Project Scrap Organization: Still Purging & another From Our Hearts Card Contribution

Someone has certainly lit a fire under my ass because I've been purging and organizing at a record rate these past two months.

I've watched enough Clean Sweep episodes that the following mantra is now my personal mantra:

If I haven't used it within the last 6 months, it's getting tossed.  I simply want minimalism and the peace and order it will bring into my life.  

 
So guess what? I started going through boxes in the garage.  Do I seriously need bank statements and receipts from 1997? Why am I storing boxes and boxes of empty photo albums, candles, xmas ornaments, linen, curtains, etc.   Yes, I just shed approximately 30 boxes of emotional and psychological weight out of my life!! 

I've come across another fabulous non-profit organization to donate to in addition to the ones I found last year. 

• Out of the Closet Thrift Stores is a nonprofit chain of thrift stores owned and operated by AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), a Los Angeles-based global organization that provides medical, preventative, and educational resources for patients. AHF is the nation's largest non-profit HIV/AIDS healthcare, research, prevention, and education provider. Out of the Closet thrift stores generate income to help fund the medical services AHF provides for those patients who are unable to pay. Proceeds from Out of the Closet Thrift Stores directly benefit AHF.

I've driven past this thrift store for literally the past year on my way to my Bikram studio when I finally had the time to pop in while waiting for car repairs a few blocks away the first week of June.

I loved the vibe of the store, the employees, and the very obvious bold positive signs promoting SAFE and HEALTHY LIFESTYLE PRACTICES.  The fact that they help the community, i.e. those people who cannot afford basic medical care or preventative medicine, with information, products and healthcare really pulled my heartstrings.  These are the kinds of charity organizations I've always supported my entire life.

Well, I have A LOT of great stuff, of which the proceeds, could help this organization do their thing.  So yah, I've filled my car to the brim - trunk and the entire interior - and have made 4 car trips so far.

• Disney Scrapbooking for Make a Wish Foundation 

Back Story: So many years ago, I, along with a few other Peas saw Sheri A's (zooreturns) amazing Disney Scrapbooks for the Make a Wish Foundation (MAW). We contributed all sorts of hand made embellishments, supplies, etc towards the making of albums for kids who's last wish was to visit Disney World.  Sadly, as is with life, life catches up with all of us and Sheri was no longer able to continue the effort.


I found another pizza box full of Disney page kits, shakers, etc that I had been saving.  My style has changed since then, so instead of it going to waste, this was the impetus for my search of yet another MAW type organization which could put these to good use.

Via a quick google search, I found a new contact, Make-A-Wish Missouri, Southern Missouri Region, that is willing to take Disney related supply/completed page/album donations:

Ashley Kennedy
Make a Wish – Regional Office So Missouri
1510 W Elfindale
Springfield, MO 65807
(417) 873-9474

Their Disney Scrapbook Wish Page


Their Organization Website


Their Facebook Page


All that purging was A LOT of work and it's been overwhelming I'll admit.  So much so that I decided I needed a break from it all and do something I enjoy.

I decided to make up as many cards as I possibly could over the long 4th of July Holiday (I took Thurs and Fri off, so it became a 5 day weekend! Whoohoo!) to donate to the effort of From Our Hearts.

Lo and behold, my final tally was 184 cards total!  I don't even know how much card stock I used up too as a result.  It just felt great!

Here's what the top filled to the brim of the large flat priority box looks like:

And underneath all of those cards were these along with 5 spools of Bazzil ribbon that are also being donated:

These were

• more found card fronts,
• personally received handmade cards from friends that I repurposed, 
• cards I made for Design Team assignments
• cards I made using  paper piecing swap embellishments, i.e. the shaker cards that I thought would be fun for kids, and 
• cards I made from finally cracking open one of my Club Scrap kits I still have (actually I won it back in 2005 at a Scrapbook Expo since I've long sold off most, if not, all of my Club Scrap kits on ebay for a killing - I still thank my lucky stars I sold those off when I did when I could garner close to $80 for each of those retired kits.)
• cards that were incomplete from various classes, i.e. most likely convention/expo, CKU, Heidi Swapp events. 

So I'm definitely sticking with the New Years' resolutions I made in 2011 that I'm still upholding.

Here's my tally of my personal donations to From Our Hearts as of this posting:

• 2012  Donations = 150 Pens & 184 Cards
• 2011 Donations = 598 Card & Card Fronts
• 2010 Donations = 751 Card & Card Fronts + 4500 Envelopes

I urge you to take a look at From Our Hearts and see if you can donate too....cards, envelopes, clear envelopes or even paypal money to help them send those boxes of greeting cards to our troops. It's a small but heartfelt way to thank our troops for their service to our country.

 

From Our Hearts: Pen Donation

Like many of us, I'd imagine, most of us save and recycle where we can. I know I've gotten even more zealous with my recycling as of late with actually redeeming my bottles/cans/glass now for money. It makes a nice chunk of change for either a free lunch or some good laundry money. :)

One of the best recycling for money deals out there is at Staples for turning in your used printer ink cartridges. They used to be worth $3 each but now they're only $2 each; that's ok, it's better than nothing, right? So I save em up til I have about 10 at a time to redeem since 10 qty per month is the maximum. That way I get $20 to spend towards batteries, more ink cartridges, scrapping adhesives, etc.

Lately, I seem to be ok on my supplies, so I haven't needed to buy anything with my earned rewards. Instead of letting it expire, I redeemed my rewards for writing pens to donate to our troops stationed overseas. I also picked up a few packets of pens at my local 99 cent store, whenever I have any spare change.

I haven't contributed to From Our Hearts since this same time last year, and I haven't really been crafting so I thought to contribute 150 writing pens and a few note pads to their effort. From Our Hearts will send donated handmade greeting cards to our troops, but our men and women don't have anything to write with.

Here's my tally of my personal donations to From Our Hearts over the past couple of years:

• 2012  Donations = 150 Pens
• 2011 Donations = 598 Card & Card Fronts
• 2010 Donations = 751 Card & Card Fronts + 4500 Envelopes

I urge you to take a look at From Our Hearts and see if you can donate too....cards, envelopes, clear envelopes or even paypal money to help them send those boxes of greeting cards to our troops. It's a small but heartfelt way to thank our troops for their service to our country.

I need to find my scrapping mojo soon and whip up some new cards to donate.