And we're back, AGAIN!

Thank you for swinging back by to check in with us! I hope to get this blog back up and running. I hope to share all sorts of good stuff here. We will also offer some specials for our blog followers ONLY, so be sure to check in often. We also have a brand new website, same address but be sure to check it out! www.threescoopsofvanilla.com

Birthdays, Birthdays EVERYWHERE!

It is hard to believe but in the last week and a half TWO of the Three Scoops celebrated their birthdays!Enjoy the photo of the two birthday girls taken when baby Annie had just joined our family! Precious Reese, the Scoop that started it all turned eleven and Annie the youngest Scoop turned six! Where does the time go??? Birthdays are fun in this house, always celebrated with singing the birthday song, special birthday cookies or cupcakes and of course a new toy. I am sure that all of you have special ways to celebrate your pup's birthday as well!

Horsin' Around

Here at the farm it is never a boring day. Three miniature horses have moved onto the boarding scene here and it is a sight to see. The funniest part about the whole thing is that Toby and this little guy "Wings" see eye to eye and Toby thinks that is a bit WEIRD for a horse! Thank you to my sister Kelly Anderson-Edwards for sharing this darling photo for all of you to enjoy! Here's to a SMILE for each of you!

Gratitude

Now if I could just convince EVERYONE that this is indeed the case! Thank you to my dear friend Naomi of Happy Labradors for creating this print for me!

German Shorthaired Pointer Rescue New England

Tuesday, April 14th, 25% of TOTAL sales through our website will be donated to GSPRNE. A big thank you to this group for all that they do for GSPs in need!

Kindness Challenge!

I love what I do and most of that has to do with the fact that I have created my company on the foundation of helping others. I enjoy making jewelry and donating a portion of my sales to help those in need be it a person or an animal. I know that many of the folks who originally started off as customers but who I now consider my friends share this same joy in their lives, they are my huge heart friends. I challenge all of my huge heart friends today and tomorrow to try to squeeze in at least FIVE random acts of kindness each day. Tell me, can you feel the happiness that surrounds your heart? It is a great feeling!

No JOKE, on April Fool's Day our app has hit the Google Play store!

I was thrilled to hear that our new app has made it into the Google Play store and I am waiting patiently (sorta) for the app to hit the Apple store!When searching the store for our app, it will be listed under: Three Scoops of Vanilla. In any event I am grateful that many of our customers are choosing to download our app to keep up on the latest and greatest offerings from TSOV. We hope that the app will help non Facebook users stay notified of our events and sales. We know that Facebook is not able to show all of our posts to our fans, causing many people not to see a post until long after the item has sold out! To encourage folks to download and use our app, we will offer deals that will be exclusive to our app users! Thanks again everyone, and may this be just as fun as I hoped that it would be!

Eric's Design Hits the Stage!

I know that Eric is wildly creative but the fact that he created this bracelet makes me smile, what a fabulous design! I have a feeling this beauty is going to be a hot seller. Available for sale tonight!

Changes are Coming!

We are loving that spring is here and hope that many of you are as well! We are in the midst of "spring cleaning" here at Three Scoops of Vanilla! In an effort to end much frustration that is currently being felt by many of our customers we are trying to work on new ways for you all to stay updated with our announcements. Facebook for the last six years has been the way that we get our announcements out to the world, since going public FB has made changes. One of the biggest changes has been to charge for posts to be seen, having 18,000 fans has no benefit if fans are not seeing our posts. We will continue to do Facebook for the next couple of years but are trying new venues to reach our fans, to include Instagram and a new TSOV app! We will keep you all informed as these new features become available and to say the least we are excited! We expect our app to be published and available for downloads by April 1st so stay tuned!

Monday's Featured Boy, Luigi!

Welcome to Day 1 of 5 for raising money for 5 AMAZING dogs Today I am raising some money for a wonderful group, Boston Terrier Recue Canada, to help pay for Luigi's vet bills. Here is his story: You can only imagine what Luigi went through before Boston Terrier Rescue Canada (BTRC) took him in. He was ailing and completely shut down, nothing like the sweet little Boston Terriers living in your hearts and homes. There was vet visit after vet visit - he is doing better but his prognosis is poor. But Luigi doesn’t need your tears anymore because after all this, he has blossomed… Can you now imagine his little butt wriggling as he nuzzles his mom’s cheek and gives her little kisses? He didn’t play with his foster siblings in the beginning, but now he excitedly bumps them with his nose when he wants to play. He stretches out in front of the fireplace next to his new best friends. And after a hard day of BT activities, he jumps onto his foster mom’s bed and uses one of the other dog’s bums as a cushion. Luigi is truly “Set for Life” – BTRC’s special program for little sweethearts who can’t find a home because of their advanced age or expensive medical conditions. Your compassion and kindness allows BTRC to care for these dogs as they live out their sunset years in their permanent foster home. You can be part of this important program when you place a bid on this beautiful bracelet or purchase the necklace, designed especially for BTRC. The proceeds of this fundraiser will support Luigi’s medication for Cushings. If you would like to make a DIRECT donation to Luigi's care or the care of any of the dogs in BTRC's care please follow this link and look for the "DONATE NOW" button on the right: http://www.bostonterrierrescuecanada.com/our-dogs/set-for-life-program/

The Jewelry "Ringer"

Have you ever been around someone who is just naturally talented at so MANY things? You try something and you struggle like crazy with it and in order to do it well it takes a ton of practice yet the "RINGER" just ACES it each and every time. Meet Eric AKA my amazing husband, I love this man to pieces but he is a "Jewelry Ringer" for sure. Yes, he is a superintendent for a construction company and has a wicked math and architecture brain but don't be fooled he is wildly creative and has an artistic eye. I bounce new ideas off of him all of the time and he suggests ways to do it better and easier. He nailed wrap bracelets when we first considered offering them. Today was copper, we worked with copper and let me tell you all what. Of my two pieces I created today, one had to be tossed out and the other is OK, Eric's two.....yes, THOSE will be headed onto auction items. I do think about banging my head on the table now and again when he just kicks my butt on projects but instead I avoid the "would be headache" and smile for the CREATIVE husband I am so lucky to have landed. I will be sure to tell you all when you are bidding on an "Eric Original", LOL! The picture is to prove that being AWESOME takes a lot out of you, just ask Annie and Eric!

Just Charming!

I am getting there, slowly but surely! I think that folks that work with silver metal clay would see these and not be impressed but I for one love how these look. Yes, they are not even, yes the color is different on each and YES....they are unique! I hope to add these beautiful silver charms to upcoming auction pieces. So tell me folks, what do you think of my silver creations?

Wine and Tater Tots!

Tell you all what, I ADMIRE folks that can successfully work with metal clay. MAN.....I consider myself a good artist when it comes to creating pieces but creating it from metal clay....not so much. First off the clay I am working with is a small fortune, being that it is pure silver even more so than sterling silver. Secondly, it dries out VERY quickly and it hard to "revive" once it starts to do so. I worked on several pieces last night and was tempted to down a bottle of wine by the time I was at a stopping point at 11:00 at night. The pieces were halfway finished and I had to call it a night. I think I like the satisfaction of getting something FINISHED and when I don't do that I get anxious, I never could do scrapbooking for this very reason, LOL! Please know that I realize there is a learning curve and I need to be patient (not something that I am good at) but I HOPE to stick this out and create some really fun, custom pieces for you all soon. Again, hats off to those of you that work your magic with this clay and create masterpieces, I just hope to make some pieces that resemble more than tater tots!

Anticipation Annie

Today's Midweek Auction was fantastic and kept us all on the edge of our seat towards the end. I tend to get excited when things get down to the wire. I dance in my chair and tend to tap dance with my feet a bit under the desk. Annie on the other hand, well when she is over the top excited for something...be it dinner or a walk she looks for her Peep. The Peep is just that a Peep that you see at Easter time (though ours is a big stuffed toy) and it was a gift to the girls from Kim Stahl. The Peep is FLITHY and needs a round or two with the washing machine but Annie won't give it up long enough for that. See Annie SUCKS on that Peep when she is super excited, kneads it with her paws and all. So cute to see and it cracks me up as that is her method of calming down. Hey Annie, whatever works girlie!

Blessings....they are all around us~

I saw something today that said: "Talk about your blessings more than you talk about your problems" and I have to say I LOVED it. I truly believe that when you concentrate on your blessings you realize just how lucky you are and you do start to really consider yourself blessed. I look around and see my blessings everywhere: my amazing husband, my dogs, my horse, my home, my friends, my family, a beautiful new niece, etc... See how easy that is? It took my maybe a minute and I have a HUGE smile on my face and my heart just got a squeeze. Don't forget, for your daily dose of extreme happiness be sure to count your blessings.

Close to my Heart

It would appear that many of our beloved dogs are being called home lately. I have had several friends within the last month have to help their pets cross over to the Rainbow Bridge. I feel the loss along with each of my friends when they have to say good-bye. I know that there are many moments in our lifetimes when our heart hurts but none like the hurt it feels when we lose someone we love, it is a hurt like no other. I can only send my love, healing energy and prayers to my dear friends that are experiencing this hurt right now. We know that our pets are in a good place and young, whole and free once more but we still miss their presence here on earth. I created my Rainbow Bridge bracelet to help the hearts of those who have lost a pet to heal. I hope that the bracelet brings a smile to their face when they look down at the bracelet on their wrist and see the name of their angel. It works for me with my "Levi" bracelet and in turn I hope that it helps others. In addition to the Rainbow Bridge bracelet I am proud to announce the arrival of the Heart Pendant Memorial Necklace. The necklace seen here can be unscrewed from the top and have ashes or pet hair added to the inside of the pendant. I personally chose to wear mine empty but that is just my choice. The necklace will be offered for sale this Friday, the 11th. Please give me your thoughts on this piece by commenting below.

Recipe of the Week! Thanks Justine!!!!!

INGREDIENTS 1 cup coconut flour 1/2 cup peanut butter 1/2 cup mashed blueberries 1/2 cup mashed bananas 4 eggs 1/3 cup warm water DIRECTIONS Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine ingredients in a large bowl, mix thoroughly and add a bit more water if it's too dry. Roll out to 1/4" thickness and use cookie cutters to cut out shapes. Place cookies on baking sheet covered with parchment paper and bake for 22 minutes.

We are Baaaaaaaaaaack!!!!!!!

I happened to stumble upon my blog while internet surfing today and realized I had not posted since 2010!!!! Wow, to think that Three Scoops of Vanilla had only been in business ONE year at that point! WOWZA!!!!!! Lots to catch you all up on!!!!! Stay tuned friends !

My How Time Gets Away From Us....

I haven't blogged since Annie was just a wee puppy and I enjoy doing it, but sadly time to do so is scarce these days. I will try to share a story to two every now and again and I will certainly update the blog when it comes to lettin' you all know who is hosting the next online party.

The holiday season is officially here, in my book it starts the day after Thanksgiving (today). Now in every retail store out there they are now stocking their Christmas items on the shelves right next to their Halloween items...come on folks!

I hope that you all had a fun Thanksgiving, we certainly did between going to my family's house and then out to the farm! Annie just got spayed a week ago so we had to keep tabs on her in between the festivities! I ventured out today to pick up a couple of needed items for some pieces that I am making, boy was that a mistake! WOW, people thrive on shopping today!

I am VERY pleased with the total amount so far that I have donated to charities through Three Scoops of Vanilla in 2010. Once the end of the year has come, I will be sure to let you all know the total amount that I was able to donate this year alone. My business continues to grow which is just a delight in so many ways. I enjoy working with several groups throughout the United States and Canada. The people that I have met along the way are so amazing and give these animals their all to help get them healthy and in a better place. Hats off to those of you that choose to work in rescue, you are angels for the animals that you help. I know that 2011 will blow 2010 out of the water for two reasons: the new product line that I am currently working on (it is going to knock your socks off) and the groups that I already have scheduled for next year.

If you would like me to consider your group, feel free to send me an email. I am always happy to help any groups that I can! Thanks again to you all for your continued support and well wishes on my behalf and for your continued compassion for the animals!
~Erin

One MORE For The Road

You know when you have those days that are just so bad you don't know if you will ever get through it? The best part though is when it makes a good story later, so here we are....with the good story.

You will have to really use your imaginations for this, to really get the full effect of how this all went down.

Last weekend my sister Kelly and I drove down to Westcliffe which is 180 miles away from where we live. Sue has a home in Westcliffe and we went down to visit for the weekend, a good RELAXING weekend is always great. Kelly and I had to drive down in separate cars as we had lots of stuff between the two of us, including FIVE dogs.

The weekend was great, lots of walks with the pups (Annie was pretty heavy in the backpack for the 2.5 mile loop). Sunday morning did eventually come and it was time to head out. Kelly and I stopped for gas about an hour outside of Westcliffe; 10 miles from there my car acted up. I was losing power and speed quickly on a fast moving highway. Lucky for me we were in an area that still had phone service, so Kelly and I communicated via cellphone as it was too dangerous to get out and talk on the highway.

We eventually made a plan to load everything into Kelly's car (a 1997 4 door Nissan sedan) and drive back a couple of miles to a roadside coffeehouse. Kelly ended up staying there with the FIVE dogs while I took her car back to meet the tow truck driver, don't you KNOW that NO PLACE is open to repair cars on Sundays. After a bunch of brainstorming and several phone calls Kelly and I decided that it would be best for me to continue home with her.

I pulled a guy out of the cafe and said..."Excuse me, I know that this is going to be a weird request but do you have a hose I could use to hose down these five dogs?" I went on to tell him that Kelly and I and five dogs had to squeeze into a little sedan with NO AIR CONDITIONING and drive three more hours home. I was offered the hose in the back of the place right away.

Our ride home was a bit crowded to say the least, most people that drove past us stared at the plethora of dogs in the car. Four dogs managed to squeeze together and sit on top of one another for three hours being blasted by hot August air hitting their faces at a soft 60 mph breeze. Annie passed out in between my feet on the floor and Kelly and I looked like roadkill by the time we arrived at my house that afternoon.

Thank GOD for my wonderful sister, patient dogs, and Ipods!!!! Thank GOD for John and Sue who stayed an extra day so that they could drive my beloved CRV home yesterday after the repairs were finished. WOW, what a relaxing weekend...wait what?