As some of you may know, our family has called the Gulf Coast "home" for
many years now. And we love it so. It
is beautiful. It is vibrant. Tomorrow we drive away and head to westward for a fresh adventure. But we will think of this coast home so fondly. And we will remember how We took our daughter to the beach, we will remember the sound of the waves crashing on the sugar white sands, the smell
of the air. How we would see dolphins at play, view all manner of beautiful
sea birds and sea life. We
have enjoyed the shade of the majestic live oak trees, we have
appreciated the vitality and beauty of the wetlands. We get to enjoy
the people who live here. They are warm and genuine and kind and
totally full of life.
And I remember with a fresh ache, when the Deepwater Horizon disaster happened on April 20, we could not have imagined the heartsickness that would follow. For
more than 90 days, oil gushed into the Gulf of Mexico before the leak
was finally "capped" in late July. It is estimated that approximately
4.9 million barrels (or 205.8 million gallons) of oil spilled into the
waters. It has been one of the biggest environmental disasters in
decades. Hundreds of miles of beaches, wetlands, and estuaries along
the northern Gulf Coast have been impacted. The spill, though
temporarily "capped", continues to cause extensive damage to marine and
wildlife habitats as well as the Gulf's fishing and tourism industries.
Families are without work and marine and land animals continue to
suffer. And there are still many unknowns about the long term effects
of the oil and of chemical disbursements used in attempts to curtail the
flow and impact upon the regional coastline and waters.
In the face of this uncertainty, this loss, this "stain", I just ached. And I felt it on my heart to try to do something, any
some small something to try to help raise awareness and support for the
region. And so as I say "goodbye" to this land I love, I wanted to remind you that today is the last chance to support the cause of gulf restoration and wildlife and family support, which is all still so so very needed, with a purchase of Hands Across the Gulf.
I
got together some of my most dear and favorite artists in the community
who shared the same tug on their hearts for this disaster. In the
works for weeks and available for nearly a month so far, Hands Across the Gulf is our heartsong for
this cause.
Forty-five
designers across the digital scrapbooking community have united with
one shared cause: to raise awareness and to support recovery efforts
for the environment and those impacted by this tragic disaster.
Participating
designers include: Aja Abney, Amy Martin, Biograffiti, Boutique Cute
Dolls, Createwings Designs, Deena Rutter, Designs by Cindy Schneider,
Designs by Crystal Livesay, Dido Designs, Dunia Designs, Emily Merritt
Designs, Fiddle Dee Dee Designs, Fizzy Pop Designs, FruitLoOp Sally
Designs, Laurie Ann (Heaven's Gate Designs), Holliewood Studios, Holly
Designs, Holly Spring Designs, Jazzmin Designs, Jennifer Barrette
Designs, Jacque Larsen, Juliana Kneipp Designs, Kay Miller Designs,
Kaye Winiecki, Kitty Designs, Kristin Aagard Designs, Lauren Grier,
Leora Sanford, Loreta Labarca, Micheline Martin, Nikki Beaudreau,
Paislee Press, One Little Bird Designs, Sabrina Dupre, Sahlin Studio,
Sarah Cornish of My 4 Hens Photography, Shabby Miss Jenn, Studio Basic
Designs, Sugarplum Paperie, Tickled Pink Studios, Tiny Toes Designs,
Tracie Stroud, Vera Lim, Vinnie Pearce, and zinnias and swallowtails.
And I have to say, as empirically as possible, I don't think I've
ever encountered such a beautiful collection of designs in a charity
collaboration before. I love the range of scrapping styles
represented, I love the beautiful artistry and creativity expressed. I
love how GINORMOUS it is (and really, it's huge.). Here's a peek at
the main preview (there are many more detailed previews in the shoppe,
so feel free to check those out as well):
And here's a closer look the templates from me that you'll find in the kit:
And I wanted to compile a few inspiration pages to share with you so you can get a closer look at the kit in action:
This
gorgeous kit representing the varied styles of the scrapping community,
is positively overflowing with beautiful papers, unique elements,
templates and Photoshop actions. All told, designers have contributed
more than 100 papers and 200 elements, 2 full alphas, 18 templates,
and 4 PS actions to Hands Across the Gulf.
Available for sale for one month only, 100% of the proceeds from this kit will be donated to the National Wildlife Federation and to the United Way's Gulf Recovery Fund. And tomorrow 15 September, is the last day this beautifulness will be available.
Thank you so SO much to all who have supported this cause so far.
I hope everyone is well and I hope you all have a beautiful week!!