It is with a heavy heart....

          It is with a heavy heart that I must tell you of my dear Fussy's passing. The Degenerative Myelopathy and old age took its toll on her body and mind. I did my best to prepare myself for this day but it still doesn't lessen the grief of loss. I want to thank everyone for their heartwarming condolences, I know the "old sweet dog in the wheelchair" touched so many people. I am so grateful for the time I did have with Fussy, I was blessed to have been able to tell her story. Her story will live on in our hearts and in her adult pups Sunka and Cahokia.

Run free my sweet Fussy.

"Fussy"
BarLee Make A Scene
September 9, 2000 - January 15, 2015

What An Ending to 2014!

          Wowie, 2014 ended awesomely thanks to my customers! I had every intention to do at least one blog post before it 2015 came, but my customers kept me busy stitching instead. They were so on the ball and got their 2014 holiday orders in early. In past years the end of November and December up to Christmas week had been the time everyone would give me their holiday orders, having to stitch each item by hand from scratch in such a crunch was hard to say the least. When you order handmade it is savvy to order ahead of time to allow for the item to be made and shipped in time for when ever the order is needed. This time around my customers where so smart and started placing orders as early as October, making this my best year to stitch holiday orders. I hope this tread will continue into 2015 and beyond. This helped me accommodate more (and bigger) orders in time, it also took a lot of stress off me to get everything finished quick enough so as not to miss the post office's Christmas shipping deadline.

          I can't wait to see what 2015 has in store. I look forward to having more returning customers along with seeing new faces. Ok! Let's get this new year started!

My Videos of African Wild Dogs

          I thought I would share some videos I took of the African Wild Dogs at one of my recent trips to Brookfield Zoo. Occasionally the keepers will hang a butchered pig up in their habitat, this is the best time to see them active and interacting with one another.

          African Wild Dog (Lycaon pictus) is known by various names - African Hunting Dog, Cape Hunting Dog, African Painted Dog, Painted Wolf, Painted Hunting Dog, Spotted Dog, and Ornate Wolf.

Order Handmade Items Early For All Holidays

          Buying something from a handmade artisan isn't like going to the local big box store. At big box stores items are mass produced and you can take your purchase home right away. However with handmade you often have to wait for your order to be made, depending on what you are buying the wait time will vary. The quality and uniqueness of handmade direct from the artist makes going with them well worth the money and time.

          I want to give you all a little tip whether you order from me or some other handmade artisan -  place your gift orders early! You need to figure on how long the artist will need to make the order and then ship it. Talk to the person you are ordering from and let them know you are giving this as a gift and when you need to have your order. They will then be able to let you know how long it would take and the latest you can place your order for it to arrive on time. Christmas is usually the most busiest time for all made-by-hand artists, not only for them but also for the mail services. Handmade artists can only make a finite number of orders, which means if you don't place your order in time they may not be able to accommodate you until after the holiday.

Here is a list of gift giving times:

Anniversaries
Baptism
Bar/Bat Mitzvah
Birthdays
Bridal shower
Christmas
Easter
Father's/Mother's/Grandparent's Day
First Communion
Graduation
Hanukkah
Home-warming
New Baby
Valentine's day
Weddings (also wedding showers and engagement parties)


Do you know of any other times or holidays that people give or exchange gifts?

Fussy's Degenerative Myelopathy

          This video of Fussy was taken back in May. Currently she can't get around much without help, she mostly scoots on her butt but she can make it to her feet for a few steps once in a while. When her mobility issues started it was due to arthritis and old age issue with her hip. As time has passed it is become clear that she in all likelihood also has Degenerative Myelopathy. In a very basic nutshell it ever so slowly paralyzes the dog starting for the back end. However there is a one good thing about this disease is it causes no pain. So even though it makes dogs wobble and lose control over their legs it is completely painless.

          Fussy is currently dependent on her wheelchair when she is outside and is now at a point that she needs one of her legs strapped up in the chair's stirrup. Her bathroom functions are all in working order so far. I'm not looking forward to this disease progressing but for now she is doing just fine.