The Story of Stuff

Found this really interesting website and I encourage you to check it out: storyofstuff.org.  Definitely good food for thought so watch the video and see what you think.

Autumn is in the Air

The days are getting shorter, the air cooler and flocks of birds are starting to migrate south - autumn is on its way!  That might feel better had the summer weather been more favorable, but like it or not, autumn is coming.  Time to pull out sweaters again, and trade sandals for shoes and socks.  Plans for autumn are still up in the air for me, but hopefully everything will be sorted out soon - I'll keep you posted.

Numbers

This weekend was the final summer festival I had a table at.  I sold 39 Little Travellers and 488 Threads of Hope at the Morden Corn & Apple Festival!! We had rain much of Saturday and today, but people were still out.

The best 1 day total sales of Little Travellers this summer was Friday in Morden at 18.  The best 1 day total for summer sales of Threads of Hope (by 77 over Morden) was in Altona on Saturday at 266. Because I love numbers so much, here are the summer festival totals:  63 Little Travellers found new homes and 1008 Threads of Hope were sold at my tables.  Thank you southern Manitoba (and all your tourists) for supporting families in South Africa and the Philippines!!!

Ode to the DQ Muffin

This blog is for Carmen (how can it possibly be that we've known one another for 14 years?!?):

When I moved to Winnipeg for university, Carmen was my first roommate.  She was a country girl herself - she came from Morden, where I lived and taught a few years ago.  Carmen has many passions but the way she talked about the muffins at DQ (a Morden-only specialty), made my mouth water even though I had never tasted one.  I too learned to share her passion for DQ muffins and I even brought some out as a wedding gift for her when she got married in BC (yep, they made the trip!).  It was my full intention to take a picture of one today and then blog about it (knowing I would make Carmen's mouth water!) since I'm in Morden for the festival this weekend, BUT I found out that they have not been making them for 1.5 years - just about the time I left Morden.  I have to admit that I was a little sad for me, for Carmen and for the DQ muffin. . .farewell.

Be

I saw a plaque the other day that said this:

Be Bold

Be Thankful

Be Quiet

Be Original

Be Spontaneous

Be Punctual

Be a Star

Be Young

Be Loving

Be Crazy

Be Loud

Be Random

Be Adorable

Be Unique

Be Daring

Be Obnoxious

Be Yourself

Morden Corn & Apple Festival

Just a reminder to find my table on Stephen Street (between 7th & 8th St) at the Morden Corn & Apple Festival this weekend.  I will be selling Threads of Hope ($1) and all the Little Travellers that I've featured this week ($5 - $9).  Hope to see you there!

And Others. . .

The only other specialty Traveller that is featured at www.littletravellers.net/buy-dolls is Mama & Baby which I am still waiting for - they are on their way from South Africa right now!  The newest one is a Bride and she is pretty cute in her dress and veil.  I also have the following, but don't have pictures so you'll just have to check them out for yourself:  Skirts, Handbags, Woman's Hard Life, Gold Hair, Sassy Girls, Makoti and Warrior.

Mineworker

Yes, Little Travellers are for guys yet too.  The Mineworker Traveller will make a great gift for a guy in your life ($7)!

Working Lady

Many of the specialty Travellers reflect South African life and culture, as demonstrated by the Working Lady ($7).  Part of the proceeds from the sale of Little Travellers go back to the women from South Africa that make them.  The other part goes directly to the HIV/AIDS hospice that the women are linked to as they are either infected or affected by HIV or AIDS.

Soccer Player

Little Travellers could not overlook the fact that South Africa was hosting the soccer World Cup this year and so little soccer players (aka 'footballers') were introduced.  These Travellers come in either the traditional pin format or are available as a keychain for $8.

Mermaid

This one is a favorite of little girls everywhere (especially when they bring their dad to the table and he asks which one they want!) - Mermaid Traveller sells for $9.

Specialty Little Travellers

In getting ready for the Morden Corn & Apple Festival happening next weekend, I picked up some more Little Travellers today.  I am going to feature a number of the specialty ones I have in an attempt to peak your interest and hopefully decide to purchase some of these cute little pins!  I would love nothing more than to deliver a big, fat cheque to Winnipeg instead of returning any Little Travellers that are left over from the summer festivals.  Please stop by my table in Morden or send me an email and I will keep the ones that you want.  Today's feature is the Bumblebee ($7) and I have 42 of them to sell - they are too cute to pass up!  (www.littletravellers.net)

Measure

From my devotional Our Journey:

"This word measure in Revelation 11:1 isn't about God finding out how big the temple is.  God knows how big it is.  That term measure is also used in Ezekiel 40 through 48.  An angel there measured the temple with a ten-foot rod.  It pictures God's intent to establish and protect His people.  'Measure it,' is a way of saying 'All right.  This is what belongs to Me.  These are My people.  This is what's on My heart.'  God was instructing John to mark the people under God's protection."  ~James MacDonald

Heart & Hand

I ordered an Empowerment Pendant from the Somaly Mam Foundation (see www.somaly.org/store/) not just because it was a beautiful piece of jewelry but because of what it symbolizes:

"Symbolizing an unwavering commitment to ending human trafficking, the heart and hand is a graceful reminder that the world will only be moved when we bring together hearts and hands, merging compassion with action."