Last month, I received an Etsy convo from Jane Morgan, a volunteer at the Cocker Spaniel Rescue of New England (CSRNE), about donating an item or two to their annual Joey Fund Auction.

What is the Joey Fund? The Joey Fund was established in 1997, named after a beloved rescued Cocker Spaniel who was found roaming the streets of Somerville, Massachusetts, in the bitter cold of Winter.

Shortly after a good samaritan took him in and cared for him, it was found that he had an orange-sized malignant tumor growing on his underbelly. It is comforting to know that thanks to his devoted foster mom and generous donations from CSRNE members, brave little Joey lived his last 3 years as active and happy as possible.

The Joey Fund has assisted in the care, treatment and adoption of close to 100 cocker spaniels with serious medical problems.

This year, CSRNE’s 11th Annual Joey Fund Benefit Auction will be held at the Holiday Inn in Boxborough, Massachusetts, on Sunday, October 19, from 11 A.M. to 4:00 P.M.

This event includes a yummy boxed lunch as well as fun activities and exhibits, such the Cutest Pet Contest, the Arf Gallery, Gourmet Barkery and much, much more. Please go to the CSRNE website for further details.

If you can’t be there personally to share in all the fun, there’s an easy and convenient option to make a donation. WOOF!

I was moved by Joey’s plight and after checking out the organization, decided this was a terrific cause indeed. I hope their auction is an enormous success!

The following are photographs of the pieces I created especially for them.

The piece above, “RUBINO ORO”, features wonderful “natural” toned glass bones handcrafted by favorite Lampwork Artist, Janet Crosby.

I added artisan made pink and gold Lampwork beads. These beads are gorgeous in person and make a lovely accompaniment to Janet’s bones. The rest of the components are made of sterling silver.

The other two pieces are necklaces featuring terrific paw print Lampwork bones that were generously gifted to me by Janet. In addition to Janet’s bone bead, the “CARAMELIZED NECKLACE” on the left, is made of Mother of Pearl, excellent quality Grade A Tundru Sapphire, Swarovski Crystal, Karen Hill Tribe and sterling silver components.

“BASIC BLACK”, the necklace on the right, includes a microfiber suede cord, Swarovski Crystals and sterling silver.

All packed and ready to ship, each piece includes a signed description and is boxed ready for gift-giving.

Aren’t these super cute? “Zany” and “fun” is right!

I’ve been coveting Kim’s JuJu Beads for the longest time and I finally, FINALLY, got my greedy beady hands around not just one - but two! YAY!!!

I bought “Rylan”, the golden retriever looking dog bead and Kim sent me “Byron”, the black pup as a bonus!

Schaaaweeeet!

Thank you Kim! WOOF! Byron will certainly be used for a good cause!

Before you trot on over to her website - don’t say I didn’t warn you - if you love dogs and beads like I do - BRACE YOURSELF. I guarantee you’ll be oooohin’ n’ aaaahin’, droolin’, whining, and jumpin’ giddy with joy when you see ALL of her scrumptiously delightful dog beads! In other words, you’ll be acting just like a dawg - haahaa!

(The whining’s because these babies get snapped up so fast, they’re gone before you can say “Aaaaaaahhhhh JuJu puppeees!”)

So sign up for her mailing list, get your own Juju bead and don’t forget to bring your credit card!

This fun, playful sculpture was designed and created by the very talented Polymer Clay artist, Nancy, proprietor of Etsy.com shop, NanjoDogz.

Click each of the photos to view the item description in greater detail.

Just look at all the incredible little details in this piece - the wonderful doggie bowl, the heavy “lockdown” chain, the charm hanging from his collar, the “wood” dog house, the skull & crossbones over the door, the nail stud details throughout - not to mention the actual dog - the Pugsta.

I can attest to Nancy’s impressive meticulous attention to details because I’ve actually purchased a couple of her pieces. Let me tell you - if you think it looks this good now in the photos - just wait till you get it. It’s even more fantastic in real life!

I took the opportunity to ask Nancy a few questions and here’s what she had to say about this piece.

What was your inspiration for this piece?

I am always inspired by animals, especially dogs. As for the Pugsta, he just came from my imagination. When I think of dogs sometimes I look at their features and see their uniqueness and with the Pug, with their pushed up nose and big eyes and little rounded low to the ground bodies, they just remind me of a little tough guy walking around, like a little gangster, just cool as can be and from there Pugsta was born!

How long did it take you to create it?

I never really can say how long a piece takes me, because a lot of my pieces are mixed media, they are done in sections and it’s usually a three to four day process.

A lot of animal lovers are sensitive to dogs that live a lifetime chained outside with limited contact. By the looks of it, this pugsta is obviously loved and cared for. Is he on lockdown for only a limited amount of time? Does he get to run loose or let into the house with his humans?

This little Pugsta is not really on lockdown, he’s more like on time out. He had been running the mean streets of Chicago and got into some big time trouble with his pack. Oh, he’s always running in and out of the house with his family, but this little Pugsta prefers to be outside, he likes running with his Pugsta Pack. As a matter of fact that’s who he’s waiting for — he’s waiting for his pack to stop by so they can go off and get into some more mischief!

Will there be more of this series in the future?

Actually this is my second Pugsta and I am planning on doing more Pugsta pieces.

About you, how did you get into your craft?

I have been creating all my life, in one form or another, from drawing to quilting. Polymer clay was just another medium that I started to play around with and found that it was something that I truly enjoyed and it stuck with me.

How long have you been making polymer clay sculptures?

I have been making polymer clay sculptures now for about 2 years.

What do you love most about being an artist?

I always say the best thing about being an artist for me is that I can do what I love and create the animals that I love so much, it’s a double blessing.

What words of advice would you offer to other artists?

Stay focused, don’t get too discouraged when sales are slow and just remember if you’re doing something you truly love you are so lucky — and don’t give up, stay with it.

Wise words indeed, Nancy. Thank you for that!

You can purchase Nancy’s work at her Etsy shop and on eBay. Besides her wonderful sculptures, she offers adorable Christmas ornaments, sweet little pendants & other jewelry, and the cutest beads. They make the perfect gifts for any dog lover!

If you’d prefer a custom piece in your dog’s likeness, no problem. Just send Nancy a message. She does a really terrific job!

I recently received a surprise and lovely conversation from Etsy seller, Katy Lunsford. She featured one of my pieces on her blog, Katy’s Love of Dogs, bringing attention to my pet project, Paws For A Good Cause. How sweet is that? Thank you so much Katy!

It seems Katy does something similar with her own Etsy shop, donating all the proceeds from her sales to A Place To Bark, a no kill foster and adoption rescue established in 2001. This is such a terrific cause. Find out more about them by visiting their website or blog.

This holiday season, how about giving a gift that gives twice? Won’t it feel great to know that the item you just purchased not only will give the recipient pleasure, but is helping and saving lives in need?

So, whatcha waiting for? Go check out Katy’s shop and give a gift that keeps on giving!