Arts And Crafts

Image on MixTiles foam block.

My office needed a personal touch and some brightening up and what better way to do that than with some images of our Portuguese Water Dog pack?

 My trusty iPhone was a huge help in making my vision happen and the first three images I hung were a collaboration between two Apps, Prisma and Mixtiles.  

Prima describes the App as follows: "Prisma transforms your photos and videos into works of art using the styles of famous artists: Van Gogh, Picasso, Levitan, as well as world famous ornaments and patterns. A unique combination of neural networks and artificial intelligence helps you turn memorable moments into timeless art."    

Mixtiles popped up in a social media feed one day and and caught my attention. These super light weight foam picture tiles have adhesive tabs on the back to stick them to the wall.  They are able to be re-stuck again and again to change the design and the adhesive does not damage the walls.  The tiles cost $49 for your first 3 with each additional tile costing $9.  Shipping is free on all orders. 

Artist's Loft Canvas Panels (from back)

I ordered the minimum of three tiles to see if I liked them or not.  When they arrived I was very pleased and my coworkers all really liked them.  Visitors to the office frequently comment on them and ask about them.

 

I wanted to add to my wall, but thought I might be able to come up with a similar end result for less expense.  At the craft store, I found a five-pack of Artist's Loft® Necessities™ Canvas Panels. They are 100% cotton, medium-weight canvas primed with acid-free white acrylic gesso.  The cotton canvas wraps around all sides, and is secured in place on the backside of the panel board.  The 5-pack of panels was around $6.99.

Image on Canvas Panel.

 Using my iPhone and Walgreens photo printing service, I selected some additional photos I had edited with the Primsa App and had them printed as 8 x 8 prints and mailed to me.  Six 8 x 8 prints, including shipping, were $30.00.

I attached the photos to the canvas panels using decoupage glue (white glue and water mixed 50/50) and a foam paintbrush, gluing small pieces of recycled foam to the back of the tiles to hold the images off the wall so they would appear similar to the MixTiles.

Image on Artists Canvas

Images were hung using Command Strip Small Picture Hanging strips.

Finally, I had one last photo and had run out of canvas panels, so I went to a different craft storage and could not find what I had used previously.  For my last photo, I used an 8 x 8 artists canvas on a wood frame (around $6.99). 

8 x 8 Artists Canvas (back view)

Above is the end result of my project.  The five images to the left are mounted on Canvas Panels and cost approx. $6.40 each, the one to the far right is mounted on artists canvas and cost approx. $11.99 and the remaining three were the originals purchased through MixTiles and were around $16.00 each.

Made in the USA

My sister was recently asking people to share on Facebook things that they had purchased that were Made in the USA, and I realized that I had purchased some things for the dogs within the last year that were.

The most major purchase was three new travel crates for our new van, to keep the coven safe when we are on the road.  I did a bunch of research (the options and price range for crates is truly mind-boggling) and decided that the Kennebec NG, made by Good Ideas, would work nicely for our needs.  We purchased the Medium size for our three PWD girls and they are plenty roomy.  We easily strapped them together by running heavy cargo straps around all three and through the handles on the top of each kennel.  We then strapped them through the cargo rings on the side of the van using the same method.

The girls took some time to get used to the idea of riding in something other than wire kennels, but frequent rewards for loading into the crates has overcome their objections.  The Kennebec crates have lots of vent holes, which I think the dogs approve of.

We love our seat covers for the van which were made for us by Crazy H20 Dog Art.  Kris' website is down right now, but you can find her on Facebook and by searching the internet.  Jan has actually had people stop him in parking lots to ask where we got these.  Kris based the silhouettes on our girls Ecko (passenger seat) and Delta (driver's seat).  We love the fleece colors and they make the vinyl seats in the van much more cozy to sit on.


Another recent purchase was a new coat for our senior dog Stoker from Gold Paws which is not only made in the USA, but is also located in our home state of Oregon.  We wanted a pullover type coat with no buckles or toggles so Stoker could safely wear it in her crate and also wanted something comfortable enough for her to wear on walks in cold weather.  We chose the Portland Pullover style which is made of stretch fleece and also has a BionicECO Softshell back that is highly water resistant and dirt repellant.

We really like Stoker's new coat and she is very comfortable in it.

The dogs thought it was a special day recently when a big box of dogs treats arrived on the door.  We purchased these based on the recommendation of an acquaintance who also has PWDs.  It's nice to have a supply of high value and good quality treats on hand for training and rewards.  We ordered a sample pack from Carlson Morgan Premium Pet Products and are very pleased with them.  The coven are not known for being picky eaters, but we are happy with the quality and they gulp them down enthusiastically.

 

 Have you purchased something for your dog recently that was Made in the USA and that you love?  We'd be happy to hear about such products and you could post them in a comment to this blog.