A Beautiful Ripple Effect

… image via lululemon …

Weekly Snippets of Information + Inspiration [File 3]

… image via rfrantzdesign on etsy …

InformationFiles:

-> Event: BookExpo America [Largest book publishing event in North America occurring in New York City from May 29-May 31. I am just starting to learn about this event and it seems absolutely incredible. Check out the website if you are at all interested in books or the publishing industry! I'm very excited to be signing advance-release copies of my book from 12:30 - 1:30 pm in the Author Autographing Area on Saturday May 30th -- come say hi if you'll be there!]

-> Book: The Courage to Give (Jackie Waldman) [I am grateful to know Jackie. She is even more unbelievably caring than any story can possibly portray. She volunteers her time to help select the recipients of CCC's college scholarship program. A little intro from Jackie's book website: "We all have something to give, no matter what. That's the courage-the courage to step out of our own lives, even when we think we can't, and step into the life of someone else. When we find the courage to give to someone else, sharing what we love to do and making a difference for someone else, that's when we can begin to live joyfully, no matter what." Jackie is also on Oprah's Angel Network, and has an article called, Begin with Yourself. I love how Jackie discusses volunteering as something that must begin within rather than an activity that is purely extrinsic. An unbelievable woman who is changing the world through her own experience with MS, her words, her books, and most importantly -- her personal actions.]

-> Mind + Body: Hip Tranquil Chic [I found Kimberly Wilson (i.e. the Hip Tranquil Chic) through twitter and just love her unique and fun approach to yoga and tranquility. SCARY! I promise I didn't know about this before just now -- check out who was featured yesterday on Kimberly's blog -- Featured Tranquilista: Christine Mason Miller! I feel like a stalker. Christine, I promise I am not stalking you! But if Christine is a tranquilista, then you gotta know it must be worthwhile to make a stop and read about the tranquil chic and how to become one.]

-> Creative: Are you creative? Answer: Yes. I would love your help! My non-profit, CCC, is creating a few fun designs and slogans to sell on apparell as a way to help increase donations (100% of every dollar donated goes to a scholarship). If you have any ideas or know someone with ideas, please let me know! You can learn more about the organization at our website and gain inspiration from there as well for different design ideas. But we want to do something a bit different than our normal image – so all ideas are welcome! Please just leave me a comment below and I’ll email you with more details (and yes there will be super thank you gifts from yours truly). CafePress has an abundance of ideas — but it can suck you in! Since I know nothing about the design world, I thought I would appeal to my design friends and readers :).

-> Care: What Gives?! [A social goodworking blog. Want to do more to help a cause, but not sure where to start? Have an idea and need support? Want to know about the cool stuff happening behind non-profit work? A community of supportive individuals who have questions -- just like you and me -- and want to do good and have fun at the same time.]

… remaining images via seejanework …

InspirationFiles:

-> Wear: SocChic: Chic Necklaces Benefiting Social Causes [Learn more about SocChic and check out the beautiful designs. Dream: one day CCC becomes "SocChic" -- a girl can dream!]

-> Website: Lululemon [Definitely mentioned before (apologies for the repetition), but the website keeps getting better! Some favorite parts: goal setting, the community, manifesto, blog]

-> Visual: ColorSchemer [You don't need a big project to add fun colors to your life -- think: bullet points, document header, font color -- little pops of color in unexpected places do a lot to boost your mood]

-> Quoted: Marian Wright Edelman (see below) read this Shel Silverstein quote to conclude her speech:

Listen to the mustn’ts, child. Listen to the don’ts. Listen to the shouldn’ts, the impossibles, the won’ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me… Anything can happen, child. Anything can be. – Shel Silverstein

-> Power of One: Marian Wright Edelman (President, Children’s Defense Fund) [Commencement Speaker at University Of Miami 2009 -- Best speech I have ever heard. Period. And now I can't find the speech online (oops). I'll find it and post an update. I found an excerpt of the speech, that you can peruse in the meantime. Additionally, you can read Marian Wright Edelman articles every Monday on the Huffington Post. My mom was so moved by the speech that she told Edelman that she was a better person just after hearing her talk. My mom was much more eloquent than that of course -- simply put: everyone was inspired by the commencement speech and the life's work of Marian Wright Edelman.]

Bonus:

-> Featured in Post (Say Tweet!): @bookexpoamerica, @tranquilista, @cccscholarships, @jessconstable, @lululemon, @childdefender

-> Thank You Gift (from me to you): SocChic Necklace — Visit the website and let me know in the comments which necklace you love and why — it will be hard to pick one! I know this thank you gift is a bit buried, so I’ll remind you later in the week just in case! Comment by Tuesday May 26th at 10:00 pm EST. Please only one comment per family. Thank You! Winner will be announced by Wednesday May 27th at 10:00 pm EST right here!

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Information + Inspiration [File 1]

Information + Inspiration [File 2]

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