The Dorm

So in case you're wondering how your purchases will benefit these kids in Kenya, I thought I'd give a little glimpse into what we're raising funds for. I talked to Carol, the founder of E3 Kids and she said the greatest need at Royal Kids School is a new dormitory.

Currently the boarding students have to share mattresses in tight quarters. The dorms are former classrooms and lack adequate bathrooms.

However, the school has completed the structure for the new dormitory, which will have two spacious rooms to serve as the boys and girls dorms as well as toilets. But, the walls still need to be plastered, toilets added, and new bed frames and mattresses are needed.

The total needed for the dorms to be completed is $5000. 

I'm praying that God will use us to help provide part of that money so these kids can have their own beds to sleep in. Education is so important for improving their lives and we all know how hard it is to focus on little sleep. I can't imagine sharing a tiny mattress with someone else. These kids are daily learning Scripture and being taught of God's love - here is our chance to show His love in a tangible way.

Thanks for the role you're playing in this process - by praying, buying, donating crafts, or spreading the word. I appreciate each of you and thank God for you!

Kenyan Jewelry

I just posted some great Kenyan paper bead jewelry in the Etsy shop and I really love it. The beautiful, colorful beads are handmade by girls in Kenya who are mentored by an awesome woman named Sophia Kea. Here's her story, courtesy of the E3 Kids blog:

 These paper bead necklaces are hanging from the tower that holds the water tank at Sophia Kea’s home. Sophia, along with the teenage girls and boys she employs, make all the paper bead jewelry e3Kids sells. Each of her paper bead creations are uniquely made, and it provides stable work for the young girls who would otherwise be married off at a young age and the boys who are unable to attend high school.

 

Sophia and her husband, Bakari, are standing in her showroom. Bakari is actually the brother of Ngao, Royal Kids School’s founder. Once a piece is finished, she hangs it on this canvas board, or from the roof’s rafters.

At first, Sophia only employed girls who were about to be married off at a young age, whose families were hoping to be supported by the dowry they’d receive.  She’s just started employing boys who have finished eighth grade and whose families have no intention of supporting their education. She’s hopeful they’ll eventually get an opportunity to go to school, but in the mean time, they can come to a safe place to work and earn money.

And now for the bead making process. Mpate is in charge of cutting out the slips of recycled magazine paper that will be rolled into beads. Each slip is cut in the shape of a long, thin triangle.

The slips of paper are put into a central pile, and the rest gather around to roll them into beads. Mwanasiti is in the foreground, and Mwahindo’s hands are also rolling a bead. 

 Once the beads are finished, they organize beads that need to be varnished, and have other bowls with varnished beads that can be turned into necklaces, bracelets, earrings, or bags.

I have lots of other stuff from Kenya to post this week and will get it in the shop as soon as I can. In the meantime, be sure to check out this stuff and please pass the blog and shop info on to others!

Design Reveal

Welcome to the NEW Radical Crafts site! 

I'm so thrilled with the way everything turned out and so thankful to my BFF, Lark, for all her work on the design. She is a great graphic designer. I've worked with her on a few projects now (including some amazing birth announcements) and she does such a great job capturing her client's vision and taking it to another level. Her website is undergoing some updates, but you can see a little of her talent and her contact info here.

In addition to the new blog design, we're also making the switch over to Etsy. So from now on, the shop will be located here.

Today is the first day for the shop to benefit E3 Kids, and hopefully in coming days I'll be listing some great Kenyan jewelry and wood carvings in the shop.

Also, Lark made me a great blog button, so if you're interested in putting it on your blog, you can find it on the right.

Donor Info & Giveaway Winner

At the bottom of this post I will announce the winner of the fabric note cards giveaway, but first I wanted to post a message to those who are interested in making and donating items to the Radical Crafts shop (or those who might not be interested yet, but hopefully soon will be!).

In the next week or two we'll be making the switch over to Etsy for the shop and I'd love to pack the shop with a wide variety of stuff from YOU!

For those who are interested (or maybe know someone else who might be) there are just a few things I need from you, so if you can shoot me an email w/ the following, that would be great!

1. Item to Sell – I’ll need a description of the item for Etsy as well as a proposed price, with the understanding that I may name a different price
2. License – If the design is not your own, you will need to have permission to sell an item based on someone else's design or tutorial.  Sometimes these need to be purchased from the designer; other times you can simply ask for permission.  Be sure to include the designer’s info in your item description.

Also, in order to offer customers the option of combining shipping, I require all donated items to be shipped to me at the donor’s cost.  I will then handle all shipping to buyers.  I would love for donors to be able to ship on their own directly to the buyers, but I really want to be able to offer customers the option to purchase items made from several people in one transaction for one shipping price.

{Please understand that I may have to refuse to sell an item after I receive it if the quality doesn't live up to the standards of the shop. I definitely don't anticipate this being the case, but want to ensure that every product for sale in the shop is of excellent quality.}

Finally, in return for your time, effort and expense, I will promote all donors with their own post on the Radical Crafts blog.  This post will include info about you as well as a link to your blog and/or your shop.  In addition, your name and info will appear in the description for each item you made that is listed in the Etsy shop.

If you have things to donate, but don’t have a blog or shop, I would still LOVE to have your stuff in the shop.  Don’t hesitate to contact me!

Again, thank you so much for your desire to serve others in this way.  I’m so excited to see how God uses your talents for His glory!

Okay, so it's fitting that this post is announcing the winner of the giveaway, since the winner is our first shop donor, Anna! Anna is one of my best friends from college and she sent some great stuff for the shop in support of Aaron and Laura's adoption.  

Below are a couple of the things she made that are still in the shop. I'll be honest, that elephant card holder is a huge temptation for me right now. It is seriously so cute.

Anna, thanks so much for the great things you made! You'll be getting those note cards (and your baby present!) this week!

P.S. Don't forget that TODAY (Monday) is the LAST DAY to buy from the shop in support of Aaron & Laura's adoption! Starting tomorrow all profits go to E3 Kids.

Announcing the Next Radical Crafts Ministry

I'm so excited to tell you about the next ministry we'll be supporting with all proceeds from the 

Radical Crafts shop: 

Equip + Empower + Educate

impoverished youth in developing countries

E3 Kids International's goal is to empower orphans and impoverished youth, focusing on education for orphans. They support schools in Africa started by locals with a desire to improve their community. As a U.S. based non-profit organization, they focus their efforts on partnering with local community members.  

"We are committed to investing in the education of children, because once they are empowered and are equipped with the necessary skills, free from the physical and emotional trap of poverty, they will continue to positively impact their communities."

This organization was founded by Carol Turner, a dear friend of my family and a woman with a heart burdened for these African children.  Carol and the other members of the E3 Kids Board of Directors seek to accomplish education goals by meeting children's needs while developing educational programs and building projects. 

There are two main means of ministry and support needed:  1) Their child sponsorship program helps their school partners provide meals, clothes, and tuition to needy students. 2) Their project sponsors help E3 Kids provide supplemental education programs and finish building projects.

Right now E3 Kids is supporting the Mikindani Royal Kids School in Mombasa, Kenya. Since the school´s beginnings its founders and directors, Ngao and Grace Mazira, have envisioned showing children the love of God, with a view to raising up future leaders. Under the Maziras´ leadership, Royal Kids School is a living, vibrant example of God´s compassion to the surrounding community in Mombasa.

I will be posting regular updates and more information on this ministry in the coming days and weeks, and I would encourage you to take a couple of minutes to look around their website and subscribe to their blog.  I am so blessed by the daily posts with pictures of the kids and staff, showing the vibrant ministry of the school.

The proceeds from the shop will support E3 Kids starting on February 1st.  
Until then the shop will continue to benefit my brother and sister-in-law's adoption fund.

P.S. - Don't forget to enter the GIVEAWAY!

Giveaway!

I haven't done a ton of crafting so far in 2011, but one thing I did make last week was a pack of fabric scrap cards.  I thought these might be fun for a giveaway starting off the new year (I know - it's January 21st, but it still feels new to me).  

There are 6 cards (4" x 5 1/2") and envelopes in the pack and they're made with some designer fabric scraps (that might just have been leftover from decorating my son's bedroom).

The giveaway starts today (Jan. 21st) and will go until next Friday (Jan. 28th) at 11:59pm.  I'll announce the winner on Monday (31st).

To Enter:

1.  Follow the blog (click link on right) or subscribe to the RSS feed and leave me a comment below letting me know you've done it.

AND/OR

2.  For an extra entry, "Like" the Radical Crafts page on Facebook and leave me a separate comment below letting me know you've done it.

Make sure to also leave your email address in the comment so I can contact you if you win!

(If you're already a follower or a Facebook fan, just leave comments saying so).

GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED

New Key Fobs Here & Changes Coming!

I just put a new batch of key fobs in the shop. It took me awhile to get them done - the snow has kind of made things a little strange around here. But it's been great to stay in with the kids for several days and just enjoy them.

There are less than two weeks left in January, so just a few more days to purchase items in the shop in support of Aaron and Laura's Ethiopian adoption. So make sure you don't wait!

I'm in the process of making several changes to the shop, and really to the whole Radical Crafts concept. My BFF, Lark, is working on some design stuff for me and I think we're going to end up making the switch over to Etsy for the shop - logistical issues seem to call for that as we go forward.

So stay tuned for updates in the next couple of weeks - and please pray with me as we do a full launch on this thing and see how God wants to use it in 2011!