First donation received from Making Memories!
This is a post showing the donations I’ve received (as they arrive) for the auction to raise funds for me to deliver Anita’s scrapbook to her. If you are a new reader of my blog and don’t know who Anita is, go read my previous post here and find out all about it. I will be auctioning off scrapbooking supplies that have been donated for that purpose in March.
Seriously, Making Memories is one of my FAVORITE scrapbooking companies, and I’m not just saying that because I’m getting ready to show you a TON of stuff they sent me. I actually asked them to donate first because they are my favorite, and they were the first to send me something. Within 5 days of asking, I had a box on my front porch full of stuff. Check it out.
That’ 5 each of everything you see here. Here is a better look.
**Subscribe to the blog by filling out your email above on the top of the column to the right to receive updates about other donations as they come in and get notification when the auction begins in March.
Filed under AUCTION | Comments (2)A plan is in motion….
Remember my story about Anita? This story is near and dear to my heart. If you haven’t read it yet, click on that link and then come back here when you’re done. It’s okay; I’ll wait for you. I need to ask you for a favor, though, sshhh…..don’t tell Anita because it’s a surprise.
The shortened version would be this: I read a very brief story in May about Anita in a magazine newsletter (Scrapbook & Cards Today). Her friend had entered her in a contest to win scrapbooking supplies because she’d been too sick and worn out from fighting cancer to make any pages or scrapbooks for her youngest child of 3 years. When I read that, it spoke to me. It touched me. I go along my way in life, doing what I always do, working, taking care of my daughter, slogging along in my boring existence. This thing somehow touched me deep in my heart. I can’t describe it, really. And I couldn’t stop thinking about how she was fighting for her life and she had this 3-year-old little girl who had no scrapbooks of herself, no photo records of her and her family, her and her mother. And it just bothered me. It made me want to DO SOMETHING. I wanted that little girl to have a scrapbook. I contacted the magazine and eventually got in touch with Anita and began corresponding via emails. She was so happy that I offered to make her a scrapbook. And it’s not just me. I asked 7 of my scrapbooker friends to help make the pages. We live scattered across the United States. Some of us have met in person, but most of us have not. Anita sent me 150 photos and I divided them up and sent them to 5 different states to my friends, who have making scrapbook pages with them since September. I can’t even tell you how good this makes me feel, that this dream of mine to help Anita is becoming a reality. I feel proud that we friends have banded together for this cause that is bigger than us, that we have joined forces to help this woman, this momma, who is fighting a battle that no woman should have to fight. I hate cancer!
My friends and I are featured in Creating Keepsakes magazine in their February 2009 issue (page 91)! Out on newstands now–check us out! I’m happy that my friends get a public thank you and that someone else may be inspired by us to help someone, but my dream and ultimate goal is to be able to deliver this scrapbook to Anita in person. I feel such a connection to this woman, such a strong desire to meet her and see her face when I put this scrapbook, this labor of love, into her hands. And I want this to be a SURPRISE visit. How fun is that?
Back in November I put her address into Mapquest just for the heck of it and discovered that she is an 8-hour drive from my house. I couldn’t believe my eyes! That is totally do-able. But I am not a rich woman. It’s 940 miles round trip and entails gas money, renting a car, staying at a hotel, passport, etc. I have been talking to friends & family about donating gas cards to my cause (I got a couple from Santa at Christmas), and someone suggested I contact my favorite manufacturers that I’ve been using in my scrapbooks and that we have all been using in this book for Anita and ask for their help. This was not my intention when I first began this project, but I am willing to do whatever I have to for help in getting the job done. However, the donations are not flying into my mailbox and I realized I have lots of etsy shops I’ve ordered cool stuff from that might like some publicity, and that there are some awesome scrapbooker celebrities out there that are generous and that scrapbookers in general just ROCK and might have supplies lying around or an extra $1 to spare.
So my favor is this …….Would you be willing to help me make this trip by donating something? There’s a “donate” button at the top of the column on the right if you’ve got an extra buck to donate to my Paypal account (it’s a secure transaction). Got some supplies lying around that are doubles and you could spare one? I’m trying to gather donations of supplies that I can then pool into a huge pile and auction off on ebay or have several smaller little auctions to raise money to fund the trip. I don’t really know what I’m doing because I’ve never done this before, so if you have a brilliant idea feel free to donate THAT to me also!
My friend Dona’s parents started out my little fundraiser by donating $100 to me, and I will forever be grateful to them for that. It allowed me to get my passport, which was exactly $100 believe it or not. So I’m off to a good start! But I still need help so if any of you readers want to and are able, just use the contact link up in the right top corner of this page or feel free to email me at kcsummerrose@avenuebroadband.com.
And if you’re a scrapbooker and want to bid on the auction, check back. If you go up to the top of the column on the right under the donate button, you can subscribe to my blog and get updates as I plan and announce when exactly the auction is and post a list here of what will be in it. I have begun the auctions already, and will be adding new auctions every Sunday. The trip is scheduled for the 3rd week of March!
Right now the donations so far are:
Making Memories sent a box full of stuff! (website here) See photos on my blog here.
Cathy Zielske from Simple Scrapbooks fame is sending one of her books. (Her blog is here.)
Shabby Chic Crafts agreed to donate some of their awesome tags. I have purchased them in the past and love them. They’re top quality. The website is here.
Adornit ~ Carolee’s Creations sent a box of products. Their website is here.
Karen Foster Design donated a box full of products! Their website is here. See photos on my blog here.
Reminisce agreed to donate some products. Their website is here.
Jennifer McGuire from Hero Arts and Creating Keepsakes magazine sent me 5 Hero Arts clear stamp sets! Her blog is here. See photos on my blog here.
Angie from the ScrapScene blog is donating 3 e-books - “Scrapping Spring”, “Mini Book Projects”, and “Scrappy Gifts. I subscribe to this blog and love all the information and cool projects that are always on there. The blog is here.
Shimelle Laine is donating 2 spots in 2 of her online classes later this year (”Learn Something New” in September and “Journal Your Christmas” in December). I have taken several of her classes and love them. I also love reading her blog. Her website is here.
Dorothy McCarthy sent a box of scrapbook supplies and the tool she invented, 2nd Chance. Her blog is here. You can go there to watch a video of how her tool works. You can see photos of what she sent on my blog here.
Kelly Panicci from SandyLion sent a box of products from her new line His and Hers. I love this line! Her website is here. You can see what she sent on my blog here.
Kelly McMaster from Keep In Touch Card Shop is sending some products. (she has awesome kits) Her website is here.
Kelly Purkey who’s a 2Peas Garden Girl and and American Crafts design teamer is donating a copy of her Creating Keepsakes book called “Month by Month Scrapbooking” ! Her blog is here.
I’m sure getting lucky with the “Kellys” in the scrapbooking world, aren’t I? Must be somethin’ special about that name! It means they’re nice, of course!
Donna Downey donated a green (of course) Inspired event tote bag.
My scrapper friends Jill Brush and Thea White donated some scrapbooking supplies.
Big Picture Scrapbooking donated 5 passes to Stacy Julian’s “Glimpses” class.
Noell Hyman donated a membership to Paperclipping.com.
Elizabeth Dillow donated a TON of supplies. I can’t believe the generosity of this girl!
Filed under AUCTION, Projects | Comments (5)I am in Creating Keepsakes February 2009 issue!
Remember the story I told here about Anita?
I organized a group of girls that I’ve met online who are scrapbookers and we have been working on pages for Anita in Canada. She’s been fighting breast cancer and hasn’t had the time or energy to do any pages for her youngest daughter who is 3. So I decided to do something about it.
Creating Keepsakes was doing a story about people who have used their passion for scrapbooking to do good for others and they put a story about me and some of my friends in the February 2009 issue.
Check us out on page 91 I think! I haven’t gotten mine in the mail yet but it’s on newstands. I am SO upset about that right now!
I am so excited right now I can hardly stand it!
**edited to add 1/20/09** Just wanted to let you all in on a little secret. I am planning a trip to personally deliver the scrapbook my friends and I have made to Anita in Canada. It ends up she’s only an 8-hour drive from my house so it can be a weekend trip. I am planning to go in April after Anita has recuperated from another surgery. Right now I am e-mailing scrapbook companies and scrapbook celebrities and my favorite etsy shops that sell cool stuff for scrapbooks and asking everyone for donations that I can pool together into a huge pile and auction off on ebay to help fund my trip. A lot of the company’s answers have been NO. Bummer. My good friend Dona’s dad donated $100 to me and I got my passport with that, which helped a lot! I had no idea they were so expensive. But I have to rent a car, book a hotel, pay for gas, etc. so it adds up. If there are any scrappers out there who have some extra supplies lying around you’d like to donate, please email me at kcsummerrose@avenuebroadband.com or use the contact form link up there in the top right corner of this page. Tell your friends! I also have a donate button up above and a bit to the right for anyone who wants to and can afford to donate a couple bucks to my cause. Or gas cards! This wasn’t really my intention to begin with, and I don’t really know what I’m doing here because I’ve never done anything like it before, so right now I’m just in “begging for help” mode. :) Any of you have a brilliant idea, contact me!
Filed under Life | Comments (5)Pinch me! I’m going to CHA
I know, if some of you were here, you actually WOULD pinch me!
Do you know what CHA is? Well, I know the scrapbookers who read this KNOW what it is. But for you friends of mine who have no idea, it’s the Craft & Hobby Association. They put on a huge sort of trade show/exhibit type thing twice a year, once in Anaheim, California and once in Chicago, Illinois. Winter CHA and Summer CHA. It’s for companies who do production and sales of craft supplies to set up booths and show their new products to buyers, suppliers, retailers, manufacturers, professional crafters, etc.
Anyway, in normal terms, it’s a BIG DEAL. You have to be a member to attend and have paid your dues for that year. There are lots of requirements to be a member. If you aren’t a member, I think they let you in for a ticket price of $150.00.
Soooo……I’m not actually going to CHA in person, but a part of me is. Remember this project?
I wrote about it before. It’s the altered bra I made for an October contest (which I didn’t win dammit) and in November when CHA was taking submissions for a “regular” person (not a professional) for crafty items they had made, I submitted my bra and got chosen to have it displayed at CHA in Anaheim, California. They told me to make a press sheet with all my info on it and they would put a stack of them with my project for industry people to take with them if they’d like to contact me for a job or a project or whatever.
Again, it’s a BIG deal. Last year at the California show, 16,000 people attended it. That’s the number of people who could potentially see my project. In my little scrapbooking world, that’s pretty cool. The only thing cooler would be if I could attend CHA in California to SEE it for myself and take photos of it displayed (for my scrapbook of course). So if any of you scrapbookers or crafters are reading this, take a photo for me (and a press sheet so you can see my email address to send it)
