Click, click, click, where will you end up?

Don't you just love how surfing the internet can lead you to the most extraordinary places? Places you never PLANNED to go to and in some cases didn't even know existed?

I will often click on a link, then another link and another and another. By doing this I have come across the weird, the ho-hum and the beautiful! And have you noticed that some sites (blogs particulary) can have the oddest sort of names that you wouldn't normally dream of reading further, yet when you visit them you see that they're doing a brilliant job :)

Some inspirational pictorial sites I have found in the last couple of weeks are Bush Belles (she found me actually and left a comment. I always like to return the favour and found a lovely blog that I now follow). Through Bush Belles I found a link to The Bottom of the Laundry Basket that I now follow as well... and then through there I clicked a link to Bright Bold & Beautiful and now I follow there too! Bloggers aren pretty amazing at spreading the word, aren't we!?

Today was another case of ending up in an unplanned but inspirational place. I was looking at the very pretty key fobs at Bags by Melanie. I ended up doing a little cruising around while I was there (well, that ALWAYS happens when you're on Etsy - it's never a stay of just a few minutes) I saw some things I liked, read that shop's profile and visited their blog. Then I clicked on a link of an Australian store doing upcycled tote bags. They were donating a bag to Hearts for Haiti which I clicked on to find out more. We are all aware of the terrible earthquakes that struck Haiti less than 2 weeks ago. I have already donated funds in the Hope For Haiti Now fundraiser but I wanted to see what this Etsy store was doing.

In this case the wonderful Etsians have banded together and in a few short days have already donated over 2000 items to this Etsy store with all proceeds (less Etsy and Paypal fees) being forwarded to DoctorsWithoutBorders (MédeçinsSansFrontières) specifically for Haitian relief. When I looked this morning the shop had already raised over $16000USD! I can't donate an item as I no longer have an Etsy shop, but I did buy a couple of things :)

I would love to insert an etsy- mini here to show off some of their items, but I have no idea how to! (Yes, I AM technologically challenged.) So click here and visit their store and check out the wonderful things you can purchase and by doing so, send some money help the relief effort in Haiti.

Needless to say, I haven't achieved an awful lot today (surfing the net does that to you!). The children do return to school later this week and although the end of my week is going to be frantic, I have high hopes for the following week when hopefully the dust has settled!

Luckily I was productive on the weekend so the week is not a total loss. At top is a photo of a necklace made with the most gorgeous 'v' or branched freshwater pearls. I assume that they started as two 'stick' pearls and having been moved around by the mussel, they sat next to each other and the nacre built up, joining them together at one end. I think they are fun, a little funky and definitely different.

Till next :)
Annette

Victorian Bushfires

By now, I am sure you have heard about the devastating bush fires and subsequent loss of life in Victoria.

A lot of people (even Australians), think that the bush or scrub is disappearing. Having been fortunate enough to fly over quite a bit of Australia, I can state that there is a huge amount of natural bushland out there. Dry and hot conditions, lightning strikes from dry storms and, unfortunately, arsonists, make it inevitable that fires are going to start and someone is going to lose something to fire during an Australian summer.

Yet the scale of this disaster is unheard of. According to the headlines of the Sydney Morning Herald, this is the worst natural disaster that Australia has ever experienced with the toll of dead and wounded only exceeded in wartime.

There are many people raising funds to send to aid the communities affected by the fires. Small communities are rallying and donating the proceeds of their already scheduled events, farmers are sending hay, people from all over are generously donating money direct to the Red Cross (the official destination to send donations to). Even the small, handmade brigade are rallying by donating items - toys, blankets and other little necessities are being sent direct and other things are being auctioned off with the proceeds being donated.

Whatever we do, we can help in some small way - even the longest journey starts with one little step.

If you would like to assist you could visit the Australian Red Cross website. If you are an artisan/craftsman that wants to donate an item or if you can help by buying a donated handmade item, look at Handmade Help (all funds going to the Australian Red Cross and Wildlife Victoria).

True wisdom can create a phrase that can be applicable to many situations. I saw the following on Joliv's Weblog quoting Deepak Chopra:

Even when you think you have your life all mapped out, things happen that shape your destiny in ways you might never have imagined.

For many affected by the fires, how true.

Thankfully we have had a cool change in south-eastern Australia and the fires are being bought under control. Let's hope they can be fully extinguished soon and the recovery can begin.