Help For Haiti 2...and a little something extra...

The debauchery of Fat Tuesday ushered in the season of lent. Many who celebrate do so by giving up something...sugar, soda, dessert (and these days, maybe reality television, facebook or twitter). When I was younger I gave up meat for the whole of lent, not just on Ash Wednesday and Fridays like the rest of them. I went, if you'll pardon the pun, whole hog.

It should be noted I was (and am) a vegetarian. But those nuns were never prouder of me, so why ruin a good thing?

But now I'm older (and wiser, and less deceptive) and think life should be more about giving back than giving up. And if all of us did a little bit, we could make the world a better place, I tell you what. I am astounded by the generosity of the blog community, and it's part of what has drawn me in.

So here goes: Haiti still needs a lot of help. As of this week, the UN estimates the death toll in Haiti could reach 300,000 and the number of people left homeless hovers somewhere between 1.2 and 1.5 million. I really can't wrap my head around these numbers. All we can do is try to help, even a little.

The Help for Haiti 2 auction at the shorehouse will offer the following prize package to the winning bidder:

Another nifty tote bag made by my own hands. This one is slightly larger than the one in the last auction, and is reversible!

Then there's a sweet little clutch from M. Avery Designs where I learned to sew. It's made with a great textural upholstery fabric, and lined in shantung silk. It has a snap closure and I added a vintage pin to jazz it up even more:

How cool is this? Bracelets with a Conscience is the brainchild of Point Pleasant, New Jersey's Ann Harmon. Talk about giving back! The story of her company and commitment to helping can be found online here.

More prizes will be added so be sure to check back. The auction will remain open until March 10 at 11:59 p.m. EST. Simply leave a comment in this post with your bid amount. At auction's end the winning bidder just needs to make a donation to the Haitian relief charity of their choice in the amount of the winning bid. I will ship the prizes at my cost anywhere in the world. This is the perfect way to get some (really) early holiday shopping done -- keep one prize for yourself, and tuck away the others as gifts!

Update, March 1: The lovely Rue de la Clef has added a tissue pouch and homemade pancake mix to the...well, mix! The winning bidder will also find these coming their way...

Update, March 7: Look what Beach House Living has added. These gorgeous earrings with smokey colored stones...

...and handstamped ribbon that's tres chic. Both are from her Etsy store.


And wait! There's more!


I will match the winning bid dollar for dollar and donate my money to Hudson Cradle, a group home in Jersey City, NJ, providing full, nurturing care to homeless infants with complex health, development, social and safety needs. These folks are among the hardest working and most compassionate people I know, and we're in an economic time when charities need our financial help more than ever. Hudson Cradle is hosting a Taste of Hudson fundraiser on the Jersey City waterfront on April 29 -- I'm in charge of the auction at that event so if you have ideas for prizes, or want to learn more about the event or organization, please give me a shout!


And more...


Everyone who links to this post will be entered in a random drawing to win something made by little old me. Everyone who places a bid will also be entered. Little old me has been a little stretched lately (as evidenced by lack of blog time. Eek!), so hasn't exactly made anything yet but will this weekend. I'm thinking I'll make a pillow using that Ikatish fabric I recently blogged about (thank you for the kind comments on my "evolving" sewing skills!) and one of the 12 x 16 pillow forms I picked up at Jo-Ann's. So it will kind of look like this...







...just better. Because it will actually be sewn and all.


I'm also going to automatically enter everyone who so kindly bid on my last auction: Rue, Modernemama, Blondie’s Journal, Desiree at Lookiloos, Jane at Atticmag, Fairfield House (who has a fun postcard project going on -- go check it out!), Maureen at Mom Times Two and Northlandmom. Thank you, ladies. I think together we can all help make this world of ours just a wee bit better.


Now...start yer biddin'!