Global Exchange: Guatemalan Baby Bib

Guatemalan Baby Bib $ 16.00

Backstrap weaving is an ancient and highly-skilled technology that is passed on from mother to daughter. Every inch of fabric takes approximately one hour to hand weave! These wonderful backstrap baby bibs are made by women from the Solola Weaving Group in Guatemala. Maya Traditions has been working with this and other women’s weaving cooperatives and family businesses since 1988. This particular group of women joined together in 1985 after they suffered many losses during the war. As backstrap weavers, they are earning consistent income to help support their families. Maya Traditions has also developed several projects with the women, which have done much to improve their quality of life. The projects include health care for the women, including medicinal herbs, and education for their children.

Country of Origin: Guatemala
Dimensions: 10 1/3" across, 10 1/3" long; approx. 17" around neck

Uzbek Alive

UzbekAlive was created by a small group of enthusiasts as a channel for promotion of work of Uzbek artists and designers. After several years of contemplating, in 2002 we finally put our efforts together and launched this website. In years of running UzbekAlive we learnt several things, the major one of them being – we do have something unique and beautiful to offer to the world. In fact, we have become known as a place to shop for unique gifts.

Everything on this website was made in Uzbekistan with tremendous amount of care. We work directly with artists, who live in Uzbekistan and are the most talented artists and designers in their fields. The money generated through sales on UzbekAlive is used to support these artists and designers who otherwise would be struggling making a living doing what they love in a today's unstable economy of Uzbekistan, where people are more concerned about meeting basic needs, not about keeping Uzbek art Alive.

Our ikats were hand dyed and handloom woven in Fergana Valley of Uzbekistan using a centuries old technique of ikat weaving. The technique requires a precision in tying and wrapping silk threads before dying in order to create a desired pattern.

Uzbekistan was once a major branch of the ancient Silk Road. As caravans traveled between East and West they facilitated exchange of cultures, religions and skills. Certain imperfections in dying and weaving are inherent to the manual process of ikat making and should not be considered as defects. Dry cleaning is recommended for silk scarves. Hand wash in cold water is recommended for cotton/silk blend fabrics.

In addition to scarves and fabrics, we also feature works of lacquer ornamental jewelry and decorative boxes, hair barrettes and pins.

Our sales operations are now based in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, where we already have the products listed on this website. We carry a limited number of units of each product at a time and, as everything that is hand made, the patterns and designs will be very similar, but never absolutely identical.

Everything here is fair-traded – there was no child labor involved in the production of any item we sell; artists would not have sold us anything unless we paid a fair price.

Guatemalan Weaving, Videos

A short documentary about the work that MayaWorks does with Mayan artisans in Guatemala.


Impact Ministries employs a couple, Carlos and Encarnacion, who weaves table sets (napkins,
placemats, and table runners. A Zaakistan Production






At the lakeside of lake Atitlan in Guatemala a group of weavers are producing a new line of products meant for the European market. In the film the designer Heidi Winge Strøm and two of the guatemalean weavers are telling about the proces of using natural wool in weaving and develop new products. The film is part of a webside that will present and promote their products.

Vietnamese Artwork

Based in the United States, VietnameseArtwork.com has become a leading online Vietnamese Art gallery. We have handpicked the highest quality handmade Vietnamese art, such as: Vietnamese embroidery paintings , Vietnamese silk paintings, Asian ceramic paintings, Vietnamese lacquer paintings, mother of pearl paintings, Oriental wood vases, Vietnamese water puppets, stone boxes, and more. This artwork comes from the rich folk art history in Vietnam. We strive to be your Oriental art gallery by offering you the highest quality Asian art at the most reasonable prices. We would like you not only to look at the beautiful artwork here, but also to read more about the culture in Vietnam which we have an ambition of sharing our culture via art. We are proud to be a member of Fair Trade Organization.

Ananse Village: African Crafts and Textiles

Africa is a continent rich in artistic expression. From the beautiful Ilala palm baskets made by members of the Zulu tribe in South Africa, traditional tonga basket from Zambia, the percussive traditions of the djembe, brekete , ashiko, djun-djun, balaphone, kpanolgo, atsimevu and don-don drums of West Africa, to the magnificent kente cloth, bologanfini (mudcloth), kuba cloth and batik textiles of the continent, the cultural heritage of Africa is expressed.

We are proud to offer the finest traditional African crafts produced in a fair trade environment. By working directly with village artisans we are able to positively affect the economic development in the most needy areas. Ananse Village is dedicated to supporting small scale production by talented craftspeople. A portion of our profits helps provide medical care and educational opportunities to the communities we work with.

Ginger Blossom: Retailer

What We Sell

The core inventory features primarily home furnishings and accent pieces, and ethnic and tribal collectibles, including rustic pine furniture, furniture made from architectural salvage, and antique Swati and Tibetan trunks.

Textiles include handknotted Tibetan carpets, Turkish and Afghani kilims, Kashmiri chainstitch rugs, Russian soumaks, and flat-woven rugs of the Americas, including Zapotec and Navajo.

Ethnic accoutrements include drums from four continents, glazed and unglazed pottery, woodcarvings, beadwork, masks, ethnic jewelry, clothing, and Native American art and artifacts. In short, there is something for everyone!

Note from Artezano Links:
Ginger is a personal friend who has developed wonderful relationships with her suppliers around the world. If you can make it to her little piece of heaven, the trip will be well worth it!