Personal Sanctuaries & Going Beyond Boarders
If you haven't heard that the artisans of Baskets and Beads Kenya appreciate you, just know... they absolutely do!
As a result of your support, we have been able to increase our inventory, create new designs and help more families. Remember, when we first started it was with a couple of Bead Baskets, Paper Bead Necklaces and the Dinah Necklace. We are getting more soapstone in, design patterns for skirts (available at fairtrade long beach) are changing, headbands have been added to the site and so much more over the summer. Especially since I will be traveling to Kenya soon and will be able to provide a medical clinic, do a women's retreat with the ladies, and purchase more products on sight.
Being a fairtrade company means that Baskets and Beads Kenya pays a fair and reasonable price for a product before it is sold in the store. Any of our specials or discounts come from the stores overhead and not out of the pockets of the artisans. I look forward to sharing fashionable patterns from across borders. Our products have even been shown at fashion shows in the past.
It is important to have a space where you can detach from all the crazy going on in the world. I have a space on my patio that I call my garden sanctuary. I just updated the space with new furnishings as my previous furnishings have fallen apart. Do you have a space where you can detach from the world? Maybe it's at a park, a community garden or a special space in your house. Make sure you take some time to go to that space and tune out the world. I use my garden sanctuary as a place to pray and study God's word. It's very relaxing.
Going on a women's retreat with the ladies of Baskets and Beads is a special part about planning Operation Kenya 2022. These ladies work very hard every day and have no down time. They have to worry about feeding their children and earning enough to pay the school fees to send them to school. These are things most of us take for granted. This trip will allow them to experience rest, rejuvenation and restoration. Check out a video of a rainstorm I witnessed on a previous trip. Frankly, after all the travel and other restrictions over the last 2 years because of the pandemic, I am excited to get out of my backyard, even if it is a sanctuary.
The stories of these ladies are always inspiring, they have a tremendous amount of strength and resilience. The opening of borders is a blessing and a reprieve from some of the regulatory measures to protect us is a welcomed change. I heard earlier in the week that our ability to survive is resulting in people dressing for JOY! We are all willing to take more risks in our fashion, wear brighter colors, support causes that are close to our hearts and be loud and proud about our fashion sense. With this new JOY Dressing movement, I encourage you to purchase a Necklace. The Leila Necklace can be a striking fashion statement about JOY!
Spring is here! Let's make things beautiful together.