C is for Calming by DeerMountainWoodArt

My son asked me a while back to make him a Zen Garden. I wasn't sure how to go about it, but I knew it had to be small enough to fit on his desk, yet easy to put away when he was done 'relaxing'. This little gem is the culmination of his desire and my passion for creating, and the first thing he packed in his moving boxes on his way to college!


Instead of drinking with your friends at college to relax, how about a Zen Experience!?!

"Zen to Go!: Tranquility" measures 8.5" x 6.5" and is 1.5" deep, and displays the desired symbol on the sliding lid - which in this case is "Tranquility".

Makes a great GIFT!!

Alone, this character has a broad span of possible meanings. These meanings include relaxed, quiet, rested, contented, calm, still, to pacify, peaceful, at peace, soothing or soothed.. It really works and now we ALL have one! Not as lavish as this one, with it's handcrafted lacquered 'rake' and case, but they're all pretty nice! =D

"Zen-to-Go!: Tranquility" is crafted from a recycled wooden pencil box with the Asian symbol carved in 1/4" Santos Mahogany. It comes complete with a red lacquered, hand-threaded 'rake', micro-burl 'temple'/mountain, 2 "Apache Tears" for good karma, and the finest 'sand' that you ever touched a rake or hand to!

After you're done with your 'meditating' you can place everything back in the case and close it up for later. Truly a uniquely relaxing experience, WHEREVER you are! =D

DeerMountainWood Art (Freida) donates 10% of the monthly sales to the Charity of the Month(EFA). She also helps the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, http://www.rmef.org (they help preserve the health and habitat for the elk and other wildlife) with annual item donations. Freida also works with her local Humane Society, www.canoncityhumanesociety.org/, helping with food drives and charity events. She's very happy to be able to help wherever she can and says, "Animals cannot speak for themselves, so we need to 'speak' on their behalf and use our resources and talents to ensure that they live a long, happy, peaceful, and healthy life!"

C is for Catnip Cats by recycledideas

Feline fanatics, these gift tags are not your ordinary ones - they have been made from recycled, handmade paper that can be recycled itself in a unique way — by planting it!

The kitty lover who receives this fancy feline gets a double gift: Plant her, and she grows CATNIP.


Catnip is a perennial herb from the mint family.

Besides driving little lions crazy with ecstasy, it can be used to make tea. The flowering plant produces purple blossoms and will come up again in the spring year after year. It also self-seeds, giving you lots of baby plants to share with friends as the years go by.


** Truly a gift that keeps on giving **


6 tags in set
Cats measure 3.5 tall x 1.25 inches wide
.. and are strung on hemp thread.

Each tag comes with germination instructions so recipients can't go wrong. The paper I make really does grow, you can see the sprouts coming out of the paper on my blog:
http://newfoundlandnews.blogspot.com/2008/03/my-paper-really-can-be-grown-to-make.html


*** ALWAYS RECYCLED ***


Please note: These cool cats are non-partisan; they lean to the left *and* right ;=)

C is for Connectedness

When making a mobius, each new jump ring goes through *all* the other rings that have gone before. To me, this was a perfect illustration of the August EFA Challenge, "C is For..." My piece shows how "C is for Connectedness." Just as all the jump rings in the mobius are interconnected, so are all the creatures on the planet, and they all deserve our compassion and consideration (more Cs!).

This necklace is made entirely of sterling silver and is just over 16 inches long. http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=13859820

My shop, Aimee Dars Designs, donates 10% of all sales to animal organizations. My shop profile will specify the charity designated for the month.

C is for Cat Chokers with Chinese knots - 15-20% charity donation on all sold by Sept 1st

Of course, with a shop called PurrPrints, C would have to be for Cats--but that's always the case, so I decided there needed to be some extra C goodness: and out popped the Cat Chokers with Chinese knots (and some added Cs for it being on a satin Cord, super Cute, and eCo friendly bamboo? or maybe I'm just pushing it now...).

Anyway, I'm in the midst of making more, but right now there are a couple different versions of these cat chokers in my shop--and I'm donating 15% of the profits to EFA's August animal charity on ANY choker that sells by September 1st, no matter how many that turns out to be. Plus, if you mention that you found the chokers through the team then I'll bump it up to a 20% donation.

If you like your necklaces longer than 16" I have those too--like this orange cat on the right--and as a special secret to efa-ers I'll turn those into 15% donation items as well if you mention this blog post in the notes to seller.