“There’s a special on flowers for Valentine’s Day!” said the local florist. We were walking by his shop, going home from the subway, and he was standing in the doorway. “$65 for a dozen roses!” he crowed, as if that was a great bargain. “Maybe I’ll see him in here for Valentine’s.”

Rob smiled and said, “Maybe,” and then when we were out of earshot, “You would kill me if I came home with $65 flowers!”

“I really would.” I said, and I wrapped my arm around him. I’m so glad he “gets it”.

Even if I had all the money in the world, I wouldn’t be down with spending that kind of money on something that will die in a week, and besides, roses are way too easy. I do love flowers, but not roses, really; I’ll take my flowers quirky, unique, wild and un-sprayed with pesticides.  Cellophane-free.  Real, natural grown, and not given out of obligation.  Inexpensive, always, and presented with love.  Like these.

photo by abby. $11  buy a print of this and other beautiful photo prints by her here.

photo by sarah norris, $30 for a set of four mini-prints. buy here.

Oh no! Why are these adorable bunnies all blurred out?! Have they committed a crime?

YES!

Do you know that the image of a Pe… er … “certain brand of marshmallow bunny” is copyrighted, and that you can’t sell photos on Etsy of these “certain brand of marshmallow bunnies”, even if you don’t use their proper name in advertising. Even if you’re just a nice girl, living in Brooklyn and selling art prints to raise money for charity. Even if you write the owner of the image after receiving a (very nice but firm) take down notice of this certain brand of marshmallow bunny and ask nicely, because, Oh my God they’re just photos and THEY’RE SAVING DOGS AND DON’T YOU KNOW THAT SAVING DOGS IS IMPORTANT WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?

I know. I should fight the man. But The Man is pretty big, and I’m not even certain if I’m right. Lots of really smart people have gone back and forth about copyright laws in cases such as these, but I personally am not sure what the legal correct answer is. All I know is that I got a take down letter from the owner of the image of this “certain brand of marshmallow bunnies”, and I can’t sell my prints of them any more in my sad, empty Etsy store.

So…

I’m giving them away. I still have some copies of each of these left, and I am upset because they were my best selling prints and made a lot of people happy. So, lemons into lemonade.

If you would like one for free, here’s what you do:

1. Make a $10+ donation to Manos por Patas/Hands for Paws here. (I was selling them for $10 and kicking $5 from each to them, but now they get the whole thing. Also, postage is free for you. I’m eating the shipping, so bargain! Woo hoo!)
2. Send me proof of your donation, your home address and print preference to theambershow at gmail dot com
3. Feel smug knowing you were able to help a worthy cause, damn the man, and save the empire.

You’ll be getting rid of my prints for me and helping out some great little pups who are way cuter than marshmallow bunnies.

Kimberly Pye, who is super awesome, sent me some homemade dishtowels that arrived today, and I’m jealous of her “mad skillz”. I’m tempted to let Rob’s mom teach me, but “learning how to knit in the Blatt family” comes with lots of scary yelling. Rob’s mom, her sister-in-law and Rob’s grandma all sit together at family gatherings with their different projects so they can “help” each other, but in the end, it winds up with a bunch of “What the heck are you doing?!” and “Give me that! You’re ruining it!” and “Oy! You’re making me meshuggah!”

I don’t think I’m ready for all that.

Thank God for friends that knit. I like using dishcloths instead of sponges because they hold soap better, last longer, and I don’t have to throw them away after a month or so like I would with a sponge. They’re cute AND eco-friendly! Plus I love the cheerful colors.

According to the note she included with them, the red one is crocheted and the rest are knitted. Buy yours here, in her Etsy shop: Nifty Homemade Thingies.

I have a medical condition called “etsy want-iss”, and this poppy print isn’t helping.

Buy it here, from my neighbor, MellisaKate.

Last year I wanted to buy one of these for Jen, but they kept selling out.  They would add more to their Etsy shop and they would instantly get all sold out again.  I finally got my hands on one after four rounds of trying.  They are THAT beautiful, and every year the demand for these things keeps growing.

No wonder.

They are printed using a combination of silkscreening and letterpress, and the results are so, so beautiful.

They are also donating part of the sale to SODAmoon, an organization that enhances the lives of disabled adults.  There is also mention on the website of donating some of the profits to orphans in Thailand.

Click here to buy them, if and when more become available.