GIFT-AWAY Friends

Hello Friends.

For those of you who are participating in the 600th post gift away HERE, THANKS for stopping by! If you are interested in seeing a bit more of the Mosaic Designs products you can check out the new and very rough SHOP. We literally just began working on this site this week. We have limited products on there, but feel free to look around. If you are interested in purchasing HOBO bags we have LOTS and LOTS in a variety of colors and patterns. I hope to post some of those for purchase by wednesday evening. Keep checking back.

All proceeds go toward the NEEMA PROJECT in Kenya, serving at risk teens in Kenya. Thanks for popping in to say hello.

Best wishes in the gift-away!

Snowy Saturday Sale

So on Saturday, October 29th, something happened here in PA that hasn't happened in over 30 years.....we had a SNOWSTORM!!! I could hardly believe the weather report and said I would believe it when I see it. At 7am on Saturday, I watched in amazement as the snow fell! Melinda, the gracious host of the sale decided the sale must go on. Our outdoor porch sale was moved inside and we turned her lovely home into a shop full of handmade goods. She had warm apple cider and pumpkin bread and the house was so warm and comforting as we watched the snow fall.

I was uncertain that anyone would show up and after hours of preparation people began to show up. They shopped and shopped and shopped! I held back tears as I watched people continue to come through the door from 4-6:30pm. In the end, we made over $1500 to send over for the construction of the Neema House. A typical "good" sale for me is $100-$200/hour so this sale far exceeded my expectations. THANK YOU to those of you who came and bought jewelry, scarves, handmade bags, and more scarves! I hope that people treasure their gifts at Christmas and I hope each of you think of the Neema girls every time you use whatever it is that you purchased!

When I arrived I found out that my camera was dead, so all I have is a few (terrible) photos from my phone. Hopefully it at least gives you a glimpse. We are opening the "shop" again this Saturday, November 5th, for Round 2 of the Neema Sale for those of you who were stuck inside because of the roads, downed trees and power lines, and lack of power! Come by and see us this weekend:

945 Sconnelltown Road

West Chester, PA

10am-12pm

Some photos of the girls strung in front of the window with the snow falling outside.

Bags Galore!

Handmade Colorful Paperbead Necklaces

i love to layer these or double wrap for a different look

($12-$15)

Multi-Strand Acai Seed Bead Necklaces

Best Seller

($20-$25)

Single Strand Acai Seed Bead Necklaces

($14)

Fabric Pendant Necklace

($10-$12)

Acai Seed Bead Earrings

($8)

Hair Accessories

($4-$8)

Stop by and say hello this weekend!

Faith

Meet Cait!

Meet Cait Jensen-a wife, daughter, sister, crafter, blogger and photographer. Cait graduated two years ago from Messiah College with a degree in Christian Ministry. After searching endlessly for jobs in her field, Cait decided to take a job as a nanny. Although she wasn't thrilled at the thought of this at first, it has been one of her best decisions. Nannying has given Cait the time to use her creativity in photography and crafting. Cait the the creator of the "Lovely Lace Earring Collection" for Mosaic Designs. She hopes that these earrings not only brighten up your day, but also raise money and bring smiles to the young women in Kenya seeking hope and new opportunities in life!

Mosaic Designs is excited to have Cait as one of our US Artisans using her skills to help meet some of the needs of the girls at the Neema Project. Check out some of her latest creations below:

**If you can't make it to a sale and would like to purchase, let me know and I can ship a pair to you.**

YOU'RE INVITED!!!

MOSAIC DESIGNS HOLIDAY SALE

Get a start on your holiday shopping early and check out the latest handmade products by Mosaic Designs. All proceeds will be given to the NEEMA PROJECT in Kitale, KENYA! ALL are welcome so bring friends and family!

DATE: Saturday, October 29

TIME: 4-6:30pm

LOCATION: 945 Sconnelltown Road | West Chester, PA (Victorian Home, parking on grass, sale will be held on covered porches and back patio)

QUESTIONS: email Faith Wise at faith@mosaicdesigns.org

**items for sale: handmade jewelry (paper bead, lace, acai berry seed, seed bead, fabric pendants,etc), handmade bags by the neema girls, scarves (lots and lots of scarves), handmade hair accessories.

THANK YOU to some lovely ladies!!!

Last month, we sent out an email to some lovely ladies requesting their presence at a photo shoot to begin taking photos of just a bit of the Mosaic Designs handmade products. These were the beautiful gals that offered their time and posed for some lovely images.

Special thanks to Andrea Warden Photography for the images. Here is just a taste!

The Neema School is Almost Completed!!!!

I am THRILLED to announce that the NEEMA SCHOOL is almost completed! As nice as it is to see that the building is so close to being finished, what truly EXCITES me is that in January it will be bursting with activity as new gals from Kenya are offered general education, trade skill training, and HOPE! It is incredible to think about what will take place inside those walls.

I cannot say THANK YOU enough to those of you in PA who assisted in raising funds by selling scarves, jewelry and bags. Also, those of you who have hosted sales, or set them up at your universities. I am grateful to the 3 teams I have taken from PA who have demonstrated love and grace and laughed with the girls, cried over their stories, and taught them new things. Most importantly, I want to honor the men and women who serve the Neema girls so well: Janet (house mom), Joann (general education teacher), Joyce (seamstress instructor), Daniel, Eric and the rest of the TI team.

We are well under way raising the funds for the dormitories that will be located on the same property for girls who need a home while in the program. If you would like to host a house party, or a sale at your university, church, or women's group you can do so by contacting Faith at: faith@mosaicdesigns.org.

CLICK HERE to see the latest photos from Kenya!

MARK YOUR CALENDARS

We have some upcoming sales for those of you interested in checking out some Mosaic Designs products. Mark your calendar and come pick up some new treasures while supporting a good cause!

OCTOBER 29 "Snow's Barn"

945 Sconnelltown Road | West Chester, PA

4 pm-6:30 pm

*hosted by Melinda Snow

NOVEMBER 3 "Neema Partnership Launch Party"

430 Hannum Avenue | West Chester, PA

7 pm

*hosted by Eileen Roche

NOVEMBER 6 "Calvary Fellowship Church"

Downingtown, PA

NOVEMBER 15 "Holiday Extravaganza"

Yoder's Banquet Facility | Route 23 |New Holland, PA

12 pm-8 pm

DECEMBER 3 "ELCO HOLIDAY CRAFT SHOW"

ELCO High School | Myerstown, PA

9 am-3 pm

We will let you know as we add new shows for the Fall/Winter. If you would like to host a sale, we will COME TO YOU! You invite your friends, small groups, women's bible study, church, civic group, college/university......we do the rest! Please email me if you have any interest in hosting a sale in late 2011/early 2012.

Bless you today!

Freedom Fest Article In The Patch

Check out this article about the Freedom Fest event:

http://www.thefjc.com/2011/09/freedom-fest-in-the-patch/

For more information on Freedom and Justice Coalition check out:

http://www.thefjc.com

Jennifer Peterkin, the founder of this organization and the event coordinator is heading to Romania for the month of November. Be sure to keep track of her while she is gone. She is a delightful young woman, with a heart of compassion, and a desire to serve others.

THANK YOU to Freedom Fest

Last weekend I had the privilege of sharing the story of my friends in Kenya (the Neema/Shim Girls, Joyce, Joann, and Janet). My goal was to express hope and demonstrate that lives can be transformed when given new opportunities to learn and grow! We had an opportunity to display and sell the latest products made by the Neema Project. My goal was to sell $500 of products. Well, we exceeded that! We raised over $700! I was thrilled! More importantly is that we were able to tell stories about the girls who are working hard to make the items and learning to use their skills.

A few THANK YOU'S:

• Jennifer Peterkin and International Freedom and Justice Coalition for allowing the story of the Neema Project to be heard.
• Melinda Snow, Sarah Racine, Penny Gerrard for manning the table
• Kenya Team 2011 who showed up to support the event
• Providence Church people who showed up in support of the event
• Transformed International, for allowing us to be apart of the work you are committed to in Kenya.

All proceeds that Mosaic Designs raised will be sent back to Kenya for the building of the new Neema home. Every brick counts!

Click HERE to read a write-up that was written in a local online paper about the event.

NEXT UP.......Tomorrow we will be doing a mini photo shoot to take photos of the items to post on the internet for sale. Stay tuned.

Come One, Come All.......Freedom Fest

Hi Everyone! This weekend we will be debuting some of the new items from Mosaic Designs made by the Neema girls and friends. All proceeds from sales will go toward the construction of the new Neema House.

ALSO, Freedom Fest is splitting all proceeds from the event between Neema Project and another local organization fighting human trafficking. If you are available and in the area, please come check out this event on Saturday from 1-6 at Delaware County Christian School. It is a $5 admission fee. You will see on the schedule that I am one of the speakers. I am thrilled (and so nervous) to share all about some of my favorite ladies in Kenya. Click the link below to view the schedule of events:

http://www.thefjc.com/2011/09/freedom-fest-2011-itinerary/

Hope to see some of you there!

Faith

mosaic designs items

mosaic designs items, a set on Flickr.

Here is just a glimpse of some of the new handmade products Mosaic Designs will be selling at Freedom Fest this weekend.

DONATE: you can do that through this site now

Many of you have been asking if there is a way you can give toward the construction of the Neema Project. So far the funds have been raised for the Neema School ($15,000), and all the supplies necessary to get the hair dressing classes set up.

The main financial need right now is for the Neema House (for those girls who need a place to live). Current costs for that home is around $15,000. We hope to raise this as quickly as possible and will continue to keep you updated on the progress.

For those of you that have asked how you can contribute, I set up DONATE button on this site so you can give through paypal at any time. If you would like to send a check instead contact me at faith@msoaicdesigns.org and I can get you the proper information for that. I appreciate many of you asking and wanting to contribute to this incredible program.

Each dollar helps put more bricks on the building! THANK YOU!

The Roof is Up!

Hi All!

This morning I had great news awaiting me. The latest update from Daniel at Transformed International announcing that the roof has gone up on the Neema School. It shouldn't be long now before the school is finished and ready to open. Please be praying as they begin seeking out the next group of young women to enter the program. It is certainly exciting to think about new lives being changed. My heart is bursting with excitement! Here is the update from Daniel.

Adam, the project manager at the school, also posted a recent update with new photos. You can read more about it here:

Return to Kitale Kenya: The Roof is Up and On!

Thanks for sharing in our excitement and in the changing of lives!

Latest update on Neema School Construction

Hi All.

My new friend Adam, from NY, has been working in Kenya overseeing the Neema School Construction project. Our team had the privilege of working with him and spending time with him while we were visiting for 2 weeks.

He has been keeping a blog with updates on the building. Here is the latest one he posted"

Return to Kitale Kenya:

"LIKE" us on Facebook

As I have been working ideas for developing a website and an online store to sell the items the gals in Kenya are making there has been one common piece of advice: "you should really create a facebook page for Mosaic Designs." I have heard your pleas and I have responded.

If you have Facebook or if you are thinking of signing up for facebook (Mom), please take the time to like the Mosaic Designs page! We will fill it with all sorts of information:

• upcoming events
• launch of the online store
• updates on the girls
• updates on fundraising efforts
• updates on the construction of the neema school

Thanks so much for your interest!

To Kenya and Back Again

It has been much too long since I last wrote and SO MUCH has happened! The development of Mosaic Designs as a more formal organization has been well under way this summer. In July, I (Faith) headed to Kenya with a team of 15 others to begin training some of the girls in the Shimo and Neema Projects at Transformed International and to get our hands dirty working on the construction of the Neema School (which we assisted in raising funds last year). It was such an exciting time to see the girls using their sewing skills to create some lovely handmade bags. Joyce, their seamstress teacher and my dear friend, has done an incredible job teaching the girls since the onset of the program. She is committed to helping the girls develop their skill and also helps instill in them self-confidence. I love meeting with her and developing new ideas, creating new products and then watching as she makes those things come to life. She is willing to have the girls try anything. We worked with 13 girls while we were in Kenya, and 6 of them focused their entire time on sewing and they sewed and sewed and sewed! I look forward to revealing some of their beautiful work.

The remainder of the girls worked with them team on a variety of types of beading. We worked with seed beads, acai berry seed beads, paper beads, and langrima seeds. We faced some challenges with finishing all the items off because we did not have all the clasps on time to travel with and they were not available in Kitale. The good news, is that it has caused me to learn to ways to design the jewelry so that it will be reproducible from anywhere in the world. :) The girls, mainly from the Shimo Project, made hundreds of necklaces and bracelets to be sold to raise funds to send over to build the home for the Neeema Project.

I can't begin to describe the JOY I experienced watching these girls confidently approach the skills they are learning. They worked hard, they played hard with the team, they filled their stomachs each day on lunch break, and they opened themselves up to the team in a way I have never seen before. I was shocked! Within hours of the girls arrival, I remember walking through the gate, coming back from town with supplies, and all I heard was laughter coming from the TI compound!!!

I feel incredibly blessed to be a part of seeing the lives of the girls in these projects change. I am so incredibly proud of them and can't wait to see where their lives go. I will try to share more of their stories and stories from the trip in coming weeks.

If you want to hear more stories from our 2 weeks in Kenya, go to provinkenya.blogspot.com.

Below are just a few photos from our time together.