Dog Beads

I've started on a collection of dog beads -- and will be posting them to my shop for the upcoming week. Here's a little Miniature Pinscher that is all ready in my shop and waiting for someone to take him to his furever home.

Boston Terrier Flower Pot Pups

Something new for spring, Boston Terrier Flower Pot Pup. This little BT has decided to get his mom a pretty flower and he went so far as to jump in the flower pot to get it.

A Beagle Easter Celebration

A Beagle Easter Celebration

Adorable Beagle Easter wall hanger available in my Etsy shop. This little stinker has gots some pretty colored eggs, a couple of green/purple twisties and lays on a pink bone cutout and hangs from colored fibers.

More spring items to come -- and spring cannot get her soon enough. This little Beagle, Lena and myself are getting quite sick of the snow, ice and cold weather -- we're waiting patiently for spring to come!

Lena Wants You To ---

.......join our new group: Dogs and Art Flickr Group

I recently started a Flickr Group titled Dogs and Art where people can come together and share photos of their dogs, dog art, dog photography and just about anything related to the dog. There are some beautiful dogs in the group, wonderful dog art, dog clothes, leashes, jewelry, etc.

It's fun -- we'd love you to join. If you would like to share your dogs and any dog related topics -- stop in and join the group Dogs and Art.

Greyhound in Repose Tile

I've been sculpting these tiles as of late and just love the look of them. This one titled Greyhound in Repose is a lovely tile. It has a very old look to it due to the distressing on the piece but with a modern twist hence the jewelry chain that the piece hangs from -- it's jewelry for your wall!

Tag You're It

Tag I'm It! Here’s the rules:
1. Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

I received this from Stormy Designs and found out that I was tagged. So here goes --
I've linked to Stormy designs.

Share 7 facts about yourself:

1. I love dogs (can't you tell)
2. I love a good joke
3. I am a huge football fan
4. I love chocolate
5. I hate sardines
6. I love spending time with family
7. I hate trying to come up with facts about myself

• A Karabu Creation
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EFA Interview - Thisisit

Here is my monthly interview with Etsy for Animals member Thisisit. Jodi was gracious enough to answer a few questions for us so we can get to know a little bit about her, her shop, what she likes to create, her pets and how she gives back to animals. Above is a photo of one of the many lovely journals from Jodi's shop -- of course I happen to be partial to this journal because it's dog related, but she has many different journals to choose from. Jodi also has jewelry items and greeting cards available through her shop -- go check out some of her wonderful creations -- but before you do don't forget to read our interview with Jodi.

1) Tell us your name and a little about you?
My name is Jodi, and I live in the bay area of California with my awesome husband, Dan, our beautiful dog-ter, Xena, and our sweet cat, Pato. I am a HUGE animal lover, and I am a proud vegan. I am happiest when I am being creative. I love painting, making jewelry, and doing paper arts. I am VERY against war, and I am into Buddhist philosophy, mindful living, and leaving as small a mark on the earth as possible while we are here.

2) Where can we find your Etsy shop?
http://www.thisisit.etsy.com My main shop!
http://www.qualitycraftsupplies.etsy.com My new supply shop!
http://www.thisisitcreations.blogspot.com I feature a new artist every week who gives back in some way!

3) What do you create and what is your favorite thing to create?
I make jewelry and ecofriendly journals, cards, and photo albums. I really like all of the categories equally. I love making a variety of products!

4) Who or what inspires you?
I am in awe of both the Dalai Lama and Jane Goodall. I honor everyone who has ever wanted to make a positive difference and succeeded. Everyone who is a part of Etsy for Animals or Etsy for Charity inspires me.

5) How many pets do you have and what are their names (any interesting stories about how they came to be your pet)?
We have 1 dog, Xena, who is a Norwegian Elkhound. And we have 1 cat, Pato.

Xena was our neighbor’s dog when we lived in NM. Shortly after we moved in, she started hanging around our house more and more. She was so friendly and sweet! She was even our flower girl in our wedding. When we moved to CA, we were heartbroken about leaving her behind. Because she had grown up in the rural mountains, our neighbor’s thought that it would be too much of a culture shock to move her to CA. She also had a Golden Retriever best friend that we didn’t want to separate her from. A year after we moved (after visiting her several times), her best friend died and she started running away onto the highway. We happened to be in NM shortly after this happened, and we asked our neighbors if we could take her home with us. To our surprise, they said yes! So we rented a car and drove her home! She had never been inside before, potty trained, or on a leash. She has adapted just beautifully, and we can’t imagine our lives without her!

Pato just showed up one day in our driveway. He was skin and bones—just 6 pounds on a frame that should be about 13 pounds. He had no collar, no chip, no signs up—nothing. So we adopted him and totally fell in love immediately. That was 9 months ago and he is now 11 pounds and a happy, well-adjusted, super loving cat. We just found out that he is in kidney failure, so we give him sub q fluids twice a week. We cherish every day that we can share with him—and hope that he sticks around for a long time.

6) How do you give back to our animal friends? What charities do you hold near and dear to your heart?
We give 5% of profits to animal-welfare groups. The groups that we currently support (and are also closest to my heart) are: Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, Humane Farming Association, Jane Goodall Institute, and Anti-Vivisection Society.

Yorkshire Terrier Charm Bracelet

Yorkie Charm Bracelet -- The charm bracelet is made up of reclaimed jewelry parts, a hand-sculpted Yorkie center piece, a 10mm Swarovski crystal heart and silver key and a silver dog house charm. All components and chain are silver, but not sterling silver. I added a few charms to start you off, the rest is up to you! This would make a darling charm bracelet for any Yorkie lover!

Finished piece

Here is the finished piece, all painted and sealed for protection. I am so happy with it and have gotten the bug now to add more humans with my sculptures.

A work in progress....

This is a work in progress. I started adding humans to my dog sculptures now and this is the second one I've done. It's of a little boy relaxing with his best buddy sleeping on his booty titled A Boy and his French Bulldog. The human and dog bond is so intertwined and so strong that I want to show that connection. I have always felt strongly about dogs and how they impact our lives. From when we are small children to aged adults having a dog in your life is probably one of the greatest joys one can know. It's an unconditional love that you get from nowhere else and that cannot be duplicated.

Dog Beads

I've been working on dog beads again and more than likely I will be adding more in the near future. The Boston Terrier Bead and the Pug Bead are in my shop now. I hope you like them!

Dog Dreams

Don't you just love dog dreams? Every time my dog starts dreaming she makes the cutest noises, little whimpers and growls ever so quietly. Her paws shake and sometimes her whole body gets into it. I do believe she's dreaming of chasing squirrels or running after that pesky bus -- yes, my dog hates buses, actually on any given day any large moving vehicle can set her off.

Do you love your pet dreams? What do you think your pet dreams about?

Share in the comments -- I'd love to hear about your doggy dreams.

Honey 'Be My Valentine' Prize

Here is the prize that was sent out today for Honey, our Be My Valentine Contest winner. Honey was chosen because her story was very touching -- she is such a kind hearted dog who helps out her other family members! Keep up the good work, Honey, your family needs you!

Dog Genius

I’d like to share with everyone a great show I just saw on the National Geographic Channel titled ‘Dog Genius’. It was a very interesting program that talked about how smart dogs are and the human and dog connection.

The show covers topics from dogs that assist humans, a dog who identifies his toys by name, there’s a segment on Bloodhounds and their keen sense of smell and a Doberman who arranges toys in specific patterns.

It’s a wonderful show and I’d recommend watching it. If you’ve seen it and would like to share your comments, please do so. If not, the show will be aired again on the National Geographic Channel on Saturday, 02/02 at 2AM and Friday 02/15 at 3PM (the time zone may differ depending on your area, but you can check their website)!

It’s a very interesting show with some amazing dogs --and the dogs are as cute as can be!

I've included a video of my genius -- there's no sound, but you can get the idea -- she's a superstar!