How I Paid it Forward in October

**CHRISTMAS GIFT SPOILER ALERT! If you're my boss from Common Thread Studio or my relatives in Arizona, STOP READING!  : )**

Though I haven't been as consistent as I intended, I've been making an effort to Pay it Forward to sustain the creative folks and businesses that make my life better.

Earlier this month I was super excited to discover k.becca, a shop full of printables and die-cutting templates by Kristen Magee. Kristen is the creative force behind Paper Crave, Invitation Crush and Domestifluff, and I've featured her free printable gift wrap, gift boxes, and Christmas gift tags at different times on the blog.

I wanted to do something to thank Kristen for all of the great printables she's shared with us. I sent her a message to offer her some adspace for k.becca, and, voila! Check out Kristen's work here - maybe it will inspire you to Pay it Forward and get some stylishly designed printables in return!

Next, through Creature Comforts, I heard about this awesome project artist Hannah Rowlands is taking on to raise money for her local animal shelter. For £12 (about $19.50 USD) she will draw a custom portrait of your dog, passing on the proceeds to dogs and cats in need.

What a great way to do good through art! We have a couple dog-lovers in our lives and I thought this would make a unique gift, as well as be a cool opportunity to pay it forward to a kind-hearted illustrator. The drawings arrived yesterday and I'm thinking about how to wrap them for Christmas.

Want to join me? Just ask yourself:

1) Who adds value to my creative life?
2) Knowing it takes work to produce creative inspiration, how can I pay it forward to sustain them?

And report back! I'd love to hear your cool ideas.

Pay it Forward Idea #4: Wish Lists
With Christmas coming up, consider adding the work of an artist or crafter you admire to your holiday wish list. (On mine: this necklace by Homako.) Can't decide what you want but want to support handmade? Etsy just started offering gift cards that can be used in a variety of shops on their site.

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{Halloween printables image via k.becca}