cool small gifts

Indian elephants parade through a leafy forest. Gulam Rasool depicts them in a regal jewelry box. A master at traditional jali or openwork carving, he works in natural soapstone.

Felted wool puppies are ready for a winter's walk in their coats and scarves. Indian artisan Ashish Mehta crafts each dog from wool, wearing a scarf and jacket with cotton embroidery and glass beads for the eyes. This set of six arrives with a polyester storage pouch.

Inspired by the Mexican folk art form of alebrijes, Manuel Delfino in Guatemala creates this charming small figurine. The flamingo is carved by hand from pinewood and carefully hand painted in colorful detail.

Wearing bright red lipstick, a whimsical blue cat lifts her tail in greeting. Zeny and Reyna transform found pieces of copal wood into a delightful alebrije. These fanciful sculptures are a traditional folk art in Oaxaca, once based on twenty totems but today representing all kinds of animals. They take their name from a Calo gypsy word for "something difficult, tangled, confusing or fantastic."

Because each alebrije is individually created work of folk art, shapes will vary slightly. Small parts are separated for shipping to protect from breakage.

Crafted by hand, filigree kittens come to life as earrings by Pichaya. She works in shining silver to craft cheerful kitty cats that swing on sterling hooks.

.925 Sterling silver

Reaching down to feed from a pool, a delightful duck makes a vibrant addition to your lawn decor with this flower pot. Mexican artisan Sergio Ponce designs the flower pot, which he crafts of ceramic and paints by hand with intricate designs and floral motifs. Says Ponce, "I love the great variety of colors and designs that I can transmit in each of my pieces, always maintaining excellent quality."

A symbol of old Siam, elephants are a favorite in Thailand. This cheerful pachyderm is intended to bring good luck. Painted by hand, it adorns a generous front pocket on a cotton sling tote. By Jiap Rojjana, the bag is fully lined and an inner pocket with zipper keeps small items handy. Yellow cords and rain tree wood beads adorn the strap, and both the outer pocket and the purse close with coconut shell buttons.

Because each is an individual work of embroidery art, colors and motifs may vary slightly according to the artisan's inspiration.

A playful, excited cat makes a vibrant and fun addition to any home, handcrafted from copal wood and maguey plant fibers in the style of traditional alebrijes. Mexican couple Zeny and Reyna proudly paint this sculpture by hand, drawing inspiration from their cultural roots to cover the cat in bright floral motifs against a teal body. Small parts are separated for shipping to protect from breakage.

Husband and wife duo Zeny and Reyna from Oaxaca grew up with the tradition of carving alebrijes (fantastical figurines of real and imagined animals); both of their parents were master carvers in that region's traditional folk art. Here they create a wildly colorful dragon in a contorted, acrobatic pose. The dragon is carved by hand from copal wood and painted in a rainbow of psychedelic colors.

Small parts are separated for shipping to protect from breakage.It is said that Oaxaca's alebrije tradition descends directly from Mexico City artisan Pedro Linares (1906-1992). When he was 30, he became seriously ill and fell into a sort of coma. While he was unconscious, he had a most fantastic dream. He was caught between the land of the living and the dead; the place looked like a forest and was populated with creatures with body parts belonging to different animals. The beings repeatedly uttered the word alebrije, and when Linares woke up, he recreated these figures in vivid colors using papier mache techniques and called them alebrijes . His work became famous and eventually influenced artisans in the state of Oaxaca who decided to craft alebrijes using traditional wood carving methods and according to that region's world vision.

Hovering on whirring wings, a whimsical hummingbird seeks out the sweet nectar of flowers. Zeny and Reyna transform found pieces of copal wood into a delightful alebrije. These fanciful sculptures are a traditional folk art in Oaxaca, once based on twenty totems but today representing all kinds of animals. They take their name from a Calo gypsy word for "something difficult, tangled, confusing or fantastic."

Because each alebrije is individually created work of folk art, shapes will vary slightly. Small parts are separated for shipping to protect from breakage.