This is so awesome!
I am gonna tell you about TWO ways to giveback & get a little something in return!

Have you heard of Sevenly? They exist to "harness the power of art and community to build sustainable awareness and funding movements that support charities in their efforts to change the world."
What's that mean? They sell super cool limited edition tees & help people all over the world with each purchase!

This week there are two ways to help children & get a T-shirt at the same time!
First you can sponsor a child & get a Free Tee -
From now until 9:59 AM PST next Monday, April 9 you can get a FREE Sevenly T-shirt when you sponsor a child in Rwanda through Compassion!
Hello, awesomeness. You get a tee, but more importantly you get to develop a relationship with a cool kiddo who could really use your love & support. What's not to love about this deal?!

Second, you can spend $22 on a Sevenly Tee and help provide a mosquito net to a child in need -
For every purchase Sevenly gives $7 to this week’s charity ~ providing a life-saving mosquito net to children in Rwanda!
One design. One week. One cause.
Doesn't this make you want to bookmark their site so you can check back every week to see new causes to support & cool new tees to buy?! If you've got questions about how that all works check out the FAQ page, lots of great info there about who they are & what they do.

I'm thinking I can check a few gift ideas off my list this year, too. Men's, Women's, shirts & hoodies in a few different colors...yep, sounds like a winner to me!

    As I've been working on my current charity project (that last Knit For Kids sweater) I've been keeping my eyes open for what I might take up next. But when I came across the current Craft Hope project I knew I couldn't wait to finish that sweater before I picked my next project. The deadline is coming up fast & I don't want to miss out on participating!
    
    Craft Hope's Project 16: The Littlest Warriors is about making beanies & bags for some super awesome kiddos. Kids fighting cancer. Since I'm not really a hat maker at the moment bags are on my agenda! I dunno how many I'll make yet, as many as I can before the March 12th deadline. I'll want to ship the a week before that just to make sure they arrive in time. I have a couple plain canvas bags that I think I bought intending to decorate but never did. I'm using those blank canvases for my first two bags, and am stash busting with my fabric & supply choices for all the bags I make. I'm super excited to make some cute totes for these superhero kids to take with them to the hospital!

{Our Creative Spaces}
{Stash Bash}

    The third Knit For Kids Sweater is almost half-way done! It takes me quite a while to get these worked up just because about half-way I lose my enthusiasm with that darn stockinette stitching. I'm combatting that this time by working on it at my craft group twice a month. It stays in my car and only comes out for those occasions. Which doesn't help with speed, but keeps me from tucking it in a drawer and forgetting it. If it's all I've got with me to work on for four hours than it will get worked on. Or that's the idea anyway. :)

    The first Knit For Kids sweater was blue, the second was pink, after this green one I think it'll be time to ship them off to find their way to their new homes. And guess what happens after that?! Yep! I get to pick a new charity to create projects for! Whoo hoo! So far all the projects I've done have been knitting. These sweaters and some scarves for Handmade Especially For You. Maybe this next project will be a sewing one...hmmm. Any recommendations for me?

Be sure to hop over and see what's happening in so many other creative spaces!

I've been thinking alot about how super fast Chirstmas is coming up...I've been thinking alot about people on my list that are so very very hard to buy for. The people who just buy what they want when they want it & never have a wishlist, or a wishlist with items I don't have to win the lottery for. Do you have people like this in your life?

I decided to look into some gifts that give beyond their initial Christmas Day purpose...

I barely scratched the surface with the 5 I chose to talk about here...

Tom's Shoes ~ with every pair purchased they give a pair of shoes to a child in need. I'm particularly fond of this pair myself. If you have anyone on your list that likes to wear their slippers out, eh hem, these would make a great gift. :)

Punjammies ~ Pajamas made by women in India who are trying to rebuild their lives after being rescued from forced prostitution. Comfy & beautiful PJs you can lounge around the house in all day? Yes, please.

Bead For Life ~ Allows women to support their families by helping them start a small business & be successful in Uganda. They sell beads, beaded jewelry & shea products just right for stocking stuffers. I love dangly, girly earrings & this pair is just my size & color! Go figure. ;) Also, my hubs is a Chapstick King, so the peppermint lip balm would be great for him.

Cookies For Kids Cancer ~ You send cookies to someone you love & support cancer research for children at the same time. Be a good cookie, eat a good cookie! If all else fails buy them something sweet & edible. It's a rare person who doesn't love a yummy cookie!

And last but most certainly not least - You knew I was gonna talk about Compassion today, too, didn't you? Since it is so near & dear to my heart. Compassion not only allows you to sponsor children, but also to buy gifts in the name of someone you love to aid families in a real and tangible way. Sending things like medical supplies or animals & seeds can make a massive difference in someone's life. If you have someone on your list that doesn't want or need anything under the tree this year, make a impactful gift in their name. They'll thank you for finding such a loving & creative way to give & giveback!

You can find hundreds of different gifts that give back just by searching that phrase...Google it, search on Pinterest, ask your friends & favorite bloggers...there really are so many out there you'll have more than enough ideas to complete any leftover gifting needs this holiday season. But, don't just think about them as Holiday gift ideas. Because you can find gifts that give back all year long! Birthdays, Anniversaries, Weddings, Graduations, whatever! Anytime of year, every time of year, is the right time to give back!

Blessings to you, sweet readers, and happy gifting!

About this time last year I went to a concert that changed my life.
It was a Mercy Me Christmas concert, a great show with a great band, set to be a great date night. What I didn't expect that was during the intermission we would be given the opportunity to not only change someone else's life, but our own as well.

We were introduced to Compassion International through the lead singer of Mercy Me. He spoke about the children his own family sponsors & how much you could impact the world of someone on the other side of the globe just by sharing your own overflow. When I raised my hand to ask for a packet I thought "I'll just take a look...". I thought I'd see what kind of a commitment this might be, & see if it would be something we'd consider. I was handed two envelopes upside down & without looking passed one down the row to a friend of mine who had also raised her hand. When I flipped over our envelope I knew I wanted to sponsor the little girl who's picture stared up at me. Her unsmiling face, her little soldier stance, spoke volumes. I said to my husband "If I decide I no longer want a Kindle for Christmas can we be her sponsor?" I hadn't even opened the packet yet.  I read her name, Buni...How do you pronounce it I wondered...Buh nee? Buh nigh? Boo nigh? Boo nee? They don't give you a phonetics lesson in the packet. Maybe one day I'll get to hear her say it & know for sure. She's nine, from India, and she's my girl. D simply said, "I think we should." I love that man.

For the past year we've been having the sponsor money automatically deducted from our bank account. And, honestly I could easily spend more than that $38 dollars in Starbucks coffee in a month. I certainly spend more than that on a single new outfit, a single pair of shoes, or a date night with my husband. Forty dollars can be gone in a flash in my hot little hand. Why not send it somewhere I could change a life? That one aspect of this sponsorship is a good thing. Helping someone who needs it. The thing that I love most about it though is that that is only one part of what it means to get to sponor a child. I also get to write Buni letters, send her gifts, & recieve letters from her in return. Buni's letters carry fantastic little drawings of houses & flowers & talk about how she loves to dance & loves language class at school. It's the relationship you form with your special kiddo that makes being a sponsor so darn wonderful. It's the finding out that they will mean as much to you as you do to them that is the real blessing! Want to find your own blessing?

Last week my mom & I took alittle trip down to the Compassion Headquarters in Colorado Springs. We got to take a tour of their facility & find out just where the money & letters I send goes. I got to see where envelopes are opened, the distribution center, & learn about how Compassion works behind the scenes, partnering with local churches, to fund Child Development Centers.

I got a greater understanding of how Compassion doesn't just pour money into an economy, but into a single child in a well-rounded, holistic way to stop the cycle of poverty it's self. I learned that they were so successful in Korea that  the country annonced in the 1990's they no longer needed the support, but would like to instead partner with Compassion to sponsor children in other countries. Compassion is able to impact these kids' lives in every area of need: health, education, environmental, social, economic & spiritual...they change the cousre of their lives!

I got to see examples of what life might be like for these kids. The shacks they live in, the trash heaps they scavenge in, the disturbing, heart breaking conditions. See the little truck on the table in the picture below? It's made from a bug spray can found in a dump. And, this one room shack barely large enough for a camp cot is home for a family of 5 or 6 most times.

But, I also got to see what a typical Child Development Center looks like. With actual toys, clean clothes, shoes, toothbrushes & clean water. I got to look through a case file like those kept on each child in the program & see how that little girl progressed. And, I got to see all the art work hung in the halls of Compassion's facility. Artwork full of color, joy, & hope from kids all over the world! Kids who have amazing talents, who have dreams, who laugh & play & get hungry & tired just like every other kid on the planet. It was totally inspirational, & totally strengthened my resolve to be Buni's sponsor until she graduates, God willing. This year has gone by so fast, & as Christmas approaches I'm so thankful for that concert, that envelope, & that little girl.

I also got to see my mom decide to become a sponsor herself. I was so grateful in that moment that Buni was chosen for me & I didn't have the enormous task of trying to choose from the multitude of children who need sponors. In the end my mom found two little guys to love, & nearly brought our tour guide to tears because she was the first person she'd ever had ask to sponsor a kid right there on the spot. I feel like a proud Aunt (a little too old to feel like a sister!) & am already finding stickers & little things for her to send her kiddos too. They're 5 year old boys, any suggestions?

In between the rain & the sun, the sneezing & the laughing...in between the graduation & the Indy race & the pizza eating...we were weekending...

The tomato seeds I found lingering in a drawer from two years ago, the ones I dropped in a pot without expectation of sprouting did just that. And so much more. Soon they'll go outside to continue their growing.
The Basil I discovered at the same time is struggling, but still going.

The tiny water leak we've know about for a few months is finally getting tunnelled to. Slowly. Now that the ground is both thawed & diggable. Thank you, rain.

The second of three Knit For Kids sweaters was finally completed after many months of being only half done. One more & a box will be shipped.
 
Special gifts are being made for a wedding celebration later this year.
More plans for gathering were made for later this week.
Prayers were said, errands were run, TV was watched, a new restaurant discovered, camera batteries died & have yet to be recharged...
These are the moments of our weekend.
How was yours?

Like most of you my heart breaks for the people of Japan. As their world has been turned upside down, as they face devastation & struggle to move forward in the aftermath of the earthquake & tsunami my heart goes out to them.

But I want to do more.
Not only do I have the privilege to go down on my knees in prayer for that great nation I also have a chance to support relief efforts with my craft.
I recently had a cousin head to Haiti to use her nursing skills to help the people there. She wrote that the experience was an amazing one & that the group she travelled with was exceptional. She went with Samaratian's Purse & had high praise for that organization.  That is why I have chosen them out of the many wonderful organizations to support.

100% of the sales from the Wraps on this site will be donated to Samaritan's Purse  & 100% of the sales from the Oh My Owls snack bags from my Etsy shop will also be donated.

I know that this small amount of aid is but a drop in the bucket to the need, but every drop helps. If you would like to help here are a few more organizations providing aid:

Global Giving
American Red Cross
World Vision 

You can give to several aiding organizations directly from your Paypal account & even straight from your cell phone! To give to the Red Cross donate $10 per message by texting REDCROSS to 90999. The Salvation Army is also collecting donations, you can text QUAKE to 80888 to give $10 per message.
Or head over to Etsy & enter 'Help Japan' in the search field & give while you shop.

However you send your heart, whether it is with your wallet or your prayers I pray you are blessed in return. It really is such a very, very small World.

Blessings on you, sweet readers!

The last of the comfort scarves are DONE!
OK, the last of the ones made from the kits I got are done. Not the last ones ever. :)

The knitting was completed this week with Penny getting bored at watching the needles click. She even gave me a dirty look when one of the yarn balls rolled into her face as I unwound it. I think she was annoyed because is was in my lap & she wasn't allowed to lay on top of it.

Two more scarves to go into the mail tomorrow on their way to California & to a couple of very special women.

Of the five scarves I made this one is my favorite-

The yarn was just lovely, it has speckles of green & blue in the cream sections.

Here is what I learned about Handmade Especially For You as I completed my scarves...

Leslye, my contact & the leader of this massive endeavor is so sweet & just wonderful to communicate with. When I contacted her for kits she only asked for a little money to help with shipping costs. She sent me a large box with 5 kits in it & each kit contains the yarn & directions & tag for one scarf.

Even though it has taken me several months to complete all my kits she has never pressured me to send them back faster. She did ask for any completed scarves to be sent in at the end of last year so that they could meet their 10,000 distributed scarves goal. Instead of waiting for all of the kits to be completed - just one scarf got them that much closer to the big finish for 2010.

And, they totally met the goal!
In her newsletter update she said:
"We delivered 650 comfort scarves in December which made our total 10,000 for 2010. We delivered comfort scarves to every one of the 27 shelters for abused women in Los Angeles County , as well as 4 shelters in Orange County , and 2 shelters in San Diego County."

What did I contriibute to the cause?
My time & MAYBE $15 for shipping between the donation to get my kits to me & the postage to send them back. Really - not too much. But, every little bit helps & the women who get my scarves get a little bit of love all the way from Colorado.

If you'd like to join the cause just head on over to the HEFY website & ask Leslye to send you a few kits. (Or, read the scarf guidelines & use up your stash!) There is no pressure to be fast, no pressure to constantly ask for more kits. I plan to work my way through creating for &/or giving to all of the Create & Giveback causes & so it might be several more months or even a year before I cycle through & get back to this one. And, that's OK, like I said - every little bit helps. :)

If you know of a cause I should add to the Create & Giveback page please contact me with the info. It's always great to find new & creative ways to help!

Blessings on your week, sweet readers!

If you've ever explored my site you might have noticed the little section header that says "Create & Give Back"...

On that page I link to several different organizations that offer you the opportunity to be crafty & creative & help others at the same time. You can knit sweaters, scarves, hats, make dolls, or quilts & then send them out into the world to bless someone else.

Thus far I have only had the time to get involved with creating for two of these groups myself - I have make a Knit For Kids sweater (have a second one on the needles) & am working on comfort scarves for Handmade Especially For You. There are days I wish I had a few more hands so I could work on both my own projects & the projects for all of these organizations at the same time. So, as I await major medical & science breakthroughs to help me with that I just pick a few things I can do in the right now & get to it.

I contacted Leslye over at Handmade & asked for a few scarf kits to be sent to me, she has a 10,000 scarf goal this year (last year over 6,500 were sent out) that I am helping to meet with my stitching. She sent me 5 scarf kits & I had thought I needed to finish all 5 before I sent them back. But, I got an email yesterday that says they are about 650 scarves from meeting the goal. 650 by the end of the year & they need each & every ONE they can get.

So, I packed up my two completed scarves last night to get them in the mail today. I wish I could be there when one of the women receiving a scarf puts on her handmade gift for the first time. How special that moment must be!

Leslye could always use a few more hands. She is looking to expand Handmade & working on getting federal grants to move her massive in house operation to a larger space. She receives donated yarn, creates kits (which includes pre-wound yarn, instructions, & a tag for each scarf), ships kits, receives finished scarves, & sends finished scarves out to shelters all from her home & the homes of a couple of freinds. It is a massive undertaking just keeping up with it all & I commend her for doing such an amazing job. She even sends out periodic email newsletters to let us know of school groups joining the effort & where we all are in the process.

If you are looking for a new project & want to help out by knitting or crocheting a scarf you can find everything you need to know about Handmade right here. If you aren't sure if scarf making is for you there a several other creative options available through any of the groups on this page. And, last but not least, if you know of an organization I should add to my list for Create & Give Back please post the link in the comments so I can find them.

Sometimes the easiest way to feel blessed is by blessing others.
Or, you could put it this way...We are blessed to be a blessing. :)