Welcome to Octopia's Quality Gifts and thank you for taking the time to read all about our products. All our products have been carefully chosen for their quality and have been beautifully handmade by skilled craftsmen.
We hope that you enjoying reading this page and appreciate that each item is unique and that no harm is done to the environment when making them.
We love to hear from our customers, so please feel free to email anytime with any questions or requests that you may have.
Handmade Paper - Karen-Hill Tribe
Over 600 years ago the Karen Hill-Tribe people found a remarkable bark that naturally peeled from the trunk of the Mulberry Tree at the end of every rainy season. So began the craft of making natural paper without destroying or cutting down the tree.
For the last hundred years Hill-Tribe paper makers have been practising their craft in the neighbouring mountains. They still use natural dyes and lay their paper out in the sun to dry, as did their ancestors centuries ago.
The items that we have listed are unique and are made from this remarkable and renewable resource, which has also spawned a cottage industry that helps save and not deplete these tall beautiful trees.
Handmade Wooden Photo Frames
Traditionally master craftsmen living in the many wood carving villages passed their skills down to younger generations of dedicated apprentices who created elaborate, multi-layered religious and secular decorations from the now protected hardwood.
The steady decline of forested areas during the last few decades has caused the villagers to turn their thoughts to more eco-friendly processes and materials.
The Teakwood used in these frames has therefore been recycled. Some pieces are 30 - 100 years old and served as wooden roof tiles on rural houses and barns. Recycled Teakwood also comes from every day items that were common in the last century - wooden carts, farm implements, barrels and every humble tool or broken furniture has been rescued and given a new lease of life in these charming rural photo frames.
No two frames are exactly alike, and each has its own unique piece of history.
Handmade Mango Wood Vases
In order to produce the best fruit, Mango trees are cut down and replanted every 7 - 15 years so this means the cycle is sustained and there is no harm to the environment.
The finished product involves an intricate process of selecting a piece of wood, removing the bark and the lathing it into the desired shape. It sits in a kiln for three days and is sanded multiple times inside and out and after several coats of paint and a lacquer finish the seven day process is nearly complete.
Finally an etching tool is used to make the beautiful designs on each piece.
From the ancient crafts modern designs have been used to create a unique product with rich style and good taste to suit any home.
Please note that these vases are for decorative purposes only and are not watertight. Please clean with a damp cloth making sure the vases are thoroughly dried afterwards.
Handmade Incense
These precious handmade incense cones are created using natural plants, flowers, herbs, spices and resins. The finest incense is mixed with rain water, and then specially fragranced with essential oil and allowed to dry naturally under the sun so that they can keep all their energy by avoiding the use of an oven with high temperatures.
Handmade Musical Instruments
Our musical instruments are made by a small family run business based in Bandung, capital of Java Barat. They produce a variety of styles of small musical instruments and noisemakers using bamboo, wood, coconut and other nut shells.
Please click on a category to the left to begin exploring our handmade products!
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