Bunny Sunday (a day early)

You may remember my post from July about Darla, a bunny at Heartland Rabbit Rescue:

She looks so much like my Nutmeg that I wished I could bring her home, but since Heartland is in Oklahoma, that wasn't possible.  So instead, I decided to sponsor her.

(Here's Nutmeg, just chillin'.  Quite the resemblance.)

Darla had been waiting at Heartland patiently (...well maybe not SO patiently, Rex bunnies are not known for their patience, they have a little bit of 'tude!) for her forever home.  Last week, my friend Christina, a Heartland volunteer, took her bunny Whoosh to Heartland to find him a friend.  Guess who immediately took to him -- Darla!

And here is the happy couple:

Pretty darn adorable.  They give Nutmeg and Patches a run for their money...

I love happy endings.  Running a rescue is definitely a labor of love.  Unfortunately, it takes more than love to help as many bunnies as possible.  Here's how you can help!  My fundraiser for the bunnies runs through tomorrow (Bunny Sunday).  Simply shop the Mystique Boutique online catalog here and a percentage of each sale will be donated to Heartland.  (Please add in the notes section of your order that this is for the Heartland Rabbit Rescue Fundraiser.)  Thank you so much for helping out this great cause.  I know everyone at Heartland appreciates the support.

Happy early Bunny Sunday!

Fundraiser for Heartland Rabbit Rescue

Happy 2012!  A new year always brings renewed energy, ideas and goals.  One of my goals this year is to help my favorite animal rescues by doing more fundraising, so.... I'm jumping right in. 

As you can imagine, we are big supporters of bunny rescue and our favorite is Heartland Rabbit Rescue, a nonprofit, no-kill rescue and shelter devoted to providing rescue and care for abandoned and neglected domestic rabbits.  (Sandie, Digger, Ginger, Bully and Turbo give them 10 paws up!) 

Something new for me this year is that I have signed on as a consultant for Mystique Boutique, a wonderful company that features jewelry, accessories and body care products.  This is where the fundraising comes in... being a consultant allows me the opportunity to host an online "catalog boutique", with a percentage of all sales going directly to benefit the bunnies at Heartland.  And this is where you, bunny lovers, come in... shop the Mystique Boutique catalog here, order securely online and have it shipped directly to your doorstep.  Simply put "Heartland Rabbit Rescue" in the notes section of the order form and Heartland will get credit for your purchase.  The bunnies benefit and so do you -- the products are beautiful and well made.

Some of my personal favorites from the Mystique catalog:

This beautiful scarf can be worn tied around your neck or draped around your shoulders shawl-style.  It is super soft and luxurious.  I never fail to get compliments on this when I wear it.  Of course, I LOVE the turquoise color...

And how about this leather cuff...handcrafted by ME!  I'm so excited that Mystique Boutique is carrying one of my designs.

Their interchangeable belts and buckles go great with the cuff!  I've been wearing this one a lot lately:

And this is the purse/tote that I'm currently carrying.  LOTS of room for all your necessities (and then some). 

And last, but not least, Mystique also has a great line of body care products, including lotion, goats milk soap, moisturizing sticks, bath salts and their AMAZING shower gems (spoil yourself with one of these!) 

The catalog boutique starts today, January 5th and runs through Sunday, January 15th, so you have plenty of time to shop at your convenience.  If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via e-mail.  Thanks in advance for your support of the bunnies at Heartland Rabbit Rescue!

Bunny Sunday

My friend Christina, who lives in Oklahoma and volunteers with my favorite bunny rescue group, Heartland Rabbit Rescue, shared a "Bun of the Day" on her FaceBook page a few weeks ago.  This is what it said:

Bun of the day: Darla

The tattoo in her ear reads 90210 but Beverly Hills was not the lifestyle Darla lived. Slender frame, saggy dewlap and the tat all scream that she was used for breeding. Never again precious Darla. A chocolate rex, her coat is like fine velvet. She likes posing for pictures so if she were to adopt you get ready to take constant snapshots of this princess. Darla needs love and lots of it. With time you may be able to convince her not all humans are bad and when she lays her head on your lap with trust in those big brown eyes, all will be right with the world. Darla's song......"I will survive"

And this is Darla:

My first thought was, "Wow, she looks just like my Nutmeg!".  I kept going back to the pic and looking at it and thinking about (and missing) Nutty Brown...

Quite the resemblance, huh?

So, in Nutmeg's honor, I decided that I would sponsor Darla.  She could be an honorary member of our family.  Nutmeg would definitely approve.

Sponsoring a bunny is a great way to help with expenses, vet care, etc.  It's only $45 a year.  For your donation/sponsorship you get a sponsorship certificate, a 5x7 photo of your rabbit, three cards from your rabbit throughout the year and a fridge magnet with your rabbit's picture on it.  And a warm, fuzzy feeling that you are doing something to help a sweet bunny!  Check out the bunny bios on Heartland's website, I'm sure there is a special bunny waiting just for you.  :)

Happy Bunny Sunday!

Bunny Saturday?

I know I'm a day early for Bunny Sunday, but I just had to share this adorable Etsy Treasury that Linda of Artwolf created (click here to go to the full page view):

Bunnies and more bunnies!  Thanks to Linda for including my Copper Bunny Earrings in this collection. 

I created these earrings with sweet little copper bunny charms paired with copper hearts, pearls and swarovski crystals dangling from copper rings.  I'm putting these on sale through tomorrow, BUNNY SUNDAY, for 10% off the regular price AND I'll also donate 10% of the sale to Heartland Rabbit Rescue.  Just send me an e-mail and I'll adjust the price accordingly.  Thanks!

Easter Bunny Sunday

Finally! What we've all been waiting for:

A 4 pound chocolate bunny with NO CALORIES.  Happy Bunny Sunday everyone ~

Oh!  And don't forget, today is the last day to help rescued bunnies by purchasing from my Etsy or Artfire shops. I'm donating 25% of all sales to Heartland Rabbit Rescue.

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...

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!

Heartland Rabbit Rescue

As anyone can tell from reading my blog, animals are a big part of my life. I have adopted or rescued numerous animals and even though we have nearly reached our limit on bringing in any new animals, I think it is important to continue to support the efforts of rescue organizations.

One goal of my business plan is to donate 10% of my Etsy sales to various animal rescue groups. I do have my favorites and usually I like to donate to a group that is local, but I found Heartland Rabbit Rescue's site and blog and have been following it ever since. This month I am making a donation to their group by sponsoring one of their special needs rabbits.This is Hope. She was brought to Heartland Rabbit Rescue after being abandoned at a city shelter. She had weepy eyes due to a possible pasteurella infection and later developed signs of encephalitozoon cuniculi, which causes uncontrollable rolling and head tilt. Fortunately, her condition has improved, although she will always have the head tilt.

I hope that my donation will help with her care and that of the other bunnies waiting for their forever loving homes at Heartland Rabbit Rescue.