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Fair Trade Guatemalan Handmade Maguey Basket by Woman Artisa, 'The Beauty in the Natural'

Product ID: U169908

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Fair Trade Guatemalan Handmade Maguey Basket by Woman Artisa, 'The Beauty in the Natural'

Delivery Estimate

This item is available for pre-order and will ship within 2 to 8 weeks. Learn More

Available in 2 to 8 weeks. Learn More

Details

Guatemalan artisan Alida Cruz crafts this beautiful handwoven basket from the fibers of the maguey (agave) plant. She covers recycled tabs of soda cans with cotton thread to create dainty red accents that hang of the sides of this round basket, making this piece a natural and unique decorative accent for any home.

Made in Guatemala

  • Maguey fiber, cotton thread, recycled aluminum
  • Hand-crafted item -- color, size and/or motif may vary slightly
  • Promotes recycling and reduces waste
  • Free Gift Wrap? No
  • Premium Gift Wrap? Yes
  • 0.60 kgs
  • 1.3 lbs
  • 15 cm H x 30 cm Diam.
  • 6" H x 11.75" Diam.
View in metric units View in US/English units

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Triple 'Win' Pricing

Alida Cruz

Meet the Artist

Artfully crafted by Alida Cruz from Central America.

 

Meet the Artist

Alida Cruz

Alida Cruz

"I've become passionate about creating new designs and teaching people who are willing to learn."

"I'm Alida Soledad Cruz Mus from San Cristóbal Alta Verapaz. I was born in 1963 and had an unforgettable childhood. I... lived with my parents and was a very mischievous little girl. Thos were happy times because my mother didn't work and my father used to take me to the house we have there where I played with the children of the people who helped us and we had fun. I remember once, we took a canvas tarp and, one by one, we slide on it from the top of a hill. We ended up covered with dirt and laughing. My dad almost had a heart attack because he thought we would hurt ourselves. Even so, I didn't worry about the danger.

"When I was older, I came to the capitol to study. I worked in real estate, selling homes and attending classes. I lived in a little apartment with three of my cousins. With the money I earned, I helped my mother with her expenses. Becoming an artist or an artisan never crossed my mind.

"It all started in 2009. There was a big mudslide not far from our town that affected a lot of people in the nearby communities. Because of that, many families relocated to San Cristobal and I started helping as a volunteer.

"It occurred to me that to entertain the ladies so they wouldn't dwell on their losses, I'd teach them to crochet. They didn't like it much and they felt kind of useless even though I took the time to teach them. Later, I visited their communities to see what they usually did, the materials they worked with.

"I noticed that they used maguey fibers, so I started a project and designing maguey crafts that then I could teach them to make to sell. That’s how the Manos a la Obra group started. We got the support of the Agexport and JICA to teach us and they helped us so that they received training on how to weave on a backstrap loom. Today, we have many women who are quite skilled at weaving.

"I've become passionate about creating new designs and teaching people who are willing to learn in order to get ahead. I've come across resistance in my own family because they don't care about learning about my artisans and they don't believe it's possible to get ahead and prosper in our country. However, I love helping and some day, with hard work, I would like our group to grow and be very prosperous.

"My biggest dream is to build my house by myself when I'm older. I dream of a house in the countryside surrounded by fields, groves and animals, and to help my mother so she doesn't have to work. Since my father passed away six years ago, she has had to work very hard to get by.

"The people who know me are amazed by the qualities they've seen grow in me. They congratulate me on this work that helps people who live in extreme poverty. But I see my people as artisans who want to get ahead and have a better future just like I do.

"In my free time, I like to play sports. I do a lot of mountain biking because I love to be in contact with nature and feel the fresh morning air on my skin."

View full artist profile

PREVIOUSLY VIEWED

This item qualifies for FREE SHIPPING!

This item ships with a free artist storycard, so you can remember who you impacted today. Customized gift messages are also available with every order.

We want you to be 100% satified with your order, so if you are not completely happy with your item, you can return it within 60 days of receiving it.

Return instructions

We pack, ship, certify and 100% guarantee the quality of this item. Watch this video to see how.

This item is available for backorder and will ship within 2 to 8 weeks. Artists love to get backorders. Placing a backorder ensures that the artisan will do their best to create and deliver your item to our local office for shipment.

Although we cannot guarantee availability, we do expect to be able to fill the order within the timeframe indicated. But sometimes life happens - special materials may not be immediately available to the artist, or there might be some other circumstance beyond our control that could delay the shipment.

If for any reason we are unable to ship the item within the timeframe indicated, we will notify you.

In the unlikely even that we are unable to ship the item within the timeframe indicated, we will contact you and provide an updated delivery window.

This item has a special shipping flat fee which means that due to bulk, duties, or other special requirements, the item will be shipped to you via one of our special one-rate services. Shipping is only available to the United States (lower 48 States only).

WOMEN S M L XL XXL
4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22
BUST 35 - 36 37 - 38 39 - 41 42 - 44 46 - 48
WAIST 27 - 28 29 - 30 31 - 33 34 - 36 38 - 40
HIPS 37 - 38 39 - 40 42 - 43 45 - 46 49 - 50
MEN S M L XL XXL
CHEST 36 - 38 39 - 41 42 - 44 46 - 48 50 - 52
WAIST 30 - 32 32 - 34 35 - 37 38 - 41 43 - 45
NECK 14 - 14.5 15 - 15.5 16 - 16.5 17 - 17.5 18 - 18.5
SLEEVE 32.5 33.5 34.5 35.5 36.5
FINDING YOUR SIZE

Take your measurements with the tape measure over your under garments. If your measurements fall between sizes you may prefer the next larger size. Inseam, skirt and dress lengths vary by style and will be listed in the item description. Our sweaters are knit in standard American sizes, however actual measurements vary by style.

BUST / CHEST

Measure around the fullest part of chest under the arms and over the shoulder blades keeping the tape measure level.

WAIST

Measure around the smallest part of the waist keeping the tape measure comfortably loose. Most garments use the low waist measurement noted below.

LOW WAIST

Measure around the body approximately 1.5" below the natural waist (above). This is the area where most pants and skirts actually fit.

HIPS

Standing with your heels together, measure around the fullest part of the body approx 7"-8" below the waist.

NECK

Measure around the base of the neck keeping the tape measure comfortably loose.

SLEEVE

Bend elbow slightly and starting at the center back of the neck, measure across the shoulder, to the elbow and down to the wrist.

INSEAM

Our standard inseam length for women is 32" and 34" for men; however inseam measurements will vary slightly by style.

 

Belts with buckles are measured in inches that correspond to a waist size however, most people do not wear belts on the waist, they wear them closer to the hips. A buckle belt measurement is take from the end of the "pin" of the buckle to the middle hole on the belt. Generally there are 5 holes for size adjustment, with a 1" space between each, so the middle hole will the be average size of the belt.

For at tie belt (no buckle) measure the belt portion end to end and half of the tie portion. This again is the medium size of the belt.

For a soft fabric tie belt it can be called "1 size fits most" and the entire length of the belt should be measured and listed.

See buckle/tie belt size standards below.

WOMEN S M L XL  
4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22
inches 26 - 30 28 - 32 31 - 35 34 - 38 38 - 42
cm 76 - 86 81.5 - 91.5 86.5 - 96.5 91.5 - 101.5 96.5 - 106.5

+/- tolerance: 0.5 inches or 1.25 cm

MEN S M L XL XXL
inches 30 - 34 32 - 36 35 - 39 39 - 43 43 - 47
cm 81.5 - 91.5 86.5 - 96.5 91.5 - 101.5 96.5 - 106.5 109 - 119

+/- tolerance: 0.5 inches or 1.25 cm

Sash tie length

Lay sash/tie out flat away from the garment and measure from end to end.

Belt with buckle

Measure from the end of the pin of the buckle (where it touches the buckle) to the middle hole.

Belt without buckle

Measure from the belt portion end to end and half of the tie portion. This is will give you the medium size of the belt.

Download our printable ring sizing chart to find the perfect fit!

DOWNLOAD

We refer to these items as "discounted wholesale". Such items carry a deeper wholesale discount than other items, and have greater potential to provide your business with healthier resale margins.

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Triple 'Win' Pricing

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WIN # 1 You Save!

Handmade goods from developing nations usually pass through a series of intermediaries before being purchased by retail consumers. Each of these intermediaries adds cost to the product, and that cost is passed on to the customer. UNICEF USA partnered with NOVICA, who works directly with artists through their regional offices in Asia, Africa and Latin America, allowing purchases from UNICEF Market to go directly from the artisans to fulfilling customer orders. By skipping steps in the traditional supply chain, you can buy high quality items for less than the regular retail prices.

WIN # 2 Children Benefit!

Each item purchased from UNICEF Market will benefit UNICEF's programs that provide lifesaving nutrition, medicine, education, clean water, emergency relief and more to children in need.

You can learn more about UNICEF's work, on About UNICEF.

WIN # 3 Artisans Profit!

UNICEF Market artisans set their own prices and control their own businesses. UNICEF Market offers artisans a free platform to sell their work throughout the United States.

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