Japanese Handmade Relief Efforts

It has been 2 weeks since the devastating tsunami struck Japan, claiming at least 10,000 lives and over 17,000 still missing, and there is still continued updates about radioactivity concerns from some of their nuclear power plants. However, out of tragedy comes hope and unity of the human spirit.

There have been overwhelming humanitarian efforts pouring out to help all those affected by this disaster. Even small business and handmade artisans are contributing all that they can to this cause. Simply searching on Etsy , one can find several artists and shops announcing a portion or even 100% of the purchases will go towards relief efforts in Japan.

Here at MaJenta Designs, all of our funky and fun functional gifts and accessories are all made using gorgeous handmade Japanese papers, so from now through April 30th, 50% of the proceeds from the pocket mirror or keychain bottle opener purchases will be donated towards the Japanese Disaster Relief Fund!



Choice of Keychain Bottle Opener ~OR~ Pocket Mirror with Pouch ($6)
Sakura (cherry blossoms) symbolizes the transient nature of life
50% proceeds will be donated to Japanese disaster relief efforts

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More examples of just a small sampling of artists/shop owners who are donating a portion of their proceeds or profit from their sales include items such as:

Japanese Disaster Relief T-Shirt ($20)
100% proceeds will be donated to Japanese Red Cross

Silver & Red Karma Bracelet ($14)
100% proceeds will be donated to U.S. World Vision


Ginko Leaf Necklace ($17)
The Ginko Tree is considered a ''bearer of hope'' and a symbol of resilience and peace
100% proceeds donated to tsunami relief

Cherry Blossoms in Lavender 9"x12" Photographic Print ($21)
100% of the profit will go to Boots on the Ground.org


Ninja Earrings ($9.05)
50% of cost will be donated to Japan Tsunami Appeal

Hokusai Teabowl ($140)
50% of sale will be donated to Mashiko Potters Fund

Pink Bunny Giclee 8.5"x11" Print ($30)
50% profit donated to UNICEF


"Ganbare Nippon (Hang in there Japan) We are With You" T-Shirt ($26)
$20 of each shirt donated to Red Cross

Decorating the Walls with Photographs

Its been over half a year since moving in our new house, but we still have been wanting to find ways to turn the house into our own cozy home. The walls were very bare, so we decided that a fun way to bring color and personality to our walls is putting up some photos of our travels together.

We decided to take advantage of the sales at both Michaels and ACMoore and got several frames for 40% off.

My hubby was a good sport and helped pick out the frames. It was actually his clever idea to use the collage-style frames, which made it easier to fit several of our photos and was more cost efficient than buying multiple separate frames.

Some of the frames required a bit of assembly.

We had several photos printed out, so it was helpful to rearrange them in various combinations before actually putting them into the frames.

The completed frames.

Time to start hanging them up throughout the house

The finished frames all hung up! Looks like we'll still need to order some vertical prints, but this gives us something to look forward to on our next adventure together to make sure to take some more vertical pics! :)