Vegan MoFo Day XIV : W.I.P. Wednesday’s Vegan Etsy Delicious

We’re almost there, kids! Only six days of Vegan MoFo left.  It’s like we’ve reached mile 20 of the blogging marathon, so take in some carbs, a little water, and hold tight!  The most frustrating thing about MoFo for me, is that I just can’t take the time to comment on my favourite blogs – too many posts, not enough time.

This is W.I.P. Wednesday’s final post dedicated to the creative and talented vendors of the Vegan Etsy team, and what better way to round things off than with some food-related goodness?

Sweet V Confections doesn’t ship to France (I wonder why?), but if you’re in the U.S. you can actually order vegan goodies!

Why not send someone a vegan cookie basket this holiday season?  I think just about anyone would be excited to receive 4 dozen cookies…don’t you?  It’s probably a good thing they don’t ship here, I’d be ordering myself cookies left and right.

If I’m ever near Daton, Ohio in the U.S. I know I’m going to get my hands on some of these :

These chocolate vinkies should be on every table…at least I think so.  They even offer local delivery Ohio people.  Who knew?  With a name like The Bombshell Bake Shop I’m sure there is a little rock and roll in those treats.

You’re not supposed to eat this Pink Grapefruit Vegan Swirl soap from The Vegan Soap Kitchen, but I’m sure it smells delicious.  I want all of her soaps – my shower would smell so gourmet.

While these aren’t actually edible, I do think these  candy cane horns I think they would be really adorable on Guppy, who is all all about costumes, dressing-up and make-believe.  April has beautiful beadwork and other fanciful things in her shop, go look!

Don’t forget to keep up to date with the Vegan Etsy Team and their happenings over at their blog, and remember – a part of their proceeds always goes to supporting animals in need.

Have you begun your holiday gift making and crafting?  I’d love to know what you’re making me.  It’s nearly December already!

W.I.P. Wednesday : Wee Gallery Goodness

Don’t you just love happy accidents? I found the lovely Wee Gallery totally by mistake one day, and what a happy find! Just gorgeous prints and other lovelies for babies and small children…though I feel I can speak for adults when I say I love them, too!

I was extra lucky the day I found Surya’s blog, because that very day she put out a call for some testers to sew up some kits to make soft books and I was chosen! Fortuitous, indeed.

Shortly afterwards I received a lovely and very complete Soft Book kit to sew up. This is a very satisfying project because it is a one-sit affair : very easy to follow instructions, nothing to measure or fuddle with. Depending on how quickly you sew and if your iron is set up, you can have this project done in 30 minutes flat, maybe less. Or longer, I suppose if your thread jams up, your telephone keeps ringing and you notice that there hasn’t been any noise from Guppy’s bedroom in a few minutes – silence is always a bad sign. Even with those distractions I was done in less than 40 minutes, so there.

Surya also had some just beautiful Circus Coloring Cards up for grabs. She graciously sent me the PDF file, and Guppy has been really enjoying colouring them.

Though Guppy recently turned 4, she does usually colour a little neater (she doesn’t get that from me!). I asked her about the jiggly lines and she looked at me, somewhat exasperated, and sighed, “Mumma, they’re moving!”. Well, silly me. That should have been obvious I suppose.

These sweet colouring cards are now available in her Wee Gallery Etsy Shop. You should also check out their Wee Gallery Store for other beautiful prints. And thank you again Surya for allowing me to test your pattern! It was a real pleasure.

Are you being buried by a pile of unfinished W.I.P.s (or is it just me?). Whatever your works-in-progress, have a crafty week, and don’t forget to see what the other Wipsters are up to, and to check out our W.I.P. Wednesday Flickr Pool, too.

W.I.P. Wednesday : Craftivism, The Mother Bear Project, Collaborating & Finished W.I.P.s

Happy Wednesday! First off I’d like to share my finished W.I.P.s :

On the left is the very cute Easter Rabbit pattern I tested for the very talented Tacha. He is adorable, a fun sewing project and a wonderful gift idea for all the little bunnies in your life. She’ll have the pattern for sale in her Etsy shop soon, and while you’re there, check out her “Animal Friends” fabric book patterns. They are really cute and fun to make! What you don’t see in the picture (uh, because I forgot to snap it!) is that he has a zippered-back and you can stow sweets and surprises in his tummy! Guppy was a little frustrated that it was going in a package and traveling far away…little does she know that if I’d managed to keep it a secret it was going to be for her!

In the middle is the finished my most recent Black Apple doll. I made the legs and arms extra long because they are easier to grasp with baby-hands. I like this pattern, but I keep changing it each time I use it. I just need to draft my own pattern I guess!

On the right is the first stuffed animal/doll I ever had – a “Three Little Pigs” cloth storybook is under his vest. I’ve had that on my shelf since Guppy was born, and it’s got me thinking recently : how fun would that be? To make a cloth doll and have a quilted two or three page story built into her body or clothes? I need to give this more thought…it’s like an “Idea In Progress”.

Have you gotten started on this month’s Stitch-Along? I’ve traced the pattern onto some fabric, but haven’t gotten much further than that. I chose a cream-coloured cotton twill for the embroidered part, but I’m not sure what I want to use for the backing fabric. Time to raid the stash. I’d like to give these to Guppy so I’m having to work on the sly…not always easy in a tiny apartment!

Since I’ve got you’re attention I’d like to share this Craftivism opportunity with you! I know many of you are masters of the knitting and crochet world. I hope to someday join you, but for now, I’m just watching from the sidelines…

Anyway, I read about The Mother Bear Project on WhipUp, and it sounds like such an amazing project I just had to give them a mention here. This non-profit based in the U.S. provides crocheted and knitted bears to children in emerging countries who have been affected by HIV/AIDS. To some it might not seem like much, but I think that giving some handmade love to a child, showing them you care and that they do matter even if they are strangers, well, it’s the bee’s knees.

You can also read a very touching story (your eyes will get misty at the end) about a kick-ass woman named Phyllis Schmidt who has knit 100 bears for the project, and has started her second batch of 100. Oh, did I mention Ms. Schmidt is 93 years-old? I hope I am that cool when I hit my 90s.

There’s also a handful of Mother Bear Project knitting groups in the U.S. to check out, but even if you don’t knit, there are other ways you can help (donating materials, money, etc.), so get to it people!

Do you have any other links or stories about Craftivism opportunities? Let me know, I’d be happy to post them here. Have a creative week, and be sure to check in with the other Wipsters and our W.I.P. Wednesday Flickr Group for more inspiration!