A Favorite New Find!

Fred and I found the most wonderful Spice Shop that it filled with wonderful spices from all over the world. They now have 4 stores in Colorado that are magical in the way they smell, look and feel. The store's atmosphere is as fun as the products.

The great thing is that you do not have to live in Colorado to experience all they have to offer. The Savory Spice Shop has a great website filled with all of their products at amazing prices.

We are addicted to their Chinese Cinnamon, Mt. Olympus Greek Seasoning, Carribean Adobo Seasoning and several of their Curries just to name a few.

I put them on everything from my morning toast to veggies, meats and grains.

I never knew spices could be so good. I think the fresheness of the product and the staff's passion for what they do make these little spice jars dispensers of joy. :)

Speaking of joy... I just captured a video of Emmitt sleeping and snoring this morning on his green blanket in the office. My friend Sandy requested one and it perfectly unfolded today. :)

Enjoy everyone and let me know if you try any spices!

Bears Wonderful Bears!

Melanie has been busy making more felted lambs wool, cashmere and alpaca wool bears for her Etsy Shop!

I just love this new batch! Each one has a different expression and personality.

They are made of upcycled wool sweaters that I purchase at the wonderful store Resweater.

Kris is wonderful to work with and she has a blog you can visit too.

This one is cashmere

This one is lambswool

They are all so unique!

Joan and Skippy just received the bears they ordered!

Read about their new home!

Another fun project Melanie just completed was making her corgi, Moe, a new set of winter booties!

She made them in two sizes to fit his front and back feet perfectly. She is getting ready to make an inventory of dog booties for her Etsy Shop, so please let me know if you have any special requests for your doggy. She is now taking custom orders.

Moe looks so cute in his new booties and winter coat!

Happy Tuesday everyone!

New Pug Painting 2009 - A68

I am so excited to release my first new pug painting for 2009!

This little pug is happy and ready to play!

He is available on all of my products where you can choose the design.

I had so much fun creating him. I just love his expression. :)

Enjoy!

Sleepy Sunday...

Emmitt loves his new bed. I caught him snoozing today...

zzzZzzzzz

Happy Sunday Everyone!

Dog Beds ~ New Product 2009!

I am so thrilled to be able to offer you these new premium dog beds!

They are available in 3 sizes to fit any breed. You may choose any of my over 120 pug and dog paintings to create the perfect whimsical resting spot for your dog.

The beds have removable suede covers with a soft chenille back that are machine washable complete with a strong durable zipper for easy on and off care.

The beds are:

• Available in 3 Sizes: 24 x 30, 30 x 36, 36 x 42
• Premium suede cover
• Machine washable
• Removable outer cover
• Strong, durable zipper
• Hypo-allergenic
• High-lofting polyfill insert
• Soft brushed chenille back
  
  

Emmitt just loves his new bed!



It is as fun for me to decorate my house with it as it is for him to sleep on it.

Emmitt is so excited about his new bed he has been woofing "mine, mine, mine!" all day.

Silly puggy!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Judy Mackey : The Pug and The Bulldog

Judy Mackey 2009

PUG

5 x 5

oil on wood

Judy Mackey 2009
Bulldog
5 x 5
oil on wood

I am so thrilled to say I have two new Judy Mackey paintings in my collection!

Fred and I bought our first painting, Blue Trees, in December and just adore it.

You can imagine how fast my heart was beating when she posted this little pug on her blog.

I am so excited that he is coming home with me along with his brother the bulldog that I purchased in Judy's new Etsy store!

Thank you so much for creating these works of joy Judy! I am so excited to hang them up!

Customer Photo Gallery - Riley and Lenny

I received the nicest email from 2 customers the other day with this great picture attached.



Hi Melissa, Here are our pugs; 3 1/2 year old Riley, and 2 year old Lenny. They are next to a pillow from you! I was in Colorado last September visiting my brother in law and I bought one of your pictures at the Art Mart in Boulder. So my mom bought the matching pillow for us for Christmas! Gotta love it! Lisa & Jamie Worcester, MA


How fun! They look so cute next to their new pug pillow.

I love receiving emails and photos from all of my wonderful customers.

Please feel free to contact me anytime. I will add them to the Customer Photo Gallery and send you a gift right away. :)

Happy Wednesday Everyone!

New Product for 2009 ~ Letter Holders

Happy New Year everyone! I am really excited to announce my first new product for 2009...

Letter Holders

They are great organizers for the office or the kitchen.

The maple wood holder will keep, letters, outgoing mail, labels, envelopes and napkins at your finger tips.

They are available with any of my pug or dog paintings on a beautiful 4" ceramic tile that is inset into the maple wood frame.

The roomy 2" opening leaves lots of room for anything you decide to use it for.

I have lots of new products on the horizon.

Please tune in on Friday for my next new product announcement!

This is going to be an exciting year. I am so excited to share 2009 with you! :)

Pug Notes Quarterly Newsletter - Winter 2009

I am so excited about my new Pug Notes Quarterly Newsletter - Winter 2009 edition!

It has a new recipe from Emmitt's Kitchen for you to enjoy - Apple Cinnamon Drops.

The release of the first new Pug Notes product for 2009 - Letter Holders

Over 40 pugs for you to meet in the "Meet the Pugs" section with lots of pictures from fellow bloggers like ...

Daisy and Pearl,

Clementine,

Ollie and Charlie,

Howie and the P's,

Bandit and the crew,

Clover,

Oscar and Daisy and

Roxy and Lucky :)

Thank you to everyone who contributed! I could not put this together without you and it is just so much fun to do!

Please email me your photos if you would like your puggies to be featured in the Spring 2009 edition to be released in March.

For all of the puggies who are in this newsletter and all other past issues, please keep sending in your photos. I love featuring repeat fans! You can send me as many pics as you would like. I always love hearing from you!

Here is a direct link to Winter 2009 where you will find lots of fun News and Photos.

If you would like to have the Newsletter emailed to you 4x a year, please just let me know. I will sign you up right away!

Enjoy!

Happy Monday Everyone!

Doodle Designs Class - First class of 2009!

I am so excited! Melanie and I just signed up for our first art class of 2009!

It is another online class called Doodle Designs taught by Susan Sorrell. It begins Jan. 12 and continues with lessons for 6 weeks.

I love to doodle. It brings out so many creative ideas and is just plain fun! I cannot wait for this class to begin. What a fun way to begin the year!

Here is the class description:


Have you ever wondered what you could do with that doodle on the napkin or notepad? A doodle can be a way to awaken your sense of creativity and self-discovery. This type of drawing is born of intuition and is a great tool for connecting with your inner voice. I believe a doodle can spark a series of artworks when you are stumped for ideas. This type of “play” is important to everyone who wants to grow creatively. I use doodles as the basis of a lot of my own artwork and it has helped me to expand my artistic voice.In this workshop, students will be using doodle drawings as a basis for embroidery and fiber art pieces. We will take doodle drawings that been inspired by “prompts” to see how you interpret ideas into drawings and expand them into abstract works of art. A variety of art materials will be used to help discover your inner child. No drawing experience is needed, just a sense of fun.

Open to all levels.

Lesson Outline:
Lesson 1 - Doodling
Lesson 2 - Paper Collage Doodle
Lesson 3 - Stamp Doodle
Lesson 4 - Fabric Collage Doodle
Lesson 5 - Embroidery Doodle
Lesson 6 - Fabric Paint Doodle


Would you like to join us? Please let me know if you sign up. It is going to be so much fun!

Melanie's New Wool Bears - All Under $10!

Melanie has been making lots of new wool felted teddy bears for her etsy shop!

I love all of the colors, textures and expressions she has created!

Each one has its own personality and all of them are under $10!

One of the gifts I gave Melanie was a box of wool and cashmere sweaters that I got at Resweater. Her eyes just lit up when she opened the box.

Melanie hand felts, cuts and sews each bear with love in a smoke free studio.

She just put these two Bavarian Bears on Sale for the New Year! They are only $6 each!

Check out her Etsy store to see all of her wonderful art bears that are perfect for adults and children to love. :)

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year Everyone!

Here is to Health and Happiness in 2009!

Have a wonderful holiday!

Love,

Melissa and Emmitt

The Mother Bear Project - My New Bear

I am so excited about my new bear that I just finished for The Mother Bear Project.

I used a new varigated yarn for the bear and created a new outfit for him with a white collar and bow tie instead of the scarf. I think the new design may withstand more hugs over the years and not fray on the ends.

I like the expression this one has too.

Emmitt was a good sport this morning letting me take more pictures of him with the new bear. I think by the look on his face, it is time for me to make one for him.

What do you think? :)

Happy New Year's Eve everyone!

12 Mini Journals for 2009

I had the best time making these mini journals from cards I have collected over the years but have never used. I buy cards because I like the art, not because I need cards, so as you can imagine, I have a ton of them. :)

I was reading the last few chapters of The Creative Entrepreneur this weekend and she had a fabulous idea to make mini journals with your favorite cards as covers for a place to record your daily thoughts, plans, and dreams. The exercise keeps you connected to your ideas and also creates a wonderful record of your year all packaged in your favorite art!

I used white and yellow construction paper for the pages, folded them in half into a booklet and stapled them into the cards.

Then I made a calendar page for each month and glued it into the inside cover of each card.

I have already started planning for new product ideas, trips and classes for 2009.

I have two months in a card box I redecorated sitting on my desk for everyday use and the other 10 in a little bookcase for storage and inspiration.

I love making spaces to allow myself to create new ideas. I am so excited for 2009!

What fun things do you have planned for 2009? I would love to hear all about it!