It's been 5 years... @HeartOfHaiti A reason for giving thanks, A reason for giving more.

This week we celebrate Thanksgiving here in the US, and Babushka is sooo very thankful to live in this country, be blessed with the people in my life, and the countless moments of abundance I've had. For that reason I have joined with Macy's in their Heart of Haiti program, to give back to those who haven't been as fortunate.

HolaHolaHola My Beautifuls!

Five years ago this little girl was born and BB's world would never be the same.

Almost Five years ago Haiti was hit with a devastating earthquake,

and their world would never be the same.

Flickr pics -Top Row:HaitiDamage coolgeography.com.uk
haiti_earthquake csmonitor.com, Cite Soleil by mellagi,haiti_earthquake theengineer.co.uk

Like my granddaughter La Princesa, Haiti is also developing, learning to stand on its own.

Pero tambien como mi nieta, like La Princesa, Haiti needs help in doing so.

Macy’s went to Haiti shortly after the January 12, 2010 earthquake and realized that despite the devastation there was an artist community that existed and was eager to bring their product to market.

They launched a product line for sale at Macys.com and in stores (listed below) which to date has employed 400 artists.

Macy's Herald Square, Brooklyn Downtown, Metro Center, Chicago State Street, Northland Center, Seattle Downtown, Portland Downtown, San Francisco Union Square, Biltmore Fashion Park, South Coast Plaza Home, Mission Valley Home, Dallas Galleria, Lenox Square Mall, and Dadeland Mall.

When you employ one artist in Haiti, the entire community benefits. Over 500 artists employed benefitting over 3,000 members of their extended family.

To put this into perspective, the average Haitian’s annual income is only $400 – for a year! Add to that, Haiti has an estimated 400,000 artisans (out of a 10M population) who rely solely on their handcrafted goods as a source of income. No other sector of employment even approaches such numbers.

Macy’s paved the way in helping to rebuild this important sector of the fragile economy.

The paper mache technique - practiced by many Haitian artisans - involves sourcing old, cement bags - or other paper products - to tear apart and re-purpose with glue and paint to create this unique piece.

The blue circle vase - made in Jacmel - is hand-painted and includes a glass insert for functionality.

Babushka was given the Blue Circle vase to show and share here, and to say it is stunning is an understatement. The quality is buenisimo, the colors rich and bold. A treasure to wake to every morning; it's a true work of art in my bedroom. Quee?? Ok si, JU SO FONII, BB's a work of art too. Actually, as I said in the Oprah post, this vase reminds me of all the beauty in the world, and how Babushka can play a very important part in it.