Premier Designs Jewelry FUNDRAISER!

If you know me, you know I LOVE Premier Designs Jewelry. I usually have one party a year just to get a look at all the new stuff they come out with each year. Well, I was contacted by a sweet Premier Designs Jeweler who wants to help us with our adoption journey! We are so excited!

Stacey Weathers is the jeweler and she has agreed to donate 50% of her earnings to our adoption. Stacey has a unique connection to adoption and couldn't be happier to help us. So, this is where you come in.

Stacey and I have created a facebook event page that has all the information about the party, the time, the date, details, etc. and we need you to come! Not only will you be helping us fund our adoption, but you will be able to see some pretty amazing jewelry, try it on, and purchase some if you like. I will also have some of my "Krafts by Katie" items available for purchase that night!

Please visit the facebook page: click here! If you cannot come (due to not living close or you have other plans already), I will have a way for you to get involved as well. The host of the party (me) gets 30% of the sales in FREE jewelry; HOWEVER, I will NOT be keeping this jewelry for myself. Once I have the free jewelry in hand, I will have a ONE DAY facebook auction of all the jewelry I got for free, and you will have the opportunity to bid on the pieces. Each piece will go to the highest bidder. How fun!!

Again, check out the facebook page to get more info, and come on over for an amazing night of fun, fellowship, and JEWELRY!

XOXO
Katie

Week 2 FUNdraising Friday Update

The past two weeks have been extremely busy! I have been swamped with projects for friends, family, acquaintances, and a TON of people I don't know. I am SO grateful for all the business that has been generated from sweet friends who have posted their items on Facebook. So now I have friends of friends who are messaging me wanting something made. And then their friends see their items and want something too! It's the coolest ripple effect I've ever seen! Even though I've had some late nights and certainly LONG days, I ABSOLUTELY LOVE all the Krafts I'm making and couldn't be more pleased with the way they have turned out! So, THANK YOU to all of you who have supported our adoption journey by purchasing a Kraft by Katie!

So, here's the deets of where we are financially.

TOTAL: $1326.29

Puzzle Piece Donation Fundraiser - $188.65

Krafts by Katie - $1137.64

The thermometer is RISING and we want it to keep RISING! Can you help us? Go to Krafts by Katie Facebook page to look around. There is something there for everyone - personalized canvases, monogrammed coasters, vinyl decals, monogrammed decorative trays, etc.... Message me privately if you are interested in any Kraft or if you want me to make something you don't see.

Can you purchase some puzzle pieces to support our puzzle fundraiser? They are $5 each and your name will be put on each piece you purchase! Donate here...

Thanks again for all the love and support! We are so grateful and humbled by the generosity of our supporters!

XOXO
Katie

Adoption Puzzle Fundraiser

Most of you who read the blog know that I have been making "Krafts" to raise money for our adoption, but I think our Puzzle fundraiser was hidden in that LONG post about the Krafts. So, I wanted to promote this awesome fundraiser as well!

What is the Puzzle fundraiser?

We created a puzzle with a mommy cat loving on her baby kitten and are selling the puzzle pieces for $5 each. For every puzzle piece you buy, we will write your (your family) name on the back of the puzzle piece(s). After all of the 1000 pieces are bought, we will put the puzzle together, glue it so that it never comes apart, and frame it so that we can see both sides! We will always be reminded who the people were who helped us bring our baby home.

So far, only 6 pieces have been purchased (THANK YOU!!). This means we still have 994 pieces left that need to be purchased so that we can complete the puzzle fundraiser.

Could one of the 994 be yours?

If you do the math:

What if 497 people bought 2 pieces each? We would meet our goal!

What if 50 people bought 20 pieces each? We would meet our goal (and be over a little bit)!

What if you could just buy ONE piece? Well, that just means you have allowed us to get one step closer to bringing our baby home.

So what can YOU do? What can your family do? I hope you will consider going to the donate button at the top right corner of my blog and helping us get one step closer. No amount is insignificant!

If you decide to donate, just make sure we have your first and last name so we can put YOUR name on a piece (or 2 or 3 or 20...)!!

Help us put this beautiful puzzle together!

Thanks!!

Katie

ADOPTION is how you spell Family...

A friend of mine just posted this video on facebook, and it is the most beautiful picture of God's love anyone could ever see. As a world that has gotten so far from God, one that says the perfect family is one where everyone looks alike, one who judges harshly on appearances, we forget what God did for us. He ADOPTED US into HIS family. He didn't have to do that. But because He loves us so very much, He sent His only Son to die a horrible death--only because that was the ONLY way to save us. Are we bold enough to save a child in need of a forever family? Do we think it's too expensive? Do we think that's just not for our family? All of those thoughts may have crossed my mind at one time, but not now. God can do the most incredible things if we will just say, "God, lead me. Show me. Help me. It is not by my strength, but yours." Will you trust Him today?

Take a look at this video and see the picture of what family looks like to this incredible family! Your heart will be forever changed!




XOXO Katie

Fundraising FRIDAY! Weekly Updates...

I found a cool idea from a fellow blogger who went through the international adoption process! I will share fundraising totals on FRIDAYS! How fun! So, we'll get to watch the thermometer on the side of the blog rise and rise until we meet the $22,000 goal! So, to get started, let me share with you a little break down of the amount we have raised from when we started fundraising (around December 27th) to the present!

"Kraft's by Katie" fundraising - $457.41
Donations - $29.20  (6 puzzle pieces total have been sold...1,994 more to go)

Total - $486.61

THANK YOU for making this happen! From clicking that little "Donate" button on the side of my blog to buying canvases, coasters, decals, and more from Krafts by Katie, you are helping us bring our future baby home!

Would you consider helping "piece" our adoption puzzle together? For every $5 you donate, your name will be put on a puzzle piece. Buy as many as you like! To see the puzzle we are putting together, take a look at this blog post and scroll through the pictures to see it!

We love you so very much and are thankful for all our many blessings, including YOU!

XOXO,
Jason and Katie

Adoption Info Meeting + How you can help!

Friday, Jason and I went to an adoption information meeting that Bethany Christian Agency hosted in Greenville. To go to this meeting we had to fill out a preliminary (very short) application online and sign a statement of faith since Bethany is a Christian agency who works with Christian couples desiring to adopt.

Many things at the meeting were discussed, and many things I already knew from researching online. However, there were some questions that were answered and some things I didn't know I had questions about that were answered. So, all in all, it was a good meeting and we are one step closer to deciding what road to journey down and who to journey it with.

A friend of mine contacted a lawyer in town that specializes in adoption services, and was so nice to speak with him on our behalf. So, we have information on both agency adoption and lawyer based adoption. We are trying to decide if we are going to meet with the lawyer and speak with him or if we are simply ready to work with Bethany.

In the meantime, I have been BUSY with "Kraft's by Katie" projects for friends and family. Please "like" my page on facebook and view my items for sale. As many of you know, we are trying to raise funds for adoption and hopefully be debt free! I hope you will consider purchasing a canvas, a set of coasters, a wall decal, a phone decal, etc. to help us. I can't wait for my jewelry materials to arrive so I can start making necklaces for sale as well! I'll let you guys know when I'm ready to do all of that!

Here are some pictures of the items I've made since Christmas.

8x10" $20

12x12" Scrapbook paper collage $40

12x24" $30



16x20" (one color change +$5) $55

Set of 4 monogrammed coasters $12

2x2" iphone decal $10

another 2x2" iphone decal $10

2 sets of monogrammed coasters ($12 per set)

4x8" wall decals (cost varies depending on size) & another iphone decal $10

2x2" iphone decal shown on phone $10

set of 4 monogrammed coasters $12 per set

another iphone decal shown on iphone $10

12x24" (one color change +$5) $35

8x10" $20

12x12 (one color change +$5) $30

12x12 (one color change +$5) $30

12x12 (one color change +$5) $30

12x12 (one color change +$5) $30

8x10" (2 color changes +$5 per color) $30

12x12" Scrapbook paper collage $40

8x10" $20

8x10" (one color change +$5) $25

8x10" $20

12x12" Scrapbook paper collage $40

iphone decal on OTTERBOX..it does stick:) $10

Personalized tray (experimenting with these right now to see how the vinyl holds up)

We are just so excited to begin this journey to adopt a most precious child the Lord has made just for us! If you are not interested in any of these items, BUT, you would like to financially support us, we are also "selling puzzle pieces" for a puzzle we hope to put together and frame in our child's future room. We will "sell" each piece for $5. We will write your name on the back of the pieces you purchase and once put together and framed with glass on both sides, we can always look back and see who the wonderful people are who helped us bring home our child.

Picture of our puzzle and what it will look like once put together!!! LOVE IT!

You can make a donation by clicking above on the "Donate" link provided. You must have a paypal account to donate in this way. You may need the following: 1) Your email address 2) My email address: ktillot@gmail.com and you can donate online. Also, something I have learned recently is if you pay with a checking account, Paypal doesn't charge a service fee. But, if you use your credit or debit card, Paypal charges 2.9% + 0.30 per transaction. So, if you donate $20 with your credit card, you are really donating $19.12 because of the fee for using your credit card.

As far as the puzzle fundraiser goes, as an example, if you donated $30, then that would mean you are "buying" 6 puzzle pieces that would have your name on the back. If you have any questions about donating online or if for some reason the link isn't working, please let me know.

There is also a "donate" button on the right side of my blog so that you do not always have to find this post to donate.

If you do not have a paypal account but would like to support us, you can also mail a check (made out to Jason and Katie Hill) with the memo stating "adoption" to our home address:

Jason and Katie Hill

417 Mustang Drive

Spartanburg, SC  29307

Our goal is $22,000. For us, that is a lot of money (who knew adoption was so expensive, right?). We know that. But, we are completely confident that when God tells us to do something, He will make a way. We believe Him and trust that He can do great things!

We love all our family and friends who have stuck by our side and really encouraged us to never give up and always rely on the Lord for guidance in decision making. We know He has great plans for us and we are super excited to watch them unfold!

XOXO
Katie and Jason