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Multi-Purpose Natural Fiber Baskets (Pair), 'Natural Life'

Product ID: U67360

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Multi-Purpose Natural Fiber Baskets (Pair), 'Natural Life'

Delivery Estimate

Get it before Mother's Day [see all shipping options]

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

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Details

Employing methods that have been used in the region for centuries, Nicaragua's Maria Isabel Montoya creates these pretty multi-purpose lidded baskets. The two baskets are hand crafted from yagua palm fibers, including the lacy mandala-like accents on the lids. The pair of baskets is an attractive way to stay organized at home or in the office.

Made in Nicaragua

  • Yagua palm fiber
  • Hand-crafted item -- color, size and/or motif may vary slightly
  • Free Gift Wrap? Yes
  • Premium Gift Wrap? Yes
  • 0.57 kgs
  • 1.3 lbs
  • Largest Piece: 9 cm H x 20 cm Diam.
  • Largest Piece: 3.5" H x 7.75" Diam.
  • Smallest Piece: 6 cm H x 16 cm Diam.
  • Smallest Piece: 2.4" H x 6.25" Diam.
View in metric units View in US/English units

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Maria Isabel Montoya

Meet the Artist

Artfully crafted by Maria Isabel Montoya from Central America.

 

Meet the Artist

Maria Isabel Montoya

Maria Isabel Montoya

“Textiles with vegetable fiber are a historical and cultural legacy that has been transmitted from generation to generation for more than 400 years among the artisans of Camoapa."

“My name is María Isabel Montoya Duarte, originally from Camoapa, Nicaragua. I am a person who enjoys helping others;... persistent and thoughtful. I love sharing a coffee, sweets or a good wine with my family and friends. I like to write, play chess and watch television series based on real events.

“Since I was little I was familiar with the elaboration of personalized handmade items-- my father is a builder and carpenter, my mother a seamstress, and my paternal grandmother and several of my great-aunts were weavers of hats. My mother drew and painted, and always had a special ability to make us dresses.

“I am the oldest of 8 siblings, and we lived our childhood and adolescence during the 1979-1990 post-war crisis. At that time we could not ask much of our parents, but my mother made adjustments to our clothes so that the little ones could reuse the clothes of the older ones. So now I can say that my mother was a pioneer in recycling, upcycling and circular economy.

“At the age of 8 I learned to sew. I made dresses for dolls and sold them, and I remember that my first work was a beach hat that my mother kept in the decoration room. My teacher was the artisan Magdalena Arróliga. In 1991, I won a scholarship to study in the United States. I had the opportunity to share the traditions of my community, which allowed me to consciously investigate the universal activity that gives identity to Camoapa, and since then I have felt committed to promoting this cultural legacy. In 2011 I started selling occasional fine custom hats to friends. In 2013 I decided to register my brand to market fine handmade hats with vegetable fiber, and in 2019 I registered the brand to offer bags and all kinds of utilitarian and decorative basketry. It is a family business.

“The raw material used is processed by ripiadora artisans, who transform the palm buds into pita threads. Some artisans must travel up to 6 km away from their home to get them. They make and use a kind of two-tooth awl to rip the palm leaves. I love sharing with artisans to better understand their work. We have created a relationship of trust that allows me to design while respecting the inspiration and creation of each one of them. My mother helps with the collection of products and the payment of the artisans; my husband helps with the graphic design part to promote the brand and with the logistics of deliveries; and my daughters help with social networks. I am in charge of the design, control of quality, administration and sales.

“I have been interested in this art since I learned about the vegetable fiber products that are made in Camoapa. It is a pre-Hispanic tradition that has been transmitted from generation to generation until today. I love the color and smell of the freshly cooked pita threads, and I really admire the work that all the people involved in the whole process do. In 2017 we began teaching weaving classes, taught by expert artisans who are part of the team with whom I have learned more about art by sharing with their community and families. In 2019 we began to teach basket classes. Since the pandemic, we have shared some educational videos on social media. I was recognized as the Woman Entrepreneur of 2017.

“Textiles with vegetable fiber are a historical and cultural legacy that has been transmitted from generation to generation for more than 400 years among the artisans of Camoapa. It is linked to the livestock activity that is also prominent in the area. “According to accounts of the older weavers, they learned from their mothers or grandmothers who wove their husbands' hats, saddlebags, and canteen holders, who which were used while working in the fields cultivating or tending livestock. Currently many men always wear their hats if they go to the capitol, and are identified as originally from Chontales, Boaco or Camoapa. The pieces are designed to be useful.

“Establishing myself as an artisan has been an enriching experience, because I feel fulfilled doing things with my hands. I am also reaffirming my drawing skills and rediscovering my roots. However, one of my biggest challenges is reaching markets that pay fair prices for our products. I want the name of my community to be a reference in the international market, where we are identified for developing products that generate a positive social impact on people, both the artisans and the end users.”

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This item qualifies for FREE SHIPPING!

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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

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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

UNICEF Market offers triple win pricing, where YOU the consumer, Children from around the world, and Artisans all benefit.

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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