The Stone Soup Challenge

Every year when I was a Cubmaster (when Tommy was younger), the pack and I would retell the story of Stone Soup and make a big pot of soup. And, of course, it would always begin with a stone.

The boys and their families loved the tradition of it. They enjoyed hearing the story of a town that worked together to produce something bigger than their individual parts. And they loved the great soup we made!

Now Laura of Katydiddy has issued a challenge to the art community based on the story of Stone Soup. The idea is to commit to purchase from other independent artists. She is asking folks to pledge a certain percentage of their shop's profits each month to purchase something from another artist's shop.

Since the main reason I opened my shop was to support my art/craft supplies habit and to allow me to purchase an occasional item from Etsy, this is not difficult for me at all! Basically it's just asking me to formalize this commitment. And with the amount that I spend on Sneak Attacks, I'm already there!

So here's my commitment:
I pledge to spend a minimum of 50% of my profits with other independent artists/shops. And further, I pledge to purchase a minimum of one item per month from one of the other shop owners who have taken The Stone Soup Challenge.

How about you?

Here's what you need to do to participate:
* Decide how much you will commit to spending each month. Laura suggests 10% to 25% of your shop's profits. I'm pledging more because I know I already spend more!
* Visit The Stone Soup Challenge website and leave a comment regarding your pledge
* Blog about the challenge

That's it!

When we work together, everyone benefits.