Project: Finish Renos & Open the Doors
Hi! Carmen, here, and I’m coming to you with some big, huge, MAJOR Honey & Vine updates. Buckle up and lock in, bestie! We have a studio to open!
First, I want to give a little bit of our backstory, so you can see where we’ve been and how we need your support to get where we’re headed.
In 2012, the Lord gave me an idea that I haven’t been able to let go of. The idea was to build a business, or organization that acted as a “city on a hill,” where women found rescue, hope, freedom, and new lives through things like social services, therapy, and job support. While I grew as a professional both in social services and a photographer, this idea began to take form; it became an actual shape instead of an abstract concept.
Fast forward to 2026, and the idea is now known as Honey & Vine Studio. As a professional photographer, I was beyond excited to partner with Sarah and Rescue Her to begin building the vision God gave me all those years ago. Our mission is to support survivors of sex trafficking and create spaces where people are loved, known, and free. We will do this in a couple of key ways:
Functioning as a rentable space for photographers, videographers, and small events. Proceeds from our income will go toward supporting the anti-trafficking and survivor support work Rescue Her is already doing.
Employing survivors. Employment in every stage of survivors’ restoration is important to provide empowering experiences for them, giving them opportunities to earn their own money that they can spend in their own way – two foundational pillars in building independent lives.
And friend, we are sooooo close to opening that we can taste it! Almost one year ago, we signed a lease on a space, and we’ve been living on a hope and a prayer that we would be able to afford the renovations needed to turn the space into a working studio.
Praise God we are more than halfway done with renovations! Now, we need your help to get across the finish line. We have two immediate needs:
$15,000, which will cover unexpected construction costs that have unfortunately stalled our progress, and even though we aren’t bringing in income yet, we still have building and utility expenses each month. This $15,000 would let us resume our project and cover rent for at least two months.
We need help covering the final cost of our renovation project, which is $30,000.
All together, our goal is $45,000.
When I see that number, I’ll be honest and say my body tightens up, and I feel intimidated by it. But when I remember what God can do with even just 2 fish and 5 loaves of bread, there is a sweet peace that floods through me.
I know that God is looking at $45,000 like it’s nothing, because to Him, it is. He will provide for us, not just for this goal, but for every need we will ever have. He is a good Father, full of provision, compassion, and mercy, and He is faithful to complete the works He begins.
The dream He gave me in 2012 isn’t complete, yet, and this is where we need your help.
At the beginning of this letter I told you I had some MAJOR Honey & Vine updates, and here they are. Are you ready?!
We are becoming a non-profit, and after several months of working with our attorneys, our status is currently pending acceptance! This means we have our tax id number (our EIN), have filed all necessary legal paperwork, and are waiting official approval from the IRS.
The exciting thing for us is that now we are able to accept tax deductible donations via check and online giving.
Suffice it to say, Sarah and I have learned a lot about LLCs, non-profits, and starting a business from the ground up this year. Just like the Israelites, our road has been full of twists, turns, roadblocks, and challenges that have seemed insurmountable, and, just like the Israelites, we have seen the Lord’s daily provision; His manna from heaven, cloud by day, and fire by night. There have been countless times that the things we saw as impassable roadblocks actually turned out to be the Lord’s protection and provision.
We are being challenged, refined, and stretched in ways that only starting something new with the Lord can do. If you’ve been there before, you know those pains, and you know the beauty as well. Our hearts are full of anticipation, joy, and a longing to see Honey & Vine Studio open and running.
Will you join us?
We are so close to this finish line, so close we can taste it, but we can’t get there alone. We need the support of the people around us. We need to hear you cheering us on, praying over us, and we need your financial donations to see this through.
Click the link below to give online, or you can make checks payable to Honey & Vine Studio, and mail them directly to me at 3912 Segundo Ln, Plano, TX 75074
Thank you, friend. We are so glad you’re in our corner! We’re quite literally buzzing with excitement (ok, cheesy pun, I know, but what other word is there?!) over Honey & Vine Studio, and cannot wait to open our doors to you, to survivors, and to our community.
xo, Carmen and Sarah