The Write Love Initiative - Instagram Auction

Did you know that April is National Letter Writing Month? 

To celebrate this month of snail mail, Vancouver's The Anthropology of Giving is in the midst of a month of wonderful letter writing events. "The Write Love Initiative" is all about inspiring and encouraging others to embrace letter writing as a form of communication.

This Sunday (April 24th), The Anthropology of Giving is holding an Instagram Auction in support of The Writer's Exchange. Ashley, the founder of The Anthropology of Giving, is raising money to support a class of inner-city kids and their teacher as they create a publishing project with the Writer's Exchange. Update: The Write Love Auction raised $1400 for The Writer's Exchange!

The auction includes an array of wonderful donations from lovely businesses like Uppercase Magazine, Flow Magazine, Swell Made, Q&A Letterbox and Omiyage. (That's our cute & colourful letter lover's set in the picture!)

The Writer's Exchange works with over 700 kids every year, has a team of over 150 volunteers and encourages kids to enjoy reading and writing (while having FUN!)

I do hope you'll visit The Anthropology of Giving's auction tomorrow! Bidding is open to international buyers for most items and all prizes include complementary shipping. 

Handmade Find - Fashion. love, Africa

How fantastic are these bags from Fashion. love, Africa?

Each bag is handwoven out of used plastic bags by women who live in the Gioto Garbage Slum in Kenya. $25 from each purchase goes directly towards sending children from the slum to boarding school and helps to break the cycle of poverty.

You can read more about the story and the people behind the bags here.

Handmade Find - Happy Piece

How gorgeous are these bracelets & baskets from Happy Piece? The colours are so joyful - and I think you'll love the story behind the brand too.

Happy Piece works with women in Rwanda to design and create bright & beautiful accessories and housewares. Each piece is handcrafted from natural & sustainable materials and each purchase helps the women involved lift themselves out of poverty. You just have to love a product which not only looks beautiful, but feels beautiful too!

As for me, I can't decide whether I need a wall full of baskets or an armload of colourful bracelets. Maybe both?

Find your happy piece in the shop. Read more of the story behind the work here.  Connect with Happy Piece via Twitter or Facebook.

Happy Easter!

Eastern Eggs - Damien Weighill, Paul Pateman, Kristyna Litten, Yehrin Tong

For those who celebrate, hope you're having a wonderful Easter weekend with loved ones!

Came across these wonderful wooden eggs - Eastern Eggs - a UK-based initiative to raise money in support of Japan.   All proceeds go to the British Red Cross - Japan Tsunami Appeal.  Part art, part heart - we love it!

Happy Easter!

Crafting for Japan

There are a couple of interesting Japan initiatives popping up which will let you get involved in a more hands-on way - if you're so inclined.  Click for more information!

Sunshine Squares - Susan Weinroth 

Quilters Newsletter is collecting Quilts for Japan in collaboration with Patchwork Tsushin in Japan.

Chloe & Mieko - Pink Fig Design

Create a t-shirt for a child in Japan using this pattern by Chelsea of Pink Fig Design.  You can read more about Chelsea's motivation here.  Or join a sew-along for this project on Living with Punks.

For both of these projects, the organizers have contacts in Japan who will ensure the crafted goods will make it into the hands of those who need it.  If you come across any other projects like these, please let us know in the comments, on our Facebook page or via Twitter.  Thanks!

2000 Cranes, 2 Wishes

Hiroshima Peace Cranes - Alexis Edghill

Two weeks ago, we told you all about A Thousand Paper Cranes for Christchurch. Maddie from Li'l Magoolie's dream of collecting 1000 paper cranes in hopes that her wish for Christchurch would come true:

"I’m hoping that if a thousand paper cranes are folded in remembrance of those who died in the earthquake last week, it can also symbolise our wish for this city. A wish that this kind of devastation will never come again. For our city to stop shaking. For our lives to go back to normal."

We folded up our cranes, wishing with each fold for safety, stability and hope, and sent them on their way. Sent them to New Zealand

But then, you see, another horrible thing happened.  The earth shook once more, bringing forth a wall of water which devastated the Northeastern coast of Japan and stole lives, homes and livelihoods.

So Maddie dreamt a little bigger.  She's hoping that instead of 1000 paper cranes, that people from all over the world can work together to fold 2000 paper cranes.  2000 cranes, 2 wishes.  One healing wish for Christchurch.  One healing wish for Japan.

For more details and the mailing address, please click here.

A Thousand Paper Cranes for Christchurch

Maddie from Li'l Magoolie has an idea - that if people from all over the world can work together to fold 1000 Paper Cranes, perhaps her wish for Christchurch will be granted.  

You see, paper cranes are a symbol of peace and of harmony, and it is believed that folding 1000 of them can make a wish come true.

Maddie's wish?

"I’m hoping that if a thousand paper cranes are folded in remembrance of those who died in the earthquake last week, it can also symbolise our wish for this city. A wish that this kind of devastation will never come again. For our city to stop shaking. For our lives to go back to normal."

We'll be folding some.  Folding wishes for the people of Christchurch.  We've been through a nasty earthquake, known the terror, but were lucky that it didn't happen to our home.  

Find more details and where to send the cranes over on Li'l Magoolie.  Check out the Li'l Quake Appeal while you're there.

Li'l Quake Appeal

Looking for a way to support the relief efforts in New Zealand?  Want cool stuff?  Maddie from Li'l Magoolie has organized an online charity auction which allows you to do both. You can read more about the initiative here.

Check out the Li'l Quake Appeal - every dollar made goes towards Red Cross New Zealand's Churchill Quake Relief - and bid on some great products!

The Crane Chandelier Project

Remember back in August, when we told you about the Wedding Company's Crane Chandelier Project?

Well, the final product was unveiled at The Wedding Show in Toronto last weekend - complete with 10,000 paper cranes folded, signed, and sent from couples across North America and beyond.

The best thing about this project?  The Wedding Company is donating 50 cents for each one of those cranes to the Princess Margaret  Hospital Foundation in support of cancer research.

Find out more about The Crane Chandelier Project here.

Interested in Paper Crane Wedding inspiration?  Check out these posts: 1, 2, 3

Still time to POP!

A couple weeks ago, we told you about some pretty neat happenings out in Vancouver benefiting imagine1day.  Well, here's the scoop on a few more POP events happening this week in Vancouver.

POPlab
When: Tuesday, September 14th. 7-9 pm.
Where:  lulemon lab 511 West Broadway, Vancouver.

POPbow - For the trend-setting woman entrepreneur - hosted by Loaded Bow.
When: Thursday, September 16th. 6-9 pm.
Where: imagine1day office - 2-2108 W 4th Ave (Corner of Arbutus / W 4th) 

POPubc - Hosted by the Passion Project.
When: Friday, September 17th. 4:30-6:40 pm.
Where: The Global Lounge @ Marine Drive Residence, 2205 Lower Mall, UBC

POPvictoria and POPwhistler events are still in the works!

Click here for more info and registration details.

Who doesn't need a little inspiration and a ten year vision?!! And remember, whether or not you can make it to one of the POP events, you can invest in imagine1day's education for Ethiopia projects here.

Back to School with imagine1day

We spent last week celebrating Back to School with some project suggestions, a quick and pretty DIY and a special deal or two.  Today, we'd like to celebrate Back to School in a different way.

I want to tell you about a project that has me excited. Too excited to keep quiet!

You see, there are some Vancouverites doing some good for others in a really interesting way. I'd like to introduce you to Adam and Chloe - 2 Canadians who are embarking on (what is likely to be a life-changing) trip called Imagine Ethiopia 2010. 

Imagine Ethiopia is hosted by imagine1day, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing children in Ethiopia with primary education.  One school at a time, imagine1day is working towards their goal that all children in Ethiopia will have primary education by 2020.   Prior to departure this September, Adam and Chloe, with 16 others, are invested in raising $100,000 to build a school in Ethiopia.

The logistics?  $100K sustainably completes a school project in Ethiopia and ensures that the community is set up to maintain the school so that no return work is necessary: the community is empowered to look after their own school.

What's interesting about imagine1day is how it empowers its volunteers and allows them to create their own contribution.  Called a creatribution, imagine1day asks its volunteers to get down to the core of what makes them excited, what they are passionate about and to design a project that combines their talents and passions, and enriches their own community. (Sounds pretty great, doesn't it?)

Adam and Chloe?  They're excited about inspiring and leading others; about helping you find the best you.  (And don't we all want to be the best us?)  And their creatributions, Vancouver area events POP and SHIFTED,  certainly reflect this.

POP is a series of events that empowers people to create an ideal vision for their lives and support that vision through solid short and long term goal setting. In the same amount of time that people usually reserve for a trip to the movies, participants will learn how to powerfully design the next ten years of their lives.

SHIFTED, stories of challenge and choice, is an event where 5 successful speakers will share their stories - their entire stories, good and bad.  With a mission to inspire, SHIFTED wants you to leave armed with the knowledge that the challenges you face just might be the pathway to success.  Learn about the speakers here.




I asked Adam why he was inspired to get involved with Imagine Ethiopia 2010.  Here's what he said:

My initial attraction to imagine1day was its model. I loved that people could find individual projects that they believed in and could tangibly choose what they were going to invest in to support. imagine1day's website is broken down so that you can invest in pieces of a school (doors, roof trusses, concrete) and then the organization loops you in on the progress of the project from the perspective of being an investor.

An endowment established by lululemon's Chip and Shannon Wilson in 2007 to cover all overhead and administration costs at imagine1day ensures that all funds donated to the organization go directly to the components that investors donate to projects being completed on the ground in Ethiopia.

So this Back to School season, as we bundle our children off to their (clean, safe, often high-tech) schools, why not help provide Ethiopian children with education too.  Here are a few ways to get involved:

In the Vancouver area, attend Shifted or one of the POP events.

• SHIFTED is September 9th at 6 pm.  Buy tickets here.
• Follow @createPOP on Twitter or check out the POP facebook page for more details on upcoming POP events.

Not in Vancouver?
Visit the imagine1day site and you can donate to Adam and Chloe's goal by investing in a door, roof or floor for the school being built in Tigray, Ethiopia.  Or simply choose a dollar donation you're comfortable with.  Once you invest in the school, imagine1day will keep you updated on the progress of the school and the students - you will see the changes made possible by your investment.

Want to develop your own creatribution?  Click here and read about other creatributions and how you too can get involved.

Looking for a little bit of daily inspiration?  Chloe writes a lovely - and brave - blog about life and learning. Check out her Goals section and you'll be wanting your own 10 year vision too!

Have an interesting project you support?  We'd love to hear about it!  Leave a comment or send us an email.

Paper Cranes for Cancer Research

While I was researching paper cranes and drooling over paper crane weddings in preparation for today's post over on The Girl In The Pink Wedding Dress, I stumbled across the most amazing project!

Toronto based The Wedding Co. is celebrating their upcoming 10th anniversary in a wonderful way.  The Crane Chandelier Project!  Simply, they are collecting origami cranes from engaged and newly married couples all over the world.  For each crane received, The Wedding Co. will donate $0.50 to The Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation for Cancer Research.  (And yes, you can send more than one!)  With a goal of 10,000 cranes by January 2011, there's still time for you to get involved.

We think that this is such a wonderful way to honour your engagement / marriage and to do a little good at the same time.  Congrats to The Wedding Co. for undertaking such a lovely project and letting the world in on it!  And you?  Here's your chance to get involved and spread a little love and hope while you're at it!

You can read more about The Wedding Co here.  For more information on the Crane Chandelier Project,  and info on how to get involved click here.