MFT Gives Back – Share Your Passion with Others

Written by My Favorite Things on November 12, 2015. Posted in Educational Series

We’re back again with another post in our MFT Gives Back series! We hope that you’ve been enjoying these little nudges to get you thinking about ways that you can give back. If you missed the first two, you can go back and read about ways to Show Compassion to Others and Celebrate Those Who Serve. What an absolute joy it is to share with others!

Blog reader Jill Norwood left this wonderful comment on our November 9th blog post, “This week I am remembering my pediatrician and their entire staff who are always there when the flu strikes or I need a form completed for the school or insurance. What a blessing it is to have wonderful wellness caregivers especially when you have a sick child!” What a wonderful tribute, Jill! Thanks so much for sharing with all of us what you are doing to give back.

Our focus today is ways that we can Share Our Passion With Others.

We paper crafters are passionate people, aren’t we? What if we were able to share that passion with others?

If you’re anything like me, you have a surplus of crafting supplies in your craft area. From ribbons to buttons to decorative scissors, I bet you have a lot of fun things that are just gathering dust. Maybe there are stamps you don’t reach for any longer or 6 x 6 pads you’ve long neglected. I’m not gonna lie, I probably have enough 12 x 12 patterned paper to cover the inside (and out!) of the Taj Mahal!

Last week, a few of the My Favorite Things staff headed to MFT Founder Kim van der Sanden’s daughter Emma’s school to deliver a bunch of pretty pink bags filled to the brim with crafting supplies ranging from card stock, pencils, gelatos, make n take kits, ink pads, stamp sets, embellishments, ribbon, twine, candle wax, honey flakes for hand cream, tins, and wooden letters. Emma’s friends are pretty lucky. Her Girl Scout troop received some goodie bags, too!

From the smiles on these girls’ faces, you can tell that they can’t WAIT to dig in and get creative! What a great feeling to share something with others that brings us such great joy.

We put our heads together and came up with a list of places where you might be able to share your extra supplies. You can see the list below, but if you want to print it to post in your craft area, we’ve provided a download HERE.

Now it’s YOUR turn. Spend 15 minutes (or more or less) in your craft room/area/corner and fill a box or bag with things that you’re no longer using. Find a place that is willing to take it off your hands. It’s a win for EVERYONE! You’ve cleaned out a little allowing you to focus on what you DO use, and others benefit from the creative supplies that you have shared. We’d love to see the smiling faces of the recipients, so don’t forget to use #mftgivesback when you post on social media.

Want even more ways to give back this month? Be sure to visit our friend Jennifer McGuire in her Share Handmade Kindness Challenge. Here’s a little bit of information about it from Jennifer herself:

Part of the joy of creating a handmade card or gift is giving it to someone to brighten their day—a simple act of kindness that can have a lasting impact. To encourage these acts of kindness, I am hosting the Share Handmade Kindness Challenge. Throughout the month of November, I’ll be challenging you to share an act of handmade kindness with someone. Whether you make a card, a note, or a treat… anything handmade counts. Each week there will be a new challenge on my website, as well as special guests, videos, giveaways, and more. I hope you will join me at jennifermcguireink.com and use the hashtag #sharehandmadekindess.

Can you think of other places to add to our list?

Enjoy the experience of giving back!