August's Monthly Challenge Theme is... Anything Goes !

Calling all EFA’ers!

Are ya ready for anything?

Well I surely hope so 

because I’m here to announce 

next month’s challenge theme, 

which is Anything Goes! 

Yep, that’s right…

just show us one of your favorite products

 and that’s it—shazam--you’re fab entry 

will be promoted by our diligent EFA volunteers! 

Here are a few examples:

Draft Horse Giclee Print

Shay by BrazenDesignStudios

Photographic Print

 Ghostly Color by JenniferLynnProducts

Purple Enamel Heart

Necklace by AmaniWorks

Mini vegan jewelry box

Butterfly Bliss by Brizel4TheAnimals

Need I say more ?
Okay, I will...
Enter your favorite 
'team efa' tagged item
Like, hum... right away !

Here's HOW TO ENTER:

If you are an EFA member & would like to submit an entry, please convo our Challenge Blog Leader, Jess of jessicalynneart, with the following information:

1. PROViDE the link to an item in your shop that fits the theme or has been created for the theme.

2. EXPLAiN how you think the item fits the monthly Challenge theme

3. TELL US a bit about your work/donations/volunteer work with animals or animal charities

4. TiTLE your convo with the name of the MONTH and the word CHALLENGE, for example: AUGUST CHALLENGE.

Two more important steps:

5. TAG your Etsy listing with the monthly Challenge theme tag (this month = teamefaanything) see the Themes-at-a-glance list for other tags. Be sure to ALSO keep your regular team tag in place, either 'team efa' or 'team efa cotm'

6. Renew your listing !

Remember, when we've received sixteen qualifying entries... these will be featured in a Treasury and in our Challenge Competition, where the winner will get a free etsy mini 1x1 advertising slot on EFA's Challenge blog the following month.

Challenge entries are also promoted on Etsy Teams, EFA's Yahoo Groups, Twitter and Facebook... so get your entries submitted to Jess by AUGUST 1ST !

Looking forward to seeing your favorite products !

Heather of thebluewindmill

Mo Challenge Leader

July Monthly Challenge Competition Treasury

'Team EFA's Mo. Challenge Competition for July: Beautiful Sky' by thebluewindmill

This treasury consists of the first 16 entries of our July Monthly Challenge. Vote on your favorite Beautiful Sky entry... 

TO VOTE- click HERE !

Cloud Photography - Storm Cl... kellywarrenpho... $22.00	Cirrus 8x10 WoodsEdge $25.00
Cloud, Original Painting thebluewindmil... $45.00	Photo Print 20 x 24 Sky Chil... JenniferLynnPr... $40.00
Flying Colors Parrot Acrylic... terikor $85.00	Peacock bird painting, water... ThimbleSparrow $30.00
Crow Watercolor with Text Po... KneeDeepOrigin... $58.00	Dove of Peace - Dona Nobis P... LolaLynn $5.00
Dogs In Planes Blue Bandana AstridNicoleEt... $10.00	Planes Dog Collar caninedesign $8.00
Sunshine Yellow Acrylic Broo... beckybutton $10.00	Quilled Dragon Embellishment... FairyCardmaker $9.50
Turquoise Antique Silver Bra... JewelryByScott... $15.00	Dreamy Soft Sky Blue and Whi... susanneedlehan... $40.00
FOREVER AFTER - Lampwork eye... TashinkaBeadin... $33.00	Silky White Chemise - Renais... TheAzryllianSt... $20.00

Treasury tool supported by the dog house

VOTE HERE: July Monthly Challenge Competition

TO SEE THE ENTRIES... CLICK HERE

Planes Dog Collar by caninedesign

Soar the skies with this fun airplane dog collar.

For this month only, 10% of all sales from caninedesign will be donated to Fancy Cats Rescue Team. I usually choose dog rescues since I sell dog collars and leashed, but Fancy Cats really helped out a friend of mine last month.

She was socializing a stray kitten living under the deck. Really making progress too; she named the cat Squiggles and would follow my friend around the yard. Except she was going on vacation soon and didn't want to abandon Squiggles. She called the county shelter and many rescues in the area. There was no room anywhere for another cat. Except for Fancy Cats. They took Squiggles without hesitation. Here's hoping she finds a good home!

Sky Child Print by JenniferLynnProducts

This photo is a sky shot. It's all about the sky, which is this month's challenge theme. I'm fascinated by skyscapes, and I hope to shoot more of them and also start painting them. The combinations, colors, and textures are just fascinating to me!

JenniferLynn Producitons, LLC participates in the Team EFA Charity of the Month program, donating a portion of her proceeds to the chosen charity each month. In addition, I donate my art a couple of times a year to charitable fundraisers (most of the time animal-related,) and I donate goods and money to local rescues when I can.

Orange Colored Sky Silk Tapestry Box by brizel4TheAnimals

Orange Colored Sky is a bold soft fiber arts container by brizel4TheAnimals featuring hand spun multicolor silk sari yarn made from upcycled loom warps. It has a lid of its own which is embellished with a magenta vintage button with concentric circles.

Nat King Cole once sang: "I was walking along, mindin' my business and out of orange colored sky..." Have you ever seen one of those sunsets ? Don't you just love them ? wow !

This sweet Silk Tapestry Art Box measures approx: 2 3/4" in diameter x 1 1/2" high with an interior of 1 5/8" in diameter x 1 3/8" high. Its raw silk weight is roughly .9 oz (24 g).

ANiMAL CHARiTY DONATiON
10% of all SILK TAPESTRY BOX sales will be donated to animal charities, notably Team EFA's CHARiTY OF THE MONTH which differs each month. Please visit our team's website to read about this month's charity.

I own some 20 acres up in the mountains where I have planted orchards and floral gardens. Personal funds are put towards helping to sustain this habitat which attracts birds, butterflies, bees, bats, hummingbirds... and it is also a seasonal mating ground for dragonflies ! Twilight is part of a 2,000 acre ranch out in the chaparral wilderness where wild animals still roam.

I provide a home for my animal rescues, create & maintain habitat for wildlife to prosper, support animal welfare through petition & animal advocacy work, donate 10% of my Silk Tapestry Art Box sales to EFA's Charity of the Month, and promote & support Team EFA members through Etsy Treasuries & the EFA blog. My supply shop: BrizelSupplies is a sponsor for EFA's COTM program. I am also Team Captain, Membership & COTM Leader & Blog Editor for Team EFA !

Cloud Original Painting by thebluewindmill

What's a beautiful blue sky without a fluffy white cloud? This original painting is by thebluewindmill.

I serve as the EFA challenge leader, perform service work for animals through petitions, house my own rescue, and help feed the stray animals and wild birds in the neighborhood.

Dove of Peace Art Cards by LolaLynn

This ACEO is dedicated to the belief that all creatures, great and small, can live in peace while sharing our earthly home.

LolaLynn donates a percentage from her shop o EFA 's Charity of the Month Program, Courageous Cats of Malverne, LI, NY and turtle rescue and rehab.

Peacock Painting by ThimbleSparrow

The blues in this lovely Peacock painting by ThimbleSparrow complement the sky perfectly.

I donate regularly to my favorite animal charities as well as donate a portion of the sales from all of my original paintings. I also participate in the Team EFA COTM program.

Sunshine Acrylic Brooch by beckybutton

What makes that sky more beautiful than a bold sun? Bring a little bit of sunshine into your life with this brooch by beckybutton.

Although this specific item does not have a charity donation, many of my other items donate 10% to charity, including my whole Aqua Marina range and my new frog brooches.

Crow Watercolor by KneeDeepOriginals

This piece by KneeDeepOriginals fits the theme not only because its feature is a crow, but also because of the text that I added to the piece, which speaks about the sky and the wind and the life they bring. It's is one of my favorites.

As always, I work diligently within my local community for abandoned, homeless and neglected animals by supporting my local Humane Society (which has nailed down and squashed a couple of puppy mills recently!!) and our animal shelter. Most of my animal art, and some of my other art, benefits these animals and those who work tirelessly for them. And many times when I sing, it benefits the fundraising of animal charities.

Dogs In Planes Blue Bandana by AstridNicoleEtcetera

With dogs flying planes everywhere, the bandana ‘Dogs In Planes’ by AstridNicoleEtcetera fits the theme of July, beautiful sky.

We continue to support the Santa Cruz Humane Society, a euthanasia free animal shelter in Nogales AZ. Our dog Astrid was a guest of theirs at one time. Our desire is that our donations to this shelter will help the dogs live a more dignified life while awaiting loving forever home.

Silky White Chemise by TheAzryllianStar

This chemise by TheAzryllianStar is light as a feather, white as a puffy cloud, and breezy as the wind :)

I donate a portion of my profits to a couple different animal charities, mostly the local spay/neuter program that I have been working with to get our feral cat population under control. And as part of that work, I became a rescue mom to my sweet kitty Liz, and I'm also fostering a sweet old soul, Butterscotch, who came to me sick and starving.

Dreamy Sky Blue Scarf by susannneedlehands

This is one of the softest scarves that susannneedlehands has to offer, in a pale blue and white combination, fuzzy and cloud-like.

I volunteer for Team EFA as the COTM treasury leader, and donate proceeds from my shop sales to the team's Charity of the Month. I also have two rescue kitty "children" at home.

Flying Colors Parrot Art by terikor

The sky is the limit and that is definitely the case for all birds. Birds can fly endlessly through the sky and than stop and take a breather. My acrylic painting, Flying Colors by terikor shows just that as a parrot sits perched on a branch of a tree musing as he decides whether to take off into the sky beyond. This artwork pays homage to our monthly challenge theme by showing the deep connection between birds and the sky.

While on vacation in Hawaii several years ago I took many photographs of Parrots. One of the photos was the inspiration for this acrylic painting. I was intrigued by the colors and how they reflected against the tree and sky.

I chose California Wildlife Center as the charity for Flying Colors because they rescue and rehabilitate birds. Once they are rehabilitated they are released back out into the Wild. Since a bird is the subject matter of my artwork it is only befitting that a charity that promotes the welfare of bird

Turquoise Antique Silver Bracelet by JewelryByScotti

The American Southwest is famous for its beautiful turquoise skies and turquoise gemstones. This one-of-a-kind bracelet by JewelryByScotti celebrates both.

My work for animal charities includes donations to organizations such as Defenders of Wildlife, The Snow Leopard Trust, Big Cat Sanctuary, and Wolf Park. I donate 25% of all jewelry sales to the Humane Society of Central Illinois, where I used to volunteer before I moved to South Carolina.

Beehive Blues Earrings by TashinkaBeadingHeart

Welcome Team EFA newcomer TashinkaBeadingHeart to her first challenge entry with these lovely Beehive Blues earrings that are as colorful as the summer skies.

The topmost bead on this pair of earrings looks like a beehive. Thus, in my listing, I have referenced the immense danger to the survival of bumblebee pollinators with the advent of Colony Collapse Disorder. I think this entry would be great for the team challenge treasury because it not only features an animal element - the beehive - of a sky-flying animal, but also points shoppers to an article educating them about the larger ecological problem that we face with these critical little critters, and other bees as well.

I've been lucky enough to have had some time to volunteer at a local no-kill shelter in the past few years and found it totally rewarding. I could satisfy my craving to know and interact with cats of all "stripes." The only downfall is that I would love to take them all home with me - had a hard time leaving the place at night! I also am guardian to three - at the moment - rescue cats. <3<3<3 My donations to the Michigan Animal Rescue League are 10% of sales. This no-kill shelter is set up in a very poor section of town and I know they need every penny they can get.

Quilled Dragon Embellishment by FairyCardmaker

My paper quilled dragons are modeled after elements of the natural world. This blue on blue dragon by FairyCardmaker is my blue skies dragon. I wish I could soar through a beautiful sky on the back of a winged legend! Don't you?

Certain items in my shop have proceeds going to the Southern Ontario Animal Rescue, which is a small, volunteer-only, foster-basis, dog rescue in my local community. I also teach papercraft classes to my creative companions with proceeds going to this rescue. I have also donated a dog-themed mini scrapbook album annually to the Speaking of Dogs fall online auction, which is another foster-based dog rescue in the Toronto area.

Listen -- Storm Clouds Photo by kellywarrenphotoart

 Look at those beautiful streaks of pink and green in this sky photo print captured by kellywarrenphotoart.

I volunteer with the city of Jacksonville Animal Care and Protective Services photographing their cats and dogs for their website and Facebook page.

Cirrus Clouds 8x10 Print by WoodsEdge

A lovely gathering of cirrus clouds from this summer appears in this print by WoodsEdge.

I donate 10% of all sales to EFA’s COTM, in addition to volunteering for a rescue and writing about animal welfare/rights.