*insert drumroll here*

AND THE WINNER IS…

Number 3! A fellow Niki and Wisconsinite! Congratulations to Niki Bivona! The two organizations that she supports are the Urban Ecology Center and the Hunger Task Force, both really awesome causes in my homestate of Wisconsin.

I will be giving your contract information to PrintRunner so they can contact you about the details of your win. Congratulations again! And thank you to Jess and Jenelle for taking part in the giveaway as well. You guys rock!

My birthday was yesterday, so expect a post with lots of pictures coming soon. It was the best birthday ever.

But first, I have a request for you. I would LOVE it if you could donate to an organization that is near and dear to my heart. No, it’s not required to enter the giveaway – it’s just something nice you could do for me on my 26th year of life (and for them).

My Birthday Nonprofit: Amazon CARES

This is a personal plea from me. Amazon Community Animal Rescue, Education & Safety (CARES) is a nonprofit organization that was founded by my good friend Molly Mednikow. This is a one-of-a-kind organization that operates in Iquitos, Peru, that offers animal rescue, spay and neuter services and education to the Amazon community, runs a no-kill shelter, and is the only charity dedicated to animals in the entire Peruvian Amazon region. The amount of good this small organization does for a very large area is astronomical.

Unfortunately, earlier this year, the Amazon was hit with a tremendous amount of flooding that devastated the organization – the shelter they had spent years building was destroyed. Molly and her trusted troupe of staff and volunteers carry on the work they have dedicated their lives to, but they struggle as not enough funding goes to rebuilding and less goes to the animals. They need your help.

For my birthday, I want everyone who reads this to donate $5 or more to the Amazon CARES ChipIn and help them raise the money to rebuild their organization and help give relief to the animals of the region. You can donate and see updates at this page, or you can donate via the ChipIn widget below.

Thank you. From the bottom of my heart. It would be the best present ever to see Molly and Amazon CARES continue the good work they do.

Edit: Molly just put this post up and it breaks my heart. If you were thinking about donating, now is the time! They could use all the help they can get right now! Let’s do this!

And Now… The PrintRunner Giveaway!

I haven’t done a giveaway in awhile, so I was totally excited when PrintRunner asked if I wanted to take part in theirs (and get my own cards too). I was also super stoked when I discovered the green aspect of the company – they’ve adopted some pretty stellar eco-friendly printing practices, which y’all should know is important to me. You can try PrintRunner’s online business cards printing through their online printing services.

Giveaway Details

Business Card Size and Style Business Cards: 2×3.5 (Standard)
Quantity: 250 cards
Colors: 4/4 Color Both Sides
Paper: 14 pt. UV Coating on Front, 14 pt. UV Coating on both sides,
Proof: NONE
Rounded Corners: NO
Ready To Ship In: 3 Business Days
Awards: May 31st, 2012
*Giveaway is open to US Residents only, ages 18 years old and above.

Deadline

This giveaway is open NOW and will close on my birthday, May 19th (at 11:59PM CST). What do you need to do to win? Comment on this post and, just for fun, tell me what your favorite charity or cause is. I would love to see what you guys care about. Don’t forget to follow PrintRunner on Twitter and Facebook – they’re pretty great. I’ll pick a winner on Sunday via the Random.org generator.

Hope you’re all having a wonderful May and happy Giveaway!

Cupcakes for Clara is a wonderful illustrated business that offers a range of adorable products, all based around Laura’s character, Clara (and her twin sister Macy and their neighbor Colin). I am in love with Laura’s illustrations – they are cute, clever, and colorful (three of my favorite things). Be sure to check out her website.

The Snail Trail!

If you’ve been reading this blog for long (or even if you just got here), you probably know that I LOVE snails. It’s part of my name after all. There’s a whole history there that I won’t get into now, but I’ve been a snail-lover since I was a little girl. So I was super excited when I learned about Laura’s latest product line and what she’s doing to promote it.

Begin THE SNAIL TRAIL!

To celebrate her new product line, Laura is doing a week of freebies, but in a very clever way. What you have stumbled upon right now is a TREASURE HUNT! On her own blog, and blogs of her friends, there will be hidden a little snail. Like this one:

FIND IT! Because when you do, you’ll find an awesome little free printable from Laura and Cupcakes for Clara! They’re adorable and fun and you know you want to do it.

Of course I’d be taking part in this. Somewhere on my blog homepage, you’ll find that snail – click on it and get ready for some adorableness!

And just because, have some snail poems.

Considering the Snail by Thom Gunn
The Lobster Quadrille by Lewis Carroll
Warning by Shel Silverstein
Upon a Snail by John Bunyan
The Snail by William Cowper

Enjoy and Good luck! Now go snail hunting!

Pretty pattern on my new skirt!

Day 01 Question

On a Scale of 1-10, How Happy Are You? And Why?

This question is harder to answer than I would think. I shy from giving an actual score because my happiness is on a sliding scale – every day is different. It’s hard to even pinpoint an average, though I do see myself as more of a glass-half full type of person. I am usually happy, but am I happy with where I am in life or am I just happy because that’s the type of person I am? The answer is different for both.

I’m actually more excited to look at this question at the end of the month. Right now, I hesitantly give myself a 6 or 7 on the happy scale. Higher up because of my family and friends and the beautiful moments of life that I experience. But lower than I’d wish because of things like my house, my organizational struggles, money, etc. At the end of the month, I hope to see this number higher and myself not so hesitant to exuberantly shout “10!”

One Positive Thing from Today

My friend and co-worker took the time out of her busy schedule to sit down with me today and help me begin to organize all my to-do lists and daily schedules. I’m excited because I already feel relieved and not as overwhelmed as I did yesterday. Definitely a good thing. Also, I bought an awesome new skirt that I can’t wait to wear tomorrow. Happy day!

Be well!

I’m just going to say it. I want to go to SXSW Interactive this year. No. I really really REALLY want to go to SXSW Interactive this year. I was fortunate enough that last year I was able to attend through my day job, and I met so many amazing people and learned SO MUCH. So much that I’m pretty positive that I learned more in 5 days at SXSWi than I did in my 4.5 years of college. I thought for sure I would be going again this year, but it looks like if that’s going to happen, I’ll need your help. So I’ve come up with a deal for all of my awesome readers, family, and friends.

The SXSWi Snailbird Proposal

If you help to send me to SXSWi, I promise you I will bring to you all the latest, greatest news and education from the most awesome conference ever hosted in Austin, Texas. I will create a separate SXSWi page where I will write up all my notes, post all my pictures, and share all the downloads, tweets (both on designcoyote and rescueanimals), and resources I find. I’m even going to create a special #hashtag for Twitter usage so all you have to do is follow it to see my SXSWi tweets.

Some of the sessions I hope to go to (which is also all the things you get to learn about as well!) include: Storytelling Beyond Words: New Forms of Journalism, Security and Privacy in Social Networks, Taking Your Brand Back from Your Customers, Voices Carry: Why Authentic Brand Voices Matter, Social Media Boundaries: Personal/Personnel Policy, The State of Social Marketing, The Promise and Pitfalls of Real-Time Marketing, Social Media in the Underground World of B2B, Epic Battle: Creativity vs. Discipline in Social, Sparking Real World Action with Social Media, How Comics Journalism is Saving Your Media, Can Gaming Make the World Better?, How to Raise Awareness Through Blogger Outreach, Tech Superwomen: Mentors and Mentees FTW, and oh so much more that are on my list but I don’t have room to post.

OH! And don’t forget I would totally take pictures and share notes from speakers like Kevin Smith and Joss Whedon. Because hell yes, you know you want to hear from the two of them.

We all love learning. And you already know that I love sharing knowledge – on here, on @designcoyote, on I Love Rescue Animals, and on @rescueanimals – so you know that I’m only going to be bring you the best quality and create a stellar resource for those of you who can’t make it to SXSWi yourself. This is your chance to be a part of SXSWi for just a small donation (and some fantastic incentives). I will be sharing a ton of resources for social media, sharing positive causes, utilizing the internet and social media to raise donations, and how to market yourselves online, as well as design tips I learn, the newest technology for artsy folks, and other great education resources.

There’s even an entire session devoted to social apps and charitable giving using social media and how philanthropy utilizing Twitter and Facebook is on the rise. There’s just so much good going on at SXSWi this year that I don’t want to miss it. And there’s so much that I can bring back and teach others. I feel that animal folks in particular would get a lot out of the sessions I want to go to because we work so hard to raise money online and social media has changed the way we’re able to share messages – whether it’s about finding a forever home for a stray dog or it’s asking for donations for a sick cat. This is all knowledge that needs to be shared to our community – it can help so much and I don’t think many animal folks know how invaluable SXSWi is to our cause.

How Much Will This Be?

I didn’t find out until today that I would have to come up with creative ways to get myself there, so the total amount of money I’m trying to raise is $950 – which is JUST the price of one SXSWi ticket. Since I live in Austin, all the lodging expenses are taken care of, and I’ll pay for my own food and goodies. I just need help getting the ticket.

What You Get For Helping!

Don’t worry. You won’t be walking away empty-handed either. Besides the shared knowledge of all I learn, you will also get an awesome incentive depending on what level you donate to. These are as follows:

$1-$15: Join the list of other donors on my SXSW page.*
$16-$29: The above and an individual shout-out on the designcoyote twitter (1,700+ followers).
$30-$49: The above and a pencil sketch of your pet/favorite animal (in The Family Menagerie style).
$50-$74: The above and the pencil sketch gets inked and colored with marker.
$75-$99: The above plus a 100×100 pixels digitally colored avatar of your choice (in TFM style), as well as a shout-out on the rescueanimals twitter (17,800+ followers).
$100-$199: Be included on the donors page, receive a twitter shout-out (on both), a sketch of a pet/favorite animal, and a 100×100 pixel digitally colored avatar, and 1 month of advertising on the blog*.
$200-$349: Mention on donors page and twitter accounts, marker-colored image of pet/favorite animal, 100×100 avatar, 2 months of advertising on the blog*.
$350-$474: The above AND a full-colored digital illustration of your choice.

$475: SPONSORSHIP LEVEL 1! You will have a large prominent THANK YOU at the top of the SXSWi resource page, thanks on both Twitter and Facebook (for both Snailbird and I Love Rescue Animals), PLUS 6 months of advertising on the blog and a full blog post thanking you on Snailbird*.
$950: SPONSORSHIP LEVEL 2! You will have a large prominent THANK YOU at the top of the SXSWi resource page, thanks on both Twitter and Facebook (for both Snailbird and I Love Rescue Animals), PLUS 12 months of advertising on the blog and a full blog post thanking you on Snailbird AND I Love Rescue Animals (and if you or your company has a blog, I will also write up a guest post about everything I learned because of your generosity that you can use on your website)*.

Interested in donating but looking for some other prize/incentive? Feel free to comment or email me and we can talk! I’m open to hearing your ideas.

*Being included on the donors page, as well as getting posted on Snailbird and I Love Rescue Animals websites, means getting your name and link seen by artsy folks, nature-lovers, and lots of animal advocates, pet bloggers, and other activists. Snailbrd gets on average 5,000 unique visitors a month with 80-90k hits a month. I Love Rescue Animals receives an average of 6,000 unique visitors a month and 100-150k hits a month.

ChipIn to the Send-Nikki-to-SXSWi Fund!

So you can all help keep track of where I am in donations, I’ve set up this nifty ChipIn that’s connected to my PayPal account. Once you donate, you will receive an email from me confirming the amount and the prizes you will receive. Just click on the ChipIn widget below to donate or go straight to the ChipIn page.

What If The Goal Isn’t Reached?

Good question. If I don’t receive the goal of $950** by March 9th, all of the donations will be fully refunded. That’s right, you’ll get all of your money back and I’ll just have to wait to go to SXSWi next year. If however, it IS funded, as soon as SXSWi is over (March 13th is the last day), I will begin work on all of your prizes. It’s a win-win situation (the very best kind)!

**Note the ChipIn has been lowered to $900 because I received $50 in donations outside the ChipIn. – Updated 3.5.12.

The Final Plea

I want to go to SXSWi so much. It was an incredible experience last year and I don’t want to miss out again. I learned so much, and I feel that this year will be even better. So for just one donation, you can help send me to this awesome conference full of great opportunities and in return you get to learn all that I learn and some (you know those incentives are pretty awesome). Pretty great deal, yeah?

So please please help, and share with your family and friends! I will be forever grateful to you and so very honored. Thank you! You guys rock!

*drumroll*

…

Number 1: Ash & Kimmy of Green Eyed Monster!

I will send your information out to the sponsor and hopefully you’ll hear back from them soon. Congratulations on getting your new custom letterheads!

If anyone else has never checked out Green Eyed Monster, you should. It’s one of my favorite blogs and websites out there and Ash and Kimmy are an awesome pair of sisters. Be sure to stop by and see what’s new over on their blog and shop!

Congrats again, girls!

The Prize!

500 Prints with Custom Letterhead
5.5″x8.5″
70lb Offset
Front Only Printing

The Rules

01. Limited to US residents only.
02. Got to be 18 years old and above.
03. Comment on this entry and tell me what you’ll use the prize for! I want to hear all your creative ideas!
04. The Deadline: Saturday, April 23, 2011 – 11:59pm CT.

On the 24th I will pick a winner using a random generator and the winner will be contacted about the prize. Disclaimer: This giveaway is sponsored by UPrinting, no monetary compensation was given and I will receive letterheads for hosting. Check out more information about envelope printing.

And don’t forget to tweet about the contest!

Come back April 23rd to find out who the winner is!

I lied when I said I’d be right back. But for a good reason! I currently have 17 (SEVENTEEN!) posts in the wings waiting to be published, but I have yet to find time to actually edit any of them. This is because Snailbird is getting a massive content re-haul and a slightly smaller re-alignment of its design. Things are going to be more blog-oriented with a focus on green lifestyles, independent artists, local musicians, organic arts and crafts, eco tips, and more! We’ve always been a little green around the edges, but now we are really going to really give it our all. Just wait and see!

If you’re still itching for some of my writing (aw, shucks!), I can still be found blogging weekly with our team at I Love Rescue Animals and usually once a week over at Fuel Your Illustration, and of course, you can always find me messing around on twitter. Don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten about this blog. It’s going to be exploding with new ideas soon. Keep checking back!

BREAK! I shall be scarce from the web this week as I prepare for BlogPaws 2010 West, a conference that has all to do with pet bloggers and celebrating the love for our furry friends. This is the second conference and this time I will doing a presentation about some tips and tricks for basic WordPress design. I’ll make sure to make it available after the conference. Ash and I are representing I Love Rescue Animals and will be gone from Thursday to Sunday to beautiful Denver, CO. Until then, we’ll be running around trying to get everything done and prepared in time for us to make our flight. We’ll get back on the normal blogging schedule on Monday. Be well, all!

Updated 9/16/10: We made it back from Colorado safe and sound, but the BlogPaws buzz has not died (and I have not had a chance to catch up on blogging here). I will write about it here next week after my life gets back to normal (and I catch up on emails and projects), but for now, please head over to the I Love Rescue Animals blog and read about our journey and all the people we met. It was incredible. Thank you to all who support our group and our mission!

That’s right! Fuel Your Illustration, one of the many awesome online magazines brought to you by the Fuel Brand Network, has two new editors working to bring you the best content in online illustration. Who are these awesome individuals, you ask?

Well one of them happens to be me! After writing for the magazine since February, I am now officially with a new title. The other editor is my new friend and partner-in-crime, Rondal Scott of GhostLabs Studio and Strange Kids Club. Together, we are bringing fresh new content to our favorite FUEL site. You can read the Fuel Brand Network Announcement here. Join us for some awesome illustration and comic resources over at Fuel Your Illustration! And don’t forget to follow us on twitter for even more fun links.