Musana x Sevenly for CAUSEBOX

This summer we've had the exciting opportunity to be a part of the latest CAUSEBOX by Sevenly. CAUSEBOX is a quarterly subscription box filled with socially-conscious products. Included in #CAUSEBOX03 is our teal Bumba necklace which is hand made by our artisans in Uganda.

We're excited to show CAUSEBOX subscribers and all of our amazing supporters the work that goes in to each Musana piece. Take a look at the handmade process behind our Bumba necklace!

Our artisans begin production by shaping each clay bead by hand. Once shaped, the beads are sent to the kiln for firing.

After firing, the beads are strung on fishing line and tied up to be painted. Our artisans mix the color and paint each bead by hand. The beads dry for two days before being taken down for assembly.

Once the beads are finished, our artisans assemble the necklaces and package them up to be shipped. The finished product is a high-quality, handmade necklace with a great story behind it.

Through steady employment and educational classes at Musana, our artisans are empowered to break the cycle of poverty and create a brighter future for their children. 

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Thank you to all of the CAUSEBOX subscribers for supporting our mission as well as the other brands included in the box.

Introducting our Summer 2015 Collection

Our summer collection is a beautiful mix of vibrant colors and sleek designs. 

Our new designs feature recycled cow horn pieces and handmade clay beads.

Clay pieces are available in teal, pink and orange.

We can't get enough of these recycled cow horn bangles!

Which ones are your favorites?

Follow us on Instagram @musanaintl for more styling tips!

Shop the summer collection here.

Questival Kick-Off

On Friday, Musana got to spend the afternoon at Cotopaxi's Questival Kick-Off event.

Cotopaxi is an outdoor gear brand that helps fund sustainable projects around the world, and for the second year they hosted their Questival event- a 24-hour extreme adventure race in which participants compete to win a trips, gear and more by completing challenges with their teams.

Needless to say it was a party, and we had so much fun. We had our booth all set-up for the event, but never did we imagine what would come next.

Right at the last moment, Musana became a 'mystery challenge' for the Questival and suddenly a swarm of people lined-up at our booth.

The task was to try on a piece of our jewelry and take a picture with it! Some of the teams were pretty awesome- here are a few of our favorites!

Big thanks to Cotopaxi for inviting us to be a part of their event! 

#gearforgood #creatingchange

Introducing our 2015 Spring Collection

Our 2015 Spring Collection is a tribute to natural beauty, inspired by a romantic, whimsical aesthetic. We worked with our artisans, local merchants, and contractors to create new, unique products- check it out!

We created a new two-tone painting technique for our Viking necklace, handmade at our workshop in Lugazi, Uganda.

The collection includes recycled cow bone, indigenous seeds, locally-sourced clay, and other materials found in Uganda.

This bright, fun bracelet set is available in yellow, orange, blue and purple.

Which are your favorites? Don't forget to share with your friends!

Head over to our website to shop the new collection!

Recap: Musana's Second Annual Gala

Thank you to everyone who attended and contributed to Musana’s Second Annual Gala. The event was an amazing success thanks to you.

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This year our gala was held at the Utah State Capitol Building in Salt Lake City on Saturday, February 28, 2015. Dinner was catered by Marvellous Catering and was exactly that- marvelous. 

Floral arrangements were designed by Poppy & Ivy Floral Design and were absolutely beautiful!

A quartet from the Salt Lake Pops Orchestra performed in addition to Arete's powerful performance of "I Was Here" by Beyonce.

Harriet Ochieng, an HIV positive Musana artisan, gave the keynote speech and was truly inspirational. Harriet spoke about the hardships she's overcome and the importance of staying positive and remaining hopeful. She even sang a song she wrote about Musana! 

Live auction packages included trips to Panama, Puerto Vallarta, Moab, and Las Vegas.

The silent auction featured donated items from local businesses and raised funds for our programs in Uganda.

We are so grateful for all the support of our event sponsors, donors, and volunteers. Thank you for being a part of the change! #creatingchange

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Be sure to check out our Facebook album for more photos and keep an eye out for a video about Harriet's trip to America!

With Love, From Uganda

Don’t you just love Love? Valentine’s Day is here and if you’re like us, you’ve been waiting all year for February! 

Valentine’s Day is all about spending time with those special people in your life and sharing the gift of love with others. In Uganda, the word for “I love you” is nkwagala, which is how we feel about these women and the work we do.

All of our products are made with love from our beautiful artisans in Lugazi, Uganda. Each has her own unique story, which you can read about here on our website. 

Shop with meaning this Valentine's Day and give a gift that gives a little back.

XOXO

The Perfect Holiday Gift: Barkcloth Sparkle Notebooks

This holiday season, we’ve got something that will add a little extra sparkle to your present pile! Musana now offers barkcloth notebooks with glittered pages.

Some of you might be wondering, “What’s barkcloth?!” 

If you’ve ever purchased items from Musana, you probably received your jewelry in a handmade, barkcloth bag.

This stiff, fabric material is made by the Baganda people, and our artisans purchase large rolls of it so they can carefully handcraft each notebook and barkcloth jewelry bag.

We love this material’s earthy and traditional vibe, but more than anything we love that it’s eco-friendly and locally crafted.

Traditionally, barkcloth was used to create everything from clothing and mosquito nets to bedding and placemats. In fact, royals from the Buganda Kingdom wore barkcloth for special occasions like weddings, healing ceremonies and funerals. 

Our executive director, Melissa was kindly given the “recipe” for creating barkcloth from a local maker. Here’s how the process works:

First, the artisan has to remove the bark from the mutumba tree

Next, they’ll hammer down the bark with mallets until it’s flat

Then they’ll boil the bark in water to soften the fibers before they lay it out in the sun to dry.

This process takes more than a month to complete, and sadly, the art of creating barkcloth is declining.

At Musana, we’re dedicated to keeping this ancient artistic tradition alive. We hope you’ll enjoy our unique and eco-friendly journals, and share this Ugandan tradition with your friends and family this holiday season.

Click here to purchase your barkcloth notebook.