Something for the Boys

As I've mentioned, I see tons of cool projects on Pinterest that I'd like to try. Unfortunately, I don't have room for all of that stuff, so I have to squeeze a couple new things in here and there. Since Jim has been such a good sport about my crafting crap being spread all over the place, I thought I'd make a little something that he might actually appreciate. I saw this one a while back, so I thought I'd give it a try.


So... For Boston! Oops... St. Louis. It just doesn't quite have the same ring to it (pun intended).

Like I said, I saw this on Pinterest, so unfortunately it wasn't my idea. I just kinda winged it based on the picture I saw. I think it came out ok, and with plenty of baseball season to spare!

The foam wreath is wrapped in white yarn and bits of red felt tied with a leather-like cord. I traced the logo onto some card stock to make a stencil, then cut it out of stiff felt. The flowers were the only part I looked for instructions for, and I found those here and here.

I had intended to make one for our door and if he liked it, to make another for him to send to his dad, who is also a huge Cardinals fan. But he is going to visit his dad earlier than I'd expected. So I finished this quick so that he can take it with him (and hopefully keep it from getting smashed in his suitcase), just re-confirming that I work better with a deadline.

When I make the other one, and I'm not in a hurry, I'll take some pictures of the process, and explain how I made the logo since I've already had a few people ask me about that.

On a different note, I did go check out Puppystream.me yesterday. It's so cute! It's basically just your dog's life in pictures. I'm glad I found it while Penny is still a puppy, so her timeline can start from the beginning. It's still in the beta stage right now, but I emailed with the founder and he said that they will be introducing new features in July! I can't wait for Jim to be able to upload pics of her too. He always seems to get cuter ones than I do, haha. Guess he's just faster to react when she does something cute. Even if you don't have a dog, you should check it out. It's like Facebook for dog's. (But better than Dogbook, which is NOT user-friendly) Here is a link to Penny's timeline. http://puppystream.me/beth/penny Go look!

Life with Penny

As I mentioned a couple weeks ago, my puppy, Penny, received her first BarkBox for the month of May. For those who don't know what a BarkBox is, it's a subscription service from which your dog receives a monthly package containing, new and/or unique dog accessories. I bought a deal from DailyCandy for three months for $35 (normally $21 a month). It's probably not something that I would have done with my dog before, but then I already new her likes and dislikes. But, since Penny and I are still getting to know each other, I thought this might be a good way to try out some new things and get a feel for her preferences. Before I bought the package, I Googled a bit to see if anyone had had good/bad experiences with BarkBox, and I have to say that I was a little surprised when all I found were great reviews and blog posts. But now I get it. And since reading those opinions helped me decide, I thought I'd share about our first experience, in case it can help someone else someday.

So here it is: Penny's May BarkBox.

First, here is Penny:

The BarkBox came in a cute little box that looked like a present.

Here's a shot of each item alone with a description from the company:
Katie's Bumpers- The Sqwuggie is an awesome interactive toy made from durable, fire hose material. They're great for tug, fetch or any water excursion. Penny loves this! Although it's about a tall as her.

Sloppy Kisses of Saratoga Springs- These Dallas Delights are an all natural treat and the specialty treat of the Sloppy Kisses Bakery. They are made with lots of peanut butter and are a tasty treat that any pup is sure to love. Penny really liked these too. But I wish I had read the description sooner because left in the bag they came in, they were moldy in a little less than a week.

Warren London- Treat your pup! This spa kit by Warren London includes their signature hydrating butter and a paw fizz tablet. Rub the hydrating butter into your dog's coat for a moisturizing effect and soak their paws in the tub with the tablet for a clean soothing feeling. We haven't tried the hydrating butter yet, and she can't tell me if she liked the paw fizz tablet, but I do know that she liked to watch it fizz in the water.

Gulpy- This portable water dispenser is perfect for walks, a trip to the park or whenever you and the pup leave home! No more sharing a slobber-covered water bottle with Fido, this one is all his. She is really finicky about her water, but she did like this bottle better than the H2O4K9 bottle that I bought for her before.

Spiral Bully Stick- These are bully sticks... with a twist! They're odor free, all natural, and sourced from free-range grass fed cattle. Keep your pup occupied AND promote healthy teeth and gums. This was Penny's favorite! She wouldn't put it down. Luckily, since she's so tiny, I was able to cut into about four equal pieces so it lasted a lot longer.

It also came with this little card in the box for Puppystream.me. I haven't had a chance to check it out yet, but since I'm thinking about it, I might go do it right now!

Anyway, so that's the BarkBox. I think it's great. I love getting new stuff in the mail and since I buy so much for her, it's like it's all for both of us, haha. we should be getting at least two more boxes and hopefully they will be just as good as the first!