layton's legacy card drive & fundraiser for NICU parents

Friends, I have a wonderful cause that I want to tell you about today.  Many of you know Lea Lawson through the papercrafting community and she is hosting a card drive and fundraiser as a tribute to her sweet baby Layton, who sadly passed away just 5 months after he came into the world.  I'll let Lea explain...

"Today a dream of mine is coming true, as the Card Drive & Fundraiser goes live in honor of my sweet little bear, Layton Caleb...our little fighter and hero for 5 months and 7 days. Layton came into this world 11 weeks early on June 9th, 2016 with 2 serious health conditions. He endured more medically on a daily basis than most adults face in an entire lifetime. And on November 17, 2016 he joined his big sister in Heaven."

"We were given those 5 months with Layton thanks to the level 4 NICU & amazing medical staff at The University of Minnesota Masonic Children's Hospital. There are 50 beds in that NICU, and it is ALWAYS full. In honor of Layton's birthday, I am raising money to purchase substantial Starbucks gift cards that can be given to these parents as they find themselves thrust into the NICU life."

"I can only do so much as just one person, but together we can accomplish SO much, much more! Plus - we are making it fun! We have a huge Card Drive blog hop going on in Layton's honor, with tons of amazing inspiration! We also have a fundraising effort, where every $5 donated gets you an entry into the prize drawing. There are over $2000 in prizes, sponsored by some of the most amazing stamping & papercrafting companies in the industry! {You can also see all the prizes HERE.}"

There is more information on Lea's blog HERE so I urge you to take a moment and read her post.  There are several ways for you to get involved, as well.  I'm more than honored to be able to contribute 2 cards to the drive, and if you're a card maker, that's a nice gift for these parents in itself.


Lea created this mood board based on the nursery she and her husband decorated for their Layton.  I took extra special care making my cards for this blog hop, due to the very personal and meaningful reasons for creating them.

Both of my cards were made using mostly Pinkfresh Studio's Escape the Ordinary collection.  The mountains, the moons, the colors...they were so perfect for the occasion.

I wanted to bring in the aqua blue, which wasn't represented in ETO, so I softened things up a bit and found the color in small pieces of fabric.



















I was even able to put together encouraging sentiments from the stickers in the range.  The tiny NICU babies are growing at their own pace, and while they may not be keeping up with some of the other babies delivered in the same hospitals, they're some of the biggest, toughest fighters (little rebels) we've ever seen; they're just doing it on their own terms.

"You are brave" can be directed toward the babies themselves, or their 'fighting-just-as-hard' parents and loved ones.  Everyone in these situations are stronger and braver than me, I can tell you that.



There are so many cards in today's incredible blog hop and I encourage you to have a look when you have some time.  It's our hope that you'll be inspired to join in and send off a card of your own for the drive. (*Details on Lea's blog!)

Blog Hop Participants

A couple of important things:

Again, here is a direct link to Lea's Blog Hop Post: Layton's Legacy Card Drive & Fundraiser for NICU Parents  There is more information there, including the personal reason Lea chose Starbucks cards to give with the greeting cards.  A comprehensive list of sponsors, discounts, information, and deadlines is posted there, as well.

If you're able to make a financial donation, it is much appreciated and can be made here: Layton's Legacy YouCaring Fundraiser

Not everyone is in a position to donate money, of course, but you can SHOP with some of the sponsors, SHARE this information on social media, or CREATE a card to give to a family whose infant is in the NICU at The University of Minnesota Masonic Children's Hospital.

A BIG THANK YOU to all of you who take the time to participate in this event in whatever capacity you are able!

xoxo,
Rebecca