NEW - Custom Pet Totes!

Hello! In case you missed it, we've got our new custom pet totes available in the shop. Now you can take your best friend with you everywhere! http://etsy.me/1CEFTuT

We work with pictures of your pets to create a portrait that is unique and special just like your furry friend!

Then all you have to do is choose between pink cheeks or black and white. Hmm....

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Holizaar 7!

I'll be selling for the first time at the Studio@620 Holiday Bazaar! If you're in the neighborhood, come over and stop by. You can find event details in our Markets & Events tab up above. I'd love to meet ya! We also have a lovely feature over the St. Pete Craft Hero Blog. 

http://craftheroes.blogspot.com/2014/11/vendor-spotlight-carolyn-kospender-of.html

Press!

So excited to find out that we were featured in a recent article of Good Housekeeping. Take a look! Our kitties are famous :)

Easter Wishes

Just wanted to take a moment to wish you all a very Happy Easter!  

Windsor says, "hmm smells like Easter!"

Feeling the Love!

Hi there blog buddy. Do you remember me? Yeah, I know you're thinking, "so you have one hoop featured on an Etsy page and you're all Mrs. BigShot-has-no-time-for-her-blog-buddy-anymore."  Not true! Ok, so things got quite busy there. Great busy! 

But I'm happy to say that I have a moment to stop and chat with you!

 It's been quite a ride this year and I'm loving it. My most popular item has been my custom dog hoop. One of my favorite things about making art for other people has been seeing where my hoops turn up. Here are some pics of places a few puppies have landed...

 

       BIG plans are in the works for some brand new dog-themed items in the shop - so stay tuned! 

A Day in the Life of A Dog Hoop

Schwoo! So this is the first moment that I could finally come up for air! What a great few weeks it's been for the shop! Max the dog hoop was featured in Etsy's ART section and the traffic has been amazing! 

It's also been so very cool to talk to my customers and listen to their stories. Ya know, I've always felt like I loved my dog WAY too much, like on unhealthy levels of loving. Almost as if no one could even really understand the amount of love I have for my dog. I love his paws, I love his big pointy ears, I love his little nose, you get the point. But after reading the stories that my customers include with their orders, I've realized that I'm not alone. There are a LOT of people out there who love their dogs tremendously. And I've also been honored to memorialize some special friends this week as well. 

So I thought I'd take you behind the scenes and show you how exactly a custom dog hoop is done...

First, I spend some time looking at the photos my customers send and sketch out a few ideas. I'll focus on little details that make each dog special - could be an interesting marking or a floppy ear. Then I make sure to get those rosy cheeks in just the right place.

Next, I transfer my finished drawing to the fabric. It sounds really fancy, but I just use my iPad as a light box and re-trace the design. Then I brush on fabric paint by hand. 

This is my favorite part! I use fabric crayon to color each design. This is so much fun because each dog is completely different. Even if I have an order with two huskies, their markings and coloring are always a bit different. And I really think the little touches are what brings the magic into each piece and makes each dog, THAT dog. 

Then I sew the design onto my backing fabric...

...and hand embroider each name onto the hoop. 

Once I secure the fabric to the back, the hoop is ready to go to its new home. 

So that's it! And real quick, I'd just like to take a moment to thank Susanne who sent an email just to tell me that she also thinks her dog's head smells good. Sniff on, friends!

The Big Time

So this afternoon I realized what was bringing so much traffic to my shop. The Max Hoop was featured on the front page of Etsy's ART section! SO excited blog buddy :) I think the coolest part of it all was that I got an official email from the Etsy Team that ended with a "High Five! Your friends at Etsy." I may or may not have high-fived to myself in the air.