Mission to Haiti: Seven Ways to Help

For those who don't know yet, I signed up to do a medical mission in Haiti. Our team is from Maine Medical Center in Portland, Maine (my mistake, I thought it was Bangor). We have a Go Fund Me account for the team (click HERE to check it out) that includes our mission statement and them members of the team. 

Here are ways to help. 

1) Medical Supplies: We need stethoscopes 

and blood pressure cuffs. We need medications 

and bandages. 

2) Kids supplies: We'll be going to orphanages to work with the children. Things to keep kids busy, like coloring books and crayons, would be wonderful. 

3) Insect repellent: I've been told the mosquitos are bad down there. Probably as bad as here (Florida). Repellent wipes would be handy. Drier sheets are good, too, to keep insects away, especially gnats. Tuck one under your hat or bra strap and they leave you alone. 

4) Easy to pack food: I'm bringing peanut butter and nuts. High protein and portable. Maybe sandwich thins, too. After all, they are already squashed flat.

5) Money: we could use it to keep the costs down. If someone wants to send money for something specific, like insect repellent, crayons, or enough peanut butter for the crowd, leave a message on the Go Fund Me page. 

6) Spread the word. Share our Go Fund Me page with everyone you know.....and wish us well. 

7) Buy something from my Miss Eileen's Vintage Shop. I am doing what I know to do, sell stuff. Here's a few new listings in the Miss Eileen's Vintage shop on Etsy.

Vintage Bowling Figurine  Beautiful features. Excellent condition.  $10
To purchase click HERE

3 Vintage Wooden Embroidery Hoops 
These hoops are good for embroidery or cross stitch and would make good frames, too.  $12
To purchase click HERE

Vintage Rocking Chair Pincushion This is as cute as it gets. 
Velvet seat for the pins. 
Excellent condition. $6
To purchase click  HERE

Little Girl in Pink Ruffled Dress Figurine Dainty and beautiful. Great gift idea. To purchase click HERE.

Little Deer Bookend This little guy is so cute. 
                 50's little deer bookend that stands about 5 inches tall.                           To purchase click HERE

Vintage Metal Embroidery Hoops 
These incredible embroidery hoops are metal with a spring on the side to maintain tension.  $10 
To purchase click HERE

So, if you can, help us out. If you can't, send your prayers and good wishes. 

Mama Jean's Kind Thread: An Interview With Jean Abbott

Urban Farmers Dreams Come True

 Tell us a bit about yourself : I currently live in Portland Oregon with the love of my life, two dogs, one cat and four chickens. My own three kids have all grown up and flown the coop. We are committed to trying to live life with intent and straight from the heart. Both of us are vegetarians. We recycle everything we can and use bicycles as our main form of transportation. I have a beautiful recumbent trike with a big basket on the back. There is nothing I love more than to fill it up with packages from Mama Jean’s Kind Thread and take them to the post office to ship to customers. I dreamed of starting Mama Jean’s for years. After 20 years in education I took the plunge last August and started working full time at crafting for a living.




Cowgirl Sewphie


What is the first thing you can remember making by hand? How and why did you make it?:
I love being creative but sewing is my passion. After all, I’ve been doing it for over 40 years. My mother taught me how to sew back in the day by creating a 4-H club for us when we were young. I was always creating things with bits and pieces of scraps from my mothers sewing piles. She made all my clothes when I was growing up. I loved summer because she would make us 6 sets of tops and shorts to wear during the summer months.



Put a Bird On It Apron


While we were with the 4 H club we tried all sorts of things along the way from knitting to cooking and I still love to do both, but sewing was, and is, my passion. When everyone else sort of tucked his or her sewing machines away, I just kept on sewing. For most of my life I have created my own clothing and my children’s when they were young. Just for fun I became a costumer working for local theater companies and school productions and was a costumer for over 20 years.



Day  Of the Dead in Red and Black



What inspires you?
I think the thing that inspires me the most is color; I love to work in bold bright colors. I love watching them all come together in one of my quilts themed in Day of the Dead or Pirates and Skulls. I call it organic quilting. I love to fussy cut pieces out of the patterned fabrics and start adding color all around them step by step inch by inch and creating quilts. Love this process because I can collect fabrics that I love and then lay them all out on the table and start working with them never really knowing where the end will be but knowing it will be a joy getting there.



Portland Original Handmade Pendleton Wool Baby Booties


Why should people buy handmade? Any tips of wisdom on selling handmade items?:
I love the question why should people buy handmade. I think my answer has to be, "Why wouldn’t you want to have an original one-of-a-kind verses a cookie cutter item that every other person will own?" I’ve never had the problem of attending an event and seeing my outfit on someone else now have I? I want to fill my home with beautiful handcrafted items that are not only functional but also beautiful. That’s why I love quilting. It’s not only beautiful, it’s purposeful.



Magical Playful Fairies in Blues and Browns for Baby


Who is, or was, your greatest inspiration? What have been the most valuable lessons learned from other artists?:
I believe the greatest lesson I ever learned from an artist, creator of beauty, and lover of life, my mother, was to always come at life from your heart. Do what you love, love what you do, and everything will work out. Staying true to what you believe and what you love makes the act of creating such a joy filled with wondrous surprises that you just can’t help but want to keep doing it and trying new things. I always said I want to create things that people will love and want to own and wear and I want to have fun doing it. I want to walk into my studio each day with a smile from the inside out and say yes to my dreams.

XL to 6X Custom Made Short Sleeve Shirts for Men

What are the Web addresses for your work? Are you offering my readers any specials?:
You can find my items not only on Etsy at www.etsy.com/shop/jeanabbott but also at www.mamajeanskindthreads.com/ I would love to offer your readers free shipping on anything they would like to order or buy from Mama Jeans Kind Threads. They can use code goofingoff1001 at my Etsy Store. This includes custom orders as well. Thanks for giving me this opportunity it’s been a blast getting all my friends involved and excited about helping me out with my business.

Mama Jean

Etsy Picks Winner 4/1/11 Dawnorama

The Etsy Picks for April 1 yielded 2 winners, LemonLizard and Dawnorama….yup, we had a tie. LemonLizard’s creation was her incredible Bluebird Note Cards and Dawnorama’s creation was the Funky Pin Cushion. Here is Dawnorama’s interview.

 Funky Felt Pin Cushion

Tell us a bit about yourself  My name is Dawn Parizek... I live in Des Moines ( Clive) IA... I am a stay at home mom/artist/photographer/new crafter...

What are your favorite materials?   My favorite material, right now, is felt. But that is ever-changing...

What is your favorite color combination?  My favorite color combination, as of now, would have to be... navy blue and a light yellow...

  Funky, Felt Pincushion

What is the first thing you can remember making by hand? How and why did you make it?  The first thing I ever remember making by hand... hmmmm... I remember making an Easter Bunny, with my grandma, out of a dish soap bottle... We made it together, for an Easter decoration... I don't really remember how we did it... or all of the materials we used... just kind of remember sitting with her...

What inspires you? Who is, or was, your greatest inspiration?   The more I think about what inspires me, the more I realize that it truly is my grandma. She died when I was 15... but she was always making stuff... sewing, knitting, crocheting, crafting... I think she was the head of her local Homemaker's of America group... or some such thing. She saved EVERYTHING... and then actually used it for something. I used to think I was verging on pack-rat status... because I would save things, to use for future projects... so I think I inherited her creativity and inventiveness...

 

Feathers 8x12 Photograph

Where do your ideas come from?  Where do my ideas come from... that's a good question... they kind of just happen...

What is your favorite thing to do with your creativity? My favorite thing to do with my creativity... again, it's ever changing. At this moment, I'm loving sewing pincushions. I was making yo-yos out of felt, and somehow stumbled onto making a pincushion... now it's a borderline obsession for me.

 Funky, Felt Pin Cushion

Why should people buy handmade? Any tips of wisdom on selling handmade items?  I think people should buy handmade for many reasons... I think it's nice to know who created and crafted something your purchasing, on an personal level. There's a connection with the crafter that you don't get when you buy from the mass-produced market. Handmade items are one-of -a-kind, which is very satisfying... it's a great feeling to look at something, in your home, and think, " No one else in the world has one exactly like this"... makes you feel special... Handmade is awesome for the environment... buying something that was made with recycled materials... buying something that wasn't manufactured in a big, old factory...
I'm really new to the whole handmade world... so I'm still learning... I would LOVE some tips myself...

What have been the most valuable lessons learned from other artists?  I have quite a few friends that are artists/crafters... Just watching them do what they do has been inspiring to me. My biggest take-away from them would have to be... Get yourself out there. Get on Etsy... get your butt into some craft shows... find some unique shops in your area that would be willing to sell your awesome creations... Facebook your stuff...

Apart from creating things, what do you do?   Aside from creating and crafting, I am a mom to 2 wild and crazy boys... so life is full of volunteering at school... sporting events... doing housework is not my forte', so I'm trying to get better at that... and I am married to the best guy in the world... who coaches our boys... plays drums in an awesome band... and takes care of me like no one else could... among many other things...
What are the Web addresses for your work?  You can find me on Etsy at : www.etsy.com/shop/Dawnorama ...and I am working on a website... www.dawnparizek.com ...

Are you offering my readers any specials?  I'd love to give your readers 10% off any orders... just have them mention your blog ...

Thank you, Dawnorama, for this wonderful interview. Your creations are wonderful.