my work was on the Etsy front page!

Etsy Front Page 7/1/09 badcatjewelry
Originally uploaded by Etsy Front Pagers

What a lovely early birthday prezzie - melanie posted on my facebook page that my work was featured on Etsy's front page yesterday!

mine is the bookmark pictured middle column, second from the bottom.

melanie is also a fan of my dotty bookmark... thx mel u r a treasure!

Blue and White

My 70's kitchen has royal blue benchtops and white cupboards, so things have gone a bit blue and white in there over the years. It's such a fresh, timeless combo that I never get sick of.

Pictured above are some ceramic pieces I painted years ago. And the newest addition to the family, an old plywood tissue box which was looking very sad until I gessoed it and added my own blue and white patterns.

Blanket for Bushfires

Imagine if everything you owned was reduced to ash. Summer is almost over, and there are some cold months ahead, particularly for the survivors of the Victorian bushfires, who have nothing but the clothes they were wearing when they fled.

So a mate of mine on Ravelry, Dawn, announced she'd organise to collect knitted and crochet squares, to sew into blankets, to be distributed to those in need. There is a blog if you want to find out more.

The address to send finished squares (30 cm x 30 cm or 12" x 12") to is Blankets of Friendship, PO Box 488 Traralgon, Vic 3844

I started out thinking I'll just do a few squares, then it was fun, so I did a few more, then I thought, well, I can do a few more and make a whole blanket!
So here it is, about to be posted to the lovely ladies in Traralgon distributing the "Blankets of Friendship".

Etsy bushfire shop

There's a great way to donate to the Red Cross Bushfire fund, and also enjoy some fabulous shopping at the same time. A dear friend, feliciafairy, at Etsy's Dust Team has set up a special Etsy shop, where 100% of proceeds go directly to the official Red Cross appeal. Red Cross has also promised that 100% of the appeal will go directly to the victims, so you know ALL your money will go straight where it is needed.

Here's the link:

http://OzBushfireAppeal.etsy.com

It's made almost $3000 in just a few days, and it's only just started. There are heaps of gorgeous items donated by Etsy sellers from Australia, and all over the world. They are also kindly donating postage, so that means free international postage anywhere in the world.

bright little treasures

Over the summer break, I've been making little medallions and joining them together, mixing up colours as I go. I sewed them up when I got home and photographed them today.

Hope you enjoy the bright colours! Some of these will be made into scarves, hair clasps and bags, and will be available in my etsy shop, so pop in and check to see what's new.

Ouch!

When we first moved into our house about 12 years ago, there were many tall gum trees (eucalypts) on the property. Since then, we've lost, um, let me see, one, two, three, four, ooooh about eight, plus a 60 metre liquidambar.
The latest branch/es, about 30m, fell off the tree at the front of the house, just before we left for our summer holiday. The power lines came down, and we had to replace a few tiles on the garage roof.

To Facebook or not to...

Maybe it's a girl thing, we just love networking and chatting and gossiping, but the men in my life HATE facebook. "Don't believe in it" says one. "Tragic" says another. "Get a life" says yet another. One friend, who has his own facebook page, replies via email instead of on the "wall", because he doesn't know how to use it.

I've had my facebook page for almost a year, and in the last few months I've finally had time to explore what it can do. I have been able to find old friends, and it's fun, lots of fun. I have found three girls I went to school with. Several friends from uni. Friends from old workplaces. Friends from mothers' groups. Many of these people, due to geography and name changes, I haven't spoken to for 20 or 30 years.

Unlike the kids who "have" Facebook, I only have a handful of "friends", meaning they are actual friends, people I know and like. The teenagers have hundreds of "friends" and to me, they are mere acquaintances, often enemies! It's very uncool for a parent or a middle-aged person to "have" Facebook, and one of my friends was admonished by her teen daughter, who said, "Mum, you're not cool enough to have Facebook".

But I have found people older than me. Even grandparents! What an easy way to keep in touch with family and friends, by posting photos and a brief diary entry whenever you like. Just don't tell the teenagers, or the men in our lives, that we're signing up...