Friday, August 29, 2008

New Team Flyers!

Thank you so much to Starrlight Jewelry for creating these! They can also be found on the team graphics thread of the message board along with links for downloading them and tips on how to use them.

This one is sized to use in store listings-








Thursday, August 28, 2008

Review- Daisy Wares

Today's review is by Starrlight Jewelry.

Daisy Wares is a Vegan boutique located on Etsy. Com. This eclectic artist has a nice range of items in her shop from jewelry to lip balms.

During her sale to buy one lip balm get one free, I purchased 2 vanilla from her. The items arrived in quite a timely fashion, even to me, who is in Hawaii. The balms were securely packaged for shipping, and the presentation was wonderful!

The balms were gift wrapped in sheets of delicate blue paper, which were tapered closed with a beautiful shop sticker. She included a business card with the purchase which I thank her for, as it will be easy to use it to find her store for shopping again.

The balms themselves looked fantastic. In had decorated tubes that gave forth a strong and sweet smell of Vanilla before I even opened them. The application of the balm was smooth and velvety, as rich in texture as it is in fragrance.

Over the past week I have made several applications throughout the day as I am not only addicted to the fragrance and silky texture but as I have also noticed that it has softened and relaxed my lips. A wonderful balm, and to date, the best I have ever used.

It is my dream to one day own a vegan boutique that will double as a last chance home for elderly and disabled animal companions. I would be honored to carry a line of Daisy Wares lip balms in my shop.

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Two new team treasuries!

There are two new team treasuries today! Please click on the featured items and comment!! The first is by Pink Bubble and can be found here. The second is by Jane Diamond and can be found here. Thank you to you both!!



Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Don't Miss Out!!

The next round for the team games starts tomorrow, so make sure to check in on the message board for details. You'll have a chance to win a prize from a number of member's shops!

Also, check out the graphics thread for some great new fliers that Starrlight Jewelry made. They're great for printing out and putting in with orders or posting on bulletin boards.

If you're planning on getting in on the action of The Little Black Box, please contact Kimberlee asap. All of the information as well as a great graphic to help promote this can be found on the message board.

There's a lot more going on and even more to be posted about soon, so stay tuned and check in often!

Monday, August 25, 2008

Review- Late July Photography

Jennifer of Jak Random Art wrote the following review. Thank you, Jennifer!

I recently purchased some prints from Late July Photography. They are so beautiful. Great shots of shelter animals that arrived nicely wrapped and packaged. It is always a bonus when you buy something and it arrives wrapped nicely like a present. This was a fantastic purchase and for a great cause.

She says "Helping animals is second nature to [I hope] most humans. I originally started taking photos of stray dogs and cats to put them online to find homes via petfinder.com However I recently decided to share their photos, story and spirit across the universe via my etsy store http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5840418 and my blog. I use the funds to help the animals in need in my area."

All the proceeds from purchases in her shop currently go to help pay for Bonnie's vet bills. You can read about Bonnie here. If you want to help Bonnie you can donate using the chipin button on this page.

I highly recommend this seller.

Sunday, August 24, 2008

Welcome to new members!

This week we have two new members that I'd like to welcome to the team.

Two Silver Stars
Aguavino

Please give them a warm welcome by checking out their shops & hearting them!

Friday, August 22, 2008

Do I have to beg? Cause I will! :)

First of all, I’d like to thank all of the wonderful members that have been active with the team. I love that so many of you post on the message board, make treasuries, help to promote us and do so many other things that help to make this team successful.

There is one thing that I would like to see improve as far as member participation, and while it’s not a requirement, it would be very nice if everyone could do it. I’ve noticed that the same people post on the message board, but it’s a pretty small percentage of the overall members. I’m not asking that everyone log on and post on a daily basis, but it would be great to see everyone pop in there once a week or so.

If you need reasons to check in on the message board on a regular basis, I’ve put together a list for you!

You’ll keep updated of what’s going on with the team, including any events that may help to promote your shop. Not everything is posted about here, so you’re missing out on things if you don’t check in.

You could have the chance to win a prize! Team games are happening on a regular basis now, but the information about them can only be found on the message board.

You’ll find out about special discounts that some of our shops offer to members as well as who is willing to trade. Again, this information is only available on the board.

Discussions on the board aren’t limited to just team stuff. If you have a question, need help with something or are just looking for moral support, post about it. The board is there so we can support each other as well as the team.

You’ll boost your team pride by being more active. The stronger our community is, the stronger our team will be! Likewise, the stronger our team is, the more we can promote veganism. Now that’s some positive activism!

Team Event- World Farm Animal Days Promotion

October 2 is World Farm Animals Day, so Vegan Etsy will be doing a team promotion. The way this promotion works is that those members who want to participate will decide on what kind of promotion they want to do within their own shop. This can be a sale, offering free shipping, buy one get one free, giving a large percentage of purchases to an animal charity, etc.. You decide what you want your own promotion to be.

We will have the promotion last for one week, during which time you will have the promotion in your shop with an announcement for it in your shop's intro about what the promotion is and why you are doing it. The promotion will be posted about her along with a list of all participating shops. Members also help to spread the word as much as possible.

If you would like to participate, please post in this thread on the message board so that I can start to get a list together.

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Brisil Bath & Body Sale & Recipe

Brisil Bath & Body is having a sale all this week thru Sunday, 8/24/2008. Get a FREE 4oz scented candle (you pick the scent) when you buy any 2 Bath Salts *See BATH SALTS section for scents.

Gnocchi Receipe

My dad use to own a fresh made pasta store in Uruguay, and us kids would make this pasta together:)

Tomatoe Sauce:

6-8 tomatoes
1/2 red onion
1 tsp sage leaves ,chopped
1 tblspn olive oil
pinch of salt and cayenne pepper ( or none at all, its up to your taste)

In a frying pan add he olive oil, chop the onions, sage and cilantro place in frying panfry under low heat, until the onions are cooked.Chop into small pieces the tomatoes and put into the frying pan. cook under low heat, while the gnocchi's are boiling.

Gnocchi:

1 lb. white potatoes, peeled and quartered
Sea salt, to taste1
1/4 cups white flour
Sage leaves for garnish

Cook the potatoes in boiling, salted water for 15 to 20 minutes, or until tender.Stir in a generous amount of sea salt, drain, and mash until smooth. Transfer to a bowl.Sprinkle flour into the bowl with one hand while kneading into the potatoes with the other hand.Continue until all the flour is worked in and the dough is smooth. This will take a few minutes (the dough will be sticky at first). Divide into 3 pieces.Form each piece into a 1- to 2-inch-thick roll. Cut into 1-inch-long pieces and roll against a fork. Repeat with the remaining dough.Drop each gnocchi into heavily salted, boiling water. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until rising to the surface.Remove from the water, drain well, and transfer to a warm plate.Toss with the Tomatoe Sauce and garnish with the sage leaves. Makes 6 to 8 servings

Enjoy!

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

New Team Banner

If anyone would be willing to make a new banner for us, please post it in this thread on the message board. It's time for a change!

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Search & Shop For The Animals!

For those that don't know about it, you can set Goodsearch as your home page so that every time you do a search you're raising money for your favorite charity. All you need to do after setting it as your home page is set the charity of your choice. Goodsearch is powered by Yahoo, so the search results are high quality. Each search generates about one cent, which quickly adds up!

There is also Goodshop, where you can have a percentage of your purchase from participating online stores go towards the charity of your choice. All you need to do is follow the link to the store before you shop there. Up to 30% of your purchase will go towards your charity! There are currently more than 500 stores participating in this, so make sure to check out the list before purchasing online.

Monday, August 18, 2008

Recipe- Pappa al Pomodoro

Today's recipe is from Ashley of Uncommon Threads.

Pappa al Pomodoro

I learned this one from one of my professors in Florence. It’s a traditional Tuscan peasant dish and translated, it means “tomato mush”…but trust me, it tastes much better than it sounds! This is a simple meal to prepare, it’s very filling, and of course, SOO tasty. Enjoy!

1 small carrot
1 small onion
1 small celery stalk
1-2 cloves of minced
½ cup red wine
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (the good stuff!)
7 or 8 ripe tomatoes (organic is best, always), peeled and diced (you can de-seed them, too, if you feel like getting messy)
1 handful fresh basil leaves finely chopped, with some whole leaves reserved for garnishing
vegetable stock
1 loaf of pane rustica (any bakery bread that’s nice and holey), stale, cubed (1” cubes work fine), and with crusts cut off (hint: cut off the crusts FIRST before you let your bread sit out and become stale!)

Mince the carrot, onion, and celery as small as you possibly can. When they’re all chopped up, you should have about equal proportions of each. Throw them in a pot with a layer of Extra Virgin OO on medium high heat. Sautee, making sure they don’t burn, until they begin to lose their color. Toss in the garlic and stir for a minute or two. With the heat still high, add the diced tomatoes and stir. Once they begin getting soft and losing their shape, you can turn the heat down to a simmer. Add the red wine (more is better, I think) and cover. [At this point, you can either let it simmer for at least 30 minutes, or, if you don’t have the time, simmer until the alcohol has cooked off then add about 3-4 Tablespoons of old coffee (the stuff that’s been sitting in your pot since the morning will work just fine). This gives the sauce the same flavor as if it’s been sitting on the stove all day!] Once you’ve let the sauce simmer for a while, you can add your vegetable stock. Add just enough so the sauce becomes sort of soupy. Stir everything up really well and salt and pepper to taste. Add the stale bread cubes a few at a time and stir them around until they absorb the liquid and begin to fall apart. Add enough bread cubes to absorb the liquid. Your pappa al pomodoro should be the consistency of thick oatmeal. When you’ve gotten the texture right, take it off the heat and let it cool. This dish is traditionally served slightly warm, never hot. When you serve it, drizzle a little Extra Virgin OO on top and garnish with some fresh basil leaves. NUM!!!!

Sunday, August 17, 2008

Help Save Bonnie!

One of the Vegan Etsy members, Nicole of Late July, is a volunteer special needs rescue coordinator. She recently had Bonnie come in, a small, emaciated mutt who is covered with sores from mange and allergies. If Nicole can raise funds for Bonnie's care, they will not put her to sleep, so she is asking everyone to pass the word and help out as much as possible. To read more about Bonnie and see pictures and a video of her, please visit Nicole's blog.

Everything in Nicole's store is 1/2 off right now with 100% is going towards Bonnie's care. Once she is well enough, she will be taking Bonnie home to foster and rehabilitate her.

Nicole has also organized a fundraiser to help cover Bonnie's medical costs. Please take a look at the beautiful work in her shop and make a purchase or donate to the fundraiser if you can. Every little bit helps, so even a few bucks would be very much appreciated. Let's give Bonnie the chance to live the happy, healthy life that every animal deserves!

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Hearts & Skulls Treasury!

Thanks so much to Pink Bubble for this team treasury! You can find it here for a few more days, so make sure to comment & click on the featured items.

Red Hot Treasury!

Please show it some love, click here!

Recipe- Peach Blackberry Crisp

Today's recipe is from Tami of Tami's Soapworks. If this recipe is as good as her soaps (which I'm sure it is), you're in for a real treat when you make this!

In my family, fruit desserts are always the biggest hits. Whether it is a pie, a crisp, or a cobbler, they always disappear faster than a cake. This one is a nice small portion (just right for 2 or 3) so you can make them more often to take advantage of all the great local fruit! Shake up the fruit however you'd like, just be sure to add a little more flour if you're using particularly juicy fruit, or sugar if the fruit is on the tart side.

Peach Blackberry Crisp

Fruit-

2 cups peaches, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup blackberries
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 Tbsp flour

Topping-

1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt
pinch of nutmeg
3 Tbsp canola oil

Mix all fruit ingredients together and set aside. Mix all dry ingredients together for the crisp topping. Drizzle oil in, mixing with your fingers to form crumbs. Spread on top and bake at 350 for about half an hour, until just turning golden brown.

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Review- Sierra Pelona Crochet

Today's review is written by Jody of Paws In The Sun, maker of awesome collars and soon to be other fabulous items.

I am so happy to tell you all about the awesome catnip crochet hearts I got from Sierra Pelona Crochet. Mind you, my two cats have more toys than they know what to do with, most of which don't even get them to raise a kitty eyebrow. I had barely opened the package from Sierra when my Lilly came around sniffing. I tossed her one of the two hearts I bought, and she immediately began a game of air soccer with her sister Senny. Those two cats, I kid you not, were leaping three feet in the air batting those things around. Eventually they tuckered out enough so I could get a non-blurry picture of them rolling in a daze of catnip bliss.

Sierra herself is a wonderful Etsian. Her communication was great and she couldn't have shipped these out any faster. I was very surprised to see the package in my mailbox today! I'd recommend Sierra Pelona Crochet to anyone and will definitely be back for more for holiday shopping, if not sooner. Thank you again!


Monday, August 11, 2008

Recipe- Summer Chilangoes

Today's recipe is from Ashley of Uncommon Threads. It's perfect for this time of year!

Summer Chilangoes

Before moving to Italy, I lived in Brooklyn and worked as an assistant canvass director for a non-profit in Manhattan. Canvassing in the summer, though altruistic and morally fulfilling, can be tough at times, especially when the temperatures start-a-risin’. One of my favorite “rewards” for a hard day of canvassing in the summer sun was when we happened to have a mango cart near us. These ladies are elusive, but when they do happen to pop up, I’m telling’ ya…it makes my day. They sell mangoes on a stick, sliced to look all pretty like flowers, either plain, or the “spiced” variety. We came up with the name “Chilangoes” because it just sounds so appropriate for these AMAZING summer treats! The best part is, you can make them up individually, or set up a fresh mango stand, much like your thriving lemonade business from when you were a kid!

Ingredients:

Fresh mangoes, ripe, but still somewhat firm
Lime juice
Sea salt
Chili powder
Heavy duty popsicle sticks or 3/8” dowels, cut into 6 inch pieces, lightly sanded and washed. In a pinch, you can use metal skewers or fondue sticks.

Carefully, peel the mango skin off the fruit, using a very sharp knife or vegetable peeler. I find that, depending on the ripeness of the mangoes, it’s sometimes easier to insert your “stick” first. Once the mango is peeled, make 4 or 5 medium slices from the top of the fruit almost all the way to the bottom (make sure you don’t slice all the way through!). Once you have gone all the way around your mango, make another row of slices, this time staggering them in between the previous slices. Continue cutting your mango in this manner until you reach the pit. Count your fingers to make sure you didn’t slice any off, by accident.

If you haven’t inserted your “stick,” yet, do it now. On each mango, sprinkle the lime juice, and a pinch each of sea salt and chili powder, making sure you get some on all the “petals” of your mango flower.

Chow down!

Friday, August 8, 2008

Treasury #2 for today!

I was able to grab this treasury tonight!

New Team Treasury!!

A big thank you to Pink Bubble for getting us this team treasury! Please show it some love by commenting and clicking on the featured items!

Recipe- Frozen Banana Treats

Today's recipe is from Ashley of Uncommon Threads. It's a great summertime treat!

Frozen Banana Treats

This is probably one of the easiest recipes known to man but oh, so tasty! I LIVE for chocolate dipped frozen bananas.

Ingredients:

2 barely ripe bananas, cut in half crosswise
Popsicle sticks
A touch of vegetable oil
About 16 oz. vegan chocolate- you can go nuts here. I like to use Green & Blacks chocolate bars, or any other flavored chocolate bar. You can also use semi-sweet chocolate chips
Optional: any toppings for your bananas

Peel the bananas and cut them in half crosswise. Slowly insert a popsicle into the flat end of each of the 4 pieces. Place on waxed paper or parchment lightly coated with vegan cooking spray and freeze for about an hour.
Melt your chocolate in a double broiler. If you don’t have a double broiler, place a metal bowl over the top of a saucepan filled with water over medium heat. Add a touch of vegetable oil to the chocolate as it’s melting. This keeps the chocolate from getting too brittle when it’s cold.
Once the chocolate has melted, you can either dip your bananas in the chocolate and then in the coatings and serve warm (though the banana still stays frozen and delicious), or you can dip, cover, place back on your wax paper and freeze until the chocolate has formed a hard shell. You may need to use a spoon to get your banana evenly coated.

Topping ideas: Melt peanut (or any nut) butter in a double broiler or the microwave and drizzle over the chocolate before freezing.
Chopped nuts
Jimmies or any small candy
Crushed cereal
Crushed Newman-O’s or Midel cookies

Thursday, August 7, 2008

Team Events- Please join in!!

Do you want to help promote Vegan Etsy while also having a chance to win a prize, having fun and promoting your shop? Then please take a look at the following team events!

The Little Black Box has offered to put together a vegan box for the entire month of January with a donation being made to an animal charity from the sales. If you would like to join in on this by sending in samples from your shop, please visit this thread on the message board.

Starrlight Jewelry is putting together team games in this thread where you can give and receive prizes when you participate. Please post in the thread if you would like to participate. They sound like a lot of fun, so you won't want to miss out!

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Mississippi Mud Cake

This is a friend's recipe that I veganized. You frost it while it's hot, so it creates a super moist cake full of deliciousness. I also have it posted here on VegWeb, which is where I stole the picture from. Someone that tried it out was kind enough to take this lovely picture of it.

Mississippi Mud Cake

Cake:

2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup margarine, softened (Earth Balance works great)
1 cup water
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
2 egg replacers (like Ener-G)
1/2 cup plain soymilk + 1/2 Tablespoon vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda

Frosting:

1/2 cup margarine
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
3 tablespoons plain soymilk
pinch of salt
2 cups powdered sugar

Directions:

In a mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar & salt. In a saucepan, bring the margarine, water & cocoa to a boil. Remove it from the heat and pour over sifted ingredients. Stir until smooth. In a separate bowl, beat together the rest of the ingredients, then add to the smoothed mixture and mix well. Pour into a greased 9 x 13 pan and bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.Frost while hot!!! Bring all ingredients except for the powdered sugar to a boil in a saucepan. Remove from heat and add powdered sugar. Beat until smooth and pour over the cake as soon as its out of the oven (some of the frosting seeps into the cake, making it extra moist).Let cool and serve.

Sunday, August 3, 2008

EFA & Vegan Etsy treasury!

Michele of Cards & Jewelry by Michele made this treasury for EFA and Vegan Etsy. Please show the love for both teams by clicking on the featured items and leaving a comment. Thanks so much, Michele!!

Saturday, August 2, 2008

ATTENTION MEMBERS!!!

I sent out an email to all members yesterday regarding a new requirement for membership. All members have one week to meet this new requirement. If you did not receive the email, please let me know asap so that I can get it to you.

Also, Starr of Starrlight Jewelry made this awesome graphic for our team. Please use it along with our other graphics as much as you can! Thank you Starr!!

Friday, August 1, 2008

New Team Treasury!!

Amanda of Vegan Propamanda created this lovely team treasury. Thanks so much Amanda! Please show the team some love by commenting and clicking on all featured items.