I am SO excited about this Give-Away today because today is a SPECIAL day!
This Give-Away is in honor my son, Zach. It's his 9th birthday today! And this Give-Away is also in honor of Autism Awareness.
You all know that raising awareness for autism is a passion of mine. During the duration of this give-away, I'll be sharing links and information about autism, while showing you how I've interspersed my passion for autism awareness into my art.
For starters, the guys over at MockUTV.com have created a page dedicated to my son and his story, along with some fantastic links to learn more about autism and different organizations than can help you find services for yourself or to pass on to someone you know that might need them. Knowledge is definitely power and one of the ways that we can help children and adults that deal with autism on a daily basis is to become aware of what this disorder is. You can CLICK HERE to explore these sites.
I'm so blessed to be working with some wonderful people that have hearts of gold and have pitched in to help with spreading the word and giving me some awesome prizes to give away.
I have 5 wonderful prizes to give away and that means 5 WINNERS!
The first prize is:
The Love you to Pieces set from GinaK Designs.
This set was created to benefit autism awareness and $8.00 from each set sold goes directly to Autism Speaks, an organization that funds research into the causes, prevention, treatments and cure for autism.
Gina created this set in honor of my son and this is a set that is truly dear to my heart.
Because autism itself and its causes are so puzzling, the international symbol for autism is a puzzle piece. In order to begin to solve the autism puzzle, public awareness of the disorder is crucial.
The second prize is:
The Love & Luck set from Kitchen Sink Stamps.
This set is perfect for making cards and gifts for those you hold closest to your heart.
And it's also great for the upcoming St. Patrick's Day holiday next month.
These two sets above tie into my next prize.......
The third prize is:
20 handmade gift cards.
10 cards are made with the Love you to Pieces set and 10 cards are made with the Love & Luck set. These little cards are 3 x 3 inches square and come with matching envelopes. They're perfect for putting on gifts, tucking into your child's or partner's lunch box, adding to a bouquet of flowers and so much more. 
The fourth prize is:
The amazingly hilarious "mockumentary" DVD: "Inside Scrapbooking" from MockUTV
The guys from MockUTV (Russ and Kevin) have been so generous with helping raise funds for Autism Support Daily through the sales of this DVD.
Originally, this fund raiser ran through November and December, but Russ and Kevin believe in the cause of autism so much that they've decided to make this an ongoing fund raiser. Every time a DVD is purchased, $1.00 will be donated to Autism Support Daily. If you haven't yet gotten a chance to watch the preview for this movie, you can check it out ---> HERE. And to purchase your own copy of the DVD for yourself or a friend, you can click ---> HERE.
The fifth prize is:
The Stampin' Mama Artwork Inspiration CD
This CD has over 300 pictures of papercrafts that I've designed over the past 18 months.
It's an instant picture library right at the click of your mouse.
It's full of amazing samples for you to glean fresh inspiration from when you're looking for innovative ideas for your paper crafts.
*** This Give-Away is NOT limited to where you live.....so even if you are outside of the US or Canada, you can still participate.***
So......what do you need to do to enter this Groovy Give-Away?
Simply leave a comment on this blog to be entered. And if you want to go the extra mile, help spread the word and send people over. You never know who might need to be exposed to autism and learn more about it. If it weren't for someone sharing in a "Good Housekeeping Magazine," who knows how much time we would have lost in getting Zach the intervention that has helped him so much over the last 7 1/2 years.
I'll pick 5 winners with the random number generator on Thursday (2/21) at 11 am Eastern Time and announce the winners here!
And make sure to check back each day to learn more about this disorder that affects 1 in every 150 children.....and to see how it touches my life of art.
Happy Valentine's Day and Happy Birthday to my Zachy Boy!
-Erika
Happy late birthday to your son! I hope he had a wonderful birthday! Also what amazing give aways! I will have to check out the websites tonight! (when I am not at work!) Thanks so much for posting all this information!
Posted by: Kelly Smith | February 20, 2008 at 02:41 PM
What a generous giveaway! I hope Zach had a great birthday.
Posted by: Sue M. | February 20, 2008 at 05:24 PM
Happy Birthday to Zach!!!!!!!
What a beautiful scrap layout "My Wish 4 You"
I have to say that I clicked the link with the movie of JMac...and didnt ready your whole post before.....OH MY GOSH....I WAS BAWLING.
What a wonderful, uplifting story. Thank you for sharing it.
Thank you for a chance to win some great stuff too!
Ansa
Posted by: Ansa | February 20, 2008 at 06:34 PM
Happy birthday to Zach. I worked with Autistic children years ago. Oh how I loved that job. My great nephew is autistic. You have a great cause God Bless You. Shirley
Posted by: Shirley Hendrickson | February 20, 2008 at 06:42 PM
Happy Birthday Zach!!
What a generous giveaway Erica. I don't have a blog but I will post a link on my Yahoo Stamping Group.
Thanks ~
Posted by: Tammy K | February 20, 2008 at 08:08 PM
Well Happy Birthday to Zach!! And many more! Dannette
Posted by: Dannette Ruger | February 20, 2008 at 08:57 PM
Happy birthday to Zach! It is amazing what early intervention can accomplish. Here's to your family and all that you are doing!! CHEERS!
SueD
Posted by: SueD | February 20, 2008 at 11:25 PM
Belated birthday wishes to your son Zach ! Thanks for giving us a chance at winning some of your candy.
Posted by: Bhanu Ramesh | February 21, 2008 at 12:11 AM
Happy Belated Birthday, Zach! Valentine's Day is a special day to have a birthday...you must be very special yourself!
Thanks for the "Groovy" chance, Mama.
Posted by: Erin Glee | February 21, 2008 at 01:56 AM
I was blessed to be able to work with an autistic boy when he was in the first grade. I had just moved to CO and I got to be his paraprofessional. It was a wonderful time. I grew up with my grandmother who was a foster parent for handicapped kids for 34 years. That was also a very special blessing. Sometimes blessings hide....
Hsppy Birthday Zach!!!!
~sheri
Posted by: Sheri Coleman | February 21, 2008 at 02:06 AM
I have many frequent interactions with children who are autistic, and know that they can be so inspiring. Last night, or local news channel covered a story about an autistic girl, who suddenly started to communicate by typing on a computer. She answered some questions...such as what do you think other autistic children would want others to know....her answer...we know more things and can understand more than most people believe we do. When asked if therapy helps, she replied...yes, because it helps me learn how to channel my emotions and feelings. The local channel will be working with the family, and continue following this miraculous breakthru. My hope is that thru sites like yours and programs, more people will become aware of the need to support these children, and help find the right pieces for treatment.
Posted by: Patti | February 21, 2008 at 09:15 AM
Happy Belated Birthday to Zach!
Posted by: Stephanie Z. | February 21, 2008 at 01:09 PM
happy birtday Zach
great blog
very inspirational
awareness for austism needs to be shared...........what a great to do it!through your art!!!
Posted by: Karalyn Temple | February 21, 2008 at 01:59 PM
Happy Birthday Zach. Having worked with children with Autism, I can relate and the wonders that can be obtained for these children.
Posted by: Barb Schade | February 21, 2008 at 05:52 PM
Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday dear Zach
Happy Birthday to you!
I hope you have a great day.
Posted by: Zoe | February 21, 2008 at 10:36 PM
Hi Erika,
I am not new to the stamp world, but I am new to these "blogs". Wow how fun!!! I just in the last week or so started seeing these online - where have I been?
I certainly understand your passion with autism. My one and only granddaughter had Kawasaki Disease when she was 7 years old - we were blessed, and she is ok now, but too many children are left with life-long medical problems. My prayers are with you.
Please enter me into your contest.
And, last, but not least...HAPPY BIRTHDAY ZACH!!! What a GREAT name...I have a grandson with the same name - love it!!! God bless you all.
Cindy - Brentwood, CA
Please enter me into your contest.
Posted by: Cindy Romero | February 22, 2008 at 12:53 PM
Happy Birthday, Zach......what a wonderful way to celebrate a special day! This is SO nice of you! Please enter my name in your contest!!
Posted by: Debbie Barnhart | February 26, 2008 at 07:16 AM
I know I'm terribly late, but was bloghopping today and saw that the 14th was Zach's birthday..... how funny, mine too!!!!
So happy belated Zach, hope all your wishes came true for you!!
Posted by: Marjolein | February 27, 2008 at 12:54 PM