dreameyce

Polar Bear Picnic pieces!

Thu, 22 May 2008 20:14:50 GMT

Finally! The large Polar Bear celebration custom orders for CorgiAid are finished :) I'm so excited about these getting to their new homes :)

These pins, and ornaments were made in celebration of CorgiAid receiving a Pedigree award for their awesome fundraising program. I'm a huge supporter of CorgiAid, and always have so much fun sending in donations, and helping in my own little way!

Here are some of the pieces I made!

The rest are pictured here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/beautifulwolf/sets/72157605179417766/

My dogs as celebrities!

Thu, 22 May 2008 20:03:25 GMT

Cheesy yes, but OMG! So accurate! I'm giggling over here!

Traum:

Swingin' hard and keeping it real in his 'hood, your little homey is Snoop Doggy Dogg, yo.

Bustin' out superfly vocals that keep his lady friends perched, ready and on the edge of their seats, Traum knows how to have a good time with his peeps and is not ashamed to show it. A big fan of the bling bling, Traum is fashion fit and costume conscious, even willing to go a little over the top at times. Rich like butter and phat with flavor when he rolls, Traum is well aware of the heads he turns along the way. Often seen hangin' with the big boys, Traum is one tough cookie and knows how to paw his way out of a confrontation. But despite his occasionally feisty flare, Traum is romantic and poetic, a true-blue Casanova through and through.

Cove:

The kind of pet that can leap tall fences in a single bound (or not, but give it a shot anyhow), Cove is the original Jackass, Johnny Knoxville!

Going through the pain so you don't have to, Cove knows that he trots a fine line between funny and stupid, but he doesn't care—he's laughing about it all the way to the pet store. His over-the-top antics make you grimace with fear and you often find it hard to believe that he actually enjoys playing the class clown. But Cove laps it up and continues to defy the odds, despite your warnings and concerns. Other males in the pack tend to be a little jealous of Cove, but the females find him simply dreamy. A die-hard good ol' boy, Cove is more of a General Lee type than a Knight Rider, but give him enough time to think things through and he's sure to find a way to wreck both vehicles at the same time.

Galaxy:

Una bomba inteligente autentica, Galaxy is super-fly girl Jennifer Lopez!

Curvaceous and sassy and always more than willing to pawticipate with a few moves on the dance floor, Galaxy moves and grooves with the best of them. But that doesn't mean it's all fun and salsa for Galaxy—discipline and structure are key ingredients that have helped to put Galaxy on a fur-lined fast track. Family is of utmost importance for Galaxy , and she takes care of her brothers and sisters with the same dedication that she gives her little 'uns. To see and to be seen are significant parts of Galaxy's daily activities, and the real-life Cleopetra makes her rounds with confidence and flair, always preferring to hang with the more bold and beautiful members of the pack.

I had the Wii's official foster Mom do one for Kiwi, and she got J Lo too! Fitting, since I call them the 'twins' ;)

Sisters are for....

Wed, 21 May 2008 08:09:11 GMT

Hitching a ride with

And bitch slapping!

Kiwi had her first time at the coast. We went there with her 'official' foster Mom, Galaxy, and Red Bull. Fun! Next time we go, maybe we'll take more dogs ;) heehee

70 Hearts, and new items listed!

Mon, 19 May 2008 08:53:28 GMT

Tonight, I hit 70 hearts on etsy! I've been very slow at listing items there, but have just posted a few new pins. Hopefully this week I'll get a couple more listings posted. The link to my shop is http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=12160

Tonight my friend Morgan and I headed down to visit my close friend Marianne and her kids, and got to snuggle Maris Sugar Gliders. I'm sure one of these years she'll be able to talk me into a Suggie ;)

Fluke heatwave, and foster pup

Sun, 18 May 2008 19:47:39 GMT

Normally here in the Willamette Valley we have wonderfully mild weather all year... well, not now! Currently we're enjoying a record-breaking heatwave here in the spring, with weather we don't even see some summers! LOL

Saturday morning we took Galaxy and Cove with us to the saturday market, and they were NOT happy campers... this was *morning*. They enjoyed the shade, much more than they wanted to socialize with everyone!

Last week we brought home a foster pup, named Kiwi for some indepth work with 'scary men'. She's had a hard past, and is such a great girl, willing to give people she by default is unsure of a chance. Kiwi is a wonderful example of how resilient abuse victims can be. I'm very glad that miss Wii is able, and willing to work past the hard times, and look forward to a brighter future. It's very beautiful how though unsure of things, she seems to have an open mind.

Currently I'm working on finishing some pins, and sipping some iced tea, with yummy local honey we bought yesterday at the farmers market. Mmmm! The bunnies are shorn, happy that thick wool is off, and baby ratties are almost old enough to go to their new homes.

One of the hardest parts about raising rats, is sending the ones I don't keep to new homes! One of those bitter-sweet things, where I'm happy they can bring joy to the lives of others, but I sure wish I could keep them all!

MIA from computer land!

Mon, 05 May 2008 09:38:02 GMT

We had a long, but wonderful weekend of fun! Friday was the yearly youth group fundraiser auction we go to with my inlaws, and this weekend we spent playing with dogs, working in the yard, and going to parks. At the auction, we came home with a hand-made quilt, and a print from one of my favorite artists, Don McMichael. We won both of them for under $60... which is good for us, but really a shame for the events the youth group was fundraising for- most the items sold went about the same way. I think with the economy being in the dumps, people were unable, or unwilling to spend the way they have at these auctions in the past.

The print, I'm very thrilled with, actually, beyond thrilled with! Don McMichael, his work is beyond magnificent. He's an Oregon based ocean wildlife painter. I can stand and drool over his work in galleries for hours, but most cost almost as much as the vehicle I drive! LOL Even his prints are far out of my casual spending range, which I can't justify at this point in our lives, when we can use that for other things for the family. I've drooled, and dreamed for years of owning something from this amazing artist. This is a signed, and dated, 381 of 600 print from '83. Older than me! I feel as though I not only own a piece of art history, but a prized piece, from an artist I really admire.

Had we skipped this fundraiser with the family, I would have missed out on this once in a lifetime opportunity for me. It makes me think about other things in life, that have had great reward, when before the event, they seemed so casual, and meaningless. A simple reminder, to always look at life with eyes wide open for opportunities, and never fall into the cumbersome routine of not seeing the world with eyes wide open. Looking at this beautiful print, signed by an artist who I deeply admire, and have admired for most my life, I know there is a reason I was at that event this weekend. No one else really noticed this piece, and I would be willing to bet that I'm the only person there that saw it, that really appreciates it (based on the lack of bids!).

Sunday, we took only Cove out to rock hunt at a local creek, and enjoy the woods. We usually have all 3 of the dogs with us, but we do try to let each have their alone time too. We feel that like human kids, dogs in 'packs' benefit from being away from the dogs. Covy loves the water, fetching sticks, and also the wilderness. It was really nice to spend the time with 'Dovy Dogg', as I call him. While he was confused when we left Traum and Galaxy at home, he quickly got over his confusion when we reached the water ;)

Art updates are coming soon. Lately I've been busy doing the art, but have had no time to take pictures of, up post about said artwork! I have so many 'almost' done pieces it's mind boggling. I have at least 15 pins sitting in a box, ONLY waiting for eyes, and the finish. There are a couple upcoming events I'll be vending at, more info as space is secured and final. Sometimes I feel as though my work is never done, and when I think it's close, something else needs to be done ;)

Minty babies

Sun, 27 Apr 2008 02:50:29 GMT

This litter was bred, and born at Morgans home. It's a co-bred litter, out of my beloved doe Minty, and Morgans handsome, downunder boy Horton. This litter, like Mintys last litter is EXCEPTIONAL. I'm so proud of how wonderful the whole litter turned out. Very typey, and seeming to have taken on the best traits of each parent. We can only hope they keep maturing this way ;)

There are 3 more babies in this litter, but they stayed with Morgan, and an 'Aunty rat' with her litter.

These two girls are the only babies out of the 8 available to pet homes, since Morgan and I were super selfish, and are keeping 3 each!

We were REALLY surprised to get this girl in the litter. She's a pearl merle, out of a line since we've never seen a pearl before (Just mink-based merles)

I <3 rats with 'milk mustaches'

First EaglesEye Rattery litter in 6 months!

Sun, 27 Apr 2008 00:14:42 GMT

I took a long break, as my close friend Morgan took over breeding some of my girlies who needed to be bred. I was getting caught back up on my personal life (The last large rescue case wiped me out!), and now have my first litter born here, since Fiona's litter born in October. I'm more than thrilled, and my 3 year old daughter is on cloud 9!

The litter is 2 weeks old, and their eyes recently opened. We decided to take the babies outside, since the day was too nice to pass up, so here are some cute pics of babies in the grass :)

Dea decided to name this black-eyed siamese cutie "Princess FeBe"... I have no idea where Dea got the name, but she's 3, so I'll forgive her! LOL

As are all my litters, these babies are incredibly social, and people oriented. This curly girl crawled 2 feet, so she could get on Deas leg. Aww! They are kissy too ;)

Even with the blade of grass in front of her face, I still love this picture!

Mama Alsea. She's such a goober, who HATES having her picture taken. I have very few even decent pics of my "El-ce".

These are the two boys I'm deciding between, but will let Dea choose which one she wants to keep. They are both white footed self (mismarking), and both are looking satin coated.

Dea says that FeBe is her favorite in the litter. We'll see if it changes as they get older though, as sometimes her favorites do change.

Starting on a really odd weekend....

Sat, 19 Apr 2008 19:36:21 GMT

Weather has been, to say the least, 'wonky' here in the Willamette Valley so far this year! It's mid-April, and we had SNOW today. For some of you, in differnt parts, snow in April may be normal, but NOT here! This last Christmas, was actually the first Christmas living in the NW, that I got to see snow on Christmas without taking a mountain road trip!

Yesterday though, was spectacular! We took a drive up to the Northern coast, first time we've been up that way in years, to pick up my sister and play on the beach.

Dea, and her Aunty Ber (Dea was giving Ber a rock... Ber, being the great Aunt she is took most them home with her ;)

Normally we avoid the northern coast, because it's too populated, but yesterday, we almost had the beach to ourselves, just south of Cannon Beach! This was actually my first time along Cannon Beach, since I was 12. Last time I was there, to see Haystack Rock, and other notable attractions there was when I went with my Grandpa before he passed. I always tear up a little when I see photos of Haystack rock, and yesterday was no differnt.

We gave the pups a little free range time, but not much since I don't know the area there. They love the beach, and esp Cove, named for his love of the water, could never get enough!

Along with spending the day with family, I loved soaking in the sights of nature, like this rock:

It's so cool to see how the ocean has eroded away the sides of the rock. I wondered, how long that rock had been sitting there, and how deep down the rock goes.

Dea is at her Grandmas now, so I'm going to spend more time working on art pieces, and finishing up on these orders I'd behind on! Here is a recently completed order, though I need to add the extra spots on his ears, since his owner just sent details pics of his adorable ear spots!

Pretty puppy Gaia

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 22:08:07 GMT

I got pics of Gaia's 'big brother', Red Bull last week, and got to snap a few pics of puppy Gaia at a park over the weekend. She's so beautiful!

A really bad pic, of the puppies playing

Some plant stuff

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 21:14:03 GMT

Every time I see these plants, I think of my Gramma. They don't grow in Michigan, and every time she visited WA and OR she was so enthralled with them. We lost Gramma in '05. I spotted this clump along the beach this weekend.

Our blueberry bushes are working on flowers... YUMMY!

Beach pics from this weekend

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 05:39:07 GMT

I got to spend some time on the beach with my little sister this weekend, here are a few pics!

My sister snapped this absolutely adorable pic of Galaxy!

Heart shaped broken shells in a rock. Really cool!

They love each other (No, they were not coupled! :)

Pretty mud/sand in a stream going to the beach

My Corgi kiddos again

Dea, and her favorite 'babysitter'.

Dea and Traum... awwwww!

My Traum man :) (When his front feet are up, he's not high in the rear anymore ;0P)

A ladybug that came in with the tide. I have no idea where they come from, but occasionally bunches of ladybugs love to surf! LOL

Me with the Cardi kids (Who are unhappy about having to stop playing for a photo!)

Running on the beach

Traum's pawprint

Cardi raffle donations

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 08:03:27 GMT

These handsome Cardi pins have been sent off for the Cardigan Welsh Corgi National Rescue Trust raffle. Wish them luck!

Still in the works, are the custom Polar Bear Picnic pins and ornaments. Never did I expect these pieces to be so time consuming! I'm excited about them, as each one looks BEAUTIFUL, and I just like the Corgwn holding the stuffed Polar Bear :) This is an example of the design:

That was sold during the Polar Bear picnic, supporting CorgiAid a couple months ago! The picnic was a special fundraiser held to celebrate CorgiAid being awarded 'Best Breed Rescue Fundraising Program' for 2007 by Pedigree dog food. How exciting!

If you happen to be thinking of a great cause to help, check out CorgiAid, and CWCNRT

WIPs, and 'bird' dog

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 07:52:31 GMT

Some works in progress... the legs on the first piece (A terrier mix) ornament are still being worked on. Middle is me playing around with a Chinese Crested design, and right is a custom order, will be a chocolate Doxie with tan points in the near future!

Galaxy has what seems to be a 'genetic' trait (Her family does this too, but she likely learned it! LOL) where she'll perch on the back of the couch. In this pic, Thad the kitty was annoyed that Galaxy was following her.

Also note that wonderfully sparse shelf on the bookshelf... don't let it fool you though! That's Deas livingroom shelf, and her favorite 'hobby' seems to be stacking books on the floor beside the shelf, so she can much more easily sort through them! It's a never-ending debate between mother, and toddler, over there the books belong. We tried a shelf in her room, but with that, all books were 'coloring books' in her opinion, so that stopped right away!

YEA! I won!

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 22:53:52 GMT

I'm so excited, I just got an e-mail from Nancy of Dog Patch Critters letting me know I won the contest with her 100th blog post, and the adorable Tou Tou is coming home to live with me.

Her work is so adorable. I've been keeping an eye on her whimsical designs, wishing I had her talent for crafting in fabric! My Gramma was a professional seamstress, but I've never been very capable at sewing. I hope to try plush dogs in the future though, and have a couple patterns I've drawn up with help of teddy bear making books I've had sitting around for a few years.

Couch hound

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 05:56:10 GMT

While Dea was napping, and I was painting Covy took advantage of the down time, and rested up.

Blessing: super stealthy Ninja kitty

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 04:40:31 GMT

Pictures of Bless, are generally VERY hard, since she's shy, and camera shy at the same time. It's only about once a week she'll come see me, and she's only snuggled Curtis about twice, her whole life!

She's a sweet girl, just doesn't want to be bothered with humans, when she can snuggle with her sister, Thad, or hide on the cat shelf in her bed.

Dea and Covy

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 21:28:19 GMT

Watching (worried) as Daddy burns weeds in the backyard garden with a blow torch.... he has a way of making gardening fun ;)

I can't wait to start planting the veggies!

The Queen

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 21:16:02 GMT

I still giggle over the fact that he told me I wasn't allowed t bring her home ;) haha

I've been a slave... and happy bday to meeee

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 21:15:11 GMT

I'm finishing up the last little bit on the CWCCA huuuge pin order, and am mailing them as soon as I get the boxes. The below pics are only a few of the pins. I've not had time/the energy to get 'real' pics of the order. This is by far, my largest one time order project. I'm sick of making Cardis in coon-skin caps ;)

Another project I finished was for the etsy DogMafia challenge, this theme is 'irregular dogs', and I made this pin of an Australian Shepherd I met at the Rose City Classic, a double merle rescue pup who is eyeless. Sweetest pup in the world, with no shyness at all. I wish I had gotten the name of the lady that owns them, so I could send her this pin.

Oh and Traum had a good birthday. Any day he gets cottage cheese is a good day for him he says ;0P (Just don't tell him about the carrots mixed in ;)

Don't look, if cute kills you....

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 21:11:49 GMT

My whole family has been sick with an ickky cold, so I've made my critters 'suffer' with extra photo shoots. Here are some pics of one of the newest family members, Cookies & Cream, a Dalmatian Dumbo DownUnder (spotty belly) baby from a fellow rattery, who happens to be line-bred on my Dalmatian line. He's SUCH a doll, and a sweetheart!

For these pics of Cookies, I was playing with my new DSLR, instead of using the 'easy' point and shoot like I usually use for rattie pics.

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 21:01:55 GMT

Dea singing in the car with her singing pizza Elmo. I love this toy! :)

A few current projects...

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 20:57:15 GMT

Some of my current projects (On my poor abused desk ;) These are only some of the white pieces I'm working on at this time. I have more batches of other colors I'm painting layers on too.

Squiggles!

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 20:56:45 GMT

This is Squiggly, the angora girl I'd talked about having reserved in my last post. It'd originally been planned that I'd pick her up last week, but they had to change plans so I didn't get to pick her up until today.

We're already in love :) She's a very calm, and sweet German x Satin angora cross, so has that mild 'gloss' of the satin carriers, and the thick, hard to mat coat of the German angora, with the German body type (I prefer Germans). I'm now really glad I didn't hold out and wait for a Chinchilla colored kiddo, as I'd been hoping for. I'm a sucker for ALL agouti based colors! LOL

Oregonlive blog feature :)

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 20:56:07 GMT

Galaxy was featured on the OregonLive pet blog :) Link: blog.oregonlive.com/pets/ (Above pic is a screencap)

We were actually only IN Brownsville for the picture, we don't live in Brownsville ;)