Jasper, happy in his Florida backyard

It’s been a while since I reported on Jasper, our little Shelter Stars terrier (read terroror) rescue from Animal Care & Control in New York City. When I last wrote a few months back, life was an emotional roller coaster and Jas was totally unpredictable. Strange people and dogs were all fair game for his fear aggressive behavior, which exhibited itself through lunging, shriek barking and yes, biting. He’d already drawn blood from my 28 year old daughter, for which there’s no love lost for this dog. But at home with us, he was a different dog – loving, a big kisser and cuddler. We knew that most people would probably have returned this dog to a terrible fate. And while in the beginning, we had our days of extreme doubt, returning him to AC&C was never an option. In the process, we fell in love.

It’s been nine months now and, as is apropos, we feel we’ve given birth to a new baby. Jasper has come a long, long way. He’s more predictable, more relaxed around dogs of all sizes and shapes and is even is allowing some strangers to pet him. Wow!

As you may remember from previous posts, it took a village – school, play care, a trainer and constant training at home. But, for any frustrated dog parents out there, I can tell you the consistency paid off.

We recently moved the family from NYC to Fort Lauderdale. Now one month in, I can say without doubt: environment matters. Both Sophie and Jasper are thriving in the more relaxed, much less intense landscape that is south Florida. Long walks in the mornings and late afternoons, swims in the pool and playing in the backyard are all things they either couldn’t do or didn’t get much of in New York, especially in winter. And, our area is very dog friendly, so we are constantly meeting pups to socialize Jas and test his new found confidence. The beautiful thing is, over time, Jasper is really learning that many dogs, as well as their parents, can be trusted. He even tried to give kisses to two dog moms we met recently. I was so flabbergasted, I emailed our trainer Maggie Wood in New York, because she went through months of big ups and big downs with us all. I’m proud of the little guy!

What also prompted this post was sharing a bit of fun.  Sophie and Jasper have a favorite new game since they got to Florida and it involves a battery-operated, orange squid. So, we had to shoot some video! Explanation below.

Most mornings after their walk, we all go into the backyard and pull out the fave new toy. We had no idea what entertainment this would provide, but they’re on the hunt to capture this squid, sometimes for an hour (and, would be longer if we allowed) before we call it quits for the day.

This one will give you an idea of how the game works. What you don’t see is how Jasper, being such the little hunter, has gone for broke and fallen in several times (yes, he knows how to swim and we’ve taught him how to exit the pool). Sophie spends just about all of her game time in the pool, chasing after the orange squid but, unlike Jas, once she gets close, she’s a little scaredy cat and she’ll swim away. She’s getting a bit bolder now, but she leaves all the dirty work to her little bro. He’s dunked his nose in and plucked the thing out of the water many times and after he explores its little rotating propeller, he’ll toss it back in like a responsible fisherman. After all, Jasper loves the chase.

Does your dog have a favorite game you play together?

Classic design meets function in one of my favorite brands, Ruffwear. They’re known for great quality, well-made dog wear for the active pooch. As part of my sneak peek products from Global Pet Expo, I made sure to stop by the Ruffwear booth to see what’s coming in the near future.

I remember when Sophie was a puppy and we needed to prepare her for her first New York City winter. We purchased the Ruffwear Climate Changer, a cozy fleece in a cute pea green color, and a matching K-9 Overcoat and it kept her warm all season. I loved how the Climate Changer had a chunky side zipper with the flap underneath to protect her fur from getting caught. And, I really liked the reflective trim along the sides. It also lasted a really long time, through many washings. Last year, I couldn’t resist getting her a new Climate Changer for fall and spring, in a great pottery orange color, which she’s wearing above. Look at that face! LOL

The Powder Hound

What brand manager, Greg Freyberg, revealed was a great new piece called the Powder Hound, a hybrid of two of their existing popular coats. The Cloud Chaser’s soft shell and the Quinze’s puffer coat combined, affords the real warmth of the Quinze with the form fit of the Cloud Chaser. It looks great and comes in a very stylish plum called Larkspur Purple, as well as a great Baja Blue and a classic Red Currant.

The coat’s name says it all. Whether running through snow (hence, the powder hound), trotting in the rain or just braving the cold, this coat does its job. I wish I had the opportunity to use it, but after moving to Florida, Sophie and Jasper don’t need winter coats. However, our first trip up north in the cold and this is one of the coats I’ll definitely pull out. Because I’m a longtime Ruffwear customer, well before I ever started Bark & Swagger, I have real confidence in the brand to provide us with good quality and classic style, at a fair price.

Ruffwear’s Greg Freyberg with the new Quinze coat

I also loved the updated Quinze coat. It’s been made even warmer and they’ve given us a more durable fabric, one that now comes in a bed, too, which can stand up to the scratching and burrowing my dogs like to do. And, the new colors! The wonderfully vibrant Meadow Green caught my eye. It’s a shade that would look fabulous on black, white or red-coated dogs.  There’s also a classic Twilight Gray and a rich Larkspur Purple.

The Ruffwear bed, made from the same fabric as the new Quinze

“We’ve built on a very successful coat for us,” explained Freyberg of the  Quinze. “In addition to the stronger fabric, additional layer of insulation and new colors, we also always like to include some level of reflectivity on our jackets. This one has a 360 reflective trim, so you can see it from pretty much wherever you are. It’s great for night walks.”

If you’re looking for a good-looking, classic coat that’s warm, waterproof and ready when your pup is to tackle the outdoors, I highly recommend Ruffwear.

The new Quinze and the Powder Hound will be available August 15, just in time for next fall and winter. You can shop Ruffwear Spring – fleeces, beautiful and rugged collars and leashes and water carriers here.

What’s your favorite cold weather coat for your dog?

If you like what you’ve read, please join the SwagTeam and get the fresh news first! 

Sophie is a little world traveler. She spent the first year of her life flying overseas with us for Stanley’s work and our family events.  Outside of our move from NYC to Fort Lauderdale recently, Soph has pretty much hung up her traveling shoes (for now) and is settling into tropical life. But, this trip to Paris in 2010, when she was just five months old (two months after we brought her home), was definitely a highlight and all three of us enjoyed ourselves!  I’ve chosen to highlight two pics from the trip for this week’s 52 Snapshots of Life Photo Challenge theme – travel. One I took of Stanley with Sophie in front of the Tuilleries, the famous gardens of Paris. The other Stanley took of us, standing by the Seine, where you can see the Eiffel Tower in the distance.

On that trip, Sophie went everywhere with us – out to restaurants (the French are famous for their love of dogs and include them in many places), sightseeing all over the city and shopping in the fun vintage and consignment shops of Paris. I think that’s where she first developed her love of shopping, bless her little heart. When she wants to go, she pulls me into stores. I have to explain to her that mommy is trying to save money right now, and isn’t do a whole lot of shopping. 🙂 But, she is the best shopping partner a girl can have – eager, patient and full of unconditional love! LOL.

Seriously, what I love about Sophie, among many things, is how game she is to experience life. She may do it cautiously, at first, but she finds the sunny aspect in it all and is quick to smile and charm the pants off of all of us. What a great girl! She also made treks with us to Barcelona and San Sebastian, Spain, for my nephew’s wedding, and back to Paris on another trip. Yep, the old, “When I die, I want to come back as your dog” thing. A truly blessed life. 🙂

52 Snapshots of Life Photo Challenge is fun and you don’t have to be a blogger to do it! Just post a photo each week depicting that week’s theme, and put it up on your social networks with the hashtag #52Snapshots, so we can follow along. If you are a pet blogger, this is a BlogHop, so join in!

What’s your favorite trip you’ve taken with your pet? 

Yes, I discovered fashion galore at Global Pet Expo 2015, but that wasn’t all! It was also a tech-lover’s dream with some of the newest gadgets to keep Fido fit, safe, healthy and happy. Here’s the top tech for dogs that stood out from the pack:

The Motorola Scout 5000

Motorola is stepping up their game with an array of high tech products allowing us to watch, train and contain our pets. The Scout 5000 is a remote pet collar with an integrated wide-angle camera. While its brand new and quite large, leaving out dogs under maybe 25 or 30 lbs, it is worth noting for its ahead of the curve technology and sleek design. The technology runs off of a platform called Hubble, described as an “Internet of Things (IoT) Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS).” This means it can handle voice over IP (VoIP, so, voice information sent over a network), video streaming and cloud-recording. Here are its capabilities:

•  GPRS/Wi-Fi® connectivity, with GPS real time tracking. One year of free service is included.
• a remote HD (720pixel resolution) live video streaming of what your pet sees and is doing (this is only available on devices capable of displaying 720p). It comes with a 130-degree wide angle camera.
• A free Hubble App for easy set up
• Wander alert, so when your pet goes outside of the designated area, you receive an alert on your smartphone, tablet or computer
• Bark detection and notifications. When your dog barks, you’re alerted.
• Pet activity monitoring pedometer, showing what your pet is doing or not doing.
• A push to talk function. How amazing is that? There is a microphone included, so you can push a button to listen and talk back to your dog. A very handy function if your dog is about to get himself into trouble.

This was by far the most sophisticated tech product I saw, and the $200 price tag reflects that. Motorola will be selling a smaller model, the Scout 2500, for about half the price that excludes the camera and is better suited to smaller dogs. These two models join a range of other connected pet monitoring systems including the Scout 1500, a motion-sensitive web camera that includes a microphone, and the Scout 66, another Hubble-connected device.

The Pod Trackers

A very charming Australian named Sebastian Langton lost his beloved cat, Rango, two years ago and never got to say goodbye. For him, it was a sad ending; Rango got hit by a car. That devastation was the impetus to develop Pod Trackers, the smallest GPS tracking device in the world. In Rango’s case, having a Pod Trackers on would’ve allowed Sebastian to find him, hold him and properly say goodbye.

The device is, indeed, shaped like a pod, round and sleek. Langton tried it on his two kittens, and he said it looked like a little rocket pack, which it kind of does. Its smooth shape, when worn under the neck on a collar, allows cats and small dogs to groom themselves without the discomfort of square-shaped trackers. Another important feature of the unique shape, says Sebastian, is that the strapping mechanism is able to ratchet tightly against the pet’s collar, so the Pod Trackers doesn’t wobble around.  Pod Trackers comes with an extra battery, so while you’re charging one, the other on the device, on your pet’s neck, where it needs to be. Each battery lasts about four days. If your pet goes missing, you simply go into the Pod Trackers app, press the Locate Now button and there you have it. Other features include:

• Real time GPS tracking
• Perimeter alerts when your pet breaches the property, you get a notification on your smartphone.
• An activity tracker like a FitBit
• A GPS-based activity tracker to track the adventures of your pet. With outdoor cats, this is especially handy to see what they’ve been doing on their escapades.
• It looks super cool when you turn it on. Three bars of different colored lights come up; one for the battery charge; one for the cell phone reception and one for the GPS.
• Weighs just under one ounce and is about the same size as a wine cork.
• Completely waterproof
• The Pod mobile app will run on the following devices:
  – Apple iOS version 6 +
  – Coming soon – Android version 4.3 + (4.1 and 4.2 will run the app, but does not support Bluetooth Low Engery)
  – Coming soon – Windows Phone

I asked Sebastian if it had blue tooth capabilities, and he explained that it has blue tooth but doesn’t run off of it, so it’s not limited by blue tooth technology. This device works in 175 countries around the world. As he put it, “I could be sitting on a beach in Tahiti, and find out if my dog is in the backyard. I’m in the U.S. right now, and I can tell you my cats are still at home.” As a pet lover and parent, Sebastian thought about what pet parents would need. It was clear this is a very personal journey for him; we get to come along for the ride and the benefits, too. Cost is $186.95.

G-Paws Track III

This is a for-fun activity tracker for pet parents who want to see what their pets are doing and where they’ve been. The device links with the g-paws.com site, which also has a social aspect set up for us to engage with other pet parents. Here are the features:

• A high-sensitivity GPS chip with flash memory to record the movements of the animal wearing it.
• For runner and cyclers, G-Paws will be familiar as its based along the lines of a Map My Run, Strava or Garmin Connect.
• See where your pet has been on an aerial or street level mapping.
• See other G-Paws animals you’re pet is connecting with, even their speeds and distances travelled.
• Data is transferred via a USB cable that also charges the unit
• Weighs only 11g (.3 oz) so it’s very light and is billed as the lightest on the market
• Comes with a universal attachment to insure it fits both wide and narrow collars
• Working with vets to draw up breed-specific RDA’s (recommended daily allowances) for exercise.
• Very affordable at only $40.00.

Available June 2015.

While this may not be the most sophisticated on the market, you get quite a lot for $40, and it doesn’t cost $200, so it’s very accessible to most. And, it solves our problem of wanting to locate our pets.

 Insect Shield®

While this isn’t a traditional product for a story on high tech, it is high tech, nonetheless. At a fashion industry conference not long ago, I took a seminar on the newest fabrics coming onto the market; ones that incorporate the latest technology to perform functions. It’s incredible what some of them can do! Insect Shield® uses EPA-registered technology that converts clothing and gear into long-lasting and effective insect protection. It’s pretty amazing, actually. Research and field study by third party labs has created pet apparel and accessories proven to repel mosquitoes, ticks, flies and fleas for the life of the product. The Insect Shield® technology is also utilized by leading lifestyle brands and International relief organizations, and is an approved vendor of the US Army and US Marine Corps.

Now, my concern was about the chemical that repels the bugs. Was it harmful to our pets over the longterm? Here’s what I learned. The chemical is called permethrin and I went right to the top to find out – Jason Griffin, the President of Insect Shield International. Here’s what Jason had to say: “A very small amount of permethrin is used, but the real trick is the way that we bond it so tightly to the fibers in the fabric that only minute amounts actually come off.

“Think of it like a dye process. The stuff that went into making my shirt blue is certainly not something that you want to ingest, and something that you probably wouldn’t want to get on your skin when in liquid form, but since it is dyed into the fabric in a “nearly permanent” way, we don’t hesitate for a moment about putting on a blue shirt. That analogy seems to help people conceptualize the way we are binding permethrin into clothing.” I got it!

The Insect Shield® for Pets collection includes a wide variety of items to protect our pets from nasty bugs:  blankets, reversible beds, exercise pens, cots, cargo seat covers, premium tees, lightweight hoodies, safety vests, bandanas, and neck gaiters. The items range from $9.99 to $139.99, so they are very affordable. Something to think about if you’re in a high infestation area. We just moved to Fort Lauderdale and Sophie, for the first time, got fleas. I freaked out. So, I may be looking into this, too!

Available at Amazon.

 Air Oasis Air Sanifiers®

This is a really interesting device that purifies and sanitizes the air via a NASA-developed technology called PCO (Photocatalytic Oxidation). This technology was enhanced by Air Oasis to create the Air Oasis Air Sanifiers®. The device comes in several different sizes to accommodate everything from a mobile hand sanitizer and one for a room in your home, to larger spaces and even veterinary offices and hospitals. They also have a model that is meant to be installed into your air conditioner duct. Here’s what this amazing piece of technology does:

• Quickly reduces mold, bacteria & viruses in the air
• Reduces VOC’s (Volatile Organic Compounds) & odors
• Reduces aeroallergens and airborne particles
• Utilizes four technologies in one, including ion tech, AHPCO tech (anti mold, bacterial, viral), a washable stainless steel dust guard, and a germicidal UVC light.

It’s pricey but can, over time, pay for itself over and over again by cutting down on illnesses for us and our families, including our pets. Nabarun Ghosh, Ph.D. and a professor of biology at West Texas A&M University said this: “Pursuant to numerous years of detailed and thorough scientific studies and tests, I have concluded, documented and declare Air Oasis brand air purification units to be one of the most effective technologies available today in combating airborne allergens, dust, animal dander, smoke, mold, mildew, bacterial and fungal hazards. The specific quality of these air purifiers is that they are filterless, and they can purify the air by removing all types of aeroallergens and bacterial strains including the harmful MRSA.” Wow, that’s impressive.

The Air Oasis Air Sanifiers® are available on Amazon, and range from $178.00 for the mobile hand sanitizer to over $500.00 for the larger units.

Voyce

Voyce is a wearable band that provides key insights into our dog’s health and wellness. While it, too, is rather large and therefore, not really suitable for small dogs (at least not yet), for medium to large dogs, it can be a great way to pre-empt health issues requiring veterinary care. The Voyce monitor collects the following data for you and your vet:

• resting respiratory rate
• resting heart rate
• rest metrics – how much activity, calories burned, distance traveled
• can set goals and reminders, like food, medication and vaccination schedules
• can store the medical records of your dog
• it’s lightweight, waterproof and dustproof
• combines exclusive, patented technology with complex algorithms and analytics to provide key health and wellness data
• accessible from any desktop, tablet or mobile device

They describe it as the ultimate relationship with your dog and for your veterinarian with your dog. The price tag is high, at $299.99, which includes the Voyce band and membership. Membership plans are either monthly, at $9.99 or annual, at $99.95. The membership plan gives you access to their portal and your data. What else do you get for that price? Breed and age tailored articles and insights from top veterinarians and industry experts is included on the portal. Will be interesting to see if Voyce finds its audience at that price point and if this is, indeed, the wave of the future in helping us being more proactive and better pet parents. Will be available for shipping in April 2015.

What fun discovering the new technologies coming on the market for us to be better pet parents! Do you have a piece of pet tech you love? 

A feast of new fashion was presented at this year’s Global Pet Expo, and I couldn’t get enough of it! From Paris-made pillows to Nepalese bags, from sports gear to cold weather gear, I found some fresh brands doing innovative things and I’m going to share it all with you! Some of these items aren’t yet available to us to buy yet, so if there’s no site URL, that’s why. You’re getting the real scoop! So, no need to troll the aisles, I’ve collected my top 10 curated faves from Global Pet Expo 2015 right here.

Dog Body

Wendy and daughter, Jordan, Miller’s brand is both fashion-forward and functional, taking a classic design and making it solve an everyday problem. Miller’s basic black EVReady Pet Coat ™ was the first, with a cute red plaid lining, to incorporate the patent-pending inner harness, so your dog can step into the coat, you zip it up and out they go. Now, they’ve added a vintage collection I love and a raincoat style in an assortment of bright colors that says spring! Www.dogbody.biz.

Le Sharma Trading

These pet carry bags stopped me in my tracks. They are absolutely beautiful. When I found out they were designed and hand-crafted by women in Nepal, I liked them even more. When I found out Pravin Sharma, the owner of the company, sent these women to Katmandu, the capital of Nepal to train them when they lost their husbands after the king’s assassination, I had no doubt I wanted to highlight these. The wool bags come in gorgeous, vibrant colors with thoughtful and great detailing. Cat owners, they also made a super cool Cat Cave, with matching throw rugs. http://www.lesharma.com/dog-carrier/.

The Can Toy

I’m a big pop culture fan and these are the Andy Warhol’s of the dog world. It looks like you know who’s can, but it’s not. Coming in cool green, tangerine orange, bright purple, super tough dog black and for puppies pink, Sodapups, the brand behind the toy, has a hit that makes us smile and our doggies smile. After all, you can stuff ’em with treats and let your pup work it out. And, this is a Fair Trade dog toy made from natural rubber, a renewable resource and raw material. Gotta love that! http://can-toy.com.

Gamewear

Are you passionate about sports? This cool company is the only one that makes collars and leashes out of the same leather used for footballs, baseballs and soccer balls. I loved their line and think you will, too. And what’s great is you can personalize with either your fave team or your pet’s name. Gamewear started with a human collection, so guess what? Yup, you can share with your pup! Amazon.

Bow and Arrow

I visited their booth last year and was super impressed with the strides they’ve made since. I love the waterproof leashes, created from a newer form of vinyl called TPU, that is softer and more pliable than PVC. With vibrant colors and patterns incorporated into the plastic, they were very stylish are are stink proof. The blue one above, which also comes in a red print, has a shockwave feature for heavy pullers. They also had coiled, waterproof leashes in neon green and pink that extend to six feet. Loved those, too!

Martin Sellier

Designed and made in France, my favorites were the dog pillows, created by well-known Parisian artist Teo Jasmin. Purely from her imagination, Jasmin sketches and makes these adorable dogs on beautiful pillows using a sublimation technique. Each dog has a name and a back story. Imagine that!

Kit-Cat Clocks

Do you remember these? I do and have always loved them. Created in 1932 by designer Earl Arnault (1904-1971) to bring joy to Americans during a very rough post-Depression patch, the Kit-Cat clock’s signature is its wagging tail, rolling eyes and contagious smile. Today, they come in all colors, with feminine pearls and longer eyelashes or more masculine bow ties and mustaches. A must have for lovers of vintage and popular culture. Amen! Amazon.

Bessie and Barnie

Bessie and Barnie were one of the originals to make the bagel bed that zips around so you can easily pull out the stuffing and clean the cover. Their beds are beautiful and offer some new features, but that’s for another day. Another product, called A Message in a Pillow, also caught my eye. These pillows for the home come in any of their fabrics, with a fabric greeting card sewn on the front. The pillow can feature a picture of your dog and the “card” can contain either an existing message or one you create yourself. I love that the company is formulating a partnership with Cesar Milan’s charity to help fund the rehabilitation of military service dogs returning from duty, so they can find forever homes. Stay tuned for more info as this develops.

Parisian Pet

Fresh from the nursery, pale blue and baby pink striped, terry cloth carriers for small pets were so precious, I had to include here. Their cotton candy terry houses in pink or blue also made me smile. While the carriers are not yet available, the houses/pet beds are! Amazon.

Doggequin

This product was just so cool, even though it may not be something for everyone, I had to include. These are dog mannequins that look like pieces of art. They’re made from a fiberglass material, and come in several breeds, sizes and colors, including chrome, high gloss white and black. A beautiful piece of sculpture for the home or to showcase worthy dog fashion.  http://doggequin.com/products.asp

There you have it! My fave raves in fashion from Global this year. There is so much to go through at this show, I could fill many posts, but suffice to say, if you stay tuned, I’ll be bringing you more of what I loved in the coming days.

What makes for a great piece of dog fashion for you? 

All photos by Jody Miller-Young/BarkandSwagger.com.

This week’s theme couldn’t have come at a better time in our house. God bless Jasper, because the boy does get himself into all sorts of mischief. Think of the stopped things teenage boys do. Here’s the latest, involving UPS and a box of Red Barn Bully Sticks, which we know are irresistible.

My husband and I were out of the house and stupidly left a UPS delivery on the floor. We didn’t have time to even check what it was and we get deliveries on a pretty regular basis, so we figured we’d get to it later. Who knew? When my husband got home, Jasper came to greet him with a fat cigar of a bully stick hanging out of his mouth, proud-like. My husband thought, “Hmm…where did he get that?” We always present the dogs with bully sticks after I’ve put them through their paces because, as our last trainer, Maggie Wood, told me…”Bully sticks are like a million dollars, and you wouldn’t give away a million dollars for nothing.” So, Stanley already knew something was amiss.

Two minutes later, little Sophie came walking gingerly out into the backyard with her bully stick, with the tag still on! (She’s always the cautious one, and probably thought, “OK, daddy has already seen Jasper with his, it must be alright for me to come out with mine). At that point, my husband got up to investigate. I wished he’d taken a picture of the destruction he discovered when he came upon that UPS box. In his unbridled zeal to free the bully sticks from their box, he’d also torn chomped some mouthfuls of cardboard as you can see, here. Then, he must’ve helped himself to a couple of bully sticks (I’m figuring two, because he would have hidden himself away with the first to devour it). The stick he trotted outside to Stanley was the spoils he felt prepared to savor and show off, bless his terrier heart. So, I grabbed the box and captured this shot when I got home. All we could do was laugh and pray they (read that to mean he) didn’t have upset tummies that night. They didn’t and all got way unscathed. Except for the boxes, that is. Don’t cha just love the little devils?

52 Snapshots of Life is a really cool photo challenge started by friend and colleague, Christina Berry, of The Lazy Pitbull. It’s a great way to share fun photos and stories about your best friends and to connect with each other. You don’t have to be a blogger to participate; anyone can! So join up by taking a pic of your pet(s) each week that reflects that week’s theme and post it on your social networks, with the hashtag #52Snapshots, so we can all follow along. Here’s the theme schedule:

And, if you are a blogger, this is a BlogHop so hop on below!

What’s the worst mischief your pet has gotten into?

It’s baack! Global Pet Expo is here, once again and I am excited! I’m like a kid in a candy store, meeting new people, discovering new brands and wonderful fashion and products to make our lives easier with our dogs or more plain fun!

I’ll be gone today through Friday, so expect to start seeing my favorite fresh products from Global early next week. In the meantime, I’ll be tweeting and posting on Facebook and Pinterest all of the great things I come across that I want to share with you. Make sure you Like the Bark & Swagger Facebook page and follow me on Twitter and Pinterest, so you don’t miss the news.

Have a beautiful rest of the week and I’ll see you back here soon!

Signing out on the way to Orlando with a couple of pics of my faves from last year.

Vintage Inspired
Dog Blouses

Smucci Too! Crystal Bed

Faux Cheetah & Faux Bronze Croc PUPSAVER

Grandma Vicky’s PPV Toys

Purple. It’s my favorite color. Means royal, even though it’s not blue. And, it’s apparently a rarity in nature. Purple is also the most powerful wavelength of the rainbow – and it’s a color with a powerful history that has evolved over time. So, this week’s 52 Snapshots of Life Photo Challenge is particularly fun!

The earliest purple dyes date back to about 1900 B.C. It took some 12,000 shellfish to extract 1.5 grams of the pure dye – barely enough for dying a single garment the size of the Roman toga! Wow!  It makes sense then, that purple was used primarily for the garments of emperors and privileged people. Hence, the royal thing.

For me, purple has always just resonated. Our home in New York City is decorated in all shades of purples, from violet to lilac, along with greys, blacks and silvers.

Here are the fur kids, Sophie & Jasper, with a lilac pillow I like. I chose the fabric (I didn’t sew the pillow) and found and sewed on the rhinestone diamond shaped appliqué. The amethyst diode I bought in a new agey shop many years ago (when they still called the New Age shops! :-)) and the purple Buddha was a gift from a friend.

Join up to the 52 Snapshots challenge! You don’t have to be a blogger to participate. Just take a picture that references the different theme each week, and hashtag #52Snapshots in your social media, so we can follow along!

Here are the themes:

This is also a BlogHop, for bloggers, so hop on! 🙂

What’s your favorite color?