the best moment of the entire experience/trip?

MG: Too many to mention...

At work: Facilitating the strategy workshop with the board and working with the team to pull off a great marketing and sales event across the SM malls.

Around Manila: Dancing the night away at a Bruno Mars concert

On holidays: Swimming with a whale shark in Donsol, rock climbing up waterfalls outside of Moalboal and joining the fun for a couple of brilliant town festivals.

G&G: What did you learn about yourself?

MG: That I should avoid basketballs..

From L-R: Darlyn Ty, Greg Perez, Michael Golsworthy,
Jonalyn Dupa, Marge Obligacion, Nanding Regalado

Santa Time: Be Prepared!

It's that particular "ber" month when you can no longer ignore the Christmas jingles wafting from the radio, when you see the first twinkle of fairy lights. You know you have to start shopping very soon or you'll be overrun by last minute Christmas shoppers. Before you start on your list though, buy a few things for yourself from Gifts and Graces first that will make the mad holiday rush a little bit saner.

Big Plastic Baul 

Kids are nosy and gifts create lots of clutter. Buy these big boxes from Gifts & Graces and make this your designated gift container. The buckle will keep the little hands at bay & the generous size will ensure that it will fit your presents until it's time to put them under the tree!

Made of plastic strips by urban poor men of Malabon.


Handmade Paper Journal

Make your list of who's been naughty or nice in this journal made of renewable resources such as Cogon Grass & Banana Bark. The sale of this product benefits displaced women in Quezon.

Mangyan Cloth Organizer

Christmas is a time when nothing is ever in its proper place and when clutter is in an all-time high. Keep your essentials tucked into something pretty and safe with these Mangyan Cloth organizers. Keep your scissors, pens, tape and other wrapping and writing essentials at hand and then roll them and keep them out of sight when you don't need them. Saves you from clutter and going insane trying to find them!


Sewn by urban poor women of Valenzuela City.


Magazine Bag

When doing your shopping, do your part in helping out the environment. Refuse the little plastic bags that they give you and put your purchases in these one-of-a-kind Magazine Tote Bags instead. These are big and roomy and are a conversation piece to boot!


Also available in SM Kultura outlets.

Table Scape Treats

The dining table is where we gather with family and friends for special occasions. Be it celebrations or commiserations - special occasions and normal everyday it's where we all sit down to eat our daily bread. 


Invest in special pieces that mean something to you and that will make a difference in the lives of the marginalized communities who made them.


Gifts and Graces offer items that could make the humble dining table worthy of all the time you spend there with your loved ones.

Jade Napkin Ring

An elegant accessory to tie up a dining essential and is sure to up the ante in your table scape's overall look.

Oval Directory Tray 

Place your fruits or hot plates on this oval tray made of upcycled woven directory pages. A conversation piece and the perfect opener to explain to advocate to your friends buying fair trade products!

Riverstone Candles 

Do away with the typical candles on your table. Accent your table with these candles that look like smooth river stones instead.

All about Upcycling

We talk a lot about upcycling in this blog but not a lot of people don't know what exactly upcycling is. If you're one of those people, read on!


To quote Cara Smusiak in her post about upcycling in Naturally Savvy, Upcycling is 

"taking something that you would otherwise throw out and finding a way to make it into something else." 

She explains further the difference between recycling and upcycling: "upcycling maintains or improves the quality of the materials" while recycling downgrades the materials that are reused.


There are a myriad of ways to upcycle different sorts of "waste". It's all up to your imagination and creativity to reuse something that could potentially have added to to the landfills! To get you started, here is a list of 100 Amazing Upcycling Ideas you could use.


If you don't want to start upcycling yourself, why don't you buy some of Gifts and Graces many upcycled products? Not only will you be helping the environment, you would also be helping provide a dignified income to one of our partner marginalized communities!


Here are just some of our upcycled products:

Upcycled from Scrap Fabric

 Retaso Pillow

 Coffee Sleeves

Retaso Travel Set: Passport Holder, Luggage Tag & Checkbook Holder

Upcycled from Juice Packs

Juice Pack Bag

Upcycled from Magazines

Magazine Tote Bag

Upcycled from Phone book Pages

Stackable Directory Bowls

Upcycled from Old Flour Sacks

Harina Tote Bag

To see more of our upcycled products visit our showroom/office at:

Unit 131 Milelong Building, Amorsolo St, Makati City

or call 759-2525 or email us at: marketing@giftsandgraces.com

Fair Trade Travel

Jet-set in style using Gifts and Graces travel accessories. Be a fair trade traveler and take your advocacy wherever you go!

Mangyan Travel Set

Take your Filipino pride wherever your travels take you by covering your travel essentials with these Filipino handmade cloth passport holder, checkbook holder and luggage tag. 

Retaso Travel Pillow

 Travel in style and comfort with this pillow decorated with quality scrap fabric.

Retaso Travel Pouch

A place to put your toiletries in your hand carry bag made of canvass cloth and retaso fabric strips.

Organize Your Life

Does your home look like it;s been hit by a tornado? You're going to need things to help you organize. Buy fair trade products to get your life in order!

Mangyan Cloth Organizer

Put your things in little compartments, roll it up, tie it around and put it away!
Easy tidy tip!

Wooden Desk & Drawer Organizers

Compartmentalizing is the secret to a well organized life. Have a place for everything and everything in its place with these desk/drawer organizers.

Retail Partner Recap: The Lobby Shop at Edsa

Do you know that Gifts & Graces products are available in your favorite retail stores? In fact if you are staying at the Edsa Shangri - la Hotel you can drop by The Lobby Shop and get some of our fair trade products.

Here they are on the shelf of The Lobby Shop:

G&G Products at The Lobby Shop are:

Retaso Stuffed Toys

boat bags

and our handpainted newspaper bags:

Get them while it hasn't been snatched up yet!

Fair Game

Fair trade products cater to a wide range of people including the little ones. At a young age, start exposing them to eco-friendly and ethically-produced toys so that they can start early with social responsibility. 

Get your kids a few of the fabulous Gifts & Graces Fair Trade Foundation toys:

The Tangram

A 19th century Chinese puzzle that has spread around the world. The tangram is a square that has been cut into 7 pieces or tans. The tans are used to make silhouettes of everyday objects, animals and even people. The only rule is all 7 pieces be used in making a design and none of the pieces may overlap.  

Tell your kids to use their imagination and sense of humor to come up with his or her own shape.

Monster Dolls

Give your kids cute and quirky monster dolls to help them express their personalities and to stretch their imaginations. Help them make stories about these unique plush toys using different scenarios. Teach them imaginative play and the concept of individuality!

Retaso Stuffed Toys

These stuffed toys are truly one-of-a-kind. As they are made of donated quality scrap fabric, no two stuffed animals are the same. These cute bears are made by differently-abled persons. Your purchase will supplement their livelihood programs.

These are available at The Lobby Shop at Edsa Shangri-La 

and our office/showroom 

Unit 131 G/F Mile Long Building

Amorsolo St., Makati City

Rainy Day Gear

It's that time of the year again that workers dread and students spend with their fingers crossed for classes to be suspended. That's right. Typhoon season is upon us again. Aside from the all important umbrella and the optional rain boots and rain coat, why don't you add some of our fair trade products to your list of rainy day gear?

Tarpaulin Shoe Bag

Are you one of those sensible office workers who wear rubber slippers or boots to work and change to pretty heels or dress shoes when you get to the office? Keep your office shoes from getting wet by putting it in this cute shoe bag made of upcycled tarpaulin. You can keep your rubber slippers here during work hours too!
 

Retaso Travel Set

Dress up your travel essentials while protecting it from getting wet. The Retaso travel set made of quality scrap fabric consists of a Luggage Tag, Passport Holder and Cheque Holder. Also available in Mangyan Cloth and Buri.

Tarp Sling Bag

Keep your things safe from the torrential downpour by putting them in this sling bag made of upcycled tarpaulin. Remember, tarpaulin is made to endure any weather condition and this bag will keep your hands free to hold an umbrella up. Stylish and practical.

Bamboo Candles

Typhoon season also unfortunately is synonymous to black out time. Be prepared with these beautiful bamboo candles. Awesome house decor and excellent source of light when the power fails. Of course, you can opt for our eco-friendly soy candles.

Corporate Giveaway 2011

Gifts and Graces Fair Trade Foundation will be participating at the Corporate Giveaways 2011!

Come to A.Venue Antel Lifestyle City, Makati Ave., Makati City from July 6-8 from 10AM - 6PM. Drop by booth 145 to see Gifts and Graces' product offerings for this year.


Answer our short survey about your preferences on corporate giveaways. Talk to us about how you want your products customized and packaged and place your order! 

Support Gifts and Graces and become a company that gives marginalized communities a hand up not a hand out!

Shop Gifts and Graces from Shopnow@eyp!

Good news everyone!

You can now buy Gifts and Graces products without leaving your home or office. Click this link to buy our unique handmade products made with by our partner communities.