Etsy Rabbits

Blog Planning: What Interests You?

2011-09-28T11:50:00.000-07:00

Would you like to take a survey?

We have up a poll on the left for planning our blog going forward. We would really appreciate having your input. Check the boxes for the things that would interest you. You can choose multiple items. It should just take a few seconds.

If you have other comments, or other things you would like to see that aren't in the poll, please leave a comment on this post. We would really like to increase readers of the blog. We want to make it more interesting for both team members and the general public.

Thank you for your input!

Thank You to All Who Participated in International Rabbit Day Weekend!

2011-09-26T13:53:00.001-07:00

Everyone who participated agrees they had a great time creating treasuries to promote the team and International Rabbit Day. It allowed us to get to know each other better and see all the great things being created and offered by team members. It brought more visibility for rabbits, their day, the team and team members shops.

Up through the 23rd, we had 59 treasuries promoting International Rabbit Day / the Etsy Rabbits team. On the International Rabbit Day weekend, the 24th and 25th, there were 23 more treasuries. That gives a grand total of 82 wonderful treasuries!

Many many team members commented, favorited, Tweeted and Liked treasuries on Facebook bringing viewers to the treasuries and team members items. We thank all of you too for your participation and wish we could easily categorize or count the ways you helped. Your assistance was much appreciated.

The treasury makers and a final treasury to thank them*:

Craft Rabbits
Dumans Ark
Grizzly Bear Greetings
Happily Stitched
Jaded Estrella
Jewellery By Jora
Magic Happens Rescue
Matin Lapin
Miss Es Accessories
Murmur Fremo
Nozomi Crafts
Purple Pearl
Remedy
Rabbittude
Three Old Keys
Were Rabbit 2006
Your New Favorite Thing

_{*Note: Matin Lapin was not included in the treasury only because there aren't any shop listings at this time. Your assistance was much appreciated!}

So Many Treasuries, So Many Rabbits Promoting International Rabbit Day

2011-09-24T00:00:00.000-07:00

The International Rabbit Day Weekend has arrived and the rabbits are off on a celebratory treasury blitz!

Below are all the great treasuries leading up to the weekend.

We have lots and lots of treasuries hopping onto the Etsy stage to help promote International Rabbit Day. Six of the treasuries by Etsy Rabbits team captain Rabbittude are treasuries with all 16 items coming from team member shops. More treasuries to come! Click on the treasury mini images to go to the full treasury on Etsy and view all the wonderful items:

NEWS! Invitation to International Rabbit Day Weekend, Sep 24-25

2011-09-11T08:39:00.000-07:00

Team leadership discovered a date discrepancy that had previously been missed. Holiday Insights has International Rabbit Day listed as the 4th Saturday of September, or the 24th this year. While Etsy's September merchandising blog has it is listed as being Sunday, September 25th

Checking more sources, the House Rabbit Society posted last year that it was the 4th Saturday or Sunday of September. So it appears while some groups have chosen Saturday the 24th, Etsy has chosen the 25th to designate as International Rabbit Day.

So, isn’t that just the way of events? Planners check dates with different sources and the next thing you know, people have been given two dates. No problem, rabbits can be flexible. We say, weekend party! Now we can have an International Rabbit Day Weekend, September 24-25th. Yay a full bunny rabbit weekend celebration!

Saturday, September 24th is International Rabbit Day

2011-09-04T14:44:00.000-07:00

(\ /)
( . .)♥
c(”)(”) Promote bunnies! Create treasuries! Perhaps see some front page love for rabbits? We hope so.

Some members of the Etsy Rabbits team are already preparing bunny treasuries in honour of this event. International Rabbit Day made the Etsy September merchandising report. Rabbits are a relevant September trend!

You can submit a treasury of your own, which can be published in the days leading up to September 24th, or on the actual day. You can also help by commenting on treasuries other member's have created. Everyone should paste a link to their treasury in the special discussion thread for these treasuries in the team threads, so all members can see and comment. You can favorite each treasury, so members of your circle can see it, possibly comment on it and favorite it as well. If you have Twitter or Facebook accounts that is another way to share these treasuries.

If you are an Etsy Rabbits Team member and would like to have some of your shop items included in treasuries now or in the future, please be sure you keep an item or two in your shop tagged "etsyrabbits team" to make finding your shop easier for treasury makers.

We would love even more treasury creators. If you have the time, please include 4-6 team member's items in the top three rows and tag the treasury with "international rabbit day" and "etsyrabbits team" in the treasury tags. Then be sure to visit the team space and share the link to your treasury in the discussion thread.

Getting involved promotes rabbits, your shop, and it's fun!

Click here for more info how International Rabbit Day came to be.

~ Thanks so much to leader, The Purple Pearl, for assistance in writing up this information.

Etsy Rabbits Even More International Than Before!

2011-09-03T09:54:00.001-07:00

The size of the team has doubled since we first posted team member countries in March.

Rabbits truly are loved in cultures around the world. The now 130+ team members are Etsy buyers or sellers or both, from 14 countries:

Editing Note 9/12/11: We are now 150+, with 20 more members added since the start of September and are now representing 16 countries!

Editing Note 9/21/11: More and more members added to the team and now 17 countries!

❀ United States ... ❀ Canada ... ❀ Mexico ...
❀ United Kingdom ... ❀ Scotland ... ❀ Australia ... ❀ New Zealand ...
❀ France ... ❀ Italy ... ❀ Germany ... ❀ Czech Republic ... ❀ Lithuania ...
❀ Hong Kong ... ❀ Singapore ... ❀ South Korea ... ❀ Thailand ...
❀ Israel ...

Etsy Rabbits Team Profiles - Magic Happens Rescue

2011-04-24T18:00:00.000-07:00

When I was quite young -- 4 or 5 I think -- my older sister and I each got a pet rabbit. They lived in a hutch in our large fenced garden. We would let them out to play in the garden. Unfortunately we were young and irresponsible and we hadn't had them longer than probably a year before one of us left both the cage door open and the garden gate open and our rabbits escaped.

I didn't truly get to know rabbits until I adopted Q-Tip the summer between my junior and senior year in high school. Both the family cat and parakeet had died and all I was left with was fish, which are not very cuddly. Then my sister called from college to say that her manager at her part time job had a rabbit that she was looking to rehome. I jumped on the opportunity, but after what happened to my childhood rabbit and knowing that a friend had lost an outdoor rabbit due to heart attack, I knew I wanted to keep him inside. I started doing research online and discovered the wonderful world of the house rabbit. Q-Tip was quite a learning experience as he had some behavioral issues. He's changed so much in the 10 years that I've had him, it's amazing he's the same rabbit my sister nick-named "the flesh eater".

My junior year at LSU in Baton Rouge, LA, I found out by a flyer at Petco that there was a rabbit rescue in town. I'm a shy person so I was hesitant to call to volunteer. Then Hurricane Katrina happened. Classes were closed for two weeks at LSU because they were using so many of the buildings as shelters and to coordinate rescue personnel. One of the buildings was being used as an animal shelter. The first animals brought in were ones evacuated from shelters & humane societies that had been damaged by the storm. They were asking for volunteers to help take care of the animals so I went to see what I could do. The echoing sounds of all the dogs barking was deafening. I knew if they had any rabbits that they would be terrified and I needed to get them out. I asked around and found out there were some. I had to help these rabbits. This was what enabled me to get over my shyness and call the rabbit rescue.

Magic Happens Rabbit Rescue was only a year old back then. Before I got there, there was only the founder and one other volunteer. The budget was very slim, and rabbits were not spayed/neutered before adoption. There were usually less than a dozen rabbits available at a time, which were kept outside in a walk-in shelter made of wood and chicken-wire. Barely anybody knew that the rescue existed.

Fast forward to 2011 and things have changed quite a bit. We have dozens of volunteers and supporters. Our budget allows us to have a buffer for hard times and buy "extras" that make things easier, rather than just the bare essentials. We usually house about 30-40 rabbits and 1-5 guinea pigs with the amount of foster homes we have now. We still have a post-Easter waiting list of rabbits each summer from weeks after Easter until the school year begins. While a third of the rabbits are kept in foster homes throughout Louisiana, the majority stay in one volunteer's large garage in cages and pens. As we continue to grow, the bunnies' accommodations have also. We have purchased a 12 by 24 ft building that we are in the process of finishing that will become "The Bunny Barn." It will have all the amenities, from air conditioning to a watering system that has already been donated. All rabbits are now spayed and neutered before being adopted. We do many educational visits to day camps, schools, and scout groups. We attend several pet events each year. We have been in the newspaper and on the evening news a few times. Since 2004 MHRR has adopted out 475 animals (rabbits, guinea pigs, rats, mice, hamsters, ferrets). At the rate we are going it won't be long before we hit the 500 mark!

As the community becomes more familiar with our presence, we do get more donations and volunteers, but we also get more surrenders. Now comes upon us the hardest time of the year and we're off to a bad start. Usually we've cut down our numbers before Easter and all that are left are the non-kid friendly bunnies, but this year we had several sets of entire litters of bunnies (mostly coming from other shelters) turned in. Most were too young to adopt out and so that took up a lot space, not to mention a lot of money for spay and neuter surgeries.

The public perception is something we are working to change. We have so many people already trying to turn in rabbits right now when we are already full saying that it shouldn't be a problem for us because it's Easter time and everyone is looking for a rabbit. One person actually said that giving us a rabbit would be making money for us. Our adoption fee is $50. It cost us $35 to get a female spayed, thanks to our vet's generous discount. One of our adoptables, Snowflake came to us in 2009 as post-Easter surrender. I'm certain we've spent way over $15 on her food in the almost 2 years we've had her. The problem is most people are looking for a rabbit that doesn't exist. Their idea of a rabbit is something the size of a small Netherland Dwarf (like 2-3 lbs), loves to cuddle, and that their kid can carry around everywhere. We try to educate people and steer them to a larger rabbit that their small child can't pick up and is generally more docile than a dwarf breed. But of course they don't believe us, go buy what they want, it doesn't work out, and they give it to us after Easter.

I started making jewelry in college. I've been interested in crafts and photography for as long as I can remember though. After I started volunteering for MHRR, I tried selling my jewelry and photos at various local venues to raise money for the rescue. In 2008 I decided to make my creations available to a wider audience by joining Etsy. That was when Beads for Bunnies was born. I still bring items to our local events and often do commissions for other volunteers. Recently I started a collective Etsy shop, The Magic Happens Rabbit Rescue Store, so that other volunteers can gather together to raise money for MHRR. I've also expanded my non-jewelry creations and moved them to this shop. We currently have paintings, cards, and treats and toys for rabbits available. Please visit Beads for Bunnies and The Magic Happens Rabbit Rescue Store to help support the homeless bunnies of Louisiana in their time of need. Visit our website to learn more about MHRR.

Follow Magic Happens Rescue:

Website - http://www.magichappensrescue.com/
Etsy Shop - http://magichappensrescue.etsy.com/
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Magic-Happens-Rabbit-Rescue/81621268743?ref=nf
Twitter - http://twitter.com/#!/mhrr

Written by Lisa Appelbaum of Beads for Bunnies:

Etsy Shop - http://beadsforbunnies.etsy.com/
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/beadsforbunnies

20% OFF WITH COUPON CODE: RETIREDEASTERBUNNY11
Good in both Etsy shops, Magic Rescue Happens & Beads For Bunnies, now through Tuesday April 26th midnight (CDT).

Make Mine Chocolate

2011-04-07T14:46:00.000-07:00

When I was a little girl, I would ask my parents for a rabbit of my very own every Easter. When I say every Easter, I mean it. After the fourth or fifth year, I remember being so convinced that they must have caved that I ran around the house calling for the rabbit. Well, my parents never got me my rabbit. Now, years later, I am grateful for their decision because I know that I had no clue (and neither did they) what kind of pet a rabbit really can be.

Most people who've had rabbits as kids remember them as being like a fish tank--the rabbit was looked at, but never touched or let out to play. People who've had house rabbits know the real truth about rabbits--they are spunky, mischievous, loving animals who can be just as good a companion as a dog or cat. They can also be just as much work. Not a lot of people know that about rabbits, which is why they, like any living thing, make really terrible gifts without the proper research and preparation.

So, what it is a house rabbit? A house rabbit lives in the main house (i.e. the living quarters) and spends limited or no time in a cage. Having a house rabbit is much like having a teething puppy that never grows up. Lots of chewing, decreasingly frequent litter accidents, and constant cuteness. As with any pet, there are some basics to keeping everyone happy and healthy.

Food is a strong motivator for rabbits. While many people feed just pellets to outdoor hutch rabbits, indoor rabbits don't require the fat layer that a pellet-only diet tends to develop. Many vets recommend limited timothy pellets (vs alfalfa) or even none at all. Because rabbits are hindgut fermenters (lots of good bacteria), they require a lot of fiber. Again, alfalfa is good for baby rabbits, nursing moms, and outdoor bunnies, but too fatty and caloric for the layabout house rabbit, so grass hays (orchard, timothy, and oat are commercially available) should be fed freely. The greens of veggies are generally good. A new rabbit should be introduced to new food slowly as too many too quickly could result in stomach discomfort and diarrhea. A list of good vegetables for rabbits can be found here: http://www.rabbit.org/care/veggies.html ).

Many people are also surprised to learn that rabbits can be litter trained. Domestic rabbits are primarily the descendants of European rabbits, who are burrowers. To keep a burrow neat and clean, a place must be designated the bathroom. If the rabbit chooses a bathroom location that is inconvenient, simply place a box there and slowly move it, day by day, until it is in the desired location. It also helps to entice the rabbit by placing some hay in the box. Box substrate is important. Never use cedar shavings. While it smells nice for us, it has been shown to cause liver damage and respiratory illness in small animals. Generally accepted substrates include aspen shavings, newspaper (both plain and pellet form), and home-heating pellets.

Rabbits that are meant strictly as pets (rather than breeders for show or fiber) should be spayed or neutered for a number of reasons. Male rabbits, like male cats, can get territorial and spray. Female rabbits tend toward false pregnancies, which can cause fur pulling and aggression, as well as considerable stress. Many find that it is much easier to litter train an altered rabbit. Finally, due to the way that rabbits ovulate and the hormone spikes it can cause, there is a very high incidence of reproductive cancers in unaltered female rabbits over time. Another advantage to shelter rabbits is that they are now routinely already altered. A healthy, happy rabbit will usually live 7-10 years--and a few will live even longer!

The last thing that surprises people who don't know rabbits is how bored they can get. It's important to have lots of options for chewing, tossing, and digging to keep your rabbit safe and stimulated. I personally have had to replace roommates' books, two alarm clocks (due to exposed wires), and, most horrifying, a wall due to some creative drywall chewing--which also resulted in a trip to the emergency vet. There should always be something safe for the rabbit to chew, like apple sticks, willow items, and untreated cardboard and brown paper bags filled with hay, and some fun items to throw around like hard plastic cat toys with bells, baby keys, and commercially available ferret toys. A very popular rabbit toy is an old phone book. Rabbits are expert paper shredders and will delight in an old phone book for weeks.

Many shelters see a large influx of rabbits (the third most common shelter animal after cats and dogs) after Easter from unwanted Easter gifts. It's also fairly common for people to be allergic to rabbit dander. If you're looking for a companion who will happily greet you at the door, use a litter box rather than go outside, munch on your leftover veggies and carrot tops, and speed around the house for the sheer joy of it, look no further than the house rabbit.

If you think the house rabbit is for you, please check your local shelter first. Remember, rabbit cages are not meant to be permanent 24/7 homes. Just like cats and dogs are kept in too-small cages in shelters, so are the rabbits.

A few excellent websites for house rabbit enthusiasts:

http://www.rabbit.org/ - the National House Rabbit website

http://www.disapprovingrabbits.com/ - a blog of people's rabbits that never disappoints)

http://www.rabbitron.com/ - a newish website with a very handy checklist if you're considering getting a rabbit

http://www.makeminechocolate.org/ - a site promoting giving rabbit-themed gifts rather than live rabbits

~ Written by Etsy Rabbits Team member, Valerie of http://www.knitbyvalerie.etsy.com/

Etsy Rabbits Are Global

2011-03-20T09:19:00.000-07:00

The 60+ members of the Etsy Rabbits team come from around the world, showing rabbits are loved in many countries and cultures:

United States

Canada

United Kingdom

Scotland

Australia

Italy

Germany

Hong Kong

A Call For Animal Art to Help Animals in Japan

2011-03-13T12:54:00.000-07:00

Its Etsy Rabbits team member Stacey here from The Fabulous Animal Rescue Project. I was talking with Project member Katherine Streeter about the quake and devastation in Japan. We are both, as I am sure many of you are, heartsick. I was telling Katherine about my desire to do something for the animals over there through the Project. Katherine came up with a fabulous idea of creating an online show of sorts to express our support and help raise donations. I love this idea!

What we have come up with so far is this... a slideshow featuring Japanese themed animal art. The video will provide information of places where people can donate directly to help animals in Japan. The video will be free to post on all media pages. There will be nothing for sale.... we want the funds to get to Japan as quickly as possible.

If you feel inspired to create something please do. You can email your image to this address fabanimalrescueproject [!at] yahoo.com in a high quality/resolution jpeg. Your name will be included in the credits.

If we pull this off we will have a page on the blog where people can find out who there favorite artists was and they will be directed to you well.... directly :D

We hope to get your submissions as soon as possible.

Thank you!

What Etsy Rabbits Team Members Love About Rabbits

2011-03-06T21:00:00.000-08:00

Bunny Noses Fine Art Photo courtesy of http://carolb.etsy.com/

Looks:
- Ears
- Cuteness
- Soft fur, fluffiness
- Sweet faces
- Beauty
- Peaceful, sweet looks
- Soft doe eyes
- Cute pink rabbit tongues

Personality:
- Lots of personality
- Full of contradictions
- Rabbit attitude
- Disapproving bunny rabbits
- Both girly and boyish at the same time
- Lots of different rabbit personalities

Snow Bunny Fine Art Photo courtesy of http://beccacfowler.etsy.com/

Activities:
- Hopping around the house
- Companionship
- Binkies
- Bounciness
- Speed, racing around
- Happy dances for treats
- Chinning things to claim them
- Nose bumps & twitching
- Sounds of them chewing
- Bonded pairs grooming
- Bunny snuggles

And There Is More:
- Born in Year of the Rabbit
- Rabbits from literature
- Rabbits make them laugh and feel good
- Rabbits as an art form, the variety in their poses

Etsy Rabbits Team Profiles - Blue Dog Rose

2011-02-27T06:00:00.000-08:00

Tell us a bit about yourself.

I am an artist living in Seattle, who has been making animal art since my earliest memory. I live and work in an old house with my partner and adopted animals. I'm best known for my Rabbit Tarot and stories featuring a Little White Rabbit, but I also make wire animal sculpture, have a vintage and upcycling shop, and run an online woodworking gallery, FineWoodArtists.com.

Apart from creating things, what do you do?

I have a real love of vintage things, especially books and furniture, so if I have free time I like to visit antique shops. I also spend a lot of time taking care of my pets (4 dogs, 2 cats). Managing all my businesses doesn't leave much free time.

What first made you want to become an artist?

I think I have always been one, I am pretty hardwired that way. I grew up in a creative household surrounded by nature, so doing what I do now seems to be the most natural thing in the world for me to do.

Please describe how rabbits inspire your creative process.

People are surprised when I tell them I don't have a rabbit in my life right now. I think this is why so many come appear in my art. I am not distracted by a real bunny, and would really love to have one around again, except my dogs would not be nice. So I just have a bevy of imaginary bunnies instead.

What handmade possession do you most cherish?

That is difficult to say, because I am a collector, a pack rat, and have many creative friends! I love my 1900s Oak dining table, a ring made by my friend experimetal.etsy.com and a self portrait sculpture of my dad.

In ten years, where would you like to be?

I want to be exactly where I am now, just with a few less bills to pay.

Follow Blue Dog Rose:

Website - http://www.nakisha.com/
Blog - http://bluedogrose.blogspot.com/
Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/bluedogrose
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/bluedogrose
Etsy Shop - http://www.bluedogrose.etsy.com/

Etsy Rabbit Team Profiles - NYhop

2011-02-06T14:47:00.000-08:00

Tell us a bit about yourself.

Hi, I'm Fleur, aka NYhop or 'New-York-hop' - I've been selling my art for as long as I've been making it. I started selling tshirts 5 years ago, when I first arrived in New York from London. I illustrate all sorts of things - whatever takes my mood. I love drawing animals and making up stories. When I heard about Etsy two years ago, I started my first shop, NYillustration. Rabbits have always been popping up in my work - so I decided to try painting some on clothes. When I sold a couple, I decided to start a shop just for rabbits and named it "NYhop". It turns out Rabbits are more popular than I ever imagined.

Please describe how rabbits inspire your creative process.

I had a rabbit once when I was a kid. I named him Ribble and he was totally wild. I have a drawing of him available on some tees in my shop. I was born and raised in Zimbabwe - my rabbit was part of a huge menagerie of free-roaming pets and I think I was equally passionate about them all - and also of the savannah wonderland that was my playground, a walk down the road from my home. Rabbits seem to hold a special symbolism for me - and for a lot of different people too. There are so many stories about them. They seem ancient and wise, and above all they are survivors - they can be found living quite contentedly in most places on this earth. I've even spotted one in Brooklyn.

Good Bunny Bad Bunny Bag

What first made you want to become an artist?

I come from an artsy family and am most content while I am creating, so its just a natural thing for me to do which is very enjoyable.

Apart from creating things, what do you do?

I love all kinds of other things besides art; the outdoors, nature and animals, travel, video games, animation, movies, music, comics, thrifting - I also spend a lot of time on Etsy. I love making treasuries and looking at other original works by Etsy artists for inspiration. I love to promote Etsy to all the creative-minded people I meet. I'm discovering new shops in New York (that are springing up like mushrooms overnight), filled with wonderful handmade and ooak, second hand, upcycled and vintage things - this is what shopping should always be like. And that's exactly what Etsy is like.

What handmade possession do you most cherish?

I own a bunch of handmade things I cherish, but what stands out most are my mom's watercolour cards - she sends me about four a year. They are beautiful and precious to me. I also have some gnarly old pure wool fingerless gloves I was given by a friend two years ago - they're looking a bit ragged and ferocious. But they are so warm. I tend to hold onto my things until they disintegrate completely - or get turned into something new.

In ten years, where would you like to be?

I don't know where I'll be in ten years. I don't feel I'm meant to be any place in particular, but I'd like to be free to roam. I want to travel all over and still be making art.

Follow NYhop:

Etsy Shop - http://nyhop.etsy.com/
Etsy Shop - http://nyillustration.etsy.com/
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/nyhop
Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/nyhop
Flickr - http://www.flickr.com/photos/nyhop/

Etsy Rabbit Team Profiles - Rabbittude

2011-02-01T08:23:00.000-08:00

This post begins a series of interviews that will take place in coming weeks with the Etsy Rabbit team members to get to know the artisans. Some of the artists create rabbit themed items, some have pet rabbits, all of them love rabbits.

The first interview is with Rabbittude, team captain of the Etsy Rabbits.

Tell us a bit about yourself.
Hi, this is Rebecca Pullin speaking for Rabbittude. Rabbittude is part of Pullin Too, LLC which is the two Pullins, Blaine and Rebecca. Rabbittude came to us with the arrival of two small baby bunnies of incredible personality back in 2001. After several years of describing their antics and saying we had rabbits with attitude, it just slurred into Rabbittude. Bunny rabbit ideas were literally hopping around and popping their heads up everywhere here. We had to do something with all the bunspiration that was coming our way so Rabbittude art and designs were born.

We began a website in 2003, http://www.rabbittude.com/. A shop on CafePress followed in 2005, Rabbittude Shop, with our Rabbittude designs on apparel and gifts, but it wasn’t hands on enough. So a little over a year ago, I began the Etsy Rabbittude shop to be able to have hand created and hand picked items of art, jewelry, crafts and some supplies and vintage items. The Rabbittude shop on Etsy is all bunny rabbits all the time. We love the personal atmosphere that Etsy provides for buyers and sellers.

Apart from creating things, what do you do?
I feel like I am always creating things. I work as a freelance web designer / developer, have the CafePress and Etsy shops and love craft work and nature photography. Blaine works as a network engineer. We both love rabbits, flowers, nature, color, joy and laughter. We love to visit gardens and Blaine is an avid gardener with a wonderful collection of bog plants.

Look closely at the photo
to see why Shadow is his name

For almost ten years now Tigger and Shadow, the bunnies who inspired Rabbittude have kept us hopping. We were even more hopping when we had a third rescue bunny, Portia, who left us too soon due to a heart defect. They are very interactive intelligent beings and we love sharing their company and watching the house rabbit antics.

Tigger, Shadow and Portia are the basis of the Rabbittude Posse design and logo which appears below with our links. Our current two "rabbidents" demand quality time and attention from us. So, we take bunny breaks. We take lots of pictures of them and are trying to figure out how to use a new video camera to see if they have slowed down enough so that we can catch their action!

What first made you want to become an artist?
As a child, I was enrolled in art lessons every weekend at the Cleveland Museum of Art. The instructors would take us into the different galleries and gardens and surround us with works of art as they helped us learn how to create our own.

As the first grandchild on one side of the family and the one who lived the closest on the other, I had a mother and grandmothers who loved to show me the jewelry design, crafts, sewing, and embroidery that they loved. I had an aunt who taught me Origami. Part of my father’s work was photography and graphic design and he would take me to work with him.

Infurior Designer
Rabbit School of Design

Please describe how rabbits inspire your creative process.
I read once that rabbits are the pet of choice for people who love mysteries, because rabbits are less predictable than other animals. I love the unexpectedness of rabbits. They can be serious, cautious observers, lighthearted to outright comical, athletic, sweet and lovable snuggle bunnies, or complete brats turning their back on you with little noses in the air. They are comedy and drama all in furry little packages.

I am both right and left handed, so I feel an affinity with my little rabbit friends. I can be quite unexpected too depending on whether I am in left brained analytic mode or right brained creative quirky mode. If you watch rabbits, they zig and they zag, but they get where they want to go. They are also very inquisitive. My idea process feels like a rabbit process, bouncing around, hopping here and there, sometimes very serious, sometimes lighthearted and fun, always wanting to know more than I do now.

What handmade possession do you most cherish?
I have two store bought handkerchiefs that my grandmother took and upcycled by adding hand crocheted lace around the edges. She used the finest cotton thread and her crochet hook had to have been the smallest available, because the stitches in the lace are so tiny. The crochet lace is beautiful. I look at the handkerchiefs and think of the time and skill it took her to do that lovely delicate intricate work. I carried one in the satin clutch I made to have her presence with me on my wedding day.

In ten years, where would you like to be?
Rabbittude is almost seven years old now. The Rabbittude business and design line have been steadily growing and improving over time. I haven’t minded the slow growth, because I wanted to keep improving the quality. Keeping my hands personally on things allows that. Tigger and Shadow won’t be with us much longer and we are enjoying our remaining time with them. They have inspired a lot of ideas for art and crafts that haven’t been created yet. I have notebooks, sketches and photo inspirations that I will be using for a very long time to come.

Follow Rabbittude:

Website - http://www.rabbittude.com/
Blog - http://blog.rabbittude.com/
Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/rabbittude
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/rabbittude
Etsy Shop - http://www.rabbittude.etsy.com/
CafePress Shop - http://www.cafepress.com/rabbittudeshop

Team Treasuries

2011-01-30T08:54:00.000-08:00

If you would like to create treasuries featuring Etsy Rabbits team members, please use at least four items created by team members and use the tag etsyrabbits team as one of the tags for the treasury.

It would be wonderful if a team treasury could make the front page. So remember some of these guidelines Etsy looks at in evaluating for the front page:

❀ Variety of price points
❀ Lovely images
❀ Sixteen different shops
❀ No items from the curator's shop

So that team members can see and comment on your treasuries, you can provide a link to them in the Etsy Rabbits team treasury promo thread in the team discussion area. This is a direct link to the current thread:
http://www.etsy.com/teams/7580/etsy-rabbits/discuss/6763537/

A First Treasury Including Items by Etsy Rabbit Team Members

2011-01-29T05:57:00.000-08:00

This is a playful treasury of bunny rabbit and beastly friends:

Click to see the full size treasury: Colorful Bunnies and Beastie Friends
or click the pictures below to go to the listings of the individual items.

'Colorful Bunnies and Beastie Friends' by rabbittude

For your lighter playful side! Introducing members of the new Etsy Rabbits team. If you love bunny rabbits, check us out!

WonkyRocket $12.00	WonkyRocket $12.00	NYhop $24.00	StudioMarcy $26.00
SalamanderFelt... $10.00	dragonhouseofy... $98.00	emmsgems $12.00	bluedogrose $20.00
ChenilleTreasu... $31.95	lavenderrabbit $12.00	UsagiRabbit $9.50	snippetfairy $18.00
benconservato $17.00	trinlayk $20.00	blackberrydown... $45.00	muddipuppy $32.00

Treasury tool is sponsored by Lazzia.com.

Welcome All to the Etsy Rabbits Team Blog!

2011-01-28T08:22:00.000-08:00

This Etsy team has just been formed for Etsy members who love to buy or create bunny rabbit themed items or items for rabbits. Why wait for a year of the rabbit to celebrate rabbits? Lets promote all the wonderful bunny rabbit, cottontail and hare items created by Etsy artisans and make it easier for bunny rabbit lovers to find what they love!

The plan is to have links to member shops, treasuries created by members, and profiles of the members and items created through bunspiration.

As one team member put it, it is all just bun-derful!