Sunday, May 26, 2013

Celebrating our new Etsy Store - Panama Art - with a Giveaway!

We opened our new Etsy store a few months ago. It has been loads of fun for the kids to visit the local shop and learn how to bead and macrame. They love making jewelry! It really is an amazing art. No two items are exactly alike.

Meet Eliab and his beautiful wife...he is one of the main designers and artists of our shop! He is from the Kuna tribe and has learned his art from his parents, grandparents, uncles, and aunts before him! He even knows his ancient Kuna language as well as Spanish! His cousin sells his jewelry and art at the local Tuesday farmer's market in Boquete!



The Panamenos here are so talented you can even have a name beaded into a bracelet! We have lots of new items to share and it is high time for a giveaway! Check out some of the new items we will be adding to our store this week!

Hand painted feathers...



Beautiful macrame necklaces with stones and other types of necklaces made out of local seeds and tagua .



What is tagua? It is a nut that comes from a tree that is similar to a palm tree. It is also know as a kind of ivory. This is what the seeds look like before they are shaped and shined. ( Sorry the teacher in me couldn't resist to give you a little tagua lesson:)
Here is what they look like after they are prepared for jewelry.
Tagua Nut Single-Hole Large Irregular Potato Chip Bead

Here are some beautiful butterfly necklaces...(perfect for our butterfly unit:)



Hand beaded bracelets...



Beautiful hand made molas...





Now for our giveaway! You can win one of these hand- made Chaquira glass beaded bracelets.   These are made by local Indigenous Indians of Chiriqui, Panama. One bracelet can take many hours of work. The triangular pattern is representative of the mountains that surround the area and are a beading pattern of the Ngobe. The flat Panama and shape patterns are characteristic bead work of the Kuna Indians.



Which one is your favorite? ( I am kind of partial to the flowers:)




Can't you just see yourself sharing some of this amazing art with your students, friends, family, &...????

Every time I see these beads it reminds me of the beads Laura would find on the ground in The Little House on the Prairie books!

I love the fact that the Indians here are not assimilated into the culture completely. They still walk around town in their traditional dress and some still can speak their tribe's language! Not only that, many are still artists making their crafts that their ancestors have made for generations before them! I am so glad to know these amazing people and to be able to share their art with you!

So what are you waiting for ??? Enter the giveaway so you can win!

Top Ten Tuesday at Many Little Blessings
Amanda’s Books and More

19 comments:

  1. I am not usually a purse girl, but I love the bags!

    Crystal Shepherd
    lucytumnus@gmail.com
    The lamppost in 1st grade math

    ReplyDelete
  2. I would keep walking around in my traditional clothes if the government tried to take it away from me too and my people were rebelled it in order to keep it. The homeschooling mom in me had to share that. :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Yes, I agree with you Brook. I know that there are many factors to consider. I still just love that they haven't lost their culture and language like so many others have:)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Jewelry made from nuts? That's very interesting. The embroidered molas are beautiful. But what is a mola?

    ReplyDelete
  5. @ Diane; Mola in the Kuna Indian language means shirt or clothing:) It is an art form. People use them for many things including pillows, it can be framed on a wall, clothing, etc. Check out this link with the picture of a very intricate mola...
    http://www.etsy.com/listing/126664003/mola-made-by-kuna-jala-indians-hand?
    This is a hand- made Mola made by the Kuna Jala Indians with Hand stitched Patterns. This was made by a local Indiginous Indian of the central mountain areas of Panama. This one mola took months of work. The patterns are of of a more modern style. This Mola is much larger then the traditional size Mola. These are made with 100% cotton threads. It is approximately 20" x 25" and is a unique one of a kind pattern. Each line maze represents the length of life. Some lives with a longer length, others with a much shorter length of time.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Absolutely beautiful artwork! I think this green dress is my favorite: Traditional Ngobe Style Indian Dress. And thank you for the "lesson" on the nuts. The polished results are incredible!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Wow, just wow! All the items are amazing but since I have to pick a favorite I will say the Mola purses because they are just flat out amazing!! The work is so intricate and beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  8. The green and blue Chaquira Ngobe Indian Hand Beaded Small Purse is beautiful...

    ReplyDelete
  9. I love all the items I see!!! I know I have to pick a favorite and for that I am really loving the Mola Purses! They are so intricate and beautiful!!!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Love everything but I will go for the Mola Purses! Thank You

    ReplyDelete
  11. Oh my goodness! I LOVE all of your work, but I absolutely adore the wallets with the hand stitched flowers and patterns! Beautiful! Thank you :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Chaquira Ngobe Indian Hand Beaded Collar Necklace. Gorgeous! Uyulala100@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  13. My fave item is Chaquira Ngobe Indian Hand Beaded Collar Necklace! So pretty!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Thanks for leaving a comment on Amanda's Books and More!

    The tagua seeds are beautiful once they are shaped and shined. How do they get their color?

    I won't be entering the giveaway, but I'm very excited about your Etsy shop and I've RTed your Tweet.

    You might like to see some the beaded wire art that I took photos of down in Simon's Town, Cape Town. It's my lates post and the link is
    http://1camera1mom.blogspot.com

    Tina - American mom raising 4 kids in South Africa

    ReplyDelete
  15. everything is perfectly lovely! I really admire the glass bead purses with the 20" handle

    ReplyDelete
  16. The beadwork is beautiful, but I'm especially impressed with the nuts that get polished. They must take a lot of time!

    ReplyDelete
  17. I missed the giveaway but these are all so beautiful!! The butterfly bracelets are so nice! Can't believe those colorful beads come from nuts!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Excellent Blogspot you have very beautiful ArtCraft! and Boquete is a really great place to live.

    ReplyDelete

Please share your thoughts! I would love to hear from you:)

Welcome! Bienvendidos! Shalom! from our family here in Panama to yours...

Disclaimer: Some posts on this blog contain affiliate links. (Thetravelingclassroom is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.) Using these links helps support Thetravelingclassroom blog. Occasionally, I receive products in exchange for a review or giveaway post. All opinions expressed on Thetravelingclassroom are my own, and I only suggest products or services that we personally use or I believe will be helpful to my readers. Please contact me for more information elydinah@yahoo.com. "