Gratitude for What You Do!

If we had a larger staff this is what we'd be doing when we think of you....

Really. We're just jumping for joy and wanted to thank you for choosing to purchase stoles that give back! In 2013 you helped us support:

• research, support and programs for those battling Alzheimer's via the Alzheimer's Association
• education of the La Femme de laCroix (women of the cross), Haiti via the New Testament Mission
• making life better for children who battle cancer via MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
• programs for homeless veterans and other men in need via Helping Up Mission, Baltimore, MD
• encouragement and relationship building with women in the Democratic Republic of Congo via Congo Cloth Connection
• fighting breast cancer via the American Cancer Society
• creation care by purchasing stoles created with eco-friendly fabrics

Really!

Inside Carrot Top Studio

Never a dull moment in the studio and this past week has been especially full to the brim! We've made plans for and started work on new designs for Lenten stoles. Here's a sneak peak....

This one should be on the website on Monday or Tuesday. You can follow us on Facebook to see when it's ready to go.

I'm also preparing for my next trip to Haiti and the studio has become the collecting point for the 500+ books we'll take with us as we work on building the mission school a library. The titles are in English, French, Spanish and Haitian Creole. This is so exciting!

And sewing and designing is such a passion I actually do it in my leisure time too. Here's the current project...it will be a quilt for my son. The batik fabric is part of what he brought home after his semester in Uganda last year. This has been a nice creative challenge for me and it's been a joy to work with him on the design.

What have you been up to?

Different Studio Activities

The days following the Christmas celebration allowed me to use some of my usual studio time to focus on a few projects that weren't "liturgical stole" related. For instance, a baby quilt was made. I baked and ate my way through the 12 Days of Cookies recipes sponsored by the Food Network. The family agrees that the rosemary chocolate chip shortbread was the favorite of the season. But what was most fun was preparing for my next trip to Haiti. In February I will travel for the 5th time to work alongside my brothers and sisters in Christ in their beautiful country. Several years ago my daughter started a small library for the school students at the main location of the mission our faith community supports. There are 2800 students there and they do not have the advantage of books that could be borrowed and shared to inform, educate and enrich the students’ lives as members of society and God’s kingdom. The Haitian pastor now has determined that the children will all benefit from learning English and is starting this process slowly and methodically with the preschoolers. One grade level of English learners will be added each year. To support all of this we have decided to expand that original collection of 300 books. Space has been designated for this endeavor in the school. The renovation will begin in February. But back to the books....did you know that the American standard for books in a library is 5-10 per student in the school? Based on this we're setting our goal at 14,000 books! We've been blessed with the ease of using Amazon's wish list feature as it has allowed friends, our church family and community to start contributing to this book collection. The wish list can be viewed here. 

Painting a mural together to tell the story of Jesus' life on earth.

On my first trip to Haiti I had the pleasure of helping to paint a mural in the mission children's chapel.  This was a great way to make artist friends in this community while we worked side by side. The library will have a mural also and I'll share pictures of this task on our Carrot Top Studio Facebook page while I'm gone in February. 

P.S.-good news for you....while I'm gone, shipping will not cease due to the trusty hands of an assistant that will take on this roll.