donation project idea

I am always looking for different ways to volunteer.  In my experience, volunteering is always rewarding but even more so when you are doing something you love.

So when I received a flyer in the mail from my church asking for donations of stuffed animals, books, and blankets (they can be handmade!), I was totally in.  I have been looking for a way to make volunteer work a regular part of our lives, something more than just the occasional bake sale or random monetary donation. 

I participate in two walks for different causes each year, but other than those we really don't have a cause that speaks to us more than any other.  So in order to explore different causes that can use the kind of help that we can offer, we are implementing a

"Donation Project of the Quarter."

Choosing a cause each quarter will ensure that we keep others' needs in mind throughout the year.
In order to make this idea official, I created this board to display our chosen donation project and hung it in my craft area.

This quarter's project is Project Night Night.  I will pick up two bags from my church and fill each with a stuffed animal, a book, and a (handmade) blanket.  The bags will be donated to children at a local homeless shelter to offer comfort during their difficult time.  For this project I recruited my sister, Laura, to help fill the bags.  While I'm busy constructing the blankets, she will choose the books (one of her favorite pastimes) and the stuffed animals.

We have until the end of March to hand over our donations so please stay tuned for the results.  I am very excited about this donation project because I get to do something I truely enjoy that will help comfort two small children.

accordian album {sisters}

I spent this past weekend digging through boxes of craft supplies that I stored away when we first moved here almost 4 years ago.  Let me tell you, it was like hitting the craft store jackpot (well, not quite as good because there was no fabric but I did find a few full spools of thread!).

In addition to finding all kinds of supplies, I also found some of my earlier crafts.  For a while before we moved here, I was really into scrapbooking and paper crafts of all kinds.  Someday I will get around to paper crafting again, but I thought I would share one of my favorite projects that I completed more than 4 years ago.

This project was inspired from a book called Creative Albums by Donna Downey.  Donna is the best I've ever seen at combining photos and journaling in unique ways.

I used one photo for this entire project, a photo of me and my sisters and niece (we really look nothin alike).  I simply cropped the photo to each of our faces for the tags and used the computer to print the chosen adjective (I very much dislike my handwriting).

This album folds up with a tie to store away, but once I have my dream craft room, there will be no need for that tie.  I think the inside is too pretty to hide away.