Sorrisi Decor

Mom-preneur and Multi-Tasking

elisa — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 17:23:52 +0000

My middle son has recently become very fascinated with building and setting live traps. Since he was very young Logan has been catching and categorizing creepy crawlies of all shapes and sizes. (It’s no surprise that the lizard pillow is Logan’s design. To know him it would make perfect sense why he picked bright yet soft green fabric, tassels, and a shimmery gecko with the tooth pocket cleverly tucked underneath the lizard tummy. Totally Logan).
So most recently Logan designed and made 2 sizes of traps that have been strategically placed on our property with the help of his supportive younger brother, Spencer. Every day has been an adventure as the two check and often find Logan’s engineering has paid off with something else that has taken the bait.
Meanwhile, I (very much a girl) try to carry on the responsibilities of wife, mom, house manager, and entrepreneur. Sometimes the balancing act goes quite smoothly, some days it’s a complete disaster.
This particular day I had received an anticipated business call of a serious nature. As I answered the phone with a professional tone, I was thinking, “Perfect, the boys are outside engrossed in some boy activity and the house is quiet. No problem.” No longer had I finished the thought, then the door burst open, 2 boys come loudly running toward me and a trap is shoved in my face with a live rat peering out at me. Unbelievably, I didn’t scream. Instead, I began frantically yet silently waving them outside with their newfound treasure.
The next 30 minutes is a bit of a traumatic haze. As I was desperately trying to formulate coherent thoughts and be an effective communicator, the door would fly open with an update. My youngest, Spencer, had deduced that he was not to make any noise – so a ridiculous series of charades would ensue filling me in visually on all the ratty activity.
My phone conversation/business meeting was coming to a close as literally, a drowned rat in a Ziploc bag, was once again shoved in my face and presented as some sort of sick trophy. Apparently Logan and Spencer had won the battle.
Which brings me to the realization once again that multi-tasking has taken on a very different reality than it did in my tidy office. Crazy? Absolutely. Would I trade it? Some days I might consider it, but no. This crazy is what I signed up for and I will embrace it, drowned rat and all.

Ramatu’s story continued

elisa — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 05:16:15 +0000

I was introduced to Ramatu through Jan Haynes of Point Hope. Jan has made frequent trips to the Buduburam Camp and has come to know Ramatu well. “She is just an incredible person,” said Jan, “She radiates contentment. She is such a delight.”

Ramatu not only pursued training – and gathered women to be trained with her -but she then developed this community of women into a business. They secured a place to work, and with the support of Point Hope, were able to secure water for their batiking, and more recently, an electric sewing machine that allows them to do a more varied stitch pattern than there hand-crank sewing machine.

With income they just received from an order, the group of women chose to keep their money in a pool and purchase an embroidery machine that would allow them to produce a higher quality product. Considering the many necessities (food, for example) the women could have secured, the choice to purchase an embroidery machine shows an incomprehensible vision and determination to create a sustainable, long-term income.

This is where Sorrisi and Ramatu intersect. Ramatu and friends are now producing the soon-to-be-released Buduburam Tooth Fairy Pillow – from dying the fabric that is used in the pillow, to the embroidery and seamstress work required in the production. Sorrisi is their first “official” business order, and one that I’m hoping will sustain them for quite some time.

As you can imagine, there are many challenges in being the “first” anything – challenges I’ll address in later blogs. But back to the focal point. Ramatu. She overcame the shame and stigma to pursue getting much-needed medical treatment. She overcame insurmountable odds and received training in a trade. She surrounded herself with a community of women, became an entrepreneur, and is providing for herself and her family.

Ramatu is an amazing woman who’s God DOES accomplish amazing things.

(P.S. Ramatu’s husband came back around and decided it wasn’t so bad being her husband after all. Hmmm.)

Need Inspiration? Meet Ramatu.

elisa — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 21:32:03 +0000

Have you ever been in a season of life where you couldn’t make heads from tails? Where obstacles seemed insurmountable and inspiration was non-existent?
In those days, weeks, or months, I want to encourage you to remember a woman named Ramatu. She has certainly come to my mind on a number of occasions when challenges seemed to be the norm.

Ramatu has lived at the Buduburam Refugee Camp in Ghana since 1999, fleeing there from her home country of Sierra Leone. Not only had her country been ravaged, but Ramatu was as well. As a result of the violence, Ramatu sustained long-term and disabling injury. To further the loss, Ramatu’s husband was ashamed of her, and chose to leave her – taking with him any income and earning potential she and her children had. Loss of country, home, health, marriage, and income. For many of us, this would be more than we could bear.
Ramatu, however, is a woman of amazing character, who believes in a big God who can accomplish amazing things.

Ramatu knew she needed to learn a trade so she could have a sustainable income. She desperately wanted to provide food, shelter, and medicine for herself and her children, and so she began asking the camp manager for assistance. Ramatu was persistent, and eventually she was sent to the social worker, who in 2008 finally connected her with Chris from Point Hope.
Chris took this request seriously, and not long after their meeting Ramatu was told to meet a red bus at 6:30 a.m. the next morning to take her to the nearest market area for training. Ramatu gathered a group of women to join her, and the next morning they eagerly waited to see if their dreams might become reality. “I didn’t know if it was true,” said Ramatu, “but when the red bus came I was jumping, and crying, and praising God.”

Not even sure where she was going, Ramatu and her friends were taken to a “school” for hand crafted items where they were taught how to batik fabrics (a special dying process), how to embroider, and do seamstress work. Ramatu completed the training, and she and her friends have been selling items at the market for the past couple years.

But this is just the beginning for Ramatu. In my next blog, see how Ramatu’s determination continues as her story becomes a part of the next chapter in Sorrisi’s story!

Tooth Shaped Pillows a Necessity for the Tooth Fairy?

elisa — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 05:02:55 +0000

Do Tooth Fairy pillows have to be the shape of a tooth? I don’t think so. In fact, I find teeth to be a little creepy. Maybe it has to do with the dreams (nightmares) I’ve had over the years that involved my teeth falling out. I’ve done my own self-analysis and I realize this re-occurring dream is connected to my feelings of fear and loss of control. But that’s another discussion. Let’s just say that the thought of waking up in the middle of the night to a tooth hanging over my bedpost would not be an enjoyable experience, and would most likely result in a range of terrorized reactions.

So, now you know one of the many reasons I chose to go a more decorative, whimsical route and less of a “toothy” route when it came to Sorrisi’s pillow designs. I wanted my kids to have pillow that didn’t scare them when they woke up in the morning, and that didn’t necessarily scream “I’m a toothy tooth fairy pillow” all the days of the year they weren’t losing teeth. Maybe the tooth fairy is disappointed in my lack of spirit, but I don’t think so. When I recently checked in with her she was quite relieved that she didn’t have to go looking for a big stuffed tooth haunting her child’s bed in the middle of the night!

Pillow Production Challenges – Surprising?

elisa — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 04:01:36 +0000

I have been excitedly waiting for the update on the tooth fairy pillow that is now affectionately being referred to as the “Buduburam” after the refugee camp where it is being sourced and crafted. The women in Buduburam that comprise the batiking (fabric dying process) and seamstress group are capable of creating amazing pieces. I have seen dresses, purses, and computer bags that are absolutely beautiful – in both the fabric designs, as well as the craftsmanship. You can imagine my surprise, then, when the update I received was, “The power has been out, and the sewing machine they just purchased requires power – the sewing machine that does the zig-zag stitch on the pillow. So, unfortunately, there’s not been much done on the tooth fairy pillow recently.”

Wow. Can you imagine? Having your livelihood being hinged on something as basic as power? We experience it once in a while, especially with our technology. The other night I was needing to update information on the web but the server was down. I found my self frustrated and feeling rather helpless, but I can’t imagine what these women must be facing. Days without power, no indication of when those circumstances might change, but their very livelihood being dependent on it.

This situation is very similar to an earlier update I received regarding the fabric I was using for the ‘Buduburam’ tooth fairy pillow. Water, as you can imagine, is a high-demand/low-supply commodity. Although these women had been promised water, there just wasn’t enough to go around. For those of you who have dyed fabric, you know it requires water. The women had to halt their batiking, resulting in Sorrisi not receiving any beautifully dyed fabric and the women not able to do their craft.

No power, no water. Two challenges we rarely face (at least, here in Seattle). I am so thankful for our incredible resources, and I am so in awe of these women who go to work each day not knowing if they will have what they need to do their work. We have much to learn, and so much for which we can give thanks.

Efficiency? Not so much. Intentionality? Yep.

elisa — Wed, 19 May 2010 06:34:38 +0000

I had lunch yesterday with Jan Haynes, the Executive Director of Point Hope. This was our second opportunity to share both a great enjoyment of pizza at Zeeks in West Seattle, but also our passion and commitment to seeing women with so little get a chance at providing a life for themselves and their children. I have known Jan for just a short time, but the months could easily be years as we can quickly chat a couple hours away. Jan just returned from the Buduburam Refugee Camp, where she has been diligently working alongside others to get the basics of clean water and a clinic available to this community of war-torn yet resilient community of survivors. This past 3 weeks Jan spent days working with a group of women who have been trained in both batiking fabric and seamstress work, explaining the basics of running a business that would ultimately be profitable for them. The details of time management, the importance of following a pattern “exactly”, and how to figure their costs of labor (among other things – I’ll go into detail another day) were studied with Sorrisi as their first real “customer.” It really is exciting to be part of this journey, knowing that this tooth fairy pillow will allow these women to feed themselves and their children, get the medical help they so desperately need, and have a hope in a sustainable future! The reality of this journey is, however, a steep learning curve. This means a need for patience on my part and a process that won’t deliver any pillows in the immediate future! Over a piece of pizza, Jan and I examined the first 2 prototype tooth fairy pillows that took 3 weeks to produce and had resemblance to the original, but was more of a rough estimation! So. . . . what this means is that we at Sorrisi and you as the customer gets to take great joy in the process, knowing that there is a much greater product than a pillow. We get to let go of our American timelines and enjoy the ride, knowing that when we get our Buduburam pillow it will be not just providing us joy, but a future to women who are so thankful for the opportunity to work and express themselves and their culture through their trade. I am excited to introduce you to the lead seamstress, as her story is truly inspiring, and encourage you to be ready to purchase a Buduburam pillow whenever that time might be . . . stay tuned!

Pillow off to Ghana today

elisa — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 02:13:55 +0000

The prototype for the African-themed pillow is in the air on the way to Buduburam Refugee Camp in Ghana. Jan Haynes from Point Hope is en route, and will be spending about 3 weeks in the country working hard to improve the quality of life for these people. While there, she will be working with the women who dye the fabric as well as the seamstress group to produce a quality pillow based on the design I have sent over. There are so many challenges these women face – from not having consistent access to water for their fabric dying process, to not knowing how to figure their costs so that they can make a profit but still be competitive in their work. Jan will be using the process of producing this Sorrisi pillow to train these women in good business practices so they can continue to provide for themselves and their children – which will be a first for many of them. While there, Jan will send updates and pictures of this process and we will post it here so we can follow along in this amazing journey. Stay tuned . . .

Our Family’s Dental Care

elisa — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 03:08:38 +0000

I took all 3 of our kids into the dentist this week for a routine exam, x-rays, and cleaning – except that it has not been a part of our routine whatsoever. I find it ironic that I have been investing so much into a company that is all about getting dental care to those in need while my own kids have gone without. In fact, when I was filling out the paperwork for their intake I couldn’t even remember the date of their last exam – that certainly counts against any “good mom” awards I had coming! Why, and with so much access, how, does an average family go years without care? Pretty simple. My husband and I are both self-employed and our insurance doesn’t cover dental care. Our older 2 have been in braces and retainers, and our younger one required a ton of dental work when he was younger due to an early illness that compromised his teeth – which means the dentist and orthodontist have been a line item in our budget for the past 5 years even without any ongoing dental care! This past year I was blessed to have met an amazing dentist in our Kent community that has been involved with Medical Teams International and who has been a cheerleader for Sorrisi Tooth Fairy pillows. With orthodontia paid off last month I was finally able to make that humbling phone call to set up much needed appointments, and this week the kids got in – next week, after 6+ years, Brian and I will once again be sitting in the dental chair. We are blessed – so far there have been no cavities. A reminder that we have so much. Good nutrition, toothbrushes and toothpaste, flouride, and a good dentist available when we’re able to see her. So much more than what others have, it reminds me again of why I am investing so much into Sorrisi – even if my kids don’t get their routine exams.

Things I Love!

admin — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 16:34:03 +0000

One of the benefits of being a part of boutique shows is that I get to meet other business owners, many of them also mom-preneurs who have an idea, inject their creativity, and are making it happen! I have already picked up some pretty cute stuff for Christmas (and for myself!), and am so excited to give something that is so original with great quality to my friends and family. I want to introduce you to some of these women as well as I think you will enjoy them as much as I do!

Maisydaisy “charming accents for your little princess” at maisydaisy.com – Lisa Steele has quite an idea for girly-chic design. From hair accents to clothing items, she has a really fun look that you may have already seen in area boutiques. Lisa will even come to your home and do trunk shows for you and your girlfriends – how fun would that be?!

Alley 13 at alley13.com – Allison Krupp has created a line of knit hats with interchangeable flowers for little and grown-up girls alike. I was so excited to purchase my own chartreuse hat with a funky black flower – and have I ever gotten great comments on it! All kinds of designs, you really have to try one on to find the perfect fit for you. If you can make it to the Sassy Mei event next month you can pick your perfect winter accessory!

Cloudy Day Creations at cloudydaycreations.blogspot.com – Dani Cloud is a sweet mom with a sweet touch on hair bows, clippies, and hair accessory hangers. A perfect match for moms who are looking for clean but fashionable design for their little one.

As I participate in more boutique events I’m looking forward to being introduced to more great women with great ideas. Check back soon as I share who I’m meeting and where to get your hands on the new great gifts for this holiday season!

The Value of Texture

admin — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 05:33:23 +0000

Many of you know I am a mental health therapist, and over the past 12 years in private practice many little (and big) faces have come and gone through my door. If you were to come to my office, you would see sitting on my small green couch a very sad and worn looking pillow. I purchased it about 6 years ago, and have been trying to retire it for the past 2 years – but it has been reclaimed from the storage cabinet, out of the hefty bag destined for the dumpster, and retrieved from the back of my car. Why? Not because it looks pretty, I can assure you that! I think is has much more to do with all those who have held that pillow being comforted by the cool satin against their skin - and it’s just the right size and “poofiness” to hug and hold. The sheer fabric with inlaid velvet flowers is no longer there after hours of being traced with a finger or pet like a kitten. Two of the four tassels remain, and I remember fondly the time when a fidgety 7 year old was giving his hands something to do, and accidentally pulled off the tassel and quickly said “Let’s tape it back on – I really like these things.”

We all respond to texture, the tactile value of an object. Our favorite sweater or cuddle blanket has usually been chosen because of how it feels, and how good it makes us feel. This is why you will see textures celebrated with Sorrisi pillows. I have taken an extra measure of time to choose interesting fabrics and trims for each pillow so they are as fun to feel as they are to look at. From ostrich feathers on the Diva pillow, to a soft furry teddy bear with satin paw pads, to a vinyl red truck – each pillow has quite an extensive and varied list of fabrics and notions especially chosen for your child’s little fingers to trace, pet, hug and hold.

As I sit here writing, I am aware of the brisk wind whipping through the trees and the leaves falling, and yet I remain contentedly cozy in my favorite chocolate brown fleece camping shirt. Ah . . .