The Holidays are Coming

Yes, I know, we haven’t even had Turkey Day yet and already there are Christmas wreaths out, holiday music playing and the smell of pine everywhere.

Ammo the Dachshund at work

Even though it does seem a tad bit early for the Holiday Season Fanfare, when you work in a retail shop like I do it’s hard not to be prepared a few weeks early.

Ammo the Dachshund at work

So this year I bit the bullet and broke out my Christmas scarf BEFORE Thanksgiving. Don’t judge, you know you think it’s stinkin’ cute.

Ammo the Dachshund at work

I even went as far as to practice some of my Holiday looks. I think they pretty much speak for themselves…..

ammo the dachshund at work

“Thanks for visiting, now please purchase every single item in my shop as a Christmas gift for your loved ones”

ammo the dachshund at work

“Pretty Please, won’t you purchase that _______.”

ammo the dachshund at work

“I’m even cuter when you purchase something”

ammo the dachshund at work

“Don’t make me get ruthless and force you to do some Holiday Shopping”

ammo the dachshund at work

“P.S. I’m fully prepared to give you the stink eye should you decide to leave empty handed”

ammo the dachshund at work

Shameless I know, but a shop dogs gotta do what a shop dogs gotta do! hehe.

Make sure you check out My Shop this Holiday Season for some super awesome amazing spectacular gift ideas for everyone you know. I promise not to sing Christmas Carols in your ear. 🙂

Friday Fetch: Hund Collection at Neue Galerie

HF Loden CoatsIt’s always great when canines and art can combine, I should know, I’m an artist. So that’s why I was super excited when I received the new Neue Galerie New York catalog in the mail.

Neue Galerie is a museum devoted to early twentieth-century German and Austrian art and design. The gallery shop is devoted to providing the finest design icons from three periods: Biedermeier, Vienna 1900, and the Bauhaus. Contemporary designers such as Han Feng, Michael Graves, and Eva Zeisel also create exclusive pieces for the museum shop.

Among these contemporary pieces is Hund, which is a collection of chic canine couture and luxe accessories inspired by a mini Schnauzer named Milly von Barksky.

In other words, drool.

The Hund collection might be a bit out of my price range, but a dog can dream right? You can check out the Hund Collection at Neue Gaerie.

Hund Tag II

hund fabric bone

Yeohlee Teng Raincoat with Hood

R Horn Stag Harness

Friday Fetch: Nobility Dogs

nobility dog printsWe all know dogs are pretty important in the face of history, but artist Sij Sandra of Nobility Dogs takes it one step further. Using historic works from famous artists, she inserts canines to portray them as wealthy noblemen, kings and queens, even dukes and duchesses. And her main inspiration? Her Dachshunds of course!

Not only does Sij create canvas glicee prints from her work, but she also has brooches, shoulder bags, scarves, and watercolor prints. You can even order a commissioned work that includes a picture of your favorite canine pal. I’m thinking I totally need a print of me riding in on a white steed to save the day, what do you think?

You can fetch your own Nobility Dog print here for around $30.

nobility dog prints

nobility dog prints

nobility dog prints

nobility dog prints

nobility dog prints

Street View

You might remember that a few months ago when Hurricane Irene hit my home town, that the awnings at my shop took a bit of a beating. Mom and I decided that they needed to be replaced so we hemmed and hawed for weeks over what color they should be (the original color was discontinued – so we had to replace all of them) and what the lettering should say.

My vote of course was bright yellow with “HOME TO AMMO THE DACHSHUND” on the awnings. Unfortunately I was out voted because mom said she gets two votes since she’s the boss. Phooey!

So yesterday I stopped by the shop to check out the awning progress as they began to be replaced.

ammo the dachshund shop awnings

I was a little jealous my name wasn’t on them, but I have to say they did look classy.

ammo the dachshund shop awnings

And today when I got to see the full finished effect – I really did like them.

Mom said we still have some changes to make, like removing the lettering on the windows and maybe adding a neon sign on the corner – but she promised me that as a compromise maybe she’d put a picture of me in the window on the shop door, yea!

You can check out how our shop looked over the past 30 years+ by visiting www.studio3framing.com

Birthday Week: Desktop Wallpaper Download

Since today is the last day of my Birthday week (so sad), I wanted to make sure that everyone got to go home with a “goodie”. So I created this very special desktop wallpaper, featuring yours truly, so you can look at my happy Birthday face every single day. Very thoughtful, right?

 ammo the dachshund free wallpaper

Just click the links below to download the appropriate wallpaper for your desktop.

1920 x 1080
1680 x 1050
1440 x 900
1366 x 768
1280 x 1024
1280 x 800
1024 x 768
ipad
iphone

P.S. I’m thinking about making these wallpaper downloads a regular thing! Anyone else interested in plastering my face on their desktop too? Show of paws!

Birthday Week: Giveaway – Hot Dog Prize Pack

**This Giveaway is no longer accepting entries**

And our two WINNERS (who were chosen using random.org) are Pia & Maylin! Congrats!

Come on, who doesn’t love a Hot Dog? And by Hot Dog I mean, Dachshund!

Since it’s my Birthday week mom let me raid the shop to find some super fun prizes to give away to my guests (that’s you). So I picked out all my favorite “Hot Dog” themed stuff to giveaway in two great Hot Dog Prize Packs!

hot dog prize

PRIZE: Two Hot Dog Prize Packs, which includes one dachshund pen, one tin of weenie gum, and one hot dog stress reliever.
TO ENTER:
Comment on this post (you must comment on the BLOG – not on our facebook page) with the words “I LOVE HOT DOGS” and….
BONUS QUESTION:
Tell me what you like to have on your hot dog? Are you simply a mustard kinda guy, or do you load it up with all the fixings?
GIVEAWAY CLOSES:
Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 5:00pm EST
NUMBER OF WINNERS:
Two
PRIZE SHIPS:
Anywhere in the World! Yeah!
RULES:
one entry per e-mail address. Winner will be selected using random.org (meaning the winner is drawn at random) – and will be announced by Friday. Good Luck!

Birthday Week: DIY Dachshund Gift Wrap

ammo the dachshund birthday weekIt’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.

Birthday Week: It’s My Birthday!

Oh Glorious Day! It’s finally my THIRD Birthday! I’ve been waiting and waiting for this day to come.

ammo the dachshunt party hat

Mom got me this nifty Birthday hat that my pal Baxter’s Mom made for me. Very festive don’t you think?

ammo the dachshund birthday hat

As you can imagine I was uber excited to start my day – mostly just to open my presents though. But then something horrible happened….

ammo the dachshund birthday hat

What do you mean I can’t open my presents until tonight? Do I really have to wait for Dad to get home from work?

ammo the dachshund birthday hat

He’s never going to know if I just sneak one bite of my Birthday Cookies

ammo the dachshund birthday hat

It’s our little secret. *wink*

 

Birthday Week: Wish List

What’s a Birthday week without a wish list? Here’s a few things I’ve been swooning over lately!

 

ammo the dachshund's birthday wishlist

1. Bowtie from Silly Buddy. I’ve had my eye on one of these for a long time now. But they’re all so dashing I can’t decide which one I LOVE best!

2. Sky Blue Raincoat from Noodle and Friends. You can never have too many raincoats!

3. Travel Bowl from Dudley & Bea. My current travel bowl has seen better days, too many adventures I guess! I think I deserve something spiffy and new.

4. Toy Basket from Anthropologie. This isn’t really a toy basket per say, but that doesn’t mean I couldn’t stuff the thing to the brim with my favorite go-to toys. [via]

5. Dog Duvet Cover from MollyMutt. Admittedly my current MollyMutt dog bed at the shop has seen better days – I blame the stresses of a 9 – 5. I’m also loving this duvet.

 

 

Birthday Week: Party it Up!

ammo the dachshund's birthday weekWoohoo! It’s totally Birthday Week!

To kick things off, what’s a Birthday celebration without a party? Here’s a round-up of some furry friends partying it up. I bet they knew it was my Birthday Week!

Although, you have to admit – I am by far the cutest dog of this bunch in party attire. Sorry but it’s true!

corgi in birthday hat

Party Hardy Corgi [via]

soda birthday party

Soda’s 10th Birthday Bash [via]

Dog Birthday Invitation

Free Download, Dog Party invite [via]

Dog Party

Dog Party

Dog Birthday Party from One Charming Party [via]

puppy themed party

Puppy Themed Party from Max and Lucy [via]

party puppy

Party Puppy from Poppopportraits [via]