Inspiring Christmas - Fur Babies Like Presents Too!

I absolutely love Christmas shopping for the perfect gift for each member of my family and I always have. Actually, I remember when I was a child I bought my grandparents lottery tickets, perhaps not their heart's desire, but can you imagine how happy they would have been if they had won? I've also always thought it was important to include my fur babies in the gift giving.

Woof Woof! Meow Meow!

The first year my cat saw the Christmas tree she climbed it and knocked off half the ornaments. That year she was my only baby, fur or otherwise, so her stocking was absolutely stuffed.
Ecofelt Stocking For Your Pet by echoshop

That was many years ago though and now there is a menagerie of pets in my family including seven dogs who all love their treats.
No Bones About It Holiday Bone Tin - - All Natural Gourmet Vegetarian Dog Treats by Shorty's Gourmet Treats

One of the seven is a chihuahua who is such a little girl.
Mrs Claus 2 Piece Dress by Downunder Dog Designs

Thank you to echoshop, Shorty's Gourmet Treats and Downunder Dog Designs for the ideas for my fur baby's Christmas presents. Please check out these and all the other fabulous items in their Etsy shops.

Cheers and Happy Holidays!
- CoconutPalmDesigns

Featured Artist: Kay’s K9s … & Kritters!

1. Tell me a bit about yourself (name, location, affiliations, personal stuff).

My name is Kay Stahler and I’m a full time artist from Ontario, Canada. I share my home with 3 dogs and a Quaker Parrot. The eldest dog is Patches, a 12 year old Chihuahua/Jack Russell, Toby, a 4 year old Jack Russell, and Abbie, a 4 year old Chihuahua/Pomeranian. Animals are an extremely important part of my life, and I try to give back by donating a portion of my sales to animal rescue organizations. I sponsor a shelter animal every month, and post the picture and bio of that particular animal on my blog.

2. Which of your animals is your favourite item in your shop and why? And, what is the best thing you have ever created?

My favourite shop item would have to be my Custom Needle Felted Sculptures. I love working with customers to create miniature versions of their fur babies. It’s wonderful to see all the photos and hear the stories about each animal. A lot of customers come to me after the loss of a pet, and I love to think my work can bring them some comfort during their grief.

If I had to choose one item as the best thing I have created, I would have to pick a Rat Terrier sculpture that I made for my mom of our dog Spunky. He was the dog that I grew up with, and was a very loyal companion to my mother. Unfortunately we lost him 4 years ago, so I created a sculpture as a memorial of him and presented it to my mother last year. She was brought to tears at the sight of it – that alone makes me feel it’s one of my best.

3. What is the best thing about your products?

I think the best thing about my work is that it provides customers with a way to memorialize their pets. I know first hand how difficult it can be to say goodbye to our furry companions, and it’s nice to have items to remember them by. My sculptures are great for this purpose, as I can even include some of the animal’s own fur in their Needle Felted replica.

4. Where would be the best location for showing off your product (the Louvre, Buckingham Palace)?

I suppose I would have to go with Buckingham Palace, as I know how the Queen is a fan of Corgis! I imagine she would be happy to have a miniature sculpture of one of her dogs. =)

5. What is the best homemade item you have ever bought?

That’s a tough one! I would have to go with the Natural Bath & Skin Care products I buy off of Etsy sellers, since I use those every day. Some of the scents are good enough to eat, and I enjoy using these products every day! Some of my favourite sellers include: Sun Kissed Bud, Dress Green, and Crowley Manor.

Etsy Shop: http://www.KaysK9s.etsy.com
Etsy Shop: http://www.KaysK9sPaperBoutique.etsy.com
Etsy Teams: Etsy For Animals (EFA), Needle Felt Etsy Street Team (NFEST), Etsy Fiber Arts Street Team (EtsyFAST), Etsy Minimakers
Blog: http://www.KaysK9s.blogspot.com
Website: http://www.KaysK9s.com

Featured Artist: Allover Art

1. Tell me a bit about yourself (name, location, affiliations, personal stuff).

Hello! My name is Ruth Jones and I am the artist and owner of Allover Art in Holly Springs, NC. My husband and I are newlyweds, and we live with our three year old rescue German Shepherd mix Kasey. We adore her and she has been a great inspiration to me. I specialize in original fine art oil paintings on canvas, as well as any other creative medium I can get my hands on. I also dedicate myself to creating custom art that speaks uniquely of you. I possess the ability to render an enormous diversity of subjects through oil paint. My custom work includes pet portraits, wedding portraits, family portraits, and landscapes. My talent for, and delight in, painting first took shape in high school where I was a member of the National Art Honor Society. A graduate of Rutgers University, I received a degree in Art History by studying the various eras, techniques, and great masterpieces that helped shape the art world into what it is today. I interned at a New York City art publication where I received further exposure to the workings of the art community. A few years later, the desire to share the knowledge and experience that I had gathered initiated the creation of Allover Art!

2. What is the first thing you can remember making by hand? How and why did you make it?

I was sitting in my bedroom one day on a weekend, back when I was in high school. I must have been bored because I decided I would realistically draw my hand. Well I drew it and my mom saw it and complimented me on it. That spurred me to enroll in a general visual arts class in high school, and it was there that I fell in love with painting.

3. Why should people buy your product?

I often find that people are looking for a painting to go in their home, or a way to memorialize a pet, and then they come across me. The majority of my work is custom and I take great pleasure in working closely with my clients to create exactly what they want. When it comes to my pet portraits, I have often heard that my paintings look like photos. A fellow Etsyian even said that when they went into my shop they thought I did photography, before they read my descriptions and realized that my works were actually oil paintings. I work to exceed the expectations of my clients.

4. Besides what you feature in your shop, do you plan to turn your creative mind elsewhere or what do you hope to creatively do next?

I am contemplating creating miniature acrylic paintings on wooden tiles. I have several 1 1/4 inch tiles that I am going to create small works of art on, seal in resin, and turn into pendants for necklaces.

5. Where would be the best location for showing off your product (the Louvre, Buckingham Palace)?

My work is best displayed in my clients' homes. However, I have found that vet offices and any place that dedicates itself to animals are also great environments for my work. Art galleries are also great environments for viewing my work.

Etsy Shop: http://alloverart.etsy.com
Etsy Teams: NCTriangle Team
Website: http://alloverart.net
Blog: http://alloverart-nc.blogspot.com

Featured Artist: Lazy Cat

Lazy Cat Gifts was created by three friends in Ann Arbor, MI. Two of them were in medical school at the University of Michigan and the third worked in a laboratory there. All of us had grandmothers who crocheted, however Kelly had the most experience.

After honing our skills for several years making many gifts for many family members and friends, we decided to try to sell some of our creations! We had a good start at a local craft show and found Etsy.com while searching for a gentle way to beginning selling online. (Plus, Etsy comes with the bonus of a great community of artists!) Etsy is also great for us, because Kelly has moved to Philadelphia, while Allison and Stasia still live in Ann Arbor. However, we keep in touch every day! And, we are all so excited Kelly is moving back to Ann Arbor in June!

We enjoy using the skills from our grandmothers to create wonderfully hip and modern pieces. We crochet in both yarn and wire, creating artisan bead crochet jewelry, scarves, hats, etc. We are constantly looking for ways to expand crochet, and we love making custom items!

We are updating our store all the time, so please check back often to see what new goodies have appeared!

Additionally, our Boutique line of jewelry is currently available at Suwanee Springs at 306 S. Main St. in Ann Arbor, MI. Please stop in to see these exclusive pieces!

In the past, we have featured Kelly's mom's items in "Ruth Ellen's Creations" as she is unable to make her own website. Hopefully her beautiful quilts and tasty dog treats will return soon.

Read more about our store and the cats who inspire it on our blog: http://lazycatgifts.blogspot.com

Etsy Shop: http://lazycat.etsy.com
Blog: http://lazycatgifts.blogspot.com