wood art boxes

Ana Maria Gonzalez finds inspiration in Mexico's lotería (bingo) for the design of this jewelry box. Featuring two drawers and a compartment under the lid, the box is adorned with decoupage. The traditional lotería includes 54 different images and numbers, and it is believed to have been brought to Mexico in 1769, when it was reserved for the upper classes. Eventually it became widely played by everyone, and is now a trademark at traditional fairs as well as in homes and schools.

Daniel Piceno of central Mexico has perfected a way to reuse old newspaper by transforming it into pencil sets! This particular set pays homage to the mythical alebrije, a creature that combines the aspects of several real and imaginary animals, which were dreamed up by Pedro Linares of Mexico City. The 12 colored pencils are packaged in their wood box in such as way as to put together an image of one such creature.

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.

Crafted by members of the Lopez Garcia Family of Guatemala, these quitapenas dolls make 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 two pairs of male and female worry dolls joined together by a red heart. Handmade, the dolls are dressed in vividly-colored traditional Guatemalan attire and arrive in a pouch of handwoven cotton fabric.

"Proud of my Mexican roots, I designed this series of 10 coloring postcards featuring the masks of fantastical animals and other creatures. They are inspired by the many clay, paper and wood masks found throughout Mexican artistry," explains Alejandra Aceves. She includes 10 original and different coloring masks inspired by Mexico's millenary cultures including those of Olmec, Maya, Zapotec, and Huichol origin, as well as others from traditional feasts, such as Day of the Dead skulls.

The set of 10 postcards arrives in an acrylic box with information about Aceves' project. Inspired by the illness she lives with, she realized that the symptoms diminished when she concentrated on drawing. Her wish is for others to enjoy being able to relax while coloring her postcards.