Etsy Project Embrace

Etsy Project Embrace is a way for Etsy buyers and sellers to make a donation to the American Cancer Society in honor of Laura Slocum an Etsy artist currently undergoing treatment for ovarian cancer.

Sellers can tag an item in their shop with the one word tag etsyprojectembrace and donate a portion of the proceeds from the sale of that item to the fundraiser.

Buyers can support this fundraiser by searching the tag EtsyProjectEmbrace and choosing to make a purchase of one of these sponsored items.

Etsy Project Embrace was created to support Laura by increasing awareness and raising funds for cancer research.

Laura is a real firecracker and an amazing artist and mother and I am very proud to call her my friend.



Another amazing Etsy artist and wonderful friend; Lynn of UnaOdd is also currently undergoing treatment for cancer and my own donations are made to support Laura and Lynn and in memory of our dear friend Andrew Hampel.

Just a small sample of the dozens of Etsy sellers' amazing donations that you don't want to miss:

String 'Em Up ....

According to the U.S. Department of Energy our clothes dryers are the second largest energy hog in our homes. The Energy Star label of efficient appliances doesn't even bother to label them.

There is a little $5.00 solution to consider.

A clothesline has a few pluses:

1. You can save money and reduce your personal impact on climate change
2. Your clothes will last longer; dryer lint from your clothes is like sawdust from wood, no shrinkage, no static cling, less ironing.
3. Your clothes will smell fresher and the sunlight will bleach and disinfect.
4. Indoor racks can humidify in dry winter weather.
5. No more dryer fire worries (over 18,000 a year in the U.S. alone).

And, I'm not going to get all new age-y on you here, but there is something about the feel of those wet clothes against your arms when you hang them up and the warmth when you take them down that is very grounding - I'm starting to tear up a little bit just thinking about it.

(or maybe I have something in my eye, but you get the picture)

A clothesline has a couple negatives:

1. You can't leave the clothes up for days like you leave them in your dryer
2. It takes a little more time, but not as much as you might think
3. It can be a bit unsightly depending on how crappy your wardrobe is

I have a little clothesline that started out as a yard gym for Olive. It has a rubber donut that dangles from it and she spends hours jumping for that donut and wearing herself out while I work. Now I use it for towels, linens and jeans (I don't use it for everything, but it does save me a few loads a week).

It is also great for beating throw rugs and this is where some real therapy can come in. You can even draw a little picture of your mother-in-law (just as an example not that I have done this) on the back of the rug and the cleaning will be even more therapeutic (this kind of only works if you have kids though).

Hubby - Is that my mom's face on the back of that rug?

Me - Huh?

Hubby- My mom's face drawn on the back of that rug!

Me- *looking confused*

Hubby - Look! *points to back of rug*

Me - *frowning and shaking my head* These kids...

1. Laundry room vinyl lettering by SingleStoneStudios
2. Vintage Washboard from ShamsandCoverUps
3. Vintage Clothespins from TripleTrouble
4. Vegan Laundry Soap by ShowerTreatSoap
5. Dryer Pillow Sheets by zJayne
6. Wool Dryer Balls by Romeo2Juliet

When Things Fall Into Place...

I’ve decided that today I want to be that artist (choking that word out) who posts pictures of her studio on her blog.

(instead of other people's studios, even though those others are way cooler)

Since most of my inventory is packed up for next weekend's show and it will probably never be this clean again- this is my chance to look uber organized.

Plus I've got some flowers on my desk. Plus I've got an amazing photographer here with a fisheye lens.

So I think the cosmos has lined this up for us ....