Grumpies for Good!

These grumpy girls want to do something. Would you like to do something too?

As they helplessly watch the plight of so many forcibly displaced people around the world - these kind girls asked me if they could donate 100% of their proceeds to a charity that supports refugees entering the UK. We have chosen this time to donate to Refuweegee, an organisation based in Glasgow, Scotland (my husband is Scottish). For those of you who don't know, the word 'weegee' is a slang term for someone from Glasgow. By joining that word with 'refugee' they created 'Refuweegee', a noun meaning 'a person who upon arrival in Glasgow is embraced by the people of the city, a person considered to be local'. Their logo is a term much used in Glasgow - "we're all fae somewhere" - meaning we all come from somewhere - and as such have the right to live in peace and safety, even if we end up a long way from home.

This is what the organisation says:

"Refuweegee was set up by Selina Hales in December 2015 to provide a warm welcome to forcibly displaced people arriving in Glasgow. As a result of the amazing response from people in Glasgow and beyond, we have provided over 10,000 community-built, personal welcome packs and emergency support packs to people all over Glasgow and across Scotland.

Our aim is to enable the existing community in extending the friendly welcome that Glasgow is world renowned for. We do this through our welcome packs, our events and our volunteer opportunities. We try to provide everyone who wishes to get involved with an opportunity to do so; be it through writing a letter, donating essential items, joining us at an event or fundraising.

We work with multiple organisations around Scotland, from our partners who distribute welcome packs through to schools and community organisations looking to do something similar in their area. We love hearing from other individuals, organisations, groups and projects and collaborating wherever we can on the very simple objective of making the world a nicer place to live."

I want to make the world a nicer place and I am proud that Glasgow extends such a friendly and practical welcome to new arrivals. Every welcome pack they give out contains a particularly nice thing - a card, note or picture with words from a local welcoming them to the city and offering words of encouragement or handy tips about living there.

When you purchase one of these girls, I will donate 100% of the purchase price to the charity, and you get to keep a grumpy girl to remind you that "we're all fae somewhere". UK shipping is free (so I'm covering it). US shipping is £14 flat rate.

About grumpy girls:
From a print I once made about 'cross' kokeshi dolls which had a monoprint scribble above their heads, these wood girls have taken the grumpy cloud to a 3D level. The grumpy ‘scribble’ is formed from soft jewellers wire, and can be bent easily, so please handle with care – you can do some careful reshaping after unpacking if required. The wire cloud can also be removed, it is not glued in place.

The average total height including cloud is about 21cm, the wobble is 15cm total height.

My pieces are painted in a naïve and simple style, with visible brush strokes and differing paint consistencies. It is important to note that these dolls are made from real wood which will have naturally occurring markings and grain, and sometimes there will be small amount of bleeding along the grain, which is to be expected when using untreated wood - please make sure you consult the pictures carefully before purchasing. Finished in a top coat of matt acrylic.

Stamped underneath with a small grumpy bear logo in blue ink.
Please note: THIS IS NOT A TOY and should be kept out of the reach of children.