Like What You See???

Cross-stitched Christmas Ornament

(Great for homes with children...this ornament won't break!!)

Hand-knit scarf in beautiful colors that will match any coat!!

There are several other colors and styles to choose from!!

Adorable hand knit baby hat

240 yards of hand dyed yarn just waiting to be made into something amazing!!

Beautiful Toddler skirt...ideal for that summer BBQ!!!

These are just a selection of the items that have not been bid on! It won't be long before someone is going to snatch them all up, so if you like what you see...BID NOW!!!!! We still have concert tickets, glassware, jewelery, and other fiber related items that are looking for a good home!!!
http://wcobbs.auctionsalacarte.com/babyblankets

Lots of Items To Bid On!!!!

By now you are probably getting sick of me talking about the on-line auction we are having for my blanket charity (Western Canadian Oddball Baby Blanket Society)...so, you have one of two options...1) go to http://wcobbs.auctionsalacarte.com/babyblankets and start bidding, or 2) don't read either of my blogs until next week. The choice is yours...HAHA!!!!

For those of you who are considering bidding, now is the time to do it!!! There are still more than 20 items that have not been bid on yet, and many of them do not have a reserve! Handspun yarn for whatever price you name?? Handmade goodies for a fraction of what they are worth??? YUP!!! If you were wondering, I made the mosaic mirror, and though I would love my friend Jen who bid on it to get it, I would love to see it go for more than $5.00...the current bid.

When you bid, you have two options...you can either bid a firm offer, or you can set a proxy bid. A proxy bid is great if you don't want to be glued to your computer watching the bids. You list the highest price you are willing to pay for the item, and it will up the other bidders by one dollar until your highest bid is met. So, by doing this, you may get the item for less than what your bid is (if no one wants to keep bidding against you). You can also donate a set amount if you are not interested in bidding on any of the listed items.

We have tried to make the auction as user friendly as possible...no additional shipping charges are being added (except on one glass item that is fragile), most items have no reserve, and there are several payment options...we are even willing to be personal shoppers! If you bid on one of the two yarn store gift certificates, one of the officers of the WCOBBS and the shop owner will purchase your yarn or fiber related items for you and then ship you the goodies!!! It doesn't get any easier!!!

If you have any questions, please let me know, or you can email the WCOBBS at wcobbsociety@shaw.ca

Thanks again for your support!!!

A Chance to Help...

Hey Everyone!

So, as most of you are aware, for the past six months or so, I have been very involved with a charity here in Calgary, called the Western Canadian Oddball Blanket Society (WCOBBS). We knit blankets for the NICU at the Foothills Regional Hospital here in Calgary, as well as the Alberta Children's Hospital (also in Calgary...this is where Hannah goes for her Cardiology appointments and her RSV shots). Our group is currently made up of 40+ women throughout Alberta and BC. Many of us are involved because we are mothers or grandmothers of children who, for one reason or another, had extended hospital stays, and were helped in some way by the generosity of others during that time. For me, I decided to seek out this type of group after Hannah received quilts and blankets while she was at Maine Med for her two operations. I am very blessed to have found the WCOBBS...it has not only given me an opportunity to give back to others, but it has also helped me to meet some wonderful women!!! I have gotten so involved that I am now the group's Vice President!!

So, why I am I telling you about this?? Well, we are holding an online auction starting Monday and ending on Friday. The purpose of the auction is to raise the funds necessary for us to become a Canadian Charitable Organization. By doing this, we will not only be recognized by the country for our efforts, but we will also be able to accept donations from outside sources. Right now, each knitter uses donated needles, supplies their own yarn and pays to ship the blanket to the next knitter. We would love to be able to have a collection of needles that belong to the group, as well as yarn for those who cannot afford it, and we would love to be able to help with shipping costs. The knitter who begins each blanket also supplies a journal that goes to each knitter for us to write notes to the child who will be getting the blanket. Though these items do not cost much on their own, it does add up when we are doing several blankets at once. Each blanket is also cleaned, bagged, etc before going to the hospital...again, not expensive, but it all adds up!!

The link for the auction is http://wcobbs.auctionsalacarte.com/babyblankets Feel free to take a look at the items we have up for bid. Much of it is knitting related, but there are some cool soaps, a beautiful handmade bowl, some jewelry, and a cool mirror that was made by yours truly!! You can look at the items now, but the bidding won't start until Monday. There are also a few bugs being worked out this weekend on the auction site, so if you see anything that looks odd (mostly text that needs to be changed), don't be alarmed. If you do like anything that you see, please know that we will be shipping items to the US (shipping is free to the US for most items...I think only one item has special shipping instructions because it is so fragile), and you can bid with a credit card or PayPal. Finally, if you don't see anything that you'd like to bid on, but you want to help out, we will be accepting donations. That link is currently not working, but will be on Monday.

Thanks for your support. Please do not feel obligated to buy anything...I just wanted to let you all know what I've been up to!! You can also follow our blog at http://wcobbs.blogspot.com I currently maintain the blog, so if you have any ideas on how it can be improved, let me know!!!

Please feel free to pass this info on to anyone you think might be interested...

Thanks and have a great weekend!!!!

Love,

Sharon

Calling all Crafters!!!!

(I will be posting this entry on both of my blogs, so my apologies to those who read them both)

As many of you may already know, I "work" with a group of amazing ladies (and one of their sons) to create baby blankets for the Western Canadian Oddball Blanket Society. Things are taking off for the group right now...we have 38+ members in Alberta and BC, we are gearing up for an online auction (more info on that to come), and we are starting the process to become an incorporated society. I am so proud of everyone who participates, and I have met some AMAZING people because of this group.

Anyways, we are partnering up with Heritage Park, to create some blankets made of donated squares. The squares must be 12-inch, and can be either knit or crocheted. They can be in any pattern, needle size, etc...we just ask that they are made of a machine washable and dryable yarn. This is a perfect project to help clean out your acrylic yarn stashes!!!!

If you are interested in making one, two or ten squares (wishful thinking, I know!), please let me know. If you don't already have my address, I will email it to you and you can send the squares to me. Also, if you don't have time to make squares, but would like to donate some leftover yarn, I'd be happy to take it off your hands!!! Again, just email me for my address. If you have any questions, please let me know.

Most of our blankets go to the Foothills Regional Hospital NICU here in Calgary...we are hoping to use these patchwork blankets for those local children who have to travel to another hospital to receive treatment...for example, Hannah will need to travel to Edmonton for her final heart operation, as the Alberta Children's Hospital here in Calgary does not do pediatric cardiology procedures.

Finally, we are having an online auction to raise funds for our incorporation. I must say that some of the items that are up for bid are...well, AMAZING!!!!

Here is the item that I made and donated...

The best part of the auction is that it will all be done online, so you don't have to live locally to participate!!! Mark your calendars for June 15-19, and I'll post more details as they become available.

Thanks for all of your support!!!

Now get crafting!!!!!

Have a great weekend and HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!!!

Love,

Sharon