Launch!

This week marked the culmination of several months of discussions, picture-taking, shipments and design. We are excited to announce the launch of our web store! We have been preparing for this next step for some time and are glad to answer those of you who have asked where you can buy Sak Saum products online.

Please take a few minutes to peruse the site and let us know what you think. We'd love to hear feedback!

Also, if you haven't found us already, Sak Saum is on Facebook. You can visit our page for regular updates, prayer requests, and more.

Until next time!

The Loom Lady

This week we get to share with you the story of Sokla, a gentle Cambodian woman with an incredible gift of looming. In case you have no idea what looming means, it is the skill of transforming thread into fabric. Sokla is particularly gifted at looming silk. Her finished fabric is equisite and we are so thankful to have met her.

Theavy, our national director, was first introduced to Sokla at a women's group in Saang, the province where In His Steps International does most of their work and where our new vocational training center is located. The women's group is a collection of ladies who meet together for encouragement, training, discipleship and relationship. Out of this group have come many ladies who are "outside sewers" for Sak Saum. An outside sewer is someone who is not a part of Sak Saum's full-time ministry but they are in need of skill training, help and employment. We train them to sew flowers, cosmetics bags and other items to help supplement our growing demand for product back in the States. It empowers them to provide for their families and equips them with purpose -- an awesome thing to see!

Sokla had once owned her own loom. Sadly, when her husband's business started to fail, she was forced to sell her loom to provide income for her family. Though she quickly started sewing for Sak Saum through the women's group, she often mentioned her desire to loom again.

Sak Saum loves to hear the cries of people's hearts and respond to them -- much like our Heavenly Father. In April 2011, we decided to purchase our first loom and allow it to be housed with Sokla. Now Sokla is able to loom again and we are privileged to be a part of her business through the purchase of her fabrics. She LOVES it! Her husband is employed as a farmer and moto-taxi driver and their family is starting to prosper. Most importantly, they are being loved into the Kingdom of God. Sokla and her children regularly attend IHSI's church plant and we are all praying that her husband will soon join as well!

Enjoy these pictures of Sokla and her loom.

Sokla is a bit shy but kind and beautiful. Here she is with some un-loomed silk.

Busy at work...

As you can see, a loom is not a small piece of equipment!

A friend and fellow member of the women's group spins the silk.

The final product coming into view...

Thanks so much for stopping by the blog. Until next time!

Pumpkin Bread, Sweaters, Spiced Chai...Fall is Here at Sak Saum.

It may surprise you but we have been excitedly preparing for fall over the last several months. Yes, that's right. While you are riding bikes, eating watermelon, and having pool parties, we have been carefully selecting corduroys, tweeds and brilliantly rich hues for our fall line. It takes time to sew all these bags which means spring is right around the corner for Sak Saum!

But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Fall is a beautiful time of year and we cannot wait for you to see some of our new product. Unfortunately, we can't show you everything but here is a sneak peek to get you thinking about fall home parties and early Christmas shopping...

We begin with one of our new bags, Sarah. Already this one is proving popular and comes in heavy linens and trendy corduroys with a fun fabric lining. Check out the vertical pleats which add a distinctive touch.

We love using corduroy as the belt on our Sana bag (left) and now offer our Rebecca bag in rich, striped silk.

We are also starting a men's line with tweeds, hound's-tooths, and, of course, corduroy. Men's wallets are in production now!

Whether summer, fall or winter, we will always feature Cambodia's native resource - the coconut. Featured from left to right: Cecilia 2010, our upgraded New York Tote, and Sana.

And we recently discovered the endless possibilities of pairing muted outsides with a fresh, fun, funky inside. Our new Serai bag is featured here.

There is so much more we could show you. Thanks for supporting Sak Saum - we love designing products we hope you will enjoy. Happy Fall! 

Introducing Sak Saum's New Catalog!

As you know, Sak Saum is not primarily about purses, tote bags, wallets and scarves (though we do all love those things!). We live to see young women healed and transformed. A part of that process is finding a way for our girls to begin building a future for themselves. Enter the business side of Sak Saum.

Many ministries like Sak Saum are funded primarily through donations, grants, etc. Certainly there is nothing wrong with this approach. However, we felt that the truest way to empower was to build something that could sustain itself over time. It is to this end that we create products, advertise home parties, sell to organizations and contemplate how to grow. One day, hopefully in the not-so-distant future, our girls will run every aspect of Sak Saum and out of it will flow opportunities for other Cambodian women, children and families who need a loving hand to help them.

So with the big picture in mind, enjoy perusing our new catalog. It is not only an overview of Sak Saum's product but the ministry as well. We'd love to hear from you which items are your favorite! If you are interested in hosting a party or purchasing items, you can fill out the advocate form on this page or email Noelle Goodlin at noelleg@ihsionline.org.

Click here to go to the catalog.

Fair Trade with Coconuts

So...we know we promised a sneak peak of fall colors this blog. However, we then realized that it is only mid-May. In the design world, you have to think about six months ahead which means we are up to our ears in gorgeous tweeds and robust corduroys. But the rest of you are just getting ready to sip some iced tea and head to the pool for the first time! Needless to say, we decided to postpone our fall preview for a few more weeks.

Instead, we want to introduce you to someone very special. His name is Bang and this is his story. Ginny, Sak Saum's director, first met Bang several years ago. He was quite a different man then. His wife was the primary bread-winner with her job as a police woman. Unfortunately, Cambodia's police are paid very poorly, contributing to a lot of corruption. You can imagine the loss of dignity and purpose Bang experienced as a man unable to provide for his family. What could be done to help him and his family? The answer? Coconuts.

Sak Saum was able to help Bang establish a business carving coconuts into beautiful buttons, ornaments and even musical instruments. Now Sak Saum practices fair trade with Bang, buying his incredible handicraft to use on our bags and other products. As you can see from the photos below, Bang no longer lives with despair and low-self esteem. His eyes shine with the hope and purpose he has found. What a great God we serve!

Meet Bang...

Hard at work cutting the coconut shell...

 Some necessary tools and uncut buttons.

Sanding coconuts. Did you know they are a natural Cambodian resource?

Hard at work...

And the fruit? Key chains, ornaments, buttons, musical instruments AND hope and dignity.

We use Bang's buttons and rings on our bags quite often.

See you next time!