eBay Find of the Day: 20th Century 5 Charity Auction

Hey there! I hope everyone who's reading this Stateside had a wonderful Thanksgiving, and everyone abroad had a lovely autumn week. I didn't get nearly as much done as I needed to, but it was nice to play hookie for a couple of days. Anyway, it seems that the new eBay widget isn't working very well (sorry about that!). So until I figure something else out, I guess I'll do this the old-fashioned way ...

The big news on eBay this week is Winnipeg, Canada-based online gallery Modern Love's fifth annual 20th Century Design + Decorative Arts Auction. The auction, which benefits the Canadian Cancer Society, features iconic, pedigreed midcentury designs, all in pristine condition.

Some of the items I'm lusting after:

George Nakashima Four-Drawer Chest for Widdicomb. Current bid: $510

Eames DAR Shell Chair for Herman Miller. Current bid: $610

Charlotte Perriand Low Wooden Stool. Current bid: $760

Four Herman Miller Eames Shell Chairs. Current bid: $295

Hans Wegner Chair for Knoll. Current bid: $510

Anna Castelli RoundUp Storage Unit for Kartell. Current bid: $51

Eero Saarinen Tulip Task Chair for Knoll. Current bid: $103

Ettore Sottsass Valentine Typewriter for Olivetti. Current bid: $200

Eames Rocker Chair T-Shirt. Buy it Now for $28

Check out the entire auction selection right here; bidding ends the evening of Monday, December 8. Even if you don't bid -- and most of these items are way out of my league, too -- pop over just to drool over the stunning photographs and to read up on your 20th century design history.

Mark Your Calendar: Art Auction at Industrielle

Women Wish 4 Equality, by Industrielle owner Dana Taylor

Thursday evening, May 8, from 7 to 9 p.m., Uptown Oakland's Industrielle Gallery hosts Kind Women for Womenkind, an art auction benefiting women affected by violence.

In the Morning, by Alice Tullar; The Calling Cards of Mysterious Ladies #15, by Kate Phillips

More than 30 local artists -- including Jessica Serran, Sita Rupe, Kim Bass, Mary Lonergan, Alice Tullar, and Kate Phillips (aka charmfoundry) -- have donated pieces to the show.

Homage to Wolf Kahn, by Mary Lonergan

If you're not in the area or can't make the auction itself, you can bid via email before the event. Starting bids -- some as low as $30 for this original artwork -- are just 30 percent of the work's market value. All proceeds from the auction will be donated to CARE, the international humanitarian organization.

Newsflash, by Jessica Serran; Surrender, by Sita Rupe

Industrielle is located at 33 Grand Avenue at Broadway in Oakland.

Spawned Out, by Judi Miller; Somewhere Under the Rainbow, by Kim Bass

The Artful Home: Make Art for a Good Cause

This is such a simple and lovely idea: Nance Miller, a teacher in Mill Valley, California, has created an art-exchange project called Art2Heart, which brings art to orphans around the world and then helps them create their own masterpieces.

Here's how it works: You (or your child) make a piece of art on 8.5-by-11-inch paper, and include the words "To my friend, from [your name]." It can be a collage, a drawing, a painting, or pretty much anything you like, as long as it's flat for easy transport and contains something figural, so that the "children can find some element they recognize in the work and find comfort in the familiar," Miller says.

Send your creation -- include a photo as well, if you'd like -- to Miller along with a stamped, self-addressed 9-by-12-inch envelope, and she'll give it to a child living in an orphanage or on the street in places such as India, Nepal, Burma, and Guatemala.

Miller will then provide the children with materials and guidance for creating artwork of their own, which she'll mail to you -- along with a photo of the artist, if possible -- upon her return.

As Miller says, "Living in an orphanage in India is a very small, hard life." Using art as a common language, "Art2Heart is about opening to children in need, brightening their lives, and letting them know that someone cares. It's about showing these children that there is a bigger, warmer world out there, and that they are a part of it."

The project is "an equal exchange that gives everyone -- whether you're an orphan in Guatemala, a student in San Francisco, or a CEO in New York City -- the opportunity to both give and receive on a very global, yet very personal level."

Miller will be distributing art to children Guatemala in mid-February, so get your creation to her ASAP. (Otherwise, it'll go with her on her next trip.) To participate, visit Art2Heart.

The Artful Home: Village of Hope Art Sale

San Francisco's sublime Lotus Bleu boutique in Hayes Valley is hosting a sale of colorful artwork made by children in Vietnam. Each original drawing has been professionally matted and framed.

One hundred percent of the proceeds of the sale will benefit the Village of Hope in Danang -- a home for orphaned, disadvantaged, displaced, and disabled children that's run by the East Meets West Foundation.

A sampling of some of the vibrant and beautiful illustrations for sale, each created by a child living in the Village:

Green Sea and Sky. My Countryside Stays at Peace, $200

My Childhood and River at My Countryside, Going Home with Buffaloes at Lake Afternoon, $200

A Highland Festival, $200

I Once Visited Hue City, $200

Take a look at all of the Village of Hope artwork for sale right here.