Amy Owens Photography and Design: August 2013

For most of us, childhood days are seen as a carefree and joyous time. It's time to run, play, and hang out with friend - to grow up and find our place in the world. Unfortunately, not every child is given the same opportunities. Pray for Haley is collaboration kit made by some of the finest artists in the digital scrap-booking community to help a young girl in need. Haley was recently diagnosed with bone cancer and is missing the current school year because of her treatments. Her strong will and determination has allowed her to keep up with her school work and she looks forward to the day she can return to the classroom and her friends. The profits from Pray for Haley will be given to this courageous girl and her family to help with mounting medical costs. When the time comes to scrap all the joyous moments in the young person in your life this kit will offer you a multitude of options for beautiful scrap book pages as well as help a young girl in need.

We have split this kit up as separate pieces if you feel like you can only donate a little bit, as a Big Bundle, and for the greatest savings, we also have a Mega Bundle option to get everything. Please click on slideshow below to go to the store and help this little girl in need.

It's been a while since Wendy from Wendy Tunison Designs wrote you a story to go with one of her kits and since she has a whole lot to show you today, she thought she should tell you a story to go along with it. ;)

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful woman named Ethel. She was strong and independent and enjoyed the finer things in life. She prided herself on her education and her ability to deal with whatever life threw her way. She spent many hours reading and enjoying the world around her. She had seen a fair share of the world and had settled down in a small town. She brought so much energy and so many new ideas with her that this little town didn't quite know how to take her. But she didn't care. She held her head high and continued on living her life as she saw fit. That is, until she met Sam. Oh, Sam was just what Ethel had been looking for all of her life. She didn't know it at first and politely answered his friendship with a quiet friendship of her own. As the days and weeks passed by, she began to look at him in a different light. Sam wasn't at all what she had been looking for in a man. She thought she'd fall in love with a man who had traveled the world as she had and who enjoyed the finer things in life. Boy was she ever wrong. She had no idea she'd fall for a small town farmer who would soon become her world. He knew from the moment he first met her that she was his world and he found small ways to let her know just how he felt about her. The first time she agreed to go on a date with him, he surprised her by taking her out to his farm for a picnic. As they rambled along the dirt road in his old blue truck with the sun shining in on her auburn hair, he thought about just how nice it was to spend the day doing absolutely nothing with her. And she sat on the other side of the truck surprised at herself for thinking the very same thing. It didn't take long at all for them to confess their feelings and soon they were wed. Ethel packed up her belongings and Sam loaded them into that old blue truck. That was the beginning of a truly beautiful romance that lasted their whole lives. They loved and laughed and raised their family on that little farm. Ethel was amazed more and more each day at just how much deeper her love for Sam grew. As time passed on and their children grew, their love continued to blossom and in the end, Ethel still smiled as she brought Sam a glass of lemonade and sat beside him on the porch swing. She marveled at the wrinkles on his hard working hands and how his eyes still sparkled amidst the laugh lines and she reflected on the beautiful life they'd lived as she lay her head on his shoulder and enjoyed another sunset.

You can grab Ethel at GS for $2.00 through the 5th and then she'll be $4.00. You can also grab just the ellies or papers seperately during that time for $1.00 each.

Take a look at what our A-M-A-Z-I-N-G CT did with Ethel...

Sam was a quiet man. He mostly kept to himself and loved the simple life his farm afforded him. He spent his days in the field and every now and then he'd sneak off to his favorite fishing hole. He thought he had everything a man could ever want in the solitude of his land. A chance encounter at the local general store changed all of that. That was the day he met Ethel. Suddenly, life had a whole new meaning. He found himself finding excuses to go into town more often on the chance that he would run into her again. He soon did and found the courage to strike up a conversation with the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on. He was even more intrigued as he continued to get to know her. She had a heart of gold and he was determined to make her his bride. It took him nearly a month to get the courage to ask her out on that first date but it was a month well spent because they were inseparable after that. It took no time at all for him to tell her just how he felt and that he wanted to spend he rest of his life with him. He didn't have much to offer her but he couldn't imagine life without her. His heart nearly burst with joy when she agreed to marry him. They had a small ceremony in the worn down chapel in town and his heart nearly pounded out of his chest in anticipation as he helped her load her belongings into his old blue truck. As he drove her out to their farm that day, he couldn't wipe the smile off his face as he held her hand and watched her auburn hair blow in the breeze. He worked hard all of his life to give her the best that he could and to make sure that she knew just how much he cherished her. It was a love like none you've ever seen and as the years went by and the children had grown, his heart still jumped with joy when she'd walk into the room. Yes, Sam was a simple man, but he knew that with Ethel, he had found just what makes life beautiful.

Sam is also available for just $2.00 through the 5th and then he'll be $4.00. You can also purchase the ellies and papers seperately during that time for $1.00 each.

Here's a peek at what our CT came up with after hanging out with Sam...

Of course they wrote each other love letters so you'll want to pick up the rest of their stories in this alpha set.

The Sam & Ethel collection are part of this month's Buffet at Ginger Scraps! Be sure to stop by to see all of the beautiful kits in the Buffet!

They're also having an awesome Bake Sale at GS from the 1st through the 5th! Everything in the bake sale will be $1.00 during that time! Whoot! Wendy's got 3 kits in the sale this week!

While you're at GS, stop by the forum and play along with Wendy's Brush Challenge this month. You know she loves a good set of brushes and she found a really fun one this month! Here's a layout she created with it...

After Sam & Ethel passed on, their grandchildren were at the farm sorting through things and you'll never believe what they found in Grandma's Junk Drawer. Oh the treasures! There were ticket stubs and the fake mustache from Sam's 80th birthday party. She had stashed away old maps from their travels and had even kept the string that had been tied around the special gift Sam had given her on their 75th anniversary. The stories that could be told from the objects in that drawer were plenty and the grandkids had a wonderful week of reminiscing over the love they had shared all of those years.

You can pick up Grandma's Junk Drawer for 30% off this week at GS and SNP!

Here's a look at what our CT made with the goodies they found in Grandma's Junk Drawer...

Now you know in that old junk drawer, they had found plenty of Bits N' Pieces and Wendy's got a Bits N' Pieces set of templates for you as well! The designers at SNP have put together an awesome assortment of goodies for Bits N' Pieces this month that I know you're going to want to pick up right away. Remember that these are only $1.00 through the 7th and then are full price!