I am behind on photos...

I have been remiss in showcasing the donations here on the blog over the last week or so...

So, here is a combined photo of those that I had received and not yet shared:

The striped and green hats were all from the same person, plus I have realized that I left out the pair of slippers from her that were also in the box. Thank you! The two pair of slippers shown were from two different individuals. Thank you!

The three hats on the top left were from Purple Moose on Ravelry, who will be our acting coordinator for project #2 (soon to be announced!). Thank you!

I will be listing the rest of the donations I picked up yesterday over the next few days as we draw this project to a close. Deadline for this project is October 25, and I will be announcing Project #2 on October 25 as well.

Happy creating!

Another donation received for Project #1!

Kae of Kae1Creations is a very busy woman! She makes helmet liners for troops like there is no tomorrow, keeps a blog, maintains an Etsy shop, and still finds time to make and send a generous donation to the Veterans of Southern Oregon for our little project. Amazing!

All one has to donate for my project is one item, but Kae sent two hats and two pair of slippers - in matching sets!! If you are able to multitask and need another charity project to support, give the helmet liners page a look. I will be sending one her way for the current challenge.

Thanks, Kae!

More Donations Received for Project #1

Yesterday in the mail, I received two separate donations. I am posting them in the order in which they were in my mail box. (I will post about the second one on Monday.) The above hats came wrapped up in heartfelt packaging from cmunholland of Ravelry.

They are wonderfully crafted and are very soft. I absolutely love the color, and have requested her pattern(s) so I might be able to make one for myself. If possible, I would like to compile a pattern link list on our Yahoo Groups page so participants can browse there for inspiration.

I think the one on the right is Spring Beret by Natalie Larson. It is available on Ravelry (here).

My requested donation from any one person is only one item for each project, so she has even gone beyond expectations with her generosity in donating two hats. Thank you so much, cmunholland!!

I have seen comments here and there about this project by people who express a wish to help, but a lack of time to personally create an item. For those of you who fall into this category, let me remind you that Etsy, Artfire, and 1000 Markets sell handmade items, and many shops offer hats and slippers at very reasonable prices. If you wish to contribute, you could purchase a handmade item and still be able to donate it to the cause.

To date (including what will be featured on Monday's post), we have received 3 pair of slippers and 5 hats. The deadline for this project is not until October 25, so you still have time if you would like to participate.

Sharing Our Gifts Across America is featured!

We are growing each day, and getting the word out there.

1. DinnerTime Chimes has featured us on the Etsy Team blog NCTriangle. September 8, 2009

2. Kae1Crafts has joined our project drive and has featured us in her blog post as well. September 8, 2009. She also has her own ongoing charity project donating knitted wool helmet liners to military troops. Specifics on her project and how you can help are found on her Squidoo page.

3. We were featured on Nutmeg Knitter on September 15,2009.

4. On A Rainy Night featured us on September 24,2009.

5. Kae1Crafts featured us again on October 30,2009.

6. Splendid Little Stars on October 31,2009.


7. Bark'nKnit podcasted us on Episode 37, November 1, 2009.

8. On The Unique Sheep, November 3, 2009.

9. On The Purple Moose Gazette, November 7, 2009.

10. On This Eclectic Life, November 13, 2009.

11. On KnittingForCharity, December 10, 2009.

12. On LenoxKnits, December 15, 2009.

13. On The Unique Sheep, March 23, 2010.

14. On Purple Moose Gazette, March 25, 2010.

Please visit and Stumble, Technorati fave, or Digg these posts! If you Twitter, tweet the projects for us. For Sharing Our Gifts, please add the hashtag #sharingourgifts to your tweets.

Thanks to all who have featured us!

Project #1 Progress

I hope you all are having a wonderful Labor Day weekend. Our challenge is gaining steam, and we have now 48 members on Ravelry, 3 group members on Blog Catalog, and 3 members in the Yahoo Group.

In addition, we will be featured tomorrow on NCTriangle.blogspot! It is a blog for the North Carolina Triangle Street Team on Etsy, and a member of that team, DinnerTime Chimes, has notified me that she will be featuring our project there to help give us some momentum.

DinnerTime Chimes is a fellow member of the TeamEcoEtsy street team, and has recently had work featured in the L.A. Times ,L.A. at Home section.

Go ahead and have a look through these links...you never now what treasures you may find!

Project #1, Southern Oregon Veterans

Another day down, and I am happy to report that we have 40 members in our Ravelry group, 23 of whom have left messages on the forum to chime in and let us know what they will be making. I have not seen much activity on Twitter or on Blog Catalog, and only have one new member at the Yahoo Group.

If you are on Twitter, help get the buzz going by tweeting this post and adding the hashtag #sharingourgifts. Pop in on the Yahoo Group, Ravelry, or Blog Catalog and announce your participation. Or just leave a comment here and I will get you on the roster.

We have suggestions for projects in Alaska, Oklahoma, Indiana, Arizona, Virginia, South Carolina, and North Carolina so far. Project # 2 has been decided, and tentatively, we have 3, 4, 5, & 6 in the works. If you have a suggestion for any of the remaining states, or even an alternate suggestion for a state just mentioned, let me know! Comment on this post or any of the forums, or send me an email.

Again, thank you to all who have signed up to participate thus far.
There is plenty of room for more, so jump on in...

Project #1: Southern Oregon Veterans facility

I am pleased to announce that just one day into the launch of this project, I have 10 confirmed participants and 22 forum members. Thank you so much to all of you who have pledged to donate hats and slippers for this project. If you missed all the places you can find us and keep up with the projects, the list is on top of the left sidebar.

We are here on the blog, of course. We are on Twitter. We are on Blog Catalog. We are on Ravelry. We have a Yahoo Groups page where you can post photos of your finished projects.

I mentioned on Ravelry that I will be making hat(s) because I don't know how to knit slippers yet. I received a link to an easy slipper pattern that might help some of you as well. If you are adventurous and almost up to doing them, perhaps you want to give it a go. Go to Aunt Maggie's Slippers.

Join us and share comments with other participants. I already have requests for projects for Alaska, Oklahoma, and tentatively New York. Do you have a suggestion for your state? Send me a comment or an email.

Comfy hats and slippers!

Swap-O-Rama-Rama

(photo from swaporamarama.org)

Have you heard of Swap-O-Rama-Rama.org?

"Swap-O-Rama-Rama is a clothing swap and series of do-it-yourself workshops in which a community explores creative reuse through the recycling of used clothing.

The Swap When you attend the swap bring at least one bag of your unwanted clothing and a small donation (each swap varies depending on available funding). Every swap begins with a giant collective pile of clothing, the unwanted clothing of all who attend. Everyone is welcome to dive in and find their next new/used items from the pile. Take as little or as much clothing from this pile as you like, it's all free"

Doesn't that sound like a wonderful way to share the spirit of giving (and receiving), and to promote recycling and upcycling? I would love to see one of these in my area, and one of the wonderful aspects of this organization is that the opportunity exists for anyone to produce an event in their city. Ashland, Oregon anyone?

Hop on over and take a look...

Loving Hands Embroidery Project

I took this drawing and photocopied it to transfer onto some yellow linen. In keeping with this week's Change The World Wednesday challenge and my Hoarders Unite July Challenge, none of the tools or materials were purchased new for this project. They are from my hoard (supplies stash).I do not have any transfer paper or other nifty transfer device, so I decided to use the ol' stipple method. I pinned the sheet to my linen cloth, then pierced holes in her design. I then used an orange permanent marker (because I am/was planning to use orange thread for the embroidery) to make a mark in each of the holes.Voilà! Now I have the design on my fabric. I'm sure I could have used fabric marker or other quilting marking pencil, but Sharpie is my friend, so I accepted its help.Next, I placed my embroidery hoop and began threading.I have chosen to use a mix of orange and sage, and it is yet to be determined how this will turn out on Amilia's small hand. The dots are somewhat visible under the sage thread, even though I am using 3 strands of floss, but my vision is to give it a twisted cord effect with orange on top. I am using an outline (stem) stitch in sage, then I am planning to whip it (whipstitch over outline stitch) in orange. If you want to see a how-to, I found an explanation at CraftTown.com.

The Bin Myth

Today, check out this blog post by Beck and Call Girl. Here is an excerpt to pique your interest...

"We all use them for storage & organization. The question is, do they really work or are they a myth? What am I talking about? Plastic storage bins, of course!

I use them, but I don't really feel organized. In some aspects, I know they help me, but in other aspects, I feel like it's out of sight, out of mind." (read more...)

You simply MUST visit the post to see the wonderful photos of stash, stash, stash! Those colorful "stramers" are absolute eye candy. Makes me want to hang swatches from clothespins as wall art.

Sunday Sharing

(photo source)

I found an interesting site called WhatTheCraft.com that offers free DIY (do it yourself) sewing and craft tutorials. This site is run by Alexis of SmarmyClothes.com. She is a self-taught seamstress and crafter, and is willing to share her knowledge and patterns with us. Her wares are featured in the darker vein of Goth and Punk, but if that is not your bag, you can easily adapt fabrics and patterns to suit your taste. Her background is purple with safety pins all around, and the site is very professional and easy to navigate.

She has a wonderful list of tips and guides for beginners, such as what tools and materials you might need when beginning, as well as how to get straight seams and make seam allowances. She discusses stitch types, needle selection, button holes, sewing on trim, and making your own patterns. The photo at the top of this post is from a zipper tutorial offered on her site.

The Directory section highlights links to many other sites where you can find fabric, notions, crafting supplies, handmade, other tutorials, and crafting and sewing resources. There are even links to messageboards and other blogs. I think I could spend the better part of a day poking into the corners of this site and still not get through it all. I have marked it for future (daily?) visits, and you should as well.

The site and all information and tutorials are free, but Alexis does offer an easy link for you to make donations or to pay for advertising on her site so she will be able to keep it free for all to use. If you find it useful, as I have, you might wish to support her with a small donation. In this economy, we are all more pinched financially, but every little bit helps with domain hosting and site maintenance.

Don't wait; follow the links here and check her out today!

DIY play sets

(Photo source)

One way to save money, be green, and spend some quality time with your child is to work on a useful project together. I ran across the toys above in my journey across the Internet today, and they are definitely on my list of things to do. Making your own toys is also a good way to teach children about conservation and caring for the environment.

This is a table and chairs set made of corrugated cardboard. The cardboard is doubled for added durability, and the design uses notches and grooves to hold all joints together. There is no need for nails, screws or other hardware. It is likely that you already have all the materials in your home that are needed to complete this project. The table in the photo is covered with contact paper (for drawers and cupboards), but you could use fabric just as well.

Unlike the toys we get at the store that are plastic and have an extreme amount of packaging, cardboard, packing plastic, and twist ties, this toy is easy on the environment and is biodegradable. The design was created by Anna Wulich of the blog called forty-two roads. After looking at her blog, I went to Martha Stewart.com to see the video of Anna's feature on the Martha show. She has plans available on the blog, or templates are available at Martha Stewart.com. There are also pdf plans for a really great kitchen, and a washer/dryer set in Anna's Etsy shop.

(photo source)

In a previous jaunt across the Internet, I found a very simple tutorial from Cookie Magazine for building an adorable 4-room dollhouse. The original story I found about the doll house is on NieNie Dialogues, and Stephanie and her girls made these houses and decorated them with photos from magazines. Similar items could easily be adapted to a dinosaur cave or car garage for toy cars if you happen to be in need of toys for boys.

What DIY ideas do you have for using items on hand to make your own toys?

(this post can also be seen on Green Earth Journey, where I am a guest blogger today)

Giving and receiving

I recently made my mom some of my homemade bread.This bread is so simple and so yummmy that I just had to share. I gave her a loaf of rye in addition to the sampling of white (above). She is always sending me things in the mail or gathering things that we might want when we visit her. I call her often, but am really behind in returning her gifts and showing my gratitude. Today, I received another little gift from my mom in the form of a handmade thank you card.She draws and paints, and this is a design she created in 1996. She has been giving and sending me cards since I was in junior high school. When we lived in the same house, she would leave them on my bed or even send them to me in the mail. I have always loved her cards, and it is a simple way for her to let me know she is thinking of me.

I used to be an avid sender of cards and letters (snail mail). With the growth of the internet, I have done this less and less in recent years. I am reminded today that I need to spend more time handwriting cards and letters to let friends and family know I am thinking of them and that I care about them. Nothing says it like a handmade card (made yourself or purchased from an artisan) with a handwritten inscription.

Take the plunge! Share your thoughts and love
with snail mail...

If you need a place to purchase handmade, try one of these:
Etsy

Artfire
1000 Markets
Shop Handmade

Crafting It Forward...

Look at the gorgeous gift I just received from Lenox Knits! I have been drooling over her creations for months, and when I was given the opportunity to receive one JUST FOR BEING WILLING TO SEND my creations to 3 other people, I acted quick! And now I have this wonderful scarf.
Now it is my turn to craft it forward to my 3 people.

Now let's Craft It Forward...