technical difficulties....
will try again later.

Monday's Offering

(Hey-- YOU try and come up with an original bag name every day! I'm stumped this morning... And)
Well, Monday morning has dawned.

A few of my favourite things: that gorgeous turquoise lambskin coat-turned-bag.

The edge of one of those funky wall carpets that all our parents had in the '70's.

(just the edge- I avoided the deer and the sunset...)

My daughter's cat.

And... two lamby pockets on the front panel.

And. My right foot.

The coat.

(Did I mention that?)

Love this piece. A snip from a pillow slip.

A turquoise kitchen apron. I love those dandelion looking poofs on that fabric.

The strap: several unused fabric napkins, and an apron.

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I must say; this bag was a pleasure to build. It's soft, a lovely medium size (12" wide; 11" deep)

[Crumb. I forgot to photograph the inside, and now it's nearly crush hour.... You'll have to accept my description.]

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A few more pocket features on the inside: double pockets on one side. Pocket #1 is divided into two small pockets. I greedily thought that one was the perfect size for my business cards. Pocket #2 and #3 span the width of the bag.

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Bids begin at $25- Cdn and the auction concludes at 9:30 pm, cst this evening- November 9, 2009.

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totally unrelated:

Have I mentioned my fourth annual Ugly Sweater Party?

Well, you're invited.

All of you.

Great way to meet some lurkers. ;)

Ma Cherie

What do you get for a friend with impeccable taste, a husband who rolls in money, who lives in a perfect house with perfect kids?

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Well, a bag for her great big Bible, of course.

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Okay, seriously. Ma Cherie (literally: my darling) is a bag about my friend Cheri. Who doesn't roll in money or

have perfection entirely in hand.

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She does have it pretty good though. Really great kids, a pretty sweet deal for a husband, a great house, and best of all? ME for a friend.... ;)

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Although we attend the same church, we don't sit together. I like to row my own boat, and sit in my own (self-designated) spot.

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Cheri's self-designated spot is about two rows ahead of mine and across the aisle.

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A few Christmases ago, I made her a tote bag similar to the one you see here. All in ivories, with patches and pieces and patterns.

Cheri actually does carry her big old Bible in that bag, and so I see it every Sunday.

I keep meaning to make another.

So, eventually , I did.

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(I don't know that these pictures are all that great. Maybe if you double click on them, you'll get a better sense of the fabrics in this bag)




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A number of these pieces are upholstery samples; but not of the heavy variety.

A few are bits of taupe cotton held over from the days when I sewed children's clothing. I always loved little girl dresses in subtle beiges and off-whites.

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The straps are pieced together in a similar fashion.

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You'll see some lettering at the lower right corner of the tote. It's from a piece of unbleached cotton that I picked up (Morris thrift?). It must have been machine embroidered for what I always imagine was an elderly relatives birthday.

The scroll says: "forever young".

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a few photos up you'll see the bag turned inside out, and some lovely floral fabric (tablecloth) functioning as the pockets.

This makes the bag reversible.

17" wide and 14.5" deep.

Bids begin at $25- Cdn, and the auction concludes at 9:30 pm, cst today, November 5, 2009.

Humbug

I hope you are all still rooting for my laptop. You know, I've had it for two years and have an awful lot of data on there- like every contact I've ever made for this here project. I'm not having any warm thoughts towards Powerland right now....Thanks a lot for losing all my data you mean, mean people.

(oh. I'm sorry- was that my "out loud" voice?!)

Meanwhile, I'm managing on Brian's computer. I know- boo-freakin' hoo, right? could be worse.

Well, no. Well, it could be, but that's no comfort.

Oh. Were you here about a bag?

I'm ever so sorry. I seem to have lost it underneath a huge pile of rant.

About the bag then. All those awesome colours that our mothers always told us didn't match. Well, those upholstery manufacturers sure proved them wrong, didn't they. We've got the purple with the blue and the brown, some gold, and some varying shades along all spectrums.

This here is the inside of the bag.

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sometimes I get stuff donated to me and I'm just not completely sure that I'll use it... but then something comes along that is just perfect for it.

Hence, the boy's brown corduroy pants turned double pocket.

And a plaid pocket to finish the virtual outfit.

(these photos depict the bag turned inside out. Shows you a more accurate version of the interior.)

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Backside.

love that blue.

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The strap- I joined up a few little sample pieces to get those hues travelling all the way up your arm.

Details:

Medium sized bag- approximately 11" x 11'.

Two pockets under the flap- nice for phone and keys.

Unless you, like me, have simplified your life and lost your keys roughly a year ago, and then lost the third cell phone about two weeks ago.

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Makes for a lighter handbag.

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(three more pockets inside.)

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Bids begin at $25- Cdn. Auction concludes at 9:30 pm, cst, today November 4, 2009.

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FAQ link in the sidebar.

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Gin in the bar bar.

Whether The Weather

Another great work by Lettuce over at made4aid.

Who woulda thunk it? I love this sweater vest turned bag.

It is certainly a happier way to look at the impending winter weather than say.... well....looking at the impending winter weather.

Letty has quite a stash of fabulous buttons. If you didn't click on the hyperlink yesterday, well... you're just missing out.

And I bet this rosebud patterned fabric is old as well. That's just the way Letty rolls.

Her sewing is so tidy- her bags are so lovingly tended to.

Here are some details on the bag:

~17" wide at the base;

~16" from top to bottom.

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Top button bag closure.

Exterior side pocket.

Interior small pocket; also with button closure.

Lovely green felted wool face that can also serve as a pocket.

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Just think- that green vest kept the London chill off somebody. It never knew what it had coming.... that Canadian winter is going to be a shocker for sure.

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Please begin bids at $25- Cdn.

The auction will conclude at 9:30 pm, cst on Tuesday, November 3, 2009.

Letty's Woven

Part A:
Tea meets coffee.


Today's bag is created by an artist in London, England. I'm tempted to call "Lettuce" an old friend- and she is by blogging standards. I first "met" letty through the practice of tripping and travelling through blog land. I liked her photos and her descriptions of her garden.


Then something unbelievable happened. My brother was diagnosed with cancer- a cancer that claimed him rapidly.


At the same time, letty began posting about the decline of her mother. She wrote some poetry that made me weep inwardly and outwardly.


Her mother lived longer than my brother; but the cancer got them both.

Part B: For my fortieth birthday, this virtual stranger sent me the most beautiful box of buttons. Some of them were truly exquisate; all of them were an act of generosity and selflessness. (she'd proposed a button swap prior to this, and my greed prevented me from obliging...)

On another occasion, she sent me several amazing bags to auction on the Darfur project. I couldn't even auction them for the first while because I just had to have them around for the pleasure of their company.

Part C: My sister travels a fair bit. One of her destinations was London, England. We arranged to have letty meet sister, and I gifted her with one of my humble bags. My sister confirmed my suspicions that this woman was lovely, generous, and kind.

Part D: letty sets up her own website to auction items for charity: Made4Aid.

But does her generosity stop there? oh no. She sends another package-- and here it begins.

The description is copy and pasted from the made4aid blog. I didn't want to risk my own description, since I've never done any weaving whatsoever.

This auction is for a shoulder bag, handwoven on a table top loom. Its one of a limited series woven according to a "Monks belt" weave pattern, where the weft distorts and goes wavey, making a nicely-textured weave.

The warp threads (the vertical ones) are soft cotton in pastel candy shades of lilac, green, cream and pink. The weft yarns include chenille, soft cottons and shiny ribbon and threads in a range colours from soft mauve through to pink and red- there was a bit of using up of leftovers and remnants going on here.

The strap was also woven on a table top loom as a long strip, on a strong cotton warp.

The bag is fully lined with vintage fabric - black with small white polka dots - and there is a little internal pocket.

It is finished by hand with a vintage green button with a little plaited loop fastening.


Woven mainly in cotton, this bag is quite soft but it will be durable and its washable by hand.
The dimensions of the bag are approximately 9.5 inches/24cm (wide) by 10 inches/25.5cm ; the strap is 35inches / 89cm long.

Thanks again for sharing your talents and excellent taste, letty.

Auction details: Bids begin at $25- Cdn please. Auction will conclude at 9:30 pm, cst, November 2, 2009. FAQ link can be found in the side bar.

Polka Party

Last winter or so, a lovely supporter named Kim came out to my house with her tickle trunk of treasures. There were several heart-stoppingly awesome vintage pieces within; and one of my favourites was this funky dotted piece.

It has the funnest combo of colours and swirls. I added some 3D appeal by festooning it with small coloured buttons.

I topped it with a tablecloth from none other than my own mother- a witty, sharp little mite of a thing. (my mother ; not the tablecloth gone strap)

And she's only 83. Think of her potential.

It has the typical bells and whistles- three pockets for your highly important gidgets and gadgets.

(that weird geometric green stuff inside is from an upcycled curtain. Can you quite imagine ever falling asleep if you had those bad boys hanging in your bedroom window?!)

Polka Party measures 7.5" across and 9.5" deep.

Perfect if you just want to carry your wallet and handgun and can't be bothered to dig around in a giant bag.

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If you bid on this bag, I can promise you eternal happiness.

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Well, that might be a touch optimistic.

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It's Friday again, and you'll see my dashing around my palace cleaning like a Cinderella on speed. We're having people and fabulous food tonight, and it's gonna be good.

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Boring stuff: Bids in the comment box please. Salutations there too. FAQ's answered here.

Bids begin at $25- Cdn and the auction concludes at 9:30 cst pm tonight- October 30, 2009.

Whine, Whine, Whine

Is it reasonable, I ask of you; to have

1. One load of laundry through the washer and headed to the dryer...
2. One dishwasher filled with -well that's kind of obvious- and percolating away...
3. One couch stripped and cushions bathed in hot Tide water... (don't ask. it's my lot in this life)
4. One pot of coffee already aging....

And all well before 6:40 am?

And still not have a bag photographed and uploaded and downloaded and rambled on about?

I think not.

And yet, this is our status. (will try... will try... want to.... got to bed late (11:00 pm is deadly late for me) couldn't sleep well at night, had to get up and tend to the heartburn born of a headlong plunge into pumpkin pie that carried on for several hours, (the pumpkin plunge lasted several hours- you can't expect me to properly eat half of a pie in a short period of time. That would be gluttony. The heartburn is gone with one nasty tablet of Gaviscon.) ...then woke up at 5:00 am worrying that I'd be tired. How dumb is that?!

Bed in a Bag

You may remember me mentioning a quilt that was bought at the thrift shop. A quilt that my husband pointed out would make 25 bag flaps. You may hear me talk about this quilt roughly 20 more times....

What I love about it is that the fabrics are vintage, but not worn. They must have been original scraps from a different sewing project(s).


What goes well with a quilt? A chenille bedspread, silly. (in one of my favourite colours, too)

I love that transition/ carry over of the turquoise from flap down to bag bottom. You know what that bottom bit is from? A cushion cover. So there- you've got a quilt, a bedspread, and pillow.

Which I could market as a "bed in a bag".

But would that be entirely honest?

The bag- turned inside out:

Kind of heavy on the prints. But that's why you don't actually turn the bag inside out. You just put your stuff in there. And that floor looks nasty. yech. But it works well in the entry of a madhouse daycare.

The backside.




I know this picture is sideways, but the computer is having oppostional disorder and won't let me manipulate photos. I decided to publish it anyway, because its a better picture of the bag as a whole.

Particulars: Large size: 15" x 13". Big enough for a binder, or overnight stuff, or diapers for twins. Possibly big enough for a baby. Or a small toddler.

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Pockets: two under the flap. Two smallish ones on the inside, and one large.

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Please begin bids at $25- Cdn.

In bagville, it's Wednesday, October 27/09. But we have been known to misplace a day or two here and there. So, if we are following the same calendar, let's play this auction game until 9:30 pm, cst, tonight.

Mills

A curious thing happens every summer- mysterious intruders enter our garage and pile all sorts of things up to the point that it becomes impossible to park a vehicle in that space. And we're not talking about a little garage here.

So every autumn when the cold winds blow in and the threat of ice and snow hangs in the air- well, it becomes prudent to beat back the space invaders and make room for the family van.

Well, there happened to be a number of containers of fabric in there. (mysterious. fabric. here.) And in my efforts to weed through them, I found an impressive stack that I wanted to see inside my house for a while.


All this leeched into an unplanned re-tidying and stacking event in my sewing room.
Which further led into me rediscovering some pieces that bring me pleasure.

One was a paper bag filled with all sorts, styles, and lengths of zippers. Now, I don't feel that fond about sewing zippers in the traditional way, but I can certainly see their value as an accessory. I love the effect on the flap of this bag.

Another was a pair of nasty looking knickers made from a mill bag replica. I think people actually wore those as shorts back in the day before full length mirrors.

I myself much prefer the words and large pictures of beavers on a shoulder bag. Not so much on the lower extremities of humanity.

But that's just me.

I also happen to have a particular fondness for Medicine Hat, Alberta.

Aside from the admirable milling of red beets, it also produced an impressive batch of nieces and nephews, thanks to my sister Laura. (well, if you want to get technical, it was west of Medicine Hat in a town called Bow Island, which is no where near any body of water whatsoever.)

Particulars:

Medium sized; ~11" x 9".

Shoulder straps are two neckties that appear to be cotton/poly. Not silk or wool. That makes them more washer friendly.

Pockets: Under the flap you'll find three compartments: one for your pen (I constantly misplace mine, then find 14 hundred of them at the dead bottom of my bag some months later)

And then two other pockets that I designed so that they are not flat up against the bag. That'll make them more user-friendly, I think.

Inside pockets: two smallish ones on the one side.

One large pocket on the other side, plus one small one. The small one is the inside pocket of the Nasty Knickers, upcycled.

Bag materials: upholstery fabric exterior. Should last longer than most of the couches ever have in my living room. daycare cirque du soliel.

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Questions, comments, salutations and bids are most welcome in the comment box. Bids will begin at $25.00 Cdn and the auction will close at 9:30 pm, cst, today- October 26, 2009.

Errr.... make that today, October 27, 2009.

And they wonder why I didn't make a living as an accountant.

hmmmph.

French Vanilla

Having a whole weekend that was not overbooked afforded me time and energy to retake photos, upload them the slow and ridiculous way, and even finish off some partially completed bags. That feels good.



I continue to experiment with pockets. This one has two large inside pockets, and two small inside pockets, as well as a third large pocket underneath the front flap.

I'd also like to introduce for the first time: labels! (Have we just gone brand name?!)

This bag has a lot of special details. The four buttons. The variety of beige tones. And a strap that employs an old hand embroidered pillowslip.

The body itself is constructed of sturdy upholstery sample pieces. (thank you again, Mr Fancy Upholstery Guy!!) The top of the flap comes from a throw pillow that I bought at the local thrift shop. I did throw it on my couch for a year or so, then took the pillow apart, washed the exterior, and loved that soft fuzzy pile. It's the perfect compliment to the variety of textures beneath it.

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This bag measures approximately 14" by 12.5". The shoulder strap is adjustable.

It comes with a packet of Darfur Bag cards. (and that fancy shmancy new label!)

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I hope to have a more consistent week with posting bags. There have been a number of logistical challenges lately, and sadly, my laptop is still not back from the repair shop. That doesn't sound good, does it? But there are bags, and with a little patience, I can load the photos onto Brian's computer and get the job done. (not that it's a job- it's just a passion).

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Interested in french vanilla? (and not the cappucino variety). Bid here until 9:30 pm, cst, Monday, October 26, 2009. Please start your bids at a minimum $25- Cdn.

CBC News - World - Obama offers 'incentives' to Sudan

Karla drew my attention to this article, and hopefully good news for Darfur.
Check it out.

CBC News - World - Obama offers 'incentives' to Sudan

Little Mary

Finally. A bag with photos that look all right, even without the option to rotate them. I think you'll be able to view these without turning your moniter on its side.

Now, here's a bag with a fascinating history.

Back in the day when I sold my very first bags for Darfur, it was just before Christmas and I'd gotten a little carried away trying out a pattern for a small wallet bag. So, I decided to sell them on the blog, and donate the money to a good cause.

I asked for $15- per bag, and in a few days or weeks, I managed to sell them all and reduce my stock while supporting a cause that I felt strongly about.

Everybody knows my weakness for thrift shops.

Well, one day some time ago, I was in the local thrift shop and whaddya know! there was one of the bags that I'd sold a few years earlier! It looked like it was unused, as the fabric was not at all soiled, and the bag showed no wear.

I bought it straight back.

And here it is!

I made a few small changes to it- such as adding the button closure and several snaps under the flap.

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And that's not the end of the story. Well, in a way it is. But I'd like to tell you the beginning of the story.

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There's a certain woman named Roberta whose name you may have seen in the comment section. She has purchased bags for her daughters and for herself and she's wonderfully supportive. Well, her mother-in-law used to live two houses over from me, and when she had a garage sale one summer day, I wandered over and bought a beautiful old table runner all intricately embroidered in red stichery.

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I went home and turned it into little wallet bags.

Which I sold.

One of which I re-bought.

And now wish to re-sell.

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I think its a perfect story for the Darfur fundraiser- using cast-offs, garbage, has-beens, and somebody else's not-so-favourites to turn old into gold. If you think its weird to buy a bag that I bought at the thrift shop- stop and think about it. All these bags come from stuff that somebody used to wear; or a sewing project that never got off the ground; or fabric samples destined for the landfill. This bag has awesome layers of history. Maybe I'm a bit strange, but that just makes it all the more wonderful to me.

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So, for the sake of all that is fair, righteous and sensible, bids on "Little Mary" will begin at $15- Cdn.

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Here are the specifics: 7" across; 8" deep. Shoulder strap: 43" long.

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Because of the weirdness of the week, and the obstacles of posting a bag at all; I'm going to leave this bag on auction until Thursday, October 22, 2009 at 9:30 pm.

AAAaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrgggggggggghhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!

Do all the computers in the world and all their repair people hate me?

I have bags; oh yes I do. That is not the problem. I have been making do with Brian's computer, which is no big deal, just less convenient. However. It refuses to upload my photos. Starting today. Then, Brian helped me by figuring out a weird way to temporarily get the photos. But. I can't rotate them. So, most of the photos are sideways and I can't expect you to turn your monitor on its ear to check out some Darfur bags.

aarrgh.

FYI

Today, thanks to all your generous support, Bags4Darfur made an online donation of $276.00 Cdn to the World Food Programme. Normally the website allows me to allocate the funds directly to aid in Darfur, Sudan. This option is not available on the site today, so these funds have been donated to a category called: "where most needed". To see the various countries that WFP sends aid, please check out World Food Programme: Fighting Hunger Worldwide.

If I am unable to reallocate these funds; I am confident that this donation will be put to excellent use wherever needs are most urgent.

**also could Colleen from "Casting my Cares Away" e-mail me again at re-joyce@mts.net? My computer is out of commission, and I have no access to every single file that I have ever made for this website. (please pray that this is temporary...). The e-mail will enter my husband's computer, as this is a shared mail address. Then I can further direct you on obtaining your bag! (sorry about all this)

Hopefully all will be restored and we can be back to "normal" soon.
(whoever coined the term "normal" was one optimistic dude.)

Mariatu

"Bite of the Mango" is a memoir written by a young female victim in Sierra Leone's brutal civil war. After having both her hands chopped off with machetes weilded by boy soldiers, she survives to tell a tale that I doubt we North Americans can fathom.

The book reminded me again of the ridiculously uneven distribution of wealth on this planet. And how we just don't really get it.

(these two photos show the interior of the bag. It is turned inside out for the photos to give you a more accurate look at it.)

Underneath the front flap is a small pocket in chenille.

The body is made of a high quality heavy cotton/polyester.

Accents employ an old chenille bedspread dyed a red raspberry sort of colour.

I love mixing chenille with velvet. Naughty, but nice.

And do you really need me to go on about buttons at all any more?!

*Check out "Bite of the Mango" if you like to read personal accounts of life in Africa.
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About the bag: medium sized messenger bag; approximately 6" wide and 9" long. Two interior pockets, one on the outside. Auction will remain open until 9:30 pm cst today; Friday, October 16, 2009. Opening bid is $25- or more.

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My computer is having problems, so I may not check in until later this evening.

Happy Friday!

Carol.in.Canada

can you please contact me at re-joyce@mts.net? Your bid on the shopping tote was the final bid. thank you.

In other news.... No progress on the laptop- in fact things are looking grim. If you pray, then please ask God if he would just restore the stuff on the laptop. There will be an awful lot lost if that doesn't happen.

This computer is very frustrating, and doesn't move images around on the blog unless you have some secret magical powers that I was evidently not blessed with. So, although I have a mid-sized red velvet bag with buttons in the shape of a heart..... I can't really show it to you right now.

I'm sorry. I hope everyone has more patience in this life than I.

Oobleck

Oobleck.
Yeah, that's what I said. It just came to me yesterday when I was trying to remember how to dump photos on Brian's computer because my laptop is in the hospital having some kind of procedure to extract 57 pounds of pet hair and crumbs out of its componants.


I've gotten spoiled with that laptop, handy little thing that it is. It helps me multi-task while I'm multi-tasking. Brian bought it for my fortieth birthday... oh..... about two years ago. What a great gift.

Were you here about a bag?

Those photos are all about the pockets. I flipped the bag inside out to show you an accurate view of their layout. The photo immediately above shows the pocket beneath the flap.

Somehow the cold wind and snow remind me of my stash of ancient neckties.

A bit of trivia about the pieces used in Oobleck. The brown/turquoise hippy looking fabric is a personal sacrifice. A few years back I found one of those peasanty dresses with the smocked neckline, shirred waist and armbands, long to the ground, with a ruffle on the bottom. I meant to repair all the shirring and wear it. I didn't quite have the confidence to pull that off. It reminded me of a woman who wore a nightie to church; feeling beautiful and believing that it was a really special dress.

So, I cut it in the middle, creating a top and a skirt.

Never got around to figuring out that whole shirring business.

The skirt part is still hanging around my sewing room, and I still have dubious intentions about fixing and wearing it. The top of the dress went into this bag.

Sometimes a girl has just got to face facts.

This is a medium sized messenger style bag. That makes it around 10" x 11".

The body is constructed from a very soft and yummy looking upholstery sample. You wouldn't think those samples would be soft, but think microfiber or something along those lines.

The turqoise band employs one of my other hoarded faves- a piece of perfectly turquoise velvet found some time ago. You put the words "turquoise" and "velvet" together in a sentence and you just might see me quiver.

Bids on Oobleck begin at $25- Cdn.

The auction will close at 9:30 pm cst today, October 14, 2009.

* don't forget about checking out another great online fundraiser for Darfur: Made4Aid.

Looking for a Tuesday Bag?

Wish I was producing one.

Thing is, I spent the weekend flat out in bed like a monkey drinkin'. After two weeks of fighting this virus that stalked my family and knocked them flat on their rear ends... it began to own me just minutes into the long weekend.

Ask anyone who works with children and knows that they have no time for being sick. They'll all tell you that it'll get them on the weekend.

I didn't make church, or Thanksgiving at the in-laws, or even consciousness at times.

Today I'm gingerly stepping back into work, and hope to do the photos and uploads for tomorrow. Sorry for the delay....

Let's Talk Some Bi'niss...

A couple of posts ago, there was some chit chat in the comments about business cards. Some helpful people left me links for where to order these handy dandy little items, and I did just that.



That got me thinking about little pouches to hold the cards, which got me thinking about a certain brilliant friend who does interesting stuff with fused plastic. She had shared her insights with my daughter Jane- who ate it up and began immediately to hoard all sorts of plastic wrap from all sorts of food products.

While she was away baby-sitting (someone around here has got to work...); I infiltrated her stash of fused plastics and got a little carried away making business card sized envelopes.

Dinner was a little late.

(did we eat dinner?)

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Anybody who has ever thought- "I wish I had a bi'niss card in my Darfur bag so that when people ask about it; I could whip that out and give it to them"..... or/and..... "I wish it came in a really neat fused plastic holder that also illustrated the wonders and endlessness of recycling garbage"..........

Tell me so.

Send me your mailing address, and I'll pop some of those in the mail for you.

In Other News:

Some pictures of a special project. (this item is not up for sale)

I might know someone whose mother received a lambskin leather coat as a gift from her husband in the 50's or 60's. (? correct me if I am wrong, VC)

It was dyed in the most beautiful turqoise colour and was exquisately soft to the touch. It was in nearly perfect condition, and had lots of potential.

So I wrecked it.

I cut it up and turned part of it into something else.

! I love it.

The button closure is the front of the coat, re-envisioned. The curvey bit on the right is the coat's lapel.

With a bird, the effect is soft and dreamy.

On the inside of the flap is the original lining.

Lined with a vintage tablecloth; history meets history.

The young lady who owned the coat? She's eighty-eight this year.

She's going to get this bag for her birthday from her daughter and granddaughter.

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I just love this story, and couldn't keep it to myself.

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**Please remember that this bag is not for sale, and that the post beneath this one, which pictures a tote bag is still on auction until friday evening, October 9, 2009**