Unyielding Hope

So. Very. Happy.

A fabulous four-letter word: VOTE!

Oy! You are sick of election news, huh? I don't blame you - it can get to be rather mind-numbing. But we're so close. Soooooooo close!


This weekend, I received a package from some of my rad Portland pals, Sarah and Josh. They recently held an Obama screen printing party, inspired by the on the Studio 1408 gals had a couple of months ago. I was over-the-top excited to receive some Sarah/Josh printed Obama goodies this weekend. They sent t-shirts and a gorgeous print on paper, and I was even lucky enough to score a fantastic Obama gocco postcard from Susan. Happy day! Happy day! Thank you, Sarah and Josh. I'll be wearing my shirt as I make "get out the vote" calls from election HQ here in Austin tomrrow!


Also, regardless of who you're voting for .... another Portland pal of mine, Lee, has an awesome giveaway over on her blog today. She's put together a great little zine of sorts with a fun knitting pattern, a RAD apalaca applique pattern, a stencil and some mac-n-cheese tips (does this sound like the perfect zine, or what, folks?). You can snag a free copy if you leave a comment on her post and show you've voted. Spread the word!

And - if you haven't already - be sure to vote tomorrow. Don't wake up Wednesday morning wishing things were different.

A few fun Flickr sets to browse

I'm still recovering from Maker Faire. This morning, I literally fell asleep in my chair while I was writing. Once I got my post ready, I scurried upstairs and took a long nap. (my body says 'thanks!')

So while I can't write much right now, I do have two fun Flickr sets for you to browse.

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

First up is my Flickr set from Maker Faire. I haven't been able to go through and add titles/descriptions yet, but they are at least all together and uploaded! I think some of my favorites are the ones of my son's face while he was watching the giant ping-pong-flinging robot. It was hilarious. I'll be posting highlights all week over at Craftzine, so be sure to check those out.


Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Next up is a slide show from my good pals, Sarah and Josh, of Sewer-Sewist and The Obama Craft Project. They were so inspired by the Obama Screen Party that the Studio 1408 gals threw last month, that they replicated the event up in dearl ole Portland. Sarah just sent a link to the pictures, and it makes me miss Portland and my Portland friends even more. Sigh! Enjoy, and I'll be back tomorrow with some book reviews and giveaways so stay tuned!

Obama Screen Print Happy Hour Or why Austin just makes me giddy

I love living in Austin - for loads of reasons, especially things like this ...

You've heard me rave about Kat and her awesome classes, and the awesome Studio 1408. Back in May, you saw me create the Obama stencil and screen it on darn near everything that stood still long enough. Now those two things are coming together!


Kat and the Studio 1408 folks are hosting an Obama Screen Print Happy Hour this Friday night. For a suggested donation of $10 (or more - all the $$ is going to the Obama/Biden campaign - straight to it!) you can come and get your Obama on ... literally. Kat has put together screens of Obama so you can stencil them on whatever you want. RAD! The details from Kat are below.


And in the vein of Obama spirit, I have yet another reason to spew love for my separated-at-birth crafty pen pal, Sarah (and her hub, Josh). They've started a cool new blog called The Obama Craft Project. They are gathering all kinds of cool examples of Obama projects and posting about them. Be sure to check it out.

OK - the details on Friday's Obama Screen Party!

GET YOUR OBAMA ON!
(literally)

You're cordially invited to the
Obama Screenprinting Happy Hour at Studio 1408

this Friday, September 19th, 6-8pm

Bring your favorite tee (or pillowcase, or flag, or tuxedo. . . )
and have it screenprinted on the spot with an image of THE MAN HIMSELF.

Suggested donation: $10
all proceeds benefit the Obama/Biden campaign

brought to you by the happy campers
at Studio 1408
your textile/screenprinting/mixed media headquarters

1408 Cloverleaf Drive
Austin, Texas 78723
www.studio-1408.com

Download a flyer to pass on to your friends!

Crafters for Obama

Tonight, Obama and Clinton will hold their debate here in Austin. I'm so jazzed (even though I'm going to have to record it and watch it later, 'cause I have a group meeting tonight) and there is such a cool feeling in the air around here. It's the first time in ages that I've felt excited about the political process, and that I've felt really energized and excited about a candidate.

Yep, I'm an Obama girl. And my mom .... whew boy ... I think she's going to be president of his fan club. She's been cracking me up over the last few months - emailing articles, videos, calling me when he's speaking on tv, wearing her Obama t-shirts - she is head over heels in love with him. (not like that ... she's excited about what he can do for America)

So I was very excited to see support for him pop up in the crafting community via Julie Ree's blog. She's set up a fund raising campaign specifically for crafters who support Obama. You can donate to his campaign in the name of crafting! I love that.

She's voiced her support more beautifully than I can at the moment, so I'll present her words here, and encourage you - if you feel so compelled - to donate to his campaign in the name of crafting and help her reach this goal. It really is one of those "if everyone just donated $15 ... " kind of thing - she's about a quarter of the way there. And then add the Crafters for Obama button to your web site and share the word.

Thank you, Julie!

from Julie's web site:

"It's about more than policy changes. It's about a sea change in attitude among the American people. He's asking us to step up, pitch in, and work together to transform our country. He has inspired me to think about how I can engage more in my community, how I can serve others, and what role I will play in the future of my country. I am proud to be inspired by him. Imagine what kind of change we might see if he were given the chance to inspire the whole country as President?

I invite you to join me in supporting Barack Obama. This crafting community is an extraordinary group of thoughtful, hard-working, strong women. I think his message will resonate with you as it has with me.

....

You can also easily and quickly donate to a fundraising campaign I have set up. My campaign, Crafters for Obama, has a goal of $2000. Help me meet this goal. In this month alone, Obama's campaign has received contributions from more than 249,000 people, 90% of whom have contributed less than $100. Help us keep the momentum of this grassroots movement.

And when you're ready to support Barack, won't you add the "Crafters for Obama" button to your blog to show your support? It's in the top right column, and I invite you to display it proudly on your blog. I have great reason to hope. Instead of a politics of murk and muck, I see a path, however winding and long it might be, that can lead us toward renewal and hope. I want our country to be on that path."




Beautifully said, Julie. Thank you! And readers, please (if you agree, of course) post about this on your blog, and let us know you did with a link in the comments here. Thank you!