Rocket Dog 2.0

Posted on October 31, 2011 by Ammo

Remember how I lost my rocket pack that my mom made me for Halloween? And I suspected that the groundhog in my backyard found it and was rocketing around all over the place? Yeah, well I was pretty sad about not having a Halloween costume this year, but my mom knew just what to do to make me feel better.

ammo the dachshund rocket dog

It’s Rocket Pack 2.0! My mom made me another one – an UPGRADED one to be exact.

ammo the dachshund rocket dog

See version 2.0 has wings, which means I can rocket even faster!

ammo the dachshund rocket dog dino

I was having so much fun playing Halloween dress up that I even tried out a few different versions for my costume. Rocket Dinosaur? It’s a possibility.

ammo the dachshund rocket dog

Ultimately I think I decided on just plain Rocket Dog though, it really highlights the rocket pack. Although there is one more thing that would make my costume out of this world…

ammo the dachshund rocket dog

Mom, can you PLEASE make me a rocket ship out of this cardboard box?

ammo the dachshund rocket dog

I promise if I end up blasting to the moon that I’ll be back in time for dinner! After all I don’t want to miss tick-or-treating.

Happy Howl-o-weenie Everyone!

Birthday Week: DIY Dog Toys

Posted on October 6, 2011 by Ammo

One of the other fun gifts I got from my mom on my Birthday was some new dog toys! These dog toys are really special though, because my mom made them! Do you believe it? My dad didn’t even notice they weren’t store bought goodies.

Keep reading to find out how my mom made these super special toys just for me….thanks mom!

*Disclaimer: this post does contain some affiliate links

DIY dog toys

DIY BALL DOG TOY

Supplies:
Old ball (a tennis ball* works great)
About 1/2 yard of Fabric
A piece of ribbon
Scissors

DIY dog toys

1. Gather your supplies. Mom used an old squeaky ball from one of my toys and one of dad’s old stained polo shirts (he’s a messy eater just like me).

DIY dog toys

2. Cut your fabric into two strips – roughly 6″ x 14″ (you can adapt this to really any size you want)

DIY dog toys

3. Fold the fabric strips in half and wrap around your ball (placing the ball in the center of the folds). Tie your ribbon as tight as you can around the base of the ball after wrapping it several times around.

DIY dog toys

4. Cut the tail of your fabric into several 2″ wide strips, then using three strips at a time braid them into sections. Try to make your braids as tight as possible (it’s harder for little teeth to rip them apart then).

DIY dog toys

5. Using the excess fabric at the end of your braid tie several knots to keep the braids in place.

DIY dog toys

Yeah! Now you have a brand-new toy for your favorite furry friend!

DIY PLASTIC BOTTLE DOG TOY

Supplies:
Plastic Bottle
About a yard of fabric (we used an old tye-dyed bed sheet)
Scissors

DIY dog toys

1. Select a plastic bottle to use as your new dog toy. Then cut three to four 1″ wide strips of fabric off one of the edges of your fabric. These will be used later as ties, a piece of ribbon would also work for this purpose.

DIY dog toys
2. Using your remaining fabric place the bottom of the bottle about 3″ from the edge and wind the fabric around the bottle. Wrap it up just like you would a hoagie in paper – tucking in the excess just before you reach the end of the fabric.

DIY dog toys

3. Using the 1″ wide strips of fabric you previously cut, tie them around the bottle tightly – using them to secure the fabric to the bottle. Make sure to tie one right after the bottle cap as well.

DIY dog toys

4. Cut the excess fabric near the cap of the bottle into 2″ wide strips. Then using three strips at a time, braid each section and finish off by knotting them.

DIY dog toys

ammo's birthday

Aren’t new dog toys the best?

Not the DIY Type? Check out my list of 10 tough toys for dogs and the 31 Best Dog Toys of 2019!

*make sure you always supervise your pet when letting them play with homemade toys. Remove immediately if they start to chew or swallow any pieces. We aren’t responsible for any injuries caused from following our homemade dog toys tutorial – so play responsibly!

Birthday Week: DIY Dachshund Gift Wrap

Posted on October 5, 2011 by Ammo

ammo the dachshund birthday week It’s no surprise that I belong to a family of artists. My Dad is a graphic designer, my Mom is a custom framer & artist, and my pony friends (as well as myself) are painters – so when we wrap gifts – we go all artsy fartsy! Because the presentation is everything! (well at least until you rip that thing to shreds).

Even though today is my Birthday, my mom says I’m not allowed to open any presents until tonight when Dad can watch too….what a bummer! I bet you are waiting in anticipation just like I am! So hopefully this DIY DACHSHUND GIFT WRAP TUTORIAL (aka how to make your pup’s Birthday extra special) will help hold you over until it’s time to rip open my gifts.

So here’s a little inside look at how my Mom made my Birthday presents extra special this year!

diy dachshund gift wrap

Materials Needed:

– Kraft Paper
– Carve-able Rubber Stamp Material
– Stamp Carving tools & Exacto Knife
– Rubber Stamp Pad
– Black Thin-line Sharpie
– Printer paper & Pencil
– Bone Folder (credit card will work too)

diy dachshund gift wrap

1. Using your printer paper and a pencil draw or trace the shape you would like to make into a rubber stamp. In this case my mom drew a balloon & a picture of me!

diy dachshund gift wrap

2. Transfer your pencil drawing onto the rubber stamp carving material by burnishing the back of it using your bone folder. Using a credit card would also work too. Then with an exacto knife cut your drawings out of the block.

diy dachshund gift wrap

3. Carve out your rubber stamp using your tools. You can test the stamp periodically by inking & stamping it onto a piece of scrap paper.

diy dachshund gift wrap

4. Stamp your design all over the kraft paper. Then using a thin-line sharpie connect the balloon shape to your dachshund.

ammo the dachshund free gift tags

Make sure you dress up your package extra spiffy with Baker’s Twine & Washi Tape – because gifts can never be too pretty. Add a gift tag by downloading our FREE PRINTABLE GIFT TAG. (download)

ammo the dachshund free gift tags

Check back soon to see how you can win your very own roll of Dachshund Gift Wrap, because Birthdays are more fun when you share!

To learn more about how to carve your own rubber stamps visit this Blog.

Friday Fetch: DIY Collar Bling

Posted on September 9, 2011 by Ammo

diy dog charms I’m an individual, which means I like stuff that sets me apart from the crowd (How many super hero dachshunds do you know?). So when I came across this DIY tutorial to make your own bling for your collar, I knew at some point I’d be begging someone with hands to make me something cool to wear around my neck!

This tutorial from Jenny Ryan in the Good Dog Magazine gives you details on how to use Sculpey clay to sculpt, then bake, some bling for your own furry friend. Seriously, this is so simple I’m wondering why I didn’t think of it!? You can check out the full tutorial.

So, now the question is, who’s going to make me some super hero bling?

diy dog charm

diy dog charms

Artsy Fartsy

Posted on August 18, 2011 by Ammo

Don’t worry this isn’t a stinky post – although if they invented scratch-n-sniff computer monitors I’d totally be able to share all my favorite stinky smells with all of you! Now wouldn’t that be fun!

No, instead I’m going to share with you my new rubber stamp! (the unscented version at least)

ammo the dachshund stamp

How great is that! My mom helped me make it, and even though she thinks it’s a little rough around the edges still, I think it’s fabulous! You better believe I’ve been stamping all of my toys so Trooper can’t steal them!

Me and mom have been on an artsy fartsy kick lately – so much so that we rearranged my little corner in the shop that I share with the ponies.

ammo the dachshund and painting pony

Isn’t it cool, we now have walls to hang up all of our artwork (nevermind the fact that we had to drive 2 hours to get them!). Mom says we even get to test out our new walls when we set up our booth at the Ludwigs Corner Horse Show (and the Chadds Ford Dog Days of Summer Event) in a couple of weeks.

I can’t wait, because when we travel it means one thing and one thing alone……

…..WAY MORE COOKIES!

You can check out all of my artwork here.

Friday Fetch: DIY Dog Tote Bag

Posted on June 17, 2011 by Ammo

Ok, I totally love that I get to go pretty much EVERYWHERE with my mom. But wouldn’t it be super fabulous if I could ride around in one of these!

Transform a canvas tote into a “doggie bag.” A U-shape cutout lets your small pooch enjoy the scenery. To make it, use sharp fabric shears to cut a dip into the side of the tote. The depth and width of the U shape will depend on the size of your dog’s head, but be sure to leave at least half an inch between the opening and the bag’s handles. Cut cotton webbing long enough to cover the U shape. Fold webbing over the raw edge, and use a sturdy needle to hand-stitch it to the opening.

Boat-and-Tote bag, from $18, llbean.com. Cotton webbing, 1 inch, $1.15 per yd., onlinefabricstore.net.

Tutorial from Martha Stewart found via Pinterest.

DIY Dog id Tag

Posted on March 14, 2011 by Ammo

Some of you might remember my stylish mustache id tag that I got for Christmas this year. Now don’t get me wrong, it was super cool, but there was one tiny problem…..the curly mustache loops kept getting caught on my blankies.

So I decided to re-gift my id tag to mom – who is now carrying it around on her key chain. I’m pretty thoughtful like that. Now even though mom believed my “re-gift” was very nice, she said I still needed to have some sort of identification (even if I am micro-chipped).

So since we’re ~~cheap~~ resourceful, mom ~~and I~~ decided to try and D.I.Y a dog tag for me! Honestly, I tried to help, but you try holding a needle and thread in a pair of paws! Since I couldn’t do a whole lot of “helping”, instead I’ll share with you how to DIY an ID Tag for your favorite pooch (or kitty, or pony, or lizard).

D.I.Y PET ID TAG

Supplies: Fabric or Ribbon, Needle, Thread, Floss, Scissors

Step 1: Cut a piece of fabric or ribbon to a size slightly larger than you want your tag to be. It’s helpful to use a light colored fabric so you can draw your design on it with a disappearing fabric pen, or you could use a dark fabric with ribbed lines on it as a guide.

Step 2: Choose a needle and thread. Using a Floss is better because it’s thicker and will show up better.

Step 3: If using a light fabric use a disappearing fabric pen to write your pet’s name and phone number onto the fabric. If you choose you can also mark off the area you want to stitch in with white artist’s tape.

Step 4: Begin sewing your letters/numbers by follow the guides you have drawn on the fabric.

Step 5: When you are done you can hem up the sides to make your overall id tag smaller using a sewing machine.

Step 6: Wrap it around your dog’s collar and hand stitch it into place.

And then as if by magic your buddy will go from looking like this:

To this:

My mustache collar came from Silly Buddy!

Shoes

Posted on September 24, 2010 by Ammo

Shoes. They smell like stinky versions of our people and they taste even better. But this post isn’t about shoes – it’s about where those shoes go.

I mean duh I know my people have sensitive feet and require protective shoes (unlike my tough paws that can climb mountains), but I’m talking about where they go when they aren’t in use. At my house this is a big box. A big box with grassy stuff on the outside that I may or may not have chewed up when I was a pup. I won’t admit to anything!!

Anyway, while Trooper was hanging out at my house the other day, my mom decided to fix the unsightly shoe box. I was just thrilled that all the shoes ended up on the floor! I may or may not have tried to squeeze a few through my doggie door. I won’t admit to anything!!

ooooh, shoes!

I'm gonna blame it on Trooper. hehe

I'll TRY not to touch it this time! I mean Trooper did it!

blog header from here.

Sewing – Doggie Style

Posted on September 14, 2010 by Ammo

Lately my mom has been doing this thing called sewing. As far as I can tell she uses this noisy machine that attaches together tempting chew toys fabric into something that may or may not be useful. My mom said I could probably do a better job at sewing than she could, so I jumped at the chance to help. Turns out I never made it past the picking fabric stage – I think all the bright colors just distracted me.

Oh well, sewing has proven to be a great opportunity for me to catch up on my napping. I’ve got my paws crossed that mom will make me something useful one of these days.