Hi friends,

If you’re local to Portland, come over to my house next Thursday the 14th! I’ll uncork the wine and bust out the chocolate around 7pm and we’ll get to sample jewelry from around the world.

I’ve never, ever, ever been one for house parties. (For real. I mostly avoid them.) But when my sister in law Gabby started repping the Noonday Jewelry project and shared the stories behind the pieces, I was genuinely jazzed. What’s not to love about exploring designs from artisans based in Afghanistan, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Haiti, India, Kenya, Nepal, Peru, Rwanda, Uganda, and Vietnam and knowing that their work and the proceeds from sales contribute to transformed lives and stories of hope?

Jewelry is my favorite way to disguise the fact that I’m actually wearing the same clothes all the time.

The key is to accessorize with something eye catching, hey?

Whether living out of a backpack for 12 months straight or pregnant and in maternity clothes for half a year give or take or (now) postpartum, nursing, and literally putting on the identical outfit five days in a row (don’t ask), I’ve relied countless times on a decent set of earrings or bracelet or necklace to be my own little trompe l’oeil, so to speak, changing basic into something special. (Or maybe nobody’s actually fooled, but at least I feel good wearing them.)

The other piece for me is to carry some sort of connection to what I wear.

A person. A place. A memory. A cause.

Something with a story feels so much better than random, dime-a-dozen trinkets from chain stores.

Buying and wearing Noonday jewelry is a great way to send money and attention toward something a big step up from a Target display or an Anthropologie sales rack, and the designs are beautiful enough to rival my favorites from local jewelry design shops like Portland’s Betsy & Iya and Seattle/Maui’s Baleen.

Visit, learn more, try a few things on, and sip a little something.

Ted’s taking care of Lucie for the evening, and I’ll have Marion (who seems to be the easiest little thing right now…though I might’ve jinxed myself), so if you get tired of trying on bangles and leafing through catalogs, you might just get to snuggle a baby.

Please come!

Send me a note if you need my address – we’re in NE Portland (five minutes from the airport if you decide to fly in, wink-wink).

I’d love to see you. (Even if you don’t purchase a single thing, promise!)

If you can’t make it in person, feel free to shop the online store where you can check the sales items, Mother’s Day specials, and browse by country. Ethiopia might just be my favorite.

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Noonday reminds me of women I saw and met and bought jewelry from around the world.

Women like Charity who set up her wares at one of the region’s busiest parking lots along South Africa’s Garden Route, selling day after day to earn money to sustain her family, offering tourists like me wooden carvings, leather bracelets, and beaded recycled-paper necklaces.

I bought one string of colorful beads on our way east toward Jeffereys Bay, and a few days later on our return drive west snagged another few strings to bring home for special people. The same necklaces were for sale in shops all over South Africa, but I was most excited to give my money directly to Charity.

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Now that I’m back home in the Pacific Northwest where it’s not as easy to connect with women like Charity face to face, I’m glad for ways to still channel my resources toward their work.

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I can’t solve global poverty.

I can’t bring a souvenir home for every dear friend.

I can’t share every tale I’ve encountered or fund-raise for every project I believe in.

But…

I can collect wearable stories from around the world and invite you to join in, too.

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Disclosure: This is not a sponsored post, though Noonday links go to my sister in law’s online shop, and I’m eligible for purchase discounts based on sales. But I’m being my 100% genuine self here and letting you know that I’m actually really excited about this and happy to invite you to learn more. Read about their Purpose and Impact here.