Crafting for a Cause

Blog by AREtsy member: JenuineMemories

Photos courtesy of JenuineMemories.
Hope Vintage-Look Scrapbook

As a single person, who still has a wonderful day job as a teacher, my crafting is my "hobby". Note: that should read escape, pamper, alone time, etc.  So more often than not my scrapbooking/ cardmaking hobby has evolved into a self-loving expression of and to myself. And my crowded studio (my spare bedroom) and my shrinking wallet reflect that I love Jen A LOT. Which is fine, but lately I have had the urge to give back. 

So I was pleased to find in a recent etsy email, a link to Crafting It Forward. From there I found a link to where to donate. The first thing that caught my eye was Operation Write Home. 

This allows card crafters like myself to send cards for the troops to write home on. An important thing to remember is that these are for our military men and women to write home to their families. They have a place where you can send hero cards. They have some rules and regulations, so read over them carefully. In my opinion, I can't think of a better way to give back than to make it easier for a service man or woman to write home. They really want "blank inside" cards and cards that can be used year round. I sent over some of my Sock monkey cards. 

I hope that some quirky service man or woman will write home to their significant other or child using my cards. That would make my day and make me feel just a teeny bit less selfish.

Happy Crafting!

- Jennifer 

@JenuineMemories on Etsy

Other inspire ideas to craft for a cause:

• Love Letters: Random Cards of Kindness  Founded and run by a Florida teenager, Love Letters “creates positive and inspirational homemade cards for children with life-threatening illnesses.”
• Life Books  General effort to create scrapbooks for kids in foster homes.
• Needle and ThREAD: Stitching for Literacy

Thank you so much Jennifer for taking the time to share your story and this inspiring idea!  Any other blog ideas?  We would love to hear from you!  Email us at AREtsy@gmail.com.