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!

'Eggplant. It's What's for Dinner.' by LaughingFridge

Eggplnt Seeds, Black Be... PynesFarms $1.39	aubergine plaid tall sp... faitavec $75.00	iPad sleeve - grey, gre... ambette $58.00
Cable knit accent belt ... dilettant $49.00	Birdy num num necklace-... zdrop $49.00	80s Vintage Eggplant Pe... JoulesVintage $40.00
Eggplant Teal & Lime Sh... mountainashdes... $72.00	Earrings Lampwork Glass... ZaftigDelights $25.00	Organic Catnip Cat Toy ... wagsandwiggles $3.00
Easter Egg Shaped Eggpl... Mymothersgarde... $36.00	FINGER CORSAGE no.9-Egg... BlondeChick $20.00	Vintage Deep Eggplant C... KMalinka $48.00
Mini Cat - 5x5 in Origi... loriamckee $35.00	Eggplant Cocoon and Bea... SandysCapeCodO... $5.95	Eggplant Mug 16oz pegstabletop $26.00
Eggplant Purple Satin G... JennasRedRhino $31.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

It's That Time of Year Again!

Yes, it's time for the annual April Fool Wacky Giveaway sponsored by Etsy's Loud and Wacky Street Team (LAWST).  All you have to do is visit some cool shops and find the fool! You could win a great sample swag bag filled with goodies and coupons and free stuff! Plus you'll find some fun new Etsy shops!

Click HERE and you'll be taken to the LAWST blog where you will find the rules and can enter the contest.  Good luck and most of all, HAVE FUN and BE WACKY!

In Remembrance of Indy, our Big Old Boy

Last summer we lost our big old cat Indy, who had been with us for 14 years.  He was our first fur baby as a couple, adopted from the shelter when he was a wee kitten.  John was very attached to Indy boy. They had a special bond, in part because he was the only other male in a household of  females (one human, two dogs and another cat).  We both missed Indy very much, but it was really hard on John.

I happened upon a blog shortly before Christmas; 'Penelope, The Cat From Hell'.  Written by Penelope herself, who is proud to be the cat from Hell, this blog is always witty and entertaining. I confess I am now a Penelope groupie. Through her wonderful blog posts I learned that Penelope's mom is a very talented artist living in Canada. Her name is Barb Kowalik and you can see her work on her web page and her ArtFire shop .  She does amazing "totem" paintings but also does animal portraits.  I was so impressed with her work that I commissioned a painting of Indy to give to John for Christmas.  I sent her the picture of Indy that I wanted done, and also sent a face shot so she could get a better idea of his eye color.  I was thrilled when I received my Indy portrait. Not only did she do the original pose that I requested, but since it ended up being too large for the mats she had, she did a second portrait of Indy's face in a lovely double mat.  Both paintings are beautiful, as you can see here!

 

When John opened his gift on Christmas morning he was completely surprised and at a loss for words, and if you know John, you know that never happens. He loves these portraits as much as I do!

If you would like to know more about Barb and her work I encourage you to visit her web pages or become a friend on her Facebook page.  Penelope, the cat from Hell, has a Facebook page as well. 

WACKY SPECTACULAR GIVEAWAY

The Loud and Wacky Street Team  LOVES LOVES LOVES to have fun! So, they are having a BIG giveaway!

The following Etsy team members have donated items for this giveaway: 

artbysusanwilliams

ellesbelle

fiberpuppy
 

flmh1972
 

johnniebelinda
 

laughingfridge
 

luanndanzldesigns

sisustudios
 

soulinchains
 

susanwilliamsdesigns 

thequeenofcups

There is ONE PRIZE and it is all the donated items for this giveaway.  Minimum retail value is $210.00 USD.

CLICK HERE TO TO GO THE LOUD AND WACKY BLOG AND ENTER THE GIVEAWAY!!

This giveaway is open to EVERYONE 18+ in the Continental USA only! You do NOT have to be a member of Loud and Wacky Street Team or Etsy.

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'

My Dachshund and Pug at Play

Hannah and Lucy always want the same toy. Hannah wins the struggle, but graciously relinquishes her ball to Lucy in the end. And all Hannah gets is a smack in the nose from Lucy's tail!