I’ve got a turtle which will remain unphotographed with good reason. I’ve had things I’ve written published in a book way back when, but I’ve never published a book (maybe one day). And, yes, I like to sing. Claiming to be a singer is a bit of a stretch; right now, the church worship team is as big of a gig as I get.

But, I love music.

So does Jenny Woods.

Jenny runs Musicians on a Mission, a nonprofit located in New Jersey that has gathered musicians of all kinds together to have a unified purpose. Their mission is to utilize the power of music to create connection and inspire giving. They desire to raise awareness, sensitivity, and funds to support charitable organizations in their community through planned concerts and events.

They just celebrated their one year birthday. And, in that one year, they raised over $5,000 for 10 local charities. Their last event featured 9 female singer/songwriters as well as 6 poets and 3 visual artists and raised $1,500 for the nonprofit 180, Turning Lives Around, serving women who have been victimized from domestic abuse and violence.

Jenny quit her day job and now works as a singer/songwriter, director of Musicians on a Mission, and designer extraordinaire at High Strung Designs, an Etsy store repurposing guitar strings to make wearable art.

Some friends who are volunteering with The Sparrow Fund came over for dinner last week. They are adorable. They graduated last spring. Got married right away. And, since she’s from a family of 6 kids, they don’t seem to mind the chaos of our 4 running around as we try to talk.

For people like me who long to have really good pictures of our families among the thousands stored on our hard drives, there’s help…help with a purpose.

And, so her photography e-book was created based on a beginner’s class she taught.

50 pages full of images coupled with practical photography instruction for people who don’t know what they are doing besides trying to get some pretty pictures. Whether you have an expensive DSLR that you keep stuck on automatic or a little point-and-shoot, you can get something out of this e-book to transform they way you “do” pictures.

Angela just dropped the price of the download to a low $15.00 – $15 to teach you some basics of photography…and help bring Rose home to her family.

Total win-win. And, a great gift idea for a bloggy friend or someone in your family you don’t want to just give another “thing” to.

And, she’s giving one person here a free download.

Sweet.

The sell some really neat items on their Etsy store for this purpose (just look here for my favorite).
And, here’s your chance to have one of their beautiful pieces sent to you totally for free.

I originally found Agape Love Boutique because of this piece–her Water of Life necklace. So pretty. So unique. And, Maria-Isabel, the artist behind the store, gives 75% of the profits from the sales of this necklace to Compassion’s Water of Life which works to provide safe water, healthy lifestyle education, and sanitation services to people in need around the world.

Definitely a great way to shop with purpose.

I also found at her store a necklace that I fell in love with that doesn’t support a charity but is so full of purpose that I can’t help but share about it.

She created a mother’s necklace design that not only recognizes the children you are mothering now but also recognizes children you are not mothering–maybe babies miscarried, maybe a baby placed for adoption, maybe a child who passed away. There are the pearls in the nest–and white pearls outside the nest, on the chain to remember.

I love it.

She even has a necklace for mothers who perhaps lost their only child.

Isn’t that stunning?

I’m thinking it could make a very special birth mother or foster mother gift.

And, as a mama who has experienced the sorrow of losing 4 babies, I needed this necklace.

I sat down with my children and let them each pick the color pearl they wanted to represent themselves. Even Lydia chose her own color.

And, I now have a precious treasure to remember all my treasures. When I wear it, Lydia touches the pink pearl and says, “Lydia.” Totally warms my heart.