Those pretty knick-knacks and decorative items around your home likely have a history. There’s the crystal bowl that was an anniversary gift from a dear friend, or the candleholder your mom gave you before she died — they all hold great significance.

We’ve found 20 lovely decorative items with their own stories. Our picks come from far-flung nations or close to home, made by fair-trade artisans or creative artists using recycled, natural materials. Take a moment to shop our selections. (Most of the websites selling these goodies have lots of other green items to check out.)

1. A colorful swirl basket from Uganda: This handmade basket, above, is made with coils of natural banana fiber by women in rural Uganda. It’s 15″ wide and 3″ deep, with a loop for hanging. The money you pay goes to employment and training for disadvantaged women, children, the disabled and those with HIV/AIDS. It’s very wallet-friendly, too, at $4.95 from World of Good at eBay.

2. A detailed retabolo photo frame: Artist Alejandro Chavez of Peru hand-makes these Andean life folk art dioramas (above) reflective of life in his country. The lower panel of this one, for example, re-creates a colorful Andean feast. It’s $34, also from World of Good.

When getting ready for Mother’s Day, don’t forget about Mother Earth. We have gathered ten ideas that your mother will love and won’t hurt the earth.

A Gift That Blooms

1. Flowers are always right for Mom’s Day. If you are leaning in that direction, consider buying local blooms from a local florist. Picking out flowers that are grown locally cuts down on the amount of gas used to bring you that flower, and you will be supporting your neighborhood economy. If cut flowers aren’t easily found, look for a perennial or shrub in a pot.

Find local flower markets and farms by typing in your zip code on LocalHarvest.org. We found White Dove Farm Flowers, in Santa Paula, Calif., north of Los Angeles, which produced this gorgeous Iris.

White Dove is just one of many possible local sellers. You’ll find several flower farms, sometimes as part of larger produce and herb farms, in any large market.

A Gift With A Conscience

2. Make your mom proud and invest in another woman’s future. Microplace.com enables you to make an investment in a loan of a hard-working borrower in an impoverished nation. With only a $20 donation, your mom can receive a hand-woven, free-trade scarf from Bihar, India and you will help a hard-working entrepreneur to lift herself out of poverty.

A Tasty Treat

3. A basket full of fresh organic fruits and vegetables can more than carry the day. Stop by your local farmers market and hand pick some fruit or veggies. To be earth friendly, reuse a basket or pretty tote you have in the house and fill it with your hand-picked goodies, her favorites.

Add some baked treats from Blackbird Bakery for some gluten-free sweets to make mom smile. Blackbird, founded by Karen Morgan, and popular with Courtney Cox Arquette, Island Def Jam and Laura Dern,  uses 100 percent organic fruit, eggs and dairy in its products.

Or add a sweet touch from Taza chocolate – it’s organic and stone ground and available in gift boxes.

If you’re working on making your furniture environmentally correct, but you don’t want to sacrifice on style, we’ve found a handful of websites with wonderful, elegant options. Today, we’re shopping for chairs.

Earthsake sells all kinds of furniture made from sustainably harvested wood and luxury eco-friendly fabrics. We like the Milan Puff chair (at left), which comes in a variety of bentwood frames and lots of fabric for the cloud-like cushion. They’re on sale now, and range from $315 to $415 based on the grade of fabric you select.

There are several seating options to pick from at Viva Terra, including rattan chairs and very amusing “felted wool stones” that look like big soft smooth rocks. But we’re taken with the colorful Barcelona armchair, made of woven wicker with a natural kapok cushion. It’s $329.

Branch.com is a whimsical site with lots of colorful, zany, decorative items for the home. Their statement-making “knit” chair is handmade in Mexico of Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified beech or white oak and cotton rope (at right). Wood panels are held together with the rope in this comfy-looking lounge chair (it won a design award in 2005). The chairs are made to order and – gulp – they cost $5,998. But hey, it’s art!

Vivavi.com calls itself a “modern green furniture and furnishings” retailer, and their furniture designs are modern and edgy. They have lots of seating options, but their Spring chair caught our eye. It’s a single curved piece, made of bamboo with a sleek ergonomic design. It has a non-toxic finish that comes in natural, ebony and cherry, and it’s $690.

The seating options at Viesso are made with locally sourced alder, natural or recycled materials and water-based glue. The results are plush, colorful seats that can be combined with other pieces to create sectionals or love seats. The Blumen line is very modern and colorful, and the chair pictured (at left) is $732, but there are less expensive armless options. See other chair designs at Viesso as you scroll down their “chair” page.

Copyright © 2008 Green Right Now | Distributed by Noofangle Media