The second item (of five) for today’s Nie Nie Day silent auction is your choice of two lovely handmade silk bags from Claire V.:

Choice Number 1

These bags typically retail for $67-87 in stores. All Claire V. bags are handmade by women in Cambodia who are paid a fair wage and given comfortable working conditions. These women would otherwise be working in sweatshops (or worse). Many of the bags are crafted in training centers for landmine victims in Cambodia. A portion of the company’s proceeds are donated to education and health initiatives for women and children in Southeast Asia.

The two bags featured in this auction are donated by ME. I sell them – so if you are ever interested in buying one that you see on their website – contact me first (I charge less – and depending on your order size, I pay for your shipping).

Please place your bid in the comments section along with an e-mail address or phone number where you can be reached.

The auction will be closed at 10 p.m. EST on Monday, September 1, and the winners will be announced the following morning. Winners will make their payments to a PayPal account for the Stephanie Nielson Fund.

Don’t forget to check out the other items that I am auctioning off (there are five posts in all) and visit www.designmom.com and www.allmediocre.com for lists of other participating websites.

The first item (of five) for today’s Nie Nie Day silent auction is your choice of three beautiful pendant necklaces (I have one in pink quartz and I LOVE IT – I can inquire about the availability of other colors if you would like):

Choice Number 1

Lavender Colored Light Amethyst drop with Light Amethyst Swarovski Crystals on a Sterling Silver Chain with Sterling Silver Clasp

Choice Number 2

These pendants typically retail for $50 in stores. They were designed and donated by Christy Wood Jewelry Design. Christy currently has only a few items listed in her online shop (she is in the middle of setting up a new one), but she can do custom work as well as send photos of current designs based on your preferences. She can be contacted via e-mail at christy.wood@netzero.com.

Please place your bid in the comments section along with an e-mail address or phone number where you can be reached.

The auction will be closed at 10 p.m. EST on Monday, September 1, and the winners will be announced the following morning. Winners will make their payments to a PayPal account for the Stephanie Nielson Fund.

Don’t forget to check out the other items that I am auctioning off (there are four posts in all) and visit www.designmom.com and www.allmediocre.com for lists of other participating websites.

Many of you may have heard about the terrible plane crash in which Stephanie (of the blog The Nie Nie Dialogues) and Christian Nielson were severely injured. Two weeks later, they remain in critical condition at Maricopa Burn Center. Christian’s burns cover 30% of his body and Stephanie’s cover 80%. They have four small children.

This figure, “80%”, has the effect of a physical blow every time I think of it. Stephanie Nielson is one of the loveliest young women I have ever seen. Anyone familiar with her blog will know that she is not just physically beautiful. She has a true beauty of spirit that shines though every smile for the camera and every word she so lovingly writes about her family. Her personal sense of style and her creativity are inspirational and I never tire of her writing and photography. The idea that she would be suffering such physical pain right now brings tears to my eyes.

Gabrielle, who is well known for the websites, DesignMom.com and Kirtsy.com has urged other bloggers to hold silent auctions and donate the proceeds to the Nielsons’ recovery fund. I plan to participate in this on Thursday and will provide links to Design Mom, as well as AllMediocre.com. Both of these sites will be listing blogs running silent auctions. If you would like to participate but have trouble finding directions, feel free to contact me at bigpieceofcake@gmail.com.

On Thursday, I will be auctioning off several items:

1. Jewelry for BOTH women and little girls designed by my friend Christy,
2. Silk handbags that I sell,
3. AND a beautiful BCBG coat.

Please forward all of this information to friends and family. And keep the Nielsons in your thoughts and prayers.