Bargain Baskets

Problem: I needed a place to store puppy supplies in the living room, out of sight but within reach.

Solution: Storage baskets with a lift open lid.

I saw exactly what I wanted at Pottery Barn, similar to the baskets in the photo below but with a lid. However, I was having a hard time spending $40 on a basket that was going to hold raw hides and Bitter Apple spray... plus I needed two and $80 on baskets, not happening.

So I found these look-a-likes at Home Goods for $12.99 a piece.

The lids keep the dog out and the mess in, and they fit perfectly under the console table.

Riley is 5!

Today we celebrated a little milestone at our house -- Riley Cash, the largest Cocker Spaniel known to man, turned five!

It seems like it was only yesterday that we brought the little Muppet home...

July 2004

August 2004

September 2004

May 2009

May 2009

I can't believe how much our boy has grown...and how much his behavior has stayed the same (we should have known that eating and sleeping would continue to be his favorite activities).

Happy Birthday, Riley!
(AKA Rod Roddy, Riley Cashman, Mr. Jones, Cashman Jones, Roddy, Mr. Bud, Pretty Boy Johnson, Creepster McGee, Big Bob, Bobby Dog, Tiny Tike, Mr. McGillicuddy, Cuddle Pup Jones, etc.)

Need New Rug...

Back in January I bought a new rug for our sun room from Crate & Barrel. It was after the holidays so everything was on sale and for under $200 I got a large brown looped wool rug. As far as rugs go... I liked it... served it's purpose and looked nice. Then in March we got the puppy. She cost more than the rug (but worth every penny). She also decided that she liked the rug... so she started digging. Or at least trying to dig... now the rug looks not so nice. Once we figure out a way to break Kasey of the digging habit, I'm going to order one of these:

Ballard Designs; Coventry Jute rug, $239 for an 8x10

Oh the joys of puppies! Good thing they're cute.

Dogs & Containers

As you can see I am a little more than puppy-obsessed lately, and how could I NOT be with this darling face looking at me all the time:

A few weeks ago I posted the making's of a DIY dog food storage bin and I hadn't gotten very far at the time. Well, as it turns out, one of Erin's very creative friends offered me a few suggestions to get the ball rolling on the project. Here is her much appreciated suggestion:

Hi Erica, I was checking out the blog and saw the doggy tin post and have a couple ideas. I think it could be cute to put paw prints in the sectioned off space between bone and lid, either in black or a stand out color like red, pink or even yellow. Another idea that came to mind was filling in the bone with color and then accenting the rest of the tin with the same color, in polka dots or another design. Oh, it could be cute to put some sort of grosgrain ribbon in the sectioned off space and the very bottom for balance. That might be a bit girly though! A combo idea that just came to mind was filling bone with color and then putting the ribbon (with some sort of polka dot or other graphic design) around the top and bottom Good luck with your project! Cheers, Lindsay

All of Lindsay's ideas were super cute and also super easy. So I decided to try adding a series of black polka dots around the tin. I would have done a color, but I had a black Sharpee and was actually too lazy to run to the store to find a cute color. But the black turned out really cute, and I am addicted to all things black and white so it works. Next I added the name, Kasey, to the inside of the bone. Finally, I drew a big paw print on the lid and still left room around it in case another flood of creative energy hits me. (Unlikely.) And.... as you can see, that is as far is I got:

I was thinking about adding polka dotted grosgrain ribbon around the side of the lid. However, it's a good thing I didn't get around to it because I think Kasey would have ripped it off immediately. She's into biting anything and everything. Including the dog food bin, already!

On a side note, I was at the Pottery Barn Outlet last week and picked up this huge glass jar to contain dog treats. It was a $30 jar (seriously, who wants to spend that much on a jar?) that I snagged for $10 (which is still a bit much if you ask me, but I saw similar jars at Target that were at least $15 and I know this one is better quality). I think it looks a little more decor friendly than your typical dog treat container and it's easier to access than the resealable treat bag.

Two more things: First, yes, I realize I need to stock up on more dog treats, the jar is running a bit low. Second, yes, I realize I need to work on my photography skills because I have none! Any suggestions on how to take better pictures? I'm using a Canon Power Shot SD750 with 7.1 mega pixels... so I'm guessing it's not the camera's fault.

DIY: Dog Food Storage Bin

We've survived week 1 of puppy-hood with our little lady, Kasey. She has kept us on our toes and laughing, even while making a mess in the house. Kasey can't stay in trouble for long... at least not with me, those darn puppy dog eyes get me every time! This morning she went for her first walk on the leash; we made it around the block once, huge milestone!

For that past week, we've been keeping her dog food in it's resealable plastic bag. It works for now, the bag is only 8 lbs and it's small puppy food. But in the future I'd like to store it in something that can be easily opened or closed by a human, but impossible to crack into by a mischievous puppy. Rather than buy something new, I decided to go shopping in our storage area to find a free solution. Every year for Christmas Jared receives a huge tin of popcorn from his parents. The tins are always holiday inspired and too cute to throw away... so we have a mini stock pile in the basement.
My first step was to spray paint the tin bright white to cover up the Christmas bird scene. It took two coats to cover the dark colors and a third to even out the white. From there I decided to trace a standard looking dog bone on the front. First, I drew a bone on a piece of white computer paper, then cut out the shape and traced it onto the front of the tin. Next, I outlined the bone with a black permanent marker.I think the tin needs something more. That's where you all come in! Here's where the project stands now:
I know it is missing something... but between my lack of sleep and my attention being devoted to the dog lately, I am at a stand still. I was thinking about putting a word inside of the bone. Maybe the dog's name, or the word 'woof', something... anything? Another idea I had was to draw a silhouette of my little lady on the lid. I would have to take another photo like this one to use as a template for my drawing:
Help! I need your suggestions! This DIY project has been haunting me for days!

Meet Kasey

The newest addition to our home has four legs and it isn't a dining room table... it's the sweetest little black lab puppy you've ever seen. Her name is Kasey:

We have been trying to adopt a puppy for a few weeks now through a rescue foundation in our area. A Forever-Home Rescue Foundation (AFH) is a non-profit dedicated to finding loving homes for otherwise homeless dogs and cats. Basically when shelters receive abandoned animals they contact foundations like AFH and ask them to pick up the pets. AFH then finds foster parents to care for the dogs and cats until someone adopts them. We had to go through an application process that included a home inspection and interviews. Luckily we passed both!

Kasey and her brother were living with a foster family nearby and they invited us over to meet everyone. The puppies were abandoned in West Virginia this December and rescued from the bitter cold. Out of the entire litter (not sure how many) only these two survived. AFH nick-named them "Teeny" and "Tiny" because they were so small. Kasey was about half as big as her brother when we met her and even though she's grown in a week... she is still pretty small for her age. She is a lab mix, but our guess is as good as any on what the mix includes. We've been told that since some people in West Virginia breed hounds for hunting, there is a good chance she has some hound in her but we can't be sure.

I love the white spots on her paws and chin, and the white "T" on her chest. I joked with Jared that she matches our house and my love for all things black & white! At some point before she was rescued her tail was injured and left her with a knubby-hook (so cute). Like all big purchases, she requires a slew of accessories. These white ceramic bowls were a match made in dog heaven. (Matching some of my kitchen accessories from Williams-Sonoma):

Kasey is a curious little lady and is making herself at home. She seems to enjoy watching TV, chew toys, and loves to cuddle any chance she gets. Jared and I are already head over heels for this little ball of fur!