Freebie digi frame!

I decided to feature my biggest "boy" in the house in Ezra's super spiderman cape and fireman hat:

Travel blog freebies!

Just click on the image to enlarge it then save to your computer. This header is
(920 pixels wide)




These sidebar titles could be used to go with this header or with any vintage looking blog layout (scroll down the posts to see how to resize and install these images):

H U G E Giveaway!!!!!!!!!!

My sister and I sponsor 5 kiddos in Ethiopia through Children's Hopechest. We are planning a trip to visit the care centers in November and I decided to start fundraising early for the trip so that we can bring lots of donations, and for the building projects we'll be doing while in country. My personal goal is to raise at least $7,000.00. My ultimate goal is to be able to giveaway a mission trip to one lucky winner! You can read all the books you want and watch all the youtube videos in the world but nothing compares to being in country and seeing what these children live through every day. What these kiddos need most is someone to stand in the gap for them and make their voices heard and the best way to do that is to have lived it. So PLEASE stand up for "the least of these" and help me to bring a lucky someone to Ethiopia!!!

Most anyone associated with international adoption is aware of the changes being made in Ethiopia regarding the amount of adoption cases being processed each day which will hopefully curb the amount of corruption in the country and we all know that adoption alone is NOT the answer. So what can YOU do to make a difference in these children's lives? Well I'll tell ya... become a sponsor! For just $34.00 each month your sponsorship will send a child to school, will provide meals, and in some cases even shelter if they have to live on site. Reading the stories of these children and meeting them face to face just rips your heart out. Almost all of the children have at least one parent that has died because of poverty and disease and now have to live with other villagers or relatives. Many times the "foster homes" have children of their own to feed and care for so the "foster children" are left at home to do the chores and take care of the smaller children.
What Hopechest does is eases the burden on these "foster families". By providing funding for these children's basic needs, they are able to become productive members of society and gain a sense of self and a sense of worth. Please visit my friend Karen's blog to find out how you can give a child hope. She's got some AMAZING before and after photos on this post that really show what a difference sponsorship can make.(The little girl, Birtukan, with the stickers on her face is my sister's sponsor child)

Now on to the good stuff :) I have some amazing goodies to share with FIVE lucky winners.
I will be giving away 5 themed gift baskets FILLED with some amazing goodies. Here's how it will work:

*A donation of $10.00 will earn you ONE entry.
*A donation of $20.00 will earn you THREE entries.
*A donation of $30.00 will earn you SEVEN entries.

Any donations over those amounts will be multiplied accordingly (eg. a donation of $100.00 will be good for 22 entries).

When you make your donation, in the little information box on paypal, please include the number of the gift basket you're hoping to win.

Once you have made a donation you can earn additional FREE entries by posting about the giveaway on your blog, twitter, or facebook accounts. Just comment me with your info and where you posted about the giveaway so I'll make sure to give you extra entries.

Use this button below to post on your personal blog to redirect people to the giveaway!


<a border="0" href="http://bringinghomeezra.blogspot.com/2011/03/my-sister-and-i-sponsor-5-kiddos-in.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i930.photobucket.com/albums/ad148/beckyburk/hopechestgiveawaybutton.png" /></a>

Donations will be accepted from April 1st to April 21st. Also during that time I will have more blog giveaways where you will be eligible for FREE entries and goodies so check back here periodically.

Here's what you could win:

GIFT BASKET NUMBER ONE (Cooking/baking):



1-Oneida Platinum 3 piece cupcake pan, tray, and cover carrier set
1-3 quart round stainless steel Crock Pot
1-Bag of Sumatra Organic coffee donated by Ground To Cup
1-12 month subscription to Louisiana Cookin magazine
1-size Medium tee donated by Julie Neal from Dig Deep
1-autographed copy of Red Letters by Tom Davis (founder of Children's Hopechest)
1-bottlecap necklace donated by Sami from Little Goody 2 Shoes
1-bottle cap key chain donated by Deena Marquis
1-brown reusable printed grocery bag donated by Katie Reaser
1-Adopt Africa magnet
1-shabby chic notebook
3-tees donated by Debi Jenkins of From Africa To Your Heart (1-large white long sleeved hoodie, 1- XL brown tee, 1-small pink tee)

GIFT BASKET NUMBER TWO (gift cards):



1-$10.00 gift card to Chili's
1-$25.00 gift card to For Goodness Grape donated by Lisa
1-$33.00 gift card to use toward getting your own amazing scarf by Pronta donated by Maru Stephens
1-$40.00 gift card to Pixie Chicago Paperie donated by Cassandra
1-$25.00 gift card toward digital scrapbooking elements from Kate Hadfield Designs
1-$25.00 gift card toward digital scrapbooking products from Valorie Wibbens Designs
1-bag of Mexico organic coffee donated by Ground to Cup
1-torqouise necklace donated by adoptive mother, Lisa Bushman
1-book, Losing Normal, by adoptive mother, Heather Cheney
1- Adopt Africa magnet
1-3-6 month organic "little birdie" onesie from Adopt Africa Designs
2-bottlecap necklaces from Sami with Little Goodie 2 Shoes
1-sized medium white tee donated by The Boddie Family
1-Africa (Ethiopia is featured) cut out wooden ornament/door hanger donated by Debi Jenkins of From Heart to Home
3-tees also from Debi of From Heart to Home (1-medium pink short sleeve, 1-large brown short sleeve, and 1-small white long sleeved hoodie)

GIFT BASKET NUMBER THREE (art)



1-original commissioned custom painting by Casey Wiegand of A Little Artsy (valued at $550.00)

1-carousel 8X8 print from Elle Moz Photography
1-handmade yarn rooster from Isla Mujeres in Mexico
1-custom embroidered sparrow art with the word "Baby" framed and matted donated by adoptive mom,Anya
1-handwoven injera bowl from Axum, Ethiopia
1-6.5" X 6.5" original painting on goat hide in the orthodox tradition of Mary and Jesus from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
2-prints from adoptive mother, Candice Jones
2-bottlecap necklaces from Sami of Little Goody 2 Shoes
2-bottlecap key chains donated by Deena Marquis
1-bag of Jamaican Me Crazy coffee donated by Ground to Cup
1-Adopt Africa magnet
1-custom blog design from Adopt Africa Designs ($50.00 value)
4-original adoption prints donated by adoptive parents Logan and Brandy Wade
2-dog collars (red and black) with Christmas and Valentine's Day themed coordinating snaps from Snap 2 It
1-shabby chic notebook
2-tees (1-large pink short sleeve and 1-XL white long sleeved hoodie) from Debi Jenkins of From Heart to Home

GIFT BASKET NUMBER FOUR (party goods)





1-10% off coupon to Pebbles In My Pocket party supplies
1-30% off coupon to anna and blue paperie
20-custom printed invitation/announcement cards from Nicole at Starlight Stationary
1-Happy Birthday Groovy flower banner donated by Holly at Groovy Holidays
1-Adopt Africa magnet
1-custom blog design from Adopt Africa Designs
1-funky dog notebook
1-white girls size XS Africa cut out tee with lion from Adopt Africa Designs
1-book by adoptive mom, Heidi Ballard - From My Heart You Came
1-bag of Southern Pecan coffee donated by Ground To Cup
2-bottlecap necklaces donated by Sami of Little Goody 2 Shoes
1-bottlecap keychain donated by Deena Marquis
1-wooden Africa cutout key chain with camel print donated by Debi Jenkins of From Heart to Home
1-wooden Africa cutout ornament/door hanger with polka dots and Ethiopia written on it donated by Debi Jenkins of From Heart to Home
3-tees also donated by Debi (1-medium white long sleeved hoodie, 1-large pink short sleeved tee, and 1-Large brown short sleeved tee)
1-grey size Large tee donated by the Boddie family
1-reusable printed grocery bag donated by the Boddie family
1-size 10 short sleeve tee from Threadless

GIFT BASKET NUMBER FIVE (luxury girlie goodies):





-Sample perfume vials from Gucci, Prada, Dolce & Gabbana, Versace, Kate Spade, Calvin Klein, Narcisco Rodriguez, Paco Rabanne, and Lolita Lempicka of Paris
-Lots of facial product samples from Sephora
1-size 12 month long sleeved Burberry girl's shirt
2-Mother/daughter aprons with pink ruffle
1-Coach coin purse
1-Lily Pulitzer Zippity-Do make-up bag
1-Love Goes Around necklace donated by Tracy from Junk Posse
1-"love" banner necklace from Lisa Leonard Designs
1-pair of sterling silver fleur-de-lis earrings donated by Kelly of Kelly Lynn Designs
1-glass Ethiopian map pendant necklace donated by Michelle McKinney
1-Adopt Africa magnet
1-lime green tee size XS from Adopt Africa Designs
1-laptop decorative bird sticker
2-bottlecap necklaces donated by Sami of Little Goody 2 Shoes
1-brown bead handmade necklace donated by adoptive mom, Lisa Bushman
1-shabby chic notebook
1-bottlecap keychain donated by Deena Marquis
2-wooden Africa cut out beaded necklaces donated by Debi Jenkins of From Heart to Home
3-tees (1-size small pink short sleeve, 1-white size large long sleeved hoodie, 1-XL brown short sleeved tee) donated by Debi Jenkins of From Heart to Home
1-bag of Columbia Organic coffee donated by Ground To Cup
12-flavored lip glosses
3-books by author and adoptive mother Jen Hatmaker - Out of the Spin Cycle, Girl Talk: Getting Past the Chitchat, and Make Over: Revitalizing the Many Roles You Fill
1-wooden Africa cut out keychain donated by Debi Jenkins
1-brown tee size large donated by Katie Reaser
1-handmade fabric flower brooch from Sew Lovely

Whew.... I'm exhausted from listing all that but I hope you guys are excited about winning some awesome stuff!
I plan to do little mini-features on some of the doners throughout the giveaway as well so I hope you look forward to learning more about both the fundraising families and the people committed to helping Africa's orphans.

Blog header freebie!

Here's another header I wound up not using. Just click on the image to enlarge to see it full size. Then save to your computer and edit to your heart's content :)

Sample:

They grow up so fast freebie!

So here's a little freebie for the day:

Some fun freebies!

Here are some little printables you can use for scrapbooking or blogging. I keep reminding myself to write things down like funny things Ezra does so now b/c I doubt I'll remember them later on so I made up these little lists to jot things down on.

Here are some funny things Ezra does:
1. Instead saying "gorilla" he always says "umbrella" for some reason. I kept looking for the umbrella at the zoo and realized he meant the gorilla :)
2. Instead of saying , "I want some milk", Ezra says, "want some milking"... hmmm we'll have to discuss that with the cow I suppose :)
3. The boy is CRAZY about "Frost the Snowman". He LOVES Frosty and if it's the least bit cold he wants to go, "see the snowman".

Click on the images to enlarge and save to you computer.




Here's another freebie header for ya. I think this one is like 930 pixels wide or so. Just add text!

Blog wear freebie plus a tutorial!

(Click on the images below to enlarge them and then save to your computer)



Well I was contacted by Kim whom I'd made a blog header for a long time ago and she wanted to use some of the elements from the header to make side bar titles. Instead of charging her for something so simple I decided to go ahead and just make them today's freebie! These are not all sized the same so you will have to go in and resize them as you save them for your own blog. If you're not sure how to go about that here's a quick tutorial:

***Note: to see the images below better simply click on them to enlarge***

Since the images are saved as a .png file, you'll notice once you open up your editing software that the background is transparent so you can place them on any blog and there won't be a white background which is lovely :)
Just use the crop tool to cut each image out at a time and either add your own text if you're using the blank files or go the easy way and use the ones that are "pre-made" for you.

Step 1 - Open the file, select the crop tool, and cut out one tag.




Now you'll need to resize the tags for your particular blog side bar. (I typically like them to be between 200-220 pixels),so once the file is opened and you've made your edits you'll need to click on "save for web" if you're using photoshop and there will be an option of resizing the image.

Step 2


Type in the numbers you want there and "apply" then make sure it's still in .png format and save it. When I'm making a blog I typically name the files something like, beckyabout.png, beckyfavorites.png, beckyarchive.png. This is important b/c you'll need to remember what your files are called when you search for them to install them onto your blog.

Step 3




Once your files are saved go to your blog and click to add a gadget in the side bar. You'll want to select the "add a picture" gadget then simply browse your files for the ones you just saved and click save. Then simply drag and place them as you would any other widget and that's that!

Step 4




I also like to go in and delete the titles from the followers, about me, and archive sections that automatically are put on the blog with the template. DO NOT remove the entire gadget JUST the title wording (if you're unsure what I mean here just comment or e-mail me and I'll try to explain better). Otherwise it will look reduntant and you'll have the cute "followers" image with the default word "followers" beneath it.

Step 5

New blog design

I just finished designing Alyssa's blog. Alyssa was the winner of my blog giveaway. She's 10 years old and aspires to be an author/poet and is fabulous :) Please take a minute to go and see her brand spakin' new blog!

Help raise money for orphans and win a blog!

I recently did a custom blog design for Kim and she asked me to participate in her giveaway/raffle to raise money for an orphanage in Ethiopia. Please visit her blog to see how to enter by clicking on the button below.

Free blog header and scrapbooking frame freebie

I made this header for someone and it's not going to be used to I'm going to give it to you guys! Just add your own text to customize. (the header is 930 pixels wide)
(example)


(just click on the image to enlarge it and then save it to your computer)

Super cute free digital goodies!

This one can be used for scrapbooking or as a blog header. Just click on the image to enlarge it. (900 pixels wide)

Today's digital freebie frame!

For all the amazing dads out there!

Today's digital freebies

These little freebies can be used as stickers for cupcake/cookie boxes to personalize them up a bit. You could also use them as blog buttons if you shrink the size.

Blog giveaway winner announced!

Please e-mail me at beckyburk@yahoo.com so we can get started on your new blog design!

(If I am not contacted by the winner in 5 days I will announce the "runner up" as the winner)