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On Sunday afternoon, the NW Demine team met up to do some final planning for tonight's Demine Valentine event at the Eastlake Bar and Grill, and also to make some tasty confections to hand out as gifts at the event.

I'd been wanting to try this crafty way to make custom-shaped chocolates for a while, and Demine provided the perfect excuse.

We used a 3D printer to make positive copies of the shape we wanted. The video below shows the machine building up our parts, layer by layer. The white powder shown is gypsum powder, and the machine spreads a very thin layer of it over a bed that can raise and lower. Then, a print head (just like the one in your inkjet printer) passes over the powder and sprays a binder (colored red in this video) on certain areas of the powder, forming the part.

These red landmines were glued to the bottom of a small container, and we poured liquid food-grade silicone over them to form a mold.

This is what it looked like after the silicone cured, and we removed some of the parts from the mold:

With the molds made, we were ready to melt some chocolate and try them out!

We made some caramel, toasted some pecans, and made turtles, topped with landmine-shaped chocolate.

Until supplies run out, each guest at tonight's event will receive one of these tasty treats:

Saturday afternoon - an unseasonably beautiful one, I might add - found Carla, Sarah and I out in Eastlake, spreading the word about the upcoming Demine Valentine event. So far, community response has been overwhelmingly positive, and on Saturday we added a few more local businesses to our list of sponsors and contributors. We were thrilled, as we put up posters in the neighborhood, to come across a number of people who had heard about the event already, either through word-of-mouth, or via the marquee at the Eastlake Bar and Grill

Seeing our event advertised up there made it all the more real for all of us. It was just a few months ago that this was just a single idea among many. Now it's a website, a flier, a silicone mold in the shape of a landmine (more on that in another post), a message on the big sign outside Eastlake Bar and Grill, and, in fact, only 8 days from now.

We hope you'll join us on the 10th for Demine Valentine 2009! Tickets are selling fast and space is limited - don't miss out!

How do I know you?

I would love to have a map on this blog, tracing the paths each of you took to get here; a family tree speaking to our relatedness. Because my underlying assumption is that we are related. We might have lived in the same neighborhood. Maybe we share a common friend or interest. You could have read about this blog in an ad or newsletter.

How do these things make us related? To be related to someone, you need to know something about them. Here’s what I know: if you are reading this blog, you are someone who:

• has an interest in learning about conditions outside our local communities
• has an underlying belief that we have the ability to make a difference in the world
• has a curiosity to see what is possible when a community takes on a project

Why participate in a community project?

This project is an opportunity to experience hope and to open up our thought process to see what is really possible in our community and world. As we do this, we will experience a freedom to make a difference that is not bound or limited by economic or political climates or the size of a problem. This project is an opportunity to be powerful as a group and connected to both local communities as well as those across the world. As we work to restore peace for others, we will acknowledge and celebrate the peace we experience in our lives.

Why support Landmine Relief in Cambodia?

The war in Cambodia ended in 1994, and it’s people were finally able to return to their homes. However, the impact of war is still being felt on a daily basis in this country. During the war, millions of landmines were planted across the country (many by the US) and their locations remain largely unknown. Thus much of Cambodia’s population lives and works under the violent threat of these unexploded devices. It is estimated that it could take over 50 years to clear all the landmines in Cambodia, suggesting that without continued support, Cambodia’s people will not experience true freedom from war anytime soon if at all. In light of this, I have decided it's really important to raise financial support for landmine relief efforts so that the people of Cambodia will experience a peaceful future.

Which communities are already involved?

Check back soon for information about the projects starting around Seattle (and the nation):

• East Lake Union Community Event (early February 2009)
• Mercer Island Auction for Landmine Relief in Cambodia (March 2009)
• Ultimate Frisbee Teams in support of Cambodian Landmine Relief (ongoing)