Birthday Fun

My birthday was two weeks ago. My sweet husband, Shawn-the-wonder-guy, always wants to do something spectacular and surprising for my birthday, but I am much more simple than that. I always have a long wish list of things I would like for him to do or make around here and I am more than willing to take them as birthday gifts. And anniversary. And Christmas.

So for this year's birthday, I requested new shelving for my fabrics in my studio. As you may recall from my earlier studio tour, it looked like this:

It was functional, but getting difficult to gain access to the rolls of fabric when I needed them. It never failed: the fabric I would need would be on the top shelf, under about four other rolls. Now mind you, these are not small rolls. They are anywhere from 15 - 50 yards of fabric. They can get heavy!

So, after hours on Pinterest and perusing websites such as Ikea, I thought I had the perfect solution.

Only problem was that it involved a trip to Ikea.

Shawn the-wonder-guy detests Ikea. With a passion. Would be willing to do anything to avoid going there.

So, having mercy upon him, plus not being completely sold on the piece that I had chosen from there, we did some other shopping.

I ended up getting two tall bookcases from Wal-Mart. They are very inexpensive and the shelves were the exact measurements that I was wanting to work with. Shawn added some nice molding trim to the top and down the middle where the two pieces meet and suddenly it looked like a wonderful built-in piece.

But I wasn't finished! All those hours on Pinterest were spinning in my head and I decided that the back of the shelves needed something to jazz them up. I found some wrapping paper that I really liked at Target and purchased a couple rolls. Using double-sided sticky tape, they went up in a flash. The shelves were added and then the fabric and suddenly I had this:

I still had to deal with all those huge bolts of fabric, but I had a plan for those also. A quick trip to Lowe's to purchase two large round Brute rubber garbage cans solved the problem. I placed one on each side of the new bookcase and loaded them up. Getting the bolt that I need is now so much easier!!

Now it all kind of looks like something from Project Runway, don't you think?

And I kept room for the dog beds!

But, here is where you all come in. I need to decide something to make the garbage cans look, well, less like giant garbage cans. This seems to be a unique dilemna as nothing comes up when I do a search on Pinterest. You know you have hit a new plateau when a search comes up empty!

So, what would your suggestion be???

Chihuahua Watermelon

We have a big family 4th of July party coming up next week and I am thinking I really need to make one of these for the party!!

Aloha Treats!!

Our mail carrier loves to comment on how many packages we send out to Luna Blue, in Honolulu Hawaii. Yesterday he made a special point of bringing the mail to our front door to let us know that we had a package from THEM!!

It didn't take long for those Chihuahua noses to figure out that there were TREATS in the package. Very Yummy treats.

There were three bags, each special handmade yummy flavors from Hawaii. There is BBQ Grill Mix, which is Beef, Chicken and Bit O' Bacon. There is the Luna Blue Mix, with Passion Fruit, Papaya, and Cranberry (there are some of the humans around here that want to sample those too!). These are each just the perfect size for the girls and Cooper to scarf down in a snap.

The final bag has larger bone shaped Taro chicken treats. They are like a whole meal, so they will have to be split up and shared.

Insert Breezy here, saying, "Say what?!?!"

Stormie and Shimmer were quick to don the latest Luna Blue designs that we are working on and pose for a picture with their gifts.

Don't you just love the smile on Shimmer's face..???

You should check out the new Luna Blue shop on Etsy! You can now purchase some of the designs that we have been working on -- without having to travel to Hawaii to get them.

Not that that would be a bad thing.

Check it out here. Besides our girls modeling, you can see cute little Noah, spokesdog for Luna Blue.

Someday I am taking Shawn the Wonder Guy and going to Hawaii to meet them all in person!

Gettin' Crafty

I love what I do, I love to sew and create all kinds of doggie fashions. However, I have been feeling really in a rut lately. Like all I ever do is sew the same things. Over and over. And over and over. My creative juices were screaming to get out and simply coming up with some new designs wasn't going to fix the problem.

So, I started with this:

I got the idea from Pinterest and made some adaptations of my own and soon I had this wonderful little garden to greet me as I go in and out of our home. That should be enough to keep me for a while, right?

Well, it did keep me happy. For a while. Then I was back to wanting to do more. It is sort of my release I guess you could say. So next, I created this:

I am really happy with this one. I also got the idea from Pinterest. Just looking at it makes me happy. I love my family.

But then I got thinking. I need to add the dogs! This would probably make the whole thing rather large, so instead I went with this:

I have this one in my studio. It just makes me smile. The idea comes from a super talented lady by the name of Vanessa Campbell, who writes a blog entitled The Sew*er, The Caker, The CopyCat Maker. I contacted her to see if she could send me a file with the "My Dogs" print and before I could name all four dogs, it was sitting in my inbox. Now THAT is wonderful service. You really should go here and see the instructions for this project. It is super easy!

The last project I have to show you is my new message board. I have been wanting to create this to put by our kitchen phone for quite a while now:

I knew I wanted to paint it with chalkboard paint (yes, I am still strangely attracted to that stuff), but I also wanted it to be magnetic. I had an old frame that I painted white. I checked with Shawn the wonder guy and he had a piece of sheet metal that fit inside the frame perfectly. Yay!

Slap some chalkboard paint on that baby and Wah Lah! I have the perfect message board. I used my Silhoutte to add the title at the top, just in case someone was unsure what the whole thing was for. I found the little shelf at Goodwill for $1.99, painted it white and now I have the perfect spot for the chalk and eraser.

The Chihuahua magnets that I purchased here a while back work perfectly on the board.

This has all been so much fun, but now it is time to get back to the sewing machines. While I was busy painting, Shawn the Wonder Guy cleaned and tuned my machines while they were getting a day off, so now they purr like kittens and are raring to go!

Dogs in the Hood

I am not sure who invented the hoodie, or even how long they have been in existence, but it seems that everyone enjoys them.

Perhaps it is the combination of shirt and jacket. Kind of like you are getting away with something extra when you wear one.

Or perhaps it is the name. Hoodie. It is a kind of funny word, don't you agree?

They are certainly a popular, hot-selling item in our shop.

Here in the Pacific Northwest, where the weather is a little bi-polar, being sunny one moment and raining torrents the next, they are an essential wardrobe staple.

The girls enjoy wearing their hoodies on damp days like this.

Cooper, not so much. But then Cooper HATES wearing any clothing.

Not sure if this is a fashion statement of his thoughts on my designs. Or he is just a boy and clothing is not an interest. Either way, he can wiggle out of anything I put on him, so I am almost to the point of giving up.

Meanwhile, the girls and I are facing the day wrapped in our favorite hoods.

Have a great day everyone!

Studio Tour

After some intensive work and organizing, I am ready to unveil my studio so that you can see where I spend most of my days! As you come through the french door into the studio, you are greeted by this Ikea cabinet. I love it. I keep most of my patterns and all the holiday fabrics and finished product in the baskets. I got real creative one day and made chalkboard tags for most of the baskets in the room.

As you can see, this is Command Central, or where most of the work happens. I love my expansive L-shaped work table, where I can have everything important at my fingertips. One of the greatest things we did when designing this room was install the 'Pergo Pad'. It makes it so easy for me to glide from machine to machine and to get to all of the drawers. Thank you to Shawn the Wonder Guy for doing such an excellent job.

Here is a close up of one half of the work station. I have my T.V., iHome and telephone to keep me company. And the girls are always looking down at me, keeping me on task. I really need to get a picture of Cooper, too! The one drawback to this space is that since it is in the basement, I do not have a window in this particular room, so I don't get to look outside. That might be good as I can be easily distracted. But, I have added some decorative homey touches to make up for it. That and the dogs need regular potty breaks, so I do get to go outside, too.

At the other end of the Command Central is my computer and corkboard. I like having the threads that I use the most hanging on the wall where I can grab them as I need them.

As you can see, I have several small drawer cabinets that hold the labels that are sewn into the clothing, as well as the charms that go on some of the tshirts, and various other small items that I need for each design. This one holds all the Cody and Company design items.

I also do some exclusive work for Luna Blue, a boutique in Honolulu, Hawaii, and I keep all of their tags and labels in a separate cabinet. Yes, I have a label maker and I definitely know how to use it!


At the end of Command Central is a set of wicker drawers. On top of this is a basket of current projects that have been cut out and are ready to be sewn. I also have mounted a row of hooks above it to hold printouts and orders, which I have hanging on rings. This makes it easy to grab them and they slip on and off quickly.

These drawers got the chalkboard tags also.


Here is a peek inside one of the drawers to see how the ribbon is arranged:

There is a 14-foot counter that runs the length of one whole side of the room, with cabinets above and below. It's kind of hard to see it all in the picture, but it does come out quite a bit, which makes it so wonderful to cut out bolts of fabric, with lots of room to spread out.

At one end of the counter, I keep all of the Luna Blue patterns. In dog design folders, of course!

More baskets with chalkboard tags sit on the counter also. I promise, that is the end of the chalkboard tags. It was a fun project, though! Having all the working patterns located here makes it a snap to grab them when I have the fabric all laid out. Are you getting the idea that I like things organized and easy to use?

I decided the front of the cabinets needed some 'dressing up' (haha -- get the pun? That is for my Dad, who always loved a good pun) and used Command hooks to display some of the Cody and Company designs. I can easily exchange them for different ones whenever I want.
 

Okay, so now on to taking a peek inside the cupboards. Now my true OCD nature will be revealed. And I don't mean Obsessive Chihuahua Disorder.

Armed with Dollar Tree bins and my trusty label maker, I was able to get everything in ship-shape condition. After I had to make an extra run to Office Max for more Label Maker tape. Grrr.

I keep other things in these cupboards besides my sewing business supplies, such as my trusty laminating machine and other craft supplies. Sometimes I really do break away from the sewing machines and work on something else!

This set of cupboards hold some of my fabrics and my brand new toy that was a surprise from Shawn the Wonder Guy - a Silhouette Cameo machine. I think he's hoping I will be occupied with that for a while and not come up with any new handyman projects for him. Oh, how I love that guy and his optimism. Or maybe he wants his label maker back....

Seeing this cupboard probably makes you wonder - "where does she keep all the fabric?" After all, a business that produces over 1,000 pet clothing items per year must have quite the fabric stash, right?

Oh yes, there is quite the fabric stash. The neatly folded fabrics are for our Cody and Company designs, and the bolts on top are for the Luna Blue collections. Every time a delivery of more bolts from Hawaii arrives on my front porch is a fun surprise, but involves some shifting to accomodate. I think it's funny that the picture makes it kind of look like it's ready to fall over, but it is indeed very secure. Shawn the Wonder Guy's work once again.

Actually, I have to express my gratitude to Shawn for creating this beautiful studio for me. Ever patient and long-suffering, he builds, paints, installs and creates anything I dream up that I want. He is one in a million.

The best part of working from home is that my favorite models get to spend all day with me in my studio.

Don't they look so glamorous as they relax as I do all the work? Hey girls, when you wake up, you can check out your neatly organized toy bin. Until Cooper leaps in the middle of it and kicks everything out.

Wow, that is the most pictures I have uploaded for a single blog post!

So, there you have it. Home of Cody and Company Pet Products. I hope you have enjoyed the tour and maybe gleaned some ideas for organizing a craft space for yourself!

UPDATE!! Check out our new fabric storage shelves here

New Coffee Mug

Well, I don't drink coffee, but I am sure I can come up with something to do with this new mug.

Yep, if I have to suffer from some syndrome, I guess this is the one I want!

You can get yours here.

Easter Goodies

Yes, the Easter Bunny made a stop at our house. The girls got cute little Easter bonnets.

Shimmer is opting for the "If I just hurry and look sweet, they will take the picture and I will be done' look. She was successful.

Breezy has the "I cannot believe what they make me do" look.

And Stormie just poses like the pro and shows everyone how it's done.

They also got these absolutely gorgeous collars from Crazy for Collars. They are called 'Chihuahua Princess', so of course the girls had to each have one. And wonderful Suzanne added the bling with the rhinestone crowns in the center of the bow.
Everyone got a basket full of yummies and goodies:

Shimmer always looks like she is smiling.


Breezy, once again, just wants it over with so that she can dig into the goodies.

Here is Cooper's basket....

And here is Cooper:

We never could get both in the same picture. Cooper never stops moving. You will notice the treats in his basket. They are the Bil-Jac treats that everyone here loves, but they are called 'Little Gooberlicious'. We always say to Cooper "You are such a goober', so I (I mean the Easter Bunny) couldn't resist getting them for him. He also got two new collars from Crazy for Collars.

Yep, pretty spoiled pups.

Cooper thinks that's just the way it should be.

Puppy Easter

Our friend, Devin Graham, is a video-making genius. He works on projects specifically for Youtube, as well as other mind-blowing videos for other companies.

I shared his Puppy Christmas with you last December, and now he has done an equally adorable Easter video.

Sit back, enjoy and wish for cute puppies in your yard!

Mixer Magic

I am not that much of a material girl. When I was younger, oh yes, I was. As I have gotten older, not so much.

However, recently I saw something that my friend, Nikki, had done to her Kitchenaid mixer and I just knew I had to do it too. I quickly contacted our friend, Melissa, at Shabby Chic Boutique, and ordered my own.

Here you have it:

It is a custom designed vinyl decal that easily adheres to the mixer and holds up well to the cleaning and wiping down that you do with your mixer. Should I ever change my mind (horrors!!) and no longer want my little Chihuahua friend on my mixer, it is easily removed.

Isn't that just too cute??? I love my mixer and all the great things I am able to do with it, but now I adore it even more.

We have been having a pretty rough time this past year and it was nice to just do something frivolous and fun. Now as I walk into my kitchen and see this sitting on the counter, it just brightens my day.

I think this is a whole new fun idea. Just think of all that you could do to personalize your mixer. If you had one in a color other than white, wouldn't it look adorable with polka dots all over it? Or some small saying across the top?? If you are interested, contact Shabby Chic Boutique. They are a great group of Air Force wives, located at Hill Air Force Base in Utah, that have gotten together to share their love of creativity and art. They are super easy to work with and would love to hear from you!

My dogs don't really care what design I may have on my mixer. Stormie says that if having a cute Chihuahua on it helps to keep things like this coming, then she is in 100% support of the idea:

Bunny Photo Contest

We have entered Stormie's photo in the 1-800-flowers' website The New Easter Bunny contest. I'm not sure that we will win as there are a couple entries that already have over 1,000 votes. It would be fun, as I would love some of the prizes. But, either way, it has been fun to see the comments that people have on how cute our little Stormie is. She was such a little trooper in wearing

You should have seen the photos we tried with Breezy. She just sat there, wearing the ears and giving me the death stare. She wouldn't move a muscle.

Shimmer just flopped right down and looked humiliated.

The link to vote for Stormie is:

http://ww10.1800flowers.com/template.do?id=template3&page=2000&conversionTag=true#photos/easter_2012/page/detail/31343

Thanks for your support!

Easter Basket Roundup

Easter is coming very quickly. When my kids were younger, I loved spending so much time finding all kinds of treasures to put in their Easter baskets. Now that they are all grown, I get to turn my attention to the girls and Cooper.

You can tell from last year's photo that they had a pretty good haul. I was sort of pressed for time last year and didn't devote much time to shopping, so they all got a combined basket.

This year I have done much better! I have already purchased individual baskets for each of them and have started to gather some of the greatest items ever! I can hardly wait to share some of them with you, especially some special collars from my friend Suzanne at Crazy for Collars.

I found these adorable little containers at The Dollar Tree yesterday. They will be perfect for carrying their treats in their travel bag, etc.

The pile of stuff for the baskets is growing. Can you hear Peter Cottontail coming down the bunny trail yet...???