I am really enjoying blogging, bloggers and Facebook at the moment. Who would’ve thought technology and basic writing & connection could turn into such a powerful way to connect humans around the world? I guess that’s really what it’s all for. Hearing of various other seasons moving along, tasting foods made using recipes from other worlds, seeing families in different places doing similar things, reading about fellow mothers, and artists, and people who get things done, and people with special gifts, and who try to be their best, and who are doing amazing work to help others and save our excellent planet… is so inspiring. Thank you for sharing your pathways.

First I have a picture of the routine, but strangely satisfying, task I am currently in the midst of: going through my Art Cards, sorting and counting, making sure I know what’s there. To the right you can see my prize, The Guerilla Art Kit, from Jodi and Emme and Joyful Girls. (I told the first of those stories here. By the way, I have plans for my next guerilla art act. Will tell you all about it another time, dearly beloveds). I have spared you the sight of the rotting capsicums which are now in no way edible for humans.

To do a bit of a catch up, specially for some of the newer ‘likers’, I would like to show you some of my previous writing, does that sound ok? I’ll be surprised if anyone, even from earlier on, has read every single one of these posts.

One time I wrote about when I made an animation for the SALA (South Australian Living Artists) Festival, and a shining silver toilet building got built right where I was planning for it to be projected from (the whole saga is there) and then came to terms with it, and bloomed where I was planted!

I discovered there are quite a few posts in which I philosophise and extrapolate. Like recently when I was sick and sluggish and confused and got some help and changed my diet and had lots of epiphanies, or when I mulled over the benefits of having birds almost strip the trees of fruit last summer. I still like this one in which I totally philosophise about stilt walking as a metaphor for life. There is a post about pink things and one with what lino printing teaches me about life. There were some mid-length posts like the one in which I describe the various false starts of an apparently simple knitting project.

Along the way I have had a couple of Mothers Day competitions, shared some linky love and written some very short posts. Like the ones in which I thanked my customers for being green, pondered over a scrawled note with a surprise message, wrote a short list of new resolves or had a very short green rant with a red tomato. A short piece in which I philosophise about birds, compare their actions to ours, and survival on earth, is here.

Hope this gave you an idea of where I’ve been, and I look forward to getting to know you guys, too.

Have a wonderful week, being you,
Meg x o

I have been thinking a lot about general devastation and about Haiti and about both… and about how lucky I am to be safe and well and in a position to help. Perhaps you would like to join me.
Today I am posting:
1 a link to my offering (Serendipity pack of 7 art cards),
2 some, I mean a lot, of favourites from the etsy Hearts for Haiti shop, and
3 some other great charity links.

Already $14,000+ has been raised but the Hearts for Haiti etsy shop. Wow! Wouldn’t it be great to add to that? You can also read a blog about the progress of the shop. The idea with the Heart theme is to encourage Valentine’s Day gift makers/buyers, but all handmade things are welcome. Incidentally, I realised I have no exisiting heart images, which surprised me, and needs to be rectified

My offering is a “Serendipity” mixed pack of 7 art cards for $30 – each usually $5.  The money goes (minus Paypal and etsy fees) to Doctors without Borders, and myself and the other makers are covering postage. So 7 for $30, with free postage anywhere in the world. I would love to start by contributing $300ish towards the cause so I have 10 packs on offer.

My ‘Hearts for Haiti’ etsy shop favourites (so far) selected just for you from the 35 36 40 pages of goodies… Get yourself a present or stock up for loved ones special gifts during the year (yey being organised!)

$15 and under

• ‘Beautiful Day’ black and white art print by zengarden
• Heart Digital collage by analiese
• Kid’s hat by beberagz
• Bent wire Wild West bookmark with choice of 3 pictures by NORIK, or a  heart/doodle bookmark mix from visionQuest
• Photographic print of cat (this also in cat category, below) by 2nifty
• Fun Sock Kitty tutorial (this also in cat category, below) by cuddlet
• ceramic trinket dish by ginpins
• Sweet earrings with hearts by sweetside
• Recipes and tips in It’s a Vegan Dog’s Life book by vegandogslife
• Digital bunny and me stamp by Softpencil
• Hearts for Haiti heart charms by CheapBoutiqueSupplies
• Hooray! Re-usable produce bags by greenmumtotes
• tiny fish hair clip by bloomz
• Photograph of lovely vintage rose by petuniaz

$15 to $49

• Groovy neck wrap/decoration by plumfish
• Cute heart pendant by kvoss designs,
• Goddess pin doll by Whimsigals,
• Hand-painted heart drawer knobs by LeilasLoft
• Colored pencil tree drawing by Jen O’Connell
• Handsewn handbag (purse) by uniquestitches
• Goodlooking, rustic, almost primitive heart pendant by clynstudio
• Girl’s decorated long cardigan by 3littlebirdsboutique
• Soft crocheted iPhone pouch by bonnieboon
• Toddlers crocheted hat by ifanhour
• Cool sterling silver hand pendant on cord by echoandwild
• Crocheted roses in a heart box by willo
• Heart dog tag pendant by Beadsinthebelfry
• Beanie with built in knitted beard by taraduff
• Flower earrings – yey flower power – by Kibble2008 (for pierced ears)
• Funky kids heart design red tshirt by curlymonkey
• Adults wool hat by grannysknits – pretty colours
• Groovalicious textured earrings by simplyadorning

$50 plus

• Gorgeous decorated frame by burnedfurniture
• Lino print with a story by fattybird
• Eco-friendly quilt by nacyanne
• beautiful mixed media painting by pamcarriker
• recycled sari silk neckpiece by plumfish

Cat stuff

• Cat pendant necklace by purpleandlime
• Photographic print of cat (also under $15) by 2nifty
• awesome Cheshire Cat glow in the Dark tshirts by banyantreeclothing
• Fun Sock Kitty tutorial (also under $15) by cuddlet

If there are any artisans’ work that you specially like there is a link to their etsy shop on the same page. I think I have some new favourite shops!
If you need help completing your purchase or want to pay with a credit card without joining Paypal, check out this link www.etsy.com/help_guide_checkout.php

Great charities offering assistance to Haitians:

• TPRF
• Avaaz
• Save the Children
• Salvation Army
• Red Cross
• Oxfam

And for the Adelaide-based, a rock concert in a couple of weeks.

I’m gonna hit publish now. See you soon. Take care… let us care for each other the best we can.
Meg

I blogged last time about the University Library Cat who needs some help with fundraising for his medical needs.

Sandy

If you feel to, you can donate on-line to Sandy the cat‘s health fund. The cards I donated have arrived alright and hopefully will be of use too. His is a much loved presence.

“So give a little heart,
And give a little time.
Give a little love,
Ooh, give a little bit tonight.”
- Supertramp

Exciting story lines to come….

I have done a chunk of lino printing. Allelujiah!! (I don’t know if that’s the usual spelling but you know what I mean right? elation, joy, etc)

I have not 1, not 2, not 3 but 4 (four) lino print stories, and prints, to share with you. I am pleased with the way they have turned out (crikey the printing press has a heckuva higher success rate than when using the dear old wooden spoon for a burnisher!), and scarily enough I have tons more ideas, waiting in the wings, eating fasty noodles and jostling to get manifested. Most exciting.

Heart Meg xo

Hope you are loving the new black, tangerinemeggified site!

I’m going to hit the ground running here (like a cat) and funnel this blog straight from my thought processes. (You have been warned!)

When I heard that a New Zealand University library cat was suffering (see save the library cat article) I realised that my cat design cards may be a nifty feline-themed way to assist with some fundraising. So on Monday morning I got to post Tangerine Meg Art Cards (cat designs) to  New Zealand. I love feeling like part of a caring, planet-wide community, an international neighbourhood. The web is good like that.

Meow,
Meg

I hope this finds you well and thriving.

I am pretty excited cos I have made a group AND a competition on FaceBook!

Dove

I made it so if you join the group, you go into the draw to win a Mothers Day gifty pack. It will be a gorgeous scarf from Oxfam and 6 of my art cards. Of course you can keep it all for yourself if you like!! I will post it out in time to mail or give to your momma by May 10th (that’s Mothers Day here in Australia this year).

People who joined almost the moment I made the group get 5x chances in the draw, and people who join before the end of this month, March, get double chances. I found a Random Number generator on the internet, so will assign everyone who is in the group on the final day a number (in order of joining), and put the lowest (1) and the highest (x) into the program to determine the winner.

So if you already “go on” FaceBook, here’s the link to the Tangerine Meg Art Cards Group. Join up if you like. I would be really pleased to see you there. If you do, you can “message me” or “write on the wall” to let me know that you found out about it via this blog. That last sentence sounded really funny if you aren’t used to those terms in context of FaceBook.

Random other news: I went for a run in the wonderful, much-needed rain this morning! My clothes, shoes and I were pretty well drenched by the time we got back. It was a good run though.

I am recovered from feeling bad about the parade and am including it in the “things I now know about myself” category!

Soon to come: How Learning to walk on stilts is like learning to live well!

Take most excellent care of yourselves,
Meg

How awesome that breathing fire is a learnable skill!
The first session I had 3 goes. The first one was not much. I went on a bit long for the middle one, so it came back at me a little. The last one apparently looked pretty good.
It has been videod but I have yet to see that. One has no sense of how it’s looking when one is doing it (I may have shut my eyes too). When the flame came back at me I just felt a little heat, apparently I was on fire a tiny bit and I subsequently discovered the left half of the peachy fuzz has been singed off my face – wondered what that smell was that wasn’t going away! The second session was good too, with a duo Fire Ball Spit as finale.

The FunRun. It’s the City/Bay Fun Run, but I do the half. Kmart/Bay doesn’t quite have the same ring really! I like the sound of hundreds of other shoes along with my own going “plap plap” softly, rhythmically on the pavement. I like the physical process unfolding: the warm up (first k), then getting into the groove, and then the numb-legged sprint at the finish line. I also like the sense of camraderie intrinsic to the community-event-ness  of the occasion. I could let you know my time after Tuesday if you like. I will even admit to being a  hoarder of tiny safety-pins (I collect them during the year to pin the four corners of the race number to my t-shirt).

Have a good start to the week, I wish you well,
Meg