Thank you for stopping by the blog for Hound and Thistle. H&T is my new company and right now I am making stationery for design-lovers and for dog-lovers. I love paper, I love design, and I love dogs. So, wrap all of that together and you get Hound and Thistle. I've been making stationery for about 7 years now, but only seriously for a couple. Over the past couple of years, I've gotten really involved with my dogs and dog events, that is when I realized the need for cool stuff for dog-lovers. So many of the things out there feel dated and old-timey and I wanted to do something more fresh and fun, thus began my work on creating stationery for dog lovers. The cool thing about my stationery is that if you like dogs, you can put a dog breed silhouette on the stationery, if you don't like dogs or want something else, you can put an initial on it or wording like "thank you". It's really pretty, fun stuff and I hope you like it as much as I do!
January is my month to work on the website and I hope to have it up really soon because I already have lots of designs ready to go! As far as the dogs go, I have all AKC recognized breeds available. If you have a mixed breed or something more exotic, I will do a custom silhouette for you. For all you cat lovers, have no fear, cats are my next endeavor!
As soon as the site is up and running, I will let you know. Stay warm and toasty this winter! See you soon...
Friday, December 26, 2008
A Word On Poop...
I don't quite understand why dog owners find it so difficult to pick up after their dogs. It's bad enough when you find poop in your front lawn, worse when you step in it, and just plain lazy & rude. My neighborhood has an HOA and in the past couple of months, I've notice a pooper-scooper company out in the common areas picking up dog waste. Wait a minute...this means we are paying for this!??! I know the pooper scooper company isn't cleaning up my neighbors' dog poop for the fun of it or simply to be nice. Clearly this has become such an issue that the community decided we needed to pay someone to clean up after ourselves. This is absolutely ridiculous! I have two dogs and each time we go for walks, I take old grocery store bags to clean up after them on our walks. It's really not that hard AND it's your responsibility as a dog owner!
It seems that since this company has been brought in, we see more poop in the common areas than before! People are now being lazy and they figure, "oh well, that guy will come out and clean it up..." Yeah and hopefully before I step in it!
One of my big concerns with pet owners is the lack of responsibility I see, not just in poop clean up, but in general. It seems so many people get dogs for themselves and don't think about the life of the dog or if the dog is satisfied and happy. Dogs are not lawn art, they are not disposable (when your new baby comes along and you don't prepare the dog with proper training so you just get rid of it), and they don't exist for your pleasure. They are a responsibility and living beings that need to be fulfilled just like humans. If you don't want to have an extra life to take care of, don't get a pet! And please, take some bags with you and clean up that poop...your neighbors will thank you.
It seems that since this company has been brought in, we see more poop in the common areas than before! People are now being lazy and they figure, "oh well, that guy will come out and clean it up..." Yeah and hopefully before I step in it!
One of my big concerns with pet owners is the lack of responsibility I see, not just in poop clean up, but in general. It seems so many people get dogs for themselves and don't think about the life of the dog or if the dog is satisfied and happy. Dogs are not lawn art, they are not disposable (when your new baby comes along and you don't prepare the dog with proper training so you just get rid of it), and they don't exist for your pleasure. They are a responsibility and living beings that need to be fulfilled just like humans. If you don't want to have an extra life to take care of, don't get a pet! And please, take some bags with you and clean up that poop...your neighbors will thank you.
Friday, December 19, 2008
Hound and Thistle - Yippee!
I know, I know...who starts a blog, writes one posting and doesn't show up for 5 months?!? Me, I guess. Honestly, I have been busy and need to stay on track and keep this up. You see, I'm just launching my own stationery line and have been busy as a bee trying to get everything together!
The first incarnation of said stationery line was started in 2000 and was called MEW Creations (MEW are my initials with my maiden name and I always loved them, thanks mom and dad!). Well, I had to change the name because I have a line of stationery including all the AKC recognized dog breeds and MEW simply screams cat, not dog. Then I decided it should be called RUFF Creations, cute enough, but that only speaks to the dog stuff I do and not all of it is dog-related. So, instead of having two names which was confusing the heck out of me, I decided upon "Hound and Thistle". When you see the MEW Creations logo, you'll get it.
So, off we go...Hound and Thistle is the final name and now I've got to work on the website so you can all see my lovely cards. I hope to include more items as well, including t-shirts. I do have one shirt ready to go, it's an Earthdog shirt for all you terrier enthusiasts!
OK, I've got to run because I need to design the logo for the new company name...so much to do! I promise to write more soon!
The first incarnation of said stationery line was started in 2000 and was called MEW Creations (MEW are my initials with my maiden name and I always loved them, thanks mom and dad!). Well, I had to change the name because I have a line of stationery including all the AKC recognized dog breeds and MEW simply screams cat, not dog. Then I decided it should be called RUFF Creations, cute enough, but that only speaks to the dog stuff I do and not all of it is dog-related. So, instead of having two names which was confusing the heck out of me, I decided upon "Hound and Thistle". When you see the MEW Creations logo, you'll get it.
So, off we go...Hound and Thistle is the final name and now I've got to work on the website so you can all see my lovely cards. I hope to include more items as well, including t-shirts. I do have one shirt ready to go, it's an Earthdog shirt for all you terrier enthusiasts!
OK, I've got to run because I need to design the logo for the new company name...so much to do! I promise to write more soon!
Thursday, July 10, 2008
My first blog.
OK, this is a new thing for me...I'm pretty much an Internet hermit and have decided to venture out into this vast land to share my thoughts with you. So, let me crawl out from under my rock and tell you a little about myself.
Wow, this is kind of like the first day at school. I feel like I should take a photo with me and my lunchbox sitting at the computer...Anyone want to share a Hostess Cupcake? ;)
It would be an understatement to say that I am passionate about dogs. I LOVE DOGS! I have always had an affinity for dogs. Perhaps because I am shy and they come right up to me. Perhaps because they don't judge. Perhaps because they give love unconditionally and never hold anything against you. Perhaps it's just because they rock!
Anyway, a few years back, I started to get involved in graphic design. I started making cards by hand and giving them as gifts or just using them for my own notes. I then decided that I needed to learn how to create designs on the computer. I was in LA at the time and decided I needed to head back East to the South...my homeland! I took some classes, learned some stuff and started making stationery. It's been a fun hobby but I've always wanted to try to make it less of a hobby and more of a trade. As I was learning my new trade, we got a border terrier....Probably the cutest dog you've ever seen in your life, hands down, bar none. OK, second to your own dog, but adorable nonetheless! So, we named our little guy Finlay (pronounced Fin-lee, long-ish story that I'll tell you about later) and became head-over-heels in love with him! Somehow we stumbled across a terrier club which we joined since we had our own little terror, I mean, terrier. Thus began my foray into the world of "dog-people", you know, serious dog people, not just casual owners. We have met some really cool folks from the club and at the same time, I've gone to events and noticed that these dog-people really need cool stuff to showcase their breeds. Some of the stuff I see looks straight out of 1980...My friend said it best, she said something to the effect of: "The art is a picture of a dog with a far-away look in his eyes against a painted landscape of a field..." It's that 70's/80's oil painting look and not in a good way! So much of the stuff out there is just not hip or cool or if it is cool, they don't have a lot of breeds offered, just the usual labs, yorkies, goldens, etc... So, that's where I decided to combine my passion for dogs with my love of art! I'm currently working on a line of stationery that any dog owner would be proud to actually use. I'm working on breed silhouettes (on cool backgrounds of course!) and am about half way through all the AKC (American Kennel Club) recognized breeds.
I am working on the website: http://www.houndandthistle.com/ and hope to have it up and running soon!
OK, I'm off for now...I've eaten my lunch and introduced myself, so I'll go crawl back under my rock until I feel inspired again! I actually am already thinking of a few things to tell you about, so hopefully you'll hear from me really soon...
Anyone have a napkin so I can wipe the Cheetos dust off my hands?
Wow, this is kind of like the first day at school. I feel like I should take a photo with me and my lunchbox sitting at the computer...Anyone want to share a Hostess Cupcake? ;)
It would be an understatement to say that I am passionate about dogs. I LOVE DOGS! I have always had an affinity for dogs. Perhaps because I am shy and they come right up to me. Perhaps because they don't judge. Perhaps because they give love unconditionally and never hold anything against you. Perhaps it's just because they rock!
Anyway, a few years back, I started to get involved in graphic design. I started making cards by hand and giving them as gifts or just using them for my own notes. I then decided that I needed to learn how to create designs on the computer. I was in LA at the time and decided I needed to head back East to the South...my homeland! I took some classes, learned some stuff and started making stationery. It's been a fun hobby but I've always wanted to try to make it less of a hobby and more of a trade. As I was learning my new trade, we got a border terrier....Probably the cutest dog you've ever seen in your life, hands down, bar none. OK, second to your own dog, but adorable nonetheless! So, we named our little guy Finlay (pronounced Fin-lee, long-ish story that I'll tell you about later) and became head-over-heels in love with him! Somehow we stumbled across a terrier club which we joined since we had our own little terror, I mean, terrier. Thus began my foray into the world of "dog-people", you know, serious dog people, not just casual owners. We have met some really cool folks from the club and at the same time, I've gone to events and noticed that these dog-people really need cool stuff to showcase their breeds. Some of the stuff I see looks straight out of 1980...My friend said it best, she said something to the effect of: "The art is a picture of a dog with a far-away look in his eyes against a painted landscape of a field..." It's that 70's/80's oil painting look and not in a good way! So much of the stuff out there is just not hip or cool or if it is cool, they don't have a lot of breeds offered, just the usual labs, yorkies, goldens, etc... So, that's where I decided to combine my passion for dogs with my love of art! I'm currently working on a line of stationery that any dog owner would be proud to actually use. I'm working on breed silhouettes (on cool backgrounds of course!) and am about half way through all the AKC (American Kennel Club) recognized breeds.
I am working on the website: http://www.houndandthistle.com/ and hope to have it up and running soon!
OK, I'm off for now...I've eaten my lunch and introduced myself, so I'll go crawl back under my rock until I feel inspired again! I actually am already thinking of a few things to tell you about, so hopefully you'll hear from me really soon...
Anyone have a napkin so I can wipe the Cheetos dust off my hands?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
.JPG)