gifts for myself

Resembling a hedge maze, each journal in this set of five is decorated with natural agel grass that creates a spiraling shape. Designed by Balinese artisan Komang Sulaksana, these journals are colored green, red, yellow, black, and blue, lined in black polyester with cinnamon stick accents at the spines. Each journal opens to 80 pages of rice paper.

This natural brown cat will sleep anywhere – on a bookshelf, a table, or a cabinet Nengah Sudarsana carves the sleepy kitty from suar wood, which displays a beautiful natural grain. Sudarsana's admirable expertise is visible in the vivid rendition of this sculpted feline.

Popularized in Sweden, Dala horses are a Christmas favorite worldwide because of their cheerful designs and bright colors. From the island of Bali, artisan Komang Sulaksana creates his own interpretation of the Swedish tradition, hand-painting each of these four horses with a unique character that brings cheer to the holidays.

Smooth natural stone shows its sleek allure in a pyramid by Cesar Gonzales. Sculpted of a beautiful combination of gemstones, the piece is designed to attract the positive and repel negativity. Blue-green chrysocolla, warm brown aragonite and white calcite crown the pyramid while jasper is the central stone. Beneath, green serpentine, chalcedony with leopard spots and black onyx complete the sculpture.

Old Saint Nick is as festive as the Christmas star in a set of four ornaments from Bali. Wayan Cidra, from Bhakti Senang Hat, crafts each albesia wood ornament by hand and paints them red. The set of four ornaments hangs from golden cords.

"I'm the youngest of five siblings and our parents are farmers in Gianyar. I never went to school because of my parent's financial limitations, and also because I got poliomyelitis when I was just a child and it left me with weakened knees. I wanted to help my parents in some way, so I have been crafting ornaments since I was 14 years old. I felt so proud to myself when I received my very first income. Although I'm not really happy with my physical condition, I'm happy doing ornaments and hopefully my products can make more people happy. My hobby is singing traditional Balinese songs. I'm married and we have a son and a daughter. My wife is the one who helps me in making these ornaments, which I hope makes people’s Christmas happier."