Crafting For Animals Guild is a group of artists and crafters on Artfire.com who are dedicated to catering to the needs of animals by either creating and designing items for animals or by supporting and/or raising funds for charitable animal organizations.
It's not that I don't like other animals. In fact, I do like most animals. And I actually "do" other animals (reindeer, dogs, cows), among other things. But, anyone who knows me would know that I adore cats more than almost anything. So, I do cats. Lots of cats. Hundreds of cats. 
People say I am passionate about cats, even obsessed with cats. My husband calls me the "Cat Whisperer." My sister calls me the "Cat Lady." I am proud to say it's all true. Not that I have a lot of actual cats (I live with three), but that I am totally into anything with "cat" -- the actual animals, images of cats, cat art and just about anything shaped like a cat. I have never met a cat that doesn't like me, and I've never met a cat I don't like. 
(Art donated to the Black Ball.)
Kristi of Glassworks Northwest is a fused-glass artist in Bellingham, Washington, and is a member of the Crafting for Animals Guild on Artfire.com. Everything is designed and created by hand by Kristi in her home studio. You can find her work online on Artfire and Etsy, at shops and galleries, and at juried art shows throughout the Northwest. 
I once read a quote that said, “Don’t count every hour in the day, make every hour in the day count.” This simple quote is one to live by for crafters who are trying to make a living by selling their creations.
In my previous article, “Starting a Home Arts and Crafts Business”, I mentioned the need to manage your time wisely. Not only will managing your time keep you on track with your goals, but it also reduces stress and helps to keep you from procrastinating. When working from home, without a boss breathing down your neck, one can easily be sidetracked. Don't let all your hard work go down the drain because the latest day time talk show is calling your name; it’s time for a plan!..."
To keep reading my article please visit the Handmade News Marketing Department where it was first published.
Each column will have you inspired and is sure to help you with your craft business! I write for the Marketing Department and work with such a great team! I couldn't ask for a better job or for better co-workers. Each of us has a speciality and we can't wait to share all our tips, tricks and secrets with our readers :) .. and even though I write for the site, I'm constantly inspired and encouraged by the other 40 writers and can't get enough of the content! Each has a speciality that I don't, so I'm constantly learning. I often send more time than I had planned writing through all the content he he. There are just so much useful information, especially if you're trying to get your craft business off the ground.
This is Tammy of Cutsie Poochie. I started Cutstie Poochie when I got my chihuahua Batboy because he was half-bald and it was mid-winter. So I started crocheting and knitting little things, which led to more little things, then to sewing, and well, it just became a passion.
I began volunteering with my kids at our local animal shelter about six weeks after we got our chihuahua. It was the most awesome, heart-wrenching, and rewarding thing we had ever done. Every Saturday, we would put on our old clothes and go down to the shelter armed with biscuits, bags of food, and big smiles, and walked the dogs. We would play with the cats in their little room and pet and love them. Some got to be very special to us and it was a huge reward when they were adopted.
About a month ago our shelter stopped allowing volunteers to come in because a person was bitten. This person was also a volunteer and had signed a release agreement, but had somehow been able to take the county to court. So our life hit a huge snag. The day we found out, we walked the cages and visited with our friends behind bars. The ones that knew that we had been there every Saturday barked and jumped and panted, knowing they were about to get out! We petted them and talked to them through the cage doors and then had to move on. They just stood there and watched us go, not understanding why they weren't being let out. Some barked louder, some howled. It was probably the worst thing that had happened the entire time we had been working with them.
I didn't write this to dissuade anyone from volunteering! I wrote this to let everyone know that it is a job worth doing. You may not think that the animals recognize it or know it, but they do. Volunteers makes such a difference in their lives. They know that they are still valued, still loved, and still needed. It keeps them from getting depressed and helps them be happy so they can be adopted. People don't adopt sad dogs and cats.
So, do all that you can, no matter the cost. We are trying to find another organization to work with and will be ecstatic when we do. In the meantime, we're working our fingers to the bone and doing all we can in other areas of pet rescue.
Buy from someone that is donating to animal charities. A little goes a long way!
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Tammy of Cutsie Poochie donates a portion of all proceeds from her sales go to their local animal shelter and pet rescue organizations. Tammy's gang features some of the pets available for adoption and invites you to take a new friend into your home. You can follow their adventures by going to our Cutsie Poochie blog site. You can visit the Effingham County Animal Control Shelter at 307 Hwy 119 South in Springfield, GA or call them at 912-754-2109. The map above gives directions. Keep your cursor on the picture for a description of each pet. Scroll down for some videos and check out our channel on YouTube for great videos of the adventures we have.
