Take Your Dog to Work Day

It's Take Your Dog to Work Day! Did you get to take your dog to work? Are you one of the lucky ones who gets to take their dog to work every day? I'd love you to share your photos and stories with me!

As most of you know, I'm an Eskie Mom. And, since I run my company from home, I'm very blessed because I get to have my dog at work with me every day! I must admit it is wonderful :)

Niko is my little assistant. He's by my side or behind my chair whether I'm working on the computer or making jewelry. Here he is in the dining room overseeing a jewelry-making session...

And he's hysterical... if I get up for any reason, he moves under the table like it's his duty to guard everything. Here he is with his best "don't-even-think-about-touching-my-Mommy's-stuff" face on...

He's so adorable and he's the light of my life. I love the fact that I can have him with me while I'm working. Right now though, I'm devastated because Niko is sick and we could really use your help.

Letting You Know Why I'm Scarce Lately

Forgive me for going off-topic today, but I need to share something so you know that I haven't just disappeared. You may notice I'm not online as much right now and I want you to know why. This is my Eskie... Niko... and this very special little boy is the reason for my absence.

On Wednesday, June 13th I had to rush my precious Niko to the vet; unsure if he possibly had stepped on something or hurt himself; thinking maybe a splinter in his paw, a leg cramp or a dislocated knee or hip. 

I carried him in and Dr Jeff examined his leg. Definite injury... he blew the cruciate ligament in his left hind knee. That was terrible news, but it got a whole lot worse.

As Dr Jeff was checking him out further, he said he felt something in his belly and that, before we deal with the knee, he needed to get x-rays to look at his belly and get some labwork.

When he brought me to look at the x-rays, my jaw dropped. He said "He has a mass in his belly." I was devastated. It felt like someone had shot me in the heart. He said it appears to be in his spleen, but we would need to get an ultrasound to be sure what we're dealing with so we scheduled one.

  

We need to deal with the mass before he can have the surgery he needs on his knee. So all he could do for his knee right now is give him pain meds and told me to try to keep him off it.

He needs to be monitored 24/7 for signs of a rupture and brought in immediately if I see any of them. 

He also found a bladder stone that is too large for him to pass. That will also have to be dealt with. It's 3rd on the priority list... unless it moves and obstructs his urethra.

He had his ultrasound and orthopedic work-up on Wednesday. We can't make any decisions until we get the pathology results of the fine needle aspiration they did during the ultrasound. And when they did his knee x-rays, they found cruciate ligament tears in BOTH knees. That makes things a whole lot more complicated.

Any way we look at it Niko needs surgery... at least 2, more likely 3 or 4. Right now he's home with me on 24/7 observation and pain meds while we wait.

Niko and I Would Appreciate Your Help

I decided, at friends' urging, to do fundraising for Niko. However, I cannot just take money or ask people to donate for auctions like we see all the time on Facebook. I wanted something better... a way that I could reward people and make their lives easier for helping me save Niko's life. 

I'm quite likely looking at well over $10,000 of vet bills before we're done and Niko's already had surgery twice in the last year. But he has been there for me through some really bad stuff so I have to try everything I can to save him.

I started a page for Niko on Facebook so family, friends and supporters can follow our journey and get updates on his progress. I share photos and post updates as I get them. I also entered a note on his page telling our story if you want to read more than the bits I've written in this post. I hope you'll come over, 'like' his page and join Team Niko.

I also set up a fundraiser for him on GiveForward.com called Team Niko. You can find it here... http://www.giveforward.com/teamniko. I posted our story, some photos and updates there as well. And there's a GiveForward widget on the right side of my blog.

Giving Back

As I said, I cannot just take and it was very hard for me to ask for help. So, I need to give thanks by giving back. And I'm doing that two ways...

1) Everyone who donates will receive a code for 20% off any purchase made through my ArtFire Studio at http://www.DesignsByDebi.artfire.com, even clearance items.

2) Everyone who donates $10 or more will get a "Dinner and a Movie Discount Card" which is actually good for a whole lot more than dinner and a movie... It's an all access discount card good for thousands of deals on dining, shopping, travel, recreation and services all over the USA (including online) for an entire year to use as many times as you want.

Ways to Help

I appreciate any and all help I can get for my sweet Niko. Prayers and well wishes are wonderful... and seem to be helping :)

If you can donate, I'm eternally grateful and you will receive the items mentioned above.

And, if you could share this post, Niko's Facebook page and/or his Team Niko GiveForward page that would be FABULOUS. I know that time are tough, but I believe that those who are able to help will find us by the generous sharing of these pages. So, I thank you very much in advance for sharing ♥

Here are some short links to help:

The Team Niko facebook page... on.fb.me/MCuW19

Niko's Team Niko GiveForward page... bit.ly/MPgbpL

And I AM Working

I may not be posting as often as usual, but please know that I AM here and I AM working. I'm just spending my work time making sure to take care of my customers. I'm still accepting orders, including custom orders, and that's what I'm focusing on. 

But, I'm not taking any time off.. I need to pay those vet bills! I just change my work hours around Niko's needs ...so if you need something, by all means please contact me Debi (at) designs-by-debi (dot) com. I'm still doing my best to answer all emails within 24 hours :)

Thank you!!

Hibiscus and Flip Flops ~ Two of My Favorite Things

Do you know what today is?

It's National Flip Flop Day!! 

I LOVE flip flops!! I have tons of them... oh I dunno somewhere probably around 100 pairs. Nope... no joke. Not only do I have every color, I have shades of every color because of course they need to match whatever I'm wearing... LOL  ;-)

But I do live in New England right now so unfortunately my flip flops have to get put away for half the year and my hibiscus (another of my favorite things) are afraid of the cold too :-(

But check this out.... My friend Faye and her daughter Lesli over at Ye Olde Chandler are introducing a 2 new products today...

Aren't they sooooooo cute?? I'm VERY excited because this means that I'm going to be able to have flip flops and hibiscus all year long (even if it's just in the soap dishes in my house for now)!! 

These are so new, they're not even up on the Ye Olde Chandler website yet! They're putting together a list of their soap-safe scents and starting off with Hawaiian Suntan and Tropical Romance. I have them both and they smell wonderful :) They're also available in different colors....

If you want to order some of these amazing soaps for yourself, just send them an email and you can talk scents and colors one-on-one! You can email Faye and Lesli at info(at)yeoldechandler(dot)com and you can stop by their Ye Olde Chandler Facebook page, too. 

The hibiscus soap is $5 and the flip flop soap is $4... a great deal because these are large soaps! The hibiscus soap is 3 inches in diameter and 1 inch thick! The flip flop soap is 4 1/4 inches long, 2 1/2 inches wide and well over 1/2 inch thick... and that's not counting the straps and hibiscus! 

They make great gifts! And you can use them for wedding favors, shower favors... lots of cute possibilities here!

I hope you're having a great summer so far! Enjoy!

Gorgeous Patriotic Jewelry Collection

Hello!
Wow, I was really blessed today... I had 3 of my jewelry pieces included in Member-Curated Collections on ArtFire!! I'm honored! And, in honor of all our men and women in the military, I thought I'd share this one with you...

Hail To The Red, White and Blue

  Curated By: JabberJewels

ArtFire.com

Indie Design

Isn't it a beautiful collection? I love flags and these pieces are just gorgeous! I also decided to share this one because it's May... and May is National Military Appreciation Month.

So I'm shouting out a huge THANK YOU to all our 

soldiers, veterans and military families

for all they do for us and all the sacrifices they make 

~ ♥ ~

Happy Mother's Day!

Hello!
I just want to wish all you Moms a very Happy Mother's Day!

I'll be spending the day with my grandmother and mother... and father, too. And, of course, Niko... I'm an Eskie Mom ya know :) And here's the cute little guy who fills my heart with so much joy...

Enjoy your special day!

Do You Have a Business? Is it Successful?

Hello!
I know that a lot of you who follow this blog own your own businesses so I want to share a couple things you may find helpful.

First, I've started a business called aWAEHQn dreams Success Coaching specifically geared toward Women Artisan Entrepreneurs and I'd like to invite you to join my community :)

My mission is to give women entrepreneurs the knowledge and tools they need to successfully make a living from their passion and  run their small business on a small budget while also empowering them to grow as big as they want to be and live the life they have imagined.

I'm starting with a blog, facebook page and twitter account and hope to turn this into a bustling community with answers to all the challenges... business and personal... that you face as a woman entrepreneur.

I just started on March 30th and I have so much to share. My fingers can't type fast enough...LOL. So, if you have or want to start your own business, hop on over to join the journey! You can catch up on the blog posts, read About Me and How aWAEHQn dreams Came to Be and take a look at how it will help you and what I have to offer. And please take a sec to say hello and introduce yourself and your business to the community :)

Second... If you're looking for an all-inclusive business program to join, there's a fabulous one launching right now called WE Mastermind. (You probably already noticed the pretty ad over there on the right side and now you can learn what it's all about!) It's put on by two leading online entrepreneurs, Natalie Sisson and Natalie MacNeil. So, if you want to build a thriving online business doing what you love, take a look at the Want More? Dream BIG? page over on the aWAEHQn dreams blog to find out all about it.

Don't wait though... there's a limit to how many women they can accept into the program. Take some time between now and Sunday to invest in yourself, make an informed decision about whether this program is right for you and learn a whole lot for FREE while you do it.

Go read all about WE Mastermind, the things you'll learn, and the opportunities you'll get. And look at the testimonials from women who have done the program. Yes, your truly is one of them ;) As you're reading this over, consider whether you think it would help you get to that perfect life you've been picturing.

* MOST IMPORTANT * Please follow this link to sign up and be my guest at the WE Mastermind webinar this Sunday! It's being held at 4pm EDT on Sunday, May 13th. Now I know... it's Mother's Day here in the US. But, trust me, you don't want to miss it. Even if you end up deciding that WE Mastermind is not for you, you'll learn a great deal just by attending the webinar itself and it's FREE for you to attend. So, please take advantage of the opportunity.

In addition to great content, they're also going to have awesome giveaways and a special offer so don't miss this webinar!! You have nothing to lose... but everything to gain :)

And, if you have any questions, just ask. I'd be happy to help.

I've Added Stamped Metal Jewelry!

Hello!!

Ok I'm very excited... I can finally show you the piece I mentioned  last time!! I decided last fall to add stamped metal jewelry to my repertoire because I LOVE doing custom designs and adding this option gives me soooooo much more freedom to do that for you! You saw my Island Girl test piece which was the very first time I tried stamping:

Well, as is often the case, it's usually a custom order that gets me to find the time to do things :) I didn't want to ruin a surprise because it was a 1st Anniversary gift, but now I can show it to you!!

You might remember the Custom-designed Dolphin Wedding Jewelry Set I made last year for Julz:

Well, this was a 1st Anniversary gift from Julz to Joe to hang in his truck. 

~ ♥ ~ Happy Anniversary!! ~ ♥ ~

I'm VERY excited to be working with stamped metal designs so there will be more examples to come!! 

I'm working on another one now. I'll have photos soon :)

How about you? Do you like stamped metal jewelry? I'd love to know your thoughts because, after all, I do all this for you. If you're not happy, I'm not happy.... so lemme know!!