everything has its place.

I adore organization. I like the idea of everything having a home. Buckets, baskets, bins, boxes, compartments, labels. I am not saying I am always good at keeping everything organized, but I love the concept and I have fun getting everything to be just so. This is not lost on our household's dog and cat gear.
I get a oodles of joy from organizing our dog and cat "this and that." Directly inside the main door to our home is a shelving unit stacked with bins, baskets, and jars filled with all things fuzzy friend.

The top shelf is reserved for all things edible. The jars house kibble, biscuits, rawhide and other treats. The clang of the top of any glass jar is enough to bring on the pitter-patter of paws (canine and feline alike) or the clambering of bodies slipping and sliding on the hardwood floor, depending on how drowsy the gang is on any given day. It is all so Pavlovian. (Cue the drooling.)

Move down a shelf and you will find the land of the leashes. We have every kind of leash known to dogkind. Short, long, rugged, fancy, retractable, regular clip, outfitted with poop bags. I am a bit of a leash hog. In addition to having all kinds- some of which are necessary and others which are totally frivolous- they can be found in baskets, buckets, cars, and they have even been known to travel in my purse. Along with a stash of poo bags. I'm always prepared. Also on that shelf one can find a bucket filled with a mish-mash of necessities- poop bags, tick removers, blinking lights for collars. And next to that, Sherm's corner: A bucket of snuggle buddies, without which Sherm cannot sleep, and a small dish of medication to control his seizures. A very important corner of a shelf on many levels.
Then of course there is the bucket of grooming supplies, basket of extra collars, and a bucket full of tennis balls. We can never, ever run out of those. Sherm and Bpui would stage a protest. We go through them awfully quickly as many dog families do.

Lastly, the bottom shelf is home to two bags- a doggie bath bag and a doggie first aid bag. They were given to me by some friends as a birthday gift. I was thrilled. I thought it was one of the coolest gifts ever. I love receiving gifts that I can share with my dogs! I am also the type of person who, given the choice of buying myself a new sweater or heading to the local pet store and buying the dogs something new, I would undoubtedly choose to purchase a new bed, bag of rawhide, toy, or what-have-you for the dogs and cats in our house. And then I would find a bucket to put it in.

Ps. I misused a word in my last post and improper grammar keeps me up at night. I wrote the word souly. It should be solely. I thought of this at about 2 a.m. I need to get a life.

It's Elemental.

Oh, Ellie, how I love you. I never, ever want to trade you in, and neither would Tucker, Bpui or Sherm. You are the perfect vehicle for us dog-lovin' folks.

But.

There is a new Element out that is making me weak in the knees. If Honda didn't make the Element dog-friendly enough (the Element has been in the top ten dog-friendly cars for several years running...) they now have a brandie-new dog friendly package. Once souly a concept car, the canine companion's dream car is now a reality. And I want one. Like, yesterday.



This is serious business. I am a firm believer of "have dog will travel," and this particular car is d.r.e.a.m.y. Let's begin with some of the most fab features. There is a recessed bowl that is - oh, wise Honda engineers- spill proof. There is also a rear fan to keep Fido cool while hangin' out in his kennel that fits into the back of the car. Oh, and he can sleep on his cushioned pet bed while you go over the river and through the woods on your next family holiday travel trip. I especially appreciate the built-in doggie ramp that lowers from the back for aging or less-able dogs. Or any dog, for that matter- let's take it easy on those joints, shall we?



But alas, the part that tickles me so, are the floors. My Ellie has rubber floor mats, yes. There is no upholstery on the floors. That is good. But the new, "dog friendly" Ellie has rubber floor mats with a pattern of raised bones on it. Now that is cool. As an added bonus Honda is throwing in poo bags (with handy-dandy dispenser), a collar, leash, and bag. Swag, hooray!

And let us not forget the fantastic ad campaign. What can I say, I am a sucker for personification. Love the fact that the dogs (the ones that are little magazine cutouts, you know the ones...) speak to the Element- and the Element speaks back. Beautiful. I haven't seen it for awhile, but the one where the dog beebops all around the Element, all spazzy- that is my all time favorite. How can it not make you smile?

Alrighty. I'm off to search for the nearest dealership with one of these babies on the lot. Just looking, just looking.




I'm not picky about color, you know.

Hello friends. Today's topic of discussion is one certain pink-nosed ball of fuzz. Some words to describe said ball of fuzz:

Adorable.

Funny.

Loving.

Sweet.

Charming.

Soft.

Playful.

Bundle of absolute joy.

Menace to all things creative and crafty.

Little Bpui is my right-hand lady! My little sidekick, she is wherever I am. And now, she has taken to crafty and creating as much as I have. The results are not always the best, but I do appreciate the company in the kitchen while I am baking or cooking, her presence on the couch as I sew, or her little body pressed against the length of my leg while I bead on the floor. She's quite a chum.

Other times, she is less than helpful. For example, last night as I attempted to rotary cut some fabric, Bpui decided that the best way to help me was to park her little

Tibetan Terrier self smack in the middle of my cutting mat. Ah, yes. Right there dearie. That is very, very helpful. I don't know why, with all of our floor space, she chose the middle of the cutting mat. Seriously, check out the look she gave the camera...it's as if she is put out by me!

Although I did get a bit done. "Speedbump" and all.

Oh! And I should show you a quick little sewing project I whipped up on Friday. I realized that I didn't have anything to keep my money in at the Rumpus, so I grabbed the cutest pillowcase I had and repurposed it as an apron. I used coordinating polkadotted ribbon (polkas are my FAVE) for the ties and I attached a cute flower applique as a sweet little touch. I love how it

turned out and I am really proud of it- especially for being pulled together so very quickly. I'm sure the next one will be even better. If Bpui doesn't crawl on top of the sewing machine. :)

Zowie! I have officially completed my very first craft fair!

I am pretty jazzed about the results...I went in without great expectations- just heartfelt hopes. I ended up leaving at the end of the day with a feeling that I am capable of more than I figured. It was so heartwarming and reassuring to see the faces of folks who bought my products or just dropped by to look. People seemed delighted by the quirkiness of my spread.

I was going to sell both dog and baby items, but I found myself more prepared on the dog end (shocking, I know). It occurred to me that I was rushing to get things for baby finished, so I decided to set them aside and concentrate on all things Fido.










On the menu for sale today: original flavor and carob flavor biscuits, peanut butter dogscotti, and carob muffins, fleece rope toys, barky scarves (that's right! a scarf for your dog!), and collar bling.
I ended up selling some of all of my items!












I was pretty anxious at first, after looking around at all of the other crafters' set-ups. They looked extremely professional! I was so worried that my table didn't look as such, but I received great feedback on it. The photos don't do it justice. It was incredibly colorful and warm.

I loved that the tree that I hung the bling from gave my display some height and depth- and the photos of our dogs added a personal touch and a great conversation piece. (See Moo and Cooper to the left modeling my Barky Scarves? They are my dog niece and nephew.)So all in all, I am ok with the way it all turned out. But of course, I am already thinking about "next time."


I was surprised and tickled to be graced by the presence of a real, live, actual dog during the craft fair! Kip is a five-month-old Chiuaua who was incredibly sweet and sleepy. I had a lovely, long talk with his human. I couldn't resist and had to ask to take his photo. I thought it was the coolest thing that he should show up at my table today. Thanks for the visit, Kip!

















Oh, and get ready for this- the day of my very first craft fair- where I had a corner space surrounded by four windows- it began to snow. And for the first time this season. Hooray for New England weather! It was magical.

Thank you to mom and Luke for your help, Erin for visiting and spending time with me, Erin, Brayden, Riley, Jocelyn, Barb, Eric, Becca for dropping by to support me, Jesslyn and Chris for your thoughtful calls, and to everyone else who thought of me. It meant a lot!

'Till next time. 'Tis time to hunker down for the evening.
xoxo