J is for Jimmy!

  Last Friday, our adorable niece, Brooke, was tasked by "school" (daycare) to bring an item from home that starts with the letter 'J' - I was so excited that Brooke chose to bring her very own purple Jimmy Doll that I made her for her first birthday!! Look how cute and excited she was - still a bit sleepy, but excited nonetheless!

sporting a lovely shooting star tattoo on her hand :)

Silent Auction items for Addy's Benefit

  Coming up this Saturday, Jan. 19th, is a benefit for my cousin Joe's little girl Addy (3 years old). She is one sick girl: diagnosed last year with Aplastic Anemia- but is on the mend. COTA (Children's Organ Transplant Association) is raising money to help cover costs for the bone marrow transplant Addy received in December - her little brother Cayden (1 year old), was the donor. It was a pretty rough holiday season spent in the hospital, recovering, and going through chemo, but Addy is one tough little girl. I can't even imagine how exhausted Joe, and his lovely wife April, must be: going through all of this with both of their children and living at the hospital.
  Click here to see details about the benefit event and how you can help:

Addy with little bro Cayden + always smiling and making the best of her home away from home

  My Mother-In-Law, Deb, and I both created items that we've donated for the Silent Auction at the benefit - we just couldn't pass up this opportunity to help out little Addy and her family - and what better way than by making things - it's what we love to do! Hopefully our stuff goes for BIG BUCKS! So here is pre-benefit peek:

  Deb created this AMAZING ceramic Fairy House - all built and glazed by hand - all of the little details take so much time and patience + I LOVE the color. THIS Fairy House is already headed to the benefit next weekend (complete with little LED candle to glow-through the little windows), but more stunning ceramic work from Deb can be found in her Enchanted Houses etsy shop.

Deb really achieved these great copper, bronze and teal tones.  So nice. + Love the little snail hidden on the back side next to the little windows with shutters :)

  And I donated a Jimmy Doll with "Jimmy's Tree" book - This stuffed, plush Jimmy Doll is hand-made (with help from my mom - she's the best stuffer and arm-sewer-on-er in all the lands) out of speckled gray plush fabric. "Jimmy's Tree" is a little 8-page story I wrote and illustrated back in school featuring Jimmy, who decides at the end, that things always get better no matter how rough things are.

I hand-covered + hand-bound this hard cover, hinged story book + added a little fun with beads the strings

+ here's a peek at a few of the illustrations inside:

   + My parents have been doing a little fundraising of their own to help Addy. They donated all of the earnings from their homemade Caramel & Cinnamon Popcorn that they sold at Finch's Holiday Boutique last month. Now that is the most delicious way to raise money ever!

Looking forward to next week's benefit + sending prayers to Addy and family.