Bazzy Puss
It's a cold, grey, rainy day here and the general blah-ness outside has spilled inside--everyone's mood seems to match the weather. On days like this I find that time spent with the furry ones always revives my spirit, so I give you a cat in a christmas tie. This is Bazzy Puss in feline dress-up...
Does anyone ever really get a perfect shot of their pet? I have a variety of furry friends, and as gorgeous as they are in reality, it never seems to translate true to form in photos. It could be that they squirm about so much, making it difficult to capture a good shot.... or maybe the true magic of the furry ones can never be fully captured in photos and exists only in the moment.
Ah well... even if the photos aren't portrait quality, Basil Vince Noir Schwartz is rockin' his Christmas tie!
The Westerly Trench by Rover Dog on Etsy
In perusing the pages of Etsy I often run across fun items that inspire me--everything from
felt owl ipod cases to amazingly
creative jewellery pieces that have me rummaging through my crafting drawers for a rainy afternoon project.
Considering my absolute adoration of all creatures furry, my search words often include 'pet', and I've found a few beautifully made items that are both whimsical and functional for your furry friends. Now just to clarify, I don't normally dress up all of my pets--the kitties find it particularly stressful and I respect their wishes in the matter... but Charlie Dog, he is surprisingly okay with it.
As you can probably imagine, the weather in Florida is generally hot and humid, and doesn't lend itself to the necessity for canine couture. There are times, however, that we get a cold front (yes, it really does happen!) and everyone goes running for sweaters and cool-weather accessories. Quite comical really as those periods usually only last for a few days and then it's back to tank tops and shorts.
It was during one of these cool swings that I noticed my Charlie Dog shivering on one of our neighbourhood walks. The poor little guy is a 25 lb Schnauzer that found us when he was a hungry, dirty, frightened stray--we brought him home and he has been with us for over a year now. We have no idea where he came from or what he had been through, but the vet said he was around 3 or 4 years old when we found him, and I like to think that the love and care we have given him during the past 15 months has made up for his 'unknown' years.
I took a look online and found inspiration in a few different books, and ended up drafting my own pattern for a doggie coat. They all have the same basic shape, so it wasn't really all that difficult to take brown paper and make a rough mock-up on Charlie to make sure I had the right dimensions.
A few scraps of fabric, some bias binding, two buttons, and lots of love... and Charlie is the cutest doggie in the neighbourhood. He gets a lot of attention on cool mornings when walk our usual route--the security guard even leaves the gate and comes to say good morning!
Charlie Dog ready for a walk
As I sit here in Canada four weeks to the day since my hometown flood, I miss my Charlie Dog almost as much as I miss my husband. Charlie would love running along the trails here with me--sniffing everywhere, drinking from the little brook that runs beside the trail, watching ducks and squirrels scamper along... and he would be too darned cute in his Scottish doggie coat--because he sure would need it here!
Happy weekend everyone!
It never ceases to amaze me how the Japanese manage to take every day objects and translate them into something beautiful and functional. No, I don't just mean
Hello Kitty, although I love the little character and have very fond memories of childhood plastic purses and pencils sporting Hello Kitty and friends' lovely little faces.... There is a company called
JEWEL Japan that I absolutely adore--their pottery designs inspire me in my creation of graphic arts and draw me into a world of coloured kitties and flying goldfish that can be enjoyed every morning with my cup of coffee.
Sadly, their Japanese website has the most mouth-watering product photos and it makes me want to go out buy a set of every single one of their creations--but I have no idea where to find any of them for retail sale in North America.
I do however own a Colored Lucky Cat mug (number 5 in the photo on the left)! I bought it in the Japanese pavillion at Disney's Epcot last summer, long before I discovered Jewel Japan. It brightens my mornings with every sip of Costa Rican Crack Coffee as the happy little lucky kitties wave their tiny paws at me... or maybe that's the coffee talking. I love that the Japanese have the same affinity for felines that I do--and I adore the
Maneki Neko (lucky cat) icon.
For those of you who have heard of
Japan's Cat Cafes, you may be interested to know that there are
new laws going into effect that will change the way these feline-cuddling cafes are regulated. Proper regulation of any business associated with animals is essential, and I am glad that there are laws in place that take into account that these kitties are living creatures who should be treated with kindness and respect.
Looks like it's story time in this Tokyo cat cafe!
At the moment my lucky cat mug is languishing in the cupboard in Florida while I am sitting in my Mum's kitchen in the Maritimes, but that's just fine. I have been enjoying a reunion with my four cats here--and really, who needs the mug when you can hang out with the real thing?!
Bazzy Puss
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Bella Wella Bing Bang aka Bingy
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Yoshimoto
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Dante
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Mr Oliver Puss
Dear Mr Oliver Puss,
The carnage has to stop. Five lizards in one day--I cannot be silent any
longer. The bell on your collar obviously isn't working (are lizards deaf?),
and I am tired of rescuing partly mangled creatures--or worse, disposing of dead
ones. Please take pity on my squeamish sensitivity and take your aggression out
on your wide variety of toys instead of our backyard wildlife.
Regards,
The Human
The Cat Teaser aka Mr Blue Jay
The best place to seek God is in a garden.
You can dig for him there.
~ George Bernard Shaw ~
There is no more intrepid
explorer than a kitten.
~ Jules Champfleury ~
Kittens believe that all nature
is occupied with their diversion.
~ F. A. Paradis de Moncrif ~
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