Cabinet of Dreams: A Virtual Charity Shop

WomensAidGifts by Grey:

This Valentine's Day, advertising agency Grey London has teamed up with national charity Women's Aid to offer shoppers something a little more interesting than the usual chocolates or flowers with some truly magical, once-in-a-lifetime gifts. The Women's Aid Cabinet of Dreams features nine extraordinary Valentine's gifts that, literally, money can't buy! Designed by Grey and displayed majestically in bell-jars in a Soho shopfront 3D installation, each gift has its own unique interpretation and illustration from one of London's top artists or collectives, including Rob Ryan, Kyle Bean, Fred Butler, The Last Tuesday Society, Nicole Mueller, Suck & Chew, Francesca Mair, Marie-Louise Jones and Charlotte Brown. Shoppers can "purchase" the gifts by texting the number next to each item, and donate an amount between £2 and £20 to Women's Aid. The purchase will then be sent via text to the recipient who will be informed of the donation and their unique present. While £10 can buy a simple bouquet, for Women's Aid it would be a valuable contribution towards providing lifesaving services, with the added extra of being a truly romantic and unique gift.

You can buy the virtual items here, and read about the designers of the objects here.





Via.

DON-8r the fundraising robot

DON-8r the fundraising robot:

DON-8r (pronounced “donator“) is a small, fund-raising robot that travels through public spaces relying upon coin donations from passers-by to keep it moving. Each donation not only helps to power DON-8r but also goes directly towards supporting a chosen charity.

Inspired by the increasingly negative attitude that many people have towards on-the-street charity workers, DON-8r raises money through encouraging playful and empathetic support from strangers and passers-by.

DON-8r has recently been wowing shoppers in Dundee, Scotland raising both money and awareness for Dundee Science Centre.

Designed to be re-branded to suit different charities, DON-8r provides a unique platform for charities to engage with members of the public in a fun and memorable manner.

The only problem is that people carry coins less and less... Via.

Business card with burnt edge (link roundup)

Kariann Burleson has a put a great collection of business cards in this Flickr gallery. Alas, they're not labeled, so I don't know who the business card with the burnt edge is for or by. Via.

And a few more links:

1. Bioshock art contest at the official site.

2. You can donate to the Red Cross and help Haiti via iTunes (a painless way to help if you have gift cards from the holidays). By comparison, Gawker explains at length why you should not donate money to Wyclef Jean's charity.

3. Creepy dolls.

*Previously: Photos of the castle in Malibu that burnt down.

*Buy Bioshock toys at eBay.

"Don't let cancer steal second base" t-shirt

Clever "Don't let cancer steal second base" breast cancer awareness t-shirt by Adam Turman, who has various posters and t-shirts on sale here (top links). Via.

*Previously: Film Threat salutes the fifty best breasts in movie history for National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

*Buy vintage pin-up collections at Amazon.

Chimera sketch

Rosemary Travale drew this Chimera for me, and here's why:

The 2009 graduating class of the BAA Illustration program at Sheridan College has recently lost the funding for their graduate print book. The students of the program have put one out every year at their graduate art show as a means to promote themselves as new illustrators coming out into the field and to commemorate their hard work and the time they spent at Sheridan. Right now they don't have enough money to print the book and it seems they will have to go with a website instead. Which I'm sure you all know just doesn't compare to having something physical to hold in your hands! So the students have launched a For The Love Of Print campaign to raise funds to make a printed book a reality. They need sufficient funding by March 20th 2009.

So here's how you can help! Anyone who makes a paypal donation of at least $2 CAN to sheridanillustrationcouncil@gmail.com
I will do a 5x 6 marker sketch for, just like the examples above and I will email you a high res file of the sketch. If you donate $10 CAN or more, then I'll mail the actual sketch to you! Once you have made your donation through paypal and have received your paypal receipt, forward it to me at travale@gmail.com, and make sure to include what you would like me to sketch for you, and your mailing address if your donation is at least $10.

You can see a few more drawings by Rosemary here, and I've also highlighted some of her work in the past. I commissioned the chimera this morning, and she emailed me the sketch a few hours later. Finally, Paypal will do the currency conversion for you.

*Previously: Colorful chimera by Miss Monster.

*Buy chimera toys at eBay.

823KEYPROJECT

The plan is to sell 823 vintage skeleton key/necklaces and then use the proceeds to fund an artist. And then start selling another 823 and so on until 26 artists have received grants. You can buy a key here. Or go here to find out how to apply for a grant.

*Previously: Mustache key rack.

*Buy skeleton keys at eBay.

Creepy Japanese ad for Bioshock

Creepy Japanese ad for Bioshock. Via.

1. From a few years back, but news to me, photo of a python that tried to eat an alligator - - the alligator burst out its side.

2. That didn't take long, here's the first scandal involving UCLA's Rick Neuheisel.

3. Funny comic strip about buying music at iTunes (strong language and adult themes).

4. NBA charities are just an venue for hangers on to line their pockets: "only about 44 cents of every dollar raised - or $14 million of that $31 million - actually reached needy causes . . . well below the 65 cents most philanthropic watchdog groups view as acceptable."

*Previously: Bioshock 2 teaser.

*Buy Big Daddy figures at eBay.

Nesting Dolls (link roundup)

Nesting Dolls by Willard.

And a few more links:

1. Mom insists daughters, age 23 and 18, continue to have annual photo taken with mall santa (photo link). Via.

2. Worst reporting of the year awards. Including David Wright, who said on Nightline, "Today, the audacity of hope had its rendezvous with destiny....Obama is now an adopted son of Camelot. His candidacy blessed not just by the Lion of the Senate, patriarch of the clan, but by JFK’s daughter." Via.

3. Another study indicates sellers are better off selling the most popular stuff, rather than subscribing to the long tail theory. Via.

4. Charity recommendations.

*Previously: Nesting dolls made for Vogue.

*Buy nesting dolls at eBay.

Thunder God converse sneakers

These Converse sneakers are designed by Dustin Amery Hostetler for Converse (Product) Red and called "100 Bolts." You can buy a pair at the Converse store for $50 and part of the purchase price will go toward fighting AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. I can't link directly to the shoes (stupid flash website), but just look for SKU # 106114F. Via.

*Previously: Thor costume.

*Buy Agents of Change: The Story of DC Shoes and Its Athletes at Amazon.

US Navy teaming up with Operation Smile to help kids with cleft palates in Nicaragua

Operation Smile's mission is to provide plastic surgery to kids born with cleft palates. Kids in Nicaragua need the treatment, but are in villages too remote for the Operation Smile doctors to reach. So, the USS Kearsarge is carrying Operation Smile medical personnel to Nicaragua to help kids. You can read about it here.

NY Giants fan journeys to to find a Patriots 19-0 shirt

As soon as a championship is won, the players put on commemorative hats and the team starts selling championship merchandise. In order to have that merchandise on hand, both teams must make it in advance, which means a whole bunch of merchandise for the losing team very quickly becomes worthless. The clothing is shipped off to the impoverished of the Third World.

Of course, something like a "Patriots 19-0" t-shirt isn't worthless at all to a NY Giants fan. Aaron Kaplowitz journeyed to a remote village in Nicaragua, and managed to buy some merchandise from incredulous inhabitants. Here's the story, which I expect to be turned into a movie ASAP. Via. (Image via.)

There's actually some Patriots 19-0 merchandise on sale at eBay.

Read the new postcard stories written by J.K. Rowling, Neil Gaiman and others for charity

You can read the stories at this irritating flash-based site for Waterstone's. Via.

*Buy Harry Potter posters at eBay.

Read the new postcard stories written by J.K. Rowling, Neil Gaiman and others for charity

You can read the stories at this irritating flash-based site for Waterstone's. Via.

*Buy Harry Potter posters at eBay.

Long essay on why the One Laptop Per Child project failed

Beware projects that aren't based on capitalist principles. Link. Via.

Neat animated ad for Christian Aid Week

Timely in light of the recent natural disasters



More info here and here.

Lockpicking Hamster

I've previously mentioned the upcoming benefit Dungeons & Dragons (With Girls!). As part of the benefit, you can donate money to buy your favorite adventurer special items. For example:

$15 Lockpicking Hamster

Cute and cuddly, hamsters have always made great companions and pets. And now you can buy one that's already been trained to pick nearly any lock you may stumble across! Unfortunately, they haven't been trained to detect traps, so please use with caution.
Hamsters can fit into even the smallest of gaps!

Click here to see the full item list.

One Laptop Per Child laptops already suffering from unfixable stuck keys

Link. Via.

Adorable Animal Icons

Part of a project to raise money to protect endangered species. Link. Via ToysREvil, which shows off a papercraft Polar Bear that'll be available for sale.

Johnny Deppy recently visited a children's hospital dressed as Jack Sparrow

Link. Via.