Supporting those in need in Japan

Supporting those in need in Japan

The devastating March 11^th earthquake and following tsunami in Japan have created a tragedy of unimaginable proportions. The north-east coast of Japan’s main island Honshu suffered the full impact of Friday’s tsunami.  Reports from Japan say upward of half a million people have lost their homes in the disaster and it is feared that tens of thousands could have lost their lives.

Japan is the birthplace for the silver metal clay that I use extensively in my jewelry and is home to two of the largest manufactures of metal clay in the world.   Metal clay  artists and organizations around the world have been looking at ways that we might help those who have lost so much and it is our hope to provide some small measure of hope to the disaster relief program. 

I have been a member of the Metal Clay Gallery Group on Yahoo for years.  We are one of the largest online groups of international metal clay artists anywhere.  Our members are some of the most caring and giving people I know. Through this group we have chosen SHELTERBOX.ORG to pool our contributions on behalf of the global metal clay community.

What is SHELTERBOX.ORG? They are a highly respected international disaster relief charity based in Cornwall, UK. They deliver emergency shelter, warmth and dignity to people affected by disaster worldwide.  Its approach to disaster relief is to "deliver the essentials a family needs to survive in the immediate aftermath of a disaster."  SHELTERBOX provides the essential resources necessary for daily living and are tailored to the relief needs of a particular disaster.  Boxes typically contain: a disaster relief tent for extended family, blankets, water storage, purification equipment, cooking utensils, stove, basic tool kit and many other vital items.  These boxes give hope to those in desperate need. 

There are many organizations around the world that are providing help, SHELTERBOX is just one way that you can help  those in Japan who have lost so much - in many cases, everything - as a result of this horrific disaster.

To learn more about SHELTERBOX and the wonderful work they do and how they are helping those in Japan, please check out their website at: http://www.shelterboxusa.org

Sometimes it’s really about the shoes!

I love these shoes! 

I was in Chicago a couple of weeks ago and I found these fantastic red shoes as I wondered through the old Marshall Field Store that is now owned by Macy’s.  

I love high heels, can't wear them anymore but I was still drawn to them like a magnet.   Ken thought I was nuts I’m sure, but I just had to hold them and take pictures of them. They took me back in time to the Wizard of Oz of course. 

 As a child I sat motionless through the movie.  Year after year I was mesmerized by Dorothy and her wild adventure but if truth be told, it was my love for those sparkling ruby red slippers of hers.  Watching Dorothy click her heels three times and repeating “There’s no place like home” over and over had me dreaming about those magical slippers that held mysterious powers, oh, the things I could do  if I only I owned those shoes!

 

Those ruby red slippers are now among some of the most treasured and valuable of film memorabilia these days.  Several pairs were made for the original movie, no one knows exactly how many pairs were made but at least 5 pairs have survived.  Of those 5, one pair was stolen in 2005 but has not been recovered to date.  No, I don’t have the 5^th pair hidden in my closet somewhere!

I couldn’t help but think that the shoe’s I found at Macy’s should be called, “Dorothy’s Got New Shoes” 

 

Being the creative spirit that I am, I started to play with the photos I took right after I got home.  

I made several kaleidoscopes from the pictures I took that day.  These three are my favorite and I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

                                                                      

 I can't make up my mind which one I like the best !