No, I'm not going anywhere. Not now at least. I know some of you would not be the least bit surprised if I said I was picking up and moving to another state or even to another country on the other side of the world. But, that's not what this is about. I do have some news that I'm super excited about though!
Some of you may have noticed a little blog on my sidebar titled "noonday collection", and you may have picked up on the fact that I've mentioned them in several posts over the past few weeks and months. Well, today I'm moving them on my bloglist from "those I would love to know" to "those I know and love" Why? Because I can now say that I know them. I've been emailing with the founder of Noonday, Jessica, and some of the other ladies on staff there for almost a year now. More recently I've been able to talk with Jessica on the phone and have been in touch with even more of the amazing women connected to Noonday. And now............I can actually consider myself a part of them!!! I am absolutely thrilled to announce that I'm partnering with Noonday Collection through their Ambassador program.
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| the little guy who started it all. meet Jack. Noonday was started to help bring Jack home to his mommy(pictured here) and daddy and 2 older siblings. |
Noonday Collection was started in 2010 by founder, Jessica Honegger. She and her husband were visitng orphanages in Africa when they made the decision to add a third child to their family through the miracle of adoption. On that same trip they met up with long-time friends living in Uganda who had been working for many years to create sustainable incomes for the Ugandan people. They asked Jessica if she would like to sell their fair-trade locally made goods back home in the States in order to raise money for their adoption. And just like that---Noonday was launched. It was a huge hit. Soon Jessica had friends wanting to join her in selling these goods and raising awareness of fair trade. Since then the Ambassador program has been born, and Noonday continues to grow. Noonday currently offers beautiful fair-trade items from Ethiopia, India, Uganda, Peru, Ecuador, Rwanda, Guatemala, Madagascar, and from refugees living in the US. All of these items are handmade and one-of-a-kind. I honestly have never worn a Noonday item and not gotten a compliment or question about where I found it. Many times complete strangers stop me and comment.
Noonday believes that fashion and design can be a vehicle for change and opportunity. The mission of the company is to provide a pathway out of poverty for their artisans. We only partner with companies and ministries who assure that their artisans are growing, learning, and benefiting from their craft. All of our suppliers use fair trade principles. These principles state that artisans receive a fair, living wage, good working conditions, and a reasonable path out of poverty. In many cases the artisans are even part owners in the companies. Noonday provides a marketplace to these artisans through trunk shows in women's homes here in the States. Why not just sell them in the stores? Well, because it's about more than just selling the products. Yes, the products are gorgeous, and I love everything that we offer. But even more beautiful than that are the stories of the women behind these products. The women who create these items by hand. That is the real reason I fell in love with Noonday!! A trunk show in the more intimate and cozy setting of a friend's home provides an opportunity to share the stories of these women and to raise awareness about fair trade, caring for orphans, and satisfying the needs of the oppressed around the world.
Here is a sampling of some Noonday love:
So, what personally brought me to Noonday? I have always had a love for all things creative. I love creating things. Growing up with a mom with a degree in fashion marketing and who was always in the middle of multiple craft projects, I guess it was kind of inevitable. Lately, I have been making a lot of jewelry, gifts, clothing items, and things for the home. I'm really drawn to fashion and design. I also have a heart that is passionate about the things that God is passionate about--- the needy, the poor, the sick, the oppressed, the orphan. I never imagined that both of these loves would come together so perfectly in the opportunity that Noonday has provided me with. I get to be involved in styling women with beautiful fashions and designs, while educating them about ways they can be involved in the redemption and transformation of families and communities around the world!!!
There are sooooo many beautiful, powerful, and moving stories behind Noonday. This is the one that has impacted me the most. There is a place in Ethiopia called Entoto Mountain. People from all over Ethiopia come here seeking hope. The mountain is rumored to have healing springs, so people with HIV/AIDS come here hoping to be healed. Because of their diagnosis, they become outcasts in their communities and families and are not able to find employment. A community of people with HIV/AIDS has grown up here on the mountain. An outreach was started in this area to teach some of these people jewelry making skills. Many jobs were created and the group has continued to grow. Not only have the women found purpose, but they have been empowered with jobs to help take care of themselves and their families. They are able to send their children to school, educate themselves, put food on the table, and pay for their healthcare (including drugs to manage their disease). They are finding a way out of their poverty and out of their isolation. As if that weren't beautiful enough----all the pieces from this collection are made from beads made out of melted down bullet casings and weapons of war from previous military conflicts. What an amazing picture of redemption and hope---a beautiful piece of jewelry made from an item meant to kill and destroy. The pictures below are of women involved in this artisan group.
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| estherhavensphotography |
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| estherhavensphotography |
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| estherhavensphotography |
Read more about Noonday here
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