craft hope

I do not believe that things in this world happen by chance.

On Friday, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to be able to meet in person with Caroline Boudreaux, founder of the Miracle Foundation.  Caroline is an incredibly giving individual who has committed her life’s work to helping the orphans in India.  Her personal story is moving, uplifiting and encouraging.

Throughout our conversation, we kept coming back to the orphans needs and what you can do to help.  There are over 600 children in these orphanages.  Of course, they need blankets, booties and beanies but it does not stop there.  As you can imagine, these children have very little.  Certainly not anything handmade.

I wanted to let you know some of the things that we’ll also be accepting for these children if you are up to it.

They play this game in India called Seven Tiles.  It is a game comprised of stacking tiles, the tiles used to build the orphanage, and then trying to knock the stack down with a ball.  Then it turns into a sort of dodge ball.  The problem is that they play this game with tennis balls.  If you’ve ever played dodge ball with a tennis ball, you probably know how it feels to be pelted with one of the balls.

So what they are asking is for soft cotton balls.  Heavy enough to throw, but soft enough to hit someone.  Of course, it would be need to be stitched pretty heavy duty to withstand the game.  I would love to see if any of you could come up with this type of ball.  We’ve got all different types of skill levels participating in Craft Hope and I’m sure someone has a good idea for this type of ball.  If so, stitch a few up and send them on to us so that we can get them to the orphanages in India.

Their next request was for pillowcases.  Simple, pretty, clean pillowcases to use in the newborns beds.  Currently they only sleep on a plastic mattress.  The pillowcase size is the perfect size to use as a sheet to put down onto the mattress.  This project doesn’t involve any sewing whatsoever.  You can find vintage, thrifted pillowcases at the thrift store for next to nothing.  And you are giving a baby a soft place to sleep.

Their final request was for handmade handkerchiefs.  Currently, with the babies, they safety pin a tissue to their shirt so that they don’t lose it and it stays with that baby.  They use this to wipe their nose and mouth throughout the day.  A nice soft handkerchief is high on their list of needs for these babies.  And they are simple to make.  You can just cut out a square of fabric or from a vintage sheet and you have a handkerchief.  When you think about it, you could make several with just one twin size sheet.

Anytime we work with orphans, their needs do not stop at our requests.  The United Nations states that every child has the same fundamental rights no matter where they live in this world.  These are:

• The right to clean water.
• The right to adequate nutrition.
• The right to health care.
• The right to education.
• The right to a stable loving environment.
• The right to conditions of freedom and dignity.

Through our partnership with the Miracle Foundation and other organizations in the past and in the future we hope to uphold these values for all children.  The unloved.  The unwanted.  The hungry.  The sick.  The uneducated.  And the poor.

If you still want to do more, you can sponsor a child, donate a bike, donate school books.  The list goes on.  And if you want to take it to the next level, you can travel with the Miracle Foundation to India.  I encourage you, if you have the means, go.  That is one trip you will not regret.

If you would like to donate any of these items, please leave a comment and have them to us by July 25th.

Spread hope.

A huge thank you to those of you who have signed up to participate in project 3.  Over two hundred crafters and counting!

There is still plenty of time to sign up if you haven’t done so already, the deadline is not until July 25th so we’ve got exactly a month to get all of the booties, blankets and beanies to Craft Hope.  Simply leave a comment and I’ll reply with the information you’ll need.

We have big news over here at Craft Hope.  I also blog at chik austin so pop on over and see our big announcement.

I think Gandhi said it best “A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history.”  You, my friends, fit that description perfectly.  Thank you.

Very exciting times are ahead for Craft Hope and I’m so glad to have all of you on board!

Greetings friends.  As you might have noticed, Craft Hope is growing by leaps and bounds.  YOU are making a difference around the world.  Words cannot express how grateful I feel to be involved in this process with all of you.

We’ve been working hard over here at Craft Hope trying to find the best way for all of us to communicate. We have received some great questions, along with wonderful patterns and tutorials.  We decided that the best way to share this information is to create a forum.

We have now set up the Craft Hope Nest.  Which is a forum for you to communicate with other Craft Hope peeps.  A place to exchange ideas, post patterns, ask questions and simply talk with others about Craft Hope projects.

As Eren witnessed all of the dolls arriving on her doorstep, I thought she’d be the perfect person to summarize the impact you all made.  A huge thank you to Eren for guest writing this beautiful post…

The Craft Hope deadline has passed.  The dolls are in.  And boy are they IN!  405 sweet dollies have arrived from all over the U.S. and 12 countries including Australia, Canada, Brazil, Morocco, Japan and Scotland.  They are now getting to know each other and readying themselves for the next leg of their journey to Nicaragua.

And the notes…  the notes that came along with the dolls have been just as amazing as the dolls themselves.  Notes from three year old little girls and notes form 76 year old women.  Some of you rallied your sewing or craft groups to participate.  Many of you made dolls with your children and used this project as a way to talk about poverty and those with less and how we as God’s people are in some way the answer to that calling.  And some learned to sew for the first time through this project, using the creativity that God gives each of us to bless someone else.  One woman made two dolls in honor or the two sons she is picking up at an orphanage in Africa this week.  And one woman who thought she was not going to be able to have children found out she was expecting the day she finished her doll.  She considers her doll to be a witness to her miracle and hopes that the doll’s new owner gets whatever miracle they are praying for answered as well.  How wonderful in that?

We had hoped for maybe 30-40 dolls for the Casa Bernabe Orphanage.  But you all blew me away with what arrived on our doorstep.  We will not only have enough dolls for all of the Casa Bernabe Orphanage (leaving some with the staff for the children yet to arrive), but we also have enough to take with us when we visit a daycare and feeding center in the Managua city dump (La Chureca).  So please know that the doll you made WILL find a home with a child who will love it.

In preparation for our trip, our group meets regulary to study and prepare our hearts for whoat God is about to do during our time in Nicaragua.  Throughout the Bible, Jesus compares faith in him to that of a child.  In Matthew it says, “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me…”  Most of these children do not smell like sweet baby lotion.  Many of them have come from very dark pasts full of abuse, extreme poverty and filth.  They come from nothing.  And are extremely appreciative of anything we bring to give them.

Now think about it… “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives ME…”  These children are Christ in the flesh.  They have been persecuted as he has.  They have been beaten up by the world as he has.  They are Christ.  So think about it for a minute.  If you were preparing for a trip where you were going to meet the creator of the universe itself, what would you do?  Other than go shopping for a new outfit and get your hair cut, you would probably prepare a gift.  And you would probably agonize over if it was the right gift, the perfect gift, the best gift you could give.  You would not offer Him the holey t-shirts we no longer wear, or a mismatched set of sheets that your grandmother gave you eons ago and are now about threadbare.  Or old tired, worn out sneakers your children do not wear any longer.  We tend to think that it really doesn’t matter what we give to orphans, that they will be appreciative of whatever they can get.  And they are.  Believe me.  But as the givers, we are called to them our very best.  I give my children the very best I can.  They deserve my best!  These children are no different.  They deserve the best!  Don’t they deserve the best food?  The cleanest water?  The softest bed?  The prettiest doll?  They deserve the best.  Christ deserves our best!

Looking at these dolls spread out over my living room, I really want to cry.  I want to cry because I know that these children will be receiving the best.  These dolls are amazing.  Each one of them.  Every box we opened, we oohed and aaahed over the little flowers that this one had in it’s hair, or look how this one has a blanket with it.  Or this one has the prettiest fabric I’ve ever seen.  It is so clear that those of you who made dolls for these children, took extra special care in planning out each detail of how you would paint or stitch the eyes or accessories to go to it.  They truly are a reflection of your hearts and your regard for these children.  And HIM.

Thank you for your work.  Thank you for your time.  Thank you for showing Rina (one of the childcare workers) that her efforts matter.  Thank you for showing my own children how powerful God’s people can be when focused on a common goal.  Thank you for being Christ in one small way to these children.  Thank you for everything friends.  From the very depths of my being, thank you.

I don’t leave for Nicaragua for two more weeks, but that will give me plenty of time to pack them up and then work on my own packing.  And of course, I’ll be posting while I am down there.  So stay tuned, this is only the beginning of the story God is writing.

Thank you again for being the hands and feet of all that is good in this world.

“The most terrible poverty is loneliness and the feeling of being unloved.” — Mother Teresa

The children in Mexico are wearing their handmade dresses.  The dolls will soon be heading to Nicaragua.  Craft Hope is crossing borders to make a difference.  Spreading seeds of hope one stitch at a time.

I am so proud to announce that project 3 is going all of the way to India!  For this project, Craft Hope has partnered with the Miracle Foundation to supply blankets, booties and beanies for newborns.

The Miracle Foundation is an organization dedicated to empowering children to reach their full potential, one orphan at a time.  They will be traveling to the Bhawani, Rourkela and Sooch Village childrens homes in August.  When speaking to Caroline Boudreaux, the founder of the Miracle Foundation, she expressed the needs of the newborns at the homes. They are desperately needing blankets, booties and beanies for these precious angels to be kept warm.

Being a pregnant mama myself right now, my heart aches for these babies.  I am calling on all of you crafty individuals out there to rally together to give them a gift they will never forget.

This project will once again combine sewers and knitters alike.  The blankets, booties and beanies can be knit, crocheted or sewn.  Your choice.  You can choose to make any one of the items or all three. 

{Update: Many of you have asked about the dimensions of the baby blanket, it can be anywhere from 26″x28″ on up.  That size is perfect for swaddling while anything any larger would be good for older babies/toddlers.  Also, please make the items out of cotton as wool will be too hot.  If you are making a baby quilt, please make it with a thin batting.}

Again, get your craft group together.  Get your children involved.  The gift you give them is priceless.

This time I am calling upon you to submit a pattern to Craft Hope to use on the site.  If you happen to already have a blanket, bootie or beanie pattern send it to us so we can link to it.  Craft Hope is run by you.  It’s in your hands.  I want you to feel like you have ownership in this process.  I’m just the middle-woman connecting you to causes that need your help.  Without you, Craft Hope would not exist.  Thank you for that.

The deadline for project 3 is July 25th.  Please leave a comment on this post and I will send you the mailing address.  It is not the same address as before so please take note of the new address when I reply to your comment.

{Project 2 received such an enormous response that Eren has dolls all over her house.  What a blessing!  She’s counting the final numbers and I’ll let you know shortly.  I’ll have pictures up soon of all of the dolls together.  She travels on July 1st so please keep her in your prayers as she delivers all of the beautiful dolls and spends time with the precious children in Nicaragua. And of course, when she returns we’ll have many more pictures to share.  A huge thank you to everyone who gave a little part of themselves to these children.}

Oh!  Very exciting things have been happening here at Craft Hope.  We have big news.  Big, big, big news… but I can’t tell you just yet.  What I can tell you is that word of Craft Hope is spreading and the result of that is simply beautiful.

I have begun hearing stories of people whose lives have been touched through this process.  And they are on the giving end.  The mailman who is delivering all of the dolls to Eren.  He happens to be a Nicaraguan gentleman that sang praises when he found out what the dolls were for.  He also vowed right there to find a way to give back to his home country and is currently searching for mission opportunities.

These beautiful girls who have a craft club, and together with their mothers made eight dolls for the Casa Bernabe Orphanage.

It is pictures like these that bring tears to my eyes.  It’s the giving of oneself.  The unselfish act of taking time to help those less fortunate.  THAT, my friends, is why we are here.

Spreading seeds of hope one stitch at a time.

I would love to hear your story, see your pictures.  Please email them to me at jade@crafthope.com.