ACOT Message Board

Thank you to everyone that has helped out Nicole & her family.  The layouts are beautiful and I'm sure she will be over joyed.  We received 43 layouts!
Our winners per the random number generator are:

"sway2865" and "ArmyWife95"

Congratulations!  Please send private message to me with your address and your email address.

First off, thank you ACOT for allowing me to post this challenge!  You gals ROCK!

This is a call for help to all of you compassionate scrapping pals out there.  We need your help for a great cause.  If any of you have seen the movie "Pay It Forward", this is our version and we are making it easy for you to "Scrap It Forward".

A mother in my area lost her sweet little 13 year old boy Trenton in a tragic accident on July 15th.  She does not know how to scrapbook and had put a call out for assistance on Craigs List.  My sister and myself want very much to help her in any way we can.  Having lost my boy in an accident almost 2 years ago, I know how very fortunate that I was that I already knew how to scrapbook as having a book put together for family and friends to look at and treasure special memories is very healing.  Since we are only 2 and we could not possibly create enough layouts on our own in such a short period, my solution was to get sponsors and post a challenge.

So yes, that means there is a prize package.  We have several sponsors that have been very gracious to help in our cause and hope to obtain more while this challenge is taking place.  Please Note that we may split the prize package into a traditional and a digital package if we obtain enough sponsors.  If there happens to be no digital layouts sent, I will be splitting this package into two prizes due to the volume of sponsored items.  I will try my best to make sure it is split evenly.  (I would so love to win one of these myself )   

I will update this posting as further items come in but as of today we have:

• Jenny Weston of Making Memories - Desk top carousel
• Laura Nicholas of Hot Off The Press - Done in a Flash page kits.
• Christy Tomlinson of Scarlet Lime - One of the August kits and other goodies.
• Michelle Coleman of Little Dreamer Designs - "Twilight In My Garden" digital kit & brushes
• Jenna of Shabby Miss Jenn Designs - Gift Certificate
• Teresa Collins - something cool
• Rhonna Farrer - something cool 
• Schree and Andra of AlteredPink - Making Memories garden party papers and specialty papers, 5x7 maddi mini book kit, Bazzill white gated album, papers from Black Market Paper Society, Creative Imaginations clutch, etc;
• Crate Paper - Rub Ons
• Nancie Rowe Janitz of ScrapArtist - 2 gift certificates

      RULES:

• This challenge will run from Sept. 15, 2008 and end on Oct. 15, 2008.
• Winner will be drawn on Oct. 18th by the random integer generator online.  (Layouts will be numbered as recieved)
• Please PM me your user name if you are participating so we have some sort of head count.  No need to let us know what theme you are picking, the more the merrier!  Thanks!
• Create  one 12x12 traditional layout or two 8x8 digital layouts and mail them, postmarked no later than Oct 15th to:

          ScrapNSister1
          4416 N. Bannen Ct.
          Spokane Valley, WA  99216

• Layout themes needed: beach vacation, lake, baby, brother, water sports, Halloween, disneyland, skateboarding, family, school, sight seeing, soccer, scouts, friends, cruise (mexican riviera), alaska, memorial
• You can send as many layouts as you wish but each participant will be entered once for the drawing.
• Please try to leave a 1/4 inch border open around your layout in case we need to cut to size to fit in the album.
• Please put a sticky with your name and address on the back of your layout.
• Questions, comments, etc; can be sent to ScrapItForward@AlteredPink.com

*** Shipping Tips ***

I tested out mailing 2 layouts with thick chipboard backing in a clear protector and then wrapped in shipping paper.
We tested mailing from WA to NY and it was right about $ 2.50.  I do believe you get the best rate staying under 6oz.
Hope this helps for more economical shipping.

 What a wonderful challenge/contest!!  We did something like this about 5 years ago or more in Georgia, when a lady with 4 boys was dying of cancer.  It was very inspiring!  I will definitely send in a couple of pages.  Thanks for getting us to scrap it forward!

 What a neat challenge!

 WOW I have chills, what an awesome thing to do

 What an awesome challenge!

 I'd love to help!

 I am not usually very active on this board, but I would love to participate in this if I can!  I will pm you with my un.  Thanks!

 This is overwhelming to me that everybody would come together for this.  This is something I never knew so many people would join in on.  Trenton is my son, who is missed terribly.  He left 2 sets of parents, and 6 siblings behind.  If anybody has any questions about my son please feel free to ask I will answer anything.  This scrapbook is something I am very much looking forward to.  Hopefully I can learn how myself as time goes by.  Thank you all so much for your kindness and gererosity.  And I would like to give a special thank you to Schree, and Andra for bringing this amazing opportunity for my family to enjoy.Nicole AlexanderTrenton's mom

 Nicole, I'm so sorry for you loss. I can never imagine going through the loss of a child. My heart aches for you and your family. This is a great group of gals here and I'm sure they will come up with some wonderful LOs (short for layouts). I think it would be great if you could tell us about your son , that will help us make the LOs for you.

God Bless you and your family.

 I was asked to tell a bit about Trenton I will add more when I think of things

he excelled in school and was a honor roll student  he was loved at his school for his sports abilities  he would have your back if you needed it  he never picked on kids at school  he loved his family  he was a spiritual child  he was kind and courteous to all he met  he was very strong in his convictions  he respected his teachers and their knowledge  he liked interacting with his brothers even though they were 6 years younger than him  he loved babies and animals  he didn't mind teaching somebody how to do something if he knew how and they didn't he still let me hug him even though he was a teenager  he didn't mind doing some hard work  he loved nature  he was respectful to other peoples beliefs  he loved skateboarding  he loved the water  he loved to travel and has been to mexico, alaska, and many states.he loved the sign of the bald eagle. 

 Very cool Nicole.  I'm glad you are willing to share a bit as it will help alot when creating the layouts.  I hope you are having as great a day possible today.  We are very happy to help.

 This will be my first "Scrap it Forward" but I would definitely like to participate.

What a fantastic idea!  I'll send you layouts and even a complete album ready to glue pictures for Nicole.   My gift for Trenton's memory to live on.

 That's fabulous.  Thank you so much! 

 I would love to participate not for the prize but to help heal a mother's soul!  Please count me in!

 Count me in.

 I did this not too long ago. Will do it again and again, if needed. W/ the one I already did, we signed out first name and the state and town that we live in.

 I just read about this on Teresa Collins blog and I would love to participate.  I will send a PM to you, ScrapNSister1.  It is such a wonderful thing you are doing.

 Yes, please do add your name and address to the back of your layout.  I bet the family would love to know where each layout originated.  Thanks so much for the great response and it is only day one.

 A few more bits and pieces that I thought I would add.

Trenton's favorite colors were red and black.

His favorite sports were soccer, and skateboarding

His favorite subject in school was lunch  LOL

He was an excellent speller and won several spelling bee's in the last few years.

He had just gotten girl crazy this summer.
He was a very good at saving his money.

He loved the Harry Potter books, and was an avid reader.

Trenton was in 3 triathlons and did really well, he came in 3rd in his last one out of 51 kids.

Trenton was an excellent swimmer, you couldn't keep him out of the water in the summer.

He grew taller than me this summer, and his feet were 3 sizes bigger than mine now.

He made his parents very very proud!!!!