Pet Bed

Well, my little Roxie needed a new bed desperately. Her old one, bought by my wonderful "other" mother, Leighanne, has finally gone to it's grave.

R.I.P. Cute Little Green Doggie Bed

2008-2011

Believe it or not, it was worse than it appears. In fact, I tried my hardest to salvage it, but it was just too far gone :'(

So, I made her a new one. This one actually matches the pillows in my living room!

I have a thing for the "squared edges" idea.

So here is how I made it.

Materials:

At least 1 yd. fabric

2 bags of Poly-fil stuffing

Ruler

Rotary cutter or scissors

Sewing machine or needle/thread

Pen or Pencil

1. I started out by cutting two 24x24" squares.

2. Flip them over where fronts sides are facing each other. You should be looking only at the WRONG side of the fabric.

3. Sew a 1/4" or 1/2" seam all the way around your squares, but leave enough room to stuff it later. (If you are using a sewing machine, make sure to back stitch every time you start or finish sewing.)

To make it Squared

4. Pick up a corner of your fabric and pull the squares apart (at the corner) until the seams are lined up vertically. This is hard to explain so I took some pictures.

It should look like this with the seams in the front and back.

5. Line your ruler up so that your corner is measuring 5" across and mark with a pen or pencil. (If you do not want your bed as thick as mine, measure at 3" across)

6. Sew across this ink line. Do the same to all 4 corners.

7. Turn RIGHT side out, then stuff. I used all of two bags. The more you stuff it the better it keeps its shape.

8. Hand stitch the hole together and you're done!

Roxie really loves her knew bed. It fits perfectly under my side table. I've even considered giving her curtains! The spoiled little thing.

I believe I will make an XL one to match for the big dogs.

Hope you enjoyed!





Homemade Treats for the X-tra Spoiled Pooch!

Anyone besides me treat their dogs like an important member of the family??? Who says dogs shouldn't be allowed to indulge in homemade foods...or wear clothes...or have things of their own?? And who said that they don't celebrate the holidays right along with us?

Allow me to introduce you to my three "children". Hollie (left), Lilah (middle), and Roxie (front and center) Trust me, these dogs KNOW they are spoiled. They get pretty much whatever they want. Although I'm sure you can tell by this picture that they are very well behaved. Somehow I made them lay down and stay while I took about 100 pictures of them.

Anyway, the prices of dog treats (and most anything in a store these days) has gone through the roof. I used to think I was doing pretty good when I could buy a big bag of dog bones at walmart for $3. At the time that was the cheapest I had ever seen for those. Now they have raised the prices twice more stopping at $5/bag and finally $8/bag.

Let's just say I wasn't about to spend $8/bag.

That is a little ridiculous.

But my dogs are my babies and they need something to snack on.

So I started doing some research. I needed to find out what kinds of foods were safe for dogs. I also needed to look through different recipes to learn how to make them.

TIP: Just like people....the LESS sugar you give a dog the better! It isn't good for them.

So here is what I made them...

Halloween themed Doggie Biscuits!!!

This is my own recipe. It's very simple due to the fact that this was my first recipe and I wasn't sure whether my dogs would like them or not.

Ingredients:

2 c. flour (all purpose or whole wheat)

1/2 c. oatmeal

2-3 tbsp peanut butter

chicken broth

Mix flour, oatmeal and peanut butter in a bowl. Add chicken broth until you form dough. Knead until smooth. Roll out dough on a counter or wax paper and cut with cookie cutters of your choice.

(If your dough is too sticky, sprinkle a little extra flour. If too dry and crumbles, add a little broth)

Spray a cookie sheet and bake biscuits for about 30 minutes at 300 degrees.

AFTER they have cooled you can give some to your dogs!!!

I stored the extras in a large glass jar with a top. Try not to leave them sitting TOO long.

Remember to research SAFE things that your dog can eat! Stay low on the sugar if you use any at all in your own "inventions"and beware of bellyaches...you wouldn't eat a whole candy shop by youself, so don't overdo the dog treats :)

Hope your babies love them!

Jack O' Jars

I was just talking to my mom today. One BIG difference in my mom and me is that I LOVE to decorate! Anything and everything would be decorated for every occasion if it was up to me. But like most things these days, decorating can cost you a pretty penny. So I am constantly looking for different crafts and projects to save a little cash but still have that "decorative touch" in and around the house.

It is Halloween again...and when it comes to buying decorations (if I must) I usually have a lot more Christmas decorations than anything. So this year, as I was looking through my Southern Living Magazine, I came across the CUTEST handmade decorations I've seen in a while.

Pantry Passion

Ever wonder what you are going to do about that pantry??? I did.

Believe it or not it was a simple (and cheap) fix.