Our blog has been featured this month at http://makingjewelrysupplies.com/blog_awards/index.php?id=10990. This site, makingjewelrysupplies.com, is the largest jewelry supplies website, featuring more than 30,000 blogs, and averaging 200,000+ unique visitors per month! You should check it out!
In other news, we are still selling lots of bracelets through Poor Richard's bookstore, and now they are being sold at the Colorado College bookstore as well! Even though the school year is over, we are not slowing down, and we hope to begin selling them in stores in New York City soon!
As always, we are eager to have help making and/or selling bracelets, so just shoot us an e-mail if you are interested! Thanks!
-Julia
Friday, May 21, 2010
Friday, February 12, 2010
Bookstore bracelets
Last week we received our first consignment check from Poor Richard's bookstore (for $120). How exciting! Today we will give our buyer at Poor Richard's more bracelets for the next month, and we hope to begin working with our college's bookstore soon as well.
This means that if all goes well, we will be out of business precisely at the end of this year.
We set the lofty but not wholly unrealistic fundraising goal of 1500 nets to reflect Roll Back Malaria's goal of universal coverage by December 31, 2010. "Universal coverage" essentially means that:
- There will be one LLIN for every two people
- Houses will be routinely sprayed with indoor residual spraying
- Pregnant women in "high transmission settings" will receive antimalarials during the pregnancy to prevent maternal anemia and low birth weight in the child.
- People who fall ill will be promptly diagnosed and treated with appropriate antimalarial drugs
A few weeks ago we had our first CC Bracelet Bash. We made pasta salad, cucumber-dill sandwiches and vats of delicious tea. About a dozen people came between 3 and 8pm (not the whole time but dropped in and out) and made some beautiful bracelets. Diagonal stripe seems like a good one to start out with. "S" is pretty good but can take a couple tries to get the tension right on both sides. As people come to subsequent Bracelet Bashes we will teach them more complex knottiness. We're planning one at CC for first Saturday of next block, so we'll see you then!
-Hana
P.S. Email us if you would like marketing advice/materials (we have a sign you can print out), would like to contribute bracelets/raised funds to the cause, or have any other questions.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Vestergaard Frandsen
Hello! This is Julia reporting in. I am now back in Colorado, where Hana and I have been working on finishing up our business cards, securing a source for string, and finding new places to sell our bracelets. However, before I left New York, I had a meeting with Peter Cleary and Elisabeth Wilhelm from the Vestergaard Frandsen bed net manufacturing company. They came across Knots for Nets from a Google Alert, and from there contacted us about their desire to write an article for their website and tweet about us!
So on Monday, I went to their office near Grand Central Station and met with both Peter and Elisabeth to discuss how we can work together. They showed me a few of their products, which include long-lasting insecticidal nets (to put over beds) and net curtains (to put inside windows). I was very inspired by their dedication to community service and their perseverance in the fight against malaria.
When I met with them, they offered to send us a few of their bed nets to show as examples when selling bracelets, so that people can see directly what their money is being used for. (They do, in fact, supply some nets to Against Malaria.) However, when I contacted them again, Peter told me that they were sending every net they had directly to Haiti, to help out with the crisis that has occured there because of the recent earthquake. So we will let you know when we receive the nets, but in the meantime, you can know that they are being put to very good use!
In fact, Knots for Nets has also decided to help out with the current situation in Haiti. We are going to donate our most recent proceeds from bracelet sales (about $100) to the Against Malaria "Haiti Earthquake" page, to assure that the nets we fund go directly to Haiti where they are currently needed most. Visit their page now if you want to make a special donation!
Thank you!
-Julia
So on Monday, I went to their office near Grand Central Station and met with both Peter and Elisabeth to discuss how we can work together. They showed me a few of their products, which include long-lasting insecticidal nets (to put over beds) and net curtains (to put inside windows). I was very inspired by their dedication to community service and their perseverance in the fight against malaria.
When I met with them, they offered to send us a few of their bed nets to show as examples when selling bracelets, so that people can see directly what their money is being used for. (They do, in fact, supply some nets to Against Malaria.) However, when I contacted them again, Peter told me that they were sending every net they had directly to Haiti, to help out with the crisis that has occured there because of the recent earthquake. So we will let you know when we receive the nets, but in the meantime, you can know that they are being put to very good use!
In fact, Knots for Nets has also decided to help out with the current situation in Haiti. We are going to donate our most recent proceeds from bracelet sales (about $100) to the Against Malaria "Haiti Earthquake" page, to assure that the nets we fund go directly to Haiti where they are currently needed most. Visit their page now if you want to make a special donation!
Thank you!
-Julia
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Coming to a Poor Richard's near you
Poor Richard's, an independent bookstore in Colorado Springs, decided that they liked our bracelets and put some up for sale. Here are a couple pictures of the display, along with a sign we made that explains what we are all about. Go and check them out!
320 North Tejon Street, Colorado Springs, CO 80903-1224(719) 578-0012
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Marketing update
We are almost done with our triple-function business cards/info cards/price tags. John Fletcher, the graphic designer who is kindly helping us with our marketing materials, crafted a whole slew of logos for us to choose from, and we selected the following for its knotty font and anti-Anopheles message.
We have good things planned on the selling front as well. Lauren Schultz, an artist and fellow student at Colorado College, is planning a crafts sale for April 24. The day after, April 25, is World Malaria Day, and we hope to host an publicizing and educational event then as well. We will also pursue the possibility of selling at Llamapalooza, CC’s annual outdoor music festival.
There are several local stores in the Springs which we are going to approach with our wares – The Leechpit and Poor Richard’s Bookstore figure among them.
Rachel Curtis of Wilkes University is back in her beloved Costa Rica with the OTS Global Health Semester, and she and Profesora Mariace Matamoros will continue their crafty activities there.
Students at UMN-Morris, Duke University, U-Washington, NYU, and Santa Clara University have all offered their expertise with various aspects of the project, and we look forward to working with them!
As always, keep up the good words – your comments, critiques, and questions are greatly appreciated and will be acknowledged or responded to promptly.
-Hana
We have good things planned on the selling front as well. Lauren Schultz, an artist and fellow student at Colorado College, is planning a crafts sale for April 24. The day after, April 25, is World Malaria Day, and we hope to host an publicizing and educational event then as well. We will also pursue the possibility of selling at Llamapalooza, CC’s annual outdoor music festival.
There are several local stores in the Springs which we are going to approach with our wares – The Leechpit and Poor Richard’s Bookstore figure among them.
Rachel Curtis of Wilkes University is back in her beloved Costa Rica with the OTS Global Health Semester, and she and Profesora Mariace Matamoros will continue their crafty activities there.
Students at UMN-Morris, Duke University, U-Washington, NYU, and Santa Clara University have all offered their expertise with various aspects of the project, and we look forward to working with them!
As always, keep up the good words – your comments, critiques, and questions are greatly appreciated and will be acknowledged or responded to promptly.
-Hana
Monday, December 28, 2009
Photos up on facebook
The photoshoot I planned for yesterday didn't work out; instead I offer some from a frozen yogurt store with cool green walls...
If you know anyone (including yourself) who would like to volunteer a wrist or photography skills – let's talk. And for those of you who have great photos of bracelets or people in bracelets – please email them (knotsfornets at gmail dot com) or add them to the facebook page!
-Hana
If you know anyone (including yourself) who would like to volunteer a wrist or photography skills – let's talk. And for those of you who have great photos of bracelets or people in bracelets – please email them (knotsfornets at gmail dot com) or add them to the facebook page!
-Hana
Friday, December 25, 2009
First donation post
$305 raised so far in the SF Bay Area which amounts to 69 mosquito nets! This money is funding a LLIN distribution in Paloma, Southern Zambia.
Many thanks to Dr. Doran and her staff, Hazel Dicum, Alex, Vicky Low and Penelope Low for supporting the cause and buying bracelets.
Check out the KFN Against Malaria fundraising page here.
-Hana
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