Our Lead Artist and President of Saving Grace Enterprises, Inc., was recently contacted through Legacy Journals by the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. to create a very special custom leather guest book. The book was used during the Smithsonian Institution’s 42nd Annual Folklife Festival on that National Mall in the “Bhutan: Land of the Thunder Dragon” program to record visitor sentiments and well wishes during this year’s festival.

Ms. Phipps was extended a personal invitation from the program’s curator, Preston Scott, to attend the opening ceremonies and present the book, complete with a custom wood presentation box made by our fine wood craftsman, in person during the festival.

Ms. Phipps presented the book to His Royal Highness Prince Jigyel Ugyen Wangchuck, Prince of Bhutan – the head of the Bhutanese delegation (consisting of approximately 140 Bhutanese artists, dancers, cooks, craftspeople, carpenters, farmers, and representatives of monastic life) for the event – during a book blessing ceremony on the opening day of the festival. Ms. Phipps was also formally introduced to His Excellency Lyonpo Minjur Dorji, Minister for Home and Cultural Affairs of Bhutan.

“The presentation of the book was very beautiful. They had the book, safely inside the box, tied with a white silk scarf. And, once they were ready to begin, both His Royal Highness, the Prince, and I, pulled opposite ends of the scarf to “reveal” the box, and then the book. Then, His Royal Highness , the Prince, signed the first page and His Excellency Lyonpo Minjur Dorji signed the following page,“ comments Phipps on the book blessing ceremony.

Once the Festival concluded, the custom leather guest book, filled with visitor’s sentiments, was taken to Bhutan and given as a gift from the Smithsonian Institution to the King of Bhutan – Fifth Druk Gyalpo His Majest King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck.

When asked about the Smithsonian book, Ms. Phipps commented: “It took a few days for it to really sink in – the Smithsonian chose my company to create something to give to a foreign dignitary [from the Smithsonian]. We get some really neat requests from very interesting people, but, this was, by far, the most notable from an artist’s point of view. I think every artists dreams of being contacted by the Smithsonian Institution, and to create something that is so important to them was a huge honor – and pretty overwhelming if I allow myself to dwell on it. And,” Phipps added with a grin, “that’s not even adding the ‘meeting a prince’ factor – doesn’t every little girl dream of meeting a prince? It’s just such an honor all around – definitely a once-in-a-lifetime event.”

About the Festival

The 2008 Smithsonian Folklife Festival featured three programs. In addition to “Bhutan: Land of the Thunder Dragon,” the other programs were “NASA: 50 years and Beyond” and “Texas: A Celebration of Music, Food and Wine.”

The Folklife Festival, inaugurated in 1967, honors people from across the United States and around the world. With approximately 1 million visitors each year, the Festival unites presenters and performers in the nation’s capital to celebrate the diversity of cultural traditions. It is produced by the Smithsonian’s Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage. The Festival’s web site is: http://www.folklife.si.edu.

Saving Grace Enterprises, Inc. is so pleased to announce that our Spring 2008 lines have been finalized and are ready for the public. During our finalization process, we’ve also redesigned one of our websites, FaithMinders, to reflect the more focused product line. Our new lines are scheduled to go live on all of our websites – including our relaunch of FaithMinders – and Better Than Barefoot Sandals on April 21, 2008.

We are also pleased to announce that we are in the final stages of two more online boutiques stores. Please stay tuned to this website to see the website(s) launch messages. We are proud of our new sites (as well as our old sites), and are pleased to be able to continue to offer you more options online – just as we are able to offer with our local customers.

Saving Grace Enterprises is pleased to announce that we were named a finalist for the Idea Cafe Small Business “Al Marks Inventive Mind Grant”. There were 762 applicants who were narrowed down to 128 (for the semi finals), which was further narrowed to a field of 40, and we are pleased and excited to share that we have been named as one of the finalists (look for our founder’s name, Dee Phipps, on the list).

Here’s what happens next…

Idea Cafe is opening up the selection of the one winner to the vote of Idea Cafe’s entire audience (and the world, if they wish to show up and vote).

In addition to the votes we will get from Idea Cafe’s current audience, Dee & Saving Grace Enterprises is inviting our friends, family, clients and customers to support our chance of winning the $1,000.00. Simply go to the Al Marks’ inventive mind small business grant finalists page, click on the link to cast your vote, and vote for “Dee Phipps” (our founder).

Please note that voting on the grant winner is a privilege reserved for registered Idea Cafe Regulars. But if anyone who wants to vote is not already a Regular, they can quickly sign up at the “voting booth” so they can access it through Idea Cafe’s “Members’ Door”. There is no charge to sign up as an Idea Cafe regular and it just means you will get special privileges (such as being able to vote for Dee & Saving Grace Enterprises), plus receive Idea Cafe’s “Biz Tips” newsletter twice a month. You can get off the list at any time, but we are asking that you do not do so immediately so that your vote will be sure to count.

Idea Cafe is accepting votes from now until midnight Pacific Time, Saturday, August 11, 2007. Within the next days after that, they will tally the votes and announce the grant winner. The winner will be determined by the number of votes cast by Idea Cafe’s regulars (remember if you are not a regular, you can sign up to be a regular at no charge, and have the privilege of voting!) and announced online on August 15, 2007, Idea Cafe’s 12th anniversary online.

Learn more about the Al Mark’s Inventive Mind Grant by visiting the small business grant center at Idea Cafe. And, please make sure to vote for our founder, Dee Phipps, before Saturday, August 11, 2007 at midnight, Pacific.