Logo

After developing a rough draft of my image for a logo, I have turned the project over to a pro. Nick Autrey will be looking at my sketches, contributing his ideas, and hopefully will soon be able to bring all ideas together to complete the design. This will then be handed over to our amazing web developer who will use it to roll out the site he is working evenings and weekends to finish for us!

:)

Another first!

Today, out of the blue I received my first monetary contribution!!! Books will be purchased to go directly in the hands of children who need them.

Thank you for your compassion and know that this gift will ripple out far beyond those who initially receive their books.

:)

Mission, vision completed

After working through some mental block and challenges of working solo, I have brought together language that I am proud of and feel represents this organization.

I am forever grateful for those who have provided feedback and a compassionate ear to help me see outside of my box. They are very smart and very very busy people who continually show how much they care about me and the children around the world...

:)

Nonprofit Bootcamp

Just finished a whirlwind weekend in New York where I attended Craigslist Nonprofit Bootcamp! So many wonderful ideas, so many wonderful people.

It seems like there were 2 clear lines of thinking, while talking with individuals and also among presenters. Those that were very positive and placed their energy in helping you plan your next steps...realizing that they were YOUR steps, this was YOUR journey, and the decisions were YOURS. And then those, who probably needed a vacation...bless their hearts, who gave a bleak message. I think I would like to record them and then play it back for them and ask them if that is really what they needed to hear in order to be successful when they were first starting out? I know it was probably coming from good intentions, but, honestly, "Forget the idea and spend your time volunteering somewhere?"

Thanks to those who were interested and engaged, who encouraged and supported. For those who were quick to say, "Scrap the idea and go volunteer" maybe you should rethink the message that you are sending.

Thanks a million to Louis Miceli who was a cheerleader and gave me the strong shot in the arm that I needed after a morning of the "other types" of messages.

I have a lot of information to sort through, and I will be nibbling away at this in formation and implementing it over the next year, I am sure of that. I took great notes and cannot wait until the podcasts are up and I can revisit the sessions I was in and hear new insight from those I was not able to attend.

Thanks Craigslist for a dynamite experience and opportunity!

:)

A week of increible gifts and gratitude...

I received tremendous support and lots of great advice and ideas by meeting with Amy, Manager of St. Theresa's Textile Trove. Thanks, Amy! She has offered to help advertise my business through her store and mailing list....HUGE!

I have hit-the-wall with the words that have been swirling around my head to create mission, vision, mantra statements. I have put all of my brainstorming ideas into Google Docs and sent them off to my dearest friends who have encouraged and supported me in this venture. I am hopeful that they will be able to look at it with some fresh eyes and be able to pick up on some common threads. Thanks so much for you guidance, support, ideas Shelley, Sue, and Scott!

My sister Karen has also sent out my very first Call-to-Action by sending out an email to a longtime friends' mom, inquiring if she and the ladies at her church would be interested in sewing blankets or bags! YEAH! Thanks, big sis!

And finally, none of this would be happening at all if I did not have the unbelievable, unwavering, completely committed support of Ed. He listens to endless hours of ideas, helps weeds through the mental clutter of my tangled thoughts, provides amazing technical support, talks about these ideas with friends who might be able to lend some free expert advice, and knows when I am about to fry my brain thinking about all of this and like a super-hero, whisks me away to dinner, or a movie, or continually changes the subject so I can let down.... (how's that for the queen of run-on sentences!) You are my prince! Thank you...

Here's to next week...

:)

Designs...

I can sew a straight line, but am not designer but ANY stretch of the imagination. Sue and I have been working on creating a basic design and prototype for the bags, lovies, and blankets.

We have had great conversations about what should be in them. We have also had conversations about how to recruit volunteers, raise funds, and use the gorgeous fabric.

I have been listening to podcasts from Craigslist Foundation from their past boot camps on creating and sustaining non-profit businesses.

Always remaining joyful. Loving every minute of planning and creating this path. Trying hard not to get too overwhelmed. Remembering, "We make the road by walking."

:)

Logos...

Ed's friend, Rob, who is an artist and a business man, has generously offer to work on plans for the logo.

Incorporation of the major themes of sharing books, building community, and creating opportunity.

As soon as the logo is designed, you will see a new face to the website and I can order business cards,

And the generosity keeps going, and going, and going...

And I am am forever grateful!

:)

Another donation...

While looking for some support printing and developing a real logo and professional image, I was ecstatic to learn that I will be receiving another donation to support our work!

"If you build it, they will come..."

Thanks, MonkHelper, Sarah!

:)

The Website is here!

A MILLION thanks, Eddie...for all of your support, emotionally, spiritually, and technically!

You are wonderful!

:)

Still sorting fabric...

Okay, it has been over a week and we are still sorting through fabric trying to make create some order!

We have begun to sort by color and then patterns.

It is so exciting, overwhelming, exhausting...!!!!

:)

Our first donation

We received a HUGE donation of fabric from a local Interior Design firm who was discarding fabric and wallpaper samples! Unbelievably GORGEOUS fabrics, and so much I couldn't believe it!

The plan is to give the Head Start agency all they could use, however there was so much that they were not able to take it all so we both shared in the abundant donation. I made 3 trips to pick it all up and then Sue and I sorted through it all. We knew that the teachers and children would be delighted with all of the options of fabrics and paper for collage making, and we were thrilled at the material we thought we could put to good use!

:)

...and grows...

The books Scott recommended were great, and we also enjoyed Three Cups of Tea about Greg Mortensen building schools for girls in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Monumentally inspiring!

I met with my friend Sue today and shared the idea. She was also on board and offered to by on the Board! I signed her up over a cup of tea. We decided to meet weekly to play with fabric ideas, blanket and bag designs, and discuss general "Board-stuff!"

:)

The circle grows...

So today while having a deep conversation about education with my friend Scott, I told him about my plan. I gave him all of the details and then said, "I need to do this. It's just time." He simply responded, "Then you have to." And I knew that it was true.

So I laid out the plans, and he said, "So you are Sewing the Seeds of Literacy!" And I knew that was it!

He also said he sews, and so I told him that we would need to count on his contributions. He was on board, as always!

He suggested a few books that I should read:

The Traveler's Gift
The Lost Choice
Leaving Microsoft

Topics about giving back, and the last one about building libraries...

I have ordered them and will be catching up on our vacation to Florida next week.

It is all just unfolding step by step...

:)

Ed's in!

So, no surprise here, just lots of joy! Ed is right on board, with promises to build a website...blog and all!

:)

And away we go...

Okay, so I guess this is it! Not sure what overwhelms me most...beginning this adventure, or actually the fact that I am now "blogging!"

There is no time like the present to begin an adventure that has been mulling around in my mind now for about a year. I knew that I would love to make little blankets for babies in orphanages, but I felt there was something else, something more to this. It all came together on evening in Half-Price Books as I found myself, as usual, buying children's books with no real recipient in mind. Just buying books thinking about how happy some child would be to receive it! It was at that moment that it became clear to me...I could combine my love of giving baby blankets and my love for giving books and find someone who would love feeling the love behind the giving. Eureka!

I couldn't wait to talk to Ed about it (my husband, best friends, and hands-down my most enthusiastic supporter!)

:)