With the recent quakes and heart-breaking devastation in Haiti. I stop and think to myself...What a rich and beautiful life that I have. I am not referring to monetary wealth. I am referring to the wealth of security, family, friends,resources, support, happiness, and just the basic necessities that I/we possess. I can truly say that I have not been in any kind of situation that would compare to the desperation of the the people of Haiti must feel. When I reflect upon all of this, I realize that I am "rich" and blessed with opportunity that these people may never possess.

To rebuild, refurbish and provide these people with just solely the basics will demand a lot of dedication, resources and funds. I know that my contribution can help and may make only a small dent,but it will make a difference and so can your donation. There are so many agencies out there willing to give of their time and aide. If you are interested in donating to the cause here are a few resources that I found online via USA TODAY:

Disaster relief and non-governmental organizations:

Action Against Hunger has mobilized an emergency response and has teams already on the ground, assessing and responding to needs;

You can make a donation through the American Red Cross' International Response Fund, and it will be allocated specifically for Haiti relief efforts;

CARE, a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty, also needs donations for its on-ground work in Haiti;

The Clinton Bush Haiti Fund brings together President Bill Clinton and President George W. Bush (at the request of President Barack Obama) to raise funds for high-impact relief for the long-term. Doctors Without Borders needs donations to provide crucial medical treatment and supplies;

Habitat for Humanity has been working in Haiti for 26 years and will be sending a team to assess the impact on affordable housing after the earthquake. The Lions Clubs International Foundation is working through local Lions clubs members in Haiti. To make an online donation, go here and select Disaster, including "LCIF Haiti Earthquake Relief" in the comments section;

Mercy Corps has a way for you to donate your money straight to its efforts in Haiti.

The Pan American Development Foundation is the disaster relief arm of the Organization of American States. It has been in Haiti for over 30 years, and currently has over 150 people on the ground there.

Project HOPE, which provide medical supplies and health care services to those in need, is seeking donations for its aid efforts in Haiti.

Save the Children says that at least 2 million children or more have been affected by the earthquake. Donate online or by phone at 1-800-728-3843 to support their efforts to help Haitian children and families.

UNICEF is working hard to help Haiti's children. To donate to its ongoing emergency relief efforts, visit the website or call 1-800-4UNICEF;
Staff from the United Nations Foundation is currently on the ground, and its United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) is accepting donations toward these relief and recovery efforts.



You may want to consider donating with TEXT format. Here are a few options. This is a quick way to get your $ working.

Text HAITI to 25383 to donate $5 to International Rescue Committee
Text CARE to 25383 to donate $10 to CARE
Text QUAKE to 20222 to donate $10 to the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund
Text OXFAM to 25383 to donate $10 to Oxfam International
Text AJWS to 25383 to donate $10 to American Jewish World Service
Text HABITAT to 25383 to donate $10 to Habitat for Humanity
Text BABY to 20222 to donate $5 to March of Dimes
Text GIVEto 25383 to donate $10 to Partners in Health
Text HAITI to 90999 to donate $10 to the American Red Cross
Text HAITI to 864833 to donate $5 to The United Way
Text SAVE to 20222 to donate $10 to Save the Children

I have provided many avenues in which to choose to donate. You may have already donated and bless you for that. Perhaps you can pass this info on to another person. I let my sons each choose a charity to make a donation to help the victims in Haiti. I thought that it was a good idea to let them be a part of it, to teach them that they can help make change by getting involved and to shine a light on the fact that they are very fortunate to live such a blessed life.

The challenge for the next few weeks will be to do two things:
One to create a layout using one of these prompts:
Blessed with _________________ or Rich with ___________________. The other part of the challenge is to let us know where you donated or suggest another place to donate that has not been mentioned in this post. Please link your layout in your post,so that all can admire your work and get inspired.

Your layout can be light hearted or very meaningful. It is up to you..whatever you are inspired by ;0)
Here is my sample:


All participants that complete both challenges will be entered into a drawing to win one of these prizes.
Two winners will be randomly selected. This challenge will run from Friday Jan. 29 through Friday Feb. 12th. Winners will be announced on Sat. Feb 13th. Good luck to you, and thanks for helping make a difference. Please pass this info on and let's Scrap(pay)it forward!

((Big Hugs))
Christine

This is such a fun, busy time of the year for shopping and giving to our friends and family. It is also about celebrating and thinking of others. This month we are focusing on giving. Please make a project ( page layout, mini book, altered item) to document how you spend the holidays whether it be decortating a tree, singing songs, lighting candles, or time with special people, we want to see how you enjoy the month of December. As you are out shopping, please keep in mind, other people who are less fortunate, and do a little extra something special for them. Some ideas are: donate some spare change to the Salvation Army who stand in front of most grocery stores and large retail shops, or give a new toy for a toy drive. The local fire stations often collect toys for tots. If you aren't able to "give" anything financially, you can donate some extra clothes or household items to your local goodwill. We at Scrap It Forward want to combine the love of scrapbooking, with helping others. Whatever you decide to do, please let us know when you submit your challenge entry! Thank you for particiapting and helping someone else!!! Happy Holidays!

This challenge will run from today, December 14th until Wednesday, December 30th. Two winners will be selected on December 31st. We know that it is a busy time of year,but to get you in the mood, and those creative juices a flowing.... here are some sample layouts that Illyse and I did. AND if that doesn't get you going, check out the prizes below! :0)

Illyse's Layout


Christine's layout


PRIZES! PRIZES! PRIZES! OH DON"T YOU WANT SOME?



Thanks for all those who stop by, support us and play along. You make it all worthwhile and a lot of fun~ Happy Holidays!

Congratulations to Carla for winning our We Are So Very Thankful challenge. She made an adorable "Thankful" card. Carla, please send us an email with your address/contact information so we can send you your prize. Thank you to all of you who participated in this challenge. Be sure to check back because we will have another challenge soon!

During this time of year we often reflect upon the many gifts in our lives that we are thankful for. Many of us are so very blessed with family, caring friends and loved ones. We also may be thankful for the good fortune in our lives or for small gifts that may seem hidden to others. Whatever it may be, why don't you share it with us?
This challenge is simple, link a picture of your paper craft, layout..whatever you may choose, in your post of something that depicts your "thankfulness". The project must have the word "thankful" displayed on it somewhere. Along with your post, please tell us why/what you are thankful for this season.

Why do you want to do this? Well, first of all, sometimes it is good to take an inventory of your life and realize that even when things get tough..there is always something to be thankful for. Secondly, there is a prize involved..if you do both parts of the challenge, of course. So why not?

Here is the lovely RAK that you could win....

To inspire you here are a few examples from the design team :0)

Christine's Mini Book:

Illyse's Layout and Card:



To give you time during the holidays or perhaps even that dreaded Black Friday shopping, this challenge will run until Sat. Dec. 6th. A winner will be selected on Sunday the 7th. Now pass this on and lets spread the love and scrappy goodness!

AND LASTLY... HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

is....

STEPHANIE! Thank you so much for participating! You win girl! Please contact us with your mailing info and we will send your package right off! Woohoo WTG!

October is National Breast Cancer awareness month. Unfortunately
many of us know someone who has been touched by Breast cancer or have personally suffered from this disease. It affects many of us and as women we are all at risk. I have had 2 very good friends that were afflicted by this disease and thank goodness are also Breast Cancer Survivors. Compared to other cancers, breast cancer has a very high survival rate. However that doesn't change the need for more research to be conducted to help find better treatments and hopefully make this disease a thing of the past.

This month we are also going to focus on women and friendship(Young or old). Aside from treatment, friendship and love also give us the strength to carry on when things get tough. Please create a layout that is of just girls celebrating their friendship.
Include a link in your post to your layout for an entry into our random drawing.

Here are our samples:

This is me with a very good friend celebrating our friendship, her clean scans and being CANCER FREE!


Here is a wonderful layout that celebrates friendship. Girls we need our girlfriends..they give us strength. Look how young we start.....

But wait there's more! Any of you eat Yoplait yoghurt? Are you aware that in the month of October that the little foil lids on their yogurts are pink? There is a reason for that. Yopliat Yogurt donates 10 cents for every lid that they receive to the Susan G Komen Foundation. This money goes to research and support for breast cancer victims. To further explain here is something that I pulled from their website....

During our annual drive, for every pink lid you send in by December 31, 2009 Yoplait® will donate 10 cents to Susan G. Komen for the Cure®, up to $1.5 million. And we guarantee a donation of at least $500,000. So grab your friends, coworkers, yoga class or neighbors and start getting involved today.

Use our tools, start a team or just pick up a spoon and you can help fight breast cancer. Every lid matters.

So want an extra entry into our little drawing for the think pink prize? Just collect and thoroughly clean the lids, promise to send them in to either us or yoplait. If you choose to send them on your own please send us a photo or your stash. Here is where you can send them:
Save Lids to Save Lives®
P.O. Box 420704
El Paso, TX 88542-0704

OR

Scrap It Forward
2040 Brittany Place
Placentia CA 92870

Please support this cause and spread the word. You could even collect them at work..just put a Manila envelope in the staff lounge.
Just go to http://www.yoplait.com/slsl/#/tools to print out a poster/flier.

Want to see the pink goodies that one lucky winner will receive?

Not bad eh? Come and join the fun! Let's help make a difference!

Sara and Cheryl. We did a random drawing and you were the lucky ones! Please contact us so (via our email addy in the upper right hand corner of our page)that we can send off your prize. We also want to say thank you to Irit all the way from Israel for taking part in our challenge! We are so excited to see participants from other countries! Wow you made our day!

Check back in the next few days for a new challenge!