These unique, lightweight Balsa bird ornaments are created by a Fair Trade cooperative of artisans on Isla Solentiname, Nicaragua. The Carved Balsa Birds "hatch" on this remote island in the middle of Lake Nicaragua, where there are no roads or cars. It is a 2 hour boat ride to the main land, and then another 4 hours north along the Carrera Panamericana to the Nicaragua's capital city, Managua. The migration these winged beauties make from their origin to your home is truly astonishing.
Each ornament is inspired by nature, carefully hand-carved with a machete and painted with realistic detail. These birds are perfect as Christmas ornaments, holiday ornaments or year-round decorations.
Product Specifications:
- Sustainably harvested balsa wood and non-toxic acrylic paint
- Approximately 5" x 2"
- Certified Fair Trade
- Handmade in Nicaragua
This is special because...
My favorite childhood tradition was visiting Chicago Museum of Science & Industry's annual Christmas Around the World display in the Great Hall. Perhaps this fantastical forest of sky scraping trees decked in vivid colors and cultures spawned my life long curiosity in the similarities and differences of craft traditions around the world.
Our globally sourced ornaments celebrate heritages as vast and varied as the regions from which they hail: Kenyan woodcraft, Ugandan horn work, Indian lacquerware, Rwandan basketweaving and Haitian paper and punched tin traditions, to name a few.
