DONATION MADE!

Well!  All this month, I've been working toward the biggest donation I could make through the sales of the Japan Tsunami Curious Pebble... I'm tired, but very, very happy! 

I took a screen print of the listing before I changed it... This particular style was so popular that I decided to keep it in the store as a custom order.  So, you might note that the current listing has changed  from what you see above, as this was the last day of my fundraising. 

And already, I'm asking myself, but why stop? 

But I think it's time to move on. 

And so, THANK YOU to everyone who helped me to make that donation possible.  I could not have done it without you, and I'm thrilled that I could make something worthwhile and worthy and for a good cause.  And if it happens to look pretty on your desk, then so be it. 

Thank you!
Julianna

peonyandbee

One of the buyers in last week's "Etsy Shop Goes Bananas" fest has posted this to her Exceedingly Lovely tumblr blog....


From peonyandbee:

Are you familiar with the Curious Pebble Project?
I love what this woman is doing.
She hand picks gorgeous tumbled rocks from the beach, whips up little tatted covers for them in a variety of different colored threads, and then returns them to the beach for random strangers to...

So!  Another Pebble has found a home...  and I'm so glad that I looked her up, because, peonyandbee is chock full of handmade loveliness. 

Thank you, Kate!

Hmmmm... Where Do People Put Their Curious Pebbles?

I've always wondered what happens to a Curious Pebble once it leaves my hands (hence the whole point of this blog and it's Guestbook), so I was particularly happy to find that a friend had posted a picture of her pebble in it's new home... as part of the desktop Zen Garden! 

This is The One For Frances!

SO!  If you've found/purchased/been gifted a Curious Pebble and would like to share a picture of it in it's new home, I'd be ever so happy to hear from you.... you can send pics to curiouspebble(at)cox.net and I'll post 'em as I get them!

NEW for the Etsy Shop!

Curious Clip-Ons!

So, I've been carrying one of these teeny pebbles around with me for awhile (clipped to my purse, and not the one you see here), and have gotten so many comments about it that I decided to make some for my Etsy Shop... so I did!

These little treasures are made with size 12 cotton crochet thread (if you have any experience with crochet thread, you know that size 12 is, like, pretty thin...) and I have to use a size 10/1.30mm crochet hook to make them so teeny!  My eyes are a bit squinty this morning, but other than that, I think it was worth it! 

HA!  If you think the regular-sized pebbles are cute, wait'll you get a load of the itty-bitties!

Had to put a clasp on them so as not to lose them... but that just means you can clip them on your belt loop, keyring or whatever...

Et voila'! Curious Pebbles to GO!

Another Amazing and Beautiful Thing

This morning, I found this lovely, lovely note waiting for me in my Etsy Conversations :

Hi--


I've been following your progress, and I love the covered rocks you are creating. It is so good of you to help the effort in Japan, and I'm glad so many are helping you in that.

I have a fair amount of crochet (and what I think was used for tatting as well) thread that once belonged to my late husband's grandmother and great-grandmother. They were both quite productive in the crochet department, especially during the Depression and the war years of the 40"s. Before the estate sale was held, I latched onto this collection, with no idea why--I just didn't want to see it sold. I have no intention now of using it myself, due to problems with tendonitis,and am to the "purging" stage, so I would like to offer this stash to you for your own use. There are many different colors, many of them variegated, about 3 dozen or so small spools. I will ship them to you at my cost, and you are free to use them as you like. The only request I would have is that you create one or two for me as a rememberance of these special ladies. Please let me know if you are interested, and if so, send me your mailing address, and I will get them off to you. I would love to know all this thread won't someday end up in a trash bin somewhere.

Best of luck in your relief efforts----Jane

Of course, I immediately replied that YES, I would adore being the caretaker of such a wonderful stash, and that I would promise-promise to put it to good, beachy, treasure hunting-use.  I was thrilled. 

Then, Jane responded with some even more sweet information:

I'm so glad you got back to me so quickly, and can use the thread for your projects. For whatever reason, this batch of thread has been on my mind quite a bit lately (what to do with it all???), so when I saw your work through rosylittlethings, I thought, There! My husband's great-grandmother has been gone since the 60's--long before I came into the family--and his grandmother passed away in 1994, so I've had all this thread since then, stored away in my sewing room. The covered rock appeals to me because my dad, who passed a year ago, was a "rock hound," and was constantly finding unusual ones. I now have his "collection," and my grandchildren love to look through them and remember their great-grandpa. I've always had a fascination for rocks as well, especially heart-shaped ones. [Where Jane lives] is completely land-locked, and I think the smooth beach stones you use are so pretty.

Yes, you may post the conversation on your blog. I've been reading it, and I think leaving your stones where people can find them is such a great idea. How neat to find one in a place you would least expect to....

...By the way, my daughter's name is Julie Ann, and one of your stones will go to her as well. Must be a sign you should have this thread. You've made my day, too!

Jane

I am already envisioning a whole line of vintage thread pebbles...

And, of COURSE Miss Jane will be given a whole collectionof pebbles, and I even noted that she might send a few of her father's collected rocks, in case that they need a sweater of their own... Two memories, one stone, you know...

Thank you SO much, my new friend--- you have completely Made My Day.

I've Been Officially Blogged...

...by the sweet Miss Alicia over at Posy Gets Cozy.  While I wrap my head around the implications of this, I'll let you go on an read all about it here.

This is the photo she used from my Etsy Shop's Japan Tsunami Relief Pebble.
You can get your own right here.

 

She has actually compiled a Very Impressive list of Good Things that will help the various Japan Tsunami and Earthquake Relief Funds. 

A. You want to Donate, I know you do.
B. You want to Shop

So why not do BOTH?  And when the benefit is as awesome as the handmade goodness... well, you know that it just doesn't get any better than that.

Craft Benefits Japan 

OH!  And, I really do want to mention that this 'lil pebble 'o mine has already raised over $150 for Red Cross relief efforts.  And, better still, I'm all caught up on my orders, my fingers are still nimble, I have plenty of thread.... so START CLICKING!  :D

Julianna

An amazing day... And a Thank You.

I don't know if it was sheer blind luck, Karma, or some other force of Good, but yesterday the unbelievable happened.

My 'lil Etsy Shop went Bananas.

I was in complete and utter bewilderment about it all for most of the day, until a kind reader clued me in... As it turns out, I was featured in the Etsy Finds email newsletter, which seems to have SCADS of readers, most of whom apparently clicked on my Japan Relief Curious Pebble.

At 9AM yesterday morning, I had something like 34 views on that Pebble. As I write this, there are now over 2260 views on that item, alone. It's been "hearted" like a million times and my shop has seen exponential growth.

Unbelievable.

I'm a very strange combination of grateful, bewildered and awed at the moment.

Of course, I immediately subscribed to the email list, but, they don't back-post these things, and while I did get today's Etsy Finds in my mailbox this morning, I haven't actually SEEN the mechanism by which I sold FOURTEEN sweet 'lil Relief Pebbles. Fourteen. Yep.

I'm hoping that someone might still have a copy of it in their mailbox? And, that this person would be so kind to forward it to curiouspebble(at)cox.net? That would be truly a kind-hearted thing to do, as I am ridiculously curious about all sorts of things (including pebbles, 'natch).

Did I mention that I sold FOURTEEN yesterday?

And that those sales mean $140 in donations to the Red Cross Japan Tsunami and Earthquake Relief?

Which is ever so much more than I'd be able to donate all by my lonesome?

Again... I'm stunned and amazed.

Thank you, thank you to those of you who have found me and my little Found Art Project through this little miracle. My blog has never seen so many hits, and I even have a few new followers. Many of you have written such nice things to me via this blog and via Etsy Conversations... I'm so pleased that you like what I'm doing and that you took the time to let me know.

For a while, I've been floundering for an audience, and have been wondering if this project was going to die a slow and painful death.

It isn't.

Thanks to YOU.

Have a beautiful day.

I have to go crochet some Pebbles until my fingers bleed, now. But that's fine. I have band-aids.

Whassuppwitdat???

My Etsy shop has EXPLODED today... And I'm at a complete loss as to why?!?

Sure, the Tsunami Relief Pebble is in a few Etsy treasuries, but none of them are even on page 10, let alone the front page, and this blog has all of FOUR followers.

Huh.

If anyone has any clues or has linked to me somewhere, PLEASE fill me in!

Curiosity killed the cat, you know.

Over 780 item views and counting....

***CORRECTION! 884 views and counting!

Oh-Em-Gee.

♥Japan♥

Signature Pebble Custom Orders being taken for Tsunami Relief...

I am not immune to the madness that has befallen Japan in the past week.... I'm finding it difficult to tear my eyes away from video feeds of absolute devastation and suffering.

So I've decided to offer custom-color Curious Pebbles in my Etsy Shop with 50% of the profits to be donated to The Red Cross.  Please see the item in my Etsy Shop for more details.




You Choose the Color... I Choose the Pebble... The Red Cross Gets $10.00...



The One for Miss Milla

I had intended to make some new Curious Pebbles this morning for my Etsy Shop, but as I was making this one, it was commandeered by my little girl.  She made me write her name on the back, and everything.  It came out so nice, though, that I thought I'd share.  Enjoy!



Curious Pebbles in the Butterfly Garden...



Hanging out with the Kangaroo Paw....

...and feeling at home in the Magnolia Tree!

Westfield Mall, Oceanside, California



After a very full day yesterday-- The Wild Animal Park with a long lost friend and her son, followed by a lovely dinner and conversation at my house-- today was sort of just drifting along with no real plans on the horizon.  So, when little girl mentioned that a trip to the Disney Store would be "a very good idea", we decided that, in fact, it WAS a good idea.  I grabbed my camera and three Curious Pebbles and got to work.  Figured out in a hurry that the mall is a pretty crowded place to be inconspicuous....

 

This is the reason the rest of my pics are a bit out of focus... I was trying to emulate a very slow shutter speed on my digital camera to get a nice swirl effect on the Merry-Go Round.  Didn't exactly work, and then I forgot to switch it back for the next couple of pics.  Ooops-a-Daisy. Oh well.  I promise to do better next time!

  

The trio as we left the house... ready for Pebbling!



An orange Spider-web Pebble, left on a bench near the Merry-Go Round, and which disappeared as I was trying to get all artsy with Merry-go Round pics.  Sign it in if you've found it!



See?  Left him right... here....



A blurry shot of a pretty pink one...



Left on a wall just outside of Macy's (second floor).  Did you find it?





A yellow sunflower...



Placed on the shoe-cubby at the kid playland...

 

Someone moved it once while we were there, but I put it back....


SO!  If YOU have found a Curious Pebble at the Westfield Mall in Oceanside, won't you please sign the guestbook and tell me what you thought? 



Etsy Store is Open!

I'm so excited... I've had an etsy store for a looong time, haven't had anything in it for just about as long (used to sell my pottery, but shipping was a p.a.i.n.).

So today, I finally got some Curious Pebbles all photographed and looking pretty. They are waiting...

So, if you can't find a Curious Pebble on the beach, or you otherwise simply must have one of your very own, check my sidebar. There's a link just for you, Flower.

See you there.

Oh! Did I mention that 10 minutes after I posted my items, one of them was already chosen for a treasury, and I don't even know the person who curated it?

That rocks. It really, really does.