Piper wins!

Earlier this year I "signed on" to receive a random act of kindness from my friend Tracie (I was one of five) and in turn offered to do the same for five other people, who in turn would offer to the same for five other people, who...you get it right. I did the same thing last year in January 2013 and it was a lot of fun. I have to say that I haven't had a chance to pay it forward to my peeps just yet for this round. I need to get my thinking cap on for sure! But now I am inspired because I received the coolest gift from Tracie last week!

Super cool for so many reasons! I love it because it is a great family piece, it is handcrafted (love the craftiness), and if you don't know...I love scrabble! So what an amazing and thoughtful gift! A big thank you to Tracie (who also happens to be the mom of Piper's pen pal). And she is on my list too...

And while a pay it forward challenge is cool you certainly don't need a reason to send out a random act of kindness - I sometimes think that no reason is the best reason - an unexpected kindness! And yes, the cost of postage has gone up but still under a dollar to send some domestically, under two dollars to send to the US and under three dollars to send letter mail internationally is really a great deal (it flies all over the world from your hands to a friend - less than a latte, seriously). So while I was initially bummed about the prices I know it won't stop me from sending out love to my friends and family near and far.

Send out some love, send out some kindness and send out some mail! You just might get some in return (words, photos, magazine articles, a recipe, coupons, favourite quotations, nail art, a lottery ticket, an old note from junior high, a copy of a yearbook message or photo, a poem, a picture of cool graffiti, a pressed flower, a gift card, a postcard of a favourite piece of art or place, scratch and sniff stickers, bookmark, art...I think there are a few new ideas in there since I last wrote a list). Do with it what you will!

760/1000 Seven more!

Seven to Ponder...

Thought I'd throw some kindness possibilities your way this week...

1. I'm a big fan of the "pay for the person behind you" in the Starbucks drive through - this also works for Tim Horton's or any drive through where you pay and pick up at the same window. But for something different...buy a gift card from 'bucks or Tim's and put it under the windshield wiper of a parked car for someone to find later. Surprise!

2. Gather all those unwanted items in your household (de-cluttering feels great) and advertise a garage sale and make everything free - how fun would this be! Free Garage Sale! Early Birds Welcome!

3. When you are cooking or baking it is often easy to just double whatever you are making - do it and share it with someone who could use a treat or a night off from cooking. That might just be everyone you know!

4. Keep extra umbrellas in your car and on a rainy day pass them out to people waiting at bus stops without umbrellas/shelter or someone walking home without one. Stock up at the dollar store to make this one a go!

5. Bring treats to your local school, preschool, daycare, firehall, care home or maternity ward for the staff - these can be busy, crazy places where the adults could use a boost. And store bought isn't cheating by the way!

6. Take coupons that you don't need and place them on the shelves of the grocery store by those products. You will surely make someone's day! I posted briefly about this here in a post about sending cool things in the mail.

7. Writing encouraging words on post it notes (I like heart ones) and post them on lockers, bathroom stalls, bus shelters, and/or wherever you feel they will make a difference. Stick it!

These were posted on two bus shelters in Vancouver - at least 8 post its! Awesome!

 I've tried to share 7 ideas that might not be your regular go to ideas when you think of random acts or purposeful acts of kindness. Please add your brilliant ideas in the comments on this post.
I'd love to hear some more!

300/1000  Two pieces of facebook post pay it forward mail going local to make it a nice round number!

Conspiracy Theory or...

Have you noticed anything strange lately? Have you noticed people acting differently? Maybe you are in on it and involving others...It feels as if that there is some kind of unofficial or unwritten theme/rule this year and it is KINDNESS - yep, Year of Kindness. At least that is what I am dubbing it. Seriously, I'm feeling the love. 

I made one of my New Year's Resolutions (yep, I make them and do my best to keep them) to do something kind everyday and sometimes it is a challenge and sometimes it isn't. Either way it's been a fun experience so far and the more I make it a part of my day/my life/my outlook, the more I see it everywhere. Kind of like how you never saw THAT car, until you bought one, and then it seemed like everyone had one. Seriously, I have never seen so many Mazda 5s in my life - where did they all come from. I can always pick mine out in the parking lot - it's the dirty one.

And I'm not saying that Kindness is something new but I'm seeing more of a movement lately. It was the official Random Acts of Kindness last week (I love anonymous and random kindness), I just read about a kindness bazaar, saw a compliment challenge on facebook, Chatelaine magazine has started a year long kindness campaign, and it seems to be prominent on recent blogs and social media. I started my January by answering and then posting this offer/challenge:

Erin Ballard Evans

January 3

2013 Creative Pay-It-Forward: The first five people to comment on this status will receive from me**, sometime in the next calendar year, a gift - perhaps a book, or a baked goods, or something crafty or handmade- a surprise*! There will likely be no warning and it will happen whenever the mood strikes me. The catch? **Those five people must make the same offer in their FB status.

16Like · 

I Heart You....

Paper hearts, pipe cleaner hearts (and wands), foam hearts, crayon hearts (and random whales that like to eat spaghetti), melted bead hearts...we've been busy over here getting ready for Valentine's Day!

Handmade Valentine's Day Cards

Are you cringing at the thought of THAT day creeping ever closer? It can be a tough one for all kinds of reasons...but I've really grown to love it for all the fun it can be (if you let it). It is, in fact, the only holiday that I consistently hand make my own cards. I never quite know what I'm going to do until about two weeks before and then I rummage through my ever growing paper/craft stash. They aren't fancy or something you'd find at a store (no one would buy one) but they are made by me and that's the best part about sending them. 

Nostalgia for those elementary days is probably what spurs me on - I loved handing out my cards and receiving others in my handmade mailboxes or tucked under my math duo-tang or spelling practice (or other such important work). We decorated with doily hearts and read Valentine's Day themed books and received heart stickers on our work. There truly was love in the air for all of us in those decorated hallways, classrooms,  and desks - at least for those moments we were there. What a good feeling! What a lovely idea for teachers to share with their students - love each other. We didn't always do it but seeds were planted on those days.

Maybe, Valentine's Day hasn't been big on your list in the past but why not give it a try this year. Write a heartfelt note to someone who is struggling and needs encouragement (could be the best Valentine ever to send), bake some heart cookies with or for your favourite kiddos (yours or others), dot your i's with hearts (hahahaha) all day long just for fun, or buy yourself some pink and red wrapped chocolate treats (you deserve it). 

Love!

When you feel like love is hard to find...look for it in small things...an unexpected hug, a door held open, a perfect cup of tea/coffee...A few weeks ago we took a little family trip into Vancouver and went to a great little store called The Regional Assembly of Text - paper, journals, typewriters, zines galore! We stopped to make buttons (among other purchases) and when I asked my daughter (who is almost 4) what she wanted her button to say, she didn't miss a beat. Pure love right there.

Check out my past Valentine's Day posts: Valentine's Day 2011 and  Valentine's Day 2010 for more.

One special package going out to someone up North as a Pay It Forward experiment :) Handmade! More to come about that soon...

273/1000 - one special package!