Donations

This bit is to show my donations to various animal charities and causes, mainly so that i have a place to keep them all in on spot :)This little bag was made for SASHA Farm Auction.

I've not kept up to date with my donations, but here is my latest:

http://itsmeowornever.etsy.com/
**Its Meow or Never are holding an Online Auction which is to take place on 2-9th August

Why Vegan

I am always amazed at 'peoples' reaction to me being vegan. So I have decided to write about my journey to veganism, and where I am today.

It all began way back in the 80's. I'm not sure exactly when, but somehow becoming aware of what I was actually eating- a dead animal, so i became vegetarian. this lasted a few years, and as I learned more, about the dairy industry, the woollen industry etc, it seemed like a natural progression to go Vegan. It felt like a natural choice. i only knew of one vegan at the time, so got as much info from them as I could. I went away to college. i remember eating mainly chips and beans from the college canteen, and making soup at my lodgings. there weren't any ready made meals or soya foods around in those days. Tea and coffee was drunk black (no milk), I used sugar to take the edge off it. I gradually learned of more and more products that I could have, such as soya milk.
When I finished college, having studied fashion and textile design, i returned to my home town. I looked up my only vegan friend and became her lodger. This made veganism a lot more inviting, as she lived quite well and introduced me to 'luxury' vegan foods, such as soya cream 'cheese', pate etc. I was then working, so able to be more adventurous in my diet. Over the years I had discarded any animal goods that I had, when they were worn out, for instance shoes, clothing, replacing them with non animal alternatives. I splashed out and bought a pair of Vegan DM's. i got involved with the local animal rights group, and went on demos, met more vegans, met interesting, caring people, many of who I still see and keep in touch with occasionally. I worked in the costume department of a local theatre. I refused to work in leather or fur, it may have annoyed them, but they kept it quiet, and I made wonderful costumes in non animal fabrics. the costume department often had fur coats donated to them, as more and more people became aware of the the cruelty involved and wanted to dispose of them. I think (if my memory serves me well), that I persuaded them to donate a few to the local AR group to use in displays against fur. I made the group a banner. I was happy to be involved with them.

hey, making my blog more visible..........

I think it's about time I wrote more regularly in my blog!
this section is all about how I make use my blog more often etc etc etc.watch this space.
hey that was short lived :) I tried to sign up to google adsense but nothing has happened, I've read stuff, but none of it makes sense, this will be on hold for now :(

Monthly Challenges

This is where I have chosen to display my entries to Etsy for Animals monthly challenges. for those 'not in the know' about challenges on Etsy, they are , oh heck, read the EtsyforAnimals blog and get the idea :)
My entry for march is this adorable mini shopper. The the is Green- recycled or colour.
I made a gorgeous acrylic felt mini shopper in green, decorated with 3D appliqued daffodils and daffodil and ladybug buttons. I also made Scoubidou yellow and green handles. A perfect example for St Davids Day, my entry to the Green challenge, and a handly little shopper.

All challenge entries will be for sale in my shop, with 10% to going to the cause that prompted me to make it, in this case Etsy for Animals charity of the month.
Photos to follow!



My April entry was a sweet little felt coin purse with an appliqued hedgehog.

My July entry is this bright bold beach bag!

My August entry:

C is for COW! it was difficult to decide on one C, but I think all the posts about moos swayed me, and Voila! here is my entry. A beautiful Cow on a coin purse.

20% of the price of this item will be donated to the etsy for Animals charity of the month.
The link to the item is:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=13363328
my shop is: http://midnightrabbits.etsy.com/

St Davids Day and daffodils

I am Welsh. Although not usually patriotic, there's something about the 1st March, that brings out the 'welsh' in me :)
The Etsy for Animals monthly challenge (for those of you that are not into etsy and challenges, it's too long to explain, but briefly each month a theme is set and an item made for that theme and posted on their blog- wow, there's a whole new post for my challenge entries!)
for march is 'Green - recycled or colour. so i decided (with a prompt from my good EFA friend Mishkat), to use st davids day as inspiration and of course the national flower of wales the daffodil! Yay!
So her is my latest creation- a mini- shopper made of acrfylic felt and decorated with 3D appliqued daffordils, daffodil and ladybug buttons, and green and yellow Scoubidou handles.

MidnightRabbits Logo

Well, I finally had the inspiration that was staring at me for quite some time! Images of my MidnightRabbits Logo on my creations. So here is my first offering. A small bag with the image made with black and white acrylic felt. Gorgeous heart embroidered ribbon on the strap. I love this bag, and i'm excited about seeing my other items develop!

Valentine's Day, find a heart - take a look

Here are some of the donations for the Valentines Gift basket:


Donated By http://lolalynn.etsy.com/

Donated By http://StarsDreamsandJewels.etsy.com
Donated By http://midnightrabbits.etsy.com/
Donated By http://midocean.etsy.com/

My effort at being a promoter or in other words How I did The EFA Valentine Contest

Having written a rather long post for my blog a few days ago, only to have it vanish in cyberspace, I have been a little bit hesitant to start this again, but hey-ho, here I go!

Recycle, re-use, mend etc

I cannot claim that this was my idea, because it is not! While browsing books in Borders, I came accross a book about craft ideas, that were a bit 'home-made' looking but really nice. One article particularly caught my attention: how to make a bathmat from old t-shirts. the idea is simple, when you outgrow or outwear your t-shirts, give them a new lease of life by turning them into bath mats. How - I hear you asking!- Cut strips of the t-shirt, knot together and sew a square, it makes a really nice, unusual, absorbant mat. Now I am not a good knitter,I can't read patterns, can only do plain and purl, and straight pieces, get bored with it if it doesn't grow quickly enough (hence my love of big needles and chunky yarn), also with a bit of athritis is my hands, my hand/finger joints ache very easily, so can't spend a long time knitting at one time. So what better project than chunky needles, strips of t-shirt and aiming for a square.

I casted on as many stitches that the needles could comfortably hold, without bunching them up too much, and looked decent enough for my mat. 33 stitches.

To date I have had strips from 3 t-shirts and ongoing

I actually only took a piece from the bottom half of the tishirts as the rest went as bedding for the cats! (doubling up on their recycleability).

The strips were not cut perfectly equal, but about an inch wide, and the knots are left visible, at least for now any way. here is a photo of my progress:

My bathmat has not grown! I haven't disposed of any t-shirts lately, although I need to sort out my clothes soon!

Aha! i've been busy cutting up some t-shirts that are no longer wearable, also a fabulous pair of pj trousers that were cut way too low for my likeing, and never did feel comfortable, and they are made of a lovely stripped fabric, yay more jersey strips for my mat!

Ihave, I have, I have actually finished my mat! I'm using it in the bathroom, and lovin it! will get a picture up as soon as I can!

Valentine's Day, find a heart

Find it in your heart to help the animals and win the heart basket!!
Some EtsyForAnimals supporters donated wonderful gifts to a Valentines Prize Basket. All of these supporters of http://etsyforanimals.etsy.com/ help raise funds for animal charities by donating a proportion of their sales, to the Etsy For Animals chosen Charity of The Month or donating goods to the http://etsyforanimals.etsy.com/ shop.

Amazing FREE PRIZE DRAW- Valentines Day Contest for Etsy members
Would you like to win a wonderful Valentines Gift Basket, filled with fabulous handmade goods from talented Etsy Artists?
Take part in our contest to enter the FREE PRIZE DRAW. That’s right, IT COSTS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO ENTER!!!!!!
Imagine winning a wonderful assortment of gifts ALL FOR FREE.
The Artists, all supporters of http://etsyforanimals.etsy.com/ , listed below, have all donated a prize to the gift baskets and you could be in with a chance of winning!
To enter, visit the shops below,( by clicking on the links), or accessing them through http:etsy.com and search usernames, and look through their three featured items. Read their descriptions. One of the featured items will contain the symbol ♥EFA♥ in the description
You must make a note of the number of that item, located at the right (under additional item info). When you have collected ALL 22 item numbers with the ♥EFA♥ convo http://midnightrabbits.etsy.com/ with your answers. That is the shop name and item number that contains the symbol.
The Competition is open until 6pm(GMT) 14th February 2008.
All correct entries will then be entered into a FREE PRIZE DRAW and the winner will be selected at random at 7pm (GMT) 14th February –Valentines Day!!!!!!!!!!!!
The lucky winner will be contacted by ‘convo’ on Etsy and the results will be posted in the forums.
GOOD LUCK and remember “YOU’VE GOT TO BE IN IT TO WIN IT” J


http://thefrogbag.etsy.com/
http://rescuemetugz.etsy.com/
http://starsdreamsandjewels.etsy.com/
http://recycledideas.etsy.com/
http://midocean.etsy.com/
http://mvegan5.etsy.com/
http://mycatlulu.etsy.com/
http://gingeroni1.etsy.com/
http://lolalynn.etsy.com/
http://midnightrabbits.etsy.com/
http://theknottysheep.etsy.com/
http://chambers.etsy.com/
http://tackybackintime.etsy.com/
http://sandydogbakery.etsy.com/
http://organidog.etsy.com/
http://bohogoods.etsy.com/
http://angelq.etsy.com/
http://creaturecomfort.etsy.com/
http://etsyforanimals.etsy.com/
http://kraftykateskreations.etsy.com/
http://uniquelyyoursnyc.etsy.com/
http://elephantdance.etsy.com/


A list of competition rules are available from http://midnightrabbits.etsy.com/ . Any queries should also be addressed by ‘convo’ to the same.

My attempt with ploymer clay

For the EtsyforAnimals challenge for January I decided to have a go at making clay beads. The photos are the results, with the help of someone special (who made the pig and gave it to me!). It was fun and interesting, and a lot more difficult than I thought it would be. I definately need a lot more practise!

The next time I had a go at polymer clay, I made these cats and a bat:

and finally I made the clay beads into a bracelet, but I had to add a few wooden beads, as there was not enough to fit on my wrist!:

Large Catnip Cats

I love making Catnip toys. I love to see my cats playing with them , or indeed any cats. My latest catnip toys have been made as a Large Cat, out of Acrylic Felt and appliqued, and stitched. They are big enough for a cat to really get hold of and attach/roll/play/lie on!

This is Billy and Ruby playing with two of them!

How Midnightrabbits began...........

While walking my dogs one day, in our local park, I noticed a lot of rabbit droppings. They were in clusters all around the place. It looked as though several rabbits had stopped in one place. I imagined the picture of them gathering around, stopping for a chat, eating grass, and of course doing their little poos. They would come out at midnight, and hop around from group to group, and sing and dance, and jig about. How happy they all are, and how safe it is, for the rabbits to come out at midnight. They have such a busy night, and as dawn breaks, they scurry back under the bushes and into the woods, and they are gone before daylight.You would never have known they were there, unless of course you look very closely and see the little piles of droppings

My Treasuries from Etsy

These are screen shots of my Etsy treasuries - such fun to do!

Many thanks to Mishkat for sending me the pictures of the treasuries to upload.

A heart full of worms

Matilda loved to be outdoors. she would lie on the grass for hours, absorbing the sunshine, listening to the birds singing, the trees rustling. One particularly warm day, Matilda fell asleep on the grass. Some worms, which were in the earth beneath her, could feel the heat from her body, and sense her presence. They come up to the ground to investigate. There lay a beautiful maiden. Matilda stirred. She noticed the worms and smiled. These were friendly worms, she could tell. She felt a strange sensation, like a whisper, only there was no sound. It was coming from the worms. Suddenly, and she didn't know how, she could see inside the worms. they were magical. She could see beauty, harmony and knowledge. She felt a sense of calmness. She wanted to know more. "shhhh" whispered the worms, without saying a word. "take us into your heart, let us fill you with our beauty, harmony and knowledge". Matilda was not afraid. She closed her eyes and relaxed and could feel the worms fill her heart with all the beauty and harmony and knowledge that the worms chose to share with her. And she knew her life would never be the same.


This is a vest showing Matilda's heart filled of worms, which hold all the beauty and love and knowledge.

Fly on a Cat

There was a cat called Wynnie. She was neglected by her owners and left to her own devices. As she grew older, life became harder and harder, struggling for survival, sheltering anywhere that she could, grabbing any food that she came across, drinking rainwater out of a rusty old tin. It was a long hot summer. Wynnie grew weary, she spent her days under a tree, mostly sleeping, very weak. Flies hung around in hordes. Wynnie notice a young girl passing by once or twice a week,, and the young girl introduced herself as Angel. As Angel spoke gently, and didn't try to pick Wynnie up, she soon learnt to trust her, and see her as a friend, not someone who would hurt her. Gradually, Wynnie let Angel stroke her. That felt nice. Not all humans are bad thought Wynnie.

The sun beat down, water was getting scarcer. The flies were very irritating. One day, as Wynnie went in search of food, she caught her leg on some wire. Ouch that hurt. She limped back to her spot, under the tree. She was very weak, her leg hurt, she didn't think she could walk. The flies smelled the wound on Wynnies paw. Flies being flies, saw this as an opportunity to lay eggs. They circled in, and deposited eggs in Wynnies paw. Oh, this is bad, thought Wynnie.

The pain got worse.

A car pulled up nearby. Angel got out. "Hello Wynnie" said Angel. Wynnie could barely lift her head, please help thought Wynnie. She gathered all her strength and limped over to Angel. "oh, you poor thing" said Angel "you don't look well". With that Angel got back in her car and left. Wynnie was very sad and very much in pain.

A while later another car pulled up. Wynnie raised her head, it was Angel and her friend Lila. They had brought a cat basket with them. They picked Wynnie up and put her in the basket. Wynnie was too weak to put up a struggle, she just thought 'whatever happens, I trust Angel and Lila seems OK too'.

They took Wynnie to the vets. Upon inspection, they saw that maggots had hatched out in Wynnies paw. They were horrified. The vet reassured them that Wynnie could be treated and would be well again. Wynnie was left at the vets, and over the next few days received treatment for her paw, her dehydration, fleas, worms, malnourishment. Slowly she began to feel better. On the third day, Angel and Lila came to the vets to take Wynnie. Wynnie did not know where, or what to expect. they took her to their home. Wynnie knew straight away, that however strange this seemed, she was safe. And she was right. She had a lovely warm, soft bed to sleep in, regular food, plenty of fresh water. Angel and Lila made a fuss of her, but only when Wynnie was in the mood for fuss. let's not forget, she was an old girl, and now that she had a lovely home, she didn't always want to be disturbed! this was the place that Wynnie was going to live the rest of her life, being cared for and loved. She was so happy about this. She had two wonderful friends Angel and Lila, and plenty of other cats and dogs around for company if she ever felt like it!

This blue Vest is a tribute to Wynnie. Here she wears a fly as a decoration, it is no longer a threat, it cannot hurt her, she is very safe and very happy.

October Challenge - Spooktacular halloween. Vang the Vampire Cat

Halloween - All saints night - the night where the dead wander the earth, trying to get back from where they came. A night for humans to party, after all there is no such thing as the devil,.......right?

Vang (the Vampire Cat) wanders the earth in search of non believers. On halloween Night there will be much feeding and drinking, and playing games. People will dress up and look as gruesome as they can. A perfect night for a black vampire cat to migle unnoticed. let them have their fun. After all, the more they party they more tired they will be. And when they eventually fall asleep exhausted, having laughed and joked and played games, Vang will look for a window that has been left open, even very slightly, and creep through it. glide lightly to the bedroom and feast on a poor unsuspecting host, who is just too sleepy to be disturbed. And if they should open their eyes. they will see Vang's hypnotic yellow eyes glaring at them, freezing them in time, while she continues to feed. removing all traces of memory from them before she secretly leaves the house, as though she'd never been there. little children are the tastiest, that fresh, untainted blood. And this year Vang is very hungry, so little children, when you go to bed on Halloween Night, no matter how tired you are from partying, be sure to check that all your windows are locked tightly, because you never know if vang will visit.

******************************

Small bag with the face of Vang on the front. Just purrrrfect for collecting treats on Halloween Night. Bag is made of black acrylic felt and embroidered and beaded. It is lined with deep red/wine polyester lining. the strap is made of black polyester ribbon and red ric-rac.The measurement are : Width - 7 inches (18cm), length - 9 inches (22cm), the strap length is 52 inches (132cm).It has a small Velcro fastening.

As well as being my entry to the October Etsy for animals challenge, I am donating this item to the Etsy for Animals shop, with 100% of the sale going to their Charity of the month.