Happy Hallowe'en!

We couldn't resist more adorable Vintage Holiday Crafts & Clip Art images. The winter holidays are upon us, so do visit & get some ideas (free & easy) for celebrations. Also to Martha Stewart's site for all sorts of free templates & easy (yes!) ideas.

ciao-boo-meow!

A Vintage Hallowe'en - Week's End

Boo! Here are some adorable (free) vintage Hallowe'en postcards from Vintage Holiday Crafts & Clip Art. They have just about every holiday & subject covered. We hope you are ready for Hallowe'en (or close). Of course, GG doesn't need a costume; she's already dressed.

xoxo & bisous/GGCM

Cat & Parasols Tapestry Kit

Here's something fun...you can give as a gift-to-make or make-it-as-a-gift. So cute & such a deal! More information & instructions at Made4Aid. Some detail on the kit below:

"On sale we have a brand new Ehrman tapestry kit - in its original packaging, I just took it out to check the dimensions and take photos.Ehrman make really good quality tapestry kits with lovely wools and great designs - this is a bargain! Its a design called "Cat and parasols" - design by Susanna Lisle - and as well as the pink and yellow cat and parasols, there are red tulips in the backgound and a stripey/patterned border motif.

The kit comes with 100% cotton canvas, 10 stitches to the inch - and comes with needle, yarns and instructions - complete with everything you need. The sewing can be done either in half-cross stitch or continental stitch. The stitched area when finished is 14 inches / 35cm square.

The auction begins at 9am on Thursday 29th October, and will end at 9am Monday 9th November , New York time. The highest bidder before that time will win.

Can we start bids start at $18 please?"

***************
Please visit the good folks at Made4Aid & have a little fun at the same time. Thanks!

ciao-meow/GG's crafty editor

[photograph property of Made4Aid/used by kind permission]

Dylan & Sylvia

Update: Illness continues, along with non-negotiable errands out in the rain. Not promising. Therefore, a little birthday repeat from the archives.(GG is not acting up at the moment -- as she was this day last year -- but she'll make up for it, no doubt.)

*********************

No, we're not morbid. Why do you ask? Because anyone who posts anything about Sylvia Plath must be: 1) morbid; 2) full of teen-age angst; 3) fill in the blank? Nah. We just like a lot of her work. We do wish that acolytes who seem to have read only The Bell Jar, Lady Lazarus, & Daddy would, uh, read more. And for heaven's sake, quit going on about Ted Hughes; read his poetry, too. Today, is also the natal day of the greatest Welsh poet Dylan Thomas.

GG is acting up, again. We throw up our hands. There is much interesting news, recipes, fashion, literary tales, newly-discovered blogs to mention. But no time. So here's a recipe for Welsh rarebit (not rabbit!) from the Joy of Cooking. (The cookbook was very important to Plath.) Additionally, here are two poems from each troubled, but honored, poet.

Cheers,
GG's poetry editor

[illustration via Vintage Holiday Crafts]

Made4Aid Monday - Candy Colours

This is a beautiful, unique bag. There are more photographs, description, & details on the Made4Aid blog. We urge you to at least visit. There are more lovely things available for auction as well. The end-date for bidding on this particular bag is this Wednesday, 28 October 2009, New York time. Take it from GG's editor: you will forget if you don't visit now.

"This auction is for a shoulder bag, handwoven on a table top loom. Its one of a limited series woven according to a "Monks belt" weave pattern, where the weft distorts and goes wavey, making a nicely-textured weave...."

"The warp threads (the vertical ones) are soft cotton in pastel candy shades of blue, green, cream and pink. The weft yarns include chenille, soft cottons and shiny ribbon and threads in a range colours from soft mauve through to pink and red- there was a bit of using up of leftovers and remnants going on here..."

"The bag is fully lined with vintage fabric - a crisp white cotton with little pink rosebuds - and there is a little internal pocket..."


[photographs property of Made4Aid/used by kind permission]

Deer Ears

GG's ears aren't this big, but sometimes it seems so. (Fabulous ears-on-a-deer by tnt.dc via animalphotos.) It's Sunday night & we're already behind due to illness. Meanwhile, you might take a look at Darfur Peace & Development (DPDO), Made4Aid, or Enough Project for updates, videos, interesting photographs, & ways you can help (very easily). Thanks so much.

Have a great Sunday evening & Monday (to the Aussies & Kiwis who look in--hello!)

Jump! - Week's End

GG has started a wild rumpus & this is her editor jumping out of the way! There's lots of news about Sudan. We hope you're up for it tomorrow. (Update: This information will be up over the weekend. GG has not finished her wild rumpus. Sunday update: oops, fever. So we'll post as soon as we can.) By way of preparation, you might hop over to Made4Aid or Darfur Peace & Development Organization (DPDO).

ciao-yawn-meow/the Mgmt.

[photograph courtesy of Nick Bartoletti/all rights reserved]

GG Garden Reminder - Flower Bulbs

This is a reminder to lay in some bulbs--soon. We don't have a garden either (anymore) but are fairly adept at 'persuading the paperwhite.' Actually paperwhites are easy & in stores now. However, if you buy some bulbs on the weekend, you can force those as well. (We prefer the word persuade.) Follow-up links & reminders to articles forthcoming but you have to buy the bulbs really, really soon. Or you'll be green with envy over all those displays of tulips & other bulbs from the holidays into next spring. We really don't want to hear complaining! (And while you're at it, what do you mean you don't have a pumpkin yet? OK. Well, neither do we...)

ciao-meow/GG's gardener & pumpkin carver

[vintage illustrations via Free Vintage Flowers & Seed Packets/GG collage]

Made4Aid Monday - An English Spin on a French Twist

Made4Aid Monday begins...Sunday. GG's editor bid on this darling bag but we're featuring it--to be fair. (Care to make it interesting?) This bag reminds us of our days in France. But we never carried a vintage-fabric lined string bag...with a little inner purse, yet. From those stylish artists at Made4Aid:

"This auction is for a hand-knitted string bag, with a twist - the twist being the lining. The bag is lined with vintage lemon/gold satin fabric, in a textured and two-tone leaf design....

"The string bag itself is knitted in black mercerised cotton, using two strands together - this is strong yarn and shouldn't stretch too much, although the knit pattern has some stretch in it, as string bags normally do. This is a really nice pattern, fun to knit - and you can find it here."

For more information (such as dimensions, bidding info, etc), please see here. Bidding ends 9am (New York time) on Wednesday, 21 October. You might also like to bid on other items up for auction, here.

ciao-meow/GG's personal shopper

[photo collage/Made4Aid photographs used by kind permission]

Under the Weather - Week's End

Archive + Update:

GG & her editor are both under the weather. So a little preview of the The House of Mouse on Etsy. This is Grace the Nurse Mouse & we need her services. We feel better just looking at her. The charming Anna of The House of Mouse in Amsterdam creates scads of adorable mice characters (including 'occasion' mice); the mouse of your dreams is but a few (mouse) clicks away. [image used with permission]- (from November 2008)

Update: Anna has an adorable blog & lots o' mice and she's going to have a baby. Congratulations, Anna! We just saw Life, craftiness and everything else. Go give her a visit. We're waiting to hear if she is full-up for holiday orders but you can ask her too. Plus there's a free mouse giveaway every month. More from The House of Mouse, soon.

ciao-sneeze-meow/GG Central

Sheep Show(down)

"Hey, get a hair cut! No, you get a haircut."

[photograph via State Library of New South Wales Archives.]

Made4Aid Monday - Origami Patchwork Pincushion

This is so pretty, by a British artisan, for a starting bid of merely USD$12. It would make a great gift for anyone who sews (or has a vintage hat pin collection...it's been known to happen!).

From the Made4Aid description:

"The technique here is like a combination of origami and patchwork, and the red, green and patterned fabrics really contrast and complement each other well. Lovely evergreen and red berry colours....

Olga is an expert textile artist, whether its weaving, spinning, knitting or sewing - this is beautifully made and will be practical and long-lasting and can be sponged clean. The pincushion measures approximately: 3.5 inches/9cm square.

The auction begins at 9 am on Saturday 10th October and will end at 9am Monday October 19th New York time. The highest bidder before that time will win.

Bids start at $12 (US) please.

Postage would be: UK & Europe - $2.00; Worldwide outside Europe - $2.60."

GG will race you there!


[photographs property of Made4Aid/used by kind permission]

Nobel Peace Prize 2009 - Week's End

SUNDAY UPDATE: Distress at the incivility towards President Obama. If you disapprove of the Nobel Peace Prize award why not show how classy you are by offering a general courteous "Congratulations, Mr. President."? And then pipe down & pester those in your immediate circle--but not on the bus, the Metro, the nail salon (!), the market, the newsstand...

The Nobel Peace Prize 2009 goes to President Barack Obama "for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples".... The official Nobel Foundation link. We're taken aback here at GG Central (as they are at the White House, no doubt), though very happy. Here are some photographs from the Official White House Flickr photostream.

A good weekend & ciao-meow to all

[all photographs by Pete Souza, official White House photographer]

Scarf Chic, partie neuf - Made4Aid

People, people...why are you shopping at cookie-cutter establishments? Surely you would like something ( for yourself or for a gift) unique. Well, if so, please go to Made4Aid & have a look at the lovely items up for auction. (Made4Aid also welcomes comments on their posts, not just bids.) It is NOT an annoying create-a-profile-password-thing. You do not have to be a blogger. Leave a comment with your bid on an item post. If you have the highest bid, you can pay via Paypal or send a check with a good old postage stamp on it. You're making us look bad! That's the real truth...we admit it. Oh woe....

This beautiful & handmade scarf is up for auction until Wednesday, 14 October, 9am New York time. There is no bid yet & it's a mere $US25 to start. We saw something quite like this at not-to-be-named "cool" retailer downtown....for $35! It most definitely was not gorgeous wool & silk, nor was it made by hand. We won't start on where the profits will go.

ciao-meow/GG's accessories editor

[photographs courtesy of Made4Aid]

Pink October

A little break in the Made4Aid week as high winds are felling trees at GG Central. Our power supply is iffy. And it's scary, too! (But please do go & rescue Ella the Elephant or bid on some of the other lovely items.) This cool photograph by D Sharon Pruitt of Pink Sherbet Photography reminds us that it is also Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Please go here for more information; pester your family & friends to have check-ups. Believe us, it makes a difference.

ciao-pink-meow/GG's windblown editor

[Photograph via generous DSP's Free for All Creative Commons set]

Wanted: Good Home for Well-Behaved Elephant

How can no one have bid on this darling Indian elephant?! Miss Ella currently lives in Britain, but she is willing to relocate. Will you adopt her? Please?

ciao-meow/GGCM

[photo courtesy of Made4Aid]

Made4Aid Monday - Feelgood Photography Cards

At Made4Aid today there are a few items up for bid. This item is a favorite--surely you need some cards (or you could put them into little frames & hang them together or separately...we're thinking about doing it). If you don't need any cards, they would make a lovely gift. The description & information from the Made4Aid blog:

"This item for sale is a set of hand-made greeting cards with original photographs. They are feel-good photos or pictures (hopefully) to make you smile.

You can buy a set of all 8 cards, for a minimum donation of $16.00, or a set of 6 cards for a minimum donation of $13.00. Please leave your name, the amount you will donate, and the numbers/names of the cards you have chosen. You can buy multiple copies of one particular photo, or a set all the same - mix and match them in any way, just let us know what you would like!

The photographs are:

1. teapot

2. Worcesters (apples)

3. Fiddlesticks

4. discopar

5. balloons

6. quintuplets

7. bouncy

8. Rosie watching TV

and you can click on each of these in the list to see the photograph enlarged.

The photographs are printed in high resolution onto premium glossy photographic paper, and mounted on good quality white card with matching envelopes. The cards are blank inside for your own greeting, and they are approximately 5 inches/12.5cm by 5 inches/12.5cm. There is more than one set of these cards available - so,you're not bidding against anyone else.

Postage would be: UK - free; Europe - $1.90; Rest of the world - $2.40.
The sale of these cards begins at 9am on Friday October 2nd, and will end at 9am, Monday October 12th New York time. The highest bidder before that time will win."

Please go to the Made4Aid blog (there's also a link in the upper-right sidebar) for more detailed instructions, to bid, or to make a donation if you don't want cards (but why not?). It's soooooo easy.

ciao-meow/GG's sittings editor

[photographs property of Made4Aid/used by kind permission]

Made4Aid Month

GG will be highlighting Made4Aid in October. We bid & won a charming vintage embroidered tablecloth in August 2009. We can, therefore, recommend the site without reservation. It is great fun, the beginning bids are more-than-reasonable, & payment is easy through Paypal or by check. You do not have to live in Britain to participate. (We don't.)

From Made4Aid's blog:

"This is a new project [begun this past summer], raising money for charity through online auction of good quality, handcrafted items. The items for sale are donated by crafters and artists (amateur and professional) throughout the world or by anyone who has handmade items (new or vintage) to give. All proceeds will go to charitable work and aid organisations.

The organisation is run by volunteers and is entirely non-profit-making, with all proceeds initially being sent for relief work in the refugee camps in Darfur.

We are registered members of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations, membership number 11190.

Visit the official Made4Aid website for more information."

[photo image via Made4Aid/used by kind permission]

On Autumn - Week's End

Where are the songs of Spring? Ay, where are they?/ Think not of them, thou hast thy music too,
--John Keats, complete poem...

Keats arrived in Rome (via Naples) 21 October 1820; the ship was quarantined & he did not arrive in Rome until 15 November. Though he did not write poetry in what were to be his last months, he wrote one letter, to his friend Charles Brown. It's heartbreaking, especially the last two lines. "...I can scarcely bid you good bye even in a letter. I always made an awkward bow."

The photographs are from the Keats-Shelley House near the Spanish Steps; the salon & Keats' bedroom. In these very rooms & at the Protestant Cemetery, GG's editor has disgraced herself several times with squeaky sniffs. Once, she embarrassed a younger sister & has not yet been forgiven. Ever after, she has visited alone. (Though GG is keen to visit & lounge on Keats' grave...as a few Italian gatti do. We doubt he'd mind--they must be discussing poetry, no?)

A lovely weekend to all. (Sniff.)

ciao-meow/GG's literary agent

[Lungo Tevere by Giampaolo Macorig via flickr; Keats-Shelley House photographs by frattaglia via flickr; Protestant Cemetery, Keats' grave by Piero Montesacro via wikimedia commons.]