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 ....

Some Hump Day Honey

A little assortment of sweet awesomeness to get you over the hump of this crazy July week and give you some ideas for great places to spend some of that moula you have been working so hard to earn lately!

I am totally in love with Moshi Moshi Designs' gorgeous dresses, Eight Season's beautiful organic bags, Aaron Ruell's stunning photographs, PlayDoh cologne? Oh yeah!, Goldfish trashbags - I've gone to heaven, Recycling Totebag that tells it like it is, Kendra Zvonik's stunning new collage work and fruit shaped sticky notes- almost too cute to use!

Awesome QUIET DOING Wallet Giveaway CLOSED

AND THE WINNER IS (number 244 of 265 using random number generater at random.org) QUILTING DIVA! She has an amazing Etsy shop, too- so check it out- congrats Quilting Diva!

Tawny is the amazing artist behind the craft design project she calls Quiet Doing.

She feels handmade is personal and says, "Supporting an independent is valuable because it attaches a face, a tale and a life to an otherwise anonymous and mundane transaction. You may not know everything about the creator, but you might imagine and appreciate them by purely owning that piece of art. In this vast and limitless world, I think we need those connections. Buying handmade to me is just as rewarding as making it."

I think Quiet Doing totally rocks and Tawny's wallets are the coolest thing any guy or gal could ever shove in their pocket! Super slim and lightweight, yet totally sturdy and functional my hubby got one as a gift and just loves it and you will, too.


WHAT YOU GET:
One lucky winner will receive one Quiet Doing Power Lines slim wallet in green!

HOW TO WIN:
It's easy, peasy -just leave a comment below with your contact information

For additional entries:

(5) Follow my blog
(5) Twitter this post
(5) Blog about this contest; linking to this post

Let me know if you have done these things so I can give you additional entries.

DRAWING:

MIDNIGHT on Saturday, July 18th!

When These Guys Aren't Available...

I used to feel a bit guilty about taking my car to the local car wash when I have a perfectly good right arm, water hose and driveway.

But, in fact, a car wash can be a better environmental choice.

When you wash your car in the driveway or street, contaminants such as grease and brake dust (as well as the detergent itself) flow into storm sewers, which discharge directly into our waterways. Car washes, on the other hand, are required to drain their water into sanitary sewers (which direct sewage to treatment facilities) or they filter and reuse it.

Water efficiency is also a benefit of many commercial car washes. Car washes use approximately 50 to 75 gallons of water per car (assuming the water is not being recycled); using the self-service bay consumes only 15 gallons.

A typical garden hose with an average flow rate of seven gallons per minute would exceed a car wash’s water consumption after two minutes (self service) or seven minutes (automated) if the hose were left running.

Even armed with this info, I'm still feeling a bit wasteful of my own energy and resources at the idea of the local car wash and I like washing my car (probably because I rarely wash it - no one has written WASH ME - or something worse - in the dust yet but it really needs a good washing) and it is my intention this year to take better care of the things I value. So...

1. I'll be washing my car in the grass rather than in the driveweay. Grass and gravel help filter contaminants from your wash water so they don’t end up in the storm sewer.

2. I bought a water-saving hose nozzle and I will be using it very sparingly.

3. I'm using biodegradable soap that is chlorine and phosphate free. It is citrus based. This doesn't lessen its immediate environmental impact but it will degrade over time.

4. I am thinking about my rain barrels- not sure about this yet, but I'm thinking..

5. I will dump my dirty soap bucket into a sink or toilet. These drain into the sanitary sewer (instead of the storm sewer).

6. I will check into waterless wash products. Several companies have developed nontoxic car cleaners that require no water; they are designed to be sprayed on and wiped off with a soft towel.

And, of course, the less I use my car, the less I will have to wash it, anyway.

1. Vintage Bicycle Cards by Orange Twist
2. Bikes Are Better Than Cars T-Shirt by Isotope
3. Hands Free Bag by LaTouchables
4. Sky Helmet by Belle Helmets
5. Recycled Bicycle Clock by PixelThis

I've Got A Secret...

I love the little weekly confessions shared at post secrets. I am good at keeping secrets (really) except once in a while when I slip up and tell my sister, but luckily for me she is very good at keeping secrets.

(maybe because her name is Victoria - they didn't just pull that name out of their hat - or bra - you know)

So, if you ever want to tell me a secret - know that it is safe with me - really, truly and I am totally doing the library book thing, isn't that clever?












1. Pants by Victoria's Secret
2. Message in a Bottle by A Second Time
3. Secret Garden Sachet by Simple Sweet Design
4. Locket For Laura by Botanical Bird
5. Nancy Drew Book at Callooh Calley
6. Whisper Portrait by Sela Hestelle