Vegan Craft Samples

Vegan Craft Sample Bags

2010-11-30T08:43:00.001-08:00

The Vegan Craft Samples holiday bag is here! The bags have just been unveiled, and they're going fast, so you probably want to order yours today! What's in the bag? Any number of vegan samples from crafters and artisans all over the world. Of course many Vegan Etsy team members contribute to the bags, as well as a large number of other vendors. The only way to really know what it's all about is to get one of your very own and discover it for yourself!

Bags are available in small ($15), regular ($25), and large ($25) sizes. You can also purchase a "subscription" for 2011 and receive every bag that comes out throughout year.

Importantly - and as always - 100% of profits from the sale of the bags will go directly to support animals in need. Funds from this round of holiday bags are going to Joey's Feline Friends!

To find out more, stop by the Vegan Craft Samples website or facebook page!

Knee Deep Studio

2010-11-15T10:45:00.001-08:00

Knee Deep Studio sent in some adorable watercolors and earrings! This shop is in such high demand with our sample bag buyers that someone actually emailed me requesting I make sure to include a Knee Deep item in their bag!

I love the composition and coloring of this painting in particular, so pretty!

Maple Ash and Oak, OH MY

2010-11-11T07:36:00.000-08:00

I have said it before and I will say it again, I love anything heart shaped or bicycle themed...Maple Ash and Oak sent in fabric heart shaped pins!!! These are so adorable, I cant wait to open my box, peek inside my bag and hopefully have one for myself! (yes, I am a dork, I package all of the bags then just randomly grab one for myself, I like suprises!!)

I love the selection of organic shirts, all so different and beautiful!

Cards and Jewelry by Michele

2010-11-10T13:19:00.001-08:00

Cards and Jewelry by Michele sent in some super cute little note cards! Michele is a steady contributor to Vegan Sample bags, and always sends in something totally adorable and animal themed. I absolutely love her little owl pin!

Crye's Creations

2010-11-08T06:22:00.000-08:00

Crye's Creations has sent in so many samples in the past, and they have all been super cool!!!

I absolutely love these little mini owl cards, so cute and would be perfect to send a little thank you along with orders in my etsy shop!!

Palafox Studios 23

2010-11-07T06:06:00.000-08:00

Yay for having a few leftover samples from our Earth Day 2010 sample bags from Palafox Studios 23!

I absolutely love this bracelet, so pretty!

Apache Moon and Pointy Paws

2010-11-06T06:41:00.000-07:00

Apache Moon and Pointy Paws have contributed some great samples, yet again!

I absolutely love this necklace from Pointy Paws and The Raven from Apache Moon!

Button Farmer

2010-11-05T06:29:00.000-07:00

Button Farmer sent in some cute veg related buttons for the Vegan Sample Bags!

I love these buttons because I really do think people are so detached and forget that chicken comes from chicken, beef comes from cow and pork comes from a pig!

HeathRock ROCKS!

2010-11-04T06:14:00.000-07:00

Cute Cute Cute bookmarks arrived in the mail early this week from Heathrock!

I love this tree painting from Heathrock's shop!

Johnson Family Zoo

2010-11-03T04:57:00.000-07:00

Welcome a new contributor to the gang! Johnson Family Zoo sent in some mini reusable produce bags, so cool!

I cant wait to shove mine in my bike bag and head to the grocery store, seriously, so many people forget about how wasteful those thin little produce bags are! I also love the little sandwich bags in their shop!

Andy Eats Only Candy......and I wouldnt mind that diet myself!

2010-11-01T13:36:00.000-07:00

Andy Eats Only Candy always sends in something absolutely adorable!!!

Andy Eats Only Candy has participated in Vegan Craft Samples many times before, always delighting our supporters with super cute items! Here is a favorite of mine!

I LOVE BICYCLES!!

JF Illustrations

2010-10-25T05:54:00.000-07:00

Jf Illustrations sent in some super cute little cards and coupons!

This shop is full of cute animal themed items that I absolutely love!

This star pendant is so cute and goes right along with my new fascination with the ocean, so many hidden wonders in those waters!

CRAB!!

I saw so many cool little side stepping crabs when I was snorkeling this summer...I love snorkeling, you can see all these amazing new creatures without even interrupting their lives!

Starrlight Star Bright...whose an awesome vegan jewelry designer?

2010-10-21T11:48:00.001-07:00

Starrlight Jewelry sent in yet another box of amazing samples for our Holiday 2010 sample bags!

Check out these super awesome angel wing earrings, love em!

These chandelier earrings are my favorite, they are my go to accessory for fancy events! Besides, I feel super special that she uses a photo of me modeling the earrings for her etsy page! Yep, that's right, I am the purple girl before you, hah!

This particular sample bag Starrlight Jewelry sent in little companion animal charms! Sooooo cute! Starrlight Jewelry has participated in every single Vegan Craft Sample Bag from the beginning and has been an amazing support for this little animal charity. Starrlight Jewelry also donates to many other animal charities and rescues a gaggle of felines, feel good about shopping with Starr.

Starr is also a fellow member of Vegan Etsy Team, a guild of amazing handmade artisans who are vegan and creative beautiful vegan items!

The Morose Bee

2010-10-14T06:37:00.001-07:00

Who loves mustaches??? EVERYONE loves mustaches!

The Morose Bee sent in some absolutely awesome-tastic mustache rings! Who needs the finger tattoo, when you have a super sweet ring instead.

I absolutely love this dinosaur necklace!

If you know me, you know how much I love freight trains...it's in my blood! This ring set is so unique and cool.

Tobywonkenobi keeps it fierce!

2010-10-07T05:52:00.000-07:00

Our first contributor, Tobywonkenobi, for our holiday bags sent in some super adorable bow headbands!

Other than the fact that I think the shop name is totally creative and adorable...the shop lives up to the same...my personal favorite item:

The Tuxedo Glove

These gloves are absolutely adorable, I could see them being perfect for roller derby practice...since where we practice their idea of heat is 40 degrees! And besides, these gloves are cute, to boot!!

WE'RE BACK!!!

2010-09-23T18:00:00.000-07:00

FINALLY MY INTERNET WILL BE CONNECTED NEXT THURSDAY AND I CAN GET RID OF THE TINY LAPTOP wITH THE BROKEN KEYBOARD! YAY!!

wHAT DOES THIs MEAN??? iT MEANS WE aRE BACK IN ACTION AND REaDY TO RAIse SOMe MORE MONEY FOR OUR sOMETIMES FURRIER ANIMAL FRIENDS....

WE ARE LOOKING FOR HANDMADE ARTISANs TO CONTRIBUTE TO OUR HOLIDAY saMPLE BAG, SAMPLES aRE DUE NOVEMBER 1ST, AND THE BaGS WILL GO ON salE ON WORLD VEGAN DAY (NOVEMBER 20TH)

PLEase EMAIL ECOSAMPLER@YaHOO.COM TO SIGN UP TO CONTRIBUTE IF THE FORM ON OUR WEBsITE ISNT wORKING!

WHEN YOU SIGN UP AND SEND IN 50+ saMPLES YOU wILL RECEIVE a FREe SMALL SAMPLE BaG! aWESOME, EH? bUT PLEASE REMEMBER TO EMAIL ME AFTER THE BAGS COME OUT TO CLaIM YOURS!http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

tO GET YOU EXCITED FOR THE HOLIDAY BAGS TO COME OUT....HERE IS a SNEAK PEAK FROM jOHNSON FAMILY ZOO

REUSABLE PRODUCE BAGS!

Earth Day Celebration!

2010-04-22T06:58:00.000-07:00

Happy Earth Day 2010, now I am a firm believer that doing things everyday for the earth is much better than just one day. But what better way to do a little something extra than on Earth Day!

To celebrate Earth Day 2010, Vegan Craft Samples latest bag was released this month on World Rat Day, 100% profits from this round of bags will go to Carolina Pet Rescue!

The bags sell out very quickly, so make sure you get yours asap, they are available in our Etsy Shop and on our Website!

Mrs. Tattooed Geek

2010-04-06T07:14:00.000-07:00

So excited to receive more samples from Mrs. Tattooed Geek, last time she sent in vegan incense sticks!! This time she sent in candles! She even included a few items for me, and I absolutely love them. 3 large candles, one is 4 leaf clover scented, sun kissed sugar, and tigers eye.

My favorite scent is the sun kissed sugar, I cant stop walking by it and smelling it! The candles are also dyed and designed all pretty, the tigers eye is tiger designed wax, looks so cool.

We just recently ran out of vegan candles, so this came at a perfect time!

Another item she included especially for me is a little pocket mirror with a skull blowing a bubble on it, so cute. It is the perfect little gift for a fellow roller derby teammate, she is always chewing bubble gum.....even when she is roller skating and has her mouth guard in!

Veganosaurus

2010-04-03T07:47:00.000-07:00

Look at these adorable little monsters!!! Veganosaurus sent in so many cute things, it was almost impossible to choose 1 photo to use to represent them on the website/facebook!

Scrappy Rat Designs

2010-04-02T05:38:00.000-07:00

Prepare for cute overload!! These cards are so cute, which seems to be a theme in Scrappy Rat's etsy shop as well! Everything I click on I "coo" over and get all excited thinking of which one of my friends absolutely "NEEDS" each card! Another repeat participator in our vegan craft sample Bags.....just think only a couple more days before our Earth Day 2010 sample bags go on sale. In honor of World Rat Day, bags go on sale April 4th 2010!!

Andy Eats Only Candy

2010-04-01T05:11:00.000-07:00

Another repeat contributor to our bags, back with some super duper cute zip pouches! Andy Eats Only Candy has so absolutely awesome items in their shop and they are friendly to boot! If you know me, you know that I love anything bicycle related, and this little bicycle pouch is the perfect size for carrying a little snack on a bike ride!

Art 4 Animals

2010-03-31T08:37:00.000-07:00

100% profits from this shop go to help spay and neuter animals! Yippee, and they just so happen to have sent in some super cute magnet sets! Art 4 Animals

Pointy Paws

2010-03-30T08:27:00.000-07:00

We received a wide array of items from Pointy Paws, including some awesome kits to make your own jewelry! Such a cool idea! These little kits intrigued me and I had to take another peek at their shop, they contributed in the past....but shops change, new items get added and my interest re-sparks! I absolutely love those little elephants!

Crye Creations

2010-03-18T12:07:00.000-07:00

I love the sample packs we received this morning, so cute!!! Crye's Creations sells really cute paper crafts which are great to have around for a nice thank you to shops that buy from you! I absolutely adore the pirate set, so cute!

Colorado Catnip Toys

2010-03-17T04:47:00.000-07:00

The proof is in the photo! Your feline friends will do kitty rolls for these cute catnip toys! Even better still, they use organic catnip in them! Colorado Catnip Toys also offers handmade dog quilts and cat beds, too cute!

Silver Blueberry and Green Living Soap

2010-03-16T09:34:00.000-07:00

One of our new contributors sent in samples from both of their shops! Silver Blueberry is a shop full of unique jewelry items inspired by nature. Green Living Soap is a shop full of....you guessed it, soap! And other bath and beauty related items. The samples that came in are super cute, and well put together....but I dont want to ruin the surprise.

Eco Leeko Handmade and Eco Friendly For Kids and Kids at Heart

2010-03-11T04:35:00.000-08:00

Prepare yourself for cute cute cute before you click thru to see EcoLeeko's etsy shop! Handmade eco friendly items for kids and those of us with a little kid still inside. Last time they sent in cute little mushroom rattles, this time clouds and leaves, so cool!

Teeny Tiny Tantrums

2010-03-10T04:40:00.000-08:00

Besides the super cute way Teeny Tiny Tantrums photographed these pins, the pins are adorable!

What are some of my other favorites?

Cooking With Compassion

2010-03-09T04:25:00.000-08:00

A compilation of Vegan recipes from the members of Vegan Etsy Team, Cruelty Free Etsy, and Etsy Veg. Profits from each cookbook sold go to Peaceful Prairie Animal Sanctuary! Dont wanna wait for the Earth Day 2010 Vegan Sample Bags to go on sale to pick up a copy of "Cooking with Compassion"? You can get a copy in the following etsy shops:

JakRandomArt

EtsyVeg

Cards and Jewelry by Michele

Uber Duper Creations

Gina Skillings Original Clay and Fiber Art

2010-03-08T10:01:00.000-08:00

I opened this box not knowing what to expect, as this is the first time Gina Skillings Clay and Fiber Art shop has participated. I was absolutely thrilled to look at each different unique sample. I absolutely love them, and think they are all so cool...which is why I am glad they remembered to send photos so I didnt have to choose just one to photograph!

The other great thing, each sample comes with a coupon for 20% off your order, which is a great way to check out even more items from this fabulous shop! This is my personal favorite:

Palafox studio 23

2010-03-06T02:08:00.000-08:00

When Palafox Studio 23 sent in samples, I just had to peak into each box! Each box is handmade from recycled cereal boxes and each box has a different jewelry item in it! I chose this necklace to represent their shop because I think it is absolutely gorgeous!

Starrlight Jewelry

2010-03-05T06:13:00.000-08:00

Starrlight Jewelry has been in every single sample bag we have put out since the beginning!!! Always with some cute jewelry items and a lot of compassion and love for animals. Our Earth Day bags are no exception to this rule, I received more samples from Starrlight yesterday and eagerly tore into the package, knowing exactly what I was in for.

There are so many cool items in Starrlights shop, but my personal favorite are these earrings....which I just had to have a pair of for myself!

Jens Art Shop Earth Day Bags 2010

2010-02-24T06:47:00.000-08:00

Yep, its that time already, we are starting to get in our samples for Earth Day 2010 sample bags!

We recently received these ultra pretty art magnets from Jens Art Shop

Giveaway time!!!

2010-02-18T07:36:00.000-08:00

We are in need of a bag and ad design for our Earth Day 2010 vegan sample bags!

100% profits from our Earth Day 2010 bags will go to a rodent related sanctuary/rescue in honor of World Rat Day which is April 4th, 2010.

The deadline to enter the giveaway is March 1st and here are some basic guidelines:

Vegan Craft Samples is our name, we give 100% profits to animals, maybe include some sort of Earth Day related image along with Rodent or Rat related image. The bags are 8" by 11" so something around that size, along with a couple of ads, one 150 pixels by 200 pixels, and one 200 by 200 or so. Please email all entries to ecosampler@yahoo.com......if you would like a reminder right before submissions are due, please email us and let us know you are working on an image but need a bit of a reminder!

Winner will receive a Large Feb. 2010 sample bag, and this giveaway is available worldwide!!!

GOOD LUCK!

Valentines Day the Cruelty Free Way! Vegan Craft Sample Bags

2010-02-03T08:19:00.000-08:00

Valentines Day doesnt have to mean tons of processed sugars and dairy, it can mean compassion and love! This Valentine's Day you can order a Vegan Craft Sample bag for your love, and know that it is all vegan and all compassion!
Vegan Craft Samples receive samples of handmade items from Etsy shops around the world, puts them into reusable hand stenciled tote bags and sells them. Everything in these bags is vegan and cruelty free and 100% profits from each bag goes to a different sanctuary each time. Valentine's Day 2010 sample bag profits go to Pigs Peace Sanctuary
The bags come in 3 different sizes now, they used to only offer the regular sized bags, but now they offer small and large bags as well!

Small bags come with 8-10 samples and are $15

Regular bags come with 17-20 samples and are $25

Large bags come with 23-25 samples and are $35

The next round of bags after our Valentine's Day bags are our Earth Day bags, we are always looking for new handmade shops to contribute samples. When you contribute samples you promote a compassionate lifestyle, raise money for animals, and promote your craft! Please sign up under "get in the bag" on our website!

Help Save 3 bulls from slaughter, allow them to live their entire lives!

2010-02-02T09:46:00.000-08:00

Help Save 3 Bulls from Being Slaughtered
My friend Jodi of This Is It! Creations just found out that the 3 bulls who graze on their land were scheduled to be slaughtered today. They asked the owner if he would consider selling them the bulls instead and he has agreed. But he needs them to pay the full amount of $3600 in just under two weeks time.

These three are amazing animals. They have been named Pooka Cow (the brown one), Spotty Friend, and Less Spotty Friend. They are only 2 years old and have many more years of happy lives to live.

I will be donating 100% of all sales from my Holistically Heather store on etsy until 13th Feb 2010 towards these beautiful creatures.

Please help Jodi and her family save these boys through donations, networking and getting the word out to everyone you know.

Donate here:

Also, if you would rather mail a check, please send it to:

This Is IT! Creations
P.O. Box 1252
Jacksonville, OR 97530

Future of these animals? Jodi says, "We've been asked where the cows will go if we do raise enough money to save them - they will stay here, at least for the short term. We have 11 acres of land, a barn, and a stream. We are planning to create a line of products where all of the profits will go toward their care (hay, vet bills, fence mending, etc.) If we can find a loving family with enough land to adopt them, we are definitely open to that as well. :)"

Thank you in advance for all your help!

And the winner of the sweet tea set is.....

2010-02-01T11:50:00.001-08:00

Pipcake!

Thanks to everyone who entered, keep your eyes open for more giveaways in the near future!

Vegan Craft Samples Blog Giveaway!

2010-01-29T06:28:00.001-08:00

Yes, that's right, its time for another blog giveaway!!!! One of our contributors, SBS Teas, sent in something special for a giveaway!

If you have bought a Vegan Craft Sample Bag in the past we are sure you are familiar with the different teas SBS Teas have sent in, we love them here at our house!

NUMI Flowering Tea with Dancing Leaves Teapot, comes with 5 flowering tea blossoms, and the glass tea pot!

So, how do you enter?
You get 1 entry for each thing you do (please post each thing as seperate comments, so we can use a random number generator to pick our winner!)

Follow us on Twitter
Fan us on Facebook
Join is in our Ning community, where you can meet the contributors, add photos of your own, and make new friends!!!
Check out Sbs Teas and post a link to your favorite item!
Follow this blog
Follow Vegan Etsy Teams Blog

This blog giveaway is open to anyone, anywhere....so get your entries in. I dont have a set date as to when I will draw the winner, but I want to get a decent amount of entries first! Tell your friends....please.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE remember to leave your email address so we can get ahold of you if you win!!!!

Valentines Day the Cruelty Free Way! Vegan Craft Sample Bags

2010-01-21T07:33:00.000-08:00

We are already receiving samples from our contributors for Valentines Day 2010 sample bags! 100% profits from each bag will go to Pigs Peace Sanctuary!

Late to the Revolution sent in these awesome cards!

Donations Needed For Animal Sanctuary Raffle FOR THE ANIMALS

2010-01-16T08:23:00.000-08:00

For The Animals is an animal sanctuary located in Montclair, New Jersey. For The Animals gives sanctuary to victims of the food farming trade.

This morning when I woke up I saw a post on Vegan Etsy that For The Animals is looking for handmade items for a raffle they plan to do to raise money for the animals!

Perfect, we happen to have 1 regular sized sample bag left and ready to be shipped to For The Animals!

I really hope that the raffle goes well and whomever wins enjoys all of the items from handmade folks who love animals and creating!

If you are interested in donating items for the raffle please contact Deb:
info@fortheanimalssanctuary.org
or simply mail your items to

for the Animals sanctuary
8 Cherokee Trail
Blairstown NJ
07825

Earth Day Sample Bags Looking for Contributors

2010-01-15T06:41:00.000-08:00

Ok here is a bit of incentive for people (as if these bags arent already cool enough)

Any person that signs up to send in 50 or more samples, and does so
will receive a free small sample bag
you must check out a bag, like you are going to pay for it and put in notes to seller
what you sent in for samples and how many

Unfortunately this only can go for folks who send in actual samples, coupons and business cards (or pins with just your shop promo on it)
do not count toward a free bag

So the bags are totally cute, they are full of neat samples from handmade folks around the world...and if you contribute 50 or more samples you get one for free!

What more can you ask for?

Profits from our Earth Day bags will go to a Rat Rescue/Sanctuary in honor of the month of the rat!

Vegan Craft Samples in VEG NEWS!

2010-01-11T06:54:00.001-08:00

Cute Overload with Vegan Craft Samples Pick Of The Pack

2010-01-09T09:13:00.000-08:00

Each and every single one of the cards from Fuzzy Umbrella makes me want to say "AWWWW" out loud.

Seriously tho, the use of "you're in my heart" who wouldnt want to open up an envelope from the mail carrier and see this sweet card? Check out fuzzy umbrella for more crafty cuteness!

Todays Pick of The Pack...this little piggie went to the market.....these little piggies hung out on etsy!

2010-01-08T05:45:00.001-08:00

These little piggies raise money for Hearts on Noses , and are super cute to boot!

These cute cards are from Cards and Jewelry by Michele, a shop that gives cute little pins, earrings, hair barrettes to Vegan Craft Samples, always cute and generally animal themed!

I thought these little piggie cards were perfect since the profits from our New Years Vegan Craft Sample Bags go to Pigs Peace Sanctuary!

Today's Pick Of The Pack from Vegan Craft Samples Chocolate Soap?

2010-01-07T06:31:00.000-08:00

Yes, thats right, todays pick of the pack is a bar of chocolate soap....yum how I love chocolate!

Earth Natural Essentials has a wide array of delicious natural soaps, lip balms, lotions, bath salts, body butters, bath oils...etc. etc. etc. When I look at Earth Natural Essentials I get so excited with all of the awesome choices and great bath opportunities! (we all know I love bath items!!)

I absolutely love their lip balms, I have the citrus one from a previous sample bag..yumm

Today's Pick Of The Pack from Vegan Craft Samples

2010-01-06T07:26:00.000-08:00

Today's pick of the pack is from Eat Me Alive, one of our awesome contributors to our New Years Vegan Craft Sample Bags!

I chose these Lavender Bath Truffles, because they look like the perfect thing to cure my "working all the time" blues. Lavender is naturally calming...I can picture it now, a nice hot bath, some lavender truffles, and a nice hot cup of lavender tea....beddy time for me!

Vegan Craft Samples- where have you been?

2009-12-31T07:34:00.000-08:00

Things have been crazy around here! Between taking care of my grandmother, getting a full time job, and trying to do all the crafty fun stuff too....I have been lost in the shuffle for quite a while. I hope we didnt lose everyone who was reading our blog...tap tap, is this thing on?

Well to get this fire cooking, warm up our spirits and bodies and take a peek at a contributor to the first sample bag of the new year!

Warm up with a nice hot cup of tea from SBS Teas

100% profits from our January 2010 bags will go to Pigs Peace Sanctuary

Meet Bubba and Charlie, they've been together for years and are best of friends...making their home at Pigs Peace Sanctuary

January 2010 Vegan Craft Sample Bag Contributors and Video

2009-12-19T08:02:00.001-08:00

I just finished making our January 2010 video of Vegan Craft Sample Contributors!

Things around here are exciting as usual, with the new sample bags in the works, the giveaway going on for the new design on our bags and I got another day job. HAH the tangled webs we weave. The January bags are going to be limited edition/quantities so we are suggesting you get yours the day they go on sale (January 1st, 2010)

This blog has been super lacking lately, I am just a bit overwhelmed I suppose, please find us on facebook, twitter, and Ning as well as here!

I also changed our website back to the cow look, and I am interested in opinions...I am awful with computers so I did my best...would also like to change the blog back, but I have no clue how...anyone out there that can help me?

Win a Vegan Craft Sample Bag Design Our Logo

2009-12-11T10:38:00.000-08:00

We are looking for the perfect logo for our bags, yes thats right we will be switching to premade bags, but to keep handmade alive we will be hand printing or stenciling a logo on each bag!

What does that mean for you?

Come up with a design for our logo, email it to us, and when we receive all of the entries we will have a vote on this very blog!

Here is some useful information when coming up with your design
Vegan Craft Samples
Its All In the Bag

both are titles of our bags,used together and interchangeably

100% profits go to animals ( would like to have that mentioned on the design if possible)

our web address
vegancraftsamples.com

Those are the basics, go wild, run with it and have fun!

Please remember to email your design to
ecosampler@yahoo.com

Good luck, the due date for the designs is December 20th

Please remember that if I do a stencil of the design it will be hand done, and if i screen print it it will also be hand done.....nothing too crazy hhah

Good luck!

Andy Eats Only Candy, Can You Blame Them?

2009-11-06T08:25:00.000-08:00

Andy Eats Only Candy is a super cute shop that sent in hand screenprinted patches for our Holiday Vegan Craft Sample Bags. Upon further detective work I found a shop full of cute screenprinted items!

From handscreened fabric with pretty birds to handscreened plushies to super cute totes with bicycles screenprinted on them! (we all know how much I love bicycle items on etsy!)

So many cute items and guess what, all printed on recycled materials! That is a major plus with me, I love working with recycled fabrics and bringing them back, giving them a new life!

Compassionate Crafting With Starrlight Jewelry

2009-11-05T14:45:00.000-08:00

One of the first packages we receive for the sample bags is always from Starrlight Jewelry, and with a smile on my face I tear into the package expecting greatness! Starr is also a member of Vegan Etsy Team and does a lot of the foot work for the team.

Starrlight Jewelry also donates a lot of time and pieces from their collection to animal charities and events, in addition to Vegan Craft Samples.

Starrlight keeps a blog where she has recently been posting about the 8 new rescued kitties she is sharing her love with and often has giveaways and offers for shoppers!

Starrlight has recently made a "customer appreciation" folder on her website and is offering up this great deal! "All my Customers Whom Submit a Customer Appreciation Photo Get A 10.00 Shop Gift Certificate ~OR~ 25% Off their next order from my shop.
To Submit a photo, email it to StarrlightJewelry@hotmail.com and include your Etsy account name or pm me on etsy and add it as an attachment."

You can even get a glimpse at my mug in her customer appreciation folder on her facebook!

Thanks a lot Starrlight Jewelry for all your hard work with the animals, your contributions time and again to Vegan Craft Samples and the love and work you put into Vegan Etsy Team !

Youtube Video Promotion Of Vegan Craft Samples, etsy promotion!

2009-11-03T10:10:00.001-08:00

I just finished putting this together, please leave comments, show love, and most importantly share with your friends and family! Our bags are on sale now, 100% profits go to help Peaceful Prairie Animal Sanctuary.

Pamper Yourself With It's All In The Bag- Vegan Craft Samples

2009-11-02T12:38:00.000-08:00

After a long weekend getting all of the sample bags ready, I am exhausted and really needed some pampering. So I reached into my Vegan Craft Sample bag and here is what I found....

First I pulled out my "sex on the beach" vegan candles from Wicks to Wax, and set them up all around the tub. Hey, I said I was going to pamper myself, didn't I? These candles actually smell! I have had so much trouble looking for vegan candles that give off scent, and the scent lasts too! Sex on the beach smells great, fresh and clean, it really set the mood for my bath.

Then I started the water, really hot because I need the heat to relax today, and poured in OSayin' Holisticsvegan milk bath, watching it dissolve as it hit the water. Put my tip toes in to test the temperature then laid right into the milky delight. The milk bath really added a nice touch to the water, I could feel how soft it was on my skin instantly.

Then came the time to wash up, and I reached right for my little slice of heaven from Heaven and Earth Essentials(I swear I thought of that analogy, typed it out, then realized I mentioned heaven when referring to their soap hah!). This little chunk of soap, is so pretty I hated to use it, but alas, what am I going to do stare at it for years to come? I love the light fragrance of this soap, and the dried herbs right in the bar, such a pretty touch.

What a nice long relaxing bath, and boy oh boy did I need it! I hopped out of the tub and tried my first of 5 new lip balms from Earth Natural Essentials, the orange. I love orange scent and orange flavored anything! A shop after my own heart, using hemp seed oil, this lip balm glides right on and has a wonderful orange-y scent!

ON SALE NOW! Vegan Craft Sample Holiday Bags

2009-11-01T08:40:00.001-08:00

100% profits to Peaceful Prairie Sanctuary!

Due to a large response we are having 2 different sized bags this time, a regular and a large. The large contains 25+ samples and the regular contains the usual 17-20.

You can get your bag in the following places

There is an easy checkout cart in the right margin, through artfire (for the large bags)
Click above on HOME, and go to the order section of our website! You can choose the size bag you would like
Or finally, go to our Etsy where you can also buy either size!

Bella Pure is pure magic for your lips!

2009-10-31T08:35:00.000-07:00

Bella Pure recently sent us samples for our Holiday Sample Bag and included a sample just for me! What did I get? One of their new CoQ10 Vegan Lip Conditioners!

Of course I eagerly and liberally applied my new lip conditioning balm, and it went on so smooth and soft. No greasy feeling lips, they just feel smooth and soft, which is great as I ride my bike all winter and my lips turn into a mess!

I am stocking up now on great lip moisturizers and preparing for yet another wild bike riding winter in Upstate, NY, where the winter seems to last atleast 7 months of the year.

Veg News Magazine

2009-10-26T11:32:00.000-07:00

Has anyone seen the new Veg News Magazine yet? Well when you pick one up and start perusing it, look out for Vegan Craft Samples/It's All In The Bag, and Vegan Etsy Team. I was interviewed not that long ago for the piece, and I am quoted in the article a couple of times, definately worth checking out!

With the sample bags sale date only 1 week away, people are rush shipping packages of beautiful samples to make it just in time! Here's what last week brought us! (sorry the blog has been so slow, things are crazy around here trying to sew up all the bags, yes thats right, I am Holistically Heather and I make all of the bags!)

Cellphone Charms from Ladies Blend

Earrings from Airport Love Story

Photographs from 3AM Art Productions

Earrings and Rings from Apache Moon/ Pointy Paws

Vegan Milk Baths/ Soaps from Osayin Holistics

Vegan Makeup and Dog Treats- Awesome, add em to the bag!

2009-10-09T05:57:00.000-07:00

Eyeshadow and dog treats!

With the recent addition of dog treats from Stylin Pup Pillows, now even your puppy pals will be happy when you open up your bag from It's All In The Bag!

Do you wear makeup but you dont want to wear all the icky goupy stuff tested on animals, full of bear flesh or whatever is in that stuff? Pure Natural Minerals has sent in vegan eye shadow samples, a great alternative to the nasty stuff at the drug store! Each sample set comes with 3 different colors.

Strawberry Hedgehog A Cute Name With Super Cute Samples

2009-10-05T13:20:00.000-07:00

I definitly love it when shops that participate in the sample bags send me a little sample of my own, it makes me feel appreciated, not to mention I have loved every single sample sent in!

Strawberry Hedgehog recently sent in their big box o' samples, with 2 heart soaps just for me. First of all, I love hearts, I have heart everything, even a couple of tattoos. Second, they smell great, I received one lavender and one eucalyptus-lime, so refreshing.

Who doesnt like a cute little soap next to the kitchen sink, so guests dont have to use dish soap?

I know that is right where our eucalyptus-lime will be going, and the lavender right in the bathroom next to all of our other handmade soaps from etsy!

Teas the Season, pull up a chair and lets sip to stay warm!

2009-10-04T07:36:00.000-07:00

The water is on, the fireplace is burning, lets sit down for a nice cup of hot tea with SBS Teas.

We recently received a big box of fragrant bliss from Sbs Teas, who sent in tea samples and reusable tea bags wrapped up in cloth and ribbon.

I try really hard to wait for the first day of sales to grab my bag of samples, but the teas are driving me wild, especially with this cold dreary New York weather!

So many samples, so little time!

2009-10-02T10:48:00.000-07:00

The samples are starting to fill up my little crafting nook, add a new 3 package set to the crowd, that I received yesterday!

The first package I tore into was the samples from Friends For Life/Caspunky, which are super cute handmade greeting cards with animals. On the back there is information about the rising epidemic in our country with homeless animals, encouraging people to spay and neuter their critters. Sending out a message to adopt, is always well received when on super cute animal cards. Totally cool!

The next package I opened was from Vegancraftastic, a whole bunch of super cute fabric buttons with robots, squirrels, and hedgehogs to name a few. Each sample from Vegancraftastic also includes a coupon to their shop, perfect timing for holiday shopping. Who doesnt love a coupon?

Last but not least is the package from Jennifer Lynn Productions included in this package are some gorgeous photograph cards, these cards have high quality photographs on the front and are blank on the inside. If you are looking for a card for someone who appreciates art, these cards are perfect.

With each package that arrives at the post office I get more and more excited about the upcoming release of our holiday sample bags. When I think it cant get any better, something totally unique and out of the ordinary arrives. Keep checking back for more contributors, and remember, our holiday sample bags go on sale November 1, 2009, and they wont last long at all!

Congratulations Jenna McKay you won our giveaway!

2009-10-01T07:39:00.001-07:00

Please email me your information at ecosampler@yahoo.com
As the link to your blog doesnt have any information

you won!!!

Fuzzy Umbrella, such a cute name for such cute cards!

2009-09-29T11:03:00.001-07:00

Today we received samples from Fuzzy Umbrella, and they even included a card for me, which is ADORABLE!

After I read the attached note and checked out the super cute "Find Joy" card that they sent me, I just had to see what else they have to offer.

These cards go from cute to cuter, I cant wait to send mine to someone special for the holidays!

Are you sending the same boring old cards again this year? Check out Fuzzy Umbrella for some really cute original cards, stand out on the mantle!

Side note, I have put an extension on the due date for the samples for our holiday sample bags, so please, sign up if you are interested! This is a great opportunity to raise money for animals, and promote your handmade wares!

Only a couple days left to enter our giveaway for our last August 2009 sample bag!

Dirty Ass Soaps- Keep Your bum clean with super creative soaps!

2009-09-26T07:00:00.000-07:00

Last summer I met Ali from Dirty Ass Soaps, and almost immediately she presented me with a cute little oreo, a waffle, and a fried egg soap. I looked at these soaps in amazement, they look real!

So real, that I had my oreo on the kitchen sink and one of my friends said "Why is there an oreo on your sink, you still gonna eat that?"

So these soaps are adorable, right? Guess what, they are 100% vegan too!

The jaw dropping denture soaps remind me of my grandfather, and all the tricks he used to do with his. If he were still around, that would be his holiday gift for sure!

Whether you are a gamer or just a child of the 90's you will definately appreciate the Nintendo controller soap, it smells like Mountain Dew!! Get your gaming fix, and all while smelling like highschool again.

Upon talking with Ali I found out that she makes all of the molds herself, how cool is that? These soaps are so creative, and I am really happy to have Dirty Ass Soaps involved in our holiday sample bags! Check out our holiday bags, on sale mid November 2009!

Interested in submitting samples of your handmade items? Check out our website, and click the "get in the bag" link to sign up!

Giveaway Enter to win a bag full of vegan handmade samples from around the world

2009-09-25T15:32:00.000-07:00

There is still time to enter our blog giveaway here, I will use a random number generator to select the winner in the beginning of October! So get your entries in now.
I would also like to announce that we have reached 35 contributors for our holiday bags and are still accepting more!

You can sign up to promote your shop in our holiday bags by going to our website and signing up under "get in the bag". Please also feel free to check out our FAQ, forum (where purchases can leave feedback for each individual shop), friends, press (reviews of our bags)
We would love to have some new handmade artisans involved, but time is running out to get into our huge holiday bags!

Be sure to check out our little interview in VegNews Magazine, which comes out at the beginning of October, perfect timing for a little extra press for our bags!
Followed by a giveaway of one of the holiday bags on their website.

This is really exciting, and a great opportunity to share our handmade goodies with people and encourage them to shop handmade!

Happy Feet Happy Woman Review Of Joyful Feet from Naturally Me

2009-09-24T06:39:00.000-07:00

Walk 10 miles in my shoes, or in no shoes at all, like I did last week.

My dogs were a barkin when I got home, and that's when I remembered the Joyful Feet Samples that Naturally Me sent in for our sample bags.

First I filled up a big plastic tub with hot water, added the fizzy foot soak, put my hands behind my head, leaned back and relaxed. The fizzy soak was definately fizzy and felt great on my tired, sore feet. I kept my feet in the tub until the water was too cold to tolerate and my tootsies were all shriveled.

I put away the naturally me foot scrub for the next few days when my feet would start to heal, crack and be a royal pain in the achilles. I started all over about 3 days later, with the tub of hot water, my handy dandy foot scrub, and a soft hemp washcloth. When I was done massaging and scrubbing my feet they felt soft and silky smooth again. Which trust me, was a huge improvement!

Happy feet=a happy woman! Cant afford to go get a pedi these days, you can do one right at home with Naturally Me's Joyful Feet!

Wordless Wednesday!

2009-09-23T05:13:00.000-07:00

Heaven and Earth Essentials is Heaven on Earth!!

2009-09-15T07:58:00.000-07:00

One of the contributors for our holiday sample bag sent me a bag for myself, and I am so happy they did. They handmade all of the bags for their samples out of cute fall themed fabrics, and tied them up all nice.

When I opened my bag I was so excited because not only did they come in a cute little bag, but there were 3 samples! The first sample I tried was the pumpkin lotion, which smells AMAZING, and doesnt leave my skin greasy. That is the test for me with lotions, I hate greasy lotions! This lotion goes on smooth and is absorbed into your cracked dry skin, very soothing and as I said it smells great! This pumpkin lotion fits perfectly in my craft fair apron and will be used over and over again as the weather gets colder.

The next sample that I tried was a soap sample, topped with dried herbs. The soap lathered up nicely (but not creepily nicely like some soap, where you have to wonder what is in it!)and smells great, a nice light scent that leaves your skin smelling soft and pretty.

Last, and DEFINATELY not least is the chocolate mousse bath cookie. After 3 days of craft fairs, outside in the cold and rain I was ready for a bath, I got the hot water running and put this little wafer in with me. Immediately the smell of chocolate (we all know I LOVE CHOCOLATE) began steaming about the bathroom as the little bath wafer started to melt. It was smooth and silky, and I rubbed it up and down my arms as it was melting. I layed back and enjoyed a soothing bath that lead me right to the freezer for a chocolate bar when I was done.

Heaven and Earth Essentials truly is Heaven on Earth and I cant wait to get a little money and pamper myself!

Interested in checking out one of our bags? We are having a giveaway for our last August 2009 sample bag, enter now!

Giveaway! Enter to win your very own It's All In The Bag- full of indie handmade samples from around the world!

2009-09-04T13:58:00.000-07:00

What do you get when you take indie handmade samples from around the world, pair them up with 16-19 other samples and put them into handmade reusable market totes?

It's All In The Bag

I've been holding on to our very last August bag for the perfect time for a giveaway, and I think now is the time! Our August bags sold out so fast that I didn't even get time to do a giveaway, but hey that's a good thing, right?

With our holiday bags quickly approaching, and artisans signing up left and right, its time to give away 17-20 samples in a nice little bag!

Ok Ok quit rambling, how do I enter to win a bag?
There are quite a few ways to gain entries!

First, check out the current contributors section of our website, come back here and let us know about a shop you clicked on and your favorite item in their shop. That's easy enough, right?

How do I gain more than one entry? Well, here's a list of things to do that gain entries for a bag, please comment seperatly for each entry!

Become our fan on facebook

Place our ad on your blog or website

Blog about our giveaway

Sign up to be in our holiday bag, handmade artisans! It's a great way to advertise your shop and help animals! If you are already signed up, that counts too!

Pretty easy giveaway, good luck!!

It's All In The Bag- Vegan Craft Samples Reviewed By Sarah Kramer author of How It All Vegan series

2009-09-03T06:20:00.001-07:00

Today we were reviewed by Sarah Kramer, author of the How It All Vegan cookbook series. You can check out the review on her website, or read it right here as I copy and paste it!

"I recently received a bag from Vegan Craft Samples. WHAT A FUN IDEA!! For $25 you get a cloth bag sent to you filled with vegan goodies from all different crafty vegan product makers. The best part is that 100% of the $$ goes to a different animal sanctuary each month! Each bag is unique and different containing 17-20 different samples!

I think my favourite item in the bag (besides a rad keychain from Vegan Dish) is the Girls are not Chicks colouring book. I can’t decide if I should keep that … or send it to my nephew and start his feminist brainwashing now!! :)

Check out Vegan Craft Samples HERE!

Feeling Chatty on this lovely Sunday morning

2009-08-30T09:13:00.000-07:00

So I have entered into the realm of Etsy Chat, and decided that I will feature an item from each shop in chat! So now is the time to peruse all the shops and find what I love from everyone! Hope you enjoy checking out these shops as much as I have.

What little one wouldnt love a ladybug purse from coocoos, so cute!

"Cherish the small things in life" bookmark from Freshline

Cute pink polka dot switch plate from Rathina

Sweet little hair bobby pins from Sugar Rain Drops

A cute owl necklace from Nature's Spirit

Well, I tried to get everyone, but people come and go so fast in chat, its practically impossible...so here's just a little taste of what we have in Etsy Chat today!

Very Berry Cherry Clutch Vegancraftastic

2009-08-27T07:28:00.000-07:00

As soon as I saw this cute little clutch, from vegancraftastic, I thought of my sister! She is into the 50's pinup style and absolutely loves cherry anything. This clutch would be perfect to carry with any little black dress, and is super adorable!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-08-26T18:26:00.000-07:00

Indie Handmade Item Reviews

2009-08-24T18:51:00.000-07:00

If anyone wants to have their items reviewed on our blog, here is the info that you will need!

Please send only vegan friendly items, not sure if you item is vegan, please email me

Mail your items to
Heather Snogles
po box 147
marcy, ny
13403

Please make sure to write review me somewhere on the package or inside the package on a little note.

Want to exchange items for review? I am also willing to do that, I will send you a sample bag, for a review on your blog and you can send me something of equal value to review here!

Lets help each other support handmade indie items, and new finds!

It's All In The Bag- on sale now!!

2009-08-16T09:13:00.001-07:00

The day has finally come, August 16th, and our latest indie handmade sample bags go on sale! So exciting, these bags are awesome!

makeup, lotion, scrubs, lip balms, papercrafts, jewelry, keychains, face creams, cat toys, recipe cards

Each order comes in a handmade reusable bag and includes 17-20 crafty samples!

Get yours while you can, the last bag sold out in a matter of a few days!
100% profits from each bag go to Peaceful Prairie Sanctuary

Want to promote your handmade goodies in our HOLIDAY bag? Check out our website and sign up!

Interested in buying a bag? You can go to our website, or purchase a bag here in the blog, in the right margin!

Support indie handmade and help animals!

Sweet Fristy For My Sweet Tooth

2009-08-14T15:18:00.000-07:00

OK I will admit this, I am definately internet stalking Sweet Fritsy, and I visit the shop periodically to see whats new. Well let me tell you what's new since I last checked it:

Vegan Donuts

Hand Poured Vegan Fudge

Rice Crisy Treats

Peanut Brittle

Peanut Carmel Cups

Oh my god, I keep looking and finding more sweets that I havnt seen before, this shop is addicting! What do I want for my birthday?

ONE OF EVERYTHING!!!!!

Camille Wanders Right Into My Heart- love this etsy shop!

2009-08-09T18:36:00.000-07:00

We recently received Camille Wanders samples for the August 2009 It's All In The Bag release, and they are AWESOME! Camille Wanders sent in some really cute handmade little pouches, so cool! I like the little pouches so much that I decided to check the shop out tonight, and its got a really laid back, organic, earthy vibe to it.

I really like that there are a variety of sizes for the shirts in the shop, I even found a shirt that I love that will fit my chub a dub dub body type! There are a lot of nature themed throughout all of the items with plenty of trees and butterflies. I absolutely adore the designs and have added the shirt to my "BIRTHDAY WISHLIST"!

It's All In The Bag August 2009 edition comes out in about a week on August 16th, and we are really excited, all of the contributors sent in amazing samples of their work. 100% of profits from the bags go to Peaceful Prairie Sanctuary, and here's hoping we can raise even more money for the animals with this round of bags!

Interested in being in our Holiday 2009 sample/promotion bag? You can sign up on our website!

Thanks again Camille Wanders for sending in some of your uniquely handmade beauties!

Vegan Face and Beauty by Bella Pure

2009-07-31T15:29:00.000-07:00

Bella Pure recently sent me a couple of items for my face, to try out. If you are vegan and getting a little older, like I am, you know how hard it is to find good face care items.

I waited for a night that I really needed some pampering and was ready to try out my natural face serum and 2 in 1 eye and night creme. And oh what a day it was! After washing my face I applied the face serum, in circular upward motions, it felt very soothing and relaxing just before bed. I never even would have thought about it if the face serum didnt say "Dont help gravity by tugging down on your skin." I had a total "DUH" moment when I read that, seems so simple and obvious but I am so glad it stated "the obvious."

Jessi has very dark circles around her eyes, so much so that sometimes her eyes even ache...she just couldnt wait to try out the 2 in 1 eye and night creme! We both applied it on our lids and around our eyes before bed, it has a really smooth texture and felt rather soothing. What I really loved was that it didnt leave my skin all greasy and sticky, it went on smooth and absorbed into our tired skin. When we woke up the next morning I felt brighter, like my eyes were more alert even, and my face felt soft as a baby's booty! I think I am going to have to try out the facial firming serum when I get my birthday money!

Want to check out some of Bella Pure's items, they will be in the upcoming release of It's All In The Bag!

My birthday is coming and I am already shopping for myself on etsy!

2009-07-28T10:47:00.000-07:00

Every year around this time I start to shop for myself online for my birthday. I have one of those families that gives money or gift cards, and since I dont shop at walmart or best buy, I choose the cash. Now it comes down to, what do I want to get for myself that I couldnt normally afford...So here's a list of this years dream birthday gifts!

This is such a cool idea, leave it to Vessels and Wares to come up with the perfect way to display your summer flowers!

Anyone that knows me, knows how much I LOVE GARLIC. I put garlic on everything, I would even try it on vegan ice cream!! So this garlic keeper from Vessels and Wares, would make the perfect gift for a gardenin', garlic lovin' gal like myself!

What kind of birthday would it be without some delicious truffles from Sweet Fritsy? These are seriously the best truffles that I have ever had, and I cant wait to get more.

I have had my eyes on this pair of shoes from Mohop for about a year now. Cute, stylish and I have heard nothing but rave reviews about these fabulous shoes! So versatile, these shoes come with 5 sets of ribbons that you choose, making it like buying 5 pair of new shoes! Not to mention the almost infinite ways you can tie these shoes, its like an entire shoe collection in one! What girl wouldnt want these for her birthday?

A nice new pair of earrings from Starrlight Jewelry is in my near future. A couple of months ago Starr and I did a trade, where I received the prettiest earrings. For once I can actually wear them without my ears hurting like crazy. Starr makes some really great jewelry and Ive done a handful of trades with her, but these earrings are by far my favorite!

The Samples Came Rolling In, for It's All In The Bag

2009-07-26T07:01:00.000-07:00

The samples are a flowin'! I went to the post yesterday morning, they are open for 2 hours on Saturday, and I wanted to make sure that if someone sent something kind of melty that it wouldnt sit there all weekend. I got 3 boxes in the mail yesterday, all of them with cool different items.

The first box I tore into was from Camille Wanders, they sent in cute little organic hand dyed pouches, very cool and well made!

Bella Pure's box was next, I opened it to find samples of facial moisturizing night creme, vegan of course, and even a bag of items for me to try and review! Our very first submission for review on this blog! It's easy, send in any item you would like me to review, my mailing address is on the sidebar! So far so good with the items she sent me for review, keep your eyes peeled this coming week. My skin is super sensative and it is loving Bella Pure so far!

Last but not least at all are Veganessas awesome felt pouches, they are all so cute. Some have little animals, some have sayings, some are circles some are squares. Very creative and cute! Jessi still uses hers from the last round of sample bags!

The bags will go on sale August 16th and they will be AWESOME! 100% of profits from the sale of the August bags will go to Peaceful Prairie Sanctuary. Please if you havnt signed up to be in our holiday bag, swing by our website and check it out, we will me donating 100% to a sanctuary, and we have an anonymous donor that is willing to match whatever we raise! Promote your craft around the world, while helping animals!

I want to ride my bicycle, all over town after eating a huge vegan dinner!

2009-07-20T15:03:00.001-07:00

Today's search for an awesome etsy item was far too easy, I searched VeganEtsy Team, and one of the first things that popped up, I LOVE! First of all, if you know me, you know that I love bikes, I ride mine everywhere that I go. In fact, I like them so much that I have not 1 but 2 bicycle related tattoos! Ok Ok so what did I find?

A bike print bag set by Vegancraftastic and it is so awesome! What would I put in the bags if they were mine? First of all I would put my knitting in the larger bag, and some cash in the little pouch....then I'd hop on my bike and ride down to the coffee shop for some knittin' 'N' tea sippin'!

Holiday Indie Craft Sample Bags, Promote Your Craft Worldwide, Help Animals

2009-07-17T07:12:00.001-07:00

It is time to start thinking about advertising your shop for the holidays, and what a better way to do it than "It's All In The Bag"

What is all in the bag, you might ask. Well we take craft samples from crafters around the world, put them in handmade market totes, and sell them online, worldwide! When you send in your crafts, they are seen by people from the United States to Israel and in between. What is different about these sample bags, other than the reusable market totes that they come in? 100% of profits from each bag go to an animal sanctuary which is voted for, right here in this very blog!

When you send in samples to be in our bags, your ad will appear on our blog and website, along with a photo of your samples on our website- for the entire process of that bag from the time people start signing up until the last bag is sold!

How well do the bags sell? We sold over half of our first round of bags in the first few hours, and it didnt take very long for the bags to sell out completely!

The holiday is special, first because its the holiday bag so people will be eagerly checking out all of the shops that send in samples, looking for holiday gifts. Secondly, we have an anonymous donor willing to match whatever we raise for the chosen holiday animal sanctuary!!! Which is very exciting and makes everything even more fun! We advertise on various websites, and I will be sending a couple of sample bags to different magazines, for reviews and possible press in print!
Read here what Starrlight Jewelry had to say about our bags!:

some of the benefits of submitting to these bags are:

1) reaching a target market you never though possible. While Vegans are Veggies are still a minority in this our numbers are growing.

2) Reviews on your product. For each round of sample bags there is a forum listing of each seller/ crafter who contributes to the bags. Everyone who purchases bags is welcome to leave a comment or review of the items they received from that seller.

http://www.vegancraftsamples.com/apps/forums/

3) Shop and product feature on the website blog - which has at the moment, 133 followers. The bags are also advertised by a large number of other sellers that contribute to the bags - myself included.
http://www.vegansamples.blogspot.com/

and more! My analytics account has shown a good deal of traffic to my shop from donating to the past (April) bags.
This is a wonderful advertisement opportunity for compassionate crafters.

Interested in what customers are saying about these crafty sample bags? check out our flawless etsy feedback!

Interested in finding out more about our crafty bags? Please check out our FAQ section on our website, you can also sign up right on our website with our simple sign up link!
Get in the bag, and get the word out there about your shop!! All while helping animals.

Looking for a laugh, something to cheer me up, on a gloomy miserable day!

2009-07-16T05:54:00.000-07:00

It is raining outside, again, we still havnt had a summer, and now I am having problems with my jaw. Who knows what it could be, but I am in P-A-I-N. So this morning I woke up, tried to eat some breakfast (my mouth barely opens) and now I am looking for funny shops to cheer me up! First thing I found while looking on Artfire was this funny little magnet, says it all about sisterhood!

This magnet really gave me a giggle so I decided to check out the rest of picardcreative's shop, and there are so many funny creative magnets that it was hard to choose which ones to include in this post!!

Also known as chub rub, this one just makes me laugh out loud!

This one really reminds me of my grandmother, she says shes too old for things she doesnt want to do, then the fun stuff....shes the perfect age for!!

Mommy Dearest! When I was young and my mother would yell at me, I would call her mommy dearest! I always loved that movie, and NO MORE WIRE HANGERSS! I used to try to get my mom to say it, then I would laugh and laugh and laugh, then rewind the movie and watch that part again and again!

It's so chilly in Ny that I've got lip balm on my mind!

2009-07-14T06:26:00.000-07:00

Apparently here in the frozen tundra of Upstate NY, we wont be getting a summer this year! It has been cold and rainy, and well, just darn right miserable! As I write this I am wearing jeans and a sweater, on July 14th! What do I think of when I think of cold weather? I think of lip balm and moisturizing my kisser. Upon searching etsy, I have found some lip balms that are in need of trying!

The first shop I found offers "vegan lip sauce" haha what a creative name, made by Kennycoop Kennycoop offers a wide array of lip balms, along with candles and soy tarts.

I had the privilege of trading with Dirty Loves Clean , and let me tell you their mint chocolate is delicious, more ended up in my tummy than on my lips!

A while back I received some lip balm from Daisy Wares, it was the vanilla, and it was so nice for my tired dried out lips (winter in good ole NY), and it tasted great to boot!

Now I am not just your regular old lip balm lover, I make my own little slice of heaven too! Mine is made with all organic,vegan ingredients, and is more along the lines of a cure for chapped lips with peppermint and tea tree essential oils. Now is the time to prepare for winter, and have as many tubes and tins of chap stick laying around as possible, so you can lean over at any time and get a taste!

Beautiful Indigo Necklace To Brighten Up A Gloomy Summer Day!

2009-07-09T06:33:00.000-07:00

I was looking on etsy for something to cheer me up this morning and did a search for VeganEtsy Team. The first item that popped up was this beautiful bright indigo necklace by Pink Bubble, and I absolutely love it! It kind of reminds me of the Native Jewelry that my father used to make, but a more modern take on it I suppose. Pink bubble really has a lot of cute things in their shop, worth a peek!

The Search For Natural Vegan Soap without chemicals and fragrance oils

2009-07-03T05:56:00.000-07:00

Today I was in search of true purely natural soap, and I happened upon Elegant Rose Boutique, where they sell natural soaps, that arent full of dyes and chemical fragrance oils! I cant wait to try these soaps out next time I am on a soap mission! Besides, who doesnt love soap that just so happens to smell like chocolate mint, without some fake scented garbage in it? I def. love minty chocolatey goodness!

So Fresh and So Clean Clean Handmade Vegan Soap on Etsy!

2009-06-27T05:32:00.000-07:00

I decided that today is a soapy day, as I get ready for my craft fair (which I am totally not prepared for!), and its almost time to hop in the shower. I am always looking for new soapers to try out on etsy. I typed in vegan soap and of course 93489034802 items and shops came up.

Todays featured etsy seller, Amethyst Soap, caught my eye. The first soap I saw looked like a little maze from far away, and is chock full of wholesome ingredients, not a bunch of chemicals and animal yuck!

Amethyst Soaps handcrafts soaps that are a replica of mother nature, finding stones and trying to emulate them in their soap. These soaps turn out truly beautiful and rather impressive.

Rhode Island Last Minute Vacation, SO EXCITED!

2009-06-23T06:39:00.001-07:00

2 days ago we were randomly asked by Jessi's aunt and cousin to go to Rhode Island with them, now this is extra exciting because Jessis entire family (aunts, uncles, cousins, you name it) have gone every year all together up until Jessi's accident. Jessi hasnt been able to go since her accident, and that is all she has wanted, but the accident has made spending any extra money impossible! So now is our chance, she has been telling me all about Rhode Island since the day we started hanging out. So excited to get me down there and show me the little secrets and neat tricks she has found over the years, and now the time is finally here. I am breaking into my piggy bank and crossing my fingers that I can afford to take her! All sales in my etsy shop will go toward our Rhode Island Trip in July!! So, because I am so excited, as I have never been to the ocean in Rhode Island, I am feverishly looking for cute ocean and Rhode Island themed items on etsy!

You cant have the ocean without mermaids, and I just so happen to personally love mermaids. When I was a kid I used to swim around in the pool for hours and hours pretending I was a mermaid! Monkey and Squirrel has quite a few mermaid items in their etsy shop to choose from, I chose this one because it would be perfect to hold up your swimsuit to dry after a nice dip in the water!

A lazy day at the beach with a lemonade and a book, sounds like a dream come true to me! Dont forget to bring this adorable bookmark, from Starrlight Jewelry with you so you dont lose your page when you are lulled to sleep by the sounds of the ocean.

Just hope that when you wake up after your nice little nap, that Hello Kiddo's pirate ship wont be there to steal your booty!!

vegan math nerd, go figure!

2009-06-18T06:19:00.000-07:00

3 things that I like: nerds, math, veganism. So this morning I decided to search for those things on etsy, and viola!

The first thing I found was a magnet that contained all 3 things, to my delight! This magnet from Sick on Sin is nerdy, has math (veggies > rotting flesh), and is related to veganism.

SCORE!

Upon further nerdery and searching I found a matching shirt from Sick On Sin, which I think is even nerdier, as you will be wearing it and displaying your dorkdum!

Every good nerd loves zombies, and Sick On Sin makes this super cute zombie pocket mirror!

Heart of glass, heart of stone, however you put it, you arent alone!

2009-06-17T15:56:00.000-07:00

Sometimes when I am bored I search for hearts on etsy, I just so happen to love hearts! This handmade heart of glass necklace by The Jewelry Pitt is right up my alley!

Show your love for those cute little doggies with a bad rap, with these super cute "I heart pit bulls" pins from Healing Heart

Go all anitomical on someones ass with this anatomical heart handmade card from Vegancraftastic

In honor of our house warming, some great gifts for a party!

2009-06-14T08:19:00.000-07:00

We had our house warming party yesterday and I guess I was totally oblivious to the fact that people would bring gifts. (thought I didn't mind one bit!) I have never been to a house warming party, and never had one before. We made tons of food, had a lot of laughs, and then we opened a big pile of gifts that friends and family brought us! Being that we are vegan, people sometimes find us hard to shop for. Someone even brought us organic basil seeds with a pot, which is right up our alley! Those who had no clue got us gift certificates to grocery stores, because if you know us, you know we love to eat!!! Here are a few great things that I found on etsy this morning, that I think are perfect for housewarming gifts.

Monkeys Always Look has some really cute containers full of all different plants. Plants are the perfect house warming gift because they brighten up any room and bring life to a new house!

This cute little photo frame made by,Monkey and Squirrel, is the perfect little gift for a new house. Wrap it up with a photo you already have, something special, or let them pick a photo that they want to display. Everyone loves picture frames, especially cute ones with birdies on them!

Make sure to have the new homeowners open this gift BEFORE the party starts! This teapot from Vessels and Wares is fun and functional. Perfect for the first get together, and the future parties that will come!

My love is just as real as yours

2009-06-10T10:53:00.000-07:00

I am always looking for cute artsy items for our new apartment, and today I happened upon tikikiki. I absolutely love the paintings in their shop, but the "my love is just as real as yours" is my favorite. It is super cute, and has a lot of intense meaning to it.

And honestly, who doesnt have a secret identity or need to go incognito with a mustache once in a while?

Winner of the vegan craft sample bag giveaway is....

2009-06-08T07:09:00.001-07:00

VEGANESSA!!!! Veganessa is from the etsy shop midnight rabbits

Congratulations on picking the winning name for our project! It's all in the bag, is our new name, and the blog is now titled
it's all in the blog!

Thanks a lot for entering, and thanks for helping choose our new name!!!!

This little rag bag is goin to the beach!

2009-06-03T08:59:00.000-07:00

When I was wandering around etsy this morning, I happened upon this totally cute rag bag! It just screams summer at me, about an inch from my face, so I thought I would share it with everyone. Would be a great little bag to bring to the beach on a sunny day. Naturally Comfy also makes quilts with the same raggy look, too cute!

Have a Birdy Day

2009-06-02T07:36:00.000-07:00

I made a post on the dreaded etsy forums this morning looking for that special shop to feature, when I happened upon MNH Photography. A shop filled with photos of the wonders of the wilderness and the creatures within.

Sadly, I read the shop announcement after checking out the shop, and they will be closing after all of the current listings sell out.

So if you fancy some beautiful new nature photos for your home or office, now is the time!

My personal favorite is the top birdie with the "bad hair day", so cute!

When it's cold outside, I shop etsy!

2009-06-01T10:37:00.000-07:00

It has been cold and miserable here in upstate NY recently, and there's no better time to lurk around on etsy, looking for some retail therapy!

I was searching vegan candles, because I am always on the quest for a good vegan candle. Not too chemically, not too stinky, not too plain....so I am constantly trying new sellers and new scents.

I stumbled upon:

Simply Pure Soy Candles

Lemon Lollipop

Dreamy Pleasures

and I think I am going to have to give them all a shot!

We are putting together a nice little gift basket for my grandmother, since she is very ill, and I want to get candles from a handfull of sellers on etsy. Then gramma can test them out, and let me know which ones are keepers! These candles might not be tested on animals, but they will be tested on gramma!

Moodstone Ring Caught My Eye With this Indie Jewelry Artisan on Etsy!

2009-05-31T06:58:00.000-07:00

The Jewelry Pitt may be new to etsy, but is certainly not new to jewelry making! With a degree in Jewelry Design from the Fashion Institute of Technology, they already have experience under their little ole belt!

When I was seaching around etsy the other morning the Rainbow Moodstone Ring caught my eye, so I included it in a treasury that I did that day. But, my interest in the ring didnt just stop with the treasury, I have been looking at the ring just about everyday admiring it. Now, I feel that since I cant wear the ring (chubby fingers) I will share it with everyone here!

The Jewelry Pitt is just starting out on etsy, and still filling up their shop, but you dont want to miss out on this shop. Heart them and stop back often, as they plan to add new designs regularly!

Get Retro. Go Vegan, Look Fancy, Glass Pearl Necklace

2009-05-28T11:28:00.000-07:00

Metal Cloth N Wood caught my eye with this glass pearl beaded collar, at first I didnt even realize that it wasnt attached to the shirt itself. Such a beautiful piece of handcrafted jewelry.

Perfect gifts for the earthy writer types!

2009-05-26T07:15:00.000-07:00

This is It! Creations makes some wonderful items for any party or event. If you are interested in handmade, eco friendly, beautiful papercrafts, this is the shop for you! It is party season, what better way to get ready?

You can assure a good time at your event and have a fancy eco friendly guestbook for everyone to sign when they arrive.

Hand them their own personal eco journal adorned with a cute little recycled thank you tag

After the big day you can have a nice relaxing afternoon filling up your photo album with memories of your big party!

What do vegans and the cookie monster have in common?

2009-05-23T04:46:00.000-07:00

Our sweet tooth!!! In fact, is it strange to admit that I have an entire mouth full of sweet teeth?

Sweet Fritsy sells all sorts of goodies to soothe your ache for yummy sweetness!

Cookies, cupcakes, truffles, muffins, chocolates, lollipops, and some little mint chocolates that I cant wait to try!

Sweet Fritsy is a member of Vegan Etsy Team and has a sale going on this weekend!

2 FREE GiFTS WiTH EVERY ORDER THiS WEEKEND!!!!
Receive a free homemade vegan rice crispy treat AND a free sample of homemade vegan caramel popcorn with ANY order this weekend!

baby bloomers, dog fashion, and sweet little dresses for girls!

2009-05-22T05:11:00.000-07:00

Earth Groovz makes some of the cutest little dresses for your little ones using earth friendly fabrics and organics!

They take special orders if you see an item you want, but want it in one of their other fabrics.

Earth Groovz is a proud member of Vegan Etsy Team

Earth Groovz also creates cute doggy bandanas that are super easy to use and look great! I have 3 of their adorable bandanas for my pups and they look so cute!