By Laura Bucci •
October 26, 2008
This is a guest post by Laura Bucci, who knits and sews bags. You can find her at her arts & crafts blog.
I must admit that I prefer to buy foreign craft items when I’m actually visiting the country of origin as opposed to buying them in my home country. There’s something missing when these items are sold out of context. Right now, I’m thinking specifically about Latin American crafts since that’s where I’ve traveled to in the last few years. I feel there’s a lot that I’m not getting by not having seen the people, the landscape, the country, the culture where the piece is made.
In one of my the trips to Guatemala, I bought two small embroidery wall hangings. Although I did not meet the women who made these pieces, throughout Guatemala it is easy to spot Mayan women working on the streets or craft markets (as seen in top picture). By being exposed to the culture, and through dialogues with shop owners, my appreciation of my newly purchased embroideries was greatly increased. And now when I look at my Mayan embroideries at home, images of the place, the women, and the culture flood back.
By Jennifer Lance •
September 23, 2008
I have always adored traditional Mayan textiles, especially huipils. Chi Chi Amor takes huipil and corte fabric from Guatemala and repurposes it into beautiful children’s clothing. Handmade by small family groups, Chi Chi Amor’s unique clothing are perfect for eco-conscious, globally-minded families.
Chi Chi Amor was founded by two anthropologist mothers Danielle O’Connor and Shari Feldman. “Chi Chi” refers to the town of Chichicastenango, Guatemala, where textiles are produced. “Amor” of course means love in Spanish, and it expresses for Danielle and Sheri, “the realization of our idea, our friendship, the expression of our feelings for Guatemala and its people, and the deep love that we feel for our children and families…that’s Amor!”
I particularly love the worry doll pants. These sweet pants are made from the traditional Mayan corte skirt fabric. Beautiful embroidered flowers adorn the pant legs, and a special surprise of worry dolls reside in the pockets. If you are not familiar with worry dolls, they are small Guatemalan folk dolls that are used to ease children’s anxieties. Children who have trouble going to sleep can tell the doll their worries, place them under their pillow, then rest peacefully as the doll does the worrying for them. With all of the anxiety of childhood, having worry dolls in one’s pockets would be handy to deal with the rational and irrational fears of life.
By Vital Juice Daily •
September 18, 2007
Editor’s note: Looking for a travel experience a bit more exotic (and meaningful) than the traditional trip to the beach or lakeside resort? Our friends at email tip service Vital Juice Daily have some suggestions today.
If you’re jealous of Angelina Jolie’s exotic globetrotting to save the world, you might consider a volunteer vacation (Brad Pitt not included) … help yourself while helping others! What could be better than that (besides
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By Amy Stodghill •
March 19, 2007
Dean’s Beans, a Massachusettes-based organic coffee company, has partnered with non-profit, indigenous rights organization, Cultural Survival, to present a weekly radio program for Guatemalan coffee farmers.
"Coffee Talk" will include information on global market prices, growing and processing techniques, and the benefits of organic crop certification. Dean’s Beans founder, Dean Cycon, wanted to reach out to rural, farming co-operatives with limited access to television, print media and internet and give them information and
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