Rottweiler Wednesday, a day late

OK, so it's Thursday and not Wednesday...  who cares as long as we're talking rotties!?!  First off, I wanted to share this pic of Boots with her new little buddy, Zayn:

I LOVE this shot!  Zayn stayed with us last weekend while his mom and dad were out of town.  He's only 14 weeks old and pure puppy.  Boots had such a great time with him and was the best babysitter ever.  I'd almost forgotten how much fun puppies are!

Next, and more importantly today, I'm helping promote a fundraiser for Rottweiler Hearts Rescue (RHR) in Durham, North Carolina.  My very good friend Brett, (mom to Boots' rottie cousins, Xena and Lord) volunteers for this group and is helping put this fundraiser together.  I'm donating these little copper paw print and lapis earrings for the raffle:

If you'd like to help you can do so by purchasing raffle tickets or by donating something for the raffle.  I know animal causes are near and dear to a lot of my artist friend's hearts out there... hint, hint :)   Please check out all the details here.  (you can contact Brett directly for tickets or donations, her number is listed on the flyer on the link, and tell her I sent ya!).

RHR also has a facebook page...please go LIKE them and share their post about the fundraiser.  Boots thanks you from the bottom of her rottweiler heart.  :)

Bunny Sunday

This post was SUPPOSED to be about another raffle I was going to hold to benefit Heartland Rabbit Rescue. The last raffle I hosted for them back in September was a big success and we raised a lot of money to help the bunnies. I actually did post about it this morning, but now I am forced to edit it.

The problem is that PayPal will not allow a "Buy Now" button to be placed on my blog for a raffle. Turns out, they consider it gambling, which is a prohibited use. Who knew?

And my "hired help" was already practicing their winning-raffle-ticket-drawing skills!

I am still intent on raising some money for the bunnies. So, rather than hosting a raffle, I will be donating 25% of all sales in my Etsy or Artfire shop through Easter to Heartland Rabbit Rescue. If you'd prefer to just make a donation directly to Heartland, you can do so through their website here. No amount is too small and will be greatly appreciated.

Lastly, my purpose for the raffle was not only to raise money to help the rescue, but also to raise awareness as Easter approaches that bunnies should be not bought on a whim to be given in an Easter basket. These special little creatures can live long lives (sometimes 10-12 years or longer) and that, along with other factors, should always be taken into consideration when welcoming a rabbit into your home. In addition to Heartland Rabbit Rescue's website and blog, another great resource for learning about the proper care of bunnies is at the House Rabbit Society website.

Wishing you a lazy Bunny Sunday...

Bunny Monday???

It's been awhile since I've been featured in an Etsy treasury. This one, curated by Annette, at Dragon House of Yuen, has nothin' but bunnies! You can view the actual Treasury here where you'll be able to click on each pic for a larger view.

Thanks Annette for including my "Band of Bunnies" bracelet in your fun treasury (bottom, middle row). The beads in this bracelet are a beautiful blue iolite and are combined with 3 southwestern style sterling silver bunnies. Perfect Christmas gift for any bunny lover!
I'm putting this bracelet on sale for 20% off the regular price this week only. It can be purchased through my Etsy shop. Just send me a note prior to purchasing and I'll adjust the price accordingly.

Annette, being the bunny lover that she is, is hosting a raffle on her blog to benefit the Rabbit and Guinea Pig Welfare Rescue in Rugby, England. Several artists have graciously donated some beautiful prizes for the raffle. Check out her blog post about the raffle where you can purchases tickets via PayPal if you are interested. Thanks!

Sandie Picked the Winner!

Thank you SO MUCH to everyone who purchased tickets for the Heartland Rabbit Rescue Raffle. I am excited to announce that your generosity helped raise $270 for the bunnies!

I gave all of the bunnies a chance to pick the winner. The first one to grab a name was Sandie (bun on the far right). But, I missed the shot where he had it in his mouth. Darn it!

And this pic turned out blurry, but you can still "sort of" read the name (and see the wet/torn upper corner). Congrats Layla O., you are the winner of the Leaping Bunny Necklace! I hope you love it. I'll be putting that in the mail to you today.Thanks again everyone for supporting this wonderful bunny rescue group. I know they will put these funds to good use in caring for all of the bunnies waiting for their forever homes. If you'd like to see some pics of the bunnies available for adoption, please do visit their website or blog.

Bunny Sunday

Tips from Turbo, the Bunny Supermodel:

1) Always make sure you put your best side to the camera. 2) Even when you are using the litter box, you still need to look adorable.

3) Make sure you are always well manicured and put your best foot (in this case, both feet) forward.4) Eat at least one salad every day.5) Keep yourself clean and neat.6) Take time to relax with your friends.

Speaking of friends, please don't forget my friends at Heartland Rabbit Rescue. Raffle tickets are available through this Wednesday, September 30th. Just click the link up on the left. For just $2 you could win this very cool bunny necklace created by my mom! (in case you haven't noticed, she really has a thing for bunnies). ;0Lots of bunny love to you,

Turbo

Benefit for the Bunnies!

I found Heartland Rabbit Rescue's website while surfing the web for bunny related sites and blogs. I was really impressed with their website, their mission and their obvious passion for taking in unwanted bunnies, giving them the care and rehab they need and finding loving homes for them. My kind of people!

Heartland also has a great blog where they post cute pics and stories about the current residents of the Heartland Warrens.

Here are just a few of the many rescued (and adoptable) bunnies waiting for their forever homes:

Elizabeth ~ Rachel ~ Tavey ~ Are these some beautiful bunnies, or what??? (And yes, I've often thought -- do we have room for a few more? Hmmmm.) As you can imagine, operating a rescue requires lots of resources -- donations of volunteer time, veterinary care, feed, and funds to keep the rescue running. And so...

I have created this sweet leaping bunny necklace to raffle off with all proceeds to go directly to Heartland Rabbit Rescue:

The necklace features a pewter leaping bunny pendant, pink rhodonite, black onyx and Bali silver beads and hand braided black cord. It retails for $61 and you could win it for a mere $2!

Raffle tickets will be available for purchase through September 30th, with the drawing to be held on October 1st. Tickets are $2 each (or 3 for $5, 7 for $10 or 15 for $20) - use the drop down menu to choose the number of tickets you'd like to purchase. You can purchase the tickets through the PayPal link on the left sidebar, right below my e-mail link. Or you can also pay by check if you like, just send me an e-mail and I'll give you my address.

Let's show the bunnies some love!

Piper Picks a Winner!

First of all, I want to give a BIG thanks to each and every person who purchased raffle tickets. I am so excited to announce that your generosity and caring helped raise $579 for the horses at Equine Voices!

And now, let's pick the winner of the Cowgirl Cuff!

Mixing up the names in the hat...

Piper gets the honor of picking the winner.Of course, she thinks it is something to eat. She really almost did eat the name she drew! I had to put my entire hand in her mouth to get it out! (I should have seen that one coming). But hey, a little horse slobber never hurt anyone. The winner of the pink crystal horseshoe Cowgirl Cuff is --- Christina W. Congrats!I am so happy that this raffle was such a success in raising money for a great cause, and because of that I decided to draw a second name for another Cowgirl Cuff. This one is similar to the first cuff, but with a pink crystal heart.

The winner is: PIX!

Pix and Christina, I'll be contacting you by e-mail and will mail your prizes out promptly!

Thanks again everyone for your support. Piper and I appreciate it very much and I know the other horses at Equine Voices do, too.

Stay tuned for future raffles to benefit other very deserving animal rescue groups. :)

Piper's first experience under saddle...

Alternate title: GET THIS THING OFF ME! These pictures were taken back in March, the very first time Piper had a saddle on her. She just didn't know WHAT to do and instead of throwing a fit like some young horses would do, she simply laid down. Pitiful!

We've come a long way since then. And I'm happy to report that last Saturday I threw a leg over her for the first time and sat in the saddle! She didn't throw a fit, try to lay down or buck me off. I was very proud of her. We're taking baby steps and things are progressing very well.
A quick reminder - Piper will be drawing the winning raffle ticket for the Cowgirl Cuff in 5 day days, on September 14th. All proceeds will go directly to Equine Voices to help the horses. If you have already purchased tickets, thank you so much! If you haven't and would like to do so, please click on the link on the left sidebar. Good luck to everyone!

Raffle Update

I have extended the drawing date for the raffle for the Cowgirl Cuff (proceeds to benefit Equine Voices Rescue and Sanctuary). The new drawing date will be September 15th (vs. August 31st as previously stated). Hang in there everyone who has already purchased tickets! Equine Voices mails out a quarterly newsletter and the next one is due to be mailed any day. In order to have the raffle information included in the newsletter and allow people enough time to purchase their tickets, Piper made the decision to extend the drawing date. :) Response to the raffle has been great! Piper and I are very excited to draw the winner and to present Equine Voices with the proceeds from the raffle. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts. (If you'd like to buy a ticket to help a great cause, the link is on the left sidebar).

Happy Friday!

Hi everyone! Piper here. I'm the guest blogger this morning.Just wanted to remind everyone about the raffle to benefit Equine Voices. Tickets are still available and are only $2 each! If you missed the original post about the raffle, you can check it out here (or click the link on the left sidebar near the top). Thanks to everyone who has already bought their tickets to help my friends at Equine Voices!

Raffle Time!

As many of you know, part of my business plan for Heart of a Cowgirl includes donating a percentage of my monthly sales to various animal rescue organization. I do this every month, good or bad, and it really does make me happy to know I am helping, even if it's in a small way.

And although it is rewarding for me to make my contributions every month, I have been thinking of something that will make it much more fun for me and for YOU! Each month, beginning in August (well, beginning today actually) I will be hosting a raffle for an original piece of Heart of a Cowgirl jewelry (designed by yours truly). All proceeds will go to the designated rescue organization for that month. August's organization is Equine Voices Rescue and Sanctuary.

This month the lucky raffle winner will receive this awesome Cowgirl Cuff! I've created this cuff from a recycled leather belt and embellished it with silver studs and a pink floral horseshoe concho.
Raffle tickets are $2 each (or 3 tickets for $5 or 7 tickets for $10 - use the drop down menu for more than one ticket). You can purchase the tickets through the PayPal link on the left sidebar, right below my e-mail link. For those of you without a PayPal account, you can also pay securely with Visa/Mastercard through that link. Or you can also pay by check if you like, just send me an e-mail and I'll give you my address.

This cuff retails for $30 and you could win it for a mere $2!

Equine Voices is really a great cause. Check out their website for more information about their mission saving PMU mares and foals.

Piper and I thank you! We'll be drawing the winner on August 31st. (**Since posting this, I've extended the drawing date to September 15th in order for the raffle to be included in Equine Voices' newsletter to be published at the end of August**) Good luck everyone!