I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias and their client.We love our teachers.  I grew up in a household where my Mom was (and still is) a teacher.  It’s been amazing over the years watching how she’s touched  so many students and years later they come back as adults and tell her what a difference she’s made in their lives.  I also remember my Mom having to pay for school supplies out of her own pocket.  Teachers don’t make a lot of money, but they have huge hearts.  Teachers are willing to put their own wants aside in order to provide the best for their students.

That’s why I love Fiskars Champions for Kids Project.  Champions for Kids makes it simple to give kids in your community the resources they need to thrive! The Champions for Kids program makes it simple for Wal-mart shoppers to donate things like craft scissors & art tools that kids need to thrive. Shoppers can purchase items and drop them in purple donation bins after checkout. All of the donations go to children in the school district where the Wal-mart store is located. How amazing is this program?  So many children  come from families who cannot afford their basic needs, let alone school supplies. 

Connor and I headed to Wal-mart to pick out some fun school supplies to donate to Lena Pope.

Lena Pope is very near and dear to our heart:

In 2008, Lena Pope Home opened their first charter school, Chapel Hill Academy. Since opening, Chapel Hill Academy has provided a positive learning environment that focuses on each child, educating over 500 students each year. Chapel Hill Academy offers tuition-free, quality education that builds a solid foundation for each student so they may reach their full potential.  In addition to Chapel Hill Academy,  Lena Pope Home partners with the Juvenile Justice Alternative Education Program to provide quality alternative education for local students referred by the courts. While attending our program, the students learn behavioral, social, and career-building skills to help them grow academically and be successful in their home communities and schools. 

We came home with quite the haul to donate to Lena Pope Early Learning Center.  Connor attends the ELC and I cannot tell you how much I LOVE and adore these teachers and administrators.  They provide so much for each child no matter what their background is, including financially for families in need.  We brought enough school supplies home for each child to have a lot of fun!  It blessed US to be able to bless them.  Fiskars Champions for Kids is an amazing program organized by people with equally amazing hearts.

To inspire the kids Connor and I made a craft project in the “Kids Crafts” section HERE

We chose to do the fun floral pinwheels found HERE.

1.  We used construction paper, a wooden pick, marker, Elmer’s glue, and some sparkly stars

2.  We addressed our teachers

3.  Cut out paper into an equal sided square using Fiskars Safety-Edge scissors.

4.  Fold paper in half and half it again until you end up with 4 squares with a line in the middle of each one.  Cut the middle section of each corner.

5.  Fold over every other corner creating a pinwheel

6.  Glue each inside corner with glue.  Decorate your flower/pinwheel with Crayola markers, sparkles, or whatever you desire!

Connor loves doing crafts.  He decorated his own flower.

Thank you for our teachers for helping us GROW!

We thought the flower would be fun to stick in our donated supplies bucket as a symbol of growth.  We hope it will inspire others to donate to education programs and students in need who are eager to learn!

Next, we visited our school!  So excited to drop this off this AMAZING surprise 🙂

Connor’s teacher was so SO excited and so were all the students.  It was such a wonderful feeling to be able to give back to those who give so much to us.  We hope our story inspires you to give back to your community and be a part of the Fiskars Champions for Kids Project.  

Become a part of Fiskars Shape Their Future by Collecting school and crafting supplies for children in your community!

1. GATHER your friends, family, co-workers, and community organizations to host a Fiskars Shape Their Future Project.

2. COUNT the number of supplies you collected and take photos!

3. DONATE the supplies you collect to a local teacher, social worker, community center, or youth organization to help children in your community enjoy their first days back to school.

4. SHARE your story with us at championsforkids.org/share so that we can celebrate your participation!

Find out more by following Champions for Kids on Facebook and @Champions4Kids on Twitter or check out all of the fun projects going on at the Fiskars SIMPLE Service Pinterest page.

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias and their client.

Fall is here and I’m ready for some new staples in my everyday wardrobe.  A couple of weeks ago I was shopping online and came across the Kardashian Kollection at Sears.com.  There were some really cute items and they didn’t cost a fortune either!!!  They looked expensive (ala Kardashian) but they were very affordable.

I was on the hunt for something in a pattern.  I have a TON of solids in my closet and I am sort of over chevron at the moment.  I really wanted something different.  The Kardashian Kollection had a lot of animal prints.  I love animal prints, but again I do have some of that already in my wardrobe.  Then I found my Kardashian inspiration below:

HOUNDSTOOTH!!!

So I went straight back to Sears.com and found this houndstooth blouse.  I absolutely love it!  It’s comfortable and stylish and it was under $30 bucks.  In less than 10 minutes I found the piece I had been looking for.  My order arrived quickly to my doorstep. I was eager to try it on and create  a Kardashian inspired look of my own.  I paired the houndstooth blouse with a pair of black skinny jeans and some matching houndstooth flats I already had in my closet.  I could totally see one of the sisters wearing this outfit 🙂  I’m don’t have a tan or long, dark hair….but I can still work it!

Here is my look inspired by the Kardashians:

 

If you read the news or watch TV you know the Kardashians have taken the fashion world by storm.  Even before they were reality TV stars they worked in fashion.  Each one of them has their own look, yet they all look fabulous.  I mean seriously…who looks THAT good all the time?  If I were going to pick one sista’s style it would have to be Kourtney.  I love her laid back attitude and her style reflects that.  She’s a mom of two & manages to look great and put together.  Kourtney’s flowy blouses and sunglasses are a signature in my own wardrobe.  Maybe that’s to hide the baby muffin top going on???  Not for her…for me.  I love Kim and Khloe too, but Kim is a little too over the top for me and Khloe wears crazy fur animal hats.  So, here’s a little Kourtney inspiration:

What better to top off a Kardashian inspired outfit than a great pair of sunglasses?  There is a huge selection at Sears.com…from aviators to oversized  inspired sunnies you can find just about anything.

I found this great pair of Kardashian Kollection oversized vintage sunglasses to complete my look.  They were around $18 bucks.  I’ve been wearing them every day this week.  They look & fit fabulous too!

So you don’t have to be a Kardashian or a billionaire to look like one.  Sears Style has so many affordable fashion options inspired by the Kardashians you can find a look that channels all three of them!  I used my Sears Shop Your Way Reward points towards my purchase and saved $7.00!!!  Woohoo!  I also racked up more points for my next purchase.I was reading the Sunday paper this morning and came across this Sears insert.  On the cover….houndstooth.  My choice was right on target 🙂  I also saw some coupons to get extra Shop Your Way Rewards Points!  Okay ladies what are you waiting for?  Go get your shopping on and save some money!  Which Kardashian sister do you think channels your style best?  

Check out my Google+ story for more info about my Kardashian Kollection shopping experience at Sears.com

Check out this digital magazine to get great ideas for back to school: