DIY :: Personalized Doggie Bag

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #FeedDogsPurina #CollectiveBias 

This is Chili.
 
He is the center of our world in my home and is my daughter's best friend. In all of my years of having dogs be a part of my family, this one, he, is THE best.

He has the BEST personality and just as sweet as can be. He truly is the perfect dog and we spoil him. Boy do we spoil him rotten but he doesn't mind and neither do we. ;)  He goes everywhere with us and truth be told, he loves going for a ride or going 'bye bye' especially to memaw's house. We try to go as often as we can and when we do I feel like we take everything but the kitchen sink with us because 'he's spoiled'. lol

I mean seriously? LOOK at that face. That face is the sweetest ever! So it goes without saying that this little guy gets anything he wants and I try to always give him the BEST of the things he needs to sustain a good lifestyle here with us. I mean we want him to live to be 102 years old so ya know, we take good care of him! lol

Since we are always taking him with us somewhere, I decided to make him his very own hand lettered personalized doggie bag! I mean every dog needs one right? Of course! 

Chili of course, was only interested in what was going IN this doggie bag of his, as he knows when we are getting ready to go somewhere, since I start gathering up his favorite things to take with us. So I thought I would share a fun little game of "what's in Chili's bag"? 

Let's take a look shall we . . . 

Anytime we take a trip to meemaw's house, we always bring all of the necessities to make Chili feel right at home. We pack his favorite squeeky toys, a chew bone, his collar, leash, his zip pouch that houses his poo pick-up bags and his treats for going poo, his favorite blanky so he can snuggle up on the furniture and then of course his bowls and his Purina One® Smartblend® Chicken and Rice Formula Adult Premium Dog Food (his fave).

As his momma, it was important to find a food that had real chicken in it blended with other proteins to keep his heart healthy & muscles strong, Omega-6 for healthy skin, highly digestible and I needed it to be something he actually LIKED to eat! I love knowing that the dog food I feed him is one that he looks forward to eating every day. And although he is not even four years old yet, this food has been a staple every day of his life.

I am so grateful that Chili likes a dog food that I can pick up on my weekly Target run as it makes it so much easier to pick up a bag for him when I am there shopping. I mean I practically live at that store as it is, doesn't everyone? I look forward to heading to Target every week to peruse the aisles, with my red cup in hand looking for the deals! I am constantly using the Target Cartwheel app to find additional savings as well on my fave things and guess what? This week you can actually save an additional 20% off all ONE dry dog food from Purina,  3/19- 3/25 - YAY! I love when that happens! No matter what dog food is your pup's fave, Target has an amazing variety of Purina dry dog food products available. 

Now that we know what goes IN the doggie tote bag, let's check out how easy it is to make your own!
 
STEPS for creating a personalized tote bag for your pup:

1. First, grab a few supplies for your project. 
I am using a blank tote bag (available at most craft stores), a white pencil, DecoArt paint in black and white and a couple paint brushes.

2. Before you start, grab a notebook and pencil to sketch out a few designs to figure out HOW you want your design to look.

3. Next grab a white colored pencil and draw out your design on your blank tote bag. I love this trick as you CAN erase it if you make a mistake but yet it's light enough to not really see either, once painted over.

 

4. Take your black paint and begin going over your white pencil line to create the name that you sketched out. It does take a few times to get the edges nice and crisp but it will get there eventually . . . just be patient. ;)
Also I love using the DecoArt paint, because it drys super fast! BONUS!

5. After I was finished with his name, I decided to add a lil something to the top edge of the tote bag. Little black dash lines to resemble top stitching - I love the look it gave the tote!

6. The next thing I decided to do, is add a little white dashed shadow to some of the parts of the letters to coordinate with the black dashes I just made.

Look at that! Your beloved pup now has their own personalized tote bag. The only thing that is next to do, is to decide what to put in it!

So is this not a fun and easy way to create a fun and functional tote for our beloved fur babies? Do you like the way it turned out? I love it and can't wait to put it to use -hopefully you will give it a try as well! Remember you can pick up the supplies for this craft as well as your bag of Purina One dog food, the next time you are doing a Target run! Maybe I'll see ya there, chances are GOOD! ;)

What special item have you created lately, to spoil your dog? I would love to hear about what you have made for that special pet in your life. Please let me know below . . .
 
     

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DIY CRAFT :: for the DOG + Chili pics

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are always mine alone. #1StopPetShop #CollectiveBias

Here's a story. About a pup named Chili. Who was living with three humans of his own. He was very loved. Living all together. But the girl was the chosen one . . . 

So we may or may not have recently been watching old episodes of the Brady Bunch which inspired my opening statement here (LOL) but I thought it worked as I do want to catch you up on the story with Chili our pup and show you a super easy and super crafty way to personalize your favorite pup's eating area! 

This girl & her dog are just about the sweetest thing to see together as they are best buds and have so much fun together. Since this is her first dog, I really wanted a smaller dog for her so she feels like she could handle him and be able to be his 'momma'. It will be TWO years soon that we have had him and it is still one of the best decisions I ever made. Chili has taught my daughter so much in such a short time. Of course he has taught her all about the normal things like responsibility, taking care of someone, structure, diligence and of course how to have some major FUN but it's the other attributes of having a dog that have mattered the most to her. Chili has taught her forgiveness. Trust. Unconditional love. Consideration. Compassion. When you decide to get a dog, you don't think about those things being taught but it's a HUGE bonus that has happened and this little pup that we named Chili, has shown her all of those things. And let me tell you it makes this momma's heart just melt.

My wish is that he will be around for her for a long time. Fortunately for her, this breed has a long lifespan and she even did the Math the other day and realized that she could still have him once she gets out of college! I sure hope so because there is soooooo much these two give each other on a daily basis and I enjoy watching them and what they're up to every day . . . from snuggles on the couch, to daily walks, playing with all of his bazillion toys she loves to buy him, teaching him the latest 'trick' and being best friends!

Disclaimer: cute puppy photos are next! You've been warned!! ;)

One of my favorite things to do every week, with my daughter, is hit our local Target because hey . . . you can never tire of that place, I say! ;) She is always wanting to spend her allowance money, look for a new toy for Chili and just chill with her momma while perusing the aisles for deals. Teaching her young I say, right? ;) I mean seriously our typical routine is to grab a drink, hit the Dollar Spot and then whip out my phone to see the latest Cartwheel savings deal & then we're off! 

On our trip this past week, she of course wanted to check out the dog toys to make sure there weren't any new ones he didn't have yet as she is constantly thinking about her BFF and we love that the pet section has everything we need there. One stop and done is the way to go right? When we first got Chili I was so thankful that Target had everything we needed so I am not running around to multiple places, getting what he needs. Helloooooo, I'm at Target every week anyway so it's just so nice to be able to pick up what we need and they have a great selection. Like I said, the girl is always wanting to pick up the latest toy they have and I am pretty sure we have almost all of them - not kidding. For example, Chili just had his second birthday a couple weeks ago and we got him a spiffy new bow tie there (see pic above), a new collar, several new toys, a chew bone, some treats and a water bottle for when we are out walking with him. I mean he now has his own water bottle!!!!! This boy is so spoiled! ;) 

Anyways, this trip we needed to pick up some dog food too. IAMS just happened to have a deal going on through the Cartwheel app so we grabbed a bag of it for Chili to try! Make sure to get the deal when you go too! (And if you have a cat, there's a savings for you too: IAMS cat dry food and IAMS wet cat food)  Hello, saving money like a boss! I am pretty picky about what we feed Chili too as I want him to lead a healthy life and I know it's important from what Chili's vet has said, to find something that helps keep his teeth and gums healthy and dry food can do that. It's also necessary for me to give him something to promote healthy digestion for his breed, reduce tartar buildup, help boost his immunity and the IAMS brand believes that the right diet can do great things for our dogs, so we got him the IAMS dry food to help with his daily needs. I like that it has different varieties to choose from depending on your dog's stage in life and needs they may have. And I feel good knowing I am doing my part to keep her best friend around as long as I can. =)

We were feeling kinda crafty on this trip as well and she wanted to make something for who else, Chili, so we checked out the craft aisle for some ideas and we came up with an idea to do a customized place mat for the kitchen. She wanted us both to do something on the place mat so I decided I would hand letter his name on it and she would put some of her doodles on it to make it extra special.




STEPS for customizing a place mat for the dog:

1. First, grab a few supplies for your project. You will need a place mat (I used one that could be wiped off - for obvious reasons), a pencil, some permanent markers or paint or whatever you would like to use to draw with.

2. I started by drawing it out on a scrap piece of paper first, so I could be sure of my design and if I was going to like the way it looked. Then sketched it on my place mat in pencil.

3. Next take your markers and color in your design as you would like it to look.

4. Finally, have your kid draw some doodles on to make it fun and extra special! She chose to just do white dots with a chalkboard marker to give it some pop and keep it simple. ;)

I love doing these type of fun crafts with my daughter, especially when we get to enjoy seeing others using them. I think this looks great in our kitchen and Chili will be eating his meals in style now. 

So how do you like the way it turned out? I love it and hopefully you will give it a try as well as it's super easy! Remember you can pick up the supplies for this craft as well as your bag of IAMS dog food to try, the next time you are doing some shopping at Target! Maybe I'll see ya there! ;)

Have you created any special items and spoiled your pet lately? I would love to hear something you have done for that special pet in your life. Let me know below . . .
 
     

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CHILI UPDATE + a Purina One Challenge

This shop is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and Purina One, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #ONEDifference  http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV

If you have been a follower of this blog for awhile, then you will know that at the end of summer last year we got a puppy. A little boy, who we named Chili. My daughter had always wanted a dog of her own, so we surprised her right before school started with her very own pup. Yeah I thought about letting her pick it out but when a friend of mine said he had some pups available, I knew the element of surprise with my daughter, was the way to go!

A girl and her dog. BESTest buds!  . . . Chili's 1st day and now.

Of course we fell in love with him and his little personality. He is just the sweetest little boy, is very playful and energetic but has a stubborn side as well. We weren't sure what we were going to get from him since his momma is a MaltiPoo and his papa is a Chihuahua . . .  which equates to a MaltiPoochi named Chili!

He does have the feistiness of his papa and always, and I mean ALWAYS has to have the last word. It is quite humorous. If one of us correct him or tell him to stop barking, he has to let out the last grunt as if to say, "I hear ya but I'm gonna do this MY way." He is such a little stinker! 

Chili loves his car rides and making faces!

Chili is definitely a sweetie pie and loves to cuddle with his momma. (YAY!) He loves his comfy beds around the house and taking naps when he gets a chance. He can be very mello when he wants to be and oh so chill the rest of the time.

Chili chillin'

Our dog definitely fits in well with out family due to the fact that he loves a good laugh and is such a riot! I swear he knows when it's time to be crazy as he always finds a way to get in on the fun. If we are laughing, it gets him all fired up and he barks or starts running around in one of his daily "puppy rushes" - it is hysterical!

So which look is better on me? Hip or nerdy?

Chili recently turned ONE and we celebrated with party hats, gifts and ice cream! But as you can see, he refused to wear the party hat but LOVED his gifts and of course some puppy ice cream! (a.k.a. Frosty Paws)

Chili turns ONE . . . such a BIG milestone!

Ever since we brought him home, we have fed him nothing but the best dog food . . . only food with none of that "junk" in it along with only organic dog treats and no table scraps! This is honestly the FIRST dog I have had that I have done this with. Usually I just get whatever and call it a day. But Chili has been different. Maybe it's because he's technically my daughter's dog and I want to give him the BEST, just like I do for her. Which is why when it comes to feeding Chili, we had not been able to find anything that he realllllly loved. Sure we were feeding him some top notch food but he never got excited about it when it was time to eat. He was just eating to eat. 

So when I heard about the Purina One 28 day challenge for dogs, it got my attention and I researched their food to make sure I "approved" of feeding it to our beloved Chili. It did, and we decided to give it a try to see what Chili thought of it. I had heard, from some of my friends, of their results with their dogs and was excited to see if the same things would happen with him. 

Off to the store we went (with Chili in tow) to get us some Purina One SmartBlend. One of Chili's favorite places to go is to the pet store and his vet is in the same building so he knows he always gets a new toy when he goes so he doesn't fear the vet. On this trip he was quite happy with the fact that we were strictly shopping and not paying the vet a visit. Can't you tell from that BIG 'OL happy grin on his face?! ;) Or maybe, just maybe he was super excited to try some new food . . . we'll see.

I am loving this!

We are happy to report that Chili LOVED the food. He gets so excited to eat and starts jumping up and down when we ask him if he wants to eat. At first, he picked out all of the soft meat pieces and left the rice until last but hey, nothing wrong with that! He likes it all and enjoys it so much. We did notice his energy level increased significantly and we didn't think that was possible as he is already a pup but he is very much in tune with his energy levels. We have a routine of playing, fetch and walks every day and it helps him to have a schedule so he can look forward to these things as well.

Chili loves being outside and going for walks

I also think that he has gotten a LOT smarter because the tricks he can do now and the things he is learning are incredible! He loves learning new tricks and playing games with us on family game nights. ;)

Chili slams his paw down during a game of poker & barks "hit me!" & waiting his turn in a round of Bubble Talk

We also noticed how SOFT his fur was getting. It was amazing! We give him weekly baths (which he loves the pampering) and I have taken it upon myself to keep him trimmed with haircuts as needed and his fur is just so so so SOFT! I wasn't expecting that and love the fact that we are benefiting from it! I also noticed that he doesn't scratch as much so it is nice to offer him some relief from possible dry skin issues.

Chili loves to be pampered and his nickname is "princess" since he loves it so

The girl and her dog. The BEST gift I could have ever given to her! He loves her right back and she now has a best friend for as long as he is supposed to be here with our family and that IS the best gift a mother can give her child . . . the gift of happiness. Or at least any way we can try to make them happy.

best of friends

The girl loves this dog so much, she thinks he needs to sit at the table for everything with us. He is quite the "princess" eating his favorite food isn't he?

Just kidding . . . he enjoys his Purina One just like all the other pups out there, at his own little place setting in the kitchen!

If you are interested in having your pup try the Purina One 28 day challenge, then why not head over to their website and sign up for the challenge and get your own $3 off coupon towards a bag of Purina One dog food. Trust me, your dog will LOVE you for it. ;) Mine did. Just look at what it did to MY dog. ;)

Join me in following Purina One on Facebook, Purina One on Twitter and on Instagram to be informed with all the latest news and fun facts! I did, because in my HONEST opinion, I am going to keep feeding our dog Chili this food as he loves it and I can see the many benefits from it! So I want to stay in the know with Purina One!

Looking forward to seeing you again! Chili thanks you for stopping by! :)

Do you have a sweet pup that is a part of your family? Let me know below what kind of dog you have and a fun fact about them! =)

 

Are you loving the "eye candy" here? 
 

Then join me over on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter & Instagram so you never miss out on an exclusive deal or any behind the scenes photos!

Check out my designs, artwork & decor in my Etsy shop!