There is a beautiful, vibrant woman in Columbus who was innocently caught in gang crossfire, and there is a call city-wide for prayers, support, encouragement, and donations for her, her family, friends, and loved ones.

Photo credit to Alix's friend, Ed Luna

In journalism I learned to write using the inverted pyramid method, reporting the most critical information first, followed by useful, helpful information. If you read nothing else beyond the opening sentence, at least you know that much, and my hope is that it helps spread the word for prayer requests from her family. The rest is about what happened and the graciousness of people in Columbus, and a little about my attempt to help.

Two weeks ago, a girl named Alix Reese was driving a friend home at night, when she happened to drive through two groups of young men shooting. Her car was hit several times, and Alix was struck through her neck by a bullet. She was taken to the hospital in critical condition and is currently paralyzed from the shoulders down. Alix has stabilized at the hospital but is still weak and in need of many surgeries.

Alix as Neil Gaiman's 'Death' on Halloween, 2009. Photo by Ed Luna. (LOVE me some NG)

In a poster-child-worthy display of the power and purpose of online networking, Alix’s family and friends have been doing all in their power to ask for prayers, support and donations to help with medical costs. Local bars have hosted concerts and karaoke events which have raised over $3000 in support. The Facebook prayer page has over 1600 friends. Websites for running updates have been set up, Crime Stoppers is offering a reward for information regarding the shooting, friends are donating items to help raise money. Could there be any greater example of the potential we as humans have for community, and the internet as a tool for communication

Columbus isn’t always as safe as we’d like it to be, but it is a strong close-knit community. This has been and continues to be illustrated in the overwhelmingly kindness of both friends and strangers alike.
Donewaiting.com

I don’t know Alix. I don’t need to know Alix. I live in this city, I know some of her friends, I have read how much life and light she brought to the people and places around her. As one person posted on the Facebook Prayers page wrote:

I don’t know you personally either, and your story is very touching and heart breaking. I believe in the power of positive intent and prayer from the masses; and you are in my best thoughts from here on out. Sending much love to a fellow human being…

This is why I love this city. This is why I believe in humanity.

One (of the very few) constant features I bring to my blog, first as Jannypie and now on Indiefinable, is what I call “Community Love.” It is my small way of using my voice to support people and places that I consider shining stars worth knowing. It is my contribution to my community, not just geographically but also online communities of artists, designers, writers, pet lovers, and local communities of women and entrepreneurs. The story of Alix and the support from the Columbus community is perhaps the ultimate example of why I do this.

Cbus Grunge print 16x20" professional quality print with canvas finish, dry mounted on 4x weight matting

Another focus of mine is Columbus as a place where I am proud to live, and the source of many of my designs. I create Columbus and Ohio prints because I f’n love this place. When I hear out-of-staters complain about their cities, or remark on the quality of people around them, I am reminded of times just like this, when Ohioans pull together, and promote one another. No, our city isn’t perfect. But it’s pretty darn good, and I’m proud of it.

There is another local fundraising event tomorrow night (Tuesday, June 8th), and I have offered to donate one of my Cbus Grunge prints to help raise more support. Donating the print is will hopefully help this cause, so having this at the end of the article might seem like it didn’t follow the inverted order of importance, but whatever the amount my print is able to raise (which I hope is high, for the sake of the family), *I* think the bigger take-homes are the value of community support going on here in Columbus, the strength of friends and family overshadowing the threat of violence, and sharing the story of a woman who is obviously loved and admired.

Please take a moment to share this post to spread the word, and hopefully raise donations and buyers for pieces donated. Each one of us has a chance to be a link in a chain of support, and the more links we make, the wider we can reach. And, thank you, Columbus, for being a city in which we can take pride.

Links for more information about Alix:

http://prayersforalix.com/

http://www.donewaiting.com/2010/06/04/alix-reese-benefit-shows-in-columbus/

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/alix_reese/journal/1

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/group.php?gid=125869317438174&ref=ts

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/event.php?eid=126982663987045&ref=ts

Last weekend, Etsy Team Columbus hosted the 2nd annual Eco-Chic Craftacular in Columbus. The purpose of the show is to focus on environmentally-friendly approaches to our creations, feature crafts that promote green living, and bring awareness to the importance of community support.

As a core member of ETC, I had the pleasure to re-design the website this year. I also had a booth, and used the opportunity to finally pull it all together and show the designs I’ve created in the way that I wanted them brought into life.

I had a fantastic weekend and a great show, with constant positive feedback and prints that were flying off of my table! It was such a rewarding experience. And completely different from the same show last year, where I felt anxious and even a bit embarassed about my creations. This time there was much less of that- because I’ve grown personally, and also because these are such a reflection of who I am and I was able to bring them out of my head and have them fully formed. I didn’t need the pressure to talk to customers or share bits about my talents and all those things the craft blogs tell you to do to sell. I just made them, and loved them, and they went.

A few show highlights:

Overall, I gave myself a pat on the back for having my best show yet, and putting it together in about 3 weeks while going through a divorce, working full time, changing careers, enrolling in classes, and all the various tasks that take up time in life. Not complaining or bragging, just simply proud of myself for this moment.

Here is an easy way to combine cleaning and crafting. While filling out my 2010 calendar last week, I was reminded how bad I am at sending cards for birthdays and special events. I recalled my stash of store bought “blank cards” that I keep to send, but just felt uninspired by them. Then I had an idea, and took my old unused greeting cards, and remade them into fun, unique ones (that I hopefully will remember to send?) It was a great way to reuse cards I already had, use up some extra scrapbooking materials, and stay organized for the year. I’ve paper clipped them inside each month in my calendar, so I can just fill them out and send!

I made this strapless clutch as a custom order for someone, and I changed my usual Pie Purse design a bit. I am really in love with all of the ruffled creations that are so popular right now, and wanted to add that touch of femininity into the purse. I ruffled the top and bottom of the blue inset, and it is still pleated on the sides so that the fabric tucks in, making the ruffles come out of the front just like I wanted. It is super cute.

I also added a zipper closure along the top instead of magnetic snaps, and it actually turned out making everything easier and went more quickly. And it is a bit more secure for keeping all of your things inside.

The fabric is heavier, Fresh Start by Amy Butler which is a home decor weight, but it is still eco-friendly, because I purchased the fabric as someone’s scraps on Etsy.com, making use of what would be waste and supporting another artist at the same time.

It turned out to be one of my favorites!

This was made as a custom request from a Twitter friend

I made this with an acrylic paint base, paper, sanding, ink, transfers, and then I painted watercolors over the whole thing.

The dragonfly has layered wings of paper for dimension and movement, and a jeweled body.