Daily Gifting Experience

This time we had the opportunity to be part of Chevron’s program which was of 4 days and 112 people plus their staff at the Four Seasons Resort in Punta Mita. This program consisted of a daily gifting service, a sunglass reception and market experience.  

On the first two days, we gave welcome kits to the attendees. They received as a room drop plastic handwoven bags with one of our top 10 products for sun care “day tripper” and cotton beach blankets.

On the midday, we set up a sunglass reception in Punta Sayulita, an exclusive private complex where VIP attendees got to pick their favorite pair of DIFF sunglasses by the time they arrived at the venue. Once they choose them, they continue to enjoy the place with some fun activities.

As we can customize every item, we got asked to make some clothes with the group logo, so they surprised them at the welcome dinner the night before with the cloth and a card explaining DIFF and how they would get the glasses the next day.

We continue the program surprising the attendees with a cute kit of black clay pig salseros set with two types of salsas. The kits were decorated with a colorful ribbon, in a palm basket with wrinkle paper.

On the last day of the program, we finalize it with an afternoon Mexican Artisan Market, which consisted of 9 stations: hats, snacks and candies, Otomí designs, Huichol art, t-shirts, sandals, pottery, jewelry, and Mexican souvenirs. For the convenience of the attendees, we offered the room delivery service by the hand of the hotel. After their market experience people enjoyed dinner with a gorgeous sunset view by the beach and received wooden hand-painted Talavera design photo frames as room drops.

Supplier Story:

Our highlight during this event was Yolanda and Patricia’s work. Both producers made the Pig Salseros Set which was one of the favorites of the program.

Our unequaled barro negro or black clay pig salseros were made by dear artisan and friend Yolanda in San Bartolo Coyotepec, Oaxaca. Yolanda made these pieces by hand using a brick oven to give them form.

On the other hand, salsas were made by Patricia, a supportive mom that helps her entrepreneur daughter Ana Paula with her business of candies and snacks in Guadalajara, Jalisco. With the profits of their business, they get to pay for Ana Paula’s College education.

Market Experience for Zoom Incentive Trip - Los Cabos 2023

We had the opportunity to be part of the rewards program to be the best employees of this amazing company through two personalized hat markets and a jewelry station. Attendees were able to pick from a hat or a jewelry piece.

The event was super fun and exceeded all expectations, the jewelry station was a hit; many of the female attendees were surprised to be specially considered. And felt in love when knowing the story behind it

For our popular jewelry station, we had the privilege of inviting two amazing artisans who not only possess immense talent but also embody the spirit of strong women. Both Alma and Yaritza are remarkable individuals who juggle full-time jobs while pursuing their dreams of owning a women-owned company. Their passion and dedication to their craft are truly inspiring.

The jewelry collection they created for this event drew inspiration from the magnificent Pacific Sea. Attendees couldn't get enough of the exquisite pieces featuring pearls, shells, and flowers, which became instant favorites.

Alma and Yaritza were deeply moved by the opportunity to participate in this event. Alma dedicated herself to maintaining the laser machine she uses to craft the pieces. Each piece in the collection for this event was meticulously handcrafted with love and took approximately 45 days to complete. Alma's supportive husband stood by her side throughout the process, offering unwavering encouragement.

Yaritza set out on a mission to sell every single jewelry piece she had poured her heart and soul into. She made it her priority to connect with the attendees, sharing the captivating story behind her brand. Not only did she accomplish her mission, but she also captured beautiful photographs of the attendees wearing her collection at the event. These pictures served as inspiration and motivation for Yaritza as she continues to work on more stunning collections for the summer. She is currently on the lookout for unique materials to further fuel her creative endeavors."

Mezcal gifting + Leather Workshop

This gifting request was for a small private event at the Four Seasons Hotel. At this meeting a tasting of mezcal was held in a very traditional way, with Jicaras, and each Jicara was accompanied by a souvenir bag to take away. After the meeting, they carried out a small activity where the participants chose a leather bookmark and manually engraved their initials.

Artisans

The Jicaras are collected from the famous Morro Tree by Javier Marcial and his family in Pinotepa de Don Luis, Oaxaca. Once they collect the fruit, the pulp is removed from the inside, and they have to wait aprox 5 days until it dries out, then, the hand carve begins; each design is one of a kind that evokes biodiversity and is popularly used for drinking mezcal and other traditional drinks. Javier has been doing this for 17 years, he is proud of his art and his traditions.

The leather bookmarks were made by Enrique Duarte, a local artisan originally from Puerto Vallarta. Sköll Laser Studio is where the magic happens, it was born from the idea of creating unique and different products using natural and recyclable resources as the main material.

QUOTE YOUR GIFTING AND WORKSHOPS at merakiobjects@eclecticarray.com

The art behind blown glass

Perhaps you have never wondered about it, but do you know how glass sculptures and vases are made? The answer is in the art of blown glass. This technique involves molding the material with heat and, as the name suggests, blowing.

Glass Blowing is one of the most famous glass craft techniques, which consists of creating air bubbles in the mass of molten glass with the help of a metal tube or straw. Once the bubble is created, the glazier proceeds to mold the glass to shape it according to the desired product.

The creation of blown glass figures consists of several phases to obtain the final product:

1st stage: The glass is melted in ovens at ultra-high temperatures to obtain a thick and moldable mass.

2nd stage: The mass is collected with a metal tube and the artisan starts blowing on it to inflate it. It's worth mentioning that, with the evolution and the passing of the years, many blown glass factories have machinery that is responsible for carrying out these processes in an automated manner. We work with factories that still do it in the traditional way, reason why no piece is equal to the other. 

3rd stage: After obtaining the bubble, the dough begins to be shaped to the desired form, with the help of different types of tweezers and scissors.

Finally, the blown glass figure is put back in the oven for 8 hours to finish cooking the dough and obtain the final result.

Although it reads like something simple, this process really takes a long time to execute, involves many people and requires a lot of skill. 

The earliest art of this kind was discovered around 3,000 BC and the technique of glass-blowing around the year 100 BC. It was introduced to Mexico in 1535 by Spanish artisans from Europe.

The technique of manufacturing glass has evolved since the sixteenth century, and there are certain areas in Mexico that still follow the age-old glassblowing technique to create rustic, hand-blown crafts, from glasses, vases plates and decoration items to amazing pieces of art.

If you’re interested in this technique and want to include it in your gifting, send us an email at merakiobjects@eclecticarray.com and let’s find the perfect option for your events.

A Unique Way to Celebrate Achievements

Personalized Mexican Huichol Awards

The Huichols or Wirarikas are an indigenous community that lives in the Sierra Madre Occidental Mountains of Mexico. They are known for their stunning artwork and traditional crafts, which often feature intricate beadwork and bright colors. In recent years, Huichol art has gained international recognition as a true form of cultural expression.

Our clients love to incorporate Huichol art into their events. A great way to do it is with personalized awards that reflect the essence of the country and this unique culture.

We’ve done beaded paddle rackets, whale tales, donkeys and more.

Huichol pieces can range from beaded animal sculptures to jewelry, wall hangings, and much more. There are many variations of awards that can be created to meet your event needs, including incorporating your company's logo, designing them in your company’s logo palette, adding the name of the event, date, and more!

For upscale high-end awards, there is no better way to go.

QUOTE YOUR AWARDS at merakiobjects@eclecticarray.com

Jamie’s Forever Forty Party

Jamie wanted to do a big celebration for her birthday, so when she contacted us to coordinate her gifting experience we were thrilled. We created with her the “Forever Forty” concept and design the awesome logo that would be her radiant self along the celebration weekend!

Her gifting experience consisted of handmade palm welcome bags with many goodies as her favorite snacks: lemon peanuts, Reese’s chocolates, and cookies with the event logo, and a very popular recovery kit for the after-party effects.
All attendees received a hand embroidered hat with the logo and a printed itinerary for her guests, that included a playlist with Jamie’s favorite songs to get into the weekend mood.

The event started with a golf and pickleball tournament, and for the winners we made this amazing, beaded paddle boards with her logo and for the runner up some beaded pickle balls which the winners loved. A thoughtful detail that represented her and the beautiful destination.

The following day the kick starter was a pool party at Montage where they could wear their new hats to keep them cool and shaded followed by the party which had live Pat green concert, everybody danced and had a great time! There was one last surprise: we had her logo reflected on the mountain next to the beach with lights, pretty epic!

It was wonderful to be part of this big celebration and see her happy with the result.  We look forward to more stories of joy that give back to the community with every purchase.

Celebration of success

We were lucky to be invited to be part of Hacker One group celebration of success. A young group of people with a great vibe and energy. Local gifting was something they wanted for their attendees to take home!

Welcome Reception - We provide them with their beach essentials. 50 FPS organic sunscreen, lip balm and after suncream, palm weaved beach bags and a wide variety of Maui Jim sunglasses and handmade hats for the guests to choose the one that matches better their personality.

In-room surprise! An authentic room drop gift was delivered including Alebrijes and Mexican Chocolate

Thoughtful token of their trip - A shoe market from our ethical handmade sneakers for them to choose their favorite color! The fabric is made on a backstrap loom by a community of women in Chiapas, Mexico and the ensemble of the sneaker is hand-made every step in a process that takes a week to complete!

We love celebrating success with Hacker One, was certainly a great experience for everyone who participated in it. Thank you for this opportunity

Designing with Pedal Loom in Oaxaca - The amazing Rodri

Almost 2 years ago, I had the honor and privilege of meeting a very special guy while traveling in Oaxaca. I had no idea that this gentleman that I can truly say is not only a talented artisan and loving human being, I am lucky to call Rodri my friend.  We would spend hours together with his family and co-workers looking through colors, designs, and patterns. Reviewing samples to get things just right became the norm, and then when we weren’t working on a project together he was taking us all over to introduce us to friends and other artisans that had techniques from communities and villages in places far away, where no conventional roads will take you. 

Rodri was raised in a family where his grandmother taught him how to work on the pedal loom when he was a young boy after his grandfather had left their family. As he grew older, his family was forced to sell their looms and the trade was no longer a means of income for his family. When he was a young man, he was approached by the man who bought his family’s looms many years before to buy back the business that Rodri had once known. He excitedly agreed and brought in a “professor” to teach/relearn pedal-loom techniques. He still owns and uses the original family loom and others for production today. Now he has a thriving cooperative of individuals he has taught and gives opportunity to. His Daughter has been learning the business and is interested in continuing the tradition using old techniques and innovating products as well.

This friend is the one that helped us launch our first product line in Mi Muy Muy. A line of towels and blankets were the perfect product line to blend a need from city to city, coast to coast. What can be used as a beach blanket on the pacific coast, but is used as a towel in the midwest and may be used as a shawl or blanket with cooler weather on the east coast- this product line filled a void that met so many needs. I couldn’t be happier to see Rodri, his family and others blessed by this project. Not only is he able to provide opportunities for himself and others with fairtrade, consistent and sustainable work- Rodri takes time, through his gratitude, to give to other communities around Oaxaca that are in need. He is dedicated to teach others and give them tools that will have a ripple effect and improves lives for their families and others in their villages and communities. 

"A line of towels and blankets were the perfect product line to blend a need from city to city, coast to coast and have become one of the most popular items in our gift options. They can be used as a beach blanket on the pacific coast, but is used as a towel in the midwest and may be used as a shawl or blanket with cooler weather on the east coast- this product line filled a void that met so many needs"

The story behind our handmade straps

Over six years ago I met Pascuala in Chiapas and loved the bands she was making that made me think of the friendship bracelets we used to make when I was growing up. These bands are made by the local indigenous women and take 2-3 days to make. They learn to make them when they are as young as six years old and typically try to sell them in markets.

From the validation of our customers, a line of hats, bags, shoes, camera straps, yoga mat straps, guitar straps, and more came to life!

Back then our orders were fulfilled by buying all the straps Pascuala had in her stand, now, a community of 50 women produce this extraordinary product with orders all year round. The positive impact this has brought to their community is immense.

Even though we now can produce in similar designs, each collar carries the love and story of the hands who made it. Learn more about this incredible community in the following vlog.

The positive impact

Core part of our mission is to connect Artisans or small local vendors to consumers that wouldn't otherwise have the same exposure or opportunities to share their talent. The impact generated by each event we collaborate with at Meraki Objects is massive, for them being able to produce on a big scale generates an impact greater than we are aware of.

A great story we want to share with you is the impact generated by the candy boxes provided for Hyland Presidents Club Welcome Reception, They wanted their attendees to enjoy a specific kind of Mexican Chamoy-chili Candy, and the beautiful Alejandra Magaña who is studying college and working half time as a baby sitter to pay for her tuition and selling this particular candy elaborated a proposal that met perfectly the clients' expectations.

She provided 230 candy boxes for Hylands Presidents Club welcome reception which allowed her to pay for two months of college tuition.

We are so glad to be able to connect Alejandra to this group and to include her in our family of vendors.

Gifting for the Guys

Gifts are not just for guests... let’s not forget the guys that stand by the groom’s side.

Featured today, the Cohiba Genuine cigar boxes that we made for Lauryn & Shyler’s Cabo Wedding. Boxed included:
↝ Romeo and Juliette cigar
↝ Cigar cutter
↝ Cedar matches for cigars
↝ Tequila and hand carved jicaras to use as shot glasses

What a fun couple to work with! Thank you Jasmine for capturing the details in a special way.

And congrats Lauryn and Shyler. Thank you for letting us be part of your weekend of festivities here in Cabo!

Styled Wedding Shoot at Casa Bellamar

The newly renovated Casa Bellamar on East Cape in Los Cabos presents itself as a beautiful location for a dream destination wedding.  The owners of this property, a California couple, have immaculate taste and were attentive to every detail, supported by their team from Palm Weddings and Francisco Luna, that brought their visions for this event and home to reality. The home is equipped with everything and more one could desire to have a wedding, retreat or just enjoy time together and host family and friends to stay on the property.  How fortunate to have Daniela from Swell to capture the destination and details for us as we represented the clothing and accessories from our sister company, Eclectic Array, for the Bride and Groom, and the gifting presentation for this boho chic occasion.

Vendors:

Event planning @palmsweddingsandevents 
Photography @my_swell_life 
Furniture rental @warehouserentals 
Lightening @teeven.co 
Live Band @smartmusicbaja 
Catering @ricardoguasso & @nicolas.e.guzman 
Hostess @caboinside 
Sommelier @videvino 
Tequiliere @mariapascuala_tequila 
Mixologist @consultant_alejandro_enriquez 
Hair and make-up @cabomakeup 
Cake @sweet_dreams_cabo 
Bride and groom stylist & welcome bag options @eclecticarray 

Engage 2018!

Connecting with Rebecca and Katherine from Engage Summit, Vanessa from TPD design house and Carlos and Elena of Elena Damy was an experience we will be forever grateful for.  Their inspiration for this event allowed us to provide them with gifting that was perfectly personalized with a few color options so each attendee could choose what they loved.

We are proud to share the images with you. Hope you enjoy them!

Vendors of #Engage18

Art Direction, Event Branding, Logo, Giftign Design + Curation: @TPDDesignHouse
Location @solazloscabos
Graphic Design + Show Director: @TrishaHay
Creative Director + Event Planning, Design & Decor: @elenadamy
Photo @EricKelley and @c10ike