Almost 20 years ago I went on a short term mission trip (and yes, I know there are lots of opinions on whether these are good or bad. We can save that discussion for later!) to Honduras. We spent a week thatching, pouring cement, repairing, feeding and teaching with the local people in a remote village. Our last night we stayed in the capital city of Tegucigalpa and visited the local market where I purchased a beautiful handmade clutch from a local artisan. Of course, now that I am writing a blog about it, the bag is no where to be seen, even though I used it last month for a formal event!!!! I think that this is where I had my first taste of buying an item that was beautiful, handmade and where my purchase meant something to the creator. Selling bags on the street is how she made her living, and my souvenir was helping her put food on her table. For this small town South Georgia girl that trip, most certainly, changed my world view.
Let's fast forward several years. I still love purchasing local, handmade items. One of my nearest and dearest friends owns her own jewelry business which you should totally check out if you haven't already from my Facebook posts. I have several friends, including my sister in law who have Etsy stores where they sell hand made, one of a kind items and I too dabbled in the world of sewing and selling clothing for children. This is my personal style. I like knowing the back story to my purchases!
Three years ago I was introduced to Noonday Collection. I was hooked. I became enamored with the mission and the stories. I loved that a company had organically created a marketplace that connected artisans like the one I had met in Honduras to those in the United States who desired to use their purchasing power for good. And not to mention the accessories are just so cute!
As a Mama to little ones, I often talk about how we can make a difference in our world. Whether it is by picking up trash on a neighborhood walk or sponsoring a child in a distant country, I want them to know and understand that big or small we can all do something. This year I decided that I was going to partner with Noonday and become an ambassador. I want to share with friends and family the stories of the Noonday Artisans, so that they too can learn about and be part of something big. When we combine forces together, we are helping to create and maintain dignified jobs around the world in a powerful way to alleviate poverty. Noonday is a fair trade company that uses design to create economic opportunity around the world.
I'm super excited about this. I'm not a sales person, but I am a natural story teller. I come from a long line of story tellers. I admit we don't always use our story telling ability to tell true stories, hey some stories just need a little bit of exaggeration to make them more interesting or at least that is what my Papa has told me. I do promise that the Noonday stories I tell are 100% truth ;) I want to introduce you to these Artisans and tell you the how and they why, they created the necklace that I love. I want you to wear a piece and be able to answer questions about it when you are out and about! I want you to love your new bag, not only because it is super cute, but because it was made with love and hand woven by women in Peru. Everything in the collections that you see have been handmade by extremely talented artisans around the world, often using natural materials, and preserving techniques and traditions that are native to their area.
I am also not a fashionesta by any stretch of the imagination. I would say my style could be categorize by the words "Southern Comfort," although as the baby gets older and I am shuttling kids from place to place I have found that my jeans and t-shirt can instantly be dressed up with a cute necklace and bracelet combo or a fantastic pair of sparkly earrings! When I add just a little flair, all of a sudden I feel a little more put together :)
My most favorite pieces come from Uganda where they hand craft paper beads. These items come from the Studio of Jalia and Daniel.
Another favorite of mine are wrap bracelets! They fit multiple size wrists...no kidding, it is really a one size fits all that works! The Sofyia Wrap and the Silver Steps Wrap Bracelet are both made {with love} in India!
I am having a Mystery Hostess trunk show to launch into my journey as a Noonday Ambassador. You can order online or in person. I encourage you to join my Facebook event. (side note...the event is a Friends only FB event, so if you want to join let me know and I will be happy to add you and you can add friends if they want to be added. It creeps me out to have public FB events where people can search my address!!) I will be posting Artisan stories and videos, along with giving away some product credit and half off items. Anyone can host a trunk show: It's simple and fun. Hosting a show means opening up your home and gathering your friends for style and storytelling. Hostesses earn free jewelry and accessories and can even help adoptive families bring home their adopted children. If you have any questions about becoming a Noonday Ambassador or hosting a trunk show please don't hesitate to ask! I'm willing to travel to give you a chance to see the items in person or to put you in touch with an Ambassador near you! Unfortunately, at this time we cannot host online trunk shows, but you are always welcome to order at any time from my website.
I know, I know......you are thinking to yourself what is the girl doing adding another thing to her life! She is a little bit crazy! And I am, I fully acknowledge that assessment! But seriously, I love Noonday and I love that I am DOING something for myself, my family and helping to support those in other countries. Besides, my life would be nothing if it was chaotic. I seem to thrive in this craziness.
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