Hi friends,

Today I want to tell you about someone I work with who is crafting for a cause. Annette Waurick is the Art Director of Canadian Living's sister publication Homemakers. This November, Annette is going to travel to Paraguay to take part in a Habitat for Humanity building project.

Photo from habitat.ca.

In her own words:

I've been thinking about volunteer work for a while, how could I give something back, and help people that are not as fortunate as I am. I looked into different organizations and decided on Habitat, since I firmly support what they do and what they stand for.

I'll be going to Paraguay in November for two weeks, in order to help build a home for a single local family in need. It'll be a hands-on project, working on a building site with local materials and tools. The trip is financed by me in addition to a donation of $650, which brings my total cost to about $3500.

Habitat for Humanity Canada is a national, non-profit, faith-based organization working for a world where everyone has a safe and decent place to live. The mission of the organization is to mobilize volunteers and community partners in building affordable housing and promoting homeownership as a means to breaking the cycle of poverty. Habitat for Humanity Canada was founded in 1985, consists of over 35,000 volunteers and 72 affiliate organizations from coast to coast, and is a member of Habitat for Humanity International which spans 93 countries, has built over 225,000 homes, and is now building a new home every 21 minutes.

As she says above, part of Annette's commitment to the trip is financial. To help finance her efforts, Annette is turning to something she knows well – jewelry-making.

Annette has been making her stylish jewelry for some time now, and in our office we all look forward to her pre-Christmas jewelry sales (it's so nice to be able to find great gifts without even having to leave the building!). For the next two months, Annette will be hosting a special bracelet sale at her Etsy shop, Modern Jewels, with all proceeds from sales of her bracelets going to support her upcoming volunteer trip. She's done an incredible job of fund-raising so far, having made $1100 in jewelry sales and another $895 from her online donations page, and now she's into the final push.

I know that times are tight for many of us right now, so please don't feel pressured to contribute. But if you have been looking for a lovely gift to give someone, or even yourself, and you'd like to help others while you're at it, I hope you'll consider supporting this community-minded crafter.

*Are you crafting for a cause? Tell me about your project, and how people in the Make+Do community could help, and I might feature you on Make+Do.

Don't forget to enter this week's giveaway!

Photo from www.operationsockmonkey.com.

Hi friends,

When I got back to the office on Wednesday it was to find my cubicle festooned with pins and business cards from Operation Sock Monkey. (I work with a bunch of practical jokers, can you tell?) It's been three days now and I'm *still* seeing new pins every time I look up...and business cards seem to shower out of my dictionary at every opportunity. The constant barrage of sock monkeys achieved critical mass this morning, and finally the penny dropped. "Hey!" I thought, "I should blog about that!" (Just call me "master of the obvious.")

From their website:
Operation Sock Monkey is an initiative in support of Clowns Without Borders South Africa (CWBSA) providing laughter, hope and healing to communities affected by HIV/AIDS. Handmade Sock Monkeys can be purchased for you or someone you love or sponsored to be sent to children in need of a smile. All proceeds donated to CWBSA.

Photo from www.operationsockmonkey.com.

There are many ways to get involved: you can sponsor a sock monkey (in which case the monkey will be sent to someone in need), buy a sock monkey (you can keep it for yourself or give it as a gift), or you can make a sock monkey (or more than one!) to donate. Operation Sock Monkey also hosts sock monkey–making workshops, parties and Sock-Monk-athons. What a great idea for a girls' night in, unusual bridal shower, or even a special event for your Girl Guide or Pathfinders group. I hope you'll check it out.

Have a good weekend, friends, and tune in on Monday for a special book review and giveaway!

Hi there,

I love crafting for other people. Seeing the smiles on the faces of my friends and family when they open their handmade gifts at Christmas makes all the effort worthwhile. Of course, people I don't know might appreciate a handmade gift even more.

There are many options if you're interested in crafting for charity. Here's a small selection:

• Blankets for Canada is a nationwide collective of crafters who provide blankets for those in need - and you can be sure that those blankets are well used on our cold winter nights.
• Project Linus (Canada) has chapters across the country working to provide handmade quilts and afghans to children from  infants to age 18 who are seriously ill or who have survived traumatic situations.
• Afghans for Afghans began in the US and now involves knitters from Canada as well; they provide woollen items to people affected by the war in Afghanistan.
• For local activities, check the listings at communityknitters.com and on the Charity page of the Canadian Knitwear Designers and Artisans website.

Once you've decided to help, the next step is deciding what to make. In Canada it's fair to say that warm woollens are a good bet. You might find something in this collection of patterns for warm winter apparel; or maybe you'd like to stick with that Canadian classic: the toque. A knitted afghan can't go wrong; if that seems like too much for one person, why not get a couple friends involved and make this community afghan together?

Do you craft for charity? I'd love it if you'd leave a link to your organization in the comments of this post.

p.s. Don't forget to enter this week's contest for a chance to win a copy of Green Crafts for Children: 35 step-by-step projects using natural, recycled, and found materials by Emma Hardy.

Hello there,

Continuing with yesterday's theme of crafting for a good cause, today I'd like to share some inspiring words and pictures with you.

Sharon Watson of Wool 'n' Things, a quilting and yarn shop on Manitoulin Island, wrote in to tell me about a great fund-raising event she sponsored last weekend. Here's some of what she wrote:

"The Quilt is a registered charitable organization dedicated to proving emotional and physical support to cancer survivors and their loved ones. (Not just breast cancer, as it was in the beginning about 11 years ago).

I issued a challenge last year to my customers here at Wool 'n' Things, on Manitoulin Island, to make a 12-inch quilt block for this cancer fundraising project.

Myra and Sharon with the finished quilt (from www.woolnthings.org).

We had such a good response that we decided to have our own 30 hour marathon for The Quilt in order to raise more funds for this worthy cause.

Quilters of all ages got in on the fun.

Early in the spring we gathered teams of 6-10 quilters that would donate 3 hours of their time to hand quilt and seek pledges from family and friends. In the end we had 10 teams and 65 quilters registered to help out.

Sharing a laugh.

We started at 6am Friday May 22nd and worked through until midnight, continuing for another 12 hours on Saturday May 23rd. Besides having fun dressing up in various attire, our quilters were pampered with gifts, refreshments and a souvenir t-shirts during the event.

Local politicians lend a hand.

They also had to share their seats with local dignitaries and onlookers who were encouraged to put in a few stitches. Other attractions during the event were a silent and a chance auction, local musical talent and even some dancing in the street.

Look at that - three times the goal!

Our 30-Hour Marathon was a great success. Our goal was to raise $5,000, and we reached over $15,000 for our charity."

Sharon, thanks so much for telling us about this great event - it's so inspiring, and it sounds like it was so much fun. Congratulations on your success! I'm sure someone somewhere is going to get great comfort from that beautiful quilt.

(Have you participated in a community crafting event that you'd like to share? Please, send me an email (agilliland@canadianliving.com) and tell me all about it!)

Have a great night, friends.

PS Don’t forget to leave a comment on Monday’s post for your chance to win the The Unibind PhotoBook Creator Starter Kit and coupon for two free products (with free shipping) from RocketLife. This week, I’m interested in hearing about your favourite craft to take on a road trip.

Hello friends,

One of the perks of my job is the number of craft books that arrive on my desk. There's just something about a brand-new craft book, so filled with possibility, that makes me very happy. Late last week something a little different landed in my inbox: Knitting for Good! by Betsy Greer. I was just heading out for the weekend, and, intrigued, I scooped it into my purse. I'm glad I did.

Betsy Greer is the person behind the website craftivism.com, a site that's built around the idea that, as she puts it:

"...activism + craft = craftivism. That each time you participate in crafting you are making a difference, whether it's fighting against useless materialism or making items for charity or something betwixt and between.

It's about the not-so-radical notion that activists can be crafters, and crafters can be activists."

Knitting for Good explores the notion of using knitting to reconnect with yourself and your community, and as a way to do some good in the world, one stitch at a time. Current events – wars, economic crises, natural disasters – can seem completely overwhelming, so big and so complicated that there's no way for one person to do anything. Knitting for a good cause, Greer points out, is a very real, very hands-on way for a person to make a difference, whether it's by knitting items to donate to a charity, teaching knitting to young people, or using your knitting to foster relationships with elderly or marginalized members of society.

At a time when I have ideas for crafts coming at me from every direction, when the focus on crafting can seem more about material acquisition than on human achievement, I found this book to be a gentle push toward looking at knitting – and crafting in general – as more than just a hobby. The writing is friendly, conversational, and never preachy, and the book is peppered with anecdotes from well-known craftivists, as well as knitting patterns suitable for making and donating to charity. It was a refreshing read that made me look at my yarn stash in a whole new light.

If you're looking for a different perspective on an age-old craft, I'd recommend giving this book a read. Let me know what you think! And if you're already involved in knitting (or crafting) for a good cause, I'd love to hear about it.

Have a great night!

PS Don't forget to leave a comment on Monday's post for your chance to win the The Unibind PhotoBook Creator Starter Kit and coupon for two free products (with free shipping) from RocketLife. This week, I'm interested in hearing about your favourite craft to take on a road trip.