RhianCaroline

operation christmas child

It may feel a bit early for Christmas for some, but this project has a deadline. Operation Christmas Child means filling one empty shoebox full of gifts and educational supplies for one child in a third world country to recieve. You have to drop off your shoebox between the 1st and 15th of November, at one of the many designated spots around the country. Or if you are American, here is your site.

I am very aware there are complaints about Operation Christmas Child, and Samaritan's Purse who it is run by. It would seem it isn't made clear that this is an evangelical Christian company, who include evangelical Christian pamphlets in up to 95% of the boxes.

I understand the argument, should humantarian aid and evangelism go hand in hand? Does it cause confusion? Maybe. Maybe not. My concerns would be more along the lines of, 'what version of christianity is being sold to people in desperate need of humanitarian aid?' I understand non-religious people feeling lied to when they realise they are aiding in a christian movement, also.

But I have thought about this. Having missed the deadline for the Link Romania shoe box appeal, this is the only other one I can find. And if I have to weigh up a whole shoe box full of fun and necessary items for a child who would love to recieve them, against a pamphlet of Bible Stories. The shoe box has to win out for me.

I'm linking this up in case any of you want to fill a shoe box (or two!) up with goodies, for a child who will appreciate it ten times more than the new pair of socks you buy your dad, or the piece of jewellery you purchase for your friend.

*EDIT* Sarah linked up Blythswood in the comments, who also run a shoe box appeal. They give boxes to not only children, but teenagers, and adults. (Please note, they don't seem to have a drop off location in Wales, for any Welshies out there!) Thank you for the info, Sarah!

and the winner is

SO. The random generator was actually The Geekboy, who was told to choose a number between 1 and 10. He picked 4. And then decided to attempt a photo in which it looked like bloom has artfully painted the number 4.
What more can I say?

JAMIE HABERMAAS come on down. Please email kimmiebandrhirhi@gmail.com so we can send you the class details :)

Maybe I'll have an official 'here's what i'm demanding out of 26' post later. For now, I'll leave with this, my chosen song of my 27th year.

One hand in the air for the big city,
Street lights, big dreams all looking pretty,
no place in the World that can compare,
Put your lighters in the air, everybody say yeaaahh
come on, come,
yeah.

moleskin scribbling

 

i feel like i am working on a thousand things at once at the moment.
and my journals are full of thousands more i want to start. it is getting dangerously close to me not doing any of them because i just can't focus.

my focus is not the greatest right now anyhoo.
my brother found out last week that his cancer had spread to his lymph nodes. he started on a 9 week course of chemotherapy this week, so my head has not been entirely with it.
it must be weird, to know your body is infected with something, and for the only thing that will get rid of that will actually make you feel worse than you already do.

the days have been grey and wet. but today, today the light is bright. there is sun bursting through the clouds. and bon iver playing on my computer.

back to it :)

hello typepad

it has been a long while. i have neglected you harshly, but i think the time was needed.

the brother's surgery went well, there is no cancer in any of his main organs that they can see, and he is just waiting on some more CT results to clear his stomach too.

i am on holiday in London for the week. with the geekboy, and the brother of course. it is gloriously hot, i finally want to take photos again, and have all kinda of creations bubbling away in my mind.

because of my adulterous love affair with tumblr, i have decided this blog will be, in general, dedicated to whatever i create, am creating, am thinking about journaling etc. all creative persuits basically. that is not to say i won't feel the urge to make a random anti-coke rant now and then ;)
i will post regular updates of what i have been making. i have some new commitments coming up, including designing for sasha's fun new blog, and this will be the place the images end up. you can sign up and add me on the ning!

please please. if anyone has any ideas for some collaborative art projects, i love playing with other people :)

here is a shot of brick lane. it's really not a very nice place, but it's kinda photogenic.

well, shiiiite

so. tuesday took a turn for the worse.
my brother was diagnosed with testicular cancer. he goes for surgery next monday, and they will be able to tell from there if it has spread at all.
testicular cancer has a 95% survival rate. he will go on to live a healthy life, and still be able to make mini rhys's.
but cancer is cancer. and after what we have lived through as a family, we understand better than most that anything is possible, and anything can happen.

my brother is making jokes about how he was supposed to of been having his RAF medical but instead got cancer, and how he will soon have balls of steel. as is his dry humour way.
my dad is numb.
i personally am feeling pretty detatched right now. i have lost one brother. i am unable to contemplate losing another.
my mother is not detatched. her PTSD complicates most things, but most definitely these kind of things.

i may be a bit quiet around here. i'm travelling home on saturday, to stay for at least the week.
the freebie workshops definitely won't be going up this month, and i may get even further behind on my emails.
but i think you will all understand.

xoxo

july info

i have my new computer, hurrah.
but i will be blogging very little over the next month. i have wedding stuff to finish, places to go, things to pass. blahblahblah.

i've recieved a few emails asking about the workshops. the first of my free workshops will be going up july 17th. it's one i've actually put together for the annual summer camp i help lead at, and will be 'teaching' that following week. i thought i might as well share it with all of internetland. hopefully then the second one, Linear, will be available towards the end of august.

myself and kim (who gets no linkage because her website isn't up yet) are actually planning a class for the end of september also. entitled Mirror Mirror On The Page, it's going to encompass what both of us do best. this will be a proper full class, which will be available to purchase via etsy. but that is all i can say about that at the moment.

issue 2 of barefoot is being put together always. a zine is one of those things i will never be able to give a date too. one day i might just decide to do it and it will be ready that day, or, as the case is usually, i will wait weeks and weeks to finally get ideas and motivation. there will definitely be another issue this year though.

okay. it's tuesday. let's go.

drive by

blogging is hard when your computer has gone to the great games store in the sky. i will be back soon-as the boy makes me a new desktop. which will be able to handle photoshop, sims 3, illustrator and the internet, all at the same time.
if i so choose.

i will also be back with a couple of [free] mini workshops precariously titled A Glimpse and Linear. Please email me at rhirhilove @ gmail . com if you think you would prefer these set up on a separate blog, or if you just want to be able to download the .pdf's with no workshop structure.

there are a few more zines up in the etsy store too. in case you went looking and they were gone. i hadn't realised they had sold out.

much love, bitches.

xoxo

hi-ho hi-ho

it's off to london i go. hurrah.

i'm away untill monday, playing in london with my brother, and brighton with frost. any etsy orders will be dealt with as soon as i return :)

Now i should really pack, oy.

update

I just need to let you all know, the paypal buttons on the side stopped working so I had to remove them.

All sales will be through etsy now, it seems! If they they run out, more will be stocked tomorrow.

Don't worry, for those of you that already paid through the paypal button earlier today, it worked. Your zine will be shipped out tomorrow :)

Thank you thankyou to everyone who has purchased one so far. It makes me happy and crazy scared at the same time.

issue one

 

 

 

 

 

 

Barefoot Wondering is a zine. A collection of sketches, journal pages, art journal pages, poems, facts, things that influence and inspire me, or things that should influence and inspire me.

It's a look at femaleness, and what that means for me.

In future issues there will guest articles, (female) artist spotlights, issues that I believe are important, or that should hold more importance in my life.

Basically, its a figuring it out. A little glimpse into my mind.

And it will be available May 13th, for $5. ($1 inland postage (UK) $1.50 international postage.)

You can mostly ignore this, its for future linkage :)