Awards and apologies!

Sorry I haven't blogged this week - I have been so busy and the time has just slipped away!

After trying to catch up a bit with my blog, I was reading the comments when I released that THREE PEOPLE had nominated me for an award!! :D I was literally so excited (and still am!) so thank you so much to the three following people for giving me the award - you made my day!

Daisy and Cress the guinea sisters

Speedy the cheeky house bunny

Peace, love & whiskers

Now for the awards!

I was nominated twice for the 'Sisterhood of the World, Bloggers Award', by Speedy the cheeky house bunny and Peace, love & whiskers. Thank you!

Rules for this award:

1. Provide a link and thank the blog who nominated you.
2. Answer 10 Questions.
3. Nominate 10 to 12 blogs you love.
4. Provide links to the nominated blogs and let them know they been nominated for this award.
5. Include the log of the award with in you post.

Now for the 10 questions!:

1. Your favourite non alcoholic drink?
   I am too young to drink alcohol anyway, but my favourite drink is probably chocolate milkshake, or apple juice.
   
2. Facebook or Twitter?
   Facebook - I find twitter a bit creepy when random people follow you...
   
3. Your Favourite Pattern?
   Not sure...?
   
4. Do you prefer giving or getting presents?
   I love giving presents - I love finding the perfect present and watching their face when they open it!
   
5. Your Favourite number?
   7 or 8.
   
6. Your Favourite day of the week?
   Saturday.
   
7. Your favourite flower?
   Snowdrops.
   
8. What is your passion?
   Hard one! I think probably blogging and designing on the computer... Plus arty stuff and instagram.. I love creative things! (+animals!)
   
9. Your favourite animal?
   Probably a donkey or red panda.. or a hamster of course! I love all animals really!
   
10. Your favourite colour?
    Turquoise, though I love purple too.

I was also nominated for the following award, by Daisy and Cress the guinea sisters. Thank you so much!

Rules for this award:

1. Visit and thank the blogger who nominated you.
2. Acknowledge that blogger on your blog and link back to them.
3. Answer the 5 simple questions. (see below)
4. Nominate up to 20 blogs for the award and notify each of them. (see below)
5. Display the award on your blog somewhere.

Now for the 5 questions!:

1. If you could change one thing, what would you change?
   I would stop wars and poverty and stuff.. Then no-one would have to suffer. :)
   
2. If you could repeat an age, what would it be? any year?
   I would go back to when I was a toddler, cause I can hardly remember anything!
   
3. What is one thing that really scares you?
   Horror movies, and I am really creeped out by lobsters long feeler things... I don't really know why...
   
4. What is one dream you have not completed, and do you think you’ll be able to complete it?
   I would love to do something to do with product design when I am older, and only time will tell whether I will be able to complete it ;)
   
5. If you could be someone else for one day, who would it be?
   Ohhh, I don't know! I never really thought about it before! ;)

Now for our nominees!

We have decided to nominate 12 blogs, but I am nominating them for both of the two awards! (for the three of you who gave me an award, you can just have the opposite award to the one you gave if you want)

Congratulations to:

1. Pawsitively Pets
2. GLOGIRLY
3. All Things Guinea-Pig
4. Fluffy Toughie
5. Terrier Torrent
6. Kosmos Si Azra
7. Fabulous Fur Friends
8. The Saturday PhotoHunt
9. The Things I Make and Create
10. Daisy and Cress the guinea sisters
11. Speedy the cheeky house bunny
12. Peace, love & whiskers

Have a great weekend, and congratulations to all of the blogs I nominated + thank you so much to everyone for nominating me!

BlogSHOUT: Daisy and Cress the guinea sisters

Today I want to do a shout out to a new blog, called 'Daisy and Cress the guinea sisters'. The blog is about two guinea pigs, called Daisy and Cress (who'd of guessed? ;) ) and has updates on their life, toy ideas, photos, facts about guinea pigs, and care advice.

This blog was only started on the 4th of January this year, and needs a little step-up into the blogging world so that more people can discover it.

The information and pictures on the blog are great - we just need to spread the word so that more people can find it and start following.

If you like animal blogs, or guinea pig blogs, then this is the blog for you.

 Cress                                 Daisy and Cress                                 Daisy

A bit about Cress:

"I like to explore things and am always the first to try out the new tunnel! I also am amazed by music, and like to watch people paint and draw. My favourite foods are grass, celery and dandelion leaves. I like hiding and running up peoples sleeves! Although I like being stroked, I do not like it when I am lifted up from the ground and I try to run away."

A bit about Daisy:

"I may look cute on the picture, but really I am fierce, because I am the dominant guinea pig. I have to make sure Cress is behaving!
My favourite thing to do is eat- anything! Especially celery. As soon as I hear the knife in the kitchen cutting food, I wheek as loud as I can! And start leaping everywhere! If you're not careful, I'll eat you too! Only joking! Ha ha!"

I really do reccommend that you go and check out this blog. It may not have been going for long, but I think this is already becoming a truly great blog.

Visit here: Daisy and Cress the guinea sisters

All images used are from the Daisy and Cress the guinea sisters blog.

Animal Tails Blog Award Ceremony 2012

I have decided to do a 'blog of the year' award for different categories.

This is where I will award badges for blogs I think have been really great throughout 2012, and deserve some credit.

There are 7 different awards,but one blog can be nominated for multiple awards!

If you win an award, please link it back to this blog/post if you choose to display it on your blog, as then if any readers want to see the other awards or the shortlisted blogs from clicking on your badge, then they can. I hope this isn't too much of an inconvenience for anyone! :/

Categories: Best Hamster Blog Award 2012 Best Blog Design Award 2012 Best Informative Pet Blog Award 2012 Best Blog Photos Award 2012 Most Promising Blog Award 2012 Best Other Pet Blog Award 2012

Shortlisted Blogs (inc. winners!): Hamster Diaries Fluffy Toughie Pawsitively Pets Glogirly Pudding & Parfait All Things Guinea Pig The Saturday PhotoHunt Kosmos Si Azra Fabulous Fur Friends Speedy the cheeky house bunny Terrier Torrent

The winner of our first trophy today is the owner of a hamster blog.

There was one runner up, which was
Fluffy Toughie! Congratulations!

But the winner today has a truly super blog, and posts every day. She hosts regular photos and stories of her hammies, and she is truly dedicated to her blog. She also holds many audience participation events such as photo galleries and contests.

So put your hands together for our winner, Hamster Diaries!

She truly deserves the prize, and she receives the super-cool trophy/red carpet badge for her blog! Congratulations!

A bit of colour in my life...

So yesterday I went to Wisely Gardens for my Granny's birthday.

It was a bit nippy, but I loved it all the same. The flowers are beautiful, and the greenhouse had lots of amazing plants: including flowers and cacti.

I know it is completely unrelated to hamsters, but I thought my readers wouldn't mind a slight diversion in topic - do you? ;)

I have attached my 3 favourite photos, but I will be posting more photos on ~Photographer's Eye~ throughout the week, so visit there if you want to see more!

 

All photos taken by me. These images are copyright - to use these images you must contact me (hannah_animal_tales@yahoo.com). More information is at the bottom of this blog.

 

Sorry for the completely random topic! Will be back to posts about hamsters tomorrow!

 

Christmas Presents for Hamster-Lovers

I was having a look for some cool, hamster-related Christmas presents a while ago, and I found this great hamster top!

(I have actually asked for it for Christmas)

I love the design, and the hamster is so cute! It is $24.00 / £15.50 not inc. P&P, and it is from 'bubbledog' on Etsy, and they have a whole set of hamster-themed things you can get, including stationary, badges, clothes - you name it!

I have picked out a few of my favourites to share with you on my blog, but if you want to have a look at more hamstery things, then visit their hamster-themed section of their shop!

        

The Hamster Pillows are $16.00 / ~£10.50 each.

The Hamster Badges (Set of 9) are $8.00 / ~£5.59.

The Hamster Stationary Set is $9.00 / ~£6.00.

Hope you like this post! I love this Etsy store, so I thought I would share it :)

Pet Blogger Gift Exchange

I have joined the 'Pet Blogger Gift Exchange'! It is where you and another blogger pair up, and leave comments under each other's blogs and help more people find your blog.

If you are a pet blogger, you should really consider joining! It is a great opportunity for meeting more animal bloggers, and making some 'blog friends'.

"Dozens of pet bloggers are exchanging the best gifts ever: encouragement, compliments, and a little bit of link love.

Stop back here through January 6 to read about your favorite pet blogs and to discover new ones."

I have been paired with Fabulous Fur Friends on wordpress, and she writes a wonderful blog about her dogs and other animal related things.

All pictures from Fabulous Fur Friends blog.

If you haven't read Fabulous Fur Friends before, I recommend you do cause it's a great blog! It has loads of cute pictures and great things you can get for/do with your dog!

Interview with Ann from Pawsitively Pets

Today, I bring you an interview with Ann from Pawsitively Pets blog. Pawsitively Pets is a great blog for animal lovers, and if you don't read it I really recommend you go and check it out! It has lots of information on lots of animals, including care, funny posts and caption contests, interviews, giveaways and much more!

Ann was a pleasure to do an interview with, and she has had some really interesting jobs in her time... She says: 'I have worked with a lot of weird animals... a swan, a baby goose, a mongoose, vulture... some things I'd have to Google the names of because I can't even remember their names...' - How cool is that? She was also a  veterinary technician for five years, so the information she gives about animal care can be relied upon. She knows what she's talking about, put it that way!

So, onto the interview:

What made you start a blog?

I stopped working as a Vet Tech in February of 2012 five days before I had my second daughter, Violet. I became extremely bored with no hobbies, or money for hobbies for that matter. I've always enjoyed writing since I was a child and started to do some research. That's how I learned about blogging. I think now I might be addicted. 

How did you decide on the name ‘Pawsitively Pets’ for your blog?

I wanted something catchy and cute. At first, I thought of Pawesome Pets, but didn't really like the way that one spelled out for some reason. So I decided on Pawsitively instead. 

What would you like to achieve through blogging?

I can say that I've already achieved my first goal - finding a free hobby that keeps me occupied. I would love to be able to expand my reach to large numbers of readers. 

If someone were to ask you one thing you wanted your blog to do (e.g. inform people), what would it be?

I think I would want for my blog to entertain people the most. Informing readers is also a high priority on my list. I love informing people about ways to help their pets. It was one of my favorite things to as a vet tech. Many people were unsure of how to take care of their exotic pets especially and I feel like I was able to give them essential information about their pet's health. Through blogging, I am able to continue doing this. 

Favourite blogs?

I've come across so many wonderful blogs since I began blogging. There are some that I absolutely love and have found great inspiration from. Glogirly - Tails of a Cat & Her Girls (http://glogirly.com/), Cat Chat (http://opcatchat.blogspot.com/), and Stunning Keisha (http://www.stunningkeisha.com) are a few of my favorites right now. It's so hard to choose though! I follow so many great blogs... including this one. Animal Tails is one of the first blogs I started to follow. 

 Visit Here                        Visit Here                          Visit Here

What are the animal related jobs you have done? Favourites?

I worked as a veterinary technician for five years. I graduated from a veterinary assisting college program prior to starting my career. I quickly found my passion for working with birds, reptiles, and small mammals when I became the main technician for a board certified avian veterinarian and exotic pet specialist. Of course, I do love working with cats and dogs too. I will return to this field of work again one day. 

What are your main interests?

Of course, animals. Particularly exotic pets. Aside from that though, I have always enjoyed playing video games. I love the Final Fantasy series of RPG video games. They are my favorite. I'm also pretty good at DJ Hero! I also enjoy music. I absolutely love EDM music. EDM stands for "electronic dance music" and has many genres most of which I like. I enjoy going to music events to see performers, although I don't get to do this much anymore. 

What are your favourite parts of blogging? Community/Photography/interview etc.

So far, I've really enjoyed getting to meet some awesome people and anipals on the internet. I don't really have the right equipment for photography, but I like to edit photos. I don't have photoshop, but it's on my wishlist! 

What is your favourite animal?

I'm not sure I know the answer to this question! I have a lot of favorite animals so it's hard to pick just one. How about I tell you the kinds of animals that scare me the most... No offense to these animals, but they have a reputation for being naughty at the vet's office. The animals that scare me the most are sugar gliders, prarie dogs, and squirrels. 

Pets?

I have a 9 year old pit bull named "Shiner". She's named Shiner because she has one black eye. I've had her since she was a puppy. I also have a girl rat named "Nibblet" who I got back in September for my birthday. She is my first rat and she's awesome! 

Do your pets get on well together?

Actually they do! I know it's a strange pair but Shiner likes to sniff and lick Nibblet. Nibblet doesn't really seem to mind and she just sits still for her. Nibblet usually is the one who goes over to Shiner first to play.

I must say a big thank you to Ann for letting me interview her and being so willing and helpful. I really enjoyed this interview and putting this post together! Be sure to visit Ann at Pawsitively Pets so you can learn more about animals and have fun. Her blog is really great, so you should definitely at least have a look!

Photos of the Pawsitively Pets banner, Shiner, and Nibblet are all taken by Ann, so thanks for letting me share them!

I have recieved the Novemeber 'Best Blog Award'!

I have been given November's 'Best Blog Award' from Hamster Diaries!!! YAY :D

 

I was literally so excited when I read the post and found out that I was the winner, that I cancelled my pre-scheduled post for today and wrote this one instead!

 

I love Hamster Diaries so much - I don't come across hamster blogs as good as this very often! I also have visited the blogs who have won the Best Blog Award for different months and I loved them! I always wished that I could get an award like that one day, but I never actually thought I would!

 

I even got an adorable badge to put on my blog! Yay! I have put it below and in the sidebar of my blog. I love it!

 

 

Thank you so much ChaoticScribbles for badge and for giving me the award! And thank you for such kind words about my blog (this post)! I feel truly honoured, especially seeing as your blog is so good, and all of the other winners from previous month's are really good too!

 

If you don't already read Hamster Diaries, then I recommend you go check it out cause it is fricking amazing! If you like this blog you'll love Hamster Diaries. You also get to meet three adorable hamsters: Dexter, Casper and Eve. They are the cutest things! (along with Willow ;) )

 

CLICK HERE TO VISIT HAMSTER DIARIES

 

 

Super Sweet Blogging Award!

Hope everyone is having a great Tuesday! I've been nominated for the "Super Sweet Blogging Award"! I am so excited! Thank you to Pawsitively Pets for nominating me! I really appreciate it. Be sure to visit her blog, it covers everything - all sorts of animals and information, with a great deal of wit and humour!

Now, I am have to answer a few questions about myself...

1. Cookies or Cake?

Ohhhhhh... Hard choice - I love both! I would probably say triple chocolate cookies are my favourite, but my Granny makes the most amazing chocolate cake... Hard choice! I think I'll just have to leave it at both!

2. Chocolate or Vanilla?

I like chocolate the best in cookies and cakes probably, though vanilla cupcakes with icing on are really good too... 

3. What is your favorite sweet treat?

I would probably say Cadbury's dairy milk chocolate yogurts... YUM. They are chocolate yogurts with pieces of flake/buttons etc. that you put inside them... A bit like Muller yogurt pots if you don't know what the Cadbury's ones are.

4. When do you crave sweet things the most?

I kind of just have random cravings... If I am stressed I eat more chocolate though ;)

5. If you had a sweet nickname, what would it be?

I don't have a sweet nickname, but I used to be nicknamed 'Hannah Banana' (Quite like Ann's nickname, who was the person who nominated me from Pawsitively Pets!)

My nominees for the award...

I am supposed to nominate 13 other blogs for this sweet award, but I am just going to nominate 10, cause these are the main blogs I follow. Although I follow many blogs, most of them already have it, but I thought I would just re-nominate them anyway.

Cavy Savvy - Guinea Pig Blog

FLUFFY TOUGHIE - Hamster Blog

Hamster Diaries - Hamster Blog

Bobo the hamster - Hamster Blog

Waiting for 2 Corinthians 1:20 - Bunny Blog

Confessions of a Hamsterholic - Hamster Blog

Cheek Pouches - Hamster Blog

Bunny Blog - can you guess what that's about? ;)

Cally Jane Studio - Art/Illustration Blog

Dare to bee creative... - Art/card-making Blog

I would also nominate Pawsitively Pets, but I can't really as she already has it and she was the one who nominated me!

I know some people really hate these cause they think it's silly, so I don't mind if you are nominated and don't want to do it! And thank you once again to Ann from Pawsitively Pets for nominating me!

Pepper's Paws Hartz Angry Birds Giveaway!

Today I found a great giveaway happening at Pepper's Paws blog. I thought it was a great giveaway so I decided to do a post about it on my blog here too!

You get the chance to win some great Angry Birds toys for your pet!

It is really simple to enter, so click here to visit the site.

Pictures taken from Pepper's Paws.

"One lucky Pepper's Paws reader will win their very own set of  all 4 Holiday Angry Birds from Hartz!!"

Unfortunately this giveaway is open to US residents only, but I thought I would write a post about it anyway even though I can't enter.

It is easy to enter, and is powered by Rafflecopter. It ends in nine days, so enter now!

If you want to win these cool prizes, CLICK HERE to enter!

BlogSHOUT: Hamster Diaries

So, I have decided to do a BlogSHOUT, which is basically where I will recommend a blog which I think you should read, then I'll write a bit about the blog and what I think about it- then if you want you can visit it!

So, I have decided to do a BlogSHOUT on ChaoticScribbles' 'Hamster Diaries'.

There aren't very many hamster blogs out there, as it is quite a specific topic, and not all people are as passionate about hamsters as I am, but this blog is a truly AMAZING blog about hamsters- with all sorts of information, polls, giveaways and adorable hamster pictures on it. It really is a blog worth reading. ;)

This blog is on WordPress not on blogger, but even if you don't have a WordPress account I would still thoroughly recommend having a read of this blog.

I don't know how I found this blog, as I don't usually go on WordPress, but I am so glad I did!

ChaoticScribbles has also kindly done a BlogSHOUT for Animal tails :)
Click here or the picture to read it.

She has three absolutely beautiful Syrian hamsters- Casper, Eve and Dexter. I have always thought that Lolly and Willow were the cutest hamsters ever, but I can see that Casper, Dexter and Eve are all super-adorable too! They're all so photogenic too!

ChaoticScribbles writes her blog with such a good sense of humor  and her posts just make you want to read more! ChaoticScribbles' pictures of her hamsters are truly amazing too - she could be a photographer!

ChaoticScribble even designs her own adorable bags, which you can buy for £5 on her esty store (free shipping to the UK)! If you read her blog you can get a discount... (hope that lured you in even more!)

Overall, this blog has everything... - Informative posts, polls, jokes, photos, specially designed bags... and even a riddle every Sunday! Really, what more could you ask for?

CLICK HERE TO VISIT HAMSTER DIARIES