my first blog Winter Raffle for the Rabbit and Guinea Pig Welfare

This is my first raffle to raise funds for the rescue that Wesley came from - the Rabbit and Guinea Pig Welfare in Rugby, England.

I have 4 fantastic prizes to give away! Tickets are only £1 / $2 each and you can buy them here by PayPal. If you live in the UK you can send a cheque in pounds sterling - please leave a contact email in the comments below.

Prizes will be shipped by the artist, worldwide at their expense. The raffle closes Tuesday 15th December midnight GMT.

All funds raised will go straight to Tracy at rngp to help her rescue thru the lean winter period.

After being found covered in blood and urine on a disused railway line Wesley was then at the rescue for a long time. White, albino eyed, adult rabbits are not so 'cutesy' and find it hard to get homes. I'm so glad I found Wesey - it was love at first sight (still is!) and every day when I massage his back he makes small peeping noises of happiness for me!

Wesley knows this is my first raffle and he's apprehensive too. When that happens he likes to eat whilst keeping a watchful eye on things!

FIRST PRIZE

Yellow Rabbit on Blue I

The First Prize is an original collage donated by American artist Carly Swenson, currently residing in England.

A striking and sentient work of aesthetically appealing imagery is combined with various drawings. Torn papers add beautiful accents in the background unifying the piece while the yellow and blue make a vibrant contrast in the foreground among sketches and found imagery to create this unique piece.

This original is 12" x 24" (30.5cm x 61cm) and ready to hang. The sides are painted black to create unity within the work and two layers of UV protective coating have been applied to help protect the integrity of this piece. Although it is still recommended that work not be hung in direct sunlight.

This piece is valued at $125. Thank you very much Carly!!

Cary has an etsy shop Naked Carly Art where she sells her other elegant artworks and originals.

SECOND PRIZE

Snowshoe Hare Footprint Bowl

The Second Prize is an original handmade Snowshoe Hare Footprint Bowl by American artist Kirsten Holmes who lives in America.

This beautiful stoneware clay bowl has three footprints from a real snowshoe hare in it's natural habitat in the Adirondack Park in Northern New York State. Kirsten made a stamp that was moulded from the footprints and used that to create this unique design surrounding the bowl.

This 'peppered blue' bowl has been fired to cone 10 in a propane fuelled kiln and is dishwasher and microwaveable safe. The glazes are lead free. It is 3 7/8" high by 6 7/8 wide at the rim (7.5cm x 15cm) and would make a great small serving bowl. It can hold 48 ounces (6 cups). It comes with a tag picturing a snowshoe hare and a brief description of Kirsten's style of pottery.

This piece is valued at $40. Thank you very much Kirsten!!

Kirsten works as a zoo keeper and has a website showing more of her pottery work and the animals she works beside - Kirsten's Clay and also an etsy shop Kirsten's Clay with more of her beautiful and unique work for sale.

THIRD PRIZE
Esme the Brown Bunny Set - ACEO, Large and Small Greeting Cards and Print plus bonus Bookmark

The Third Prize is a set of Esme images from an original painting on clay by Canadian artist Pey Lu who lives in Canada.

The set comprises one ACEO (Art Cards Edition and Originals) standard ACEO size of 3.5" x 2.5" (9cm x 6cm), one Greeting Card Large - card size 5" x 6.75" (13cm x 17cm), one Greeting Card Small - card size 3.5" x 5" (9cm x 13xm), one Print with image size 5" x 7" (13cmx 18cm) on larger sized paper and one bonus bookmark of Esme.

This set has a special introductory price of $22. Thank you very much Pey!!

Pey is an accomplished, internationally collected artist and has a website Pey Lu and an etsy shop Pey Lu. Pey is currently donating the main prize for the Ohio based Buckeye House Rabbit Society Holiday Raffle and the five sub prizes. Please see this post to read more about Pey, that raffle and her rescue rabbit Charlie.

FOURTH PRIZE
Baby Hare Hope

I am donating the Fourth Prize of a baby hare. Baby Hare Hope comes with a small booklet telling her story, a blank Baby Hare greetings card and matching Baby Hare gift tag and a small baby hare tie tag/page finder. This hare is valued at $25.

Please meet baby hare Hope. Hope is a very gentle little hare and very early on found her purpose in life. One day when exploring the field edges she heard little cries and on poking thru the grass discovered 3 tiny baby rabbits in unusual colours – oranges, blacks and whites - goodness! When she asked the babies why they had been left there and where was their mother she was confronted with a flood of tears and sad stories of being taken from their mum and dumped by humans. She managed to take them all safely home with the help of the mother hares. The kittens grew strong and fast filled with rich hare milk, warmth and love.

So Hope made it her mission to rescue the abandoned and neglected rabbits that the humans far too easily tire off. She has found rabbits of all ages out in the fields but most commonly those at 6 months when they are no longer so cutesy or small.

Hope has set up a special nursery for the smallest babies still needing milk. The hare mothers are on 24 hour call for feeding and warmth duties. She has also organised parties of foxes, owls and deer to keep an eye out for scared, hungry and dehydrated rabbits. When one is found she takes a strong father hare with her and they safely bring the charges in.

She now has a growing population of multi coloured rabbits who have mainly hare traits! Hope has brought heartbeats of happiness and a good future to so many badly treated rabbits.

She is now in talks with a few notable humans about stopping the sale of tiny baby rabbits in pet shops and putting breeders out of business for good.

Her plans are coming to fruition and she has a steady stream of donations of carrots, kale, herbs and fresh meadow hay – surprisingly some have been from a couple of caring humans involved in rabbit rescues. Those humans are also helping a few of the rabbits find loving human forever homes.Hope is relieved that she has been able to make a difference.

She will soon be opening her ‘Hope’s Making a Change One Rabbit at a Time Rabbit Rescue’ to the public on special days. The foxes, weasels, spiders, snakes and mosquitoes have been called in for Control and Patrol duty.

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Hope has been machine and hand sewn with great care and has safety eyes. She will have many ‘unique’ (imperfect, handmade) bits. She prefers to continue her rescue and negotiation work and would appreciate an open window so that she may come and go as necessary as emergencies can happen at any time.

She is made of 100% recycled cotton and has a polyfill stuffing, along with a full stomach of dandelion leaves (only joking!). She stands approx 4.5” wide x 6.5” high (12cm x 17cm).

Hope is looking forward to her journey and her forever home! She also wants you to know that baby hares are called leverets and baby rabbits are kittens.

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Thank you to everyone entering my raffle. Tickets can be purchased via the PayPal button on my side bar. UK Cheques can be sent to Tracy at rngp or to me. All entries will be written down on paper and put into my golden fish trinket box on the closing day. The winners will then be chosen and announced on my blog.

Thank you for helping the rescue rabbits and cavies, and an enormous I-couldn't-do-it-without-you! Thank You! to Carly, Kirsten and Pey.

... and ..... I also could not have done any of this without the super, friendly help from Bridget from etsy shop Heart of a Cowgirl who has a blog by the same name - Thank you so very much!!!