handmade stuff

With a strap that is designed to tie at the desired length, this bohemian shoulder bag is a beautiful testimony to northern Thailand's textile traditions. The cotton bag is woven on a traditional loom by Karen hill tribe weavers in pink magenta with patterns in black, yellow and gray. Adorned with elephants detailed in aluminum repoussé, the bag by Jiap Rojjana has a pocket in the solid black lined interior and closes with a coconut shell button.

A colorful peacock struts his stuff on the cover of this journal from Vidushini in India. The artisan paints the front cover by hand in the traditional Gond folk art style, which was once used to adorn the walls and floors of a home. The journal is made of handmade paper and features 40 unlined pages and a spiral binding.

Colourful mirrored snowflakes light up this wool felt stocking handmade by artisans in India. The ivory stocking is presented by Rajesh Gehlot.

Tweeting songs of joy, colorful birds herald the holiday season. The cheerful composition is painted by hand on four ornaments from India's Syed Izaz Hussein.

Crafted by members of the Lopez Garcia Family of Guatemala, this set of six quitapenas dolls makes a wonderful gift for friends or family that tells the recipient you care about their well-being and wish them the best. Quitapenas means "to remove worries" in Spanish; artisan Aura Lopez explains the Mayan worry doll tradition. "My grandparents said that the way to use them was to take the doll out of the bag or wooden box and tell it your problems and fears," she states. "Then, you place the doll under your pillow and, the next day, your problem becomes smaller or can be resolved." The set consists of three male and three female worry dolls each clasping a red heart to his or her chest and comes with a pouch made from loom-woven cotton. Handmade using tule wood, polyurethane, nylon stockings, kraft paper, and 100% cotton fabric, the dolls are dressed in vividly-colored traditional Guatemalan attire.