Holiday Sweet Treats — The Very Best Artisan Gourmet Certified Organic and Fair Trade Chocolate Gifts!

We have a new category of gift items fit for pretty much any person: chocolate! Just a few days ago we received a huge box brimming with fresh-made Sweet Earth Organic and Fair Trade Chocolates! We selected these chocolates with your tastes in mind. Sweet Earth Chocolates are exquisite and amazing. These fair trade, organic gourmet chocolates are great gifts for your boss or neighbor, your favorite uncle or aunt, and they make great hostess gifts too! Sweet Earth has many different chocolate products from which to choose. We have gift boxes full of assorted chocolate-covered nuts, caramels and fruits, bags full of chocolate-dipped pretzels, and rich chocolate truffles. We also have an assortment of their popular barks for you to check out. You can feel good when you buy these chocolates, as you're helping the farmers who grow the cocoa and, after all, giving is the reason for the season!

Fresh and fabulous unique artisan organic chocolates!  Gifts of delectable sweetness bring smiles all around!

 

Might this be heaven?  Such rich, sweet and healthy soul-satisfying comfort.  Fresh cocoa  that is certified organic and Fair Trade!  Four flavors to tickle your palate — Aztec Chili, Chai, Holiday Spice or Classic — try them all!

Gourmet Organic Toffee and Chocolate-Dipped Pretzels! We have creamy chocolate barks in Peppermint Crunch, or fruit and nut combinations.  For chocolate purists, we also have Sweet Earth's specialty delicacies, their deep chocolate, creamy truffles — something for everyone!

What's Black and White on the Outside and Bursting with Color on the Inside? Our New Store!

With the holidays quickly approaching, we are sure you have a long list of things to do to prepare yourself, your home, and your family for the big season. In addition to the holidays, the temperatures have been dropping every day, reminding us that it's beginning to be winter coat season. Winter coats mean gloves, hats, scarves, and other accessories to keep you warm. Here at Terressentials, we have a vast array of handcrafted scarves for every occasion, as well as felted hats, silk and wool mittens, and wool ear warmers to keep every bit of you (and your family) warm during these chilly months. Our items are fair trade, so in addition to keeping your body warm, you can warm your heart too by knowing your money is going to a good cause by helping people in other countries make a good living and support their families.

We were busy this fall searching for the perfect artisan-crafted holiday gift items and accessories for you and your loved ones. We have several new jewelry lines, as well as new items from well-liked jewelry we've sold in the past. New this season are an exquisite recycled glass jewelry line from Arizona, funky mismatched (yet very complementary) ceramic earrings from Wisconsin, creative and beautiful mesh metal jewelry from Rhode Island, and delicate, elegant earrings and necklaces from Alexandria, VA. We have recently restocked our collection of shimmery beaded jewelry from Guatemala and stone and silver jewelry from Peru, and we also have more of our unique Ecuadorian jewelry made from seeds and nuts. We are the store to go to if you want to find exciting and fun jewelry!

After we looked for jewelry, we decided that you would probably really like some high-quality, fun and exciting handbags and accessories to go with your fun new jewelry. So we found a great new line of arty felted handbags from India! These bags are quirky and whimsical, and also big enough to hold essentials, but small enough to not weigh you down. We also have cute felted cosmetic bags and little change purses. Come in and check out these bags—they're really something to see! In addition to felted bags, we received a new shipment of beautifully handcrafted leather handbags and accessories from Paraguay. These bags have been a favorite among our shoppers this past year, so we've listened to your comments and ideas for new inventory and we're hoping you'll like what we've decided to bring into the store! Other handbags we have on our floor include silk handbags from Cambodia, artsy handbags made from recycled bags in India, and gorgeous vintage floral handbags made in California.

Bring a friend, bring your significant other (it's easier for them to shop for you if you say, “Wow, I love this! Doesn't this look great on me! I'd really love this for the holidays.” If you drop enough hints, they'll catch on and you'll receive wonderful fair trade gifts for the holidays, just like you wanted!). Stop into our store and see if we can make your holiday shopping easier! In addition to all of the fair trade gift items, we also have certified organic chocolates, teas, granola, and other snack items. Soon we're even going to be selling fantastic certified organic coffee! Stop in to say hi, stop in to look at our inventory, and stop in to find great things for the holidays! We're finding it difficult to even begin to describe all of our fabulous gift items, so you'll just have to drop by and see for yourself all of our wonderful fair trade and organic items!

We are now located at 100 E. Patrick Street at Maxwell Avenue, in front of the library. Currently, our general holiday hours are:

Sunday 11am-5pm

Monday 10am-5pm

Tuesday 10am-5pm

Wednesday 10am-5pm

Thursday 10am-6pm

Friday 10am-9pm

Saturday 10am-9pm

See you soon!

Just look at how much our new storefront sparkles!

Our windows are all "jazzed" up for the holidays!

Now that we've doubled our store size, we've been able to increase our inventory of snacks and gift items, found here in the back portion of our store!

This Just In!

This just in—cotton scarves to add style to every occasion!  These block-printed scarves are hand-crafted in India and are truly one-of-a- kind. The scarves are made of 100% high quality cotton. For each scarf, the designer uses between 1 and 30 handmade print blocks, each of which takes two days to carve. Additionally, each three-meter block of cloth is stamped about 1000 times. With hand-stitched edging on each scarf and colorful, elegant designs, who can resist such a lovely, unique scarf?

Stop by soon to further accentuate your summer wardrobe with South American jewelry made from nuts and seeds! This jewelry is made from natural seeds that have been sustainably harvested from rainforests and lowlands in South America. Many of the nuts and seeds used in this jewelry are sun-dried for months, and then these organic materials are individually cut and hand-dyed, and finally assembled into necklaces, bracelets, and earrings. Wear these accessories to your next social gathering and you'll receive endless compliments about these unusual finds!

We have new handbags for the summer months! Our sisal bags from Kenya come in many different colors and sizes. They are hand made by women of Kenya who take care of their homes and family, and find time to make these bags that take between two to three weeks to complete.

Our other collection of bags is made with grasses in Cambodia. These bags come in various styles, shapes, and patterns, and add pizazz to any outfit. The Cambodian bags are made by workers who receive $2-3 more than others who work in their country. These bags are helping to improve the lives of the people who make them.

Looking forward to seeing you in our Frederick store soon! 
  

 She couldn't stop dreaming about
the upcoming lazy summer days on the island.

He couldn't wait to see the way her eyes would light up
when she saw the fancy jewelry he bought her.

She was mystified about how well her new bag fit
with every piece of clothing in her wardrobe.

Sun hat?  Check.  Clutch?  Check.  Silk scarf?  Check.

This girl's ready for a night on the town!

She couldn't wait to bring all of her best friends

to see the amazing collection of bags in her new favorite store.

 

He looked around and saw colorful purses in all shapes and sizes

He instantly knew where he'd be going for her next birthday gift...

Celebrate Your Green Spirit!

Green.  Grass.  Spring.  The luck o' the Irish.  After all of the white that we've seen this past month, we're holding our breath in anticipation of seeing green.  But you don't have to wait any longer to see the green, come to our Terressentials Patrick Street store this Saturday, March 6,  and join us -- Maryland's deepest green and organic and fair made business -- in celebrating your green spirit!

Once again, our fine research has uncovered some unique delights and we'd love to share them with you during this First Saturday evening event in Frederick City.  We'll be introducing a special adult treat -- 479 Popcorn from San Francisco!  Jean Arnold, chef extraordinaire, trained at London's Cordon Bleu, but can't shake her lifelong passion -- the search for the perfect popcorn.  One day she makes a crucial discovery -- the perfect corn popping temperature is...can you guess?  479 degrees!  From that point, Jean expanded her obsession to finding the most sensual epicurean complements for her perfectly popped organic corn.  The result?  Sublime combinations of salt and sweet and spice and savory -- tantalizing sensations suitable for mature palates only, please!   Ginger Sesame Caramel, Chipotle Caramel + Almonds, or Black Truffle + Aged White Cheddar?  How do these mouth-watering flavors sound to you?  Don't waste a minute guessing!  Join us on Saturday evening and we'll share a few of our decadent kernels with you.  

Oh, and yes, we've also discovered a new and exciting artisan chocolate -- 100% Organic Skinny Bars.  Skinny Bars are unbelievably yummy and a great skinny size -- skinny to the tune of about 200 calories per bar!   Now, here's the best part -- Skinny Bars don't give you the skinny when it comes to flavor.  Holy, mole!*  These are incredibly delicious and rich organic Belgian chocolates infused with fresh, new tongue-teasing blends of spices, fruit, peppermint, crunchy cocoa nibs and roasted coffee beans.  You really do want to try all of the Skinny offerings and, at around 200 calories per bar, you won't be breaking the calorie bank.  So, this Saturday, peruse the new Skinny Chocolate collection at Terressentials: 

Belgian 41% Milk Chocolate infused with Cinnamon and Nutmeg

Belgian 41% Milk Chocolate infused with Cocoa Nibs

Belgian 66% Dark Chocolate infused with Ginger Root

Belgian 66% Dark Chocolate infused with Peppermint Leaves

Belgian 66% Dark Chocolate infused with Raspberry

Belgian 78% Dark Chocolate infused with Ethiopian Yirgacheffe Coffee

In keeping with the spirit of Frederick's First Saturday Going Green festivities, our company founders,  Diana and Jim, will be on hand Saturday evening to talk the deep green talk with you, to share organic tips and answer your organic and green questions.  So, shake off those winter blahs and  pop on down to Frederick City and help us roll out the green carpet for spring!  Truly, what could be better than seeing fun, new green things?


* Mole -- Mexico's famous national dish -- a complex, rich and earthy chocolate and chili sauce -- is the perfect  meal solution for these chill end-of-winter evenings and send seductive sparks into your cerebral cortex.  Viva chocolate, viva serotonin boost!  By the way, you can pick up a round or two of Taza's authentic certified organic, Mexican-style stone ground chocolate for your mole (or fantastic hot chocolate!) at our shop when you come by.

Finally, to provide some inspiration, here are some intriguing mole recipes for you to play with.  Enjoy!

http://www.norecipes.com/2009/02/28/conejo-en-mole-rojo-rabbit-in-red-mole/
http://www.fabulousfoods.com/recipes/article/169/19190
http://recipes.epicurean.com/recipe/17671/mole-sauce.html

Enjoying Pleasant Journeys and Gathering Happy
Memories As We Walk Down The Road Of Life

There's something exciting and magical about the holidays...and we're not talking about Santa Claus here. Ah, but yes, we're referring to the sparkle of crystal bowls and ornaments, slender champagne flutes brimming with golden bubbly, the shimmer of soft silk blouses and bags, the scents of fresh evergreen boughs, mulling spices and sultry flaming logs crackling in the fireplace with the sounds of familiar happy holiday music following us like our shadow on a sunny day. It's these things that become our future memories and the special finishing touches are what bring the smiles to our faces and tears of joy to our eyes when we unpack the personal treasure boxes of our lives that are filled with our mementos that we carried with us on the many steps in our many journeys in the adventure of our lives.

We are most particular when we create our USDA certified organic body care products because we know that they must care for you every day in a most personal way and that they must not be a burden to you, other wild living creatures or our waterways. We are also very particular in searching the world every year to find lovely future memories for you. We find the most promising artisans with beautiful fair trade and fair made goods, and worthy social and environmental missions so that we can share their story, their art, their inspiration with you. If you haven't already done so, and you live in our area, do find a moment to admire Tina's lovely, creative holiday-theme window displays in our storefront at our Frederick City Patrick Street store. The window displays are festive and are accented with lustrous hand-crafted Guatemalan crystal-beaded balls for holiday or year-round ornamentation, artful DeVeer glass earrings, lively and unusual silk coin pouches, wallets and cosmetic cases, distinctive and elegant silk evening bags from Cambodia, and cheerful and fun Llama leather handbags from Bolivia to carry your precious necessities to your next holiday gathering.

Good health, wonderful friends, plentiful food, purposeful goods, and inspiring stories -- these are the foundation for a rich and full life. Grant yourself permission to enjoy little organic and fair trade indulgences and to create the positive memories for your future. Our Terressentials team would like to thank you for your environmental concern and your loyal patronage of our organic business, and we all wish you a happy, healthy and prosperous holiday season and new year!

Holiday Home Accessories:
100% Pure Beeswax Candles


Accessorize your home with 100% pure beeswax candles! These candles are the perfect eco-conscious accessory to add to your home during holidays and throughout the year, and always make a delightful and useful hostess or housewarming gift. The beeswax for the candles is produced in organically-managed hives and the candles are free from toxic petrochemical additives, hydrocarbon pollutants and paraffin so you can feel good about adding some mellow zen glow to your home with these hand-poured beeswax candles, and take comfort in the process behind the product. You might be pleasantly surprised to learn that beeswax is the only wax that, when burned, produces negative ions which help to remove pollution particulates from the air and gently increases the ratio of negative ions to positive ions. Increasing the negative ions causes the positive ions to drop their loads of unhealthy pollen, dust and dander, creating the ideal situation for cleaner air. Using beeswax candles may actually help to keep your house clean and your lungs clear!

Terressentials stores carry a number of shapes and sizes of the beeswax candles, so you can choose which style is best for your home. The wicks are made from pure cotton, are lead and zinc free, and are pre-waxed for convenience. The recyclable packaging for these special candles is made from 100% recycled paper, so you need not worry about harming the planet. Add a little inviting warmth to your home today and enhance everyone's mood with the soft natural light from 100% pure beeswax candles!

Photo credit:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/blmurch/ / CC BY 2.0

Terressentials Holiday Accessory: Fused Glass Earrings

Accessories are crucial in a fabulous wardrobe; you need the right colors to match, fashionable jewelry to compliment your mood, and of course a few stellar statement pieces. Terressentials has, yet again, found some of the most beautifully diverse handcrafted jewelry. One of our latest arrivals, DeVeer Designs Fused Glass Earrings, are a modern staple with delightful shapes, styles, and colors. The glass for these stunning earrings has been kiln-fired, an ancient form of glass artistry that has recently been rediscovered by craftsmen and craftswomen. Each pair of earrings is completely unique and specially crafted to enhance a slew of personal styles. Each pair is inspired by the Chinese art of Feng Shui, so you can bring that inspiration to your lovely earlobes with an array of designs. Some of the earrings are simple enough to be worn with an elegant dress to a holiday party, accenting that little black dress oh-so-perfectly. Other pairs are colorful and upbeat, perfect for a gallery opening or first Saturday dinner. Some of the earrings are even casual enough to wear with a nice pair of jeans. There are plenty of options to reflect your personality, mood, and wardrobe. All of the earrings hang beautifully on silver wires, and the wire is sometimes incorporated into the accessory's delicate arrangement. You will not only make a fashion statement with these individualized shapes and styles: you will be displaying a modern work of art. These intricate pieces of jewelry are the perfect demonstration of classic American craftsmanship. Hurry over to Terressentials today to find your unique set of earrings before someone else takes your statement!