fundraiser and contest for figs with bri

bloggers unite!

one of my favorite food bloggers, briana brownlow of the wonderful figs with bri, has recently discovered that the breast cancer she battled two years ago has returned to other parts of her body. bri has been one of the most enthusiastic supporters of my blog, and even though we have never met i feel such a nice and genuine friendship with her (and consequently horror and sadness upon hearing the news of her illness). as it turns out i am not alone. bee and jai of the jugalbandi blog were also affected by the news, and have created a fundraiser for our foodie friend to help her pay for treatments that her health insurance does not cover. bri is actively seeking traditional and holistic treatments, and the cost estimates for one year of treatments are about twelve grand! almost $3800 has already been raised right now. as a person who strongly believes in equal parts of science and spirituality when it comes to treating illness, i am all for this creative way of reaching the goal!

bee and jai are dedicating this month’s food photo contest to bri. the theme is yellow, the symbolic color of the fight against cancer and of the livestrong foundation. you can click on the chip-in button here to donate, and click here to enter the contest, read the rules, and get a chance to win some wonderful prizes that bee and jai have gathered. the deadline for photography entries is june 30th, 2008. let’s all take a photo, send money if we are able to and support a witty, articulate, caring food blogger who provides so many delicious recipes for healthy organic vegetarian meals, and serves as frequent inspiration for all of us.

i am thinking of you bri, and sending you positive healing thoughts always.

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hippo roller fundraiser by project h

dare i say we are all conscious enough to know that around the world the standards of living vary drastically, and that the basic things we are fortunate enough to have and use on a daily basis don’t come as easily to others located in other parts of the globe? take for example, clean water for drinking. project h, an organization that promotes and produces humanitarian product design supports the hippo roller. this is an innovative barrel that makes collecting and transporting water safer and more efficient in remote locations. the barrel holds about five times more water than what can be collected using traditional methods.

in april, project h will be traveling to south africa and has plans to hand 50 hippo rollers over personally to a group of 17 villages in the community of kgautswane. they need assistance in funding this project. for just $100, you can participate by sponsoring one of these thoughtful products that will aid and support the fulfillment of a basic need.

if you believe that thoughtful design can change communities and lives, maybe this is something that will interest you too. the deadline is april 13th, 2008.

sign yourself up or get some friends together and sponsor a roller right here.

via inhabitat

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dna letterpress

look at these lovely letterpress cards from local graphic designers andrea burke and dana bowers. you can see from the examples below that each of them have a unique approach to their letterpress art. their printing and design methodologies, however, are shared, as is a workspace in chicago’s lincoln square neighborhood. they’re one step closer to their dream of participating in the new york national stationery show now that they have been selected as exhibitors.

clearly there are two disparate styles here, which translates into a wider net cast for new buyers at the show. i like andrea’s sense of humor and dana’s clean illustration style. and i like the color palettes in both lines.

to offset the high costs of getting there, andrea and dana are holding an old fashioned bake sale! it will be held this saturday the 15th, at the photography studio of kipling swehla, from 12 pm - 3 pm. all proceeds from the sale will help them to achieve their goals of getting their dna letterpress off to a good start - a very worthy cause indeed.

find contact info on andrea’s site and see more designs on dana’s website too!

good luck girls!

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