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After twelve years of selling artesania to American customers, I cannot tell you what kind of person will be a Mexican artesania addict. Maybe you're one! A lot of my merchandise is housewares and decorative items, but we also carry woven rebozos and embroidered blouses, which some women are absolutely crazy for. Not everyone feels comfortable wearing an "ethnic" piece of wearable folk art, but there are some women, and again I can't predict who they will be, who embrace the style enthusiastically. These customers usually come back for more because the blouses make them happy. I believe that's what art is...

It's been a long time coming, but I'm happy to have found this new home for Mexico By Hand's online store. Much work and many hurdles to jump over, but we got here at long last. Of course I expect to be tweaking things as we go along, because like any big move, one can't unpack all the boxes at once and I may still want to rearrange some furniture. But we're in our new home and I think we're ready to have some guests. In mid-June I'll be heading to Mexico again to buy more fabulous artesania, which I will be posting here on the site...

  Gorgeous copper vases like this one are produced every day in small workshops scattered around one small town in Mexico -- Santa Clara del Cobre in the state of Michoacán--one of the places the U.S. State Dept. says we shouldn't visit. Every year I'm asked if I still go there, or someone tells me that they'd love to go back, but they sadly can't do that anymore, because, "well, you know--it isn't safe anymore". While I can't deny the reality of violence experienced by Mexican citizens due to the drug cartels, I tell you that the only sounds interrupting...