B is for beautiful beads

OK, so I'm still pimping our Christmas gifts ... It's just that I was so happy this year to have been on the receiving end of vintage and handmade gifts. I get all warm and fuzzy thinking about hands toiling away on a gift for me. This was the year of the handmade gift — hooray!

First up, these beautifully intricate beads made by HIV positive mothers or refugees. My mother-in-law bought these for me, knowing how much I'd treasure their origin. The beads are made out of recycled paper, and the nonprofit organization is called BeadforLife.

"1.2 billion people around the world — one out of every five people alive — struggle to survive on less than $1 a day. After paying the beaders fair trade prices for their work, all net proceeds from this sale are invested in programs that fight extreme poverty in the areas of health, housing, sustainable livelihood and education."