Aha - there IS something we can do...

After Christchurch's awful earthquake this week, the whole country seems to be galvanised into action, and everyone wants to be doing something to help.  Donating money seems to be the most practical way, but not everyone has loads of spare cash - so it's been amazing to watch the NZ crafting community on Facebook come alive (which is saying something, as they're a pretty techno-active bunch anyway), particularly with hundreds of donations of beautiful, handmade goods.  These will all be auctioned off by various groups, with proceeds going to Christchurch.  Here are some of the grass-roots support that I've come across in my virtual travels since Tuesday, and which we've donated to...

Li'l Magoolie's Li'l Quake Appeal

Charity Auctions for the Christchurch Earthquake 2011

Sew Pretty's Operation Comfort

Scamps Eco Boutique's Canterbury Quake Care Packages

Handmade for Christchurch

Visit them if you can :-)

Untitled (AKA Grand Post Number 3 - I'm catching on to this whole blogging thing)

It's all been a frantic, hectic (but excellent!) blur since my last post.  We've done three markets (Brighton Gala, Moxie Market and Thieves Alley Market) which were pretty much just insanely busy, got ourselves stocked in the Otago Museum shop, filled various orders, set up a few other suppliers and reviewers and networked till we can network no more - and now we have an interview published on the lovely New Zealand Handmade site!  Phew!!

So I feel we can rest on our laurels for a millisecond before rushing onwards with our plans of world domination.  OK, done.  Now while I head back to the sewing machine, you lot head over to Sew Pretty who are running a raffle to raise funds for a fantastic cause called Bellyful which provides "meals for families with newborn babies, and families in crisis".  Such a great idea, so we've just donated one of our reusable sandwich wraps to Sew Pretty's prize pack.  Go here to pick up a $2 ticket!

And lastly, Ginger J and I have decided that we will share custody of this blog henceforth so that it doesn't get too neglected and rusty - and now we have blogosphere witnesses!  Stay tuned for Ginger J's upcoming missives, full of wit, artistry, business acumen and all-round-gorgeousness.  Oh, and mine, too.

I'm a bad blog mother (sob)!

I'm already neglecting this poor little blog, and it's only an infant!  I think one of the challenges of setting up a new business is building a new timetable for your life - and this is not something I've ever been particularly good at anyway!  I need to deliberately set aside scheduled time for all those little computery things, like blogging, checking in on our Facebook page, and learning how to run and grow a little business - as well as the practical side of physically taking orders and sewing wraps (and trying not to forget my actual human children in all this)!  Luckily, my sister Ginger J is naturally talented in this area, so is quite good at gently reminding me as I consistently stray off topic (and task)...And it's definitely a matter of getting out what you put in.  I'm constantly amazed at how every single time we make a small effort to communicate with the outside world via the old interweb, more orders trickle (and occasionally flood) in...it seems like some kind of great karmic, magic thing because we can't actually see or know how many people we've reached, but I'm well aware that it's potentially billions!  (Hello, all you worldly citizens!)

A friend pointed us to this blog where we had a great little blurb this week, and we immediately took all Paddy Lewis' advice and got some more boyish fabrics in stock (I hate to say 'boyish' because I know there's plenty of girls who might like these - or boys who really might not - but I just don't know how else to describe them!).  But here they are, in all their glory about to be 'wrapped'...

Acid Rain

Chocolate Fish

Sk8er Kid

Silver Fern

Pirate Skulls

Alien Kids