What Goes Around Comes Around Posted 16th June 2008

Greetings from Circle Of Friends,

Those words of wisdom above are as old as time. And you and I have heard them all our life.

It’s a simple message. What you do today will either come back and bite you on the bum, or envelope you in an embrace of pure joy, at some time in your future.

Do you remember those times someone did something for you that was right out of the blue? How did you feel?

I bet surprised. And maybe you didn’t show it, but you felt an inner glow. Didn’t you? It made you feel special!

And I also suspect it made you want to do something for them in return.

But sometimes it’s not possible to pay that person back.

Like my saviour Bill.

One chilly April night in 2002, my partner, Victor Pleshev, and I were on our way back to Ilford from a long day exhibiting at the Bathurst Royal Show.

Our car loses power and stops. Victor and I are stranded at the side of the road.

It’s almost midnight. And there’s no mobile phone coverage on this stretch of rural road.

But a car soon stops. The driver promises to ring the NRMA from his home, in nearby Wattle Flat.

Ten minutes later, a car comes from the opposite direction, slows down, makes a U-turn and stops behind us. The driver gets out, opens a thermos and pours steaming hot coffee into 3 cups. And passes two of them to us.

It’s the driver who rang for help. He’s come back to keep us company while we wait for the NRMA.

His name is Bill.

The NRMA works a miracle by fixing our alternator and gets us going.

Bill stays with us the entire time, until 2am.

We talk about what he did for us all the way home. And many times since. He’s a very special person and we’ll remember him forever.

Payback Is Not Always Revenge

Payback is giving back to society what’s been given to you. Both good and evil.

You can, in a positive way, pay back the ‘Bill’s’ in your life with either your time or your money.

You can volunteer your time, but like many people, you might be time poor.

With your hard earned dollars you can buy raffle tickets, chocolates, Krispy Kreme Donuts or other fundraising products that, perhaps, you don’t want.

Or you can consider Circle of Friends and choose who you give to, at a time that’s right for you.

It makes ‘what goes around comes around’ a part of your rhythm of life.

You Don't Need To Dig Deep For Something You Don't Want Or Can't Use

Members of Circle Of Friends, who are just like you, use the simple design solutions of our product range to raise much needed funds for their club, favourite charity or other worthy cause.

How much?

More than $1,000,000 so far.

Our product range has something that appeals to almost everyone.


The Fitz Like A Glove™ Ironing Board Cover

100,000 men and women around the world swear by this cover because it never wrinkles, moves or rides up. It's always smooth and always, always, 'Fitz Like A Glove™'.

The simple to use crisscross tension cord is like Botox for ironing board covers. You simply crisscross the cord over 4 hooks. No tying. No drawstrings. It's wrinkle free, crease free ironing from this day forward.

It's guaranteed for much more than warranty on workmanship.

We guarantee the cotton drill fabric won't wear out in your first twelve months of use. We guarantee the tension cord will keep your cover fitting like a glove until the cover dies a natural death in a few years time. We guarantee all the colours to be fully colourfast. And we guarantee you'll love it. Or send it back for a full refund, including postage.

If you’d rather clean public toilets than iron, I have strong proof that this cover will change your attitude.

Peter Sampson emailed me with his comment above. But once he ironed on his Fitz Like A Glove™ Ironing Board Cover, this is what he had to say. “…If anything can make ironing bliss, your cover does. We all want to transform the world. In a small way, you have. Thanks for that.”


Mr Chin’s Laundry Bag

The ultimate bag to take travelling or hang in your loft apartment. You have a choice of rich tapestry or richly textured cotton.

It's easy to fill because the neck always stays open when filling it with clothes. Plus it's so easy to carry when fully loaded because the hanging cord converts into a carrying handle. How easy is that? And the complete instructions are simple to follow.

Plus it's carefully cut for a slight taper and a perfect match between collar and body, the fabric edges are individually overlocked, even though they aren't visible.

All the seams are additionally top stitched for ultimate strength and for that absolutely perfect finish.

And don't worry about the weight. The woven support cords that hold the brass rings and wooden toggles are triple stitched to the bag and have been tested to 80kg breaking strain.

It’s one of a kind.


The Travel Bug Shoe Bag

Travelling on the Ghan? Keep your shoes separate from your best outfit. This bag with 2 pockets and a fold down flap holds a large pair of shoes or two small pairs.

Now I know you’re going to tell me that you use a towel, or your undies, or a plastic bag for your shoes. How gauche! That’s like walking into the plush Park Hyatt Hotel at the Rocks in Sydney, carrying your clothes in a plastic bag, and expecting the Concierge to take you seriously.

If you’re really serious about keeping your clothes separate from your shoes, follow the advice of Susan Kurosawa, Travel Editor for The Australian. Don’t pack your luggage without one. Or a pair if you have a travelling partner. When you visit our website, read what Rob Ingram, one of Australia’s most esteemed journalists, has to say about his pair.


The Roadworks Apron

Covers you from neck to below the knee and around the hips as well. The deeply luxurious navy cotton drill washes like a dream and drapes around you like it was made just for you.

Cooking and cleaning, gardening, your workshop, cellar door, your print shop, deli, cafe, unpacking stock in your warehouse, all cause stains plus wear and tear on your clothes. You start to wear aprons once you realise how well they protect your clothes from everything. And why not wear one that's big enough to cover all of you?

It will become a favourite. Indulge yourself or someone you know who deserves one.


The Log Lugger

It’s a strange phenomenon, but Log Luggers aren’t bought by men……in the first instance.

You would think that in today’s world of murky divisions of labour, firewood would neatly fall on the male side of things. And it does.

But the male ego is such, that any aid for carrying firewood is frowned upon by most men. They think that if you don’t bring the wood in by the armfuls, with woodchips all over your clothes, bang into doors and walls as you go and ruin a few woolly jumpers, you’re not doing a good job.

It’s the girls who see the sense of a Log Lugger. They’re the ones who buy them for the men in their lives. They ignore the bloke’s usual response of “what do I want that for?” and just get one, because they know what’s good for their men.

Once their men use them, and see how well it works, an interesting thing happens. They start making lists of all their hairy-chested mates who need one too and before long they're our biggest devotee.


Brass Bristle Brush

The ONLY brush that removes pet hair easily, quickly and completely from carpets, furniture, upholstery and clothes. It’s a must have. It really does work!!

This is the only product that’s not our design. But its design is so simple and so effective, and works so well, we’d be remiss in not offering it to you.

The brush has a brass head with tiny, precision angled brass teeth which scour through textured materials and snag hair and fur without harming the surface. It's all in the angle of the 'bristles'. You'll be amazed at how they comb out any animal hair from the fine and silkiest, to the course and spikiest.

The Brass Bristle Brush is tested and recommended by Daisy Mae, our Collie, who can swear that it whisks her hair right off everything. Carpet, furniture, curtains, clothes, even the car (which she uses quite often), are all squeaky clean in no time.

Everyone who has one loves it.

All the products above can be viewed in more detail at our product website www.interfaceaustralia.com.

Every purchase is guaranteed to please you.

Have you ever purchased something you didn't like and been told there's no refund if there's nothing wrong with it? I have. That's why we give you a 100% love it or send it back guarantee. I don't expect you to keep something you don't want or don't like. And the refund is for your full purchase price, including postage.

Our guarantees go much deeper than the normal warranty against workmanship. Those guarantees don't cover wear and tear. A product should last a minimum of 12 months. And that's what we do. Guarantee against wear and tear for 12 months. Almost all products are colourfast and washable. Except the Log Lugger. That's not washable.

So there's no risk on your part when you purchase from Circle Of Friends.

I Invite You To Become A Member of Circle of Friends

Circle of Friends is based on the wisdom that what goes around comes around. When you offer help to someone, you not only become their friend, but your goodwill comes back to you in unexpected ways.

To become a member of Circle Of Friends, all you need to do is register your organisation as a member. Once you register, it’s up to you to promote Circle of Friends within your organisation to reap the benefit of donations.

Who can register?

Our criteria is this. Your group must be a not-for-profit entity with its own not-for-profit bank account. I expect the funds you raise to be used for not-for-profit activities. Such as an improvement to your club house, for a community project or if you’re a school, a school activity not funded by the government.

For instance, you could be a day care centre run for profit, or Westpac, Qantas, or any other business run for profit, but if you have a fundraising activity that has its own not-for-profit bank account, you qualify.

Aside from that, size doesn't matter. Small or large, your group needs things. And you need the funds to buy them. Up until now your normal way to raise funds is through traditional fundraising products and techniques. Which calls for door to door selling and pre-purchase of products.

But there’s no door to door selling. Or pre-purchase of products.

It’s simply the purchase of any of our products by members of your group for themselves, their family and friends, either by mail order or online.

At any time that's convenient to them. Because there's no time limit.

And once your members start talking to each other about the unexpected surprise of how good these products actually are, word of mouth starts kicking in and your members start promoting these products to each other, their family and their friends.

We do everything else, including despatching of product.

We publish a bi-monthly Circle Of Friends Newsletter which is specific to your group.

It’s laminated so it doesn’t show wear and tear and always looks perfect. Pin it up in a prominent place for everyone to see.

We also give you colour brochures, with the code of your organisation included, for your members to use to place orders.

Or to order online, they simply use the code in the Comments section of the online order form.

It’s that easy and that simple.

There’s no time limit, no product to pre-purchase, no minimum orders, no fine print.

These are superb quality products made with love and care in the Central Tablelands of NSW by men and women who have a disability.

Walgett Police Command is a big supporter of Circle of Friends. And both Jill Granger and Julie Marshall at Walgett Police Command can tell you first hand that these simple design solutions make every product a joy to use.

For every purchase you make, we donate 20% of your order value, excluding p&h, to your favourite worthy cause.

It can be your day care centre, your little league football club, your garden club, quilters' group, choral society, student band or theatre group, social club or your school's student council or interact group. Or you may have a favourite charity your group raises funds for. It's your choice.

When we make this donation, it's made in your name, not ours.

And the cheque is sent to you as soon as we receive an order. You don’t wait for it to accumulate to a certain amount.

The average donation is $8, but it mounts up.

Within 12 months, The Quilters’ Guild of NSW’s donation tab reached the stage where the Community Quilts and Blankets of Love groups went shopping to buy materials to set up a much needed storeroom for the quilts they make and give away to people in need.

I’d like you to have a really good look at our product range.

Online at www.interfaceaustralia.com.

Or offline by sending you a brochure.

That’s the only way you’ll know if Circle of Friends is for you. I believe you and the members of your organisation will find something that’s just right for you and your family. And that perfect gift for a special friend.

How do you register to become a member of Circle Of Friends?

By telephone. That’s my preferred way. It’s always nice to have a personal discussion about what’s important to you.

I do understand that you're possibly time poor and may prefer to get in touch by email at a time that's convenient to you, so simply use the online email form below. And I'd love it if you included your first and last name, the name of your organisation, a contact telephone number for you and a little something about you and your organisation. And I'll get back in touch very quickly.

You’ve registered. What’s next?

As soon as you register, I send you a Circle Of Friends Newsletter specific to your organisation, to display in a prominent place, as well as brochures to keep on hand for your members.

If your organisation is large and diverse, such as a bowling club, I strongly recommend you publish the link to Circle Of Friends, along with your code for ordering online, in your club’s newsletter, and encourage your diverse and loyal members to visit Circle Of Friends as often as possible.

Once they understand and appreciate the purpose of Circle Of Friends, they can go directly to our website at www.interfaceaustralia.com and place an order any time at their convenience. The link to our website is on Circle Of Friends in quite a few places.

The more you promote Circle Of Friends within your group, the more orders we receive and the more donations we make to your group. It’s as simple as that.

This isn’t a concept to be kept hidden. It’s a concept to embrace and discuss and publicise and offer to your members as often as possible.

Circle Of Friends is different to all other types of fundraising because choice is given to you and your members. Plus convenience. And there’s no manipulation of you or your members to buy something you can’t use or don’t want.

I’m experienced in marketing and I've learned a great deal about what works since I established my first business in 1983. Believe me when I say that repetition is essential to your success. The more Circle Of Friends is talked about within your group, the more familiar it becomes to you and your members. And the more readily you will turn to it as a source of gifts for your family and friends.

It’s also up to me to provide you with as much new information as possible to keep the concept alive and thriving.

Between the two of us, we should be able to dance the tango of giving to perfection.

Questions? Ring me, Carol Jones, ANYTIME!

I’m registered and I want to place an order. What do I do?

If you want to view the Circle Of Friends product range first, click on the link below. It takes you to the home page, and you can get to anywhere else, including the shopping cart, from there.

www.interfaceaustralia.com

If your organisation is registered and you want to place an order, click on the link below, which takes you straight to the shopping cart.

You need to do 2 things.

First, put into the Customer Comments section the code for your organisation.

Second, for the donation cheque, the name of your fundraising account. For instance, for members of the Ilford/Running Stream CWA, their cheque is made out to Ilford/Running Stream.

A different example is Walgett Police Command, which allows their members to choose their own charity. The cheque could be for Walgett Meals on Wheels or Walgett Little League. So under Customer Comments, I would see Walgett Police Command for Walgett Little League.

Providing instructions is always difficult, as we all interpret information in a different manner, so I hope I’ve made the above easy for you to understand. If I haven’t, please let me know your questions by ringing me on 02 63 58 85 11 and I’ll make sure I answer them to your satisfaction.

Click here for the Shopping Cart

We have over 100,000 customers worldwide who find all these products a joy to use. Some of them live where you live. So I just know you will too.

And I’d really love to welcome you into the Circle so you can experience the joy of what goes around comes around for yourself. Remember my saviour Bill, who stayed with us until the wee hours of the morning? We all need more Bill's in our life. This is a great opportunity for you to become a Bill to someone else.

Take care,

CAROL

Carol Jones
Director


Interface Pty Ltd
6026 Sofala Road Ilford NSW 2850
PO Box 139 Kandos NSW 2848
Tel: 02 63 58 85 11 Fax: 02 63 58 85 10
Website: www.interfaceaustralia.com
Email: See the online email form below

This is where we live and work.





This is who we are.

Carol Jones and Victor Pleshev

Designers and Makers in rural NSW

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Why Give Money Away? Posted 21st June 2008

Greetings from Circle Of Friends,

This is a question I received this morning in an email from Circle Of Friends.

Carol, why take 20% out of your pocket? Why not keep it for yourself? Or better yet, why don’t you give me a 20% discount on my purchase? If you’re giving money away, how about giving it to me?

That’s a simple question. With a very complex answer.

I’ll address the last question first. Why don’t I give you a 20% discount?

Because you can buy discounted items anywhere. Discount retail stores are prolific, anywhere you live. And the internet is full of discounted products.

The majority of discounted products don't live up to your expectations.

The product range we produce is exceptional in its quality and the value you receive from using it is greater than the price you pay for it. Because we keep our profit margins as low as possible.

And the 20% we donate to help others does just that. It helps a minimum of four other people.

A 20% discount back into your pocket helps only you.

Back to the first part of the question.

Why take 20% out of my pocket? Especially, as I just said above, that my profit margins are kept as low as possible.

This answer has nothing to do with being a hard nosed business woman.

It has everything to do with an innate need that I have to give something back to society. And to include you in my giving.

The email above arrived a few seconds after an email I sent this morning to my Canadian business friend, business coach extraordinaire Stacey Hylen at Hylen Success Coaching, who recently asked me what's new.

Circle Of Friends is new to her and I laid out the reasons why I started it.

And it’s as simple as what I told Stacey.

EMAIL TO STACEY

I'm not sure if I ever mentioned my innate need to help others. I can't remember a time in my life that I didn't feel drawn to doing things for other people. Even as a child.

Yet I'm not a volunteer for charity work.

But I am a giver. And I feel very strongly that my business should give back to the community as much as it can afford to.

We don't wholesale our products to retailers because I detest the retail philosophy of 'pay your suppliers as little as possible and charge your customers as much as possible to make sure that me, the retailer, makes super profits at every tick of the clock’.

But I am fully aware that every customer comes at a price. Even referrals cost. Because only a happy customer makes a referral to me. And they tell someone else about me because I’m doing as much as possible for my customer in every way. Which costs both time and money.

Combining my deep need to give back, with the reality that every customer comes at a price, I've made the decision that as I must pay for every customer, I want to choose whose pocket I put that money into.

So I set up Circle Of Friends Fundraising.

Which is a program where a group that has a need to raise funds for whatever reason, can register with Circle Of Friends, and anytime a member of their group makes a purchase of any of our products, we donate 20% of the sale revenue, less postage and handling, back to their group.

For example, members of The Quilters' Guild Of NSW donate hundreds of quilts every year to people in need through their Community Quilts and Blankets of Love programs. Members of the Guild give both their time and their money.

They've been a member of Circle Of Friends for a year and at the end of 12 months, they tallied up the accrued donations from us. And discovered they had sufficient funds from the sale of our products to their members, for the Community Quilts and Blankets of Love groups to purchase materials to set up a proper supplies storeroom for the members who give their time to make the quilts.

I don't know who was more excited at hearing this. The Quilters' Guild, or me.

It's hard to explain the deep sense of satisfaction I received at knowing that my business is capable of doing something that not only helps other people, but brings such pleasure to both of us.

There’s also another benefit that means a great deal to me.

By working with a group, I get to know them and they get to know me. And over time we become great friends. And friendship in business is as important as friendship in my personal life.

Friends have a special place in my life because the strong bonds we forge with each other make everyday life so much more pleasant and enjoyable.

I can't think of a better way to run my business. I give, I receive, and what goes around, comes around. All the right boxes are checked.

END OF MY EMAIL TO STACEY

I want you to understand this simple reason for giving 20% back to your organisation and not 20% back into your pocket.

It’s this.

The 20% I donate back to your group accumulates over time and its positive effect helps a wide range of people. It’s like a pebble dropped into a pool of still water. The ripples it creates are ever increasing.

I've done the math. Every 20% donation I give back to a group helps a minimum of four other people.

20% put back into your pocket has a positive effect on only you and no one else.

I’d really love to welcome you into the Circle so you can experience the joy of what goes around comes around for yourself.

All the details about Circle Of Friends are contained in my original post What Goes Around Comes Around. It's at the beginning of my posts.

Take care,

CAROL

Carol Jones
Director

This is where we live and work.
Interface Pty Ltd
6026 Sofala Road Ilford NSW 2850
PO Box 139 Kandos NSW 2848
Tel: 02 63 58 85 11 Fax: 02 63 58 85 10

To view my complete product range, visit my website: www.interfaceaustralia.com
Email: See the online email form in the sidebar







This is who we are.

Carol Jones and Victor Pleshev

Designers and Makers in rural NSW

Share this with others.

This Quilt Is For You! Posted 23rd June 2008

Greetings from Circle Of Friends,

When you donate your hard earned cash to an organisation, do you wonder how much of your donation is siphoned off to pay for administration?

I do.

That’s why I set up Circle Of Friends with a difference.

Every cheque we send on your behalf is made out to a not-for-profit fundraising effort. Not for general funds, administration, or paying for a bookkeeper to come in once a month to do the books.

Your donation is to be used specifically for the good of the community. That’s the only criteria I use when accepting members for Circle Of Friends. What do you put back into society that helps others?

The Community Quilts Group for the Quilters’ Guild of NSW, Inc is a perfect example.

Quilters and patchworkers are natural givers. I’m sure they were born already hardwired into the giving circuitry in their brain.

Ask any patchworker and quilter what they do with the heirloom pieces they create after many hours of toil and they’ll tell you they give them away.

To friends. To family.

And to people in need.

Quilters’ groups abound worldwide, including Australia. Small groups. And large groups. And one of the largest quilting groups is the Quilters’ Guild of NSW, Inc.

We’re into our second year as partners in Circle Of Friends. And we’ve become friends. And I’ve discovered there’s a hub of activity behind the scenes that the public never hears about.

The Guild hides their efforts under a bushel regarding Community Quilts. If you visit their website, it rates a few lines under Member Activities, next to The Fitz Like A Glove™ Ironing Board Cover, because we’re sponsors of the Group.

But there’s nothing there screaming out saying, this is how we make a difference to the lives of other people.

And that’s what makes them extraordinary. They make a significant difference to the lives of other people.

How?

Imagine this.

Your family is in shreds and you’ve just been placed into foster care. The word unsettling doesn’t come close to describing the state of trauma you’re in. You’ve lost your parents, and you don’t know for how long. You’re separated from your siblings, and you don’t have a clue who the people are who are looking after you.

Chances are you’ve suffered abuse of some kind. Neglect is a form of abuse. And you worry that abuse is following you like a shadow.

What are the important ingredients missing in your life?

Safety. Love. And a sense of belonging.

Love is like a tree. It takes time to grow.

A sense of belonging requires familiarity with your surroundings. And you’re in a very strange place.

And you don’t know you’re safe until you experience a prolonged period devoid of abuse.

But little things can touch you. And make you feel important. And very, very special.

And something very nice is about to happen to you.

Because the ladies at the Guild are already making you a quilt that comes from deep within their heart and soul. A quilt made with love. Just for you.

A quilt that belongs to YOU, ‘Forever’. Absolutely not to be shared with anyone else.

Just like Santa, they find out your name, your new home, and what you like.

And give you your very special ‘Forever’ quilt.

This quilt has YOUR NAME on it. And guess what? The design is custom made just for you. Because they care enough to find out what pleases you. And as soon as the word comes back that you love trains, your ‘Forever’ quilt is all about trains.

This is an extraordinary effort that has an extraordinary impact in the life of a foster child.

And is repeated 80 times for 80 children in foster care, every year.

And extends to the Harbord Children’s Home, which houses children from the country. 100 quilts a year are made for them, to help them adjust to their city surroundings.

Conjure up your imagination one more time.

If you’re on your own, is there anything nicer to snuggle up to on a cold day than a warm and cuddly quilt? I don’t think so.

And if you’re elderly, it’s especially nice and soothing. Just ask my partner’s 81 year old mother, Rita. When there’s a nip in the air, she carries hers around her house like Snoopy’s blanket.

Now if you’re both elderly and in a nursing home, where life is institutionalised and rather impersonal, a familiar quilt can be the one thing that not only makes you feel special, but almost becomes like a piece of real estate. It’s your bit of turf that makes you feel ‘at home’.

And every year, the ladies in Community Quilts make and donate 80 quilts to the Benevolent Society specifically for the residents in their nursing homes. To make them feel more like they’re ‘at home’.

Just before Mother’s Day, the maternity wards at St George and Sutherland Hospitals receive a box of quilts from the Guild. To be raffled off to buy breast pumps. Of course!

All of this happens in the back rooms of church halls. And on display at the Sydney Quilt Show. And in the privacy of a member’s home.

But little of it happens overtly and with the fanfare it deserves.

I bet you didn’t know that as a member, when you purchase any product from us through Circle Of Friends, your donation goes specifically to the Community Quilts and Blankets of Love Groups, to support their voluntary efforts in making a difference to the lives of others.

Your donation buys needed supplies that aren’t donated by other sponsors. Such as rotary cutters and rulers and thread and chalk and visohex for their storeroom.

Your donation means the members who are already volunteering their time, don’t have to dig ever deeper into their own pockets to come up with the materials to keep these projects moving along.

Your donation helps these extraordinary women make an extraordinary difference to the lives of people who are left in the margins of life.

What impact does this have on the community?

It’s best described by a little boy who brought the quilt especially made for him to Show and Tell at school. His classmates said he must be very special because so many nice ladies made this for him. He was chuffed.

Shirley Merriel and Ros Moules are the drivers behind the wheel of the Community Quilts Group. And it’s patently obvious, when talking to them, that the pleasure they get from this program enriches their lives.

The Blankets Of Love Group is very special too. They’re my next post. So keep reading.

And if you're already a member of The Quilters' Guild of NSW Inc, you can now order online. Just enter the code QG25 into the Customer Comments section of the online order form for the Shopping Cart. Your donation will find its way to the keepers of the money at the Guild.

You can order at any time that’s convenient for you. There’s no time limit. And I include both Community Quilts and Blankets Of Love in your donation.

If your group isn't already a member, I’d really love to welcome you into the Circle so you can experience the joy of what goes around comes around for yourself.

All the details about Circle Of Friends are contained in my original post What Goes Around Comes Around. It's at the beginning of my posts.

Take care,

CAROL

Carol Jones
Director

This is where we live and work.
Interface Pty Ltd
6026 Sofala Road Ilford NSW 2850
PO Box 139 Kandos NSW 2848
Tel: 02 63 58 85 11 Fax: 02 63 58 85 10

To view my complete product range, visit my website: www.interfaceaustralia.com
Email: See the online email form in the sidebar







This is who we are.

Carol Jones and Victor Pleshev

Designers and Makers in rural NSW

Share this with others.

Wrapped In A Blanket Of Love Posted 23rd June 2008

Greetings from Circle Of Friends,

Tragedy is tragedy. You can never dilute the effect it has on your life.

And there are few more catastrophic events in a woman’s life than the loss of a child. Especially a child that’s stillborn, or a child that dies in early infancy.

Shirley Zions, who brought the Blankets Of Love Scheme to life for the Quilters’ Guild of NSW, Inc in 1993, knows first-hand and second-hand the impact the loss of a child has on your life.

Shirley had 5 miscarriages before her first child was born. And her sister, Jan Polverino, an intensive care nurse in the neo-natal ward at King George V hospital, witnessed 50 deaths a year in their nursery.

As Shirley explains, you’re suddenly confronted with the realisation that none of your plans for your baby will ever come to fruition. Your consciousness is consumed with trying to work through your grief.

And when all the hospital can offer you is a sheet to hold your deceased baby in, while you give it its first and last cuddles, the impersonal impact of that sheet doubles your sense of loss and devastation. Especially as you are not given a lasting memento to take home with you.

And so Blankets Of Love is born out of the despair of grief.

In 1993, Shirley and her sister Jan mobilised a group of interested quilters to make Blankets Of Love as a caring gesture to mothers in grief. So they can envelope their child in a blanket of warmth and softness. So they can snuggle their faces into it and cuddle their loss for as long as they like, knowing their child is well and truly wrapped in a blanket of love.

The Blankets Of Love is a national program, coordinated from the Quilters’ Guild of NSW, Inc by Shirley.

Blankets are made by quilters all over Australia and dispersed through Shirley and her sister Jan to maternity hospitals as requested.

And this is an interesting facet of Blankets Of Love. They’re not all the same.

It’s important that these Blankets Of Love fit in with the ethnic demographics of the population that uses each hospital. So each grieving mother receives a blanket that fits in with whatever her ethnic background is.

And every blanket is given to the mother to keep as a memento.

Approximately 2,000 Blankets Of Love are made every year.

The blankets are sent to Shirley by quilters when they’re completed. Jan and Shirley then sort them into the states they came from and are then posted back to hospitals in the state where the blanket was made.

These two women volunteer their time and the quilters who make the blankets use their own supply of fabric for each blanket.

And it is a labour of love.

What’s the impact of a Blanket Of Love on a family?

Shirley and Jan get extraordinary letters of gratitude from mothers who have received a blanket.

They also receive letters from women who lost a child as far back as 50 years ago, who lament the fact they have nothing to remember their child by, except their loss.

Blankets of Love is an extraordinary gift to mothers in the throes of despair. And given with love and compassion by every woman associated with the scheme.

Aren’t you proud to be associated with the Quilters’ Guild of NSW, Inc?

As with the Community Quilts Group, if you're already a member of The Quilters' Guild of NSW Inc, you can now order online. Just enter the code QG25 into the Customer Comments section of the online order form for the Shopping Cart. Your donation will find its way to the keepers of the money at the Guild.

You can order at any time that’s convenient for you. There’s no time limit. And I include both Community Quilts and Blankets Of Love in your donation.

If your group isn't already a member, I’d really love to welcome you into the Circle so you can experience the joy of what goes around comes around for yourself.

All the details about Circle Of Friends are contained in my original post What Goes Around Comes Around. It's at the beginning of my posts.

Take care,

CAROL

Carol Jones
Director

This is where we live and work.
Interface Pty Ltd
6026 Sofala Road Ilford NSW 2850
PO Box 139 Kandos NSW 2848
Tel: 02 63 58 85 11 Fax: 02 63 58 85 10

To view my complete product range, visit my website: www.interfaceaustralia.com
Email: See the online email form in the sidebar







This is who we are.

Carol Jones and Victor Pleshev

Designers and Makers in rural NSW

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Teapot Ministries. A Small Group With A Big Heart. Posted 23rd June 2008

Greetings from Circle Of Friends,

Lynette Clarke and her friend of forty years, Robyn, who live in Sydney NSW, are the go-getters behind this ministry.

Forty years is a lifelong friendship. And they have much in common. Which explains why their friendship has lasted so long.

They both have four grown up children, both love sewing and craft, do patchwork together, have lunch once a week and are very involved with their respective churches and various ministry groups.

Robyn felt there were lots of busy women out there who needed time just to be blessed. Robyn collects teapots and imagined the ministry around a good pot of tea. Hence Teapot Ministries.

You already want to sit down with them and have a good chat, don’t you?!

Today there are 6 core members who organise events, as everyone holds down a job, and it helps share the load. Their events are limited to a maximum of 35 women because that’s all they can handle at one time.

Twice a year the Ministry rents a minibus and they visit fabric shops, craft stores, etc in the greater Sydney area, stocking up on materials for their patchwork and quilting projects.

And they also organise a small quilt show to raise money for a project close to their heart, the Bolivian Children’s Mission, which is run by a dedicated couple who provide shelter and support for abandoned children in Bolivia.

Four years ago they spread their wings and now also organise a once a year, week-end away, quilting retreat. Which is what all retreats should be. A chock-a-block full of fun, laughing, eating and learning about patchwork and quilting experience.

And as with all givers, they can’t stop there.

Last year one of their original members died after a long battle with cancer.

And Teapot Ministries does what comes naturally to giving people.

They established a memorial fund in their friend’s honour. And use her memorial fund to raise money to sponsor a special someone who can't afford to pay the cost of accommodation and transport to the retreat.

They look at it this way.

There's nothing worse than an empty chair left by a dearly departed friend. With their sponsorship, their friend's 'place' at the retreat is always occupied and her memory is kept alive.

Big hearts always get bigger.

Teapot Ministries has been a member of Circle Of Friends since July 2007. And I’m so proud to be associated with such loving, giving women with big hearts.

And if you're a member of Teapot Ministries, you can now order online. Just enter the code Teapot Ministries into the Customer Comments section of the online order form for the Shopping Cart. Your donation will find its way to the keepers of the money at the Ministry.

You can order at any time that’s convenient for you. There’s no time limit.

If your group isn't already a member, I’d really love to welcome you into the Circle so you can experience the joy of what goes around comes around for yourself.

All the details about Circle Of Friends are contained in my original post What Goes Around Comes Around. It's at the beginning of my posts.

Take care,

CAROL

Carol Jones
Director

This is where we live and work.
Interface Pty Ltd
6026 Sofala Road Ilford NSW 2850
PO Box 139 Kandos NSW 2848
Tel: 02 63 58 85 11 Fax: 02 63 58 85 10

To view my complete product range, visit my website: www.interfaceaustralia.com
Email: See the online email form in the sidebar







This is who we are.

Carol Jones and Victor Pleshev

Designers and Makers in rural NSW

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Pamper Me. Posted 26th June 2008

Greetings from Circle Of Friends,

There was a time when I would agonise over whether or not I was offending someone by telling them something they already know. Or were expected to know.

My whole perspective changed in a nanosecond when I was driving on a very dark country road on a moonless night, on my way back from a weekend away. My neighbour, Dorca, and her 4 year old daughter, Sonia, were my travelling companions.

Without any warning, Dorca screamed out STOP!!!!

Without a second’s hesitation, I slammed on the brakes.

And saved our lives.

Just as Dorca saved mine and her daughter, Sonia’s, by shouting STOP!!!! with an unmistakable edge of terror and pure panic in her voice.

Straddled across the road in front of us, just metres away, was a truck with no lights on, having just minutes before broken down as the driver was pulling out of his property. His electrical system simply went kaput.

Dorca assumed I had seen the truck and panicked when she noticed I wasn’t slowing down. I didn’t see the truck because the headlights of an oncoming car, which were still on bright mode, momentarily blinded me.

To this day, I’m eternally grateful to Dorca for shoving aside her assumptions and shouting at me.

From that moment on, I’ve never worried for a second about telling someone something they might already know about.

If they know, they know. If they don’t know, they might be grateful for what I’ve told them. In either case, I consider it to be a win win situation.

Which is why I had no hesitation in forwarding an email to Jenny Nott, the Secretary for the Ilford/Running Stream Branch of the CWA, about an opportunity for her CWA members, that she might already know about.

But what if she doesn’t and misses out on something really, really special?

Jenny is a near neighbour. She lives a few kilometres away, but by rural standards, is close by. Only about four farms stand between us.

The Ilford/Running Stream CWA Branch is close to my heart because they were the first CWA branch to join Circle Of Friends.

And they, in turn, took me by the hand to a CWA regional meeting in Cassilis and opened the door to many more introductions.

And so a Circle Of Friends is formed.

Remember me saying Circle Of Friends is also about forging strong friendships and doing things for each other? Because that’s what friends do?

The email I forwarded to Jenny was from the Rural Women’s Network.

It was an invitation to apply for a grant from the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal, in cooperation with the CWA of NSW, to set up a Pampering Day for rural women in your locality.

Being a CWA branch, I did think that perhaps Jenny would already know about this.

But my experience with Dorca and the truck has never left me and always tells me it doesn’t matter.

And Jenny didn’t know.

She immediately applied for the grant, because the application close off day was in 24 hours.

To her delight, she received notification her branch was successful and now has $500 to set up a Pampering Day. The only constraint being that the money has to be spent before the end of July and a paper written about the day and submitted back to Rural and Regional Renewal. All easy terms to live with.

So what’s the Ilford/Running Stream Pampering Day on July 24th going to be like?

Rural women are under stress. As are their husbands.

I escaped the bright lights of Sydney for the rural bliss of Ilford in 1992. And have languished between moderate drought and severe drought for 13 of these 16 years.

I’ve seen dead stock in paddocks. I’ve seen totally bare paddocks. I’ve had neighbours with no grass or water to sustain stock. I’ve driven through flocks of sheep and small herds of cows that escaped onto the road, looking for sustenance.

But I’ve not lived it minute by minute like a farmer and his wife does. My livelihood doesn’t depend on the weather. To me, observing it is stressful enough.

A Pampering Day gives rural women a chance to de-stress. If only for a few hours. To take their mind off the bank manager, the hungry livestock and those clouds above that seem to dry up as soon as they hover over Ilford.

Mt Vincent, rising high above the other side of the Castlereagh Highway from Ilford, is a lovely rural setting for a Pampering Day, especially when the location is the Mungarry Camp Centre.

And the CWA is sparing nothing. $500 goes a long way and they're making sure there's not a penny left over.

Plenty of homemade delicacies will abound with morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea. This is the CWA, after all.

And there will be trained masseurs from the surrounding areas of Kandos and Rylstone to give much needed and appreciated massages for every part of your body. Shoulder, neck, arms, hands. And who can pass up the opportunity to have a sooo relaxing facial?

Beauty advice will be on hand too. Something many rural women deny themselves. Free advice about your hair and your make-up from the beauty experts in both Rylstone and Kandos. And the locality is fortunate to have a few experts to call on.

And to make sure the message of how to de-stress away from Mungarry Camp is driven home, there will be a guest speaker discussing how to recognise the signs of stress, how stress affects you and how to cope with it.

To make sure nothing spoils this Pampering Day, each guest will take home a surprise bag of goodies from local businesses.

And this part is amazing. To cap off their day and make it completely perfect, they take home dinner.

These compassionate women of the Ilford/Running Stream CWA, who ooze empathy, will also provide a take home doggie bag containing a scrumptious meal not only for their guests, but with adequate servings for each guests’ entire family.

This is an absolute winner and will be the icing on the cake of what is a truly flawless Pampering Day.

Circle Of Friends is about helping each other. Some of it is about raising money. Some of it is also about forging strong friendships and doing things for each other because that’s what friends do.

Subscribing to alerts from Sonia Muir’s Rural Women’s Network is as easy as visiting their website by clicking on this link Rural Women's Network. While there, click on the link to receive the Country Web Newsletter and their monthly email update.

An alert came through this morning for a new Self Esteem Through Style seminar. I noticed one of the workshops will be in Walgett in early July. What did I do? Jill Granger, of Walgett Police Command, who is an avid member of Circle of Friends, received the email from me this morning.

And so the Circle Of Friends network expands.

If you're already a member of the Ilford/Running Stream Branch of the CWA, you can now order online. Just enter the code Ilford/Running Stream into the Customer Comments section of the online order form for the Shopping Cart. Your donation will find its way to the keepers of the money at the branch.

You can order at any time that’s convenient for you. There’s no time limit.

If your group isn't already a member, I’d really love to welcome you into the Circle so you can experience the joy of what goes around comes around for yourself.

All the details about Circle Of Friends are contained in my original post What Goes Around Comes Around. It's at the beginning of my posts.

Take care,

CAROL

Carol Jones
Director

This is where we live and work.
Interface Pty Ltd
6026 Sofala Road Ilford NSW 2850
PO Box 139 Kandos NSW 2848
Tel: 02 63 58 85 11 Fax: 02 63 58 85 10

To view my complete product range, visit my website: www.interfaceaustralia.com
Email: See the online email form in the sidebar







This is who we are.

Carol Jones and Victor Pleshev

Designers and Makers in rural NSW





Share this with others.