Present 2: voucher in an old paper sleeve with details from a Xmas card

Take stuff from around the house and wrap presents

Some festive themed junk mail from a local insurance company, an old crochet project, and a christmas card-all fair game today!

Wrapped up part 1

This year I'm trying to wrap my Xmas presents using recycled stuff from around my house. Hope the family doesn't mind!

Present 1 is the apron I made last week from up cycled fabrics. Wrapped up with recycled tissue paper - always hard to find a piece that isn't torn - and tied up with a crocheted "ribbon" using scrap wool.

Crochet newbie takes on mohair

Went to a fantastic local yarn shop and came home with the most beautiful mohair blend yarn. It is far too multicolored for me but I'm hoping to make a scarf for my mum. Have started and realized that working with this fiber is going to take a lot more concentration than my regular cheap acrylics. It is so soft!

Sewing newbie dramas

I made a skirt but still can't get the hang of sizing when making my own patterns. This one is about two full sizes too big for me.

Any advice?

Would love to make something I don't have to give away!

I made a little town

Have you ever seen one of those super cute craft projects that makes you think "hell yes, I need to make some of that cute stuff right now"?

Of course you have.

That's what happened to me when I saw these most amazing gingerbread houses by Megan over at Not Martha: http://www.notmartha.org/archives/2009/12/18/a-gingerbread-house-that-perches...

The woman is amazing. She single-handedly inspired my recent gingerbread frenzy. I won't say that there wasn't tears when I realized that we were out of eggs (this is after leaving all the ingredients locked in my office at work) and I can't say that they looked anything like Megan's. But they were delicious and I did get to serve them to a small army of appreciative gingerbread lovers.

There is something seriously strange going on with American mug sizes because even though I used Megan's pattern to cut my cookie constructables, and they didn't expand much during cooking, the houses were waaaaay to big for little old Australian mugs. No one minded.

Try it out yourself- if you dare.

How to help without getting in the way

Like a few people I know, I've got a feeling lately that I could be doing this whole "charmed life in the developed world" thing a lot better. Sure, I donate to charity and not for profits, I pick up my litter, and I try to smile at strangers, but surely there is more I could do (that's sarcasm, people!).

I am incredibly lucky. I estimate that I'm probably among the top 5% of the world's most fortunate people. I live in a country that provides me with a level of free (or close to free) medical care, clean water whenever I want it, and oh the food! I have access to food from around the world whenever I want it. From my home, I can easily walk to at least 2 grocery stores and a number of cafes and restaurants. These places never run out off food and offer meals at a price I can afford. I enjoy a general level of safety and political security. I have the right to free speech and to protest, to vote, and to work and live in a manner of my choosing (given some sensible parameters). I have an excellent post graduate education that cost me a fraction of the cost of a new car and my government gave me an interest free loan which is paid through my tax only when I am employed above a certain salary level. I have a job that I love dearly; it allows me to make small but noticeable differences in people's lives every day. It pays me enough to feel comfortable in my community without getting too cocky. Most importantly, I am surrounded by people who love and support me and we have regular opportunities to be in each other's company.

You see, I'm pretty lucky. You might be pretty lucky too- either in similar or other ways. And when I think about how lucky I am, I can't help thinking about the people who are living very different lives to me. I guess I'm feeling completely inadequate and incompetent when it comes to assisting those who need it most in the ways that will help the most.

But this is not about guilt. While guilt has been a tool of choice for some organizations, I'm not interested in guilt trips. Guilt will motivate someone to donate a few dollars for some relief from that nagging feeling. Guilt is good for creating a short term fix. Guilt will not engage the heart end the mind. Guilt will not help empower people to do what they can with what they have. In fact, guilt has the potential to make us lose hope; to think that the problem is too big, or too distant.

I'm hoping to make lasting changes in my everyday life that will make a difference to the way that my actions impact on and contribute to the lives of others. This isn't about donations, which might be forgotten or inconsistently made. This isn't about one two week trip to Africa to build a school, and I'll explain why later. This isn't about creating a new organization; there are plenty of good organizations out there, the world probably doesn't need a new one. This is about supporting and joining groups that move beyond charity, who offer long term solutions that are context sensitive.

Let the journey begin!