{"product_id":"gourd-ceramic-snowman-ornament-54395243","title":"Gourd \u0026 Ceramic Snowman Ornament","description":"\u003cp\u003eAdvice from a Snowman; \"Be a jolly and happy soul, spend time outdoors, avoid meltdowns, be well-rounded and live well; life is short.\" This unique hand-carved gourd Snowman ornament makes a great gift for any time of the year and is a wonderful home accent. This ornament is three \u003cspan class=\"xml-text\"\u003edimensional\u003c\/span\u003e w\/ ceramic accents that can be hung on your tree, in the window, or set on a mantel. They also are a beautiful way to help provide for artisans and their families.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGourds are a natural and uniquely shaped vegetable, similar to a pumpkin or a squash. As such, designs, shape and dimensions will vary slightly.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eHeight measures approximately 2-3\/4\"\u003c\/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003eDiameter measures approximately 2-1\/2\"\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThese ornaments are hand-carved in Peru and Fair Trade imported.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003ePeruvian artisans have practiced the art of gourd-carving for more than 4,500 years, transforming a simple squash into intricately designed bowls, boxes, windchimes, birdhouses, purses, vases and other bits of home decor. The twin villages of Cochas Grande and Cochas Chico, where our artisans Raquel and Esperanza live, work and run gourd-carving workshops to create local jobs, are the center of this ancient art.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003eOver the centuries, artisans have found unique ways to craft gourd decor, including scratching, fine-line hatching, pyroengraving and carving. Naturally, the details and designs have changed, but contemporary artisans remain inspired by Peru's rich traditions.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Process of Gourd Carving\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAfter the gourds are harvested, the artisan removes the outer green skin with a dull knife to expose the lighter brown color underneath. This will become his\/her canvas. The gourds are cleaned and dried in the hot Peruvian sun.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"\" border=\"0\" alt=\"EP:GRD-COY-BK_275x275\" hspace=\"3\" vspace=\"3\" width=\"216\" height=\"224\" align=\"right\"\u003eAfter drying, the artisan draws his\/her initial design in pencil, then uses a carving tool to remove small pieces of gourd, creating a 3-dimensional version of the original design. Next, the artisan burns the pattern with a glowing ember, usually a feather-shaped piece of Quinual wood that's been heated over a fire, to establish contrast between the carvings and the gourd. The artisan can vary the intensity of the heat by blowing on the ember; the harder the artist blows, the darker the burn.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHaving obtained the color, the artisan washes the gourd to remove\u003cbr\u003ethe pencil marks and polishes the finished piece with a natural wax. Sometimes, the artisan applies an oil\/charcoal mixture to the gourd's carved surface. The dye adheres any part of the gourd where the outer skin has been removed, yet wipes clean from the gourd's smooth surfaces. This is why some carved gourds have a black background\u003cbr\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"”ProductDetArtisan”\"\u003e\u003ccenter\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eArtesanias Peru\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/center\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003ccenter\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEsperanza and Raquel Artisan Story\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/center\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"\" style=\"display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\" border=\"0\" alt=\"ART-RJ-artisan-1\" title=\"Raquel Rojas Carving Gourds\" hspace=\"5\" vspace=\"5\" width=\"167\" height=\"240\" align=\"top\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eCochas Chico and Coches Grande, twin farming villages nestled in the Andean mountains of Huancayo Peru, are home to a rich tradition of gourd carving. It's also home to Esperanza Palomino and Raquel Sabastian Rojas, two women who have established small fair-trade businesses to help create new jobs for the artisans in their village. Besides creating new jobs for artisans aged ten to sixty, both women manage work distribution from the main office to give priority to the families with the greatest need.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eEsperanza carves her gourds wearing the colorful and traditional Huanca skirts, and its quite common to find her carving surrounded by her husband, sons, brothers, nephews and brothers-in-law. \"My biggest dream is that all will have work and that all the families will have a better future,\" she says.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eRaquel's workshop also creates work for about fifteen families and manages orders from the main office. Like Esperanza's workshop, Raquel's artisans share the work so that parents, children and grandparents collaborate together on large orders. \"This craft we inherited from our ancestors, grand parents, and parents to the present,\" Raquel tells us. \"Each generation improves the art and it continues to grow with future generations.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003e\"If we have fun in our work, it will teach us to know more of our culture,\" Esperanza adds. \"Through the created drawings we are inspired to do many things. The tradition of gourd carving helps to shape the culture and customs of the town.\"\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Erin Hercules","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48048490873150,"sku":"KTR:GORN-CMSNWMN","price":25.65,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0821\/8738\/7198\/files\/17410-Ceramic-Snowman-Gourd-Ornament-Fair-Trade-Handmade-Huancayo-Peru-One-World-Projects.jpg?v=1701768149","url":"https:\/\/indussun-universe.com\/products\/gourd-ceramic-snowman-ornament-54395243","provider":"Indussun Universe Marketplace","version":"1.0","type":"link"}