handmade for newtown

dear friends,

as we struggle to make any sense of last week's shooting in CT, the heartbreak hits close to home. to think that this could happen to any of us is more than i can bear. from so many other mothers and fathers, i heard reflected the same fears, i felt the heartbreak, and wondered... what can we do?

after we hug our loved ones, comfort our children, and remind ourselves of all the good in this world, how can help those who have lost so much? some other amazing creative, talented, and compassionate bloggers and i have decided to do what we can to help raise funds to support those directly affected. we hope to use our creative gifts to raise a significant amount of funds, but we need your help too.

we are gathering donations of handmade items and craft/sewing supplies for an online auction which will take place january 14-18. 100% of funds raised will be donated to Newtown Parent Connection, where all funds will go directly to those affected by the shooting. if you have anything that you could donate to this cause, we would love for you to be a part of this as well.

the auction will be managed by myself and Kelley of casa crafty. we are very excited to be partnering with From the Heart Auctions, a charitable group i have had the pleasure of working with to raise money for various causes in the past. thanks to so many generous and crafty folks, we are off to a good start with the auction items collected so far, but every little bit more will help!

items for donation must be either handmade or craft/sewing supplies and ready to ship by the end the auction. as the donor, you must also be willing to cover the cost of shipping your handmade item(s) to the winner. a photo of your auction item(s) and a brief description are required, and will need to be submitted no later than january 1.

although we are not asking for the photo and desription of your item(s) until january 1 january 10, i do ask that you let me know now that you would like to be involved. this will help me get an idea of how many items to expect and put together a list of donors with whom to follow-up as time gets closer. i am well aware that this is an insanely busy time of year for most of us, so all i need at this time is a simple "i'm in" and your contact information.

*update: auction is now closed. we raised over $5,000 for Newtown Parent Connection!! thanks to all who made this possible.*

if you have any questions, please let me know. you can email me here: rachael {at} imaginegnats {dot} com.

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thank you!