DECEMBER MISSION: ACCOMPLISHED! $188 to help in the fight againt pediatric cancer!

The totals are in!  Being sent in the mail tomorrow is a check for $188.00, to Alex's Lemonade Stand, in memory of Tate Begger.  THANK YOU to everyone for every single purchase you made in support of this fundraiser.  All of the profits (and most costs!) have been allocated to ALS. 

Due to the popularity of "Tate's Lemonade Necklace" and "Tate's Pink Lemonade Necklace", I have decided to keep these two necklaces available for sale, with $10 from every sale being designated to Alex's Lemonade Stand.  So, if December 28 (and 2009!) came and went for you, don't fret, you can still participate in the fight against pediatric cancer and sport a really neat necklace at the same time.

Also, I want to say I had planned to do a lot more for this fundraiser - I still have oodles of materials sitting in my studio just waiting to be made into something special.  However, the daily life of being a mother and wife and business-owner during the Christmas rush got the better of me.  So, instead of feeling badly, I've come to the realization that SOMETHING is better than nothing.  Often, we stop right in our tracks because we believe "we can't do enough" or "what can I really do".  Do something.  Do anything!  You don't have to save all the starfish on the beach, just one at a time.  God bless you all this holiday season!

I'll be back soon to announce the January Mission...  Thanks everyone!!

More items to be listed this Saturday & Sunday (Dec 12-13) for Alex's Lemonade Stand fundraiser!

Thanks everyone, for your patience in waiting for the full line to be available for the fundraiser for Alex's Lemonade Stand!  I've been swamped in Christmas orders for my jewelry business and have been burning the candle at both ends. But now that the international shipping deadline (Dec. 11) has come and gone (a vast majority of my market is overseas) - my little fingers will have time to finally get back to work on this awesome December Mission!

Stay tuned this weekend for more repurposed Lego minifigures such as Harry Potter and NBA guys, some pretty flower drop earrings (yes lego makes adorable little flowers!) and even some sewing projects with this great Japanese fabric I found with a lego-theme!

Back to work for me now... round 2 of the December Mission coming soon :)

Book, DVD, CD drive for US Troops - October MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!

BOOK, DVD, CD DRIVE FOR US TROOPS (October Mission)

Sitting back and thinking about this drive, and the idea that we might just make the day of 156 soldiers serving overseas this holiday season - the idea that we help to achieve this literally moved me to tears.  Collectively, we have gathered 888 books, DVDs, and CDs, for the Holiday Care Packages being sent to our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.  That comes out to over 5 books, CDs, and/or DVDs PER SOLDIER - just based on our donations alone!! That - is - INCREDIBLE!   On December 16, MSOE is going to pack up 156 individually-addressed Priority Mail boxes that will include handwritten letters, books, DVDs, CDs, candy, and a variety of other items the soldiers themselves have requested.  This is an amazing project, but not NEARLY as amazing as what each and every soldier gives of him or herself every single day. 

Special thanks to the Maple Dale - Indian Hill School District (723 items!!),  the Schlitz Audubon Nature Preschool in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (109 items), and the Milwaukee West Chapter of Mothers & More (45 items).  Once again, thanks too, to my family and friends who donated what they could as well.

MSOE (the Milwaukee School of Engineering) deserves noted recognition and a very sincere thanks for their ongoing efforts in recognizing the dedicated service of our troops.  This is the second drive that I've had the opportunity to assist with, and I hope to assist with many more in the future as it keeps me connected to the reality of war and the sacrifices so many men and women make for the safety of each and every one of us.

 

But wait..., you might be asking, what about this business of the Maple Dale-Indian Hill School District Superintendant kissing a pig if at least 500 items were collected?!  Well, they blew past that goal with a whopping 743 items!!  So, the task now is to find that lucky pig... and of course I want to get local new coverage of it!  Stay tuned for any updates on could be the next Must-See-TV!!

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO PARTICIPATED!  

And THANK YOU to each and every service man and woman who is serving, or has served, for the freedom of our country!

Soles4Souls - November MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

Well, the first two months of missions (which both ran October - November) are completed and the final totals are in!!

SOLE4SOULS (November Mission):
Are you ready for this?  With our Thanks4Giving drive for Soles4Souls, 213 men, women, and children will be receiving a pair of new or gently used shoes.  Yes, that's TWO HUNDRED & THIRTEEN pairs of shoes!  Boots, sneakers, dress shoes, you name it.

Special thanks to the Milwaukee West Chapter of Mothers & More (40 pairs), Bonaventure Senior Residence in Billings, Montana (52 pairs), and the Schlitz Audubon Nature Preschool in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (99 pairs).  Many thanks too, to my family and friends who donated what they could as well.

And again, a very sincere note of appreciation to Stan's Fit for Your Feet footwear in Glendale (Milwaukee) Wisconsin.  They have generously accepted ALL our donations and will be sending them to the Soles4Souls warehouse for us.  Please keep in mind Stan's as a year-round drop-off location for Soles4Souls, and of course as a great please to shop for when YOU need new shoes!

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO PARTICIPATED - you HAVE made a difference!!!