an announcement and a proposition

Happy April everybody! Hope you all had a great weekend and didn't fall for any dumb April Fools pranks. I hate April Fools with a passion which is why I avoided most of the internet yesterday. Anywho, let's have a little chat, shall we?On cruddy days like today, I like to go home, sit on the floor, and surround myself with old magazines. There's just nothing like it. Growing up, I always dreamed of having a magazine. It's everything that I love rolled into one beautifully bound publication. Pictures, art, design, journalism - magazines have got it all. In the hard times when inspiration is low, I love flipping through them and gathering new ideas. Today was one of those days. I've been bummed for a couple reasons and have been trying to figure out what my next move is. A project that I was able to pitch in New York last month didn't go as well as I had planned (more on that at another time) and I've had a gigantic blank slate in front of me for the past few weeks. Sitting among my magazines this afternoon, looking for inspiration, it struck me like a ton of bricks. It's an idea I've had for quite some time and all of the proceeds from it are going towards something that I've been working on for a while now. Needless to say, this is a big announcement. Are you ready?lark & lace is going to release a quarterly magazine. All of the proceeds from this publication are going towards my non-profit charity, The Foster.See? Two-tiered awesomeness. I just need a little bit of help getting it started. I've created a Kickstarter that'll be up in a few days and will also serve as a sort of pre-order. Here are a few more questions that I know you'll probably have:How long will the magazine be? The first magazine, Summer 2013, will be 42 pages long. It will be all original content and in full color.What are the costs involved? I set the goal at $2,000.00. This will cover the cost of printing and shipping as well as the creative costs which include photo shoots and compensating contributors.  What exactly is this non-profit that I'll be funding? The non-profit will be a charity that will use the arts to benefit orphans in the U.S. and abroad and also the people and organizations that take care of them. My hope is to get a group of artistically-inclined people together to do short-term missions trips and create art, advertisements, web pages, and anything else that is needed to advocate for the fatherless.Why? Why not? For one, I think that more bloggers should be creating printed publications. The internet is wonderful but can anything really compare to holding a piece of literature in your hands? I think not. I want to create a piece of art that will look good on your coffee table and inspire you to do great things.Any other questions can be directed to the comment box! I'd love to hear your feedback. Looking forward to seeing what the future holds for me, lark & lace, and YOU!xo, e.m.