Waraporn Khamsuk

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I'm Waraporn Khamsuk and I was born in 1990 in Northern Thailand. I'm the eldest daughter in the family, and I grew up with the wooden games my father crafted. I'd watch him select wood, dry it naturally and assemble to complete a game. They are challenging and fun — something you'll never find in computer games.

My father founded our family's game workshop. At one time, he worked at a factory that produced bamboo skewers for meatballs. Then, the factory began to take orders for wooden games, and my father was allowed to work from home to earn extra income.

"The factory saw that he put his best efforts into creating games that needed careful crafting of wooden joints. It was completely different from making skewers, which is repetitious as they are all the same.

"When he didn't have any orders from the factory, he began creating new games. Then, he started to gain his own customers.

"He created brain teasers, interlocking puzzles and wooden board games.

"My favorites are the wooden games because I grew up with them. They teach me to think, plan and concentrate, and I apply these skills in my everyday life. Although technology has taken over life today, I'm still charmed by wooden games.

"Creating them and crafting them are the precious legacy my father left me. He died in an accident in 2012 while I was at the university. I dedicated all of my spare time to keeping our workshop going.

"Along with the wooden games, we now craft wooden tableware. People appreciate the beauty and the uniqueness of the natural wood pattern.

"I studied how to design plates and was guided in this by the artisans who work with us. We don't use any artificial or chemical finishes to our tableware. The more a piece is used and washed, the more beautiful it becomes, especially when food is arranged over it."

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NOVICA was started with a dream to create a better world for artisans, because a better world for artisans is a better world for all.

Along the way, the founders of NOVICA discovered something very important - as artisans around the world succeeded, there was also a visible and profound impact on the communities around them.

Your purchases are that powerful. They directly and indirectly provide for education, help with health care, fund basic needs, support children, preserve disappearing arts, and of course, spread happiness around the world.

The founders of NOVICA had a vision of the future that is not one of mega factories producing cookie cutter products for all to cheaply consume. Instead, a bright future that celebrates artisans who take the time to create an item by hand. A future where time is protected, where stories are told, where unique details are honored. Love, respect, inclusiveness become driving force.

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