In Honor of Michele, our Team Leader...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MiCHELE !

Michele Erez is one of the founding members and leader of EFA, Etsy for Animals. This month, on October the 5th, she is celebrating her 30th birthday and all of us on the Team want to pay a special tribute to her for this milestone.

Michele is an accomplished vegan artist and teacher from California currently living in Israel. There she teaches art and english to both kids and adults. She recently celebrated her first anniversary with her husband Eyal and their two beloved kitties, Mosie and Tala.

Last year, they fostered and helped raise Whiskey a yellow lab who has since moved on to a guide dog program where he will be trained to be a supportive pal to someone in need.

It takes a special person indeed to open ones heart and then let go of an animal you've made a part of your family in order to help someone else. Michele is that kind of person.

To only say she is artistically talented is an understatement and only reveals part of the overall scope of her gifts but it should be mentioned that she has a BFA in Painting and an MAT in Art Education from the Rhode Island School of Design. Michele is also gifted with a generous and unselfish spirit that touches all those who she comes into contact with.

Each day, she brings us a creative and positive energy and is a bright light shining in defense of animals. She works tirelessly not only in her positions with EFA (Team Leader, Membership Director, Yahoo Coordinator) but also leading on EFA's Facebook to draw attention to the plight of all animals in need worldwide... from the smallest chic on an industrial farm... to the many endangered species brought to the brink by human encroachment on their habitats... to animals sitting in shelters that have been mistreated or neglected or put in harms way by the forces of nature, like the recent earthquake in Haiti or the Gulf Oil Disaster. Michele is always at the forefront leading the charge to bring relief !

Michele's heart is big enough to include several causes for which she donates time and effort. She also is deeply concerned about the environment and supports veganism as a means to restoring balance and putting an end to the inhumane practices of industrial animal production methods that engage in intolerable cruelty and suffering and also have devastating consequenses to the earth and all living things.

Michele's Etsy shop, mvegan5, is filled with animal imagery through and through- she calls them: 'Animal Friendly Creations'. To quote Michele herself: "My artwork and jewelry are inspired by my love of animals and nature. I paint and draw images of animals, hoping to express and share my love for nature and all living things. I also love to create jewelry from vintage and found pieces, turning them into something new, wearable, and beautiful."

She not only heads up our team and devotes countless hours to making sure things flow smoothly, she also donates 10% or more of her sales to EFA, and participates in the other teams she is also a member of, some of which include:

Etsy for Charity: http://etsyforcharity.etsy.com
Handmade4Hounds: http://handmade4hounds.etsy.com
Vegan Etsy http://veganetsy.blogspot.com
Cruelty Free Etsy crueltyfreeetsy.blogspot.com
CCCOE: http://californiacraftersclubonetsy.blogspot.com
EtsyVeg: http://etsyveg.blogspot.com
EcoEtsy: http://ecoetsy.blogspot.com
SFEtsy: http://sfetsy.blogspot.com

Her creations may be found helping charities at:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/mvegan5

http://etsyforcharity.etsy.com

http://handmade4hounds.etsy.com

http://brynnalex.etsy.com

In short... Michele is an inspiration to us all !

Click HERE to visit her Etsy shop

Thank you, Michele, we love you :)

Have the best birthday ever...

we are so glad to be part of your team !!

Written by Carol of faeriegood