Arwednesdays with Arwen: Loving Animals

Hello, it's me again, Arwen the Wonder dog. I wanted to get serious for a moment, if I may today...
I am loved.
I am very loved.
How do I know? Well, my mommy tells me at least 10 times every day.
I get my beautiful fur brushed every day, with lots of petting and mommy telling me how pretty I am. When that is done, I get my pearly white teeth brushed.
I have lots of toys, from tennis balls to squeaky stuffies, Nylabones and Kongs to keep me occupied, stimulated and happy.
I get to go for walks almost every day (unless it is very cold, icy or very wet), and I get to play in my yard every day, chasing birdies and squirrels and barking at imaginary beasts. When I come back inside, there is always fresh water, healthy food, and sometimes even treats if I've been good (or just looked really cute).
But, mommy tells me not all animals are loved.
Mommy tells me that there are many animals all over the world that are not fed properly, are not cared for, brushed, walked or even talked to nicely. Many animals are beaten, starved, left alone tied outside, or even forced to fight other dogs until one of them dies.

But, mommy tells me that there are great people who rescue these sad animals so that they have a chance at a happy life. One place is called Harmony Fund (animalrescuechase.com), and they are having what is called the World's Biggest Baby Shower for Animals (http://animalrescuechase.com/baby-shower/), where people can donate money online to help them rescue lots of animals and make them happy like me. Take the little guy in the photo above. He lives in Puerto Rico. One day, his owners got in a fight in their apartment. To get him out of the way, one of the owners shoved him in a hole in the wall in the back of a closet, where he fell to the bottom of the building and was left for two weeks in a wall, and was ignored by the residents who heard his cries for help. Finally a nice lady heard what was happening and rescued him, moments from dying and covered in sores. Now he is healthy and living the good life, thanks to these amazing people working with Harmony Fund.
Mommy thinks this is very good, and I do too. If you are able, please try to donate to them to give all sorts of animals (doggies, horses, cats, monkeys and more) the chance to have a happy life. At the very least, please try to spread the word about all the great things that they do so that others can help them too.
Please help these animals have a chance to have a happy home.
A chance to be loved.

and Arwen the Wonder Dog

Announcement: Fintan is in Need!

Fintan needs your help (if you are able)! My parents adopted Fintan, and his brother Laughlann (see the original post here: http://meglittlestudio.blogspot.com/2009/11/year-later-in-memoriam.html) last year, and though they are coming along in leaps and bounds with their socializing, my parents have discovered they have allergies. Fintan has been having problems with his feet - they crack and bleed and even though he has been on two different types of antibiotics (at once), they are severely infected. The vet wants $600 to do a biopsy to see what the heck is going on.
The problem is that my parents don't have the money (sorry if this embarrasses you mom, but I want you all to be happy).
The solution? I am going to put at least 40% of the total sales from my Etsy store, http://www.etsy.com/shop/littlestudiojewels toward Fintan and his poor little feet. Anything you purchase this month will go towards Rescue100 (10%) and Fintan (at least 40%). If you are able to purchase, please do. I know people are wary of donating to others they don't know, so this way you get to have beautiful jewelry and help some great causes. If you can't purchase (or even if you can), please pray for Fintan, we don't know what will happen if they can't afford the biopsy. For now, he is going back on another course of antibiotics.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Thank you so much, and God bless,

Monday's Methods: Helping Others

~Image from Polar Bears International Website~

This month of March, I'd like your help in adopting a polar bear (symbolically of course, I don't know if Arwen would like a polar bear sharing her couch). I would like to adopt a polar bear from Polar Bears International, and the adoptions start at $25 USD. 10% of all of the sales from my Etsy shop this month will go towards adopting a polar bear from this wonderful organization, dedicated to helping polar bears keep and reclaim their hunting, breeding and living territories. If I don't raise enough money to adopt a polar bear, of course the 10% will still go as a donation, but wouldn't it be great to know that you helped save one of these remarkable creatures? Please do visit the Polar Bear International Website to donate yourself, learn more about the charity and learn about the beautiful creatures living in our northern areas.

Please visit my Etsy shop to see if there is anything you would like for yourself and remember - I LOVE to create custom pieces or alter current pieces to make them all yours. Together we can help polar bears, Let's do it!

Wordy Wednesday: September's Charity of the Month, Epic Farms!

Thank you to everyone for their purchases last month, you helped raise $5 for the Country Cat Sanctuary. I will be matching that and giving $10 to them. Thank you!

This month's charity of the month is Epic Farms. They've been a charity here in the past (they have a donation widget on the right hand side of the blog), and are always open and upfront about every cent they've been given. They recently had to rebuild their open air stalls after a series of violent storms ripped the roof off of the old ones (no one was hurt, but the cost is, as you can expect, quite painful).

~A Great Bookmark (I Have One and Love It!)~

Run by Jen, they have a few equine rescues that are mostly permanent residents, and are a registered 501 (c)3 charity. They have a website at www.EpicFarms.com and they also have an Etsy store where you can find all manner of beautiful, well made and affordable items at www.EpicFarms.etsy.com~A Carousel Horse Woodburning By Jen~

10% of the total sales before taxes and shipping in my Etsy store will go towards Epic Farms this month. Please do check out their Etsy Store and see Jen's beautiful artwork, as well as scrap booking supplies.

Please keep checking back here, I'll have the winners of last month's contest and a new contest for you to try and win great prizes!

Fabulous Friday: A Bracelet Full of Sunshine!

The Celts believed that spirals represented the sun - the more open the coil, the brighter the sun. This is one bright bracelet! Click HERE to see the bracelet (with more photos) in my Etsy store. It is made from 14karat gold filled wire, sterling silver wire and amber. It is all hand formed into spirals and links.

$10 from the purchase of this piece will be donated directly to the Arthritis Society of Canada, which helps people with fibromyalgia as well as with arthritis http://www.arthritis.ca to donate directly - thank you!

Click HERE to see more items in my Etsy Shop, 10% of the sales always goes to charity.

Thanks for visiting!

Fabulous Friday - You Did It!!

YOU DID IT YOU DID IT! Thank You so much to everyone who donated and/or passed the message on about the 19 feedlot horses scheduled for slaughter - they have managed to raise enough money to help them!

Unfortunately, 3 of the pregnant mares gave birth in the feedlot, one mare died, and one foal died also, but though the remaining horses are in rough shape, your donations are helping to bring the remaining horses back to health with the promise of a life with people who love them.

You are Wonderful, THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH!

If you would like to know more, or donate (they still need funds to care for the animals they rescue, after all!), please visit their website: http://www.circlel.org/clr/
Thank you for your kindness and love,

URGENT CALL FOR HELP!

I received an email from a friend, Marjorie over at The Fantail, about the Feathers Foundation, an organization that saves good horses from slaughterhouses in Canada and the United States. Apparently, they have come across a lot of 19 horses, ten of which are pregnant! They are all due to go to the slaughterhouse unless the money can be raised to send them to Circle L Ranch in Arizona to be rehabilitated and, where possible, adopted out to a loving forever home. They need to raise about $4500US and have so far reached about $2100US. Any donation is greatly appreciated, many people are giving just $10 (and that is doable for just about everyone, right?) to help and that is making all the difference! If just 200 people donate $10 (and you are welcome to donate more!), they will reach their goal in no time.
THEY NEED TO REACH THEIR GOAL BY APRIL 24 OR THESE HORSES AND THEIR UNBORN FOALS WILL GO TO SLAUGHTER! Please, please help save them! If you go to their donation site (which is a secure site through FirstGiving) you can see that you may even be able to adopt them, for as little as $100! How amazing to get such a wonderful creature for only $100, and know that you have saved them a terrifying end to a too-short life.
Please donate any amount today at: http://www.firstgiving.com/savehorses
Thank you!

Thankful Thursday Part 2 - Donations to Charity!

Well I am happy to announce that my sales last month resulted in my being able to donate to not one, but THREE charities! I was able to give $10 each to the Arthritis Society in Canada, the Multiple Sclerosis Society in Canada and the Lanark Animal Welfare Society! I strongly encourage each and every one of you to visit their websites and donate to help people and animals everywhere. They do such great work, and, with life the way it is, you never know when you might need help from one of them :)
I want to thank everyone who has purchased an item from me, as your purchase has made a difference to many charities worldwide!
THANK YOU!

1 More Day 'Til Spay Day!

Well tomorrow is Spay Day and I really hope you join me in supporting all of the artists trying to help out our local shelters. I notified the Lanark Animal Welfare Society (LAWS) that I am trying to raise money for them and they responded saying they really appreciate and need donations as the pet population is absolutely soaring. They are having a hard time keeping up with the strays coming in and really need our help! Visit their website here for information on them and to donate directly: http://www.lanarkanimals.ca/index.asp
Thanks for your help! I also have a number of items in my Etsy Shop that will donate a specific dollar amount of the sale to LAWS so please check it out. You will be helping a great cause and getting great items at the same time :)
Take care, have a 'furry' good day!
Meghann
P.S. I am so excited - my blog is nearly done and I can't wait to show you the new professional goodness! Tune in tomorrow for more Spay Day, and maybe a new look!!!

Thankful Thursday - Giving Back and the New Charity of the Month

In these tough economic times, I really find I am grateful for the little things: I have a roof over my head, food on the table, and, though I don't make a lot of money in my business, I am able to give back to my community by donating a portion of all my sales to charities. This month I was able to symbolically adopt a polar bear with the help of the National Wildlife Federation. I don't actually own a polar bear, but the money donated goes to help preserve their habitat and increase awareness of their plight.
I mean this when I say, from the bottom of my heart, I Thank You for your purchases. You are helping to make a difference in the lives of people and animals everywhere! Plus, you get nice stuff - everyone wins!
The next Charity of the Month is the Arthritis Society in Canada. They help people with arthritis, as well as people like myself, with Fibromyalgia. 10% of the total sales before taxes and shipping in February (of regular items not associated with other charities) will be donated to this charity.
Animal lovers, never fear! In my Charity Promo Items Section of my Etsy store I have many items that donate to animal welfare charities.
Here's hoping this month is as great as the last - I have lots of new jewellery and photography items, so please keep checking back!

Thankful Thursday - Hobbies are Wonderful Blessings!

So the last few weeks I have been pretty much incapacitated by pain and exhaustion due to my Fibromyalgia. However, I am not complaining as I have learned to take these times and teach myself various lessons: how to relax even if I don't think I can or should, how to find interesting, educational programming on television or the Internet, how to learn new hobbies like knitting and crocheting that don't require much more than my hands, brain, and a couch for me to stretch out on. It is times like these that, although I still get frustrated, are teaching me a lot about myself, and how much I am able to learn from my own living room. What a blessing in disguise!
I have just started learning amigurumi - the Japanese art of miniature crochet. All I need is a crochet hook, some yarn, and a great little book called, "Amigurumi World - Seriously Cute Crochet" by Ana Paula Rimoli. It is seriously cute, and seriously easy! I picked up some yarns on sale and have been experimenting for a few days now. I have made 2 bears (the first is now being chewed on by my mom's cat after I sprayed it with some catnip spray - pics to follow when my mom sends me some), and I am starting a pink elephant, lol. I am hoping to make these and sell them as cat toys with the proceeds going to animal shelters. I may also turn the smaller ones into key chains and zipper pulls, again, to sell for charity. I have some safety eyes on order so that they look a little cuter (not that sewn eyes aren't cute, but safety eyes stop me from poking myself with a sharp needle!), and each animal I make is getting better and better!
I'm not stopping the jewellery or photography, never fear, but having a new hobby is always a great way to return to your work with a fresh perspective. "A change is as good as a rest", as the saying goes, and that will certainly turn out to be true when I am able to get back to my jewellery table!
I am listing new jewellery items daily, as I had a bunch of pieces photographed at the same time, so please keep checking my Etsy store for new jewellery suitable for every budget and taste!
Meghann

Soulful Sunday

For today's installment, I thought I would talk about this month's charity, Epic Farms. The white horse above, Lady, is a gray Arabian with a tumor on her belly. Arabians (particularly light-colored ones) are susceptible to tumors, and they are hard to remove because horses' skin doesn't heal the way ours does. It isn't as stretchy so it takes a lot of veterinary care to heal wounds. This means a lot of money, so I am glad to be able to help out in any way possible. This month it looks like I will be able to donate about $12 to Epic Farms. It's not a lot of money, but given the state of the economy, and my lack of sales this month, it is pretty decent. It definitely makes me feel good, that's for sure!
I am still having my SUPER 50% off sale on my Etsy store, so check it out as 10% of my total sales before taxes re donated to each Charity of the Month!

Charities I Help

I am proud to give back to our community:

10% of the total sales before tax and shipping will go towards a 'Charity of the Month'. The current Charity of the Month can be seen at LittleStudio.ca, or at each month's beginning blog post.

Each month has a specific charity, and they are:
January: Polar Bears International http://www.polarbearsinternational.org/
February: Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada http://mssociety.ca/
March: Country Cat Rescue http://www.countrycatrescue.com
April: National Wildlife Federation http://www.nwf.org/
May: ME/FM Action Network for Fibromyalgia http://www.mefmaction.net
June: Rideau Valley Wildlife Sanctuary http://www.rideauwildlife.org/
July: Rescue 100 Foundation http://rescue100.ca/
August: Arthritis Society of Canada http://www.arthritis.ca/
September: Epic Farms Horse Rescue http://www.epicfarms.com/Home_Page.html
October: Lanark Animal Welfare Society http://www.lanarkanimals.ca/
November: Canadian Cancer Society http://www.cancer.ca/
December: The Snuggles Project http://www.snugglesproject.org/

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT! You are making a real difference to the lives of people and animals everywhere! To date, Little Studio has donated over $1500 to these and other charities!