Somaly Mam quilt

I feel rather honoured that I have in my house the quilt made through Amitie's fundraiser for 

Somaly Mam Foundation.

This foundation's cause - to abolish human trafficing, in particular Cambodia's children sold for sexual slavery - it sickens me even to write that line - spoke deeply to me - it still does and hope for a very long time to come.

 Somaly Mam - a survivor and fantastic example of strength and hope against such evil, needs support financially for the foundation.

Too easy, I thought.

Emailed the silent auction's organiser to place a bid for me on the night (couldn't get there cos of work) - a pay packet's worth is nothing compared to what they need.

Very very happy I won!

A young girl's face is what it is all about - a cherished life, a loved life, a life of hope and happiness.

This is what this quilt means to me.

Thank you Amitie for organising this to be made, thank you to all the people who put a little bit of love and hope into their star(s) and for all those who played a part in putting it together, quilting it, binding and getting to the organisers.

Thank you to Melinda Gillon (Reynolds) from Project Futures who has been lovely in contacting me and sending me the quilt.

Thank you to Somaly Mam and all her difficult work

It is a very uncomfortable topic to think of, let alone talk about or act on, but donating money to help people is just too easy, just too easy!!

Think about giving up a pay packet for one donation;

can you do it ?

The help it could give is a million times the value.

So good to get away

A little group from Melbourne Modern Quilt Guild ran away from life for a Saturday and headed down to the Mornington Peninsula

to 

Treehouse Textiles

a crafty haven plonked down in the middle of the bush!

It was just so lovely, so lovely

So lovely!!!  Head here for some gorgeous photos of all the peeps who came  - I had a super special day with friends - how good is it to come together to enjoy your craft and enjoy others' craft too?

Terribly remiss of me to not have posted about my other Retreat loooong weekend away at Woodend Retreat, with a great bunch of crafty gals who I mainly know through SIT over the years.

8 of us was a perfect number for this place - we ate and sewed and chewed and drank and sewed and knitted and sewed and watched and laughed and sewed...until the wee hours of the night!!!

I had a really lovely weekend with this lot!

Judy, Barbara, Wendy, Esther holding Lauren, Anna, Cas, Kylie

Really looking forward to the next one planned for June next year

 

Just a little bias

My DD1 has turned the momentous 15!  such gorgeousness cannot be described!

super super smart,

super super talented dancer - ballet, contemporary, jazz

16 pirourettes is no big deal

stunning poise and posture, flexiblity and grace

not a red head but 'Titian Gold' as explained by a hair colour expert

a collected girl with a very bright future ahead of her

extraordinary maths brain

dedicated, focussed, determined

can be sharp and silent

shyly loving

great hugger

One beautiful young lady who I am so proud to call my daughter

XXOO

Silk and Smiles

I promised a friend a happy post next - this makes me smile - hubbie and I are dressed up as Thai people - we had such a giggle!!!

After exploring the beautiful Queen Sirikit of Thailand Textile Museum (no photos allowed, but the silk was magnificant!) we were ushered into a maze of corridors that we weren't quite sure about - smiles all around said it was fine - Fine? It was Fun! Some lovely young women welcomed us into the Thai way of textiles and then proceeded to dress us up!!!

I remember having a laugh as the young lady was changing my top into this beautiful Thai silk folded wrap around - it had to be off the shoulder and my bra strap was showing - that can't be right I said - what do Thai women do about that? - we don't have enough up top to worry about said she with a grin!  We laughed and laughed.

Hubbie and I felt like schoolkids pretending to be grownups in another world.

Sawatdi!

It makes me sad

What is it with Sponsored Blog Posts that have nothing to do with the blog's usual crafty, cooking, family stuff?

I can't read them - I have to remove them from my reading list - as I said to one blog, who I have read for years, if I want to read/watch ads, I would turn on the TV.  I have already removed 2 blogs who I often enjoyed reading their witty prose and creativeness because they would rather advertise in pretence of a blog post about themselves.

I'm sorry Bloggy People who are changing their blog this way - I know it is their blog and they can do with it as they see fit.

I guess to me, it is a decline in why I started reading blogs in the first place - it sure wasn't to be advertised to.  I want to read blogs about people's crafts, their everyday lives, what makes them tick, what delights them today.  Don't you think we have enough ads in our lives?  Blogging for me gets me away from the bombardment we have these days - is this sanctuary being eroded?

It does make me sad, and just a little mad too.

Does anyone else feel this way?