A Dog Day Afternoon

Hi there!  Thanks for stopping by today.  Yesterday I spent a dog day afternoon.  Yes, it was quite warm outside, but I am not referring to the weather.  I spent the afternoon making dog beds!  The days are getting shorter and even though the afternoons are very warm, the mornings are very cool. 

The Chiweenie Brothers -- and I think most small dogs --- do not like to be cold.  I jokingly call Fries "The Heatalator" because his body temperature is high and having him snuggle up to me is like having a small electric heater against my skin.  Yes, he is a warm one and he likes to stay that way.  Charlie isn't quite as warm blooded but he, too, likes to snuggle and be warm.  And winter is coming! 

So while cruising the internet looking for something completely unrelated I ran across a site called Craftsy and they were offering a wad of free patterns for all kinds of things.  This little envelope bed was one of them.  You can whip one up really fast. I made two envelope beds and a sleep pillow (Burger had to have something, too!) in just a couple of hours.  You can find the directions HERE. 

After a few rounds of musical dog beds, they chose which one they wanted and curled up for a little siesta. Just look at Fries' sweet little face.  Doesn't he look content?  And Charlie is already in doggie dreamland.  The Chiweenie Brothers will be warm and cozy always. 

 Burger doesn't look too pleased with his.  He would rather have one of the Chiweenie Brothers' beds!!   I think he knows I used some fleece I cut up for dog blankets many moons ago and he is having none of that!  We'll work it out..................

So we have two warm, content chiweenies and an upset wire hair.  BUT,  these beds cost me a fraction of what one has to pay for a dog bed in the stores or on-line.  I chose the fleece from Joanns.com (it was on sale for half off and I love the cute paw print pattern) a bag of poly fill-- also on sale--and had a coupon for free shipping.  I made the beds a bit smaller than the designer's thus using less fleece, so that was a savings, too.  You can make the beds any size you need; just remember, fleece is 54" wide.

Thank for stopping by Two Dogs.  Hugs, Shawna 

Dogs and a Tip

Before I get into today's quick tip, I simply must share these photos of The Chiweenie Brothers.  As we transition from summer into autumn the cooler mornings have my crew scrambling to find some warm sunshine.  As the sunny patch in the living room slowly disappeared, I let them out front and they quickly jumped into the wicker chair I have on the front stoop and cozied up for a sun bath.  Burger, ever faithful and wanting as much attention as possible, stayed inside with me.  Sweet Burger is beginning to slow down like all the rest of us seniors.  Hard to see this happening to him, but it's the way with dogs.

I love my dogs, and I love this quote from Roger Carras --- "Dogs are not our whole lives, but they make our lives whole".  Indeed they do.  Oh yes--- indeed they do.

OK, better get to today's frugal tip and leave all this cuteness.   

Having dogs means loving them, feeding them, exercising them, and putting up with a few little unpleasantries.  One of these unpleasantries is the sometimes noticable "doggie smell" that can get into the carpets.   I refuse to shampoo my carpets every month-- I do it about every quarter-- and in between shampoos just a little something may be needed, and something a little more than just covering up the scent with room sprays.  A much-cheaper-than-store-bought carpet deodorizer to the rescue.  Sprinkle liberally, let it sit for an hour or so (I like to let it sit overnight.  Not that it works any better, it's just that it makes me feel like it's doing a better job), then vacuum it up.  Easy peasy,  Lemon squeezy.  :) 

CARPET DEODORIZER

 

Mix together:

 

1/2 Cup baking soda

1/2 Cup 20 Mule Team Borax

20-25 drops of essential oil of your choice OR 1 teaspoon ground spices (clove or cinnamon is great)

 

If you have an old store bought carpet deodorizer box you can cut off the top of the box, dump in your measured ingredients, tape the top back onto the box with duct tape or similiar, shake well and use.  Or if you want to get all fancy-smancy you can purchase one of those glass shaker bottles from your grocery, Walmart, or such, and put your stuff in that.  Or you could use an old jar with a lid and poke holes in said lid for a nice cheap dispenser; being careful not to hurt yourself when getting those holes installed.  Lots of choices for dispensing --- let me know if you decide to try this and what you use to dispense.   

 

I am going to treat my carpets tonight with the last of my "summer blend" (lemon scented) and then make up a batch of cinnamon and be ready for fall.  It's just around the corner. 

 

Thanks for stopping by Two Dogs today!  Have a great week!  Hugs, Shawna