New Valentino - Most Fashionable Pug Contest!

The film makers of Valentino: The Last Emperor have issued a Press Release!

A New Contest has been announced!

The MOST FASHIONABLE PUG CONTEST will be judged by Mr. Valentino himself.

Please click here to see all of the details on:

1. How to Enter


2. Prizes


3. Rules

Send in your fashionable pug pictures to win! Good Luck everyone!

Emmitt has his toes crossed that he has got the look!

Pied French Bulldog

I am so excited to introduce a new French Bulldog into the Pug Notes family.

He is available on all of the products that you can choose a design.

I think both of the fawn and black frenchies are glad to have him in the gallery.

I just finished him and he really makes me smile.

If you love French Bulldogs, check out this fabulous website where everything is Frenchie!

Emmitt will get to meet Jodi's new Frenchie, Spanky tomorrow! We are all so excited! I cannot believe he is 6 months old already. I will hopefully have lots of pictures to show you of their first play date.

Have a great weekend everyone!

New Pug Collage - Smiling Pug - A68

Smiling Pug

I am having so much fun making collages!

Here is my newest creation that is exclusively available in my Etsy Shop.

It is available as either a signed print or in a set of note cards paired with my collage The Pug Kiss shown below.

The Pug Kiss


I really enjoy the process of painting with colored/textured paper.

I never know exactly how the papers will translate. Everything is broken down into shapes.

I do not necessarily choose the colors for their contrasting quality consciously, but it often turns out that one side has a shadow quality which I like. I think it gives the piece a little more depth.

I love how the tongue and nose turned out.

I chose a pink paper with silver lines on it for the tongue, but I did not plan where the silver lines would appear. I totally smiled when I turned it over and the line was right where I would have painted it. How fun is that?

And the nose was fun to turn over and see that I captured a swirl right where I would have painted a nostril.

It is little things like that just make my whole day. What little things in life make you happy? I would love to know!

Pugs in Film: Valentino: The Last Emperor

Opening Today in selected cities:

New York City * Los Angeles * Chicago * San Francisco * Dallas

Emmitt and I are so excited to announce that the award winning documentary film, Valentino: The Last Emperor, opens today in select cities.

"It is a feature-length movie that takes the viewer inside the singular world of one of Italy’s most famous designers, Valentino Garavani. The film documents the colorful and dramatic closing act of Valentino’s celebrated career, capturing the end of an era in global fashion. But at the heart of the film is a love story: the unique relationship between Valentino and his business partner and companion of 50 years, Giancarlo Giammetti." They have six pugs who travel with them everywhere and are featured in the film.

Here is a clip from the movie...

I am excited to see the film as it takes a look into the life and career of a talented and inspiring artist who is also devoted to pugs. If you love art, fashion, Valentino or pugs, this is the film for you. Please let me know if you see it and what you think when you do. I would love to hear your review.

and... I have very exciting news! Dog Art Today his running a contest to win a limited edition movie poster from the film! Please click here to wish Dog Art Today a 2 year blogoversary and to enter the contest. A lucky winner will be drawn tomorrow, Thursday March 19th!

New Journal Pages and A Treasury!

I got a whole stack of magazines and catalogs in the mail the other day, so guess what I did? I tore and cut them up and created new pages for my visual journal.

I think I used this month's Martha Stewart Living, LL Bean catalog and The Bark magazine. :)

Here are the themes that emerged for me this time...

Home - Colors and Textures

Crafts & Inspirations

Celebrating Senior Dogs

I just made a new Squidoo Lens (a how to lesson) on how I create my visual journals.

I often sit down for 10 or 20 minutes at a time to work in my journal whenever my new magazines arrive in the mail. It is a time that I set aside for myself to find and save things that make me smile and happy. I find that whenever I finish a page, I close the whole book and thumb through it from beginning to end several times. It is fun to see what pages I created previously as they are all things that I like and have meaning for me.

and I am so honored that my pug collage from my etsy store was selected to be in AmandaMonkey's Treasury. Check out her wonderful Dolls and Gocco Prints!

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone!

Have a wonderful day!

Knit or Crochet a Square for Charity

8x8 knit squares for charity

Last week I received my Lionbrand.com newsletter in my inbox. I love their yarn, patterns, blog and way they reach out to the community.

This issue featured the Knit A Square charity that collects knitted or crocheted 8 x 8 wool yarn squares and then assembles them into blankets to keep children warm in South Africa.

I have not picked up my knitting needles in a long time so I thought it would be fun to try knitting again before crocheting a whole bunch to send.

I had the best time! It is amazing how your fingers have better memory than your mind at times. The Knit a Square for charity website also has great tutorials to help you knit or crochet the squares. The first 2 I did I knit every row and then the second two I alternated the knit and purl stitch between rows to get the flat v looking pattern instead of the bumpier knit pattern.

Here is a little bit of information from their website. If you would like to make a square, please visit to fine out all the details on how you can create warmth for a child with just a little bit of wool and a few stamps.

It is estimated that there are 11.6 million orphans in sub-saharan Africa. 1.4 million live in South Africa.
They live in terrible poverty. They need love, shelter, food, education and warmth. Many children's charities are working hard to provide the first four. Charity knitting (and crocheting) can provide the last.

A dollar lasts a day, blankets are for life.
This simple idea to knit or crochet a square to make blankets for these children will take you little time, cost only the price of a standard international stamp and empower local communities to make a difference.
All while you do what you love - knitting and crocheting.
If you the knitters and crocheters of the world, each knit a square and send it to Soweto Comfort Club, (details in knit to give), the women of Soweto will use their wonderful abilities as crafts women to sew the squares together either for a child or baby blanket.
So please use your left over yarn scraps, crochet or knit for charity to make a square (or more)and they will soon be in a baby blanket keeping a cold child warm.

I would love to see your squares. Please let me know when you make one. :)

Have a wonderful day everyone!

Fun Happenings & News!

The first bit of great news is that Melanie's Merino Wool Glove Dog was chosen to be in an Etsy Treasury!

How fun is that? I think it looks wonderful right in the center! I am so excited for her!

The second wonderful thing is that my blind doodles were featured on one of my favorite blogs, Dog Art Today! I feel so honored!

I also found out that the Dogs Rule Project I collaborated in last year is going to be in the June issue of Somerset Studio Magazine! I will give you all the details as they unfold in the coming weeks.

and I have finally done something I have been wanting to do for a long time... Create a Pug Notes Press page. :)

I have wanted to do it for awhile, but I finally felt like I have enough links to post now. I am excited to see what else unfolds so that I may add it to the list. :)

Happy Friday everyone!

Thanks for sharing in my fun news today!

What neat things are happening in your world? I would love to hear all about it!

Friends Doing Fabulous Things!

I am so excited about the wonderful things my friends are creating. I wanted to share them with you.

The first one is my talented friend Linda O'Neill of Abby Creek Studios is now offering prints of her original paintings in her etsy shop for only $10 each! Look at the wonderful pieces I just got!

Linda O'Neill

OJ

5 x 7 Print

Linda O'Neill
Milk
5 x 7 Print


Diana Evans
Bees

The second person I would like to tell you about is my friend, Diana Evans. She is an amazing artist with a heart of gold. She has started a new blog for her cause to help save bees. Please click here to see how you can help.

Portrait of Tweedles
Tweedles' Mom - Paulette

The third person I have to tell you about is Tweedles' mom, Paulette. Look at this wonderful portrait she did of Tweedles last week. I just love this piece. My heart just melted when I saw it. I love the colors, softness and love that just exudes from this painting.

Judy Mackey
5 x 5
Oil on wood

The fourth wonderful artist and friend I have to tell you about is Judy Mackey. I am so excited to share another pug portrait I recently got from her talented hand. You can see the other two dog portraits from her that I have in my collection. I just love the colors, richness and personalities jumping off of these little gems. I have them all over my house so that I can enjoy them wherever I am . This one lives on my desk.

Melanie Gonglach
Merino Wool Glove Dogs
ShopMoeMoe

And last but not least, I had to show you Melanie's new Merino wool glove dogs! I love the details she has put on them.

They remind me of two dachshunds, Bruce and Charlie, that we knew when we were 3. They were the first two dogs we ever walked. I will always remember them with a big smile on my face. Charlie was brown and Bruce was black with a round tummy that hit the ground when he walked. :)

What is your first memory of a pet? Please tell me! I would love to know!

xoxoxox

Melissa

New Pug Collage and Hand Carved Stamp - A69

I am having so much fun with my new pug painting - A69!

This week I made it into a hand carved stamp and a collage.

I love how transforming my painting into different mediums changes it, but that in many ways it also stays the same. How neat!

Hand Carved Stamp

Collage

The collage is now available in my Etsy store as both a signed print and a set of 10 note cards.

I realized that until now, I had not yet carved a black pug stamp. I think that is so funny because black pugs are way faster to carve than fawn pugs because you leave everything alone on the PZ Cut that you want to print black. That means you only carve out the white lines. :)

Here is a skidoo lens I wrote on how to make handcarved stamps.

I was so excited that my friend, Manon, carved some stamps the other day! Aren't they wonderful! Please let me know if you try it too! I would love to see!

Puppies, Pigs, Bunnies, and Bears, Oh My!

Blue Dog

Cashmere

I am so excited about all of the little faces that keep appearing in Melanie's Etsy Shop.

Her latest collection are all made from cashmere gloves!

Pink Piggy
Cashmere

Peach Bunny
Cashmere



Panda

Cashmere

Purple Bear
Cashmere

After creating each one, she hand picks each ribbon and button to bring them to life.

Check out her whimsical store, ShopMoeMoe to meet all of her creations.

I just love them all!

Do You Squidoo?

What is Squidoo you ask?

It is a wonderful site where anybody can create their own "How To" web pages about anything for free!

On Squidoo you create lessons or "lenses" about anything you want to share or teach. You can create a lens about your favorite recipe or even how to change a tire on your car!
You can even create a lens on how to create a Squidoo page!

Squidoo is great because it is a content builder for the search engine machine known as Google. If you want to get found on topics you are excited about, create a Squidoo lens.

I created 3 lenses so far...

How to hand-carve a stamp

How to make a blind doodle

and How to Make a Visual Journal.

To keep track of my latest lenses, I started a list of them right here on my blog roll.

I think it is so fun to learn about all of these great ways to learn, connect and grow.

Do you Squidoo? Please leave me links to yours or your favorite lenses so I can favorite them too!

Have a wonderful day everyone!

Emmitt and the 3 Bears...

Goldie Emmitt Locks here with my 3 bears!

Mom finally finished them and let me pick one for my very own.

They are all so cute, that I picked them all and then asked mom to give them all to the Mother Bear Project so that little children in Africa can love them too.

Aren't they fun?





I can hear them giggling!



Happy little guys!

Here I am singing them a song before we packaged them up to take to the post office. I packed extra cookies in the box so they would not get hungry. Don't worry, I got some too. It went like this...

One cookie for the bears to share... 3 for me, another cookie for the bears, 4 for me.

See, I am smarter than I look. BOL!

Have a great weekend everyone!

xoxoxox

Emmitt