Edgar Allen Pug is Having a Giveaway!

I recently met a wonderful Etsy graphic artist who creates inspirational dog art prints.  Her name is Ginger and her shop is goingplaces2.  She posted a message on my Dachshund Team forum looking for a good head shot of a dachshund to use for a pocket mirror.  Although I own two dachshunds I didn't have any good mug shots. I asked her if she could use a pug shot instead, and luckily that was also a dog she wanted.  I sent her one of Eddie's puppy pictures and lo and behold, Edgar Allen Pug became immortalized!

 

I was excited to receive my pocket mirror in the mail as a gift for providing the picture.  She captured Eddie's sad little puppy face so well!  Isn't he adorable? Awwww.....

And it came in nice little cloth bag so I can keep it from getting scratched while carrying it in my purse.

 

Eddie just loves his pocket mirror and wants to give away another one just like it.  He's going to make it easy for everyone to enter, too! You get two ways to enter, but only one is required.  Enter twice to increase your chance of winning.  Each eligible comment will be numbered and the winner will be picked using random.org. BE SURE TO LEAVE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS IN EACH COMMENT SO EDDIE CAN FIND YOU IF YOU WIN!

1. Visit goingplaces2 's Etsy shop and leave a comment here telling Eddie which item is your favorite.

2. Leave a comment telling Eddie how adorable he is and why you want to win this pocket mirror.

That's it! Contest ends on 5/15/2011 at 9:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time.  Winner will be notified by email to get your mailing address.  If Eddie doesn't hear from the winner within 3 days, another winner will be chosen (he's an impatient pug). 

GOOD LUCK!

The Real Heart of Etsy Teams

I belong to three teams on Etsy. The Dachshund Team, The Loud and Wacky Street Team, and the Etsy Treasury Team.  I joined these teams initially to get more exposure for our shop, Laughing Fridge.

I'm owned by a sweet little dachshund, I'm a bit loud and wacky, and I love to make treasuries, so I thought these teams would be a good fit.  I never expected the bonus that comes with belonging to a team - making a connection with wonderful Etsy sellers and developing an extraordinary bond of friendship.  I'd like to tell you a wonderful story about the amazing friends I found through these teams, and how they supported me through a difficult period a few months ago.  Keep the tissue box close by...

In September our 8 yr old pug Lucy became very sick.  I made a treasury called "Ode to Pug" as a kind of get well card for her. All the members of these wonderful team expressed their concern and well wishes for our Lucy. One of the Etsy Treasury Team members, Anna of Rebornasart and ALDDesigns , was inspired by my treasury to create a papier mache pug sculpture.  Although Anna had never seen Lucy, she felt a connection to her while creating her pug sculpture. Then Anna sent me a wonderful email saying she wanted me to have her Lucy sculpture.  These are her words...

"It would mean a lot to me if she went to live with you. I've got a very special connection to animals, I get along with them better than people actually, and somehow although I don't even know her, I've got a really special feeling about Lucy. I hope you don't think I'm weird, I'd just really love for you to have this."

Shortly after Anna started her sculpture, Lucy underwent surgery to repair her damaged lung.  Sadly, she passed away during the procedure, and my heart was broken.  I sent an email to Anna letting her know. Many tears flowed between the two of us. I cried as I was telling Anna what happened.  She cried as she finished her Lucy sculpture. I sent Anna some pictures of Lucy and she was amazed at how much her sculpture looked like our sweet pug girl.  Anna put her heart and soul into this sculpture, and when I received her gift I cried again, but this time they were happy tears. Her amazing sculpture had Lucy's essence and spirit and I felt very comforted by it. She is proudly displayed on our mantel and every time I look at her I smile. Out of tragedy, a real friendship was developed. 

My friend Athena of SassySashadoxie posted a beautiful tribute to Lucy on the Dachshund team blog, Tales from the Dach Side.  She featured two angel pug Etsy listings on the blog, and one of the featured sellers, Artist Vanda , whom I had never met, was moved to send me her beautiful print. I received many condolences from my teammates in the blog comments, as well on the team forum.

My dear friends on the LAWST team sent a beautiful sympathy card which was crafted by team member Beth of thequeenofcups.  All of my teammates lent their support and offered condolences during Lucy's illness and after her passing.

My grief has turned into fond memories with the help of these amazing teams.  There is so much more to teams than just posting and promoting on the forums; they are real people who truly care about each other and I'm so happy to a part of these wonderful groups!

'Lucy'