The Hottie Challenge - Final Days

Can you believe there's only two days to go?

I went to the visit the Hotties at Open Drawer today after my HLTTV Editors meeting, and my fellow double lung transplant recipient (and photographer extraordinaire) Snap Happy Ian bought along his camera gear to take some lovely photos for me.
(I promise I won't subject you to any of my crappy iPhone photos in this post).

There are lots of Hotties still up for grabs - anything that DOES NOT have a red dot is still for sale.

If you're interested in buying one of your very own, I'm happy to collect it from Open Drawer and pop it in the post for you next week. All you need to do is email me - mscurlypops@gmail.com

Alternatively, leave a comment on this post and I'll get back to you - but please make sure your email address in enabled in your ID or I won't be able to email you back.

They're all just $40 each - bargain price!

But the best bit of course, is that all the funds raised go to the Margaret Pratt Foundation for Lung Rejection Research at the Alfred Hospital.

sdf

Last but not least.... Rhonda and Ketut are up for silent auction - current bid is sitting at $55.
Let me know if you'd like to make a silent bid yourself!

Hope you enjoyed the show.

Upcoming Crafty Event to benefit the Margaret Pratt Foundation

If you're looking for a crafty workshop with a fantastic benefit, then why not check out this event that Open Drawer is holding in October.

All the proceeds from the morning and afternoon workshops will be donated to The Margaret Pratt Foundation Heart Lung Transplant Trust which raises funds for the Alfred Hospital for research into heart and lung rejection after transplant (the leading cause of death).  

A Very Special Collaboration for Charity

Anna from Shiny Happy Art and myself have been working behind the scenes on something very special...

We wanted to do something to support our favourite charities this Christmas, and decided to combine our arty/crafty talents for this completely unique Shiny Happy Art / CurlyPops handbag.

The handbag will be auctioned and the highest bidder will be the winner. 100% of the proceeds will be split evenly and donated to our two chosen charities.


Charity 1.

I've chosen to donate to the Margaret Pratt Foundation Heart Lung Transplant Trust.

This one is quite obviously quite close to my heart, as I'm waiting for a double lung transplant.

After my transplant, the major problem which I'll face is organ rejection. The foundation provides funds for research grants via the Alfred Hospital to improve the outcomes for heart and lung transplant recipients.

I'm hoping that the more the scientists can research the causes of rejection, the more likely they can provide treatments so that my new lungs will last as long as possible!

Charity 2.


In Anna's words....

I've chosen to donate to Scarlett Kisses Project.

This project gifts small photo frames to mothers in hospital who have just lost their baby to stillbirth or neonatal death. The frame is wrapped with a SANDS brochure and tied with a sweet tag. My second baby, Caitlin, was stillborn so it's a cause close to my heart.

My friend Jen, who I met through SANDS, thought up and started the project herself, saving up and buying frames when they were on sale, in memory of her stillborn baby, Scarlett.

It's just a little project now, but I'd love to support it and help it grow. When your baby dies it's a very lonely grief. The hospital staff will usually take photos for you, and maybe hand and foot prints ... whatever they can. This frame gives the mother somewhere special to put that first photo, honouring that little soul.

I have a Scarlett Kisses page on my website about it,  and I recently started a Scarlett Kisses Facebook page.

The hankies that I sell all support the project.

About the Flying Hearts Painting

In Anna's words...

The painting is my favourite from my "Flying Hearts" series.  The original is a mixed media piece, using screenprinting, acrylic painting, collage and shiny shiny varnish on canvas. This artwork is also available on a cushion, in my current range.

About the Handbag

The front features Anna's gorgeous Flying Hearts panel. I used a plain black cotton drill for the rear and the straps as I really wanted the Flying Heart to 'sing'.

The handbag is a large size - approximately 36 cms wide x 36 cms tall.

The interior features a double pocket and a magnetic snap closure.

There are two straps measuring approximately 70cm long each.

Auction Details (ie the fine print...)

1. Bidding begins right now at $40 - just leave your bid in the comments (please ensure you have a valid User ID or leave your email address for contact).
2. Bidding ends at 8PM AEDST Saturday 17th December
3. Highest bidder wins
4. Paypal payment is preferred so that the handbag can be express posted to the winner on Monday 19th December  (in time for Christmas)
5. Please start bidding!

PS - here's the code if you would like to pop a little button on the side of your blog....

<a href="http://curlypops.blogspot.com/2011/12/very-special-collaboration-for-charity.html"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7028/6501759549_0d3c3b42cb_o.jpg" />

The Red Heart Tree Project & A Hottie Update

If you're looking for a sweet crafty project to make this Christmas, then this might be just what you're looking for.

The lovely ladies at Open Drawer are going to cover one of the courtyard trees in hearts, and a portion of the workshop proceeds will benefit The Margaret Pratt Foundation Heart and Lung Tranplant Trust.

Also, I received a lovely surprise in the mail this week with the latest edition of the Foundation's newsletter.

This is the section on the fantastic Hottie Challenge!

I've scanned the entire newsletter so that it can be downloaded as a pdf here. You can read all about how the donations assist research at the Alfred Hospital into the issues of chronic rejection, chronic infection and long term dysfunction after transplant, along with all of the fundraising activites that have taken place during the year.

Sunday Snippets

Packaging up fabric to pop in the post tomorrow morning...

Coffee and a good book or two...

Catching up with the Skip for Rejection team at one of the checkpoints (after they'd already skipped/run 60 kms). They've raised over $15k for the Margaret Pratt Foundation so far.

Please ignore the crazy hair - it was veeeeeery windy out there.

....and off they go with another 20 kms to go. Thank goodness it wasn't 29 degress as predicted today.

Back home and working on something special... I can't say what it is just yet.

Sunday Snippets via Tinniegirl

Skip For Rejection

The Skip For Rejection is taking place this Sunday - 13th November.

It's the next fundraising event for the Margaret Pratt Foundation.
For those who may be new around these parts.... from the website:

The Margaret Pratt Foundation Heart Lung Transplant Trust is a registered charity whose aim is to encourage, develop and maintain Australia’s world class expertise in the field of organ transplantation by supporting research that addresses the problems faced by children and adults after heart and lung transplant. 

The aim of the research must be to improve the outcomes for heart and lung transplant recipients. 

The Margaret Pratt Foundation has donated $700,000 to date in 2011 to promote research into the causes and prevention of chronic lung rejection.

Image from Skip for Rejection FB page (used with permission)

 On Sunday, Chris Pratt is going to attempt to run/skip 80 kms... all the way from Geelong to Melbourne.

 There are 8 checkpoints along the way with volunteers and collection tins for anyone who would like to come along and make a donation.

The finishing line is at The Woolshed Pub at Docklands, where everyone is invited to come along and show their support for the event and the foundation. Drinks and meals are available - it might be the perfect place for Sunday night dinner!

There'll be more events like this next year, so please pop on over and like the Skip for Rejection Facebook page to keep up with the latest news. You can also check out the official website for the event information and the fundraising tally.

Thanks for your support!

Drumroll please..... The Hottie Cover Challenge Winner

The Winners Trophy (photo courtesy of Open Drawer)

Well golly gosh, it's been an astounding Hottie Challenge exhibition at Open Drawer Art Textiles and Learning Centre, and the time has come to announce the winners of the public vote.

 Voting Money Boxes - Photo courtesy - Beky from Pivotal Xpressions

For those of you who didn't have a chance to visit the exhibition in person, this is how the 'favourite hottie' voting system worked.

Each hottie had a number with a corresponding money box (pictured above).

The hottie that received the most money in the corresponding numbered money box over the entire exhibition would be the winner of the grand trophy (and much adulation and fanfare)

This voting was completely separate from the money raised from the actual sale of the hotties.

So without further ado, I'm very happy to announce that the amount of money raised just from the moneyboxes was .......

$804.95

.....and now to the very fabulous winners

(photo courtesy of Open Drawer)

In 1st place (and the winner of the fabulous Hottie trophy) with a total of $46.20 was no.65 by Sue Dilley

(photo courtesy of Open Drawer)

In 2nd place (sheesh it was close) with a total of $45.50 was no.52 by Ro Owen from Fuzziteddybear

(photo courtesy of Open Drawer)

In 3rd place (and also really close) with a total of $40.30 was no.27 by Adele Donnison from Downunder Lass

All the SOLD hotties have now been taken down from display for collection by their new owners, but the fundraising effort is still continuing. 

You can head into Open Drawer Gallery until August 3rd (which is when their next exhibition begins) and buy any remaining Hottie for $25.

After that date, I'll collect any unsold Hotties from our Group Entry and auction them either here on the blog, or on my CurlyPops Facebook page..... and then we can tally up the amazing amount of money that we've raised together for The Margaret Pratt Foundation.

I am sooooo proud of our group effort. We should congratulate the winners and also give ourselves a huge pat on the back for a job well done!