Flood Relief Appeal Auctions

The water has gone down, the sun is shining again, and things are slowly getting cleaner here in Queensland. But the photographs, the video footage, and the memories for those who witnessed it first-hand will ensure that the devestation from the past few weeks lives on for much longer. The floods too, have not completely gone, simply moved state to wreak more havoc in New South Wales.
As people rebuild their lives in the wake of all that has happened they need money - money for furniture, clothing, kids school books, even essentials like food and a new roof...or door...or whole house.

Having seen some of the other auctions mine seem pretty sad and sorry, but even if they only bring in a few bucks, it's a few bucks more that someone can use to buy something so sorely needed. So here's the items:

ITEM A

 Item B

Item A: This is a skirt upcyled from a vintage dress. The skirt is a medium, measuring 47.5cm (lying flat) at the band and 52cm long. The material is an off-white with blue-black faded lines and buggies all over it - sorry, the wording under the buggies is unclear. Being vintage material there is a couple slight tea-coloured stains on the back of this skirt, however they are very light - I didn't notice them myself until I measured the finished product. I think, given a good soak, these would come out - and the material was too sweet not to use! The skirt has been soaked and is now stain-free!

Item B: This sweet little bow-shaped bag came about almost by accident, but turned out so perfectly cute you can't help but love it. Made from 70% Acrylic/30% Milk, the yarn is beaultiful and soft but still very sturdy. the inner lining is a vintage yellow floral fabric, and (I believe) is 100% cotton. The colour-matched zipper has been machine-sewn to the lining and then hand-sewn to the outer to give added firmness.I'd envisioned this as a clutch but discovered it fits knitting needles perfectly as well, making it a stylish knitting caddy, or even a fun pencil case.
Length: approx. 29cm (11.4 inches) x 11cm (4.3 inches)


How the Auction Works:
1. Bidding on each items will start at $10.
2. You can place a bid by leaving a comment on this blog stating you are bidding for either ITEM A or ITEM B, your bid amount and email address ( if you're not keen on having your email available to the world, post your bid amount and then drop me a line via my etsy store with your email address and the name you posted under.)
3. Please make sure your bid is higher than the previous bid amount and is in whole dollar increments.
4. Postage is free for all Australian residents. Bidding is also open to all international addresses but will incur postage fees (sorry).
5. The auction begins NOW and ends midnight on Monday 24th January 2011.
6. At close of auction, I will contact the winners and. At this point the winner of each auction will deopis the winning amount directly into the Premiers Relief Appeal and send me proof of payment (in the form of a recepit number) via return email, along with a postal address. Once I've received that, I will post your goods to you.
7. Ckeck out all the other auctions here. HAPPY BIDDING!

Hell from the Heavens

That right there is what my backyard looked like earlier today (and still pretty much does because the rain just won't stop!). And this is my brother's poor dog, Zari, who can't understand where all the wet stuff is coming from - and why it's about to eat her nice dry bed:

It's wet. Really, really wet. It's been raining here almost continually since Christmas, and isn't supposed to let up for at least another twenty-four hours. This morning, because of the amount of water flowing from our neighbours overflowing pool, I spent a good half hour digging trenches in ankle-ankle deep septic and pouring rain, to relieve the build-up that was causing our grey water to back-up into out kitchen sink.
Today I got covered in poo-water, and have still had a far better day than residents in towns like Dalby, Condamine, Chinchilla, St George, and Gympie. Today my own town joined the ranks of the disaster zone, with Toowoomba and the Lockyer Valley being pummelled by a torrrent of water that has left businesses and houses in ruin, at least 6 confirmed dead, and many more people unaccounted for.
The water rose within minutes, causing waves of water to sweep down the main streets of Toowoomba, washing away cars and furniture, and shattering store windows in the process. In the Lockyer Valley, a number of small towns - towns I grew up in and around - are fully submerged, with over thirty people unaccounted for in Grantham alone.
And there's more on the way with another downpour expected tonight.
There has been an outpouring of help for the affected areas, with almost $AU30,000,000 raised already, which is amazing! But that's not nearly enough - in fact it would barely cover the costs to help out the least affected areas of the state. Thousands have lost their homes or businesses, many have nothing left but the clothes on their back. Farmers have lost not only their crops, but their livestock, pets, and machinery. And after fifteen years of drought, it's too far back for many rurals.
So if you can - even if you're on the other side of the world - give a little, please. Many of these people are not only having the worst possible start to the year, but they missed Christmas as well.

Donate to the Queensland Flood Appeal here.