Have Yourself a...

Hey Kids, wishing you and your's a warm, safe, and very Merry Christmas! Thanks for helping to make this year of 2009 such a wonderful one at the Bedlam with all your kindess, patience, and support!

Merry Christmas & a Happy Little Ole New Year!

"Yo, Homies!"

Kids, if there is one thing that we both share in common and that brought us closer together in 2009 it's the extreme love of, well, ME!  (Okay, it probably had more to do with cupcakes, or design, or fashion... but I digress!)

So, Miss Tula, of fabtastic Whorange fame, tipped me off that Apartment Therapy's 2009 Homies nominations were underway and that I had gotten a few votes placed in my direction! (I know! You're all, "Why don't they just give Uncle Beefy the top honors already?!! DUH!" But there are processes in life, Kids. And we want everyone to have a "fair" shot, don't we?  Now where to put that trophy?  Ooh!  Sorry, where was I?) Anywhoozles!  Would I love ya' if you stuffed a vote or 50 in my ballot box?  I bet I could muster up some human feelings of warmth and affection, sure!  Why not?!!

So why don'tcha head on over and do us both a favor?  Huh?  Time's running short (deadline is the 29th)!  You'd really help make my year if ya' did!  Or, if you're too busy to show me just a small token of your affection, then we'll just chalk things up and accept the dismal beginnings of my 2010.  You just do what you feel is best, Kids.  I understand.  [Uncle Beefy sighs and looks forlornly off into the distance. One tear streams slowly down his unbelievably handsome cheek.]

"J'Adore... -able!": Laurent Desgrange

 (Bow Tie tutorial right here, Kids, thanks to FatScribe --> HERE!)

Oh L'Amor

Guest Bloggers: T.Ruffles, Mary & Karey

mary ruffle and i have a beef with the uncle. because no matter how we've begged or bribed or stalked, he simply refuses to show his face.

well. the t.ruffle girls are persistent. plus creative. perhaps a bit obsessive. so we've compiled a list of clues in the hopes that someone somewhere somehow can give us what we want. let's get to it. with all due apologies to waldo...where's beefy?

here's what we know.

that's all we've got today. send us your reports and any data you may have already compiled. we'll continue to work tirelessly in our never-ending quest for our favorite uncle's mugshot. and when we're not on the hunt, you can find mary at it's pretty good and mary ruffle. you may visit me at mackin ink. and you can pop in on both of us at the sweeterie. or our t.ruffles shoppe. catch you later, fellow sleuths! xoxo.

{image credits, top to bottom: brera watch at vivre; om hand hook by harry allen; scarf by apolis activism; ruben brulat; macdonald and joseph; isolaivan; craig fraser; paper or plastic; digby & iona; shapeways via city of skies; gaku otomo}

ps - Hey, Kids.  It's your Uncle here.  Let's be quite clear that no monies were exchanged for this post!  And from this point on you can just [insert blushing here]!  Thanks, Ladies!  Y'all are much too much! :)

Bloggers Taking Action: Pencils of Promise

Good morning, Kids.  Today I'm joining forces with an army of fellow bloggers to help raise awareness and, yes, money for the non-profit organization Pencils of Promise.  Contacted by Paloma of La Dolce Vita, she invited me to be a part of this wonderful effort for the girls of Champet, a village in Laos that is home to the only high school in the area for surrounding villages.  In order to attend this high school, the students must leave their families and homes to live in dormitories. However these dormitories are worlds away from what comes to mind when we think of Western boarding schools. These girls are moving into and living in these unsafe dormitories which consist of nothing more than makeshift bamboo huts just to get an education. It's heartbreaking but enormously courageous at the same time and reminds us all just how invaluable an education can be.

The goal for Bloggers Taking Action today: To build safe, legitimate housing for the female children of Laos in order for them to have the opportunity to further their education.  Currently, some parents are unwilling to send their kids to school because of how unsafe the bamboo dormitory huts are.  The dormitory which Pencils of Promise hopes to build will accommodate about 200 Laotian girls.

In the spirit of the holiday season, we are asking for your help today on behalf of these children. Just think of the enormous impact we could have if each person who reads this post donates just $1.00. If you are able and willing to give more ($35 buys shelves for a classroom, $50 provides pencils for one year, $100 provides a teacher’s salary for three months and so on), it would be greatly appreciated. We are in the midst of the giving season and hope that you will find it in your heart to make a donation to this worthy cause today. Remember, every little bit helps!

Thanks for your time, Kids, and for anything you may be able to do to help. 

If you would like to stay informed about the difference Pencils of Promise is making, be sure to become a fan on their Facebook page.

Images by photographer Nick Onken,who generously donated his time and talent by traveling to Laos with the PoP team to capture their progress on film.

Word.

Found via 37 Days via typcut.com.

Fairest One of All