The 13 Project – Join Me!

Behind the Scenes 28 Sep

Is it just me, or as someone who cares about animals, do you get a little overwhelmed with all of the groups, causes and individuals out there that need your help? I sometimes get so overwhelmed I start to feel like things are completely hopeless.

Some days it seems for every photo I see of a rescue dog going to their new home, I see ten more to take their place in the shelter.

There are times when I think, if I was more influential… wealthier… better connected… I could make more of a difference. That little voice inside my head tells me no matter how hard I try I’m just one person. And one person can’t make a difference.

Well I’m here today to tell that voice they’re wrong. One person can make a difference, and I want YOU to join me. Join me in The 13 Project.

THE 13 PROJECT

The 13 Project is a Pretty Fluffy initiative that involves 13 acts of kindness towards animals before 2013. Inspired by my involvement in last year’s 12 before 2012 project, I wanted to make the tail end of 2012 count. We have exactly 13 weeks left of this year, so what better way of embarking on a list of 13 achievable and worthy goals before the year is out.

To join, all you have to do is come up with a list of up to 13 ways you can help animals before the end of 2012. You don’t need to be a millionaire, you don’t need to have a website, or be a member of a rescue organisation…All you need is the desire to make a difference. If you’re time poor, make your list just one goal – or 3 or 5 things.

I can’t stress enough, this project is NOT about being perfect. I wish I could be a foster parent, but my living situation just doesn’t allow it. I’d love to have a regular day where I volunteer at my local shelter, but my work schedule means that’s not possible. But, despite all this, I still CAN help. Is doesn’t matter how much you do, as long as you’re doing something. The main part of the exercise is committing to making a difference in the time we have left of 2012.

Think of the talents you have. Do you like to sew? Offer your services to a rescue club to make some ‘Adopt Me’ jackets for their dogs. Are you a whiz in the laundry? Take home a bag of washing from your local shelter. Do you bake? Why not hold a bakesale in support of your favourite animal charity. Do you spend waaay too much time on Facebook? Start sharing those rescue animal photos! The opportunities are endless.

Here are my goals for The 13 Project…

1. Go through all of my old towels, bedding and sheets & donate what I don’t use to my local shelter.
2. Attend the Oscar’s Law Rally against puppy farming.
3. Share and repost a rescue dog’s profile on Facebook until I know they find a loving fur-ever home.
4. Go through Soda’s toys and donate the ones she doesn’t use anymore to my local rescue centre.
5. Buy this calendar knowing that all profits go towards helping dogs in need.
6. Send a letter to my local representative asking them to ban the sale of animals in pet shops.
7. De-clutter my closet and sell the clothes that I no longer wear on eBay. Donate those profits to the RSPCA.
8. Organise a group of friends to spend an afternoon walking dogs or cleaning at our local shelter.
9. Purchase a collar in the WSPA’s Collars Not Cruelty campaign.
10. Join POOPs – the program that assists elderly pet owners with basic and emergency pet care.
11. Sign this petition to help save greyhounds from a cruel export trade.
12. Pin Pro-Adoption & Pro-Rescue posters and images on Pinterest to encourage others to think of adopting.
13. Share and promote The 13 Project to inspire others!

Need Inspiration? Here are some more ideas to get your own list started…

Considering getting a pet? Know anyone thinking getting a pet? Adopt!
Open up your home and become a foster carer.
Volunteer to take photographs of dogs at your local shelter. A good photo can save a dog’s life.
Set up a charity box at your workplace, or have an impromptu morning tea to raise funds for your favourite charity.
Instead of Christmas cards, make a donation to your local shelter in your friends and colleague’s names.
Join a fun run or marathon and pledge your sponsorship to a worthy animal cause.
Donate pet food to registered pet food charity drives.
Write a piece for a local paper or blog about animal welfare – you can talk about puppy mills, current welfare issues or how much joy a rescue dog can bring to your life.
Craft collars, dog bowls and bandanas for rescues groups to help gain attention. Lots of inspiration for this one here.
Find a rescue group you click with and share their animal profiles on Facebook, helping find them a home.
Offer your services transporting shelter pets to and from where they need to go.
Sign up for a monthly donation with your favourite animal charity.
Educate your friends and family about the importance of adoption and desexing.
Pin your favourite rescue dog photos to Pinterest to inspire others.

So…Why not join me?

If you have a blog or website please feel free to use the graphic above to post with your list (remember it can be anywhere between 1-13 goals you want to achieve) and add your LINK below. Please fill in the box where it says NAME like this: BLOG NAME: Post title i.e. PRETTY FLUFFY: The 13 Project – Join Me! If you don’t have a blog, please leave a comment with your list of goals – we’ll have updates before the year is out to see how everyone is going. I’ll be keeping up with everyone’s progress on our Facebook page and we can all play along using the Twitter hashtag #The13Project.

No matter how much or how little you can do, we’ll be here to cheer each other on!

Remember, the smallest effort you make, makes the biggest difference to the lives of these animals.

Chic Sprinkles Studio: His + Hers + Coco’s

By Sarah Dickerson.

It’s finally ready to reveal, hooray! Welcome to our little office, I’m so happy to have you lovelies as our first guests. I had so many ideas when I was planning our new space, but there were two main things that I wanted to focus on. 1. It had to be cheerful and reflect both of our personalities. 2. It needed to be inexpensive, because who isn’t on a budget, right? Mission complete. A budget friendly, fresh-white, his and hers office with room for our little executive, Coco Bean. I have every detail captured and ready to share with you. Ready?

My husband and I both wanted to have our own inspiration boards, since after all, this is a place where you want to feel creative and keep motivated. For our boards we purchased adhesive cork board tiles (on sale) and painted them a vanilla white so they would blend into the walls nicely. After we placed them where we wanted, we pinned up our favorite photos, cards, and quotes. They turned out great, so fun and personal. The retro white barstools we found on craigslist, $30 for the set. Hallelujah!

Hers: I added feminine pops of color on my side of the room with little hints of DIY sparkle. Most of the items in the room were from thrift stores or just stuff we accumulated through the years and spruced up to look new, which was very kind on our pocket book. The new items I purchased were my organizers from The Container Store, and my 2013 Cities calendar from Rifle Paper Co.

Above is a honey jar that I cleaned out and placed our thumb tacks in. I made a DIY glittered mousepad (inspired by Anthropologie), and I also spray painted a drinking glass white, and glittered the rim like you would salt a margarita glass. The gold accents throughout the room play off of one another in a pretty way. It was cheap, easy, and added some whimsy. A little bit of whimsy never hurt anyone!

His: We spent a whole weekend going through images and quotes to pin on Tanner’s inspiration board, and I have to say I really enjoyed that. It was important to me that he had a ‘guy’ space to study for exams, and had lots of encouraging and motivating quotes to remind him of his goals. And of course he wanted to include his Father’s day portraits of Bean. His area is clean and streamlined, suites him well! Over time I’m sure our boards will be even more filled with nifty things.

Here are some other views of the room. I love the little reading corner with my trusty wicker chair. I’ve had it since I was 13 and it’s tagged along with me from apartment to apartment. Do I spy a DIY paw print in that cubby?

I’m loving this “The Best of Life is at the Table” notebook that I received as a gift from a dear friend of mine. I write our grocery list in it every week, so handy! This acrylic letter separater in the middle also serves as an extra collar holder for Coco. Such a diva. Oh, and I gotta have post its! I have lists coming out my ears, but they keep me sane. Below are magazine files dedicated to school papers and junk mail to shred. They eliminate clutter which is A-okay in my book.

Thanks for taking the first peek at our new room. I hope you enjoyed it! Now I will retreat to my little oasis and work on some fun posts we have in store for you. Have a great week, friends!

Sarah xx

AUTHOR: Sarah Dickerson is a visual designer and photographer from the Midwest who loves animals, all things English, rainy nights, cozy backyard gatherings, twinkling lights, and festive weddings. To see more of her work, visit her website and blog, Chic Sprinkles.

Smitten Shots: What you missed in… July!

Smitten Shots 30 Jul

Another month passes us by… and another round of fabulous photos and posts are ready to be shared. Here are the beautiful, the inspiring, the cute, and the all round amazing posts making me smile this month…

1. THIS GREEN BEARD (& EASY DIY RECIPE!)

2. WORDS OF WISDOM

3. NO BAKE CHEESECAKE? YES PLEASE!

4. THE CUTEST BEST MAN EVER

5. AN ADORABLE FAMILY

6. ONE SWEET WREATH

7. PRETTY BAUBLES

8. A BULLDOG BABY

9. VALUE & UNIQUENESS

10. ONE HOT MAMMA

Also, I just wanted to say one more BIG welcome to the lovely Sarah Dickerson and Coco Bean, from Chic Sprinkles for joining our little team this month. Sarah has already shown off her amazing skills with her first and second posts for Pretty Fluffy and I’m sure you’re all with me when I say we can’t wait to see more!

Smitten Shots: What you missed in… June!

Smitten Shots 29 Jun

I hate being out of the loop. I also know that the internet waits for no-one. A few long days of work, a weekend getaway, or a dog that thinks your laptop is another dog and comes and lies on top of every time you try to log on…All of these things can result in an overflowing RSS feed, millions of missed pins and blog posts. (OK maybe the last one is just me!)

So here at the end of each month I want to share with you my favourite shots and posts of the month. Some from here, some from other dog blogs, some from places of pretty inspiration around the web. If there’s just one post you read per month, make it this one.

And away we go!

1. THIS FACE