A Frog Supporting Tapirs Reaches a Major Milestone

Well, it finally happened. My etsy shop, which just happens to have the same name as this blog, had its 500th sale. The magic item was a nudibranch cat toy which I am happy to report went to a very good home. Those 500 handmade goodies have also allowed me to donate almost $700 to the Tapir Preservation Fund thus far, with 20% of every sale contributing to tapir conservation.

What does this mean to you? Well, how about free stuff? Yes, I'm talking giveaway time!

Here's what you could win:


A tiny tapir!

And a of course a frog:

and I'll throw in a nudibranch, just so they don't get lonely:

These guys are usually cat toys, but I know that not everyone has feline companions. Besides, some felines don't even like cat toys... So, you get to choose. If you win you can have them stuffed with organic catnip OR lavender.

How to enter? Just leave a comment with either "Lavender" or "Catnip". And a way to contact you, please. If you want to read some of my writing (links are on the sidebar) and tell me how great I am, feel free. If you want to browse my etsy shop and make a purchase, by all means do so. But none of that is necessary since I'll be using a random number generator to pick a winner next Sunday (that's Sunday, December 5th, 2011). Good luck!

New Year, New Giveaway! Featuring UpcycledStuff!

Happy 2011 everyone! Want to celebrate by winning something cool? Of course you do! 

Elegant Yellow Pages Bracelet

To kick off the New Year, The Frog Bag is having a giveaway featuring UpcycledStuff, a fabulous new Etsy artist who, you guessed it, upcycles stuff.

Her name is Tricia, and she has agreed to do talk with us a bit and give away some pretty nifty swag. So, before we get into the nitty-gritty of the contest, let's hear from the artist:


Why the passion for upcycling?


In 1996 I took a zoology course at the local community college with the most amazing instructor, Cassie Carter. It was all quite by accident, but what a happy accident it was! This course got me involved in volunteering at the local zoo. I was quickly sucked in by "all this conservation stuff" they were all talking about. I had no idea the profound impact it would have on my life. I've spent the next twelve years working for zoos and aquariums. While I recently left the field, I still carry the most important lessons with me. Perhaps the biggest lesson is that we are all connected. What I do today really does impact the future of the environment and the animals that I so deeply treasure. While I may not have the hands on contact that I once had with wildlife, upcycling gives me the feeling that I am contributing to their well being.

Newspaper Bracelet

Do you draw a distinction between upcycling and recycling?

Absolutely! Both are important, but even recycling has energy costs associated with it. So how great is it that we can take once virgin materials and reuse them once or twice before recycling them? Some of my favorite upcycled items to work with are those that can be tossed strait in the recycling bin once their usefulness has come to an end.

I know you've rescued quite a few animals. Tell us your favorite animal rescue story?

Teeshirt Reusable Shopping Bag

I have so many animal rescue stories that mean so much to me personally, but I would have to go back to my first, Destiny, the wild and chatty cat who still shares my home with me today. She was my first rescue and at that time I thought that I would one day run a rescue shelter, hence the name. She sat outside the window of my apartment howling one night; it was loud enough to wake the dead. So I jumped out of bed and opened the door only to see that she did not look well at all. There was goo coming out of every orifice, she was dirty and coughing. Yet, when I opened the door she walked right in. With two other cats in the house I knew I couldn't let her roam around until she had a vet visit. Together we spent the rest of the night on the bathroom floor. As she lay curled up on my lap I kept thinking "it can't be this easy to rescue a cat". I learned that it isn't easy, but Destiny is one in a million.

Tell us an interesting fact about you, the artist behind Upcycled Stuff?

The fact that I saved this question for last and then fell asleep trying to think of something worthy should tell you something.

Okay then, how about a boring fact?

I've lived in seven different states and made two cross country treks in my 38 years. I won't even tell you how many times I've moved in each of those states!

Magazine Wallet/ Business Card Holder

Anything else we should know?

Perhaps it's because I'm a Scorpio, but I love a good challenge. Some call it stubbornness, I just call it determined. So if you're looking for a way to upcycle something in your home, drop me a line. I would love to help you turn your trash into an upcycled treasure!

Thanks so much for your time, Tricia, and for telling us a bit about your new upcycling venture!



Now, how about that contest? And what do you win?

You can win either the Elegant Daily News Bracelet, pictured below:

Or the Elegant Daily News Necklace, your choice!

Entering is easy!

1. Leave a comment saying what you like best from UpcycledStuff's etsy shop.
2. Or "like" her facebook fan page.
3. Or share this blog link.

Just be sure to leave a separate comment for each of the ways you've entered, and a way to get in contact with you if you're the winner. A random number generator will be used on Sunday, January 9th, 2011 to pick the winner. Thanks so much for entering, and Happy New Year!

Giveaway Time!

Between visiting family, deadlines, plumbing issues, cat issues, dog issues, and filling orders, November was a bit hectic. Yet when I look back over the blog posts I've completed the number seems rather paltry. I wasn't that busy. Even so, more than 450 souls (or perhaps bots?) now follow this blog. I don't think I've earned it this month, but I'm really happy about each and every eyeball pair (or single) that reads my ramblings. And so, without further ado, I'd like to do another giveaway to say thanks.

You could win one of these pendants:

How? Simple! Just comment, and tell me what you'd like. Here are your choices:

Tapir

Gian River Otter

Anteater

Capybara

Jaguar



And tell me what color you'd like:

Red

Black

Brown

Yellow

Blue

I'll pick a matching bead and make you a lovely pendant if your comment is picked.

The winning comment will be chosen at random next Monday (December 6). You can comment until Midnight on Sunday (December 5). If you tweet about this, or post it on Facebook, please come back and leave another comment saying that you did. That way you can have up to three chances to win!

Thanks so much for reading my blog, and good luck with the giveaway! Of course, if you'd like to just buy a pendant, they are sold on the Tapir Preservation Fund website. If you have a questions about special orders, you can always contact me at my etsy shop or through the Tapir Preservation Fund!

Give Away! (Comic Book Edition)

Wow, this blog has now hit the 400 mark in terms of followers! I really appreciate everyone who has stopped by and taken a look at my ramblings. And I'd like to say thank you. In fact, I'd like to do another give away. So, since Gabriel and I will be at Heroes Con this coming weekend (you can read about that here if you'd like) I thought I'd send someone a small comics care package.

What will be in this package? Well, a Heathentown poster, for one thing, like the one pictured here (although it won't be framed):

And a copy of Spider City, the collectors edition full color 8 page comic that Gabriel and I did for the L.A. Zoo's spider exhibit. We can sign either or both for the winner. I'll also include something cool from Heroes Con, TBD this coming weekend. 

Want to win? Just comment on this post with a way to reach you and your favorite thing about comics. I'll use a random number generator to choose the winner on June 15th. Thanks again, and good luck!

And the Second Winner is...

That's right, a winner has been chosen! Who did the choosing? In the interest of random fairness, the universe was consulted. How did I contact the universe? With a random number generator that claims to use the background static of the cosmos to pull numbers out of thin air. Yay, chaos!

Anyway, the universe has spoken, and since there were only 30 entries it couldn't use its fallback answer of 42. Instead, the universe chose entry number 20. Tyler, step right up and claim your prize!

Tyler had a choice between a pair of earrings and a tiny beaded bottle (here's the post if you want to see what she won). She picked the bottle, so congratulations to Tyler! She has a blog too, so stop by and say "hi"! Or, better yet, check out her cute etsy shop. She has gadget cozies like this one for only $6, and the proceeds go towards her college education.

Many thanks to everyone who entered. These give away posts are a lot of fun for me, so I'm planning on doing another one soon. If anyone has any ideas on what they would like to win I'm open to suggestions. Sorry, I don't have any money or trips to Europe just sitting around, but feel free to browse my shop for inspiration.

Give Away Time!

It seems that 300 people are foolish enough to follow this blog! My evil plan is working perfectly. Next step: World Domination! Or, maybe just a little give away to thank everyone for dropping by. Both seem plausible, but the give away seems easier to accomplish on a Sunday morning. So I suppose I should amend the plan: first, 300 blog followers. Second, a little giveaway. Third, world domination. Let's get started!

Here's the prize:

Or, if you don't wear earrings, one of these tiny beaded bottles:

All you have to do is post a comment telling me which suits your fancy. Want an extra chance to win? Go to my etsy shop, then come back here and tell me what you like best in a separate post. I'll use a random number generator to choose the winner. The drawing will be held on February 28th, 2010. Good luck!

And the Winer is...

Zombie Squirrels! That's right, I used a random number generator and came up with the numeral 11, which corresponds to Zombie Squirrels' entry in my first ever blog give away! The prize? Three cat toys from my etsy shop, The Frog Bag. He picked some of my favorites too:

the nudibranch,

the trilobite,

the Asian tapir.

Thanks so much to everyone who entered! If you are disappointed that you didn't win, don't fret! I'd like to offer 10% of any item in my shop to anyone who puts "Blog" in the notes to seller. Thanks again, and may all of your cats be happy!

The First Frog Bag Give Away!

Do you want to win some cat toys? Sure you do!

All you have to do to enter is post a comment below, listing which three cat toys from my etsy shop you'd like to have.

The winner will be picked at random on Tuesday November 17, a week from today.

Please also include a way to get in

touch with you in case you win!

Thanks for entering!