Arabellas at Ricefield Exhibition

here are my Arabellas! enjoying all the attention near the window - they have already attracted a few people in by being here. (They just adore attention!)

I went thru to Ricefield in West Graham Street http://maps.google.com/maps?q=west+graham+street+glasgow&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=ie7&rlz=1I7GGIG&um=1 on Sunday to have a look at the Ushigokoro exhibition I am taking part in.

It was a freezing cold day, I don't think it was much above zero.

and all the trees were completely white! It was truly stunning and very magical and the best drive thru from Edinburgh to Glasgow I have ever had!

At the Box of Delights Exhibition I had a lovely hot cup of green tea and a home made cup/fairy cake - thank you Lorna!

The boxes looked fantastic suspended from the walls and some stacked on the floor, each with lovely treasures inside.

It is on every day until December 22nd. Well worth stopping by - wonderful little boxes of delight!

Dragon House of Yuen in Box of Delights Exhibition

This is the Japanese Ushigokoro Box - a 30cm x 40cm x 30cm (roughly) box that displays an artists works.

Here is my Ushigokoro box with my two Arabella bags, 3 baby hares and some of my handmade Arabella in Chinese Blossom cards plus a stack of business cards.

My mum (who speaks Japanese) kindly came along to give me a hand. My mum is very artistic and has wonderful taste so it was great to have her input on the layout. Plus we also had a cup of tea and cake afterwards - surely a great reason to come along!

My two Arabella Art-Accessory bags were made specifically for this exhibition. They are both looking rather contented sitting in the box ready to be admired! They received some compliments on the day they arrived.

These 3 baby hares have been made from a Chinese ladies jacket. They are called GumFa, Leng and Sakushi.

Whilst decorating my box I met Marceline of etsy shop Asking For Trouble http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5039190, one of the organisers, also decorating hers with delightful Japanese fabric buttons featuring rabbits and beautiful fabric flower brooches (above).

and I also met Gini from etsy shop The Curious Swift http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6299068 who makes beautiful purses, textile badges (above) and collars

It is being held in Ricefield, West Graham Street, Glasgow http://www.ricefield.org.uk/index.html not far from China Town and at the most northern part of the city centre.

This Saturday and Sunday there will be a 10% discount on all purchases. A great opportunity to buy a handmade one of a kind piece of art!

If you can pop in you are sure to be delighted. The boxes look just so enticing with their goodies inside and the whole concept of many artists exhibiting in such a small space with their own contained mini exhibitions is a true visual delight!

The exhibition runs until 23rd December. I will be there this Sunday to say hello.

Ushigokoro Exhibition featuring my Arabella in Chinese Lion Style Jumper

My latest Arabella art-accessory bag made especially for an exhibition in an 'Ushigokoro' - a small 30x40x30cm box made to display artowork. The Chinese string red knots have been tied and hand sewn on, the neck mane frills are from a real Chinese ladies jacket with blossoms.

Doesn't Arabella look just like a Chinese style Lion?

Arabella is looking stunning in her Lion style jumper with her frilly neck. Here she is with Arabella in Chanel - aren't they just beautiful!

The Arabella bag below is Arabella in Japanese Geisha Scarf Bag and will be for sale in the exhibition. It is in keeping with the Far Eastern theme and was also made especially for this event.

The exhibition will be running for the month of December in Ricefield Arts and Culture Centre in West Graham Street Glasgow, Scotland http://www.ricefield.org.uk/whats_on.html

It will be called Box of Delights (named by me!!)

If you are going to be in Glasgow please pop in and have a look - everything is for sale and you could get all your Christmas shopping done in a jiffy.

NEW! Arabella Bag in my shop wearing Chanel ribbons and Selvedge

Arabella likes to take afternoon tea in special places. She also loves those admiring glances - but prefers not to go incognito with sunglasses! A lot of work has gone into making this one of a kind original art-accessory bag. If you would like to purchase it please visit my etsy shop http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=17287342 I ship worldwide from Scotland.

This bag has been made with a vintage Chanel white silk ribbon, faux fur, and scraps of beautiful blue and brown selvedge. It is quilted and has a firm felt padded base. A small pocket inside sports a piece of chanel ribbon and faux fur.

I will be donating 10% of the sale of this bag to The BUAV - http://www.buav.org/

This is a charity that lobbies on behalf of the silent voices of animals being experimented on in laboratories.

Why do I support them?

Because it is too easy to become complacent about your actions in relevance to animal suffering - that you never see - but that goes on in it's millions and that could easily be prevented by purchasing ethically.

Please be aware that all companies that do not show the BUAV logo of a rabbit jumping over stars, and that are not mentioned in the BUAV's little book of cruelty free actually Do test their makeup on animals. Many of them say they do not (and by this statement, they mean the end product) - but what they don't tell you is that the ingredients for that 'super new long lash mascara' Has been tested on animals in a laboratory. In many cases it is outsourced to third party companies for animal testing.

If you support cruelty free beauty please vote with your wallet :) Because you (and your conscience and the lives of millions of animals) are worth it.

As mentioned before in an earlier post the CO-OP (UK) sells cruelty-free products and their 99p Chamomile hair conditioner is just amazing! So cheap and so effective! So do M&S (UK) but they don't have the logo on all their packaging yet and the Body Shop (worldwide) sell only cruelty-free products. They also don't have the logo on all their packaging - I wonder why not?

Small changes go a long way. All these companies sell very affordable but high quality ethical products. Well worth trying out. (Don't let the cheap price put you off )

Do you love Pronghorn Antelopes?

My latest Arabella art-accessory bag with a stunning pronghorn applique. How unique! One of the fastest mammals on earth and one of the most beautiful. Find out more about them http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/antelope.html at National Geographic.
I just love all antelopes and deer. Like rabbits they have an ethereal beauty about them and are fragile animals. North American Pronghorns have such beautiful markings and like all antelopes they are very striking in appearance.

This beautiful bag is for sale in my etsy shop http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=17221438

This bag donates 10% to Bonnie Pulver's Dance with Bunnies Rabbit Rescue. Please read her story below. She does a wonderful task of rescuing and rehoming rabbits.

Dance with the Bunnies Rabbit Rescue Interview

Recently I interviewed Bonnie Pulver - a wonderful lady who fosters and rehomes rabbits

Bonnie Pulver of etsy shop WovenDreams started her Dance with the Bunnies Rabbit Rescue over 10 years ago. She became a foster home for the rabbits from the Friends of the Pitt County Animal Shelter in America and usually has eight to fifteen rabbits for adoption. The Pitt County Animal Shelter helps in Bonnie’s spay and neuter programme. All of the rabbits are spayed and neutered before being adopted by their new family in their forever home.
Over the years Bonnie’s rescue has grown as well as her responsibilities. She attends local events to discuss rabbit care and has a TV spot every few months.

She is also an animal cruelty investigator for Pitt County having being trained and sworn in by the county commissioner. She attends investigations when needed. Bonnie says that this is a difficult job for her to do as it can get very emotional. She is always accompanied on an investigation. The majority of investigations are for dogs, however Bonnie will take all rabbit calls. The animal control units in the county and the city where she lives bring all captured domestic rabbits to her, instead of to the animal shelter, where a large majority of animals are put down due to the high numbers.

Bonnie says that once even the fire department brought a rabbit to her. Some of the rabbits are full of pests including fleas, ticks and maggots and sadly some of them just don’t make it. Bonnie says that this is a very difficult part of rescuing. Bonnie has rescued over one hundred rabbits and keeps a file of every single one. She has a section in her Etsy store that helps to support Dance with the Bunnies, which is funded solely by donations
As well as fostering and rescuing rabbits Bonnie has been weaving since 1979. This is her official website http://www.wovendreams.biz/

I asked Bonnie a few questions about her rescue work. Please read her replies below.

- What was your inspiration for starting Dance with the Bunnies?

I rescued a bunny from the Humane Society. They called me about more and I agreed to foster them. I then turned into Dance with the Bunnies.

- Why did you decide to foster?

I could not believe the numbers of rabbits that needed my help.

- When did you start your fostering?

Close to ten years ago.

- What obstacles have you had to overcome with the fostering?

I have had to build space for the growing amount of bunnies coming through my rescue.

- What type of support do you receive as a fosterer?

The Humane Society first gave me the support I needed. Then my support switched to Friends of the Pitt County Animal Shelter. It is a county wide organization that rescues many domestic animals. They spay and neuter my rabbits. They also give me their TV spots once every two months. WITN, our local television station, also interviews me several times a year about the MAKE MINE CHOCOLATE campaign.

- Do you have a set programme that you follow when you take a bunny in?

I definitely do not do impulse adoptions. I interview my prospective bunny parents and have them fill out an extensive contract. I talk to them about housing, food and items for bringing them home with. I also teach them about basic rabbit care. I always give them my business card and tell them to email me with any questions. I make sure they understand that if for any reason that they decide to give the bunny up, I will take the bunny back. I do not want any bunnies I have rescued going to bad homes or being set free.

(I am hoping that this type of answer may inspire other efa members to consider fostering as an option if they are not able to adopt permanently?)

- How do you 'vet' potential new bunny familys and do you do house checks and interviews with all members of the potential family?

(Some rescue in the UK do not release bunnies unless they are bonded, will only be living indoors and are not for a child)

I do interviews but do not do initial house checks. It does state on my contract with the adopters that I can check their home if I feel that they are irresponsible for any reason in taking care of their bunnies. I do not adopt a bunny to a family with children that are toddlers. I explain very politely the reasons why and give them ideas as to what they should adopt instead. I ask to meet the children otherwise and will sit with them and instruct them as to the proper handling and care of their new pet. I also make the parent know that they are responsible for the bunny and not the child. I make sure that they understand that when the child is grown and off to college, that they are responsible for the bunny.

- When do you know a bunny is ready for adoption?

My bunnies are ready for adoption several weeks after their spay or neuter.

- Is there a fee/donation towards costs for neutering and spaying and innoculations at a recommended amount when a bunny is adopted out?

The spay or neuter is taken care of the organization that I am a foster home for. There is a $50.00 adoption fee towards that. I do not receive the adoption money for my rescue. I work only on donations and out-of-pocket expenses.

- I saw your certificates for your lovely little luv bunnies - do you have a similar pledge when adopting out a bunny?

That information is covered in my contracts along with further pledges. The luv bunnies contract is an adorable partial pledge.

- What are/is your goals for Dance with the Bunnies?

I would like to educate the public more on house rabbits. In my area of the USA, outdoor rabbits are more popular. I am working on educating about house rabbits. I would like to continue pet therapy with rabbits.

- Do you have any advice for people thinking about becoming foster parents?

Give our bunnies lots of love because they most likely have had a bad life before they came to you. Give them time to heal. Be careful of who you adopt these wonderful bunnies to. Over the years, I have learned so much about caring for a rabbit. Every year I continue to grow with information. Love each bunny. No matter how difficult a bunny may be or how long he/she stays in your home, they will always get adopted. I kept Alice for 3 years before she was adopted. I was so happy for her. Fostering has forced me to see some horrible things out in the world. I am deeply in awe of these wonderful little bunnies who love us regardless of how they have been treated in the past. Enjoy your journey.

- How has fostering enriched your life?

Fostering has taught me respect for the kind furballs that we call rabbits. I feel that I am doing a small part of giving to help our planet and it's creatures. I love more because of the unconditional love these bunnies give to me.

- Anything else you would like to add?

Love your bunnies because they love you. They look to you for guidance, care and love. You are the light of their lives. Respect it. I would like to thank Bonnie for taking the time to share her experiences and thoughts and for kindly giving permission to include these pictures and links. Bonnie can be contacted by email to answer any bunny queries ncrabbitmom@gmail.com

These beautiful photo cards are sold in Bonnies etsy shop where all monies goes directly to supporting her fostering programme. You can find them here http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5614100&section_id=5524575 She also sells other beautiful items on etsy too.

To read this interview in full accompanied by all it's photos please visit the Etsy For Animals official website here http://efaartistshelpinganimals.org/index.php/members-action/521-wovendreams#content

Animals and Communicating - so important!

Who's this beauty??

Arabella relaxing ofcourse!

Wesley at the rescue centre - so glad he made it there! and even gladder he made it to Me!!

I have 2 lovely rescue rabbits living at home with me, Arabella (my bags inspiration) and Wesley. Arabella came from a rescue in Perthshire, Scotland and Wesley from The Rabbit and Guinea Pig Welfare http://www.rngp.org/index.shtml in Rugby, England. They live in my house, ofcourse, and have free range of everywhere all the time.

When we collected Arabella in 2005 she had been shut up in a hutch for 2 years! Isn't that shocking. It has taken here at least 2 more years to pad around the house without being afraid of noises or what was behind the door. Now she really has come out of her furry shell and she loves to explore. Particularly at breakfast time - she dashes over to peer inside the fridge with me - demanding that I give her a portion of greens. Her small demands are always met.

Wesley is happy at the moment keeping warm and sleeping unlmited safe hours on his fleeces. He stretches right out - on his side and his big lop ears fall over his face. He has many deep sleeps a day and is very contented to doze away. He has plenty of room and a basket of toys but at the moment he isn't showing too much interest in them. He is just over 2 now and was found on a disused railway line covered in urine and blood. he has many cuts and nicks on his ears and when we took him home it took a few months for him to trust me to gently caress his ears and forehead.

Whenever I am going out, even for 5 minutes, I always let both of them know when I will be back, and what I plan to do.

A few years ago at my grans the TV was on during the day. Which is pretty rare, but it must have been fate because the daytime show was on - can't remember what one it was, but they had this lady on who could 'talk' to the animals. Well, I have always been fascinated by animal communication so I watched avidly. The lady was Amelia Kinkade, http://www.ameliakinkade.com/ an American animal communcator who is highly accomplished in this field. She was just amazing and the host had invited her to his home where she had talked to his 3 dogs. She was spot on with each dogs foibles and quirks that he was amazed, and pleasantly shocked!

Later when I got home I searched on the web and found out that she would be holding a workshop in Scotland in a few months so I promptly booked myself on it. It was a full days communication workshop with a lot of animal guests that our group of 30 bombarded with telepathic questions!! Not one furry friend blinked an eyelid in this melee and the majority of people managed to communicate successfully, their answers were confirmed and their notebooks filled.

I highly recommend going on her course if you ever get the chance. I read her book first 'Straight From the Horses Mouth' http://www.ameliakinkade.com/fromhorsesmouth and found it amazing and fascinating. Never again would I presume that the spoken word is reserved only for homo sapiens ears, regardless of 'complexity'. As soon as I read the book I started to talk all the time with Zai - my first rescue rabbit http://www.sadtohappystory.blogspot.com/ and that brought about so many changes for the better! Zai would no longer be sitting right at the door as I came home very day, his back to the door in a huff - he would be relaxed and going about his usual things because I had told him exactly how long I would be, what I would be doing and when I would be home! (and I was Never late).

At the workshop one of the first guests we met was a young dog, and we had to ask him what he had had for breakfast. So, in the silence I asked my telepathic question and instantaneously I heard the words 'star-shaped cat food'. My gosh, I thought, that's odd, but I better write it down. Then I sat there wondering what to say when Amelia would ask me. After she had been around the group - chops, biscuits, lamb... she pointed to me and I blurted out 'star-shaped cat food' and the dog's 'owner' said 'hey! he had that for breakfast by mistake this morning' and I thought Wow this works!! There was a gasp in the group and the dog was just sitting there cool as a button!

After the workshop I purchased Amelias CD on Meditations http://www.ameliakinkade.com/cd_english . Every fur friend I come across I treat as an equal - because we all are eh! - all living beings - breathing the same air, drinking the same water, and I always say hello to them! If you love all animals then you should have a look at Amelia's book, it truly is an eye-opener. It is a step up from the excellant Monty Roberts http://www.montyroberts.com/ab_about_monty.html - I read his book years ago. Well worth the read. Did you know that rabbits are like horses too - if you put pressure on a rabbits side then they will push back!

Well, I have been reading a fellow etsy for animals team-mate's blog Dawn of Without Quiltification and I came across a sad story - had tears in my eyes, of a beautiful and needy labrabor called Gutter http://withoutqualification.com/2008/09/05/gutter-senior-lab-with-seizures-needs-donations-and-rescue/#comment-376 .

After having one of his sleeping seizures he actually goes around the house to make sure everyone is still there - and I was wondering if maybe he had been abandoned after a seizure? He has a great need and desire to check that everyone is still there, next to him!! I truly hope he finds a loving forever home. I sent some dollars his way :)

Dawn is doing great work helping many little friends. She also has an etsy shop Fashionsplatter and all sales go to help her rescue http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5276773 and part to another rescue. Her pendants are lovely! and meaningful too http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=11497953

A Big THANK YOU!

to my super customers!! - I have sold 3 Arabella Bags during the Etsy For Animals Birthday Celebrations and I have donated a total of $22.60 to 2 super rescues - The Buckeye House Rabbit Society in Ohio, USA http://www.ohare.org and the Rabbit and Guinea Pig Welfare in Rugby, England http://www.rngp.org/ and to the World Scoiety for the Protection of Animals http://www.wspa.org.uk/. Also, one of my customers donated a further $15.60 to Buckeye!

I also sold 2 original Priceless and Evdokia ACEOs and 3 of my Arabella handmade cards. So - thank you very much everybody for choosing to buy my artwork! especially considering the amazing wealth of talent out there.

I am sure the animal organisations really appreciate these extra funds and I am very pleased indeed to be contributing in this way. Just incase you don't know I also paint pet portraits, starting from $160 in watercolours. I also paint house and building portraits, landscapes and wild animals. If you are interested please take a look at my fine art style here http://www.dragonhouseofyuen.co.uk/petportraits.htm .

So - here are the bags that have gone to great homes ....

This Arabella Bag has been sold!

This Arabella Bag has been sold aswell.

This Arabella Bag has gone to a new home too.

Also a Very Big Thank You to all the wonderful folks - you know who you are! - who have said lovely things about my bags and cards and hares. It means so much to me and when I am quietly working away at 2am and can hear only the clock ticking I remind myself that other people love my small creations too.