A Little Light @ the End of the Tunnel

The final block in this series, time to work them into a larger multi-media piece!

Run Rabbit Run!

My third block and a sneek peek at the full series, with fourth yet to be cut.

Keeping all the Balls in the Air

Second stamp in this series.... more to come

My Year of the Rat

I have been wanting to cut my own rubber stamps for some time and finally bought a sheet of speedy-carve which is made by Speedball. This material is nice and soft for carving and also easy to transfer a pencil drawing onto by just using a warn iron. Next step is printing on fabric, although I think I will carve a few more so I have some different elements to choose from for my design!

Be a giving Bear at the Handmade For Japan Benefit Auction!

When I learned that one of my favorite potters  Ayumi Horie has contributed some of her wonderful work for this important benefit effort I just had to help spread the word. Get out your checkbook and log on to Ebay to participate starting this Thursday, March 24th, 8 pm EST through Sunday, March 27th, 8 pm EST.

All details below. You can preview Ayumi Horie's work and the beautiful contributions of other generous artists on the facebook page Handmade For Japan Benefit Auction.

When

Thursday, March 24th, 8 pm EST- Sunday, March 27th, 8 pm EST

Where

Handmade For Japan’s eBay store http://stores.ebay.com/handmade-for-japan

What

One hundred pieces of unique handmade art made by more than sixty artists will be auctioned over a three day period. Handmade for Japan will be donating 100% of the proceeds through eBay Giving Works, which is partnered with MissionFish, to Global Giving's Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Fund. Handmade For Japan aims to raise over $25,000 to help the victims of this disaster recover.

Global Giving

Why Global Giving?

Handmade for Japan will donate all of its net proceeds to Global Giving because they support grass root organizations active in stricken areas who may otherwise be overlooked by traditional foundations. We were quickly convinced that Global Giving’s use of online networking is a highly versatile, flexible, and rapid way to organize international donation efforts. Moreover, this approach allows donors to be kept updated on the use of funds. Global Giving's dynamic team played an important role in supporting the start-up efforts of Handmade for Japan. As testimony to the reputation of Global Giving, its Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Fund is endorsed by ABC News, the New York Times, Huffington Post, and Time Magazine. Global Giving's updates on use of funds can be monitored at: www.globalgiving.org/projects/japan-earthquake-tsunami-relief/updates/

How

On Thursday, March 24th, at 8pm EST, the eBay will go live, opening the auction to bidders.

Until then, the items will not be visible on eBay.

Please preview the items on our Facebook Photos page.

parts and pieces

Inspiration image before I begin a little jewelry production. All arranged in a lotus bowl from the To Every Nation thrift shop in Vero Beach Florida, shells collected from the beach in Vero, and beads and silver from a great little bead shop there as well.

cherry blossom

A quick little pieced bag using some of my favorite fabrics. The cherry blossom motif is cut from wool felt and is based on a Japanese crest design.

chicken koop!

 I was channeling my Grandparents for this one, and harkening back to memories of playing in the old chicken koop in the backyard of their Schenectady NY home. There were never any actual chickens there when we were kids but it was fun to imagine them! My favorite part of this recycled quilt and felt scrap bag are the bluebells I stitched in memory of Gramma  Mary Waldron.