Thornberry Animal Sanctuary is an independent sanctuary in South Yorkshire, which takes in, cares for and rehomes so many cats, dogs, horses, rabbits and other animals each year that have been ill treated or abandoned.

Due to the recent economic situation, the sanctuary which has provided a loving, safe home for many animals that are not able to fend for themselves is now under threat through financial difficulty.  This is such a distressing time for Thornberry because if urgent funding is not found, then the sanctuary may be forced to turn animals away that are in desperate need of a home, or soon might simply have to close all together.

A long time ago, we rescued a collared dove in our garden which had been attacked by a neighbour’s cat.  We brought him in and gave him a home using a cat basket that belongs to one of our indoor cats.  We kept him safe and warm, we even took him to the vets who suggested putting him to sleep.  I suggested that this would not be happening and so we brought Little Bertie, as we named him, back home to rest and recuperate in his little basket.  All life is precious!  We changed his blanket in the cat basket every day and fed him lots of seed, providing him with fresh water and over a period of a few weeks, he eventually recovered.

The vet had suggested putting him to sleep, because his foot had been severely damaged by the cat, and he would not be able to perch and so would not survive in the wild.  Whilst we understood this, there is answer to every situation that we face in life and for Little Bertie, the answer turned out to be Thornberry Animal Sanctuary.  We did some time later rescue another bird, who we found in the road.  On the same day that the sanctuary got back to say that they were unable to take him in, he died.  He seemed like a very old bird and so it was probably his time to move on.

We go to visit Little Bertie whenever we have time at Thornberry as they have a charity shop as well as a cafe where you can have a bite to eat after visiting the animals.  It can be a really nice trip out if you are in the area and love being around animals.  All donations are gratefully received too.

Thornberry also need support in rehoming animals to suitable homes and so needs support in that way too.  Some animals of course are unable to be rehomed and can you imagine what they will have to go through if Thornberry does not attract long standing financial support?  We believe that everything will work out for Thornberry and with sustainable financial support, animals will continue to have a safe place to live.  The volunteers there do a wonderful job taking care of the animals; they are passionate and care about what they do.

We have supported Thornberry since they took in Little Bertie and the most fantastic feeling is when we go to visit and see him in the aviary playing with birds that in the wild, he would never have got to see.  He also has been taken under the wing by the other collared doves.  Little Bertie is the collared dove with the foot that turns inward, in case you ever go to visit.

If you can help Thornberry Animal Sanctuary at all by making a regular donations or by helping out in any way possible, then you will be making a real difference to the lives of all of the animals who live there.

You can make a donation by following this link to Thornberry Animal Sanctuary.

Thornberry also has a Facebook page, Thornberry Animal Sanctuary on Facebook where you can make a difference by sending your friends and family the link, letting them know about Thornberry Animal Sanctuary and their desperate need for long term support.   Also if you are a business owner and are able to offer a service for free to Thornberry or financial support, this would make a huge difference to the animals there.

As animal lovers, we wanted to write this blog to simply increase awareness and to signpost people to help to support animals that need us.  We can each make a difference by making regular donations to help the sanctuary meet is financial needs.

Thank you for taking the time to read all about Thornberry and don’t forget to make a real difference today by helping in any way possible.

This year Easter falls on the 8^th April and over the last couple of days we have been thinking of writing a blog especially for Easter, but a blog that is uplifting and different.

Apart from mentioning the obvious, that we have a perfect selection of exquisite handmade Easter cards, we want to write about the possibility of creating an Easter weekend with a difference.

We are all too busy sometimes rushing through life that we forget to appreciate our own life and the world in which we live.  When was the last time that you did something thoughtful for your partner, a family member or even a stranger?  Come to think of it, when was the last time that you did something thoughtful for yourself?  We know that we really have to pull ourselves up about this sometimes because it can be so easy to get wrapped up everyday things, forgetting what really matters.

What about fun?  When was the last time that you set aside time to have fun?  We all deserve some time out to do the things that we enjoy, but so often we put our own enjoyment to one side in an attempt to please others, or in order to do those so called ‘chores’.  Life is about loving yourself enough to take time out do all the important things that we enjoy, as when we are happy, we are better equipped to enrich the life of others.  Be that family, friends, work colleagues or total strangers, we all have the right to be happy and to enjoy life.

We have been thinking about how nowadays we seem to take so much for granted, our loved ones, our work and our homes and how sad this is when there is so much to be thankful for and so much fun to be had.  We were pondering about what this blog was going to be about, when all of a sudden it came to us.  What if we were to turn Easter 2012 into the most fun time yet that we have had this year, creating a truly Happy Easter?

Our philosophy in life is that we should live every second enjoying what we do and what we have, from our chosen career, to our home and our relationships.  Every day of our life can be about making a real difference to our own life and the life of all those we come into contact with.  Having almost completed a book on the subject, we felt compelled to share our Happy Easter idea with the world via our blog.

Now the big moment, what exactly is it that we are thinking?  Well that is pretty simple really, we are proposing that we all use the Easter period to reflect upon all the wonderful things that are already part of our life, who we are and where we are heading.

The challenge this Easter for everyone reading this blog is to make Easter 2012 the most enjoyable Easter you have ever had.  A Happy Easter Challenge!

To do this all you need to do is……….

Take a small piece of paper and list each of the four days from Good Friday to Easter Monday and then write next to each day three things that you would really like to do that you think would be fun.

Then next to the list of fun things to do, list three things that you could do that would help another person.

Now during the Easter period, make sure that each day you are getting through your list and the end result is that you will be having a happy Easter yourself, as well as encouraging others to be having a happy Easter period too.

Try our Happy Easter Challenge 2012 and make this Easter the most happy and enjoyable yet.  You deserve it!

With Mother’s Day fast approaching, we all want to make this year the best yet for our mum.  We have so many beautiful Mother’s Day cards to choose from and so you will be sure to find something special for your mum from our amazing selection of handmade Mother’s Day cards.

Choosing the right gift to go with your card can be difficult and so we have put together some gift ideas that will hopefully provide you with some inspiration for Mother’s Day 2012.

Flowers: Most mums love flowers and with Interflora or Marks and Spencer at hand, they can deliver something really special to your mum in time for Mother’s Day.  It has become fashionable lately for younger professionals to shop in Marks and Spencer and so buying flowers with the Marks and Spencer branding will go a long way, it also typifies quality and they really do have some beautiful flowers.

Afternoon Tea: Lastminute.com offer afternoon tea for two at The Ritz, providing a special treat that your mum will never forget.  For around ninety four pounds, afternoon tea for two can be enjoyed in this exclusive establishment, where a formal dress code applies.  I must admit that this is a really lovely idea and if you are able to get to London easily or live in the area, afternoon tea at The Ritz is well worth the money.   This gift could also be used in conjunction with a weekend away perhaps for you and your mum or for both of your parents.  Whatever you decide to do, this will make a truly unique gift.

Gardening with the Eden Project’s horticultural team: If your mum loves gardening, why not treat her to this truly fantastic gift where she can get to work with the Eaden team.  This wonderful experience can be enjoyed by your mum on her own for ninety nine pounds or both you and your mum can work together on this special day for one hundred and seventy five pounds.  The experience includes your lunch, a gift to take home as well as a certificate.  This gift is perfect for your mum is she is a keen gardener and again this is quite a unique gift idea.  Have a good look at the Eden website for more details as it looks like such an interesting and rewarding experience for your mum.

A hot air balloon ride: If your mum has a head for heights perhaps a hot air balloon ride with Virgin would be a really lovely gift for her.  There are over one hundred launch sites available throughout the UK and so there is a good chance that your mum would be able to take a balloon ride from a site not too far from where she lives.  There is the option of purchasing a beautiful woven black basket which contains mouthwatering Belgian chocolates as well as a bottle of Diamont Royale Blanc de Blancs Brut sparkling white wine.  This would make for a truly unforgettable experience for mum and so take a look at the Virgin website and see what you think.

Dinner and a show: Why not take your mum out on Mother’s Day to see a show.  It is a lovely idea and with so many shows to choose from, Manchester makes for the perfect destination on this special day.   Perhaps you could combine a shopping trip with dinner and a show?  Manchester is a brilliant place for shopping, eating out and for entertainment with its fabulous array of theatres, you truly can not loose.

Whilst we are not responsible for any of the content that can be viewed on the websites that we have suggested, there are some fantastic ideas for Mother’s Day 2012.  Your mum deserves the best, so why not show your appreciation to her by making this special day truly magical for her.

There are so many ways in which we can do this and whilst some of the gift ideas above might be a little unusual and expensive, there are also lots of inexpensive ways in which we can show our mums how much we love them.   Chocolates and flowers never cease to bring joy and endless smiles on Mother’s Day and also letters.

A beautiful handwritten letter, letting mum know just how much she is loved and appreciated can be a nice idea and this will certainly be something that she will want to treasure forever.  What I am saying is that there are endless ways in which we can show our appreciation and they all do no not have to cost vast amounts of money.

Whatever it is that you decide to do for your mum or guardian, it will be appreciated and so let the ideas flow as you come up with a special gift that will mean something to her.

Good luck with finding the perfect gift!

For the past few weeks we have been working on a new collection of handmade wedding cards and are delighted to finally have them available.  This collection is called ‘The Love Heart Collection’ named after the abundance of hearts that make up the card.  With these cards we have a variety of accent colours so they can be tied in to the wedding theme of the lucky couple.

The colours available include red, black, pale blue, royal blue, yellow, orange, silver grey, blackcurrent, ivory and pale pink.. take a look for yourself below!

It’s come around to that time again (seems only a short while ago since we wrote the last one) to declare which of our handmade Valentine’s day cards was the most popular for 2012.  For two years running it has been our Luxury ‘Forever Yours’ card, but this year it’s all change!

For 2012, our Valentine’s card of the season is another one of our luxury cards – ‘Eros’.  This card was very popular this year and overtook the others by quite a large margin.  With bundles of ribbon and a beautiful layered heart centerpiece, this card is a real delight.  Many chose to keep the words on the front the standard text and wrote their own romantic message inside.

However you spent yesterday, we hope that you have a lovely time and remember that it doesn’t have to be Valentine’s day to make a special effort with your loved one – show you love daily with loving gestures and words!

We have now made available the final two handmade wedding anniversary cards to complete our luxury Cherish Collection.  Our handmade 35th coral wedding anniversary card,  ‘Coral Wedding’ utilises a beautiful coral grosgrain ribbon and padparadscha Swarovski crystals.

Our handmade 65th blue sapphire wedding anniversary card, ‘Blue Sapphire’ boasts sapphire Swarovski crystals and royal blue satin ribbon.

Perfect for sending to someone close to you on their special day or to your own husband or wife, these cards will provide a lovely keepsake.  For those fortunate to reach so many years of marriage why not mark the day with a special personalised card and help keep that love alive!

We start this year with the introduction of our very first handmade photo greeting cards.  Creating these cards has been so exciting for us and we only hope that you will be just as excited when you are choosing your special photo for the centrepiece.

We have started with a photo card for Valentine’s Day called ‘Eternal Gift’, and two birthday cards, ‘TV Magic’ and ‘In The Frame’.  These of course can be tailored for other occasions if you wish with the alteration of the words.

We are currently working on more photo cards to increase our collection, but for now we hope you enjoy the ones available.

We wish you all a very happy Christmas and a warm and prosperous New Year.  May 2012 bring you everything that you wish for.  Thank you for your custom.

Another set of handmade birthday cards have been released over the last couple of days making now a total of 35 birthday cards on the website to choose from.

‘Birthday Celebration’ features a funky circle backing decorated with crystals and a looped satin ribbon bow.  With these cards, you can add your own birthday age making them totaly unique to the recipient.  This card is available in a blue scheme and a brown scheme.

Our ‘Gift Wrapped’ range now also has three new additions – each one boasting a modern striped backing and the usual personalised name tag.  These cards come in yellow, blue and green, providing a wonderful choice.

With Christmas approaching we have been thinking about how lucky we are to have our two wonderful little cats, Danny and Ben.  Danny was adopted by us from the RSPCA back in 2009 when we decided that it was time for us to add a new edition to the family and change the life of an animal in need.  We decided to take a look at the RSPCA website because is seemed to us like the best place to find a cat that had got off to a difficult start and so would need a loving home.  We saw Danny and it was love at first sight.  Danny stood out with his beautiful eyes, which held so much wisdom and his sad expression, from which we could see just how life had let him down.  We knew instinctively that he was going to be the little one for us and so arranged a visit.

We arrived at the RSPCA during the period of heavy snow that we had in South Yorkshire in 2009 and went into the reception area and mentioned that we had been the people who had sent an email enquiry about Danny.  We were taken to see him and from the second we met, we could see, as could the RSPCA staff that he was the one for us.  He walked over to us and wanted to be stroked and loved.  One of the young ladies who had walked us over to the building where the cats lived said that Danny had never shown this type of affection to anyone else who had been to visit him before, not even the staff at the centre.

After visiting Danny a number of times so that he was able to get to know us, and having had the inspection visit, we arrived to collect him from the RSPCA to take him with us to his new home, with us his new family.  During that period before we came to collect him, all we could do was think about getting him into our lovely home and giving to him all the love that he had been missing.  We remember not being able to sleep during this period, simply wishing that he was here with us.  The time eventually past and he came home in the snow.  We let him out of his cat basket and he went behind the living room furniture to hide.

It took Danny many months to come out of his shell and has taken him the last few years to turn from a nervous little lad, to a confident, fun loving little guy who loves his food and who asks for a love and a stroke, even a brush when he wants one.  He loves attention and loves to be brushed, with a dog brush we might add.  He is so confident and we can honestly say that it has been the most rewarding thing that we have ever done.  Giving a life long loving home is such a wonderful gift to offer to an animal that needs a new start, some love and the chance to see human beings in another light, giving love instead of cruelty.

Animals teach us wisdom that I am afraid to say most human beings in their everyday life have lost.  They teach us all about the true meaning of love, without conditions and offer us the ability to share in the magic and joy the can only come from giving and receiving love.

It is now Danny’s third Christmas with us and with every year that passes, we learn new things about him and I know that he learns so much about us too.

Adopting an animal is not a step that should be taken lightly.  For instance, animals need a loving and stable home in order to be happy, just as we human beings do.  An unstable home where arguments and unhappiness rule is an unsuitable place for an animal who just wants to give and receive love.  Ask yourself, am I ready for the commitment that is involved in taking care of another life, is my home a suitable place to house a new addition?  Any cat or dog that comes into a home that is unhappy will be unhappy.  Fill your home with permanent love, happiness and laughter, that’s the way animals thrive.

Another thing that people tend not to think about when wanting an animal such as a cat, is that if they live on a busy road and the cat is an outdoor cat, they are putting that animal in unnecessary danger.  If you do live in a busy place, after making your home as secure as possible, maybe an indoor cat is a wonderful option.  Indoor cats and children might not be the best way forward also and so again, thought is important.

Remember the commitment aspect; dogs need lots of attention and need walking many times a day in order for them to be healthy and happy.  They need lots of love, cuddles and playing time too.  Cats need feeding, play time and cuddle time also.  People make the assumption that cats are independent and so need less looking after, but this is not the case.  They still need just as much care and attention, if they are to be happy.

Some people think that it is fashionable to buy animals that are of the exclusive variety.  Unless you are prepared for the extra love and work that goes into offering a permanent home to such an animal, do not go down this route.  It is selfish to want an animal simply as a status symbol.  To bring an animal into your life simply to show off is not coming from a place of love.

Read up about the type of cat or dog that you are thinking of offering a loving home to.  Perhaps even have an appropriate first aid book that you can refer to once you do give a new home to a cat or a dog in need.

Don’t be afraid to visit the cat or dog that you will be adopting many times before they actually come to live with you.  It will allow you the chance to get to know one another and will enable them to settle in better when they do arrive at your home.  Adopting a pet is not like buying a new outfit, which you can take back to the shop if you find you do not like it.  Adopting an animal involves so many emotions and it is cruel to build up their hopes only to have them shattered.

Cats may occasionaly scratch furnature, while dogs may have the odd accident  if they are unwell or have been left alone for a long time.  That is part and parcel of loving and looking after an animal.  You would not shout at a baby for having an accident and so why would you shout at an animal or put them out on the streets through not being capable in the first place of offering a loving home.  It is not the animals fault, it is the owners!

If you feel that adopting an animal is a great idea and you feel that you have the qualities necessary and that your home will be a suitable place, then brilliant.  If however reading this blog has made you think a little deeper, then perhaps you could regularly visit a dog or cat that is unable to be rehomed, but can receive visitors at the centre where they are living.

Support charities like Dogs Trust, Cats Protection and the RSPCA as well as other brilliant organizations who work tirelessly in order to take care of animals.  We sponsor a dog with Dogs Trust as well as supporting the RSPCA and the wonderful work that they do.

Another thing to consider is do you like going away on lots of holidays?  Cats and dogs are a life long commitment and even though there are catteries and kennels, animals prefer nothing more than their own surroundings and their own loving owners.  Would you like to be put into new surroundings three times or more times during the course of a year?  We would not and so we do not expect our boys to have to.  Is there someone who you trust who could come to stay with your cat or dog whilst you are away, this is a really good option as it means that everyone is a winner.

Christmas should be a time of great joy for all animals, remember that by giving a home to an animal, you can truly make a difference to their life, but only do this is you are in it for the long haul.  Imagine the hurt and pain an animal must feel when they are neglected, ill-treated and abandoned.  Life is about love – pure and simple.  Assess whether or not you have the love and commitment to offer a life long home to an animal and if so, embark upon the most rewarding experience of your life, theirs too!