Shortlisted! for the Handmade Olympics

So, remember the Handmade Olympics hosted by the lovely k. of the rikrak studio blog? Well, the shortlists are finally in! And TWO of my items have made the shortlists!

In event 2 Our Favorite Handmade Goodie for Kids" my Malayan Tapir Stuffies Set (mushrooms and butterflies flavour) is in the running:



In event 6 Our Favorite Handmade or Vintage Item That's Fun" my Oh nuts - Chipmunk linocut is in the running:


I hope you'll check out the lovely items shortlisted (& vote for me!); you can see everything here (and by following the links to each event

I was happy to see that some of the other handmakers I notimated made their respective shortlists, including the D.A.D. project for Event 5 (niceness through handmaking). You'll recall Emily and Serena sell art (theirs, and donated) to raise money for the Canadian Cancer Society. They are awesome and got my vote.

Do check out all the lovely items and blogs and be sure to cast your votes before Friday April 27th at 11:59 EST.

Toronto Etsy Street Team Shop

The Toronto Etsy Street team has opened a team shop, to highlight local talent while raising money for good causes. Team members donate items and proceeds go to charity. Currently we are raising money for Haiti and giving our proceeds to the Red Cross (40%), Médecins Sans Frontière/ Doctors without Borders: (40%) and Global Medic: (20%).
So, Orbit is working to help alleaviate suffering. We want the shop to be able to respond to current events, and the team will give where we feel it can do the most good. Currently, if you would like to buy, for instance Lady Giggleswick Thinks of Love, if you do so through the T.E.S.T. team shop, all of the proceeds will go to these three charities listed above, and the Canadian federal government will match funds to double the support.

hope and rosehips

Last night I went and saw Coraline in 3D with Reynardin and Faunalia which we all really enjoyed. I remarked that a lot of love went into making that movie.

Faunalia claimed that thoughts of spring are wrong, my maple tree is falsely optimistic to be budding- it will snow again, and lo, this morning there is snow. I'm blaming Faunalia. ;)

So "hope" as a theme has been theme co-opted by all and sundry of late. However it has come up twice recently in invitations to me to donate art to raise funds for cancer research and associated charities - one place where hope is precisely the right theme.

Last year I made a 4" x 4" (10 cm by 10 cm) 'chunky page' for alteredmommy's collaboration on the theme of hope. Initially she intended to auction the book to raise funds for the cancer society. She decided to feature the book at the auction but donate it directly to a cancer survivor. This year she has invited people to contribute a chunky page once again. She will make a wall hanging to auction to raise funds for the Cancer Society. She herself is a cancer survivor.


Yesterday, I got a lovely (& lengthy) message on etsy from local musician Erin Lang. She is involved in raising funds for a lymphatic cancer charity called the Hibiscus Fund For Hope. In her words, "they do really amazing things for people going through cancer treatment in terms of helping to have their families with them if they can't afford to be there and paying for drugs that are not covered by OHIP and things like paying for daycare when a low income or single parent family suddenly find they have to be at the hospital everyday.. and so many more things.." She decided to start an associated music and arts group called Hibiscus and Rosehips to do a series of fund-raising events. She's lined up a long list of musicians* and bands (local "quirky original artsy folksy" indie bands from Toronto and Montreal and some international) who are donating songs for a CD. There will be Folk Tea Party/Bake sale with live music and the CD release and local crafts, on Sunday April 19th in the afternoon. 100% of all says will go to the charity.

So, I will be donating some art for this event. I appreciate that they help the families of those with lymphoma. Money for research is important, but until we learn how to grapple with these diseases, it is the families who need immediate help. I thought some of you might be interested in also participating, or donating, or baking, or giving art. It's a very pleasurable way of giving (through creating).

*Some of the musicians involved:
Ohbijou
Snailhouse
Timber Timbre
Castlemusic
Luxury Pond
Snowblink
The Youngest
Owl Eyes
Kite Hill
Jesse Smith
Roger O'Donnell
Lettie