Crafting for Animals Artfire Guild

If you know me at all, you know that one of my passions is animals and their well-being.  I was vegan for a while and vegetarian for even longer due to the things going on in animal farms, especially  the industrialized ones where animals are treated like machines rather than animals, with little or no respect, used, abused, and then killed to be eaten.  Most people turn the other cheek, but I decided not to.  I faced it and I cried, and then I said my prayers and decided that I was not going to let this issue go.  Ever.

I do beadwork and have a line of keychains out that I make and offer 10% of total sales from that line to one of two different organizations that help animals.  I am in the process of expanding the line, so please stay tuned, as this is just the beginning for me.  It is also just the beginning of my journey with the Crafting for animals Artfire Guild.

The Crafting for Animals Artfire Guild is for all animal lovers, it 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 raising funds for charitable animal organizations.  The guild also has a blog that we use to post events, issues, features, promotions, and offer a monthly newsletter to subscribers.

This past week I decided to do a weekly column on the Crafting for Animals blog about current events and issues in animal rights and abuse in the world.  My purpose for doing this is to hopefully enlighten people about what is going on with animals today and what things we can do, as animal lovers, to help our winged, 4 legged, and friends from the sea.  Watch for my new posts every Wednesday!

Native American Beaded Wolf Paw Keychain : TSBeading - ArtFire Accessories

Native American Beaded Wolf Paw Keychain : TSBeading - ArtFire Accessories

Wolf Paw Keychain

This is the second item in my Paws for Charity collection.  It's a wolf paw in black and pearlescence colored beads.  The pearl color tends to shine like silver and makes the key chain sparkle.  Please see my listing in Etsy or Artfire for details.

Remember, 10% or $2.00 of the proceeds from this sale will go to the good people at Northwoods Wildlife Center in Minocqua, Wisconsin.  They do lots of good for wildlife and wildlife in need of medical care.  They have a rehabilitation center where the animals can rehabilitate prior to their release back into the wild.  Please consider purchasing a paw key chain to help out and wear your keys in style!

Native American Beaded Indian Corn Keychain : TSBeading - ArtFire Accessories

Native American Beaded Indian Corn Keychain : TSBeading - ArtFire Accessories

I've been experimenting with Indian Corn and the various things that I can do with them. They're so beautiful. I decided to put this pair on a key ring, and I did so using the drying technique that the Haudenoshaunee (People of the Longhouse) have dried them traditionally. Even now the Haudenoshaunee have a huge harvest celebration and husking gathering where community members get together and husk the corn, braid their husks together and hang the long strands of many ears of corn to dry.

Native American Beaded I HEART HORSES Keychain : TSBeading - ArtFire Accessories

Native American Beaded I HEART HORSES Keychain : TSBeading - ArtFire Accessories

There are a lot of horse lovers in my life, myself included, and I know how passionate horse lovers are about their horses.  My mom once told me that when she looked into a horse's eye, it was as if the horse could see through to her soul.  And so is the connection between horse and humans.  I've designed this keychain with that connection in mind, and I hope that you enjoy having it with you as much as I've enjoyed making it.

While it seems to be difficult to see the sparkly mane that I've put on this horse, it seems to show better when the photo is enlarged.  Click on it and you can see what I mean.

I do custom orders on this keychain, if you'd like to have it personalized with special colors, just let me know.

Beaded Horse Pendant

Beaded Horse Pendant

Materials Used:  Glass Seed beads, Wildfire thermally bonded bead weaver's thread with 10 lb. breaking point (strong stuff!) and a metal clip

Beaded Bear Paw Tag

Beaded Bear Paw Tag

This bear paw tag is my own custom design. It can be used in numerous ways, including as a necklace pendant, a keychain or key tag, or hang it from your rear-view mirror, from your refrigerator, or your favorite mirror or window.

Materials:  Black and Turquoise colored seed beads, Wildfire thermally bonded bead weaving thread, and a metal ring

Beaded Aquarius Keychain

Aquarius Keychain

The camera wouldn't pick up how sparkly this really is

Materials:  Wildfire thermally bonded bead weaving thread, seed beads, and a key ring

Beaded Libra Keychain

Libra Beaded Keychain
Blue and Gold

These can be customized with a choice of colors

Materials: Wildfire thermally bonded bead weaving thread, seed beads, and a key ring

Beaded Scorpio Keychain

Scorpio Beaded Keychain
Black and Red

These have customizable color choices

Materials: Wildfire thermally bonded bead weaving thread, seed beads, and a key ring