Hand Woven Coin Purse with Braid Detail from Peru - Honey Braid

Artisan Organization: Rocio and Amparo

Country: Andes

"I'm Rocio Melendez and I work with my mother, Amparo Araujo. It's such a blessing to have her here with me for this project we formed together.

"Amparo is an admirable woman in every way, always concerned about her family and, especially, her children. She's sociable, sentimental and very loving, and she's kind and noble. My mother has made me the woman I am today, patient, committed to my family and passionate about art.

"It's never easy when you have to make a decision that will change your life. I've had several such moments in my life — changing jobs or finally deciding what to do and thinking about the future. But the hardest was deciding to follow my intuition and do what I really love to do.

"All my life, art has been present in my home. My mother was always a homemaker and worked at all kinds of handicrafts. She knitted sweaters, did embroidery and also baked beautiful cakes. My brothers and I were so proud when she'd send us to school with her homemade cupcakes. What impressed me most was that Amparo could do so many, many things!

"Time passed. I graduated with a degree in business administration and got a job with a company in the area of product development. There, I was able to develop my creativity and learned a lot about color theory and techniques. It was a very good job, but office work didn't let me take on the other activities that I liked very much, such as textiles and fashion.

"So although they offered me the chance to travel and all, I decided to forge my own path. I knew it would be difficult but I told myself it was now or never. I wanted to do something of my own.

"With all I had learned, I set my creativity free and I couldn't wait to share this with my mother. She was delighted with my ideas and said we could work together on this artisan textile project. We wanted to learn about the weavings and ancestral techniques of our people.

"I learned to weave by hand on a table loom, taking courses in the local cultural center. I found it fascinating. I had always wanted to do this.

"My mother backed me in everything with her ideas, her imagination and the way she inspires me to create new designs. It's wonderful to have her beside me as a part of this dream.

"When I'm designing, the first thought that comes to mind is my mother, my family, my two-year-old son and my husband. I work very hard for them. I love to be with them and enjoy their company. I'm also greatly attracted to Peru's rich culture. I'm constantly attending craft shows and reviewing what's new in the digital world in order to renew myself.

"I'm convinced that this is what I want to do. Every day, I take pains to achieve the best quality possible, to learn and improve my work. That's that it's all about and, moreover, with the love of my family, I believe I can overcome any obstacle.

"It's wonderful to be able to share my art with the world because I love my culture, my traditions and my history.""