Pay It Forward

My super talented friend, Linda O'Neill, had a Pay It Forward post yesterday, and I was lucky enough to win one of her paintings.

It is my pleasure to keep Paying It Forward by offering a signed print to the first 3 commenters who are also willing to keep Paying It Forward to 3 people on their blogs too. Just leave a comment and let me know which Pug or Pal print you would like. The winners get to choose!

In other fun happenings, I spent the day yesterday developing two new products that I hope I will get to show you very soon.

And... I am off (in my Pug Notes mobile) to my local yarn store this morning to attend a class in Kumihimo braiding. I know nothing about what I will learn today, so I am excited to see what I will make. I'll show you tomorrow!

The Pug Notes Mobile!

I am so excited!

I just got my new Pug Notes car magents that I made on VistaPrint.com . I have one plastered on each side of my car. I have always wanted to get these made. Vista Print makes it very easy and affordable.

Too Fun!

Photoshop Fun!

I just started my 7th online Photoshop Elements Class at Eclectic Academy with Sara Froelich.

Here are some fun things I have created this week:

I cannot begin to tell you how much I have learned. Sara's classes are so well written, and the online environment of Eclectic Academy is amazing. It is easy to fit into your schedule day or night and at only $30 per 6 week course, it is the best thing I have found anywhere.

Eclectic Academy has all sort of online classes in graphics, art, website development, and business programs. I highly recommend it as a fun way to learn something you always wanted to do. :)

Emmitt and Moe

Emmitt and Moe had a great time together. I took lots of pictures of them on their walks, waiting for treats and just relaxing. It was a fun weekend of just hanging out.

The Pug and Corgi Food Challenge

Howdy from Camp Emmitt!

Emmitt has been a wonderful host to his cousins Moe and Dunkin.

We all watched food tv last night. The doggies were memorized by all the yummy entrees and desserts.

Now I have a problem. Emmitt and Moe would like me to add a favorite recipe section to my Pug Notes Newsletter, but here is the catch...

They have eaten all of my goodies and want to try your favorite recipes.

I think one is a little Rachael Ray and the other a little Emeril because one barked Yummo and the other Bam!

I would love to feature your favorite recipes and give you and your pups full honors.

Please just either leave a comment or email me with your recipes. Thank you so much in advance! This will be fun!

Pug Bowl 2008 and a Corgi Cousin

My friend Nevis started the cutest contest called Pug Bowl 2008, where she asks that you post a picture of your pug inside of a bowl. This is our submission. :)

My Emmitt loves bowls because food is delivered to him in this object. So he could not understand why I wanted him to sit in one. I think he thought that meant he was going to be served as someone elses dinner. :)
and with his corgi cousin, Moe, coming today for a visit, I did not want to scare my poor pug.

We are looking forward to Moe's little vacation with us. I'll post more pictures while he is here.

Fun Art and My Artist Statement

I love art. It is not only a joy to create but also a joy to collect. I recently bought some wonderful pieces that I keep in my office surrounding me for inspiration. Let me introduce you...

Here are 3 paintings I just bought from my friend Linda O'Neill.

Yellow Apple

Sprout

Rainstorm

Here is a wonderful painting by Tara Ross that spoke to me as soon as I saw it.

and Carla Sonheim's animal series is wonderful! Here is one of the 6 transfers onto fabric that I purchased. I am not sure what I will sew them onto yet, but I will show you as soon as I do.

Green Dog

Another inspiration to me is the work of my friend, Diana Evans.

Here is a delicious card I just bought from her.

Chocolate Cupcake

Chocolate Cupcake Detail

Another thing I have done this week is to continue to read and work out of my new book that I think all artists should have, I'd Rather be in the Studio, by Alyson Stanfield. One of the best exercises I have done is to write an artist statement. It is a mission statement written for both the artist and the art admirer to clarify what the body of work is about and why it is here.

It may sound like a simple and clear thing to convey on paper, but it can be very difficult to express clearly and concisely.

It is a very powerful exercise to do about anything you are passionate about. Your statement is your vision that you can always read to reconnect to your purpose and focus. Alyson also emphasizes that your statement should be fluid. Allow yourself to comeback and rework it to keep it fresh and relevant to your work.

Here is my Artist Statement:

My pug and dog paintings embody the toothy grins and wagging tails that happily greet us throughout our lives.

I know I have succeeded when my artwork lights up the viewer's eye with a spark of recognition of an old friend. Whether the connection is from childhood or current day, that kind of smile is always contagious.

My passion is working with acrylics on wood. I love how the paint glides across the wood, often revealing a subtle natural grain of the surface below.

Capturing the spirit of each dog for people to deeply connect to and enjoy is the true focus of my efforts.

Please feel free to leave comments. I would love to know your impressions and opinions.

Emmitt says Hi!

Pug Notes Newsletter - Spring 2008

I am thrilled to announce that today at 12:00pm (EDT) the Pug Notes Newsletter - Spring 2008 will be delivered into subscriber's inboxes all over the world. :)

Emmitt and I are very proud of the new updated format, and we hope that you enjoy it. Our favorite section is called Meet the Pugs, where people have sent in their pugs photos and stories to share with everyone.

If you would like to be in the Summer 2008 Issue, please just email me your photos and stories. I would love to meet your pugs!

If you did not receive a copy of the newsletter today and you would like to, you can get your very own copy here. If you would like future mailings to arrive right in your inbox, just email me and I will add you to the secure mailing list.

Thank you for all of your feedback, comments and support. It means the world to me.

Friday Fun!

I want to share some of the fun things I created this week.

I had fun making this Pug pop-up card to celebrate a special friend's birthday.

and, my nephews loved their grubs so much that I hear from their mom that they have been feeding them cookies all week. I thought it would be fun to crochet them some chocolate chip cookies to play with too!

I found these little cookie monster backpacks at our local Target.

I cannot wait to give them to them today!

Great Business Resources - Part 2

I am so thirlled that I have received lots of great questions about Constant Contact since my last post. I just cannot say enough good things about their products and service. They have a 60 day free trial so it is free and easy to see what their products can do for your business.

If you decide you would like to sign up, Constant Contact has a referral program set up that will save you $30 when you sign up for one of their packages. If this interests you please email me and I will send you the information. :)

Alyson Stanfield, the author of the book, I'd Rather Be in the Studio, also has an informative blog that I enjoy. Right now, she is offering an opportunity to win copies of her new book by taking an online survey for artists. Click here to read more about this opportunity.

The third business resource that I cannot say enough great things about is CartManager. If you are looking to add shopping cart functionality to your website, I highly recommend this company. I posted about them last year when I was shopping around on the best way to take my website to the next level of e-commerce. I had out grown my mail in order form, paypal and phone in orders using visa and mastercard. I needed an intergrated shopping cart system.

After doing a lot of reasearch, I found CartManager to be exactly what I was looking for. They are afforable, friendly and have the best cart software I have seen. I intergrated their code easily into my website that I build in FrontPage 2003. Like Constant Contact, they also have a free trial period to try them and see if it is right for you.

...and last, but definitely not least, here is my business partner patiently waiting for our morning meeting to begin. He has some important thoughts about the number of cookie breaks he gets during the day. From the look on his face, I think this is going to be a loooooong meeting. I had better get another cup of coffee. :) Have a great day!

3 Great Business Resources!

I had to share three great experiences I had just this week and it is only Tuesday!

I am a firm believer in finding new and fun ways of improving on whatever you love to do. As some of you know, I publish a Pug Notes Quarterly Newsletter and email it to all of my wonderful customers every 3 months to say hello, share what is new and best of all share their own pugs and stories in the "Meet the Pugs" section which is my favorite part of the whole publication.

I have been sending out an HTML format version for about a year using Mail Chimp. To make a long story short, I just finished dotting my i's and crossing my t's in my new Spring Newsletter when I decided that I wanted to try a whole new company to create my newsletter to get a more refined product both for the user and the writer. I think Mail Chimp can produce great results, but not without a lot of tweaking and their html editor is far from easy to use.

So, yesterday, I spent the whole day reworking my Newsletter with Constant Contact. I cannot say enough great things about them. Their interface, template choices and flexibility to make them your own and amazing customer service have made me their biggest fan ever!

I am excited to release the Spring 2008 Newsletter in about 10 days, when Spring has sprung. If you would like your very own copy delivered to your inbox, please just email me and let me know. I will be happy to send one to you.

The second great business experience is finding a wonderful new book, I'd Rather Be in the Studio! by Alyson Stanfield. I am excited to learn new skills in reaching new customers and building business for Pug Notes.

I first heard about it by reading a recommendation on Claudine Hellsmuth's blog which I visit everyday. She is an amazing artist and a marketing genius who really inspires me.

I am excited to also find out that Alyson Stanfield is from Golden, CO and will be having a book signing in Boulder on Thursday April 3rd from 12-2 at my friend, Theresa Haberkorn's, artist studio. I have talked about Theresa before. I met her 3 years ago when I attend my very first woodcut class. She was the inspiration for carving woodblocks, collagraph printmaking and my hand-carved stamps.

My third great business resource is VistaPrint.com. I found them this year through my friend, Linda O'Neill, another amazing artist who inspires me everyday. I made post cards and business cards with them and was so impressed with their quality, service and amazing prices that I surprised my sister, Melanie with her very own set of cards for her Etsy Store, Shop Moe Moe.

I love how they turned out and wanted to share them and my yet again, wonderful experience with Vista Print.

I was having so much fun creating my newsletter, ordering my book and meeting Melanie to surprise her with her new cards, that I did not get a chance to walk Emmitt yesterday! I must go now because I have a pug starring at me with his lip pursed waiting for me to walk him. :)

7 Things...

I have been tagged by my friend Karine to tell 7 things about myself. I am just going to type the first 7 things that come to mind. I am excited to see what I will write...

1. The early morning is my favorite time of the day. I always wake up at 5:30 am with an excitement for what the day will bring.
2. I love to ride my bike.
3. I drive a bright yellow Subaru Baja little pick up truck which I think is funny because I do not like to stick out in a crowd, however, at least I know people will see me in their side view mirror when merging. :)
4. I taught myself to crochet from a "how to" book in 1990 when I graduated from the university of michigan. I am not sure what posessed me to do it, but it brings me a lot of joy.
5. I love art fairs, flea markets and any place that might have a hidden treasure or pug item I can collect.
6. I love going to the beach and hunting for shells.
7. I love learning new things and sign up for at least 3 classes of any kind each year.
   

That was fun! Instead of tagging just a few people to play, I am tagging everyone who reads this post and wants to make a list of 7 things about themselves to join in. If you would like to, either make a post on your blog and let me know so I can come and see, or you are welcome to leave a comment here. :)

Have a great day!

Thank You!

Thank you all for your wonderful feedback about my story of How Pug Notes came to be. You have inspired me to make it a part of my website for others to enjoy.

I appreciate your thoughts, opinions, support and warm wishes more than you will ever know.