I know today isn't my usual day to post about autism, but April 2nd is World Autism Awareness Day, and it's worth mentioning. Naming a time for awareness bring this issue into focus, and I just wanted to give some ideas of how you can help bring awareness. 1. Educate yourself about autism - Doing things like reading books, magazines, blogs, or local websites to see what your community is doing. You could attend an event on autism, or just ask a parent what it's like raising a child with autism. 2. Help others understand autism by sharing your story - Whether you have a child with autism, or have worked with an individual with autism, share about it! Write an article for your local paper, offer to write a guest post for a friends blog, or just say to someone, "did you know today is World Autism Awareness Day? I once worked with someone.... (or, "did you know my child has autism"). 3. You can donate to autism organizations - You can contact a local organization that works with children with autism and ask if they are in need of anything (toys, crafts, books, games, etc.). You could sponsor someone who is participating in a walk/run for autism, or you could donate an item/service to be used as a prize or auction item for a fundraiser. You can also make a financial donation to an autism charitable organization (local, national or international). Attending events or fundraisers is also giving to the organizations that help those with autism, so get to one of those if you're able. You could also donate your time to one of these events, or to a local organization. 4. Purchase autism awareness merchandise - Sites like Etsy, Zazzle, or Cafepress have lots of items that can be purchased (some to benefit autism research, and other just to spread awareness by way of you having an item that people notice) 5. You can "Light It Up Blue" - Many businesses, individuals and landmarks change their lights to blue to help bring awareness to autism. If you want to see some of the worlds landmarks Light It Up Blue, watch the video below! My hope for this day is that it spreads the word! I have said it before (and I will say it a lot more!), but people knowing about autism makes my life as a Mom of a child with autism a lot easier. When people know more, they stare less. They say less hurtful things. They even become helpful in situations. So, celebrate World Autism Awareness Day (and Autism awareness month), and spread the word!
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Hello there! Today really is April 1st (incase you're wondering, I thought yesterday was!)! We currently have at least two feet of snow still in our yard, but I am hopeful that spring (not that silly date on the calendar), but the real spring is coming! That really has nothing to do with today's post! In one of our houses we had this huge wall behind our sofa. The room opened up into the dining room, and so, what it really turned into was one, enormous, long, empty wall! I looked at some art that we could buy, but for the sizes we would need to fill the space it would be too much $$$ (I did start painting two large pictures for the dining room side, but I still had a whole lotta wall that needed something!). Anyway, the walls stayed empty, until one day on Pinterest I saw this! A beautiful photo collage that made me say, "oh yeah! I don't need one BIG art piece, I could fill the space with 20 smaller/different sized pictures!" Duh. For real, I hadn't even thought of doing it before! There is no real trick to creating a nice collage, but there are a few rules that (I think) should be followed so that you have a "piece" that looks good. Firstly: Just decide if you want it to be a perfect square, or rectangle (fyi, this can add a lot of extra time to the project), or if you want one with no borders. You will want to know this before you start. Secondly: Make sure you have big & small frames. If all your frames are too small, it will look more like a jigsaw puzzle (and people won't really be able to see all the pictures). Thirdly: I would personally recommend having your frames be similar colours (or all one colour), or a general colour scheme. Think all white, all black, all earth tones, or if you're living on the edge, all jewel tones! Fourthly: Try to have a general spacing idea. You can be strict (everything will be one inch apart from each other), or within a rule (everything will be between 1-3 inches apart from each other). The point is that when you step back from your collage it feels like it belongs there, not like you just helter-skelter put some stuff on the wall! I need to change out some photos here and there, but I have enjoyed adding things (besides photos) to make the collages/tell a story. Don't feel confined to photos, add art you like, random things you like, just go for it, and make it personal! To know what you want before you start making holes in the walls, take everything you plan to use, measure the size of the space you will be using on the floor or a bed (in the room you are putting these up in), and lay your photos/art, etc. down within those confines. This way you can get it "right" before making the commitment of a nail or screw in the wall! The gal in the tutorial link (from Pinterest) shows you this. The wall collage above has pictures, art, lots of mirrors (it's a dark room, so the mirrors make it feel more open), a "family" sign I made from some old barn board (out of our barn), and one of the old windows from our bedroom (the window guys thought I was a little coo-coo for wanting to keep ALL our old windows!) That Wheatlets bag is a beautiful cloth bag I got for $6 at an antique place. The "Sommer" sign is one I took from my horses stall when she was put down (years and years ago).
The point is not just to fill a space, but make a story. Create you, in collage form, in art form, on the wall! |
Hi, I'm Amy-Lyn! I am the lady behind this here blog! I live in the sticks with my animals, my super handsome husband, and my
3 amazing kids! Here you'll find things from recipes (gluten-free, paleo, and strait up junk food!), DIY ideas, thoughts on raising a son with autism, and whatever else pops into my brain! : ) Read more about me by clicking here! Want to Stay Connected?
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