A Beautiful Idea

My heart goes a flutter when I find great sites like these...how wonderful that these are out there! And thank goodness for people like Evie Shaffer, aka evie s. Be sure to check out her sites when you have a chance.

Here's a summary of A Beautiful Idea:

ABOUT ::
My name is Evie Shaffer, and I’m an artist. I blog about beautiful things, crafts, and inspiration and also run an etsy shop.

As an artist, I’ve struggled with the “why” behind the creative urges I have — to be used for something more than myself or for profits. I’ve longed for a greater purpose. I know I am not the only artist who feels this way. That’s why I created A Beautiful Idea.

As a friend of mine said it so perfectly, “how can God use artists to meet real needs in practical ways? Cuz my creative gifts seem futile up against a hurting world. Help!”

My hope and prayer is that A Beautiful Idea will motivate artists to use their gifts to change the world.

HOW IT WORKS ::
Artists partner with A Beautiful Idea and create a product(s). They sell it and donate the money to our current charity via A Beautiful Idea’s donation center. It is really that simple.

If you are an artist, create. If you are an art lover, support A Beautiful Idea by buying our artists’ products, donating to our current charity, and spreading the word.

As she notes on her site...

That's a HUGE impact! Thanks for your vision Evie - we wish you only great success.

(Images and summary content courtesy of A Beautiful Idea)

The Power of Half

I picked up this book at the local library after becoming intrigued by the story I saw featured on the news. The Power of Half is the story about one family's decision to stop taking and start giving back. The idea was born when Hannah, then fourteen years old, witnessed a homeless man and another man driving an expensive vehicle in her neighborhood. She said to her father, "If that man had a less nice car, then the other man could have a meal." Quite a deep thought for a fourteen year old, I thought. The whole family got on board with Hannah's aha moment and decided to put their large home up for sale agreeing to donate half the profit to charity. I'm sure I'll finish the book in a day or two...it such a great thought philosophy to read about. For each copy of their book that is sold, $1 will be donated to Rebuilding Together, serving America's low-income homeowners and providing critical repairs at no charge to those with the greatest need. For their family project, they are investing in The Hunger Project. Visit their blog for more ideas for projects of your own. Kudos to the Salwen Family - what a great example!

After experiencing seven months of unemployment and living very frugally, we have been finally blessed with a job offer that will require yet another move. With this move, as with the last, my focus is to simplify. When you are forced to move, you realize how much 'stuff' you accumulate...and for what?!? To move it again? My goal is to sort and purge what we have and donate to those less fortunate. Once we are on our feet again, I am hoping to practice this same frugality we embraced through our months of unemployment. Live in excess no more. Give more of myself and more to charity, not necessarily money, but talent and service when and how I'm able. Lead by example as others learn by example. Develop an attitude of gratitude. Take nothing for granted. In the end, it's not how much you give; it's how much your giving changes your life and the lives of others.

What are some ways you give...time, talent, service? Remember to pay it forward.

(Image courtesy of Amazon.com)

GAP Give and Get Results

I got an email awhile back that I have been wanting to share with you regarding the amazing results of people taking the time to participate in the GAP Give and Get annual program. A certain percentage of your purchases goes toward a charity of your choice. We purchased some basic items that we needed and felt good that a certain portion was going to the charity we chose. I can proudly say that I contributed from my purchase to Feeding America; a lot of my friends participated as well - the results are posted below. A little bit goes a long way and every little bit counts - over $2 million dollars were raised total for the charities listed both in the US and Canada, with just over $450K going to Feeding America. A job well done - THANK YOU participants!

GAP Give and Get = Shopping Karma

I absolutely LOVE this promo - it's a great idea and I participate in it every year. GAP offers a Give and Get coupon - 30% off of anything for 4 days - with 5% going to the charity of YOUR choice (they have a group you get to pick from and they are all worthy charities). You can send an invite to participate to 25 of your friends - if they buy, 5% of their purchase will be donated to that charity of your choice. Although 5% isn't a ton, there is a domino effect going on here and as they say, every little bit adds up.

I urge you to participate in this when it rolls around next time - keep your eyes peeled. Here's a sampling for what I got for just about $60 with the 30% OFF! Three basic layering shirts for me (came to $8.75 for the Favorite tees and $10.50 for the gray super soft tee), uber cute legwarmers for Miss Gabi (hello, $7!) and some new cologne for the hubs (under $20). Right now, they have an online special running through November 22nd. Get 25% off your entire purchase (regularly priced items only) by entering GIFT123 at checkout (some exclusions apply - check the website for full details).


(Images courtesy of GAP)