Helping those who need it.

From time to time I like to donate a percentage of sales to a charity or organization I feel strongly about.  To date it's been animal welfare organizations as I've always thought of myself as an animal person, and when it came to helping, I was of the mindset that people could help themselves but animals could not.  I will be an animal person for as long as I live, but as I get older, I find myself more sympathetic, empathetic, and sensitive.  More and more, human rights and well-being issues have weighed heavily on my mind, and like all the animals I want to gather up and help, I've found myself wishing I could just give each person that needs it a hug, a home, love, food, treatment, and whatever it is they need to succeed.  After watching The Released | Frontline on Netflix over the weekend, I felt compelled to do more than sit on my sofa with moist eyes and a tight throat.

If you've not seen it, The Released examines the number of currently and previously incarcerated with serious mental illness, and the cycle of arrest, release, and re-arrest that so often is the case when adequate treatment, medication, and support isn't readily available. The statistics are daunting, and the reality - depressing.  I feel so strongly about people like the ones I watched in The Released receiving the help they need to have a chance at breaking the cycle.  I know that I can't rectify the situation, but I want to feel like I'm not just sitting idly by while others are struggling.  So for the next month, I'm donating 10% of all sales from both my art shop and my jewelry shop to Refuge of Hope, an organization providing shelter, food, and access to community health care services for people like those in The Released, the homeless, and others who are struggling to get by.

This isn't a sales pitch by any means, but any time I'm donating a portion of sales to a worthy cause, I just want to be sure to share so you'll know who you're helping when buying from my shops!

what i've been working on (for animals)...

yesterday i had a few ideas for some necklaces that i wanted to work on, so after i finished hammering some hoops that needed to be shipped, i sat down and started tangling. as i was tangling chains i was thinking about which charities i felt especially drawn to because it's been a few months since i've donated a portion of one month's sales to a specific charity. obviously i love animals more than life so it will always be an animal charity, and after thinking on it for most of the day i decided on the world wildlife fund. so, from now through the end of april, $1 from each item sold will be donated to help protect and conserve the animals we love so much!

i'm going to say that within a week i'd like to have these new necklaces in my shop, but i have to be honest with myself, and you, when i say that i tend to get a little lazy with updates. BUT, i did finish a shop update on sunday so there are 4 new necklaces, 2 new bracelets, and 1 new pair of earrings in the shop!

other than that, i'm being an adult this morning and eating oatmeal (which by no means is my favorite, but it's honey bun flavor, so there's that...) rather than my preferred breakfast of champions, a toasted plain bagel smothered with nutella. flojo is enjoying it more than i am, so there's a chance there won't be any left when i finish typing this. so how are you, and have you been working on anything?

Dinosaur Toes and Lost Cabin Vintage for RHCCF

I'm so excited the time has finally come for Toni and I to unveil the collaboration we've been working on for the last couple weeks! Toni and I have each created a handmade item exclusively for this auction, with 100% of the proceeds going to The Rachael Horton Compassionate Care Fund.

On April 8th, 2010, Rachael Horton, along with her husband Aaron, was killed in a devastating apartment fire; on that day, animals and pets lost a dear and devoted friend. Before her passing, Rachael would use money from her own paycheck to provide treatments to animals when their owners weren't able to afford it. The Rachael Horton Compassionate Care Fund was set up in Rachael's memory to honor her dream of having no pet turned away from life-saving treatments, or face euthanasia, due to an owner's inability to pay the vet's bill. Through generous donations and local events, animals that may have been euthanized have instead been treated, just as Rachael would have wanted!

Toni, from Lost Cabin Vintage, has created the "Apple Isle," a beautiful and unique hand-dyed vintage slipdress, especially for this auction. Fits sizes Small, Medium and Large.

The Dinosaur Toes necklace I've made for this auction is a hammered brass horseshoe with a chalcedony stone spike. The pendant is attached to a section of polished brass chain and is 28" long.

To place a bid on this fun handmade combination as a gift to yourself, or for someone else this holiday season, just fill in your name and email address in the form below, and your bid amount in the messages box. Names and email addresses will be kept confidential, and you can keep track of the current bid amount here, as well as Toni's blog! Also, to help spread the word, we'd be so grateful if you'd blog, tweet, or facebook about this auction! Bidding for this auction will end on December 10, and your package will be shipped via Priority Mail no matter where you are in the world, that way you can get in time to give for Christmas!

foxyform.com

shopping can save lives.

on april 8th of this year, chris' second cousin, rachael horton, and her husband, aaron, were killed in a tragic apartment fire. although emotions are still raw, and their deaths are no easier to accept, their memory continues to live on through the legacy they left. rachael was a lifelong animal lover who gave money from her own paycheck to help pay for treatments that could save an animal's life when their owner couldn't afford it. after her death, the rachael horton compassionate care fund was set up in her memory to continue making her dream a reality. i've donated a percentage of sales to the lynchburg humane society before, and i was happy to do it, but i have to admit, this is something so much more special to me.

from now until november 18th, 15% of sales from my website will be donated to the rachael horton compassionate care fund in hopes of saving lives. no monetary value can be placed on the life a furry (or feathered) baby, and it shouldn't have to be; i hope this is a fund that will outlive me and everyone i know, because i think it is just that special!

shopping for the animals!

okay, so if there is one thing you all know about me, it's my unequivocal love for animals; my need to help and love them at all costs, and by any means necessary. so to share some of that love, i've decided that for the month of august (and maybe for september, too) i'm donating 25% of all sales to the lynchburg humane society. because i can't adopt every animal there (remember that pit bull i told you i fell in love with?), i'm hoping that i can at least help them with a monetary donation. so, if you've had your eye on something in my shop, now's a good time to own it! *obligatory disclaimer: i'm not a salesperson, and to be honest, i'd prefer a world with no money, so please don't feel like i'm after your wallet. i'm not, i'm here for the friendly blogging community, sales are just a perk.

as the first mate of danielle's flock, i can tell you that she really does love animals. sometimes i'm not quite sure why she was even born human, but that's beside the point. i don't really like cats, and i liked dive bombing the yellow lab that used to live with us, but the fact is, i still think that even cats and dogs should have basic animal rights: good food, clean water, and a loving family (and if they're like me, more attention than a baby, and more homemade food that my human friends).

xo,

flojo (aka dinosaur toes)

>> p.s. thank you for the link love micaela, carla and jill! you're the best!