Tuesday, March 29, 2011

BACK TO ECUADOR

Yesterday, we took a break from Jake Binkham's donated Ecuadorian items to feature a daisy sprinkled dress.

Now we'll head back down to Ecuador and another handmade item from that South American country. One of the handcrafts that Ecuador is most famous for is the hammock.



Hammocks have been commonly used there for centuries by the indigenous population.

Jake describes them this way:

"These hammocks are very colorful, if taken care of they should last a long time. Almost 1 in 3 of the locals has one or more of these in their house. Unlike most of the hammocks that you will see in The States, these do not have the wooden support bar that keeps it tight, so that you lay “in” these instead of “on” it. They will fit two adults snugly, one comfortably. Great place to take a nap in the heat of the day."


Here is a photo of several Adventures in Missions folks at the Gainesville, Georgia base gathered around a similar hammock that hangs on the training base front porch. Anna and Betsie say that this hammock is very popular at the base. It is so comfy that it is hard to ever find it unoccupied and to snag it for naptime, relaxing with a guitar, or for quiet time was a rare and highly prized achievement.




And here you can see some AIM Ambassadors sleeping in hammocks, similar to the ones we are auctioning off, during their mission trip to Peru this past summer.




The hammocks can be hung from trees, porch posts, or even on a hammock stand. And when you want to take it down, they fold up easily and neatly since they don't have the wooden slats in them that some hammocks have.

So whether you are looking for a great Father's Day gift, a birthday present for someone who needs an excuse to relax, or you have good memories of hammocks from your AIM days and would like to have one of your own, these hammocks can be yours if the price is right.

We have two hammocks available. The first one is primarily red with gold and orange accents .



The second hammock is primarily white with gold, red, and blue accents.




These hammocks sell for $45 to $90 online but we will start the bidding at $25. All proceeds from the sale go towards my teenagers' mission trips to Thailand and Peru. To bid, leave a comment with your name, contact information, whether you want the red or the white hammock, and the amount you are bidding. We will be glad to ship if you don't live in our area. The auction will end on the evening of April 8th.

Thanks for stopping by Graceland and if you'd like to share our auction posts on your blog, fb, or twitter, we'd definitely appreciate it!

9 comments:

Elysa said...

YAHOO!!!!!!! Debra Brown, our pastor's wife and Betsie's beloved mentor-friend, has put in a bid for $75 on the red hammock.

You can beat that bid or bid on the other one. :)

Candace said...

$25...I'm bidding for Candace since she doesn't have a Google Account. :-)

Candace said...

Ooops! I guess she does have an account! LOL!

Betty Hodge said...

I will bid 40 on the other hammock. I "might" could bid more but with Mike not being home to run it pass him I better stick with a bid that I Know he would be OK with, without asking him first.

Candace said...

I bid $25 on the white one.

Elysa said...

Betty, that is fine! Your $40 is what takes to be the lead bidder on the white one.

Candace, sorry!!! When I moderated the comments, Betty had already commented before you had but it didn't show up til I clicked the publish button. BUT, if you don't win this one with a counter bid, I bet you can buy one when you go to Nicaragua this summer. The Ambassador Team from last year talked about hammocks at the orphanage they ministered at.

Betty Hodge said...

keep me posted on any bids. I am only doing face book to send private messages. I am not scrolling thru the status updates and all. I did check your blog though to see what all you had posted. Your painting is at the Church, will give it to you tonight

Tricia said...

Elysa, we want to bid $100 on the white one. Thanks! :)
Tricia O

Elysa said...

Thank you all for your bids.

The winners are:

Debra Brown at $75 for the red hammock.

The Olive Family at $100 for the white.