The Hottie Challenge (or the creative exercise I wish I could enter a written or cooked product)

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I love to create. In my head. In reality my crafts turn out nothing like I envisaged. When I craft on my own I can't wait for the session to be over. I am impatient, and coupled with a (still) sore thumb, my creations look very pre-school artist. I wish I could write or cook my way out of crafting. Having said that, crafting as a group is so much fun and I really want to do it!

I was crafting as a part of the Hottie Challenge run by Open Drawer. It's a challenge to create hot water bottle covers to raise money for the The Margaret Pratt Foundation. Camille from CurlyPops is coordinating a blogger Hottie Challenge.

From their website:

The Margaret Pratt Foundation Heart Lung Transplant Trust is a registered charity whose aim is to encourage, develop and maintain Australia’s world class expertise in the field of organ transplantation by supporting research that addresses the problems faced by children and adults after heart and lung transplant. 

The aim of the research must be to improve the outcomes for heart and lung transplant recipients.  

The Margaret Pratt Foundation has donated $700,000 to date in 2011 to promote research into the causes and prevention of chronic lung rejection.

Read more about the Hottie Challenge at CurlyPops' blog.

Of course I wanted to take part, in order to support Cam and others needing heart and lung transplants.

I wanted to make a panda hottie. I imagined it'd be grand. Cute and panda looking. 

Like this.

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But it turned out like this.

My friend M sewed the main part. I sewed the draw string bit. So proud given I am not a sewer, and my thumb was aching.

I used a hand puppet template for the panda's features. I glued them on.

It's not a functional hot water bottle cover, but it doesn't have to be. I wish I was a better, more patient, and more skilled crafter. Post thesis resolution!

What should I call him?

Check out the other Hottie Challenge creations - they are AMAZING!

In corporate terms, I discovered three learning gaps doing the Hottie Challenge. I need lessons in craft, patience and hot glue gunning.