Foxy’s Getting a Facelift

Well, actually, it’s her Den of i-KNIT-quity that’s getting a facelift; the other is wishful thinking.  If you are reading this message, you probably followed a link here.  Unfortunately, you are still on the old – ouch! make that former – site.  The url for the new site will actually be the same: http://foxygknits.com, but  I am upgrading to a different hosting site with many more options.   This is probably TMI, but I don’t want us to get separated. If you click on the link above, you will be on the new site.  By Thursday evening, your link will magically take you to the new site – seamlessly. Until then you can reach me here at https://foxygknits.wordpress.com.

If you have any questions or this sounds like a foreign language, please leave me a message, and I will be back in touch.

Thanks for your patience, Foxy G.

What’s Afoot in April

It seems that there is a month for almost everything, and April is Foot Health Month. According to the American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA), “The human foot is a biological masterpiece. Its strong, flexible and functional design enables it to do its job well and without complaint—if you take care of it and don’t take it for granted.

The foot can be compared to a finely tuned race car, or a space shuttle, vehicles whose function dictates their design and structure. And like them, the human foot is complex, containing within its relatively small size 26 bones (the two feet contain a quarter of all the bones in the body), 33 joints and a network of more than 100 tendons, muscles, and ligaments, to say nothing of blood vessels and nerves.” Wow! Who knew?

So, in honor of tootsies all over the world, an homage to feet ala etsy:

Summer is getting closer in the Northern Hemisphere. This scrabble tile is covered in a fun, glossy flip flops graphic and finished with a sterling silver plated bail.

Scrabble Tile Pendant - Flip Flops by ThePendantFactory

Who doesn’t love a good foot scrub?  This uplifting blend will gently exfoliate and soothe tired feet, legs, back wherever you need it.

HAPPY FEET Indulgent Emulsified Sugar Scrub by NewEarthSoaps

Are you starting to relax?  Well I am sure that this simple, natural balm will provide sweet relief to those aching feet.

FOOTS EASE balm 60ml/2oz by tranquillita

You must try this Peppermint Foot Rub Cream that will make your skin feel amazing soft and silky. It is scented with pure skin tingling peppermint essential oil. I am falling asleep, I am so relaxed…

Peppermint Foot Cream by SweetSallysSoaps

And now for those tiny little precious feet beginning with a simple pattern for cute, stylish baby shoes.

Pattern for Baby Maryjane Shoes by JoliBebe

This card has all the ingredients to celebrate the arrival of a brand new baby girl! The cute teddy bear, girl rattle and tiny little feet have all been captured with paper quilling.

IT'S A GIRL TEDDY BEAR Paper Quilled Greeting Card by EnchantedQuilling

PunkyJane makes it possible for you to celebrate the day your little one was born. You can take those first little footprints made at the hospital with you everywhere as a sweet reminder of your precious angel.

Two Little Tootsies Personalized Sterling Silver Footprint Necklace with Name by PunkyJane

For more information on general foot health, pediatric foot health or other health issues related to feet, please check out the APMA website.

Enchanted Craft from an Enchanted Land

[Editor’s Note: On April 1st, Foxy G. Knits will begin shipping to Australia and New Zealand. In celebration, Foxy G’s Den of i-KNIT-quity is pleased to feature Enchanted Quilling, a fabulous Australian handmade paper quilling artist.]

Drive two hours north of Sydney, Australia, and you will arrive in Nelson Bay, a quaint little town on the southern coastline of Port Stephens. It is a major tourism centre, particularly for dolphin and whale watching, surfing, diving, fishing and other recreational aquatic activities. This is where you will find Janice designing and creating her quilled items that she sells worldwide on etsy, as well as in local gift shops and the arts and craft centre.

Blue Dolphin Paper Quilled Greeting Card

Janice has been hand crafting all her life, but became addicted to quilling in the past few years.

Vintage Purple Snowdrop

Quilling is the age-old art of rolling strips of paper into coils and pressing them into 3-dimensional creations. She is very proud of the fact that her handmade paper quilled cards are not only visually enjoyable, but also delightful to the touch.

Cinderella Pink Slipper Paper Quilled

Designs include floral themes, animals and birdlife, creatures from the sea, fashion and (my favorite!) cupcakes with character! 

Elmo Character Cupcake Paper Quilled Greeting

A new Russian Nesting Dolls and Funky Faerie line of greetings cards that combines fabric with paper quilling has recently started to appear from the bottom of the Enchanted Garden.

Russian Nesting Matryoshka Doll - Celina

Janice is a member of the etsy Down Under Street Team (DUST), ETSYGREETINGS Team and Wild, Wise, Witty Grandmamas (WWWG).  When she isn’t designing and creating her quilled items, you will find Janice knitting, crocheting or golfing.

Pink Butterfly on Fabric Gift Tags Set of 3

You can connect with Janice:

Etsy Shop: http://enchantedquilling.etsy.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/enchantquilling

Congratulations! You Have Won $1M…

And all the taxes have been paid, so the money is free and clear.  There’s just one catch – you can’t keep a penny of it – you must give it all away to others.  So, how would you spend it?  Would you start a nonprofit? Set up a college scholarship? Fund an art or music program in schools?  Create a foundation?  Barbara Bush was really on point when she said, “Giving frees us from the familiar territory of our own needs by opening our mind to the unexplained worlds occupied by the needs of others.”

So, please leave your comments below by Sunday, March 28th at noon EDT. The winner, selected by Foxy G. and her Board of Directors, will receive his or her own spectacular interview feature in the Den of i-KNIT-quity.

Postcards for Satori

Satori Lewis has experienced more challenges in her young life than most adults.  This beautiful little is 10 years old has Spinal Muscular Atrophy and is confined to a power wheelchair.  But don’t feel sorry for this rock star – she has a fabulous sense of humor and gets straight A’s in school – even though she misses an average of 40 days of school a year. 

According to her mom, Melissa (HautTotes on etsy and HautTotes on twitter), because Tori is so physically weak, her body doesn’t hold itself up well. She has developed severe scoliosis, and the curve of her spine is now beginning to crush her lung. On March 31st, she will have full spinal fusion.

The family is traveling from their home in Nevada to UC Davis Children’s Hospital for the procedure with an estimated hospital stay of 7 – 10 days.  Melissa is asking people to send Tori postcards from all over the world.  She thinks that the messages and pictures will be fun for her. And she plans to turn this into a geography lesson by purchasing an world atlas and having Tori mark off states and countries.

Melissa stresses that they have great insurance, a fantastic surgeon and a world renowned hospital.  Tori is not in need of anything more than some fun messages and exciting postmarks.

This is how the postcard should be addressed, and please be sure to include the surgery date:

Satori Lewis                                                                                                                      Surgery date 3-31-10                                                                                                       Davis 7 Pediatrics                                                                                                                   UC Davis Children’s Hospital                                                                                              2315 Stockton Blvd.                                                                                              Sacramento, CA  95817  USA

Please send Tori a postcard and also share this information with your networks.

Spring Scarf Preview

Just in time for spring, tiny squares of ribbon add panache and flair to these transition-weight, hand knit scarves. Dress them up or down; wrap them around the crown of your hat.  Pair them with blazers, or wear them with tees and your favorite jeans.  You can tie ‘em, knot ‘em, loop ‘em or drape ‘em.  So light and airy, they are the perfect accessories to stash in your getaway bag. 

Hand Knit Ladder Ribbon Scarf - Mystic Sky

Hand Knit Ladder Ribbon Scarf - Sea Breeze

Hand Knit Ladder Ribbon Scarf - Contessa

While spring is blooming in the Northern Hemisphere, it’s soon to be fall in the Southern Hemisphere.  Beginning April 1^st, Foxy G. will be shipping to Australia and New Zealand. To usher in the cooler weather, here are several Foxy G. originals.

Hand Knit Ladies Fashion Self-Fringing Sassy Wrap Scarf - Espresso Macchiato

Hand Knit Ladies Fashion Self-Fringing Shawl Wrap - Opening Night

And while, like my children, I love them all, I can’t help but feel a little bit partial to this stunning, three-season, monochromatic scarf that is made up of nine different textures.  Anyone have an idea of what I should name it?

All scarves shown above will be listed within the next week. If you want information about any of them sooner, please leave me a comment below or convo me through Foxy G. Knits on etsy.

Monday Morning Musings on March Madness

So, it’s March again.  Let’s see, daylight savings time begins.  And there’s Pi Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Ides of March (poor Julius), Passover, Palm Sunday and oh yes, basketball. 

Hand Stamped NCCAA Team Pendant GO TARHEELS by ChipmunkHollow

For many years, I lived  in ACC Country, so I am partial to that conference.  (When I was a resident of the Research Triangle, UNC played in the NCAA Tournament, not as a #4 seed in the NIT – yikes!) 

Florida State Bow by trendytykesbowtique (#9 seed in the West)

When my children were small, I took them to a Duke basketball game.  Every time the opposing team scored, my younger son would cheer.  When he was asked why he was cheering for the other team, he explained in his three-year-old logic that when they scored, Duke got the ball back.  Makes perfect sense to me!  (#1 seed in the South)

Duke Hoops Basketball Two-Pack Zipper Pull Charms by CreativeClam

For those of you who know about my ashtray collection, I actually have a metal ashtray with the signatures of the Louisville Cardinals, 1980 NCAA Basketball Champions.  (#9 seed in the South.)

Louisville Cardinals NCAA Shaker Peg Coat Rack by MySportsBench

I have 52 university ashtrays, including  a cast aluminum figural Ohio State University Stadium ashtray from 1972, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the stadium, and 20 college ashtrays.  (#2 seed in the Midwest)

Say No to Paper and Plastic March Madness by fashiongreentbags

I am sure that you will be pleased to know that you can “basketball theme” both  your child and your dog.

Toddler BigHoop Star Basketballs Bib by BurpieBundles

March Madness Dog Collar by dogdazzle

May you enjoy March Madness, and may your team score the first touchdown!

The Gift That Keeps on Giving…

Participating in the One World One – One Heart (OWOH) international blog event recently was a wonderful experience.  I very much enjoyed hosting visitors at Foxy G’s Den of i-KNIT-quity, as well as visiting other blogs.  Imagine my delight when I found out that I had won a giveaway from Lyneen of Dreaming of Castles, a youth ephemera pack:

This “half pound” of paper goodies from 1900 – 1980s is filled with papers from a variety of sources, including two of my favorites – Alice in Wonderland and Ozma in Oz. 

    

Lyneen has enjoyed blogging for several years and features items in her vintage postcard collection. She is a card maker and altered artist and has recently opened a shop on etsy. Take a minute and check out her shop and her blog.

Monday Morning Musings

According to the Craft and Hobby Association (CHA), “March is National Craft Month. And with 63 million households crafting each year, there’s a lot to celebrate!”  With that in mind, hats off to the talented EtsyTwitter Team members who are not only fabulous artists and artisans in their own genres (SAT word!), but also share their knowledge and expertise by providing instruction to others:

Fabric iPod iPhone Cozy Tutorial Instruction E-book -- pdf file by dizzlePOP

Instructions for Full Persian/Foxtail ChainMaille Bracelet by The ChainmailleLady

The Jewelry Seller's Travel Roll - Holds 12 Necklaces PATTERN and INSTRUCTIONS PDF FILE by DigUnderRocks

Customized Etsy Shop Stationery by purplelemondesigns

Pineapples for Baby Crocheted Round Afghan Pattern, PDF by crochetgal

Anya a PDF Pattern directions for an eco-friendly rag matroyshka by ImogensGarden

PATTERN Crochet Tangle Sampler Purse by JaybirdDesigns

Art from the ♥

ARTIST: ROBIN NORGREN – IN HER OWN WORDS…

Have you ever just had a place that you know in your heart that you must visit before you die?  That place for me is India.  I have no relatives there nor do I know of anyone who lives there, but when anything comes along about aid to India, my heart strings tug.  So for years, I thought that I would do a humanitarian trip there, but finances have always been an issue.  Then, when I became certified as a yoga instructor, I thought that might be the vehicle to get me there. 

Wrist Cuff - Dream

I have also wanted to support an organization that helped in India, and in 2006, I learned about CARE on an Oprah segment. As one of the world’s leading international humanitarian organizations, CARE places special focus on working alongside poor women because, equipped with the proper resources, women have the power to help whole families and entire communities escape poverty.

Wrist Cuff - Friendship

Fast forward four years to 2010 when I decided to connect to India in a way that is unique and in line with my current life as a stay-at-home mom and artist.  Through my etsy shop, Well of Creations, I am donating all the proceeds (after PayPal and etsy fees) from the items in the Wrist Cuffs for India Section to Power Within, CARE’s new signature program.  Their goal is to empower 10 million vulnerable girls, primarily ages 10-14, to access primary education and gain leadership skills by 2015.

Write Cuff - Love

My hope is that as I give my time and resources through my craft that others will support this worthwhile organization and at the same time receive a beautiful creation to remind them of their generosity. And I finally feel connected.

You can connect with Robin:

Etsy shop: http://wellofcreations.etsy.com

twitter: www.twitter.com/wellofcreations

Facebook: www.facebook.com/wellofcreations.myetsyshop

Blogs: www.wellofcreations.com and www.wellofcreations.blogspot.com

[Editor’s Note: Well of Creations features one-of-a-kind crocheted totes, purses, scarves and wrist cuffs.]

Easter Basket...Little Purse...Skies are Blue...For your little girl...ages 3 to 7

Scarf...Peace Flows...Like a River...Neutral with a Burst of Color