green gifts

A cute little porcupine is crafted by hand of copal wood with spines of maguey plant fibers, making a charming addition to any home. Working together, Mexico's Zeny and Reyna paint this sculpture by hand to feature a solid green body with stripes of red and yellow along its spines.

Perfect for holding beauty supplies like cotton balls and Q-tips, small desk supplies like paper clips, or kitchen essentials like rubber bands, this lovely ceramic cylindrical decorative jar is handcrafted by Mexican artisan Topiltzin Castro in the Talavera style. On the body of the container, the artisan hand-paints a motif of diagonal rows of white teardrops interspersed with warm brown dots and alternating scallop-edged rows of avocado green horizontal pinstripes. The background is left unglazed, allowing the matte, natural ivory colour of the ceramic to show through. The same motif is on the lid, with the rows spiraling in to the centre. The rims of the container and lid, and the lid's knob, are painted a warm brown.

Combining a love for the holidays with a Mexican aesthetic, Rene Vazquez designs this set of four ornaments. She handcrafts each ornament from ceramic in the shape of a succulent serrano pepper, given a green finish.

Perfect for genuine Oaxacan mezcal, these shot glasses with an irregular shape are coloured by a wispy green mist. Each glass is crafted with blown glass techniques. "We only use alternative forms of energy - such as used oil from restaurant kitchens - to fire up the kiln, and our process is 100% handcrafted. Our designs are inspired by traditional Mexican pieces which we develop with a contemporary accent," Salime Cruces tells us. The set includes 4 shot glasses.

Elevate your dining experience with this elegant and practical ceramic fondue pot, crafted with care and artistry by Honduras’ Regina Aguilar. Ideal for melting cheese or chocolate to perfection, it invites friends and family to come together and create cherished memories around the dining table. Its exquisite antique finish adds a touch of class to any occasion while its versatility ensures that it’s not just for fondue—keep sauces and stews warm with ease, ensuring every meal is served with style and warmth.

Every house element can be transformed into a traditional accent with the help of Juana Ponce and her fascinating creativity. Working with ceramic in the Talavera style, the Mexican artisan handcrafts this tissue box cover featuring a palette of green and warm hues that bring to life a classic scene of the desert and its charming cactus.

Centered by a heart as well as a lively green cactus, this ceramic wall cross is a beautiful way to express your faith. The Contreras Family crafts the cross in the traditional majolica style, and paints it by hand with colorful glazes.

The Contreras Family in Dolores Hidalgo works in the same Spanish majolica style that is used for traditional Talavera ceramics to create this pretty pair of small cups and saucers. Perfectly sized for a cup of tea or demitasse of espresso, the vanilla-hued cups and saucers are hand painted with a saguaro cactus and a slender green rim. Set your table with original art from Mexico!

Rich earth tones combine with soft, sturdy nylon in a hammock that is as handsome as it is comfortable. Maya Artists of the Yucatan follow time-honored traditions to hand-weave this piece.

Long before the Spanish arrived upon the coasts of the Yucatan Peninsula, the Maya preferred to sleep and rest in hammocks. They considered the hammock to be like the loving embrace of a mother, due to the comfortable manner in which the body is held and swung within its cradle. Maya Artists of the Yucatan seek to preserve time-honored customs while also offering stylized versions of the original Maya hammock. For them, the hammock is a work of art. Their hammocks are incredibly comfortable, easy to maintain, and may be stored just about anywhere.

Please note: The accompanying extension ropes may vary in color from those shown in the images.

It easily packs for travel to the beach or lake. Extender ropes (measuring 1 meter), hammock hooks ("S" hooks), and step-by-step instructions included for easy installation.

NOTE: Because each is woven individually by hand, measurements may vary by as much as ten centimeters. There may be slight color variations from hammock to hammock.

Ivan Martinez of Mexico designs this charming cat statuette in the classic Talavera style. The quizzical cat is crafted of ceramic and hand painted with floral motifs in yellow, red, green and blue.

Flowers blossom with an exuberant feast of colors on this creamer and sugar bowl set designed in the Talavera style of the state of Puebla. The motifs are painted by hand over the ivory-color the ceramic creamer and sugar bowl with a palette that includes yellow-orange, blue, and green flowers over a crisscross network of dots and crosses. Bordered by a black honeycomb, the creamer and sugar bowl come from the 'Zacatlán Flowers' collection designed by Pedro Tecayehuatl.

Talavera is a distinctive art form brought to Mexico by artisans from Talavera de la Reina, Spain. The ceramic artisans of Puebla, Mexico then incorporated Chinese designs, thus creating the blue and oyster-white patterns traditionally associated with Talavera Poblana. Today there are also more "contemporary" designs that include yellow, green, orange, mauve, black and red.

National and international conventions require that a rigorous procedure be followed in the elaboration of authentic Talavera-style ceramics. Each individual piece will be slightly different, and therefore a unique work of art.

"There are very few natural displays of color that are as beautiful as the Aurora Borealis. That ethereal show of color produced by the Northern Lights inspired the design of our 'Aurora' collection," Cantel Blown Glass Artisans explain. They craft the voluptuous pitcher by hand, using traditional blown glass techniques featuring swirling lines of color like orange, yellow, green and red underscored by aqua blue.

Because each piece is handmade, shape and size can vary slightly and tiny bubbles may appear within the glass. This exemplifies the hand-blown technique, making every piece a unique example of blown glass craftsmanship.