painted gourds

Ho! Ho! Ho! Have the most wonderful Christmas with this set of three holiday ornaments made from dried calabash gourd--also known as mate gourd--and shaped like Santa and his reindeer. Peruvian artisan Blanca Canto handcrafts and hand-paints the colorful ornaments and gives them a lustrous finish that makes them unique.

Mate or calabash gourd is used in Peru for creating decorative and utilitarian objects since pre-Hispanic times. Artisan Blanca Canto handcrafts and hand-paints this cute set of four ornaments with dried calabash gourd in the shapes of penguins and snowmen representative of the holiday season.

Bring the spirit of the farm right into your home with two cute cows and a charming pig handcrafted from dried calabash gourd by Peruvian artisan Blanca Canto, who paints by hand this set of three ornaments perfect for the holidays or decorating your indoor and outdoor spaces. The calabash or mate gourd is a material used in Peru since pre-Hispanic times for decorative and utilitarian objects.

"Hummingbirds are a daily feature in our gardens, that's why I combined the image of the bird with the flowers and colors of Guatemalan gardens. What I like about hummingbirds is that they seem to be full of energy, they're beautiful and yet delicate," confides José Arriola. The talented artisan handcrafts the ornaments of ceramic and paints each one with acrylics with different themes. The six ornaments hangs from bright red ribbons, and the set arrives in a traditional cotton pouch woven on a foot loom.

Stylized peacocks and pretty flowers pose on festive ornaments — one each in green, red, yellow and orange. Working in an ancient art they learned from their father, the Canto Sisters craft the set from dried gourds harvested from the yerba mate plant. They are cleaned, dried and painted before the images are meticulously engraved around the surface by hand.

Cultivated on the Peruvian coast for 6,000 years, mate gourds were decorated with images of birds and fish by the pre-Inca Moche and Chimu peoples. But it was the Inca who went on to use the gourds as cups and bowls, in ceremonial objects and in musical instruments.

Because each unique piece is handcrafted from a natural gourd, please expect slight variations in shape, size and motifs.

Nothing is more appropriate for Christmas than this cheerful set of four decorative ornaments. Alex Mermao in Peru crafts the ornaments with calabash gourd, which he hand-carves and then finishes with geometric designs inspired by the Amazon using acrylic paint.

Percy Rojas has found inspiration in the little creatures that surround nature. Working with dried gourds, the Peruvian artisan handcrafts a set of three ornaments in a warm palette, including a charming ladybug, a cute turtle and a tender snail. Furthermore, each accessory comes with a cotton cord that allows you to hang them anywhere.