Since the skirts we brought back from summer vacation were so popular, we’ve decided to make them a permanent addition to our store.  Mayan Families has a tailor on staff who trains women to sew to expand their skill set, and a group of six of these Maya women are excited to make skirts for OMM.

A Sample Wrap Around Skirt

I’ll be going to Guatemala February 1-6 to meet with the women, discuss design details, pick out fabric and figure out shipping.  I’ll also return to San Juan La Laguna for more beautiful textiles from the womens’ cooperatives there.  We also need to purchase more fabulous beaded jewelry, so it’s going to be a busy four days on the ground!

This trip is made possible by OMM’s anonymous angel who sees the value in small projects that can hopefully lead to bigger projects and believes in OMM’s win-win-win mission – the artisans to whom we pay fair trade prices earn desperately needed income, all proceeds are donated to worthy charitable projects, and our customers get some really awesome and unique products.  Stay tuned for the announcement of when we have these wrap around skirts in stock!

Hand loomed, soft and warm poncho for an amazing $37

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

We’re starting 2012 off with a huge, storewide sale – everything 30% off!! All our beautiful jewelry, ornaments, textiles and clothing are already fair trade priced but for the New Year, take an additional 30% off. Limited time sale so click here now to take advantage of these prices.

Beautiful hand-beaded bracelets starting at $5+ and earrings at $4. Handsome 100% cotton men’s shirts for under $24 and chenille ponchos made on backstrap looms for just $37. Christmas ornaments, textiles, keychains and shawls – all handmade, all 30% off!

Help us be able to place a larger order with the Maya beaders and weavers. The more we sell, the more we are able to buy, and the more work/income the women will have. The more we sell, the larger the donations we are able to make. It’s a win-win-win situation!

Shopping for that hard-to-find-a-gift-for man in your life!?  Check out these unique, handsome and comfortable shirts.  Sure to please the men on your holiday shopping list.   And sure to make a small positive difference int eh world since Oh My Maya is a 100% volunteer non-profit organization and 100% of the proceeds from the sale of these shirts and all our products are donated to charity.

With our connections to Guatemala, my family and I have always tried to include tamales in one or some of our holiday feasts, and last year my daughter and I took tamale-making lessons from a woman who was born and raised in Antigua Guatemala and who was visiting her daughter here in St. Croix by way of California.

I’d always been intimidated by the process but it’s really not that difficult, just a lot of preparation.  I learned that in Guatemala, or Antigua at least, tamales are wrapped and cooked in banana leaves vs. corn husks like Mexican tamales.  Our teacher’s Antiguëño filling recipe was chicken with a yummy tomato based sauce and olives and capers, which my daughter didn’t care for much, but I thought was quite tasty.  And of course the filling is inside a corn masa dough which is the real reason for eating tamales, IMO.

Will we be upholding our tradition of tamales for Christmas?  Yes.  Will my daughter and I be making them?  Not likely, given the fact Christmas is just 17 days away and my focus this year has been Oh My Maya, selling our beautiful fair trade goods so we can raise money for Guatemalan charities.  I’m okay with that – we are not far from the goal of being able to surpass past years’ donations!   While you’ve got visions of tamales dancing in your head, why not take a moment to visit our shop full of beautiful and unique hand-made jewelry, clothing, Christmas ornaments and textiles- maybe you can help us reach the goal!

Paying fair trade prices, we ordered these from the Asocciacion Ixoq Ajkeem weaving cooperative in San Juan La Laguna on the shore of Lake Attitlan. Ixoq Ajkeem means “woman weaver” in T’zutujil, one of the Maya dialects found in the lake region. And weaving women they are; using skills and techniques passed down through generations, the women work on backstrap looms, working in between mealtimes and whenever they can, spending hours and hours at the loom each day.

Your purchase not only helps support the Maya weavers, but Oh My Maya is an all-volunteer organization and all proceeds are donated to charity.

Whether it’s a gift or a treat for yourself, take advantage of this sale on our already fair trade priced ponchos. The only difficult part will be deciding which of the beautiful colors you want to order.

All our jewelry is designed and hand crafted by the T’zutujil Maya women from the town of Santiago de Attitlan with whom we work. They weave seed, crystal and bugle beads with nuggets and stone chips to create beautiful jewelry, ornaments and key chains.

While they haven’t formed a co-op, these women are neighbors, friends and family, and they work together for the good of all. The leader of the group, Senovia, had minimal schooling yet is a savvy business woman and the only one who speaks fluent Spanish in addition to T’zutujil.

We pay fair trade prices for their goods and make direct contributions to the artisans; our purchases provide them much-needed income to help feed their families and send their children to school, a luxury most of them did not have.

Look around – there are a variety of beautiful and fun designs to be mixed and matched – below is just a sampling.

Bracelets

Necklaces

Earrings

With so many different designs and colors, you are sure to find the perfect piece of jewelry for the holidays, and you can wear it knowing that your purchase helped not only the Maya artisan who made it, but also the charities to which we donate all proceeds.