Short story: I.. The self-proclaimed “Baby Makin’ Machine,” found making a baby isn’t as easy as I had hoped. So to take my mind off baby makin’ I’m spending a month raising money to help March of Dimes babies. Read the long story about how this fundraiser got started here!
Read my latest TTC update here.

This next sponsor is very special, and March of Dimes has a special place in her heart. Amy, is not only the owner of My Favorite Shop, she has a special life story.She is a 28 year old living in Virginia. She was born with spina bifida which left her in a wheelchair, paralyzed from the waist down.

“As a child I was very much a part of the March of Dimes, as I was the regional poster child for a few consecutive years from approximately age 3 to age 7,” she said. “I remember attending March of Dimes events such as the Walk of America and other social events. Today, I occasionally attend meetings and social events of our regional chapter.”

As for her art, she has always had an interest in art and crafts.

“I would say I started out liking crafts more so than drawing or painting,” she said. “But as I got older I developed more of an interest in the fine arts, taking drawing and painting classes throughout high school and college. My interest changed back to crafts when I accidently happened upon an online forum centered around the art of Needle Felting. As I read about the craft and looked at photos of the many great needle felted works, I knew that I had found my direction.”

Before this, she had dabbled in many different art and crafts not really liking one over the other and not really a master of any. Not that she feels that she is a master of needle felting (though she’s REALLY GOOD!).
“I am still growing in my skills but I feel that this craft is one that I will never tire from,” she said. “I have always had an interest in sculpture but when I thought of sculpture I always envisioned hard materials, not soft wool sculptures! Soon after I found the art of needle felting, I found Etsy! ‘How could I have not known about this wonderful site for two years?’ I wondered. At that time I was feeling kind of empty inside, like something was missing, like I had no real desires in life nothing that I was truly passionate about and that made me want to greet the day in the morning with a smile. But Etsy did this for me!”

She could now create her works for other people’s enjoyment not just her own. And she could now create a greater amount of work because they would be sent out into the world rather than piling up in a room.
“It is a great feeling when someone purchases an item that YOU loved creating! I would soon like to expand my shop inventory to include other crafts besides needle felted item such as knitting, weaving, colored pencil drawings, acrylic paintings, and mixed media sculptures.”

The item that she is donating is one of her Lil’ Felper dolls. She do not have a photo of it yet but it is blue, white, and light gray – the colors in the March of Dimes sash she use to wear.

“The saying on the Lil’ Felper’s tummy patch will read, ‘No Child Stands Alone’ based on the saying ‘No man walks alone’ and ‘No man is an island’. The point is that we all need help at some point. We all need someone to be that person who will help us along to get healthy, strong, and back on our feet!”

Yo ucan learn more about her by following @CRAFTeReporter on Twitter!

If you donate just $10 to the charity I’ll give you 10 free tickets to win this prize from My Favorite Shop! Not only are you helping a charity but you get 10 tickets in our GIANT drawing! You can donate by clicking the “chip in” button to the right or by clicking here. (Paypal is NOT associated with the drawing, just with donations. Questions about the drawing? Email me at babymakingmachine{at}gmail.com)

This is just one of more than 40 prizes (worth over $1500) that’s up for grabs in the drawing! See the full list here. 100% of the funds raised are going to March of Dimes, to help save babies!

Read how this got started here!
Check out all of the prizes here!
Have a giveaway? List it here! Offer extra entries to your peeps for donating!