Happy and Productive?

Do you want to be happy and productive all the time and get to make a difference thus making this workd a better place? Then this is for you - Margie Burke's Sew Along - Pillowcases for Oncology Kids which starts today. 

Come and join Margie make pillowcases on her latest charity sew-along. For more details - please click on the link below -

http://nannynotes2u.blogspot.com.au/2013/10/sew-along-pillowcases-for-oncology-kids.html

Thanks everyone and I hope you all have fun making pillowcases.

Feedback from Cambodia Distribution

In early August I provided some dresses to the Free to Shine Charity Organization for the children they take care of in Cambodia. Please see below some of the dresses worn by some of the lucky kiddies -

I recognized dresses from Wendy Yates, Ladies of Kapunda S.A., Louise Wright, t-shirts from heyboom and Betty Barrett. Thank you Free to Shine!

If you want to know more about the works of Free to Shine, please click here or visit their facebook page here.

If you want to know more about Dress A Girl (Around the World) Australia, please send an email to dressagirlaustralia@gmail.com

Christmas Wish for a village in need

The planning geek is in action again. Are you about to whip up your Christmas list? If you have started or you are in the middle of one or are just about to start, are you contemplating on including "making a difference" on your list this year? Perhaps give a "micro mini" percentage of your Christmas money to a charity of your choice? Or better still help transform a village in need and provide hope through safe water?

Dress A Girl (Around the World) Australia has requested Water-4-Kids International to be connected to a village, to  a village somewhere out there, somewhere in this world that has been waiting for life and hope and hopefully through your kindness and generosity this coming Christmas and days to come their needs would be granted. 

Please give it a thought and by the time you have made up your mind that you indeed want to make a difference, make 2013 a year of living making a difference perhaps the village we will be helping will be available and a fundraising site will be up and running for anyone who wants to help. Please help spread good cheer not only to our dear family and friends but share the holiday spirit we always have and enjoy with a village in need and celebrate Christmas in the most wonderful way possible. 

More details will be published as soon as it becomes available. In the meantime, please help spread the word around and as always thank you for your support. For any questions, please feel free to send an email to dressagirlaustralia@gmail.com. Would be happy to answer any questions you may have. Thank you.

*** A special note to avoid inconveniences, please include "talk to my accountant" if you are planning to include "making a difference" through a well in your Christmas list this year. Thank you.

Quilt #76 from Wendy Yates

Number 76 on the list and the first quilt received which was made during the Quilt-A-Long with Margie Burke from Wendy Yates. Wish I could get a picture of the whole quilt but I almost fell from a chair in my attempt to do it in one of the earlier quilts I received so am not going to attempt again. Here is an image of at least a quarter of the quilt -

Also in the parcel that I received today were 3 pairs of leggings which could be worn under the smaller sized dresses as tops. 

To Wendy, thank you so much for your thoughtfulness, kindness and generosity. You sure do make this world a better place. Thanks a whole lot!

Quilts #74 and #75 - From Susan Reid

"100 Days of Quilting" still on fire with Quilt Numbers 74 and 75 from Susan Reid of Tasmania. How lucky 2 kids will be when they get to receive these quilts which were initially meant for the Tasmanian bushfire victims but by the time Susan received them the quilt drive had more than they needed. She has been holding on to the quilts waiting for the right time and opportunity to pass them on and the "100 Days of Quilting" charity drive is now the lucky recipient of these 2 lucky quilts and here they are -

To Susan, thank you so much for the quilts. It is much appreciated. It is always nice to know that there is someone out there who is quietly applauding what Dress A Girl Australia is achieving. Makes everything I do so easy and worthwhile. Thank you so much and I look forward to hearing from you again sometime next year.

Quilts #69 to #73 - From Sandra Turnbull

Day 90 and the 5 quilts sent by Sandra early this week has arrived.  That is 5 more kids to be kept warm, feel comfort and joy during their winter season in Romania. Here is Sandra with the 5 quilts she has made and donated to the "100 Days of Quilting" charity drive.

Thank you so much Sandra for your kindness and generosity. Thank you for the time and effort you spent making these quilts to make this world a better place. It is so much appreciated. Thank you.

Dresses for Nepal by Siobhan and Anna

This is Dress Distribution #42 for the children of Nepal through the kindness and generosity of Siobhan Leyne and Anna Dacre. Between the two of them they have sewn 37 dresses and these dresses are currently travelling to the Sunrise Children's Association in Nepal to be distributed to 3-15 year old girls in the orphanage sponsored by the association. 

These dresses were handcarried by a group from Canberra who volunteered to renovate a school this month of October in Southern Nepal. Their contact in the group is happy to make a delivery in Jiri where they were going to do their volunteer work. 

Well done Siobhan and Anna. Thank you so much! And thank you to the volunteers who handcarried the dresses. So much appreciated. 

Breaking the rule for the children of South Africa

Whoever makes the rules in my case (yes) have the right to break the rules for a very worthy cause. Am breaking the 2-week-old rule I made on the 'no more allocations' for new dress distributions this year. I need to re-start packing dresses and shorts for the Morning Star Foundation in South Africa. They have a day care facility for underprivileged children who are infected with HIV/AIDS. (The founder was actually here in Australia for 3 weeks and didnt know about it. I could have driven to Newcastle to get a chance to meet her). 

Anyway, am also about to commit to their clothing sponsorship program. Instead of sponsoring financially I get to sponsor with dresses and shorts. How cool and unique is that! More details will be made available very soon. Am on the initial stage of planning on how best to send these clothes twice a year at the lowest postage cost I could get. Good Luck to me!

More than a Mile #3 - A dozen pairs from Jenny and Joan

Still from work colleagues Jenny and Joan are these very colourful twelve pairs of thongs. Another twelve lucky kids who will be enjoying hopping, running, jumping and even walking with their new pairs of thongs.

To Jenny and Joan, thank you so much. Thank you for helping make a difference to the lives of these kids with one pair of thongs at a time. Much appreciated, ladies.

If you are wondering why am collecting pairs of thongs and needs more information, please feel free to send me an email at dressagirlaustralia@gmail.com. Make it a very colourful Christmas for the children of Wilcannia NSW.

More than a Mile #2 - 7 pairs from Jo and Yetman

Day 1 of the 'More than a Mile' with thongs christmas charity drive and I received 7 pairs of thongs from work colleagues Jo and Yetman - 

Thank you ladies for supporting this special christmas charity drive for the children of Wilcannia NSW. Thank you for helping 7 kids enjoy hopping, jumping, walking and running around without having to endure the heat from the ground. It is very much appreciated.

Donation Acknowledgement FY13/09 #140 - Goodies from Julie Bolton and Gawler Community

The last parcel received for the month of September and number 140 on the list. A parcel of 48 dresses from JulieAnn Bolton and a few members from the Gawler S.A. Community.

Two dresses have been made from a fabric donation made by the Allmake Sewing Centre of Goodwood Road, Adelaide. Through the help of Joan Hayden, Lyn Williams and Lia Wilds 9 pairs of shorts were made. A few of the dresses were also sewn by Cheryl Schwartz and Joan Hayden and the rest of the dresses by Julie.

To Julie and the ladies of Gawler S.A., thank you so much for your support. Thank you for the time and effort you spend making these dresses and to the Allmake Sewing Centre for the fabric donations. Thank you ladies.

No Used Clothing please!

In reply to an enquiry I received, I do not accept used clothing. Some locations when they find out that the clothes being sent are used, they charge very high customs duties. Some locations require used clothing to be sprayed before being sent and this involves charges that I will have to pay for these dresses to be sprayed and honestly I have no budget to allocate to pay for these additional charges. There are other charities that accept used clothing so please dont waste your money paying for postage to send these clothes to me. So please no used clothing. Thank you.

Parcel Reminders

Hi everyone! I keep on forgetting to mention this but it is very important with the number of boxes I picked up at the postoffice. If anyone is sending me a parcel or bag that weighs more than 5 kilos, can you please ask the person who processes your item to put a "heavy" sticker on the parcel or bag? AusPost does have this sticker in orange color I think. This will give me an idea that the box or bag is heavy and thus avoid injuries. I think this is not too much to ask and wont cost a cent to ask the person behind the counter. Thank you.

Donation Acknowledgement FY13/09 #139 - 14 dresses and goodies from Maureen O'Brien

One of the last 2 parcels for the month of September is from Maureen O'Brien. Number 139 on the list for 14 dresses and cute goodies she donated to sell. Here are the 14 dresses -

and here are the very cute goodies she has donated for me to sell to raise funds for postage.

Thank you so much Mo for your kindness and generosity. Thank you for your unwavering support of Dress  A Girl Australia's campaign to make this world a better place. Thank you. It is so much appreciated.

About Wilcannia

Here is knowing a little about Wilcannia in NSW.  I never looked back since I got connected to this small community but looking forward always on how i can make a difference to the lives of the kiddies in this community.

Wilcannia is a small town located within the Central Darling Shire in northwestern New South Wales. This was the third largest inland port in the country during the great river boat era of the mid-19^thcentury. From the 2011 Census, Wilcannia had a population of 604 with 466 (77%) people being of Aboriginal descent. Wilcannia has 211 private dwellings.

 

The name Wilcannia is said to be derived from an Aboriginal term for either 'gap in the bank where floodwaters escape' or 'wild dog'. Neither meaning has been linguistically verified.

 

Wilcannia is located where the Barrier Highway crosses the Darling River, 965 kilometres(600 miles) from Sydney.

 

Wilcannia has a semi-arid climate with hot summers and cool winters. Mean maximum daily temperature in summer is  34°C and in winter is 19°C. The highest temperature recorded in Wilcannia was was 50.0 °C (122.0 °F) on 11 January 1939. This was during the severe heatwave of January 1939.

More than a Mile #1 - The heat is on...Countdown of "More than a mile with Thongs" starts today

The heat is on ! Always one step ahead and knowing today was going to be a warm day to go out for lunch, I brought a sandwich instead and saved my $10 and on my way home I stopped by a dollar shop that was still open and bought these 3 pairs of thongs. 

So the countdown has started a day early. 3 thongs down .... 97 to go! 

For more information, please send an email to dressagirlaustralia@gmail.com.

Christmas Charity Drive #1 - The heat is on - "More than a mile with thongs"

Spreading a very positive spirit about Christmas this year 2013 with Dress A Girl Australia's Christmas Charity Drive #1 - "More than a mile with thongs" and I hope a lot of you would catch the spirit.

When temperature is starting to reach 30, the heat is on. And the heat to wear thongs when you are walking….hopping….jumping and/or running around... is on!

100 thongs will make the children of Wilcannia enjoy more walking, more hopping, more jumping and more running around for more than a mile . The best and most appropriate gift to give to 100 of those children most especially when the heat is on. Starting today, thongs in any size between 5 and 14 until the 10th of November 2013.

If you have not started yet, make 2013 the year of living making a difference. Spread good cheer and the holiday spirit not only to your family and friends but to the whole world and celebrate Christmas in the most wonderful way possible.

For any thongs donation, please send them to 

Dress A Girl Australia
P.O. Box 240
Casula Mall Casula
NSW 2170

Start Date : 1-Oct-2013
End Date : 10-Nov-2013

That is 40 'heat' days for everyone to help raise 100 thongs for the children of Wilcannia NSW.

For more details, please send an email to dressagirlaustralia@gmail.com. 

Thanks a whole lot everyone!

"With my own two hands"

I was listening to Ben Harper songs last night and I thought the song "With my own two hands" is a perfect description of everyone making dresses for "Dress A Girl Around the World"

♪♫ I can change the world ♫ With my own two hands ♪♫ Make a better place ♫ With my own two hands ♪♫ Make a kinder place ♫
Oh- with my ♪♫ Oh- with my own two hands ♪ With my own ♪ Oh- with my own two hands ♪♫ With my own ♪♫ With my own two hands ♪♫I'm gonna make it a brighter place ♪♫(with my own)
♪♫I'm gonna make it a safer place♪♫(with my own) ♪♫I'm gonna help the human race♪♫(with my own) ♪♫ ♪♫(with my own two hands)♪♫