African artisans exhibit amazing creativity and openness to new ideas. When we brought an image of a reindeer to a small beading cooperative in Nairobi, Josephine, the leader of the group, gladly accepted the challenge to create an African reindeer.

We found the upbeat atmosphere of Josephine's crafting group especially heartwarming after we learned that their workshop had burned to the ground during Kenya's post-election riots. Starting over from the ground up, the women put the past aside and pulled out their ideas, and before we knew it, a beautiful beaded reindeer stood before us.