Smile-a-Thon Finale

My Smile-a-Thon Spontaneous Smileys

My Smile-a-Thon Spontaneous Smileys

Our bloggers’ Smile-a-Thon technically ended last Saturday. But, fortunately, Share a Smile doesn’t have to be over. I see spontaneous smileys more often than I ever did, and anyone can still upload spontaneous smileys to the Spontaneous Smiley website, raising $1 per smiley photo to help Operation Smile.

We didn’t reach our goal of 5 operations to correct cleft palate, cleft lip, and facial deformities in children around the world. But we did raise enough money for about 1½ surgeries … and every bit helps! :)

If you’d like to help the Operation Smile crusade, you can search for spontaneous smileys at any age. I have a post with lots of smiley-inspired activities for kids: Go on a Smile Hunt with Your Child. There’s more smiley fun for kids with Smiley Face Crafts by Amanda at Crafts~N~Things for Kids. And check out the Spontaneous Smiley posts by Elizabeth at Broken Treasures. Elizabeth organized our bloggers’ ShareASmile Project and has more kid-related smiley fun!

You still have until tomorrow to enter the giveaway at Broken Treasures to win a signed copy of The Smiley Book of Colors  by Ruth Kaiser (and you’ll have an EXCELLENT chance of winning)!

The Smiley Book of Colors

Before I leave the Smile-a-Thon, I must have a finale. And what better than some smile inspiration from Annie!

DChitwood_You'reNeverFullyDressedWithoutASmile
“You’re Never Fully Dressed without a Smile” Word-Art Freebie

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The Participant List of ShareASmile Contributing Bloggers

Special thanks to Elizabeth from Broken Treasures for organizing the ShareASmile Project,

special thanks also to Ruth Kaiser, and thanks to all the participants!

Broken Treasures
Crafts~N~Things for Children
Play Dr. Mom
Jaihart
Boo Boo Princesses
Raising Figure Skaters
hands on : as we grow
Courts Craft Corner  
 

Linked with Thought-Provoking Thursday.

Smiley Fun

DChitwood_SmilingFace

“I’ve Never Seen a Smiling Face That Was Not Beautiful” Word-Art Freebie

By now, you probably know that I LOVE smiles and smiley faces! We have two days left of our Smile-a-Thon for the ShareASmile Project. If you’d like to join us in helping provide surgeries for cleft palate, cleft lip, and facial deformities in children, you can help now – or anytime. Just check out my post for ways you can easily make a difference.

I have a new focus on smileys and am amazed at smileys I see now that I never noticed before. That’s a good thing. Each spontaneous smiley I see brings a smile to my face and $1 more toward Operation Smile when I upload my smiley photo to the Spontaneous Smiley website.

 

Neighborhood Car Smiley

Neighborhood Car Smiley

You can search for spontaneous smileys at any age, whether you’re an empty nester (like me) taking a walk in your neighborhood or a parent with young children. I have a post with lots of smiley-inspired activities for kids: Go on a Smile Hunt with Your Child.

More smiley fun for kids: Smiley Face Crafts by Amanda at Crafts~N~Things for Kids. (There are even handprint and thumbprint crafts for a special project worth saving for future smiles!) And check out the Spontaneous Smiley posts by Elizabeth at Broken Treasures. Elizabeth organized our bloggers’ ShareASmile Project and has giveaways and more kid-related smiley fun!

Here are my favorite smile quotes and all my smile word-art freebies in one place: Best Smile Quotes.

This made me smile! Not a spontaneous smiley … just a bit of smiley fun: “World’s Largest Smiley Face” Mahwah, NJ (over 2,000 people!)  June 30, 2011

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Happy days! :)

Linked with “Get Inspired” Monday and Thought-Provoking Thursday.

 

Best Smile Quotes

Garage Control Spontaneous Smiley

Garage Control Spontaneous Smiley

I love to focus on smiles … and I’ve been having lots of fun lately with spontaneous smileys and Share a Smile! Here are some of my favorite smile quotes:

 “If someone is too tired to give you a smile, leave one of your own, because no one needs a smile as much as those who have none to give.” Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch

“Today, give a stranger one of your smiles.  It might be the only sunshine he sees all day.” Quoted in P.S. I Love You, compiled by H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

 “A kind heart is a fountain of gladness, making everything in its vicinity freshen into smiles.” Washington Irving

“What sunshine is to flowers, smiles are to humanity. These are but trifles, to be sure; but, scattered along life’s pathway, the good they do is inconceivable.” Joseph Addison

“Few things in the world are more powerful than a positive push. A smile. A word of optimism and hope. And you can do it when things are tough.” Richard M DeVos

“A child regards your cheery smile as evidence that you are on his side, so he relaxes and is happier.” George W. Crane 

“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.” Leo Buscaglia

“Gratitude is something of which none of us can give too much. For on the smiles, the thanks we give, our little gestures of appreciation, our neighbors build their philosophy of life.” A.J. Cronin

“A genuine, affectionate smile is very important in our day to day lives.” The Dalai Lama

“Smile at each other, smile at your wife, smile at your husband, smile at your children, smile at each other – it doesn’t matter who it is – and that will help you to grow up in greater love for each other.” Mother Teresa

“Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.” Mother Teresa

 “Peace begins with a smile.” Mother Teresa

“Let us always meet each other with smile, for the smile is the beginning of love.” Mother Teresa

“Because of your smile, you make life more beautiful.” Thich Nhat Hanh

“Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.” Thich Nhat Hanh

“A warm smile is the universal language of kindness.” William Arthur Ward

“A smile is the universal welcome.” Max Eastman

“Everyone smiles in the same language.” Unknown

“Smile and the world smiles with you.” Unknown

“A smile is a curve that sets everything straight.” Phyllis Diller

“The shortest distance between two people is a smile.” Unknown

 “A friendly look, a kindly smile, one good act, and life’s worthwhile.” Unknown

 “I have never seen a smiling face that was not beautiful.” Unknown 

“A smile can brighten the darkest day.” Unknown

 “Smiling is my favorite exercise.”  Unknown

“A winning smile makes winners of us all.” Unknown

“Everywhere you go, take a smile with you.” Sasha Azevedo

“And smile, smile, smile.” George Asaf

 “Life is like a mirror, we get the best results when we smile at it.” Unknown

“You’re never fully dressed without a smile.” from Annie, Lyrics by Martin Charnin

“If you don’t have a smile, I’ll give you one of mine.” Unknown

Word-Art Freebies from Smile Quotes

DChitwood_PeaceBeginsWithASmile“Peace Begins with a Smile” Word-Art Freebie

DChitwood_EveryTimeYouSmile“Every Time You Smile” Word-Art Freebie

DChitwood_Smile

“Smile and the World Smiles with You” Word-Art Freebie

DChitwood_ASmile

“A Smile Can Brighten the Darkest Day” Word-Art FreebieDChitwood_IfYouDon'tHaveASmile“If You Don’t Have a Smile” Word-Art Freebie

DChitwood_SmilingFace

UPDATE: “I’ve Never Seen a Smiling Face That Was Not Beautiful” Word-Art Freebie

DChitwood_You'reNeverFullyDressedWithoutASmile
“You’re Never Fully Dressed without a Smile” Word-Art Freebie

What is your favorite smile quote?

Linked with “Get Inspired” Monday and Thought-Provoking Thursday.

Share a Smile!

Share a SmileI LOVE smiles … and I have a new way to share smiles and truly make a difference at the same time! I missed Project Smile when it was discontinued, so I’m extra excited to tell you about the ShareASmile Project, a collaborative bloggers’ project to raise funds for Operation Smile!

You’ll see the importance of Operation Smile in this video:

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Through the ShareASmile Project, we’re having a Smile-A-Thon! We’re photographing smileys we see everywhere around us and uploading them to the Spontaneous Smiley website.  Spontaneous Smiley donates $1 to Operation Smile for every photo uploaded! 

Each surgery to repair cleft lip, cleft palate and other facial deformities for children around the world only costs $240 through Operation Smile. Our goal is to raise enough money for 5 surgeries. We want to raise $1200 for Operation Smile by the end of the month!

Helping Operation Smile is easier than you’d think – and lots of fun! Here’s what you can do:

1.  Look for spontaneous smileys, photograph them, and upload the photos to the Spontaneous Smiley website.  Include in the “who are you” section the words “Elizabeth Sent Me.”

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Here are some examples of Spontaneous Smileys:

Spontaneous Smileys

This was my first spontaneous smiley uploaded to the Spontaneous Smiley website:

Really Useful Box Smiley

Really Useful Box Smiley

I found my first spontaneous smiley while trying to organize my closet. I guess my closet is happy, too! :)

 2.  Sponsor one of our bloggers. As in a walk-a-thon, we’re collecting pledges of any amount per photo we collect and upload. You may contact me or comment below with a pledge amount if you’re interested in participating in this way.

3.  Print off sponsor sheets and collect your own pledges.

You could even try this with a local group (school project, art class, kids’ club, Scouts, etc.). You’ll find all the information you need to collect your own pledges here.

4.  Donate directly to Operation Smile here.

If you’re a blogger, it would be awesome if you’d like to join us in the ShareASmile Project! Please feel free to post the button on your blog and join us for the next 14 days of sharing spontaneous smileys!

In addition to the Smile-A-Thon, we’re raising awareness for Operation Smile and Spontaneous Smileys in several other ways, too!

There will be giveaways from now until the 31st! These giveaways are from ShareASmile Contributing Bloggers who are generously donating something related to their ShareASmile project.

Be sure to check out the ShareASmile giveaways. I’ll be sharing each of the giveaways at the Living Montessori Now family-friendly giveaway linky.

March 18th -Broken Treasures giveaway
March 20th – Boo Boo Princess giveaway
March 31st – Spontaneous Smiley Book Giveaway

The March 31 giveaway is The Smiley Book of Colors by Ruth Kaiser, the founder of Spontaneous Smiles. Learn more about Ruth at the Spontaneous Smiley website and Facebook. Check out the Spontaneous Smiley Shop, too!

Join us for a Twitter party on Monday, March 26th at 2:00pm EST with #shareasmile  Come prepared to share activities, crafts, food, etc. that are smile or spring related :)

The Participant List of ShareASmile Contributing Bloggers
Special thanks to Elizabeth from Broken Treasures for organizing the ShareASmile Project
and thanks to all the participants!
    Broken Treasures
Crafts~N~Things for Children
Play Dr. Mom
Jaihart
Boo Boo Princesses
Raising Figure Skaters
hands on : as we grow
Courts Craft Corner  

Before you leave, here’s something for you. It’s not a spontaneous smile, but it makes me smile anyway! :)

DChitwood_ASmile

“A Smile Can Brighten the Darkest Day” Word-Art Freebie

UPDATE: For smiley-inspired activities for kids, check out my post at Living Montessori Now: “Go on a Smile Hunt with Your Child.”

Linked with “Get Inspired” Monday and Thought-Provoking Thursday.