Bristol Vegan Fayre 09. A fabulous vegan day.

This year's Bristol Vegan Fayre was held on the weekend 30/31 May 09. Each year that it has been held, it has become bigger and bigger. There is talk of it not happening next year, and it would be a shame if it didn't take place, as it is very popular with, vegans, veggies and everyone else.
On arrival, we went into the marquee with stalls. A huge space for all things vegan to be sold. Many samples of food to try, from raw chocolate to burgers, and everything inbetween. Quite a few of the stalls are known by me, since I've been to several vegan fayres, so I mostly know what to expect, and it really didn't dissappoint.
There was Fry's food, that sell vegan fake meat products. If you can get over the likeness to meat, they make fab savoury things like burgers, sausages, 'chicken' pieces. I like their products, they're convenient and tasty, and 'NO' I' m not longing for meat, when I eat them, they make VEGAN products, if it was meat, I would never touch it. Hey, if it helps anyone lay off animals, , it's a great idea to try these, but also, like I said - convenient, and tasty, and in no way trying to be meat. I mention this because it's asked so many times, I would never eat animals 'because I liked the taste of it', I'm not trying to compensate for not eating them (as though i'm deprived), I simply see them as savoury foods, easy to cook, and somewhat easily available.
Other stalls where Bute Island Scheese, which sells a good variety of vegan 'cheeses', my
favourite being their 'cream cheese'. There were stalls selling clothes, shoes, all varieties of foods, stalls giving out leaflets and information, some for animals, some for the environment and even a political party, Animals Count who certainly get my vote!

Throughout the day, we listened to fab bands, bumped into a few people we knew,and ate lots of delicious vegan food.
My picassa collage above gives a picture of the day. It was fab. And I so loook forward to next year's - fingers crossed!

If the hens only knew...................................

10,000 battery hens are soon to be rescued and re-homed.
The fabulous Little Hen Rescue in Norwich UK have negotiated handing them
over from a battery farm that is soon closing down.
Battery hens live in appalling conditions, cramped cages, unable to move properly, sometimes unable to stand, with wire flooring, never seeing daylight or smelling fresh air. Many pluck their feathers out from boredom, frustration, pain, or through fighting.
It is not surprising that when these beautiful creatures
are rescued they can be in a terrible state,
having twisted joints, or lameness,
or having had their beaks cut down, or suffering from malnutrition.

So along with the rescue comes a host of health and medical problems. One problem that can easily be helped by anyone prepared to give a little time and effort is to make 'hen jackets' - yes, that's right 'hen jackets'. These simple tabard style 'jackets' will help keep the bald hens warm, and help them climatise while settling in to their new found freedom. it can be a bit of a shock to their system after being cooped up for so long. I have made an assortment of hen jackets to donate to Little Hen Rescue.
I'll be sending them off to the rescue this weekend (there are 17 jackets in all).
This looks like a scene from 'Washing Day at the Hen House'

These are a few jackets close up. It appealed to my sense of humour to make one with a hen on it :) yeah, corny I know!










Also the 'high visibility' ones made me smile.

I used a variety of fabrics, basically anything that was going spare. The hens need fleece for warmth, but I also used brushed cotton, and jersey. I made a template from the one provided on Little Hen Rescue site. Attaching Velcro for fastening. it occurred to me after I'd finished them (yeah, yeah, hindsight is a wonderful thing!) that maybe the edges of the fabric did not need overlocking, as the jackets will be discard once the hens have gotten used to their new homes and their feathers have, hopefully, grown back. So there may have been an even quicker way to make them, not sure................................. added note' I have been informed that they ask the jackets to be returned, so that they may be reused, so maybe my overlocking was needed after all'
I'm glad to have helped in my small way. If anyone wishes to help Little Hen Rescue, by making hen jackets, or donations, or indeed, giving a home to rescued hens, you can contact them, or check out their web page.

Hens need re-homing

Notice on Vegan Village noticeboard:

Hens need rescuing10,000 hens need rehoming from battery farm in Norfolk, UK, which is closing-down. If you would like a hen or two or know someone who would please contact littlehenrescue@googlemail.com. Any not rehomed by 28 June will be slaughtered.
Annette of Dragon House of Yuen has done a wonderful write up:
http://dragonhouseofyuen.blogspot.com/2009/05/11000-british-ex-battery-hens-needing.html

And the winners are.....................

Following on from the contest, we have 2 winners. All entries were given a number, and the numbers put into randomizer. the results are: 1st prize of a $15 gift voucher to spent at Veganessa goes to Amivegan. the second prize of $10 gift voucher to spend at Veganessa goes to secretcake. Well done winners, and thank you to everyone that entered.

Dragon House Of Yuen Contest

Another contest is http://women-prenuergalore.blogspot.com/2009/04/interview-with-annette-tait-dragonhouse.html an interesting blog, and a wonderful interview with Annette Tait of DragonHouseofYuen, plus a chance to win a fabulous prize.

Don't delay contest end at midnight tonight!!!!!!

Time for another contest.

I've been entering lots of contests/giveaways lately, and it made me think, it's time to hold one of my own again. So here it is.....

How to enter:

*My cat Billy can sometimes be a Silly Billy. Here I caught him dressing up with a bow in his hair, and playing 'mother' to his pet toy cat. To enter, leave a caption for the photo of Billy in the comments box, this will get you one entry into the giveaway draw. To qualify, you must leave a contact email or etsy convo address.

**For another chance in the draw, visit my shops Veganessa or MidnightRabbits and post a comment about an item you like, and why you like it.

***If you purchase anything from either Veganessa or MidnightRabbits during the contest and post about it here, you will get a further two entires into the contest, for each item you buy.

All entires will be put into a draw and selected by randomiser. the winner will be announced on this blog. The draw is open from now until Friday 15th May 09 at 7pm GMT. The winner will be announced soon afterwards. There will be 2 prizes. First prize is a gift voucher for my shop Veganessa to the value of $15, the second prize is a gift voucher for my shop Veganessa to the value of $10.

Contest is open to everyone, worldwide. If winners select goods, using their gift voucher, from my shop Veganessa by Friday 22nd May, I will throw in free post and packing. Instructions will be sent with vouchers.

Any questions, you can convo me through Etsy , or leave it here in comments. You do not need an Etsy account to enter. Good Luck!

Finding new recycled items.

I am always interested in Eco products. When I happen to find some, I think it's fab, and just have to try it. My latest find, are these recycled clothes pegs -

The packets states : hurricane force grip, frost proof, no peg stains, made from 100% recycled plastic, recyclable, washable, metal free.

Seems like another way to reduce plastic waste, it's gotta be good! I bought them at a supermarket, so they are obtainable in mainstream stores, which has the advantage of being easily accessible. Not that I always use supermarkets, it's just that they are convenient, as I can't always get to a health food shop, and our local shops leave a lot to be desired.

These pegs are produced by Eco Force .

My next mission is the find craft felt made from recycled post consumer plastic waste. Which I've found a small selection of, and very interested in checking out more. Watch this space.........

Vegan Etsy giveaway!!!!!

Cool, super fantastic VeganEtsy giveaway. Check it out!

Always good to find another Vegan beer.

Another delightful vegan suitable beer that I just happened to find while shopping at my local Sainbury's. This one is a stout. I've not come across this brewery before, but Meantime Brewery do quite a collection of beers. Their London Stout is labelled as suitable for Vegans. It tastes dark. very Dark. Smooth, velvety, with hints of chocolate. it leaves a very tasteful after taste. To me, it is a stout to be drunk slowly and savoured. Having said that, my partner likes to swig it down, so I guess whatever takes your fancy. This is a very nice smooth stout. I would drink it again anytime.

A little bit of self promotion.

As anyone who has seen my Veganessa shop, will be aware, I like making things that have a message to promote veganism, cruelty free, peace and love. The latest tote bag I have designed has a very poignant message on it. It hardcore vegan/animal rights, and I love it. I love it so much that I just have to keep it. However, I have made a listing in my shop, and will make more bags to order. I have already used the tote, and am very pleased to be carrying this cruelty free message around and promoting animal rights. What do you think of it?

Picassa - my new discovery!

I came accross Picassa in forum, so thought I's give it a go. I decided to use the Tote bags I sell in my Etsy shop Veganessa, and this is the result, I like it!

Earth Day Contest

I am one of the shops participating in the EtsyVeg Earthly Riches giveaway! There are 20 prizes in 5 prize categories, with multiple chances to win. You will find one hidden Earth image in 20 shops, including mine - if you find them all you can earn an entry for the grand prize, worth over $100! You can also earn FIVE entries for the grand prize by spending $25 in this shop, and FIVE entries for the first prize for spending $10 (please see rules for details)!For complete rules and details on how to enter, including a list of shops participating and prizes, please see the EtsyVeg'>http://etsyveg.blogspot.com/2009/04/etsyveg-earthly-riches-giveaway-april.html">EtsyVeg blog. The giveaway runs from April 22-28.

Visit my shop:

Veganessa

to see some wonderful tote bags and coin purses, with fabulous designs and suitable for vegans. Ditch those plastic bags, use a tote bag again and again.

Fancy helping an animal charity?

Everything in my shop Midnightrabbits is sold to help the EtsyforAnimals charity of the month. April's chosen charity is - Siberians Needing Owners http://www.siberiansneedingowners.org/Siberians Needing Owners (SNO) is dedicated to the care, understanding, rehabilitation and adoption of Siberian Huskies and other sled dogs." It is our goal to make life better for some of the thousands of lost, unwanted and homeless Huskies while at the same time helping to educate our youth and their parents to the need for spay/neuter of and life long commitment to all pets.

Vegan Sample Bags for sale

How about this for a neat idea.
heather from Holistically Heather has put together bags of luscious vegan goodies from members of the VeganEtsy team to produce the amazing Vegan Sample Bags.
Just look at the gorgeous assortments of items - jewellery, bath and beauty, business card holders (I donated!), coupons, cards, artwork, crochet, and so much more. Check out http://www.vegansamples.blogspot.com/ for further information, or stop by the Etsy shop Vegan Craft Samples to buy one of these amazing goodie bags. Don't delay, they're selling like hot vegan cakes!

Priceless Moments - I love mine!

Winning a prize is always a surprise. I enter contests sporadically, and tend to forget about them, so if I get notification that I've won something, I'm genuinely surprised and thrilled.

Recently Dragon House of Yuen had a contest, which raised funds for rescued rabbits at Buckeye House Rabbit Society

The first prize was an amazing Arabella Bag which is absolutely adorable. There were 5 runner up prizes of gift vouchers for Dragon House of Yuen's Etsy shop

I was lucky enough to win a runner up prize, and had the delightful task of choosing something from this wonderful shop.

After pondering the many delightful items, I chose this wonderful ACEO which is one of a collection of Priceless Moments ACEO's. Each piece of artwork comes with a little story. My Priceless Moment was 'Let the Journey Begin', which said to me 'embrace all things new, have an adventure, welcome change'. And I love it.

The prize arrived, very carefully packaged, and very beautifully wrapped inside. To my delight, had some extras with it. A gorgeous Arabella Card, and a very special ACEO, which had been made with my own cats in mind this is the ACOE, and the story read:

Priceless had rustled up some delicious vegan snacks. (It had taken him all morning and the kitchen was still a complete mess). There’s always time for a bite he thought. He called in Pinkie, Ruby and Billy and Molly and… The soup smelled just so delicious and he could see that everyone was drooling. In fact, as he served the soup up, he realized that he had made enough for twenty-four hours worth of meals! Good grief! he thought. Never-the-less we shall share the moment.

How adorable is that! and so very unique! I am truly delighted with my gifts from

Dragon House of Yuen and the store owner is a remarkably talented and generous lady. You can read more about Dragon House of Yuen by visiting http://dragonhouseofyuen.etsy.com/ or http://dragonhouseofyuen.blogspot.com/

Here are some photos of the delightful items you will find in this magical shop:

A Handmade Success!

This weekend I made our cats a catnip playmat. I had promised them a while back that I would make them one. I had bought the foam mat for inside, but that was all. Then last Friday I wandered into a fabric shop during my lunch break, and there was the funkiest, fabulous fleece fabric I have ever seen. I was covered in bright, and I mean bright, multi coloured cats, on a black background. next to it was a lovely colour purple fleece fabric. They were perfect. I just had to buy them. they sat in my room until Sunday, when I finally got to work in the cats playmat. I wanted a mat that I could put catnip in, and refill the catnip from time to time, I wanted it to be soft but not floppy, and I wanted to add things for then to play with, kinda like kiddies playmats, only without so much on them.

The end product is this funky catnip mat, which has a bump in one corner, for the cats to rub their face on and a tube thing on the other for them to grab and attack when they are playing.

They love it. Firstly they couldn't get enough of the catnip, rolling around and rubbing their faces on it. After a while they needed a rest, and Ruby claimed it as her mat. Ever since, whenever we are looking for Ruby she is on her mat, the moment she gets off it, Billy or Pinkie moves onto it. A BIG hit! So glad I made it for them.

A fine collection of Vegan Beer.

Indeed a fine fine collection of Vegan Beers.
Actually getting a good beer, or stout, that is vegan suitable, is not always easy to come by, not everything is labelled with the vegan symbol, or stating 'vegan' on the label, so I thought I'd share my 'finds' for any thirsty vegans, who just happen to like the odd ale :)
I have tried all five of the beers above, and I lined them up in order of preference, going from right to left when looking at the photo. I'm not sure if one can call stout beer, but I'm not expert on beer, so please exclude my ignorance if I call them wrongly.

My very favourite is Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout.
It's a rich, dark stout, which has a sweet taste, yet bitter at the same time. It is best drunk slowly and savoured. it seems quite filling, and I honestly think one bottle is quite satisfying. It's quite pricey - at £2.25 a bottle, it's a lovely treat. Not many places sell it, so whenever I see it, I cannot resist in buying a bottle. This stout actually carries the vegan symbol (a sunflower with vegan written below it). it comes in 550ml bottles and is 5% alc vol.
Next is Black Sheep Ale. This beer can be bought at most supermarkets, it's a good bittersweet ale, not as rich as stout but heavy enough to satisfy. An easy to drink dark beer, and my favourite 'easily accessible' beer. 500ml bottles, 4.4% alc vol. Only the bottled beers are vegan, not the cask ales!

Third in my selection is Fullers London Pride. Fuller's are sold by most supermarkets, so this one is also easily obtained. All of their bottled beers are suitable except Honey Dew. Some restaurant and pubs may sell their beer too, it quite a well known one. The range. I tried their London Porter, but it was just too bitter for me, whereas their London Pride is a nice light beer, easy to drink, and enjoy at home or out. 50ml bottles, 4.7% alc vol. This is a good all round beer.

I came across this Entire Stout by HopBack Brewery in a supermarket recently. it states vegan on the label, so I thought I'd try it. I must say, it was a bit too bitter for me. The label is fun to look at, and for anyone into bitter stouts, this would have been fine.500ml bottle 4.5% alc vol.
And lastly we have Samuel Smiths Imperial Stout. A big No from me. rather disappointing since their Oatmeal Stout is my favourite, but this ale is too bitter for me. Has the vegan trademark symbol on the label. 355ml bottle, 7% alc vol. Strong Stout!

So there you have it, five Vegan beers , all different, something for everyone.
Now I think I'll go and have a beer, I feel kinda thirst :) Cheers!