Friday, November 25, 2011

Exploring Handmade ~ Holiday Shopping Event ~ Day 10




Hello and Welcome to Day 10 of the
Exploring Handmade Online Holiday Shopping Event!!


Today is all about Gifts For Pets and the People Who Love Them because today is a very special day... it's Niko's 13th Birthday!! So... he rules the day. Actually, he came home at 6 weeks old and has ruled every day since...LOL. He's the joy of my life and I love him with all my heart. And he has a special treat for you today... he's going to show you HIS favorite gift to get and show you just how to get some for your special pooch. Consider it an insider tip on how to make your dog VERY happy this Christmas :)

But first, let me reintroduce Tricia Hall Baucom of 
Endless Possibilities...
You saw Tricia's jewelry on Day 3, but today I want to call special attention to something she does that would make a wonderful gift for any pet lover! She makes her Footprints in the Sand Pendants with PAW prints, too... dog paw prints and cat paw prints. You can have any combo of footprints and paw prints that you'd like!


They're a really great gift and I think it's awesome that Tricia thought of all the pet moms out there. As a matter of fact, with some help from his grandparents, Niko bought me one for Mother's Day and I love it! I don't wear necklaces though, but I'll show you what I did do with it... and it is very special to me.

 

Here are some of the places you can find Tricia and her work...


I also do a great deal of custom design work for pet lovers
here at Designs by Debi....
You read a bit about me and saw my jewelry on Day 6, but today I want to focus on my pet-related items.

I'm a doggie Mom and when I first started making Personalized Keepsake Bracelets for everyone, I felt left out. Well, I decided that pet Moms count too and made one for myself. Now my Pet Name Keepsake Bracelets are available in 12 styles and 90 possible bead combinations!


I also designed the Rainbow Bridge Pet Memorial Bracelets™ back in 2007 and they're extremely popular. The come in 2 basic styles, but just as with anything else, I specialize in custom designs and I've done many custom memorial bracelets as well. My goal is to make them special, make them with love and give the recipient the opportunity to have a reminder of their pet and the happy memories they shared with them all the time, hopefully bringing them a great deal of comfort.


This year I added 2 new pet products, the Rainbow Bridge Pet Memorial Bracelet for Horses™ and Rainbow Bridge Pet Memorial Key Chains™.


I'm currently in the process of adding even more pet memorial products. I'm working on a custom design for a client that is going to become a new product line and have a few other ideas as well which will be available after the new year, so keep an eye out for those.

Here are some of the places you can find me and my work...


Now I'd like to introduce you to Lisa and Dave of 
OBX Puparazzi...
Dave is a self taught woodworker and a disabled veteran. The woodworking is his hobby, and sales keep him in wood and out of trouble! He enjoys creating art from his scroll saw, and does both fretwork like the dog puzzles, and intarsia. Local galleries seek him out for his intarsia pieces.


Lisa is a retired nurse, and loves to sew (hates to iron, though!). She enjoys creating dog bandanas and dog themed goodies for their people. She does craft shows and other dog related events. Both volunteer with local animal charities.


Here are some of the places you can find Lisa and Dave and their work...


And we have Susan and Liz of Fairy Tail Collars...
A Fairy Tail Tale
Once upon a time in a gigantic village called Phoenix there lived a dog named Bella. She was a blue-nosed pit bull puppy who had somehow found her way into a scary place called an animal shelter. She did not understand why she was there locked in a cold and tiny kennel. The other dogs barked and it frightened little Bella. One day a compassionate woman named Susan adopted Bella and took her home to meet her new brother, Pharaoh and her sister, Toula. Bella also became friends with Susan's daughter, Elizabeth, and her four dogs: Duma, Apollo, Merlin and Zeus. Bella learned that her friends and her brother and sister were also adopted or rescued from scary places just like she was. One day when Bella was playing with her friends, she noticed their collars differed from hers and she asked why. Her friends told her that they were a different breed called Greyhounds and their heads are smaller than their necks so it would be easy to slip their heads through a normal dog collar, therefore, they must wear a special collar called a martingale. Bella was enchanted by these special collars and dreamed of having one of her own. Susan searched far and wide for a collar for Bella, but never found just the right color, pattern or size. Susan, a talented seamstress gathered material to handcraft Bella a collar that was fit for a canine queen. Bella was so happy that she begged Susan to take her for a walk so she could show-off her new collar. Many people noticed Bella and asked where Susan found such an eye-catching collar. After many compliments and requests for their own, Susan decided she would make collars for anyone who desired one. She would call her business 'Fairy Tail Collars.' And so it was that Bella, Pharaoh, Toula, Duma, Apollo, Merlin and Zeus wagged their tails happily ever after.



Here are some of the places you can find Susan and Liz and their work...


And, finally, it's Niko's turn to take you to his favorite place to shop... We're going to visit Denise at Dogs in Harmony... a "barkery" here in Rhode Island...
Dogs in Harmony is owned by Denise Holmes, a Registered Nurse who absolutely adores dogs of all breeds, shapes and sizes! Denise and her husband Bob have been very fortunate to share their lives and home with some extraordinary dogs!!

Max and Ginger, the Holmes's beautiful Golden Retrievers who passed away in 2008 and 2009, were and always will be, the heart and soul of the company. They were the inspiration for Dogs in Harmony and for whom it all began. Ginger had severe allergies and to help ease her symptoms Denise started to make her homemade food and fresh baked treats. It worked so well that the idea for this company was born.

Dogs in Harmony products do not contain any preservatives so each bag is labeled with a “use by or freeze date”. All of the treats freeze well so it is very easy to “stock up”. The treats are hand cut and baked to order. They come in 2 sizes... Regular size 2 1/2 inch heart shape and Mini Bites 1 1/4 inch circle shape.

They also have Healthy Howlers. These were developed to be used with diabetic dogs. They are available only in mini bite size in order to assist with portion control.

Niko absolutely LOVES Dogs in Harmony treats... all flavors... banana/date, peanut butter, ginger snap, blueberry, oatmeal, apple cinnamon, raspberry, applesauce and oatmeal and the Healthy Howlers, too! And he KNOWS that bag....

Niko's birthday is today so on Monday we set out for Dogs in Harmony to buy some birthday gifts! As soon as we opened the door the smell was amazing (even to me!) and Niko was hooked...



See Denise back there... she's baking cookies!


OMG...a treat for me? Now? Oh boy, a peanut butter turkey! Thanx Denise... yum :)


Oooops... I'm making a mess on your floor (good thing I'm cute) :o

It's ok... I'll clean it up :)

Oooooooh more cookies! Yipee... I'll take those to go please  ^_^

Is this mine?!?!


Let's peek...

Oh YEAH.... mine, mine, mine!! Yummy!

Make YOUR puppy happy this Christmas... order some cookies from Denise! You can find her awesome cookies at http://www.DogsInHarmonyRI.com.


Well, I hope you enjoyed seeing all these great gifts for pets and Niko hopes you enjoyed seeing his barkery! We're going to celebrate his birthday :) Then I'll see you right back here tomorrow with yet more new artisans and great gifts!!






Did you miss a day? It's easy to get caught up... we wouldn't want you to miss any goodies!!

5 comments:

Debra Beach said...

What a wonderful day here on the Exploring Handmade event! As a Mommy to a much loved, and super spoiled chihuahua named Coco, I love and appreciate all of the wonderful pet gift creations here today! You all have such creative and unique gifts to offer us all. All the best to you! A BIG Hug and Happy Birthday to Niko!!! XX Debra

Faye said...

Awesome creations for all pets and pet lovers. Happy Birthday to Niko!!!

Sieberdesigns said...

wonderful for those who love there pets!

Debi said...

Thank you ladies :)

Aquarian Bath said...

Love the wood working and the pet treats must be delicious by the way that dog looks! :)