gifts that support animals

Stand out with a Christmas tree adorned by this remarkable pair of octopus beaded ornaments in a palette of green, bronze and gold hues. Each glass bead is carefully placed by the talented artisans at the Santiago Atitlan Women's Group in Guatemala, resulting in a kaleidoscope of colors that catch the light. With their playful design and sparkling crystal eyes, these accessories promise to be the stars of your holiday display.

According to legend, the torito de Pucará, or bull of Pucara, was a bull that was going to be sacrificed to bring rain to the town of Pucara. On its way up the mountain to be sacrificed, the bull resisted, and punctured the side of the mountain with its horn, releasing a flood of water. Peruvian artisan Zoila Davila pays homage to the bull of Pucara with this set of six ornaments. Crafted of ceramic, each colorful bull is carefully painted by hand.

"When I was a little boy I loved everything that had to do with the sea and its creatures, especially seahorses. They are so morphologically different to the rest of the fish that I was fascinated by them. This childhood interest now inspires me to design these ornaments," confides José Arriola. The Guatemalan 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 pedal-loom.

"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.