HOLIDAY HAND SALVE!

Over the weekend I attended a Hand Salve making workshop at our local community farm Veggielution. A simple recipe of beeswax, extra virgin olive oil, fragrant Calendula and California sage. The perfect treat for my overworked hands. Love, love!

Arquitectura y Diseño

The husband, featured in Spain's "Arquitectura y Diseño" magazine. Nice one, Scot!
(Now ... if only I knew how to read Spanish)

And the winner is...

Thanks for your wonderful comments on my URCHIN bowl giveaway post!

The winner is.... Thought & Found, who commented: "I don't really do anything particularly large to give back, but I do lots of little things. I give money to The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto (I was a patient once upon a time...), I always give to the Canadian Diabetes Association when they do a pick-up, and I have a bag of food waiting for my next trip to the supermarket, where I'll drop it in the bin for the local food bank. Every little bit counts!"

Nice work, and congratulations!

You can check out yummy fabrics and other goodies on her blog here: thought & found

Happy Monday everyone!

Thrifting Thursday

Look what I scored at the thrift shop this morning:

This lamp is in excellent condition. And for $15, I just couldn't resist!
Anything new at your place?...

Giving back + Giveaway!

Although we're all beyond busy during the Holidays, I think it's super-important to find time to give back to the community, pitch in and generally do good.

Here's what I've been up to :
-Last week I sewed labels on 20 cut-and-tied fleece blankets for Project Linus (and there were TONS more that others made and labeled - go PL 'Blanketeers'!)

-I helped load a big-rig with lots of bikes and helmets for a local non-profit called Turning Wheels for Kids (although I can't volunteer at their 'bike build' on Saturday now because DH has to go to Seattle. Boo.).

 -And, I helped sort a mountain (no kidding) of toys for the group Toys for Tots.

All of this volunteering only took a couple of hours of my time, but was so fun and rewarding. In addition, I am making an effort to be more kind to my friends, family...and myself. I know I could do more to give back, but at least it's a start.

Sooo... In the spirit of the Season and inspiring others to "do good" I am thinking a giveaway is in order!

You could win one of my handmade, 100% wool felt 'Urchin' bowls (as pictured above in a lovely soft orange called "nectarine"--jingle bells NOT included)

THE DETAILS: Just leave a comment below telling me what you've done to give back, OR something nice you are planning to do, OR a link to your favorite charity or non-profit organization. Please be sure to leave your email address. I'll select a winner, at random, next Monday morning 12/13/2010. Do good ... and good luck!

P.S. If you're interested in making your own URCHIN bowls you can purchase the pattern here.
:-) Amy

Goodies for the Quilt Museum Shop

Well, the bunny rattles that I made up for my Etsy shop just hopped over to the Gallery Store at the San Jose Museum of Quilts and textiles. And along the way, they grabbed a couple of new Matryoshka pillow doll friends.

I'm having fun using up of the fun fabric from my stash , that has gotten out of control. I'm glad I was finally able to get it together to make for the Quilt Museum shop. South First Friday in downtown San Jose is tomorrow (Dec 3), and I hope they have a great turnout. If you're in San Jose the Quilt Museum (and shop) are definitely worth checking out.

Now, off to start sewing labels on the 20 fleece blankets that I picked up this morning from our Project Linus chapter. (20 doesn't sound like much,... but you should see this bag of blankets(!). Project Linus volunteers are amazing!).

Happy Thursday! ~Amy

GIVEAWAY on Facebook!

We are trying to spread the word about our toy business, Kaiku Design.

 Become a fan of Kaiku on facebook and tell me what you are thankful for on our contest post. You could win a set of my handmade designer felt URCHIN bowls. Although we only ship Kaiku products in the U.S. lower 48, I'll ship the bowls to you anywhere in the world. Pass it on!

URCHIN Felt Bowls

I've been having fun with thick "designer" wool felt.

These bowls came to me after playing with paper shapes and structure. I'm calling them "URCHIN" bowls because, well, they remind me of sea urchin shells.

The bowls are simple to make. The thick wool felt has a sculptural quality and it feels great--soft and squishy. The best part is that the bowls are relatively unbreakable (an important feature around our house!).

Filled with your favorite sweets, I think these felt bowl sets would make fantastic Holiday party hostess gifts.
If you're interested in making your own I've posted the pattern for sale here in my shop. Cheers! ~Amy

**OH! I forgot to mention... become a fan of Kaiku Design on Facebook and you could WIN a set of my URCHIN bowls! Contest Nov 19-30th.**

Believe it or not.... sewing for my shop!

A handful of scrappy bunny rattle toys for my Etsy shop!