Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Beauty and Rescue - NW Shibas4Life Fundraiser

 

Another fundraiser, how is this so? Well in addition to selling quality, cruelty free makeup, being a Younique presenter allows me to give back in many ways and hosting fundraisers is one of them! Unlike the old days of home parties, I do pretty much everything online and that means I can have multiple fundraisers going at the same time.

If we're friends on FB then you know I absolutely ADORE puppies! (I refer to all dogs as puppies). About 7 years ago I stumbled across the Shiba Inu PuppyCam and have become completely enamored with the breed ever since. Not only have I watched some of the most adorable Shibas grow up, I've had the opportunity to meet and become friends with the people behind the PuppyCam and even meet and squish the last liter (E Team). I've also attended Shiba events and donated my crochet items to various Shiba fundraisers. I've met some amazing people and made great friends along the way. In 2014 I had the opportunity to meet Miss Jewel Inu, spokes dog for NW Shibas4Life and her human Denise aka Mama D at the annual Novato Shiba picnic. Denise is one of the most kindhearted people I've ever met and had the honor to call a friend. She and her husband have been rescuing and saving Shibas for over a decade. She treats each one as her own and gives them the treatment they need before moving on to a forever home, or in some cases they become permanent residents of of NWS4L so they can live out the rest of their days with the love they never received so that they can cross over the bridge knowing they were loved.

NWS4L is always doing such amazing work and giving so much to the pups. Since they are in Oregon I can't really visit and help out the way I wish I could, so hosting a fundraiser was the next best way for me to give back and help in my own way. This fundraiser allows me to combine two of my favorite things, makeup and Shibas! Can it get any better than that? Actually it can!

A few facts about Younique:
-We are a Cruelty Free company that means NO animal testing!
-There is a 14 Day "Love It" Guarantee - no questions asked
-A portion of every sale automatically goes towards the Younique Foundation which helps Sexually Abused Women
-The makeup is seriously awesome otherwise I wouldn't even bother with it (you know what a makeup snob I am)
So in reality, if you purchase through this fundraiser you are contributing to TWO (2) great causes. Tell me that doesn't get you in the feels just a little bit?

NW Shibas4Life is an all-volunteer 501(c)(3) organization that operates with a small handful of active volunteers who juggle rescue around work and family. They are dedicated to rehabilitating abandoned, neglected, and/or abused Shiba Inus across the country focusing on Shibas in need of critical medical attention, rehabilitation, and managed care in a Sanctuary environment until Rainbow Bridge.

Please come join the event to see all the great products we have to offer. Add some goodies to your beauty arsenal, start your Christmas/holiday shopping early and help Shibas at the same time! From September 15 through September 25th I will be donating 100% of my commissions from this fundraiser to NW Shibas4Life.

Click here to join the event on FB

Click here to shop the fundraiser

Thursday, September 3, 2015

Bella Beat Cancer! Childhood Cancer Awareness Fundraiser!

For those wondering about the current fundraiser I'm hosting here's why.

In 2011 my niece, Olivia aka Miss FartyPants aka O, was born. I had just learned to knit and my sister suddenly had this list of things she wanted me to make. In 2012 my sister Melissa was diagnosed with non-hodgkins lymphoma, Miss FartyPants was only 9 months old. By this point I had already been cancer free for over 8 years, and I was lucky and didn't have to undergo chemo. My sister did. Watching my sister's health decline for months prior to being properly diagnosed was hard. Once she was diagnosed I started looking into making chemo caps because I knew the inevitable would happen. Somehow in my research I came across pages of little kids with cancer, little kids my niece's age. And while O was perfectly healthy, being around her and then seeing and reading about little girls her same age fighting for their lives really hit me. That's when I decided to make the Princess Olivia hat. Nothing extraordinary, but a fun little hat with braids for little girls that had lost their hair due to chemo. And of course for any little girl who just wanted some braids. I sell the hats in my etsy store and for every hat purchased I donate 1 to a little girl battling cancer. It's my way of giving back and hopefully making a little girl smile and forget her illness even for just a minute.

Last year one of our friends ordered one of my hats for an 8 year old little girl who was battling a very rare form of cancer, that little girl was Bella! I had never met Bella or her family before, but because it truly is a small world I found out that Bella's dad was into old cars and hotrods and that's how they knew my friend Teri and it just so happened that Bella's dad Ken had been following our magazine page on IG. In usual social media sharing fashion Teri tagged me in a picture of Bella wearing her Princess Olivia hat, and that's when Ken put 2 and 2 together and realized I was also "Mrs. AUTOCULT." I have yet to meet the Carvalho family in person, but because of social media I feel like know them, especially Bella. She's such a brave and amazingly talented little girl and I love getting to see her progress health wise and show off her talents and all that she does to help bring awareness to Childhood Cancer. I'm sure she has her bad days, who doesn't, but she has won this battle and cancer can't keep her down! 

Once I started selling Younique I realized not only was it a way to support my makeup habit and make a little extra cash on the side, but it was something that allows me the opportunity to give back. Knowing that Bella is a girl after my own heart I reached out to Ken and Belinda and let them know that I would like to have a fundraiser and donate my commissions to the hospital where Bella had received treatment or children's cancer center - her choice and that's when they mentioned ACCOIN.

Cancer does not discriminate, it is a horrible disease that unfortunately has touched the lives of my family and many friends. So this month, in honor of Bella and Childhood Cancer Awareness Month I have chosen to donate 100% of my commissions from this fundraiser to ACCOIN (American Childhood Cancer Organization Inland Northwest).