the great pumpkin day

(it's the great pumpkin, charlie brown, by backtoearth)

happy halloween! 

(and happy birthday sid)

mountain gorillas and congo rebels

taking a little break from the craft world in today's post, to share news very important to me of a critical situation in the drc 

( mapendo, orphaned eastern lowland gorilla, with caregiver.  she is 

cared for daily in goma by rangers who act as surrogate mothers to the orphans 24 hours a day)

i hope that everyone can please take a moment to visit and read the blog at gorilla.cd, the official website of the virunga national park in the dr congo, the home to the critically endangered mountain gorilla.  only 700 mountain gorillas remain in this world, with 200 of them in the virunga national park.

tutsi rebels, supporting general nkunda have been stationed and heavily fighting in the area for quite some time now.  this resulted in the death of several gorillas last year.  there has been heavy fighting in the gorilla forest over the last several weeks, preventing rangers from ascertaining the fate of these gorillas caught in the crossfire.

(thinking, print by buddah4)

in the last few days, tutsi rebels have seized control of headquarters and patrol posts in the virunga national park, and are trying to take complete control of goma.  177 park rangers have had to flee their posts (and their protection of the gorillas).  more than 50 have had to flee into the forest to save their lives, where they have had no food, water, or provisions.  a group of 12 has been rescued (one of their group was kidnapped, and one unable to continue walking had to be left behind).  the whereabouts of all of the other rangers is completely unknown.  those rescued said that it is impossible to get to a road because of the rebels' weaponry.

these park rangers spend their lives trying to protect the few remaining majestic and mysterious mountain gorillas, and they are now in grave danger.  their families have been forced to camp in goma, along with nearly 1,000 other people, where cases of cholera have already been reported.  around 250,00o civilians in the area have had to flea their homes since august, with nearly 850,000 displaced in the last two years according to the u.n.

these women and children in the camp desperately need food, clean drinking water, and basic medicine.  there is also great need to raise money for basic provisions and medical supplies for all of the displaced rangers.

over $88,000 needs to be raised by the 25th of november for these basic costs ( a detailed breakdown of the costs is available on the website ). so far, the blog has raised about $7,000.

this is a severe crisis.  please consider donating, any amount will help.  donations can be made right on the website (through paypal), gorilla.cd.  100% of donations go directly to the field, as a grant from the european union pays for administration costs.  

donations:

online: http://gorilla.cd

check (USD): virunga fund inc, c/o gretchen crary, 378 clinton street, brooklyn, ny 11231, usa.

you can also visit national geographic's coverage of the situation.

thank you so very much for taking the time to read this!!

best to everyone,

katy

retro loveliness from imsovintage

blue vintage dog planter

wanted to share some of the gorgeous vintage finds from imsovintage (my mom!).

i love the retro, whimsical, and nostalgic feel of these pieces... i can imagine them in so many different settings and designs.  they would all look fabulous in my apartment (hint, hint)

peachy keen vintage buttons, 1940's

imagine what life these buttons would give to a coat or bag

vintage aqua blue pottery candlestick

absolutely love the serene color of this piece... it would add such elegance to any room

love these melmac pieces... way too gorgeous to be put away in a cupboard!

russel wright melmac serving bowl

think pink...vintage melamine creamer and bowl

russel wright melmac divided vegetable dish

 

and here are my mom's two other handmade shops:

thecalakacompany

sustainableme

front page

it was so lovely to see all of the pieces listed in my shopping list this week on the front page of etsy today... they were the inspiration for my latest treasury  ( a few had already sold by the time i captured this picture!)

Saturday Shopping List ~ October 25th

a little 1950's retro... with some bursts of autumn color

1 ~ vintage gray tween train case, by greybrocket

2 ~ koparpeningur circus dress, by desirapesta

3 ~ pear pair, by pillowhappy

4 ~ ttv paris carousel print, by snappychic

 5 ~ drop number 3 - bowl, by ninainvorm

6 ~ 1950's mustard yellow cocktail dress, by dustyrosevintage

7 ~ autumn plum tutu dress, by angelbabes

8 ~ lamb in a manger, by bossysfeltworks

check out fancypicnic for links to all the saturday shopping lists

wonderful giveaway!

wanted to share the wonderful autumn giveaway my sister ( littleloveblue ) is having on her blog this week!  she is offering one of her lovely acorn and leaves ornaments... they would look beautiful in a thanksgiving centerpiece!  simply leave a comment over on her blog with your favorite halloween ritual, and you're entered to win.

visit littleloveblue.com for all the details and to enter! 

blue moon of kentucky...

i think i've been in a blue mood this week... but in a completely good way!  i just realized that i've used a lot of this lovely color in several of my latest pieces 

nest with eggs

woodland cherry laurel tree

hanging flower fairy, lupine

Saturday Shopping List ~ October 18th

my saturday shopping selections this week all seem to tell a story of imagination...and i'm imagining they can all come to my house!

visit fancypicnic for a list of all the saturday shopping lists

1 ~ butterscotch humbug wool winter bonnet, by dressmeup

made from a beautiful vintage wool plaid suiting, 

and lined with the artist's own hand screen printed 

organic cotton fabric, this storybook bonnet is safe for 

baby and the environment

2 ~ tuscany earrings, by katinkapinka

these earrings seem to hold a wonderful

sense of history... and perhaps a long ago love story

3 ~ no one's children - los ninios de nadie, by caracarmina

created freehand and in the moment, this gorgeous doll

is truly a work of art, and in need of a loving home

4 ~ summer's end necklace, by fancypicnic

a fairy tale of imagination come to life, this truly

one of a kind necklace is wonderfully enchanting

5 ~ fabric topiary with mushrooms, by lifewithtigers

nostalgic and magical, this wee topiary is a miniature

environment perfect for fairies ;)

6 ~ red berries, by valcox

with a sense of peering through a looking glass

into another world, this image was captured

through a 1940's bubbletop glass viewfinder

7 ~ queen of the butterflies, by lilymoon

 this image weaves through worlds of endless 

imaginiation... like a dream come to life

8 ~ bridal headpiece, by minnak

add a little 'something old' with your 'something new', 

with this elegant 20's inspired lace headpiece

autumn has taken a firm hold here in the hollow...the witches and wizards are out and about bewitching the pumpkins and trees!

here are a few of my autumn favorites from other etsy sellers:

owl on page, by esoule

harvest time cups, by pardonmyvintage

grey doe and orange fawn, by forestcreature

so, so, so excited to see my treasury 'inward calm...' on the front page of etsy!  always so very excited and proud to see them on the front page...thanks etsy and congrats to all the sellers!

i'm in the mood to travel....

my winsome hollow pieces have been traveling the world...much more than i have!  i love sending my work on a flight to a new adventurous destination, but now i want to hop on a plane myself.

here is my current travel themed treasury, 'the great affair is to move....'

Saturday Shopping List ~ October 11th

phew, my internet connection is finally back today, just in time for the saturday shopping list!

1 ~ berry colander and dish set, by baileybowls

imagine how luscious your berries would look against 

this white colander

2 ~ french butter dish, by barbdunshee

keep your butter soft in style

3 ~ the bird messenger, by roadside

what a wonderful way to say hello, with

this whimsical pop-up card

4 ~ olive coat in red, by littlehouses

stay warm this fall in style 

5 ~ biscuit bunnies, by flyingstartoys

soulful, soft little lovelies

6 ~ looped lark in red, by whileshenaps

invite a gorgeous creature to nest in your home

7 ~ le solitaire lavender pillow and bag, by fricdementol

beautifully handmade and hand screen printed on cotton

8 ~ raspberry chair, by sprucehome

vintage chair brought back to all its former glory 

with a new raspberry fabric

9 ~ voice of experience, by cathycullis

imagine carrying your art with you by wearing this lovely 

mixed media brooch

visit fancy picnic for links to all of the wonderful shopping lists!

last chance!

tomorrow is the last day (until midnight) to enter into the amazing autumn giveaway by jessica jane of petitehouse! she is offering six incredible packages, including the one above with one of my autumn trees....thanks so much! i'm so happy to be amongst such wonderful company

Saturday Shopping List ~ October 4th

so excited to finally participate in the saturday shopping lists.  a day early, due to the lack of an internet connection at home for the next week! check out fancy picnic for a list of all the wonderful saturday lists

i've already discovered so many wonderful pieces i want to feature in the future weeks, but this week i decided to focus on soft yellows and grays, inspired by some of my recent favorites

1 ~ heirloom vintage fall vest, by heirloom08

made of organic linen, cotton, and vintage materials,

these original designs inspire a look of whimsy

2 ~ linen pinafore, by pamelatang

each piece individually handcrafted, these pieces combine

lovely modern design, with traditional craft

3 ~ vintage birdie shakers chirp chirp, by brooklynrehab

i have a set of little shakers very similar to this, and was

excited to find such a lovely vintage set...and an equally 

lovely store

4 ~ whispers in the breeze, by sugarsnaps

this image of new zealand nature, embodies this 

photographer's ability to capture such sweet and soft

moments in time, which seem to both move and ignite the senses

5 ~ white cat, by littleloveblue

this little felted wool kitty is the defintion of sweet elegance...

each piece has such a unique personality that seems to breathe

6 ~ spring bike, by photobird

these photos display such a wonderful sense of vintage 

style simplicity...allowing the eye to stop and enjoy the 

beauty of our surroundings

7 ~ pillow cover, by maramiki

originally illustrated and constructed of linen, these 

pillow covers add a subtle and soft touch of nature

to any style home

8 ~ hand embroidered silk brooch, by contemporarystitches

such extraordinary hand embroidery work lends a 

touch of romantic elegance to these pieces, made using 

vintage fabrics

9 ~ the darling nest, by marmeecraft

this victorian style work encompasses such a 

feeling of alice in wonderland style fantasy, letting 

you jump into a world of imagination