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3 Simple Steps to Make a Difference In YOUR World

"If you desire to make a difference in the world, you must be different from the world" ~Elaine S. Dalton
Is there a fire burning inside you to make the world "a better place?" What does "a better place" look like to you? It's different for everyone. The truth is that each and every one of us has the ability, and dare I say a responsibility, to make an impact IN OUR OWN WAY. It's simply a matter of believing in yourself! Here are 3 steps that you can take to change YOUR world:   
1. Know Thyself - Many of us hold ourselves back because we won't be honest in acknowledging what we are capable of offering. Taking the time to understand who we are and why we are here is an important step. Take time for stillness, understand the power you hold within yourself, and recognize the connectedness of all things. Once you have, you will be excited to get out into the world and do what lights you up.      
2. Be The Change - It's much easier to say others are behaving poorly or acting in a less than perfect way than to look at ourselves. If you want the world to be a kinder place, don't try to teach others to be kinder, just BE KIND. If you want the world to be more compassionate, PRACTICE COMPASSION. It's easier said than done. But your action is your message, NOT your words. And the more you are true to those things, the more of that you will see happening around you. It's a law of the universe.
3. Find Your Light - We were all born with gifts that makes us unique. And your "gift" probably isn't as difficult to discover as you are thinking. What lights you up? What makes you feel alive and vibrant? What brings you pure joy? You don't have to look much further than that to know what your "gift" is. These days, there is so much pressure on people to find their purpose and find their calling. But it's not that complicated. It's simply about figuring out what you love and what excites and inspires you. The thing you can get lost in for hours and not realize a minute went by. That is your clue. Now how can you do more of that? Simply by being in a state of alignment and feeling more joy, happiness and abundance, you will shift the world you live in.
"Making a difference" doesn't have to be some grand Nobel Peace Prize winning accomplishment. People all over the world are making waves by simply doing these three things. So, what does your perfect world look like? What would be different? Please share below!
 

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Reshma on Dr. Phil

 

Exciting news! Our founder, Reshma Thakkar, will be on Dr. Phil! Just last week she was in their studio in Los Angeles filming a segment that will air October 15 on CBS! Not to mention Oprah was there with her! Can you say blessed? Everything has been going amazing for our founder and we can’t wait to see what else is in store for her! She continues to grow and inspire people from all over the world!

 

This Dr. Phil episode is yet another exciting addition to the important dates on our Made With a Purpose calendar.  So many incredible things have been going on and we love being able to share Reshma’s journey with Belief and Made With a Purpose.

 

Thanks for being with us, and we will keep you updated as it all unfolds!

 

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Empowerment is Underway

As part of our mission at Made with a Purpose, we set out to empower the women who sew our bags.  The goal is to provide these women with more than just a job and truly give them an opportunity to grow within the company.  Our hope is that this will allow them to create a better life for themselves and their families, as well as being the example to their children.

We wanted to share with you that our dreams are becoming a reality as we will be sending Madhu, Babita, Renu, Neetu, Mamta, and Komal on a trip to Taj Mahal and Agra. During this trip, including a trip to a market in Delhi, the six women will learn various new skills and tools that they can apply to their work with us.  They will then be able to teach these skills to the future women of Made With a Purpose, as well as their daughters!  They have never been there and are excited about the chance to travel and learn.  These are the types of empowerment opportunities we dreamt of having to help these women learn and expand their knowledge. We are so grateful to be able to make this dream a reality, and hope to give this opportunity to many more women in India in the future.  Thank you all for your support, as that is what makes the difference for these women!

We look forward to sharing details from their trip soon! Stay tuned to see photos, their experience, and to find out what they learned!

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The Gifts We Give And The Gifts We Receive

Between the launch of our online store, the "Belief" docu-series on OWN TV featuring our founder, Reshma, and SHINE LIVE giving our bags to guests at their event, we couldn’t be any happier and excited! And yet, we have even more exciting news to share! Made with a Purpose is now a sponsor of the Los Angeles Fashion Week Design Competition! This event will take place on Saturday, October 17th and our bags will be gifted to the VIP guests! 

We feel very blessed for all of the great opportunities and new doors opening up. We are especially thankful for all of your support through buying our products. Thanks to all of you, our six women in India continue to have the opportunity to work at Made with a Purpose, receive fair wages, and build a better life for their family.

As a result of the high demand for other handbag styles shown on our social media pages, we have decided to extend our online shop collection! This means you now have access to purchase ANY of our handbags currently in stock that have been completed by the women in India.  We love that you are so eager for our products, and happily open up our collection for you to get them now!


Here at Made with a Purpose, we love receiving your feedback and we're glad to hear how happy you are with the handbags themselves. It is such an amazing feeling to hear and see that other people want to make a difference in the world, and give to those less fortunate than us. Everyone should be given the opportunity for a brighter future, and we're so glad you are on this journey with us! 

Keep the feedback coming via email or social media!  We love connecting with you!

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Shine Live!

We are very excited about an opportunity that SHINE LIVE offered to Reshma and Made with a Purpose.  Host of SHINE LIVE, Chantelle Adams, has chosen Made with a Purpose as the heart-centered organization for her event and will be supporting us by purchasing custom-made bags to hand out to her guests at the event. We are thrilled to attend SHINE LIVE and are counting down the days to fly up to Canada! SHINE LIVE is a 3-day event that will take place this September 23–25, 2015 at Kelowna, British Colombia.

SHINE LIVE is an event where women from around the world come to grow and share their voice. These women get to build confidence in talking about their business and specifically work on certain areas that will help them get to the next level (like speaking at a TED event)! It’s their time to SHINE as well as get valuable feedback from other powerful women business owners. Those who are presenting will be sharing their mission and the ways in which they are changing the world.


We are very thankful for this opportunity! Our founder, Reshma, will be one of the amazing presenters at the event, sharing all about Made with a Purpose and how we are changing the world. She will share her journey and how it is already changing the lives of so many others. The world is so much better when we raise each other up and help out one another. Especially when women who have big positive dreams come together and join forces to build each other up, great strides are made!

You can check out the event here. We will also let you know how it all goes after the event. Stay Tuned! 

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Watch Reshma on TV!

Mark your calendars to watch our founder, Reshma Thakkar, on TV!

We are very excited to inform you about Reshma's part on a documentary series presented by Oprah Winfrey, called "Belief"!  The first of seven episodes airs on Sunday, October 18, 2015 and you don't want to miss it because it's the one which shows Reshma's journey! This series will share the stories of people who are exploring the world and connecting with something greater than themselves.

Reshma's story on this show will give you an inside look into the powerful belief she developed while in India, which led to all that she's doing here with Made with a Purpose.  You won't want to miss out on this opportunity to learn more about her and get an intimate look into such an amazing part of her path to getting here.

You can also imagine what an honor it is for Reshma to have been featured on this show, with direct quotes from Oprah like this:

"For the past three years, my team and I have been working to find the most compelling and thoughtful stories of faith, love and devotion from around the world," said Oprah Winfrey. "This truly has been my heart's work, to be able to share stories like these that reflect our world and explore humankind's ongoing search to connect with something greater than ourselves."

Join us as we watch Reshma on this once in a lifetime experience, called "Belief" on OWN.

 The series will premiere on Sunday, October 18 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network. 

Click here for a sneak peek of Belief!

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Behind The Scenes

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Behind The Scenes


Prior to the launch of our online shop (August 22, 2015!!!), we wanted to give you a behind-the-scenes look into our production process. We love sharing our learnings along the way, and are excited to share the work of the women and the time and effort that goes into the making of each of our bags with you!

The Material

Most of our bags are made out of a
mix of textiles exclusively found in India. For our Vintage Collection, we use previously owned and donated saris; each carrying a history behind them. These Vintage Collection bags stand out from the rest because they incorporate one-of-a-kind upcycled sari material that you cannot find anywhere else, and since each sari is unique, our vintage bags will never look the same!  

The Design Process

The design of our bags is based on functionality, style, and the capacity of the women in India who are hand sewing each item.  These ladies are sewing large quantities of bags and on average, it takes each woman roughly 3-4 hours to complete a travel bag. Even though these 6 women are ambitious and detail-oriented, we like to be sure that a high quality product is produced. 

Production and Final Touches

After the materials and designs are sent over to the women, they get trained on how to produce each bag.  Work begins with the precise cutting of the fabrics; unlike factories that mass produce their items, our women hand cut each piece of fabric individually, using patterns they have cut out of newspaper! Our founder Reshma offered to purchase cutting machines that allow them to cut several pieces of fabric at once, but the women humbly declined. They said each woman knows the way she likes to cut her material; one woman may add an extra 1/8 of an inch here and there, depending on her stitching habits.

Next, they move on to the most complicated part of the process, the hand stitching. The detailed designs of our bags consist of an inner lining and outer fabric which are sewn together with a lining in between the two. The three layers are then sewn together one seam at a time to create the vertical stitching pattern you see on your bags. When working with the women, Reshma also offered to purchase more electro sewing machines, as all of the women were using the manual type with a foot-pedal. Again, the women humbly declined. Power outages are so frequent in India, and using an electric machine means constantly being interrupted in the middle of their work. So they opted to continue on the manual machines (we decided to purchase one electric machine anyways in case they needed it). The manual process takes a bit longer, but these women are very skilled and take great pride in the care they take with each bag. 

The final stage of product includes the finishing: hardware, zippers or closures added on that complete the bag. Before shipping the bags to the US, each bag is inspected and then they are sent on their way.  Once the bags arrive here, we do a second inspection before it's shipped directly to your door!  

As you can see, a lot of love goes into each and every bag here at Made with a Purpose and that's the way we intend to keep it.  Seeing how much effort and time the women put into the bags gives us a great sense of pride and we hope it does the same for you! Be sure to grab one of these beauties for yourself on August 22nd, 2015 when we launch the our online shop! 

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The Big Launch

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The Big Launch

We have great news!  Drum roll....

The Made With a Purpose online shop will officially open on August 22, 2015!!!

We are elated to see the culmination of our hard work over the last few months come to fruition! Our team has worked REALLY hard to bring you great products that look beautiful and also support an amazing cause.

We wanted to make sure and get it "just right" by putting in an intensive amount of work into crafting our bags.  After countless hours deciding how to design our bags, picking out quality, durable, one-of-a-kind fabric, and taking photos of all of our bags, we are READY AND EXCITED for the next huge step in growth by opening our shop to you!

Product Photography in the making with the help of rock star guys, Andrei and Vinny (hiding from the camera).  

Product Photography in the making with the help of rock star guys, Andrei and Vinny (hiding from the camera).  

Playing around with fabric and design samples to find the best combinations to pair together. 

Playing around with fabric and design samples to find the best combinations to pair together. 

Of course, we want to give a big credit for this launch to our amazing women in India who have literally hand stitched every single bag from top to bottom. Our intricate process of making our bags takes a woman an average of 3 hours on a manual sewing machine to make ONE single bag!!! (Crazy, Huh?) We honor the immense dedication these women have put into this project and you can feel the love stitched in every bag. These 6 women put in their BEST to create the BEST quality bags and if it weren't for that, it would not have been possible to have a launch date. We feel incredibly blessed and humbly honored that this is becoming a reality!

Mamta and Neetu in the makings of a bag.

Mamta and Neetu in the makings of a bag.

As we work on the finishing touches for our online shop to go live in a couple weeks, we just wanted to share the excitement with you now!  Thank you for all your support and encouragement, and we look forward to your engagement with us as we grow and expand! 

Each woman has poured their heart and soul into this project from day 1 and it feels great to be so close to our Big Launch! Stay tuned for all the updates and for more exciting things just around the corner! 

 

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Textile Shopping in Vrindavan

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Textile Shopping in Vrindavan

In an effort to support local businesses, we decided to buy some of our textiles from local textile shops. Buying textiles from the local shops in Vrindavan for the very first time was quite the adventure. Due to it being a major industry all across India, textiles are relatively inexpensive to purchase. However, prior to arriving at one of the local shops, we were warned by our women at the sewing center to watch out for the genuine sounding salesmen who could take us for a ride on our money. Keeping that in mind, we proceeded with our quest to find the most breathtaking textiles that would eventually become our sustainable bags.

  Upon entering one of the local textile shops, our focus was to find pieces similar to the vintage saris Reshma's grandmother generously donated in an effort to support our cause. Luckily, we stumbled across some of the most vibrant …

 

 

Upon entering one of the local textile shops, our focus was to find pieces similar to the vintage saris Reshma's grandmother generously donated in an effort to support our cause. Luckily, we stumbled across some of the most vibrant colored, uniquely patterned pieces of fabric!

  Textile shopping is a process that is very service oriented where the salesperson assists in picking out the best pieces that the shop has to offer. Here we see Reshma quality checking her favorite picks after the salesman unfu…

 

 Textile shopping is a process that is very service oriented where the salesperson assists in picking out the best pieces that the shop has to offer. Here we see Reshma quality checking her favorite picks after the salesman unfurled them for her.    

 

 Here is a sneak peak of a few textile samples that we have in mind for future bags. There are so many choices! Hmm, which would you go with? Stay tuned for more updates on where we find ourselves on this amazing journe…

 

Here is a sneak peak of a few textile samples that we have in mind for future bags. There are so many choices! Hmm, which would you go with? Stay tuned for more updates on where we find ourselves on this amazing journey!  

 

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Living By The Rhythm Of Your Own Happiness

We are here because a shared, yearning passion to make a difference brought us together.  We are here because our happiness lies in our ability to put smiles on the faces of those less fortunate. That is why this look was inspired by our Made With a Purpose Purple Tie Dye Bag. This bag represents an ongoing commitment to living freely by the rhythm of whatever makes us happy. That is why this #freeliving look is how we own it! #ownyourstyle 

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Unifying Lives Through Travel!

Exploring new places and meeting new people along the way played a huge role in the making of Made With a Purpose.

While much of our time is currently being spent on the technical building stage of our business, we must say that the start of Made With a Purpose was highly influenced by our Founder, Reshma's travels all around the world. Reshma has such an adventurous spirit and always made it her goal in life to go out into the world in search of understanding differences in other cultures and customs. 

Along her path of exploration and travel, she ended up in India connecting deeply with the 6 women who have since become our master seamstresses of the Made With a Purpose bags. Her immersion into the Indian culture allowed her to make close ties with these women and truly understand the struggles they face on a daily basis.

As we reflect back on this humble beginning, it's clear that at the core of it all is travel.  Travel is how we met our 6 amazing women who are being empowered through our company.  Travel allowed us to become aware of the need to help women and children in India. Travel is how Made With a Purpose got it's start and that is why we are a firm believer that travel unifies lives!  

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Live a little, Love a lot, and Forget this one word

Which one word you ask? The one word that makes me cringe every time I hear it... FAILURE. I have been thinking about the concept of failure a lot lately and wanted to explore these thoughts and ideas a bit. What exactly is failure? When I looked up the definition of failure, I found "the lack of success" or "an unsuccessful person, enterprise, or thing." So I looked up success, and the definition of success is "the accomplishment of an aim or purpose" or "the attainment of popularity or profit." Hm. Let's think about that for a second.

If you have ever read books or memoirs about some of the most successful people in the world, they are the ones that took risks, the kind of risks that others saw as insane. They stepped way out of their comfort zone, and went against the norm. They did things that scared them. They shut out the naysayers and the haters, and went after what they believed in, no matter how impossible it seemed. They experienced repeated "failures." Things didn't go the way they planned, they came upon roadblocks and hurdles that were unexpected. They lost money, friends, and other things along the way. But the difference between them and others, was that they didn't give up. And to them, the failures weren't failures. They were challenges to be faced, hurdles to overcome. What others saw as failures, and a reason to give up, these guys saw as opportunity. An opportunity to change their course a bit, take a detour, try something different, and they kept working towards what they wanted. Failure didn't exist in their mind. It can't because it isn't real. It is a concept. The perceived failures they experienced along the way are what led them to their overall success. They were necessary stepping stones along the way. So tell me then, are they still considered failures?

I make decisions many times that people don't agree with or think are too wild and crazy. But I make decisions based on what I want in my heart, not based on the how's and why's of how I will get there. And when others come to me for advice, I always push them to do what their heart desires, no matter how scary it is. But I get a lot of resistance, and weary looks, so I began to wonder what everyone is so afraid of, and realized it was all coming back to failure. We are so bound by societal views on what is successful that so many people are miserable from trying to fit that mold.

Let me share one of the more recent events in my life in which I found myself falling into the trap of feeling like a failure. At the end of 2013, I decided to leave my consulting job for good to start my own business. I went off to Asia for 5 months, against a lot of people's wishes, and decided I wanted to focus on my yoga practice in India and work on my business idea. When I returned, I launched my business, Poses with a Purpose. I hosted a launch party, told everyone I knew what I was doing, my ideas, my plans, and dove in. I quickly learned that I had no idea what it takes to start a business... and not too long after that, I realized I needed an income and it wasn't happening through Poses right away. I was mortified when I had to go back to consulting at the end of 2014. I was scared to tell my friends and family, because I thought they might say "I told you so" or in the back of their mind, think I failed big time. Nobody wants anyone to think that of them... but I gritted my teeth, told the world, and did what I had to do. Since I was back to working full time, the retreats had to be put on hold, but me being the way I am, couldn't just sit around so I turned my attention to one of my side projects which has now become Made with a Purpose. Had I not gone through each and every one of those steps, I wouldn't be here today. Made with a Purpose is SO fulfilling for me, and I still don't know what I am doing all the time, but I am figuring it out along the way. And things are falling into place. Poses with a Purpose will come back to life when the time is right, but this time, it will be much more beautiful, because I will be more prepared, and I have new elements to incorporate. 

Will my decisions lead me to success? Maybe not in other people's eyes, but I am not trying to be successful in their eyes, only in mine. In my eyes, I am and always will be successful; in my eyes, there is no such thing as failure, only experience. You perceive your life experiences as good or bad, but it is just perception. That old saying, everything happens for a reason? It's one of my favorites. I truly believe in each and every experience you have in life, there is a lesson to be learned. A way for you to grow, to learn something new about yourself, a new hurdle to overcome that makes you stronger and wiser. And if you can change your perception from thinking about things as a failure but look at it more as an opportunity for growth, and an opportunity to learn something new about yourself, your whole world will totally change! 

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Design Intern Wanted!

We're looking for a bright, curious, and enthusiastic Design Intern to join us this summer!

For this internship, you'll team up with Reshma in creating a prototype for a new collection of bags. Throughout the process, you'll gain first-hand experience creating a product from concept to production. In the end, you'll walk away with an amazing set of skills and a real product to call your own; what a great way to boost your resume! 

You'll spend the summer learning about our existing products, designing new products, creating prototypes, sourcing the materials needed, and working with our team in India to get the items into production. We have a fun, start-up environment where you'll work closely with the rest of the team. It's an amazing opportunity to be part of a growing social enterprise that serves to empower women, all while learning how innovative products are created for a good cause.

What you need to know:

  • Internship will run for 3 months
  • Although it is convenient if you are in the Bay Area, it is not a requirement
  • Design background is highly preferred

If you...

  • are passionate about design and fashion
  • are creative and think outside the box
  • enjoy working alongside fun and loving people
  • feel naturally at home in an open, team-based, and highly collaborative environment

... then this might be the job for you.

 

Here at Made With a Purpose, we're open to all who are passionate about what they do. If you're interested in this position but uncertain if you qualify, please contact us anyway. Having curiosity and the desire to learn are the true requirements!

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Pioneers With A Purpose: Thank You

 

We want to send out a big THANK YOU to all of our friends and family who joined Pioneers with a Purpose! We express our sincerest gratitude to all of you for your kind and generous support. For us, it is exciting to see how far we’ve come in such a short period of time, how many people are supporting and encouraging us, and how many of you contributed by either getting involved in the program, or by donating to fund our cause. This kind of support means so much to us because we have been working really hard to make sure we are meeting our women's needs and providing quality, one-of-a-kind bags to our supporters at the same time.

We are still working on reaching our goal, which is to expand to a larger sewing facility, and there is a lot of work to be done. But we are determined to get there! 

Once again, our sincere thanks to all of our PIONEERS, who not only provided financial support for our cause, but also have demonstrated how much they BELIEVE in us.

Your contributions have made a real difference and enable us to continue along with our dream to one day end the cycle of poverty and overcome the limitations imposed upon women and young girls by society so they can flourish. We can not do it without you!

Thank you very much for your support of Made with a Purpose and stay tuned for the launch date of our full online shop!

 

 

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Men, What's in Your Bag?

Don't be fooled by thinking our bags are just for women! We have some styles that work handsomely for men as well. Whether you're heading to the gym, traveling for work, or keeping the clutter off your bathroom counter, our Made with a Purpose men's collection are functional and look sexy too. 

The red and green canvas bags add a pop of color to your travel gear, or use the black or gray with orange accents if you like to keep things subtle.  Pack up some Axe body spray, a tooth brush and tooth paste, deodorant, and a comb to spruce yourself up for happy hour after a long day.

Men, what's in your bag? We'd love to hear from you, comment below! 

Bonus tip for the ladies: These make great gifts for the men in your life and also support a great cause! 

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Make a Difference Without Even Leaving Your House

Who says making a difference in someone's life can't be done from home? The truth is that it's never been easier! All you have to do is sit back and take one step by becoming a Pioneer With a Purpose. This one simple step will make a significant impact and help build a brighter future for women in India and their families. Today, we want to encourage you to join Pioneers With a Purpose, because when you do you are helping create jobs for women who can't otherwise provide for their families and allow them to receive fair wages.  Ultimately, you will be helping to empower these women to end the cycle of poverty! When you join Pioneers With a Purpose, your contribution directly changes the lives of the 6 women who hand sew our bags and their families for the better. So what are you waiting for? Take advantage of this exclusive program and click here to join now!  You will make a difference in someone's life right from the comfort of your own home! 

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The Power of $99 #PioneersWithaPurpose

Believe it or not, $99 goes a long way! As you can see from this graphic, $99 dollars can make a significant impact in the life of a woman, child or even an entire family in India. Whether its providing a roof over a families' head for 3 months, or an entire year's worth of clean water, the power that $99 can do for someone in India can really make a difference.  

Right now, for $99, you can become a Pioneer With a Purpose and help us make a direct impact on these women's lives. With the money we raise through this campaign, we are planning to expand into a new sewing facility and purchase additional material so the women can continue working and making a living to support their family. We want to be certain we are providing enough work for them at all times so there are no gaps in their pay. By becoming a Pioneer, your contribution help us ensure their security. 

The opportunity to be a part of our exclusive Pioneers with a Purpose program ends July 15th, 2015.  Don't miss out on being a vital piece of building a company that is committed to making a difference in the world.  Join today!

 

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Gift Ideas - Bridal Care Package

I recently headed to LA for my cousin's wedding. I wanted to do something really special for her, and do what I could to keep her calm and steady throughout the weekend. Although Indian weddings are TONS of fun, they can also be exhausting and overwhelming. I have seen cute ideas on Pinterest for care packages for brides, and I loved the idea so I created one for her, with a little added sentiment. The Made with a Purpose bag I chose for her was one that had been stitched out of a sari that was worn by our grandmother. 

Here are some ideas on what to include, but get creative! This is such a fun gift idea for brides and they'll appreciate your thoughtfulness :) 

  • Chapstick
  • Static Guard
  • BandAids
  • Safety Pins
  • Bobby Pins
  • Tylenol
  • Mini Lint Roller
  • Kleenex
  • Lotion
  • Hair Spray
  • Altoids
  • Nail File
  • Tweezers
  • Deodorant
  • Makeup Remover Towelettes
  • Q-Tips
  • Snacks
  • Shout Wipes

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Pioneers With a Purpose is Ending Soon!

Our Pioneers With a Purpose program comes to an end July 15th, and that's right around the corner.  As our deadline quickly approaches, we want to make sure you don't miss out on this amazing opportunity to make a difference in the world!  Our current Pioneers know the huge impact they are making in the lives of the women who hand sew our bags in India just by joining our program, and now we encourage you to join in on the journey as well!  All it takes is $99 to become a Pioneer, and beyond making a positive impact in the world, you will receive a beautiful handmade bag along with other exclusive benefits.

If you are interested in joining or wish to learn more about becoming a Pioneer With a Purpose, click here!

We are super excited to have more and more Made With a Purpose supporters join as Pioneers and we want to say how truly thankful we are to have each and every one of you stand by our side.  Let's MAKE CHANGE happen!!!

 

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A Little Inspiration

Excerpt from Lisa Nichols' bestseller “No Matter What” (get a chance to win an autographed copy when you become a Pioneer!):

"One of the greatest things I have learned when it comes to getting to my desired results is that you should be committed to keep goals in mold and your plans in sand. Which means stay focused on what it is that you want to achieve and remain flexible on how you might get there. If your current plan isn't working, you may have to make the hard decision of changing directions, adjusting your timeline, even changing partners. Be more committed to the outcome than you are to how you get there. After all, it's not about the process, it's about the destination." 

As an entrepreneur and a fairly strong "type A" personality, this has NOT been an easy lesson for me to learn. It applies to all areas of life, but for me, it has been the ultimate challenge in the business sense. Building a business and asking others for support in bringing my ideas to reality has been and continues to be one of the most vulnerable things I have ever done. For entrepreneurs, mistakes are inevitable, road bumps are guaranteed, disheartening moments will occur, and conflict of one sort or another will land in your lap at some point. During those times, it is very easy to be taken over by my desire to remain in control at all times, and lose sight of the destination I am moving towards. It's difficult, however, to admit that my plan isn't working as well as I thought, or that I made a poor decision, and look at a situation without bias and see it for what it is so I can change directions as needed. But all of the challenging moments I have faced so far have forced me to be flexible, adjust, and continue pushing forward because my desire to reach my goal of helping others is greater than my need to remain in control of exactly how that unfolds. I am usually one of those people that preaches "It's not about the destination, it's about the journey." but I guess it's really all about balance. You need to focus a little bit on both. One doesn't exist without the other... 

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