Pumpkins in the cornfields
Gold among the brown
Leaves of rust and scarlet
Trembling slowly down
Birds that travel southward
Lovely time to play
Nothing is as pleasant
As an autumn day!

Sometimes it just all comes down to a balancing act

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I love the water….the sound, smells…so relaxing

I like to watch those that hang out with their furry friends. Just makes me smile. So often we just do not make the time for them….always saying tomorrow…sadly, their life spans are short…too short. Make every moment count, have some fun…play laugh enjoy the many moments you have to share together

In this day and age…we all are so very busy…still we must make time to just play…in my case  I love to scribble (for those more sensitive to my choice of wording…simply put…Doodle). With my memories of the beach, the dogs and of course the fun we had I took the opportunity during a short break this afternoon to just scribble. Not a care in the world, no worries about exact likeness….just scribbling away…all the while I was smiling. Like so many of my scribbles, this one is not yet completed for it was time to get back to work….still, I had fun

When was the last time you took a little break to just play?

What can I say about Jin…to look into her eyes you just fall in love with her. She is a beauty and so true to her breed…fun, lively and oh so very curious about everything. Just look at those legs….she just makes me smile Converted the above file to a B/W file for the family to view for tee shirts and coffee mugs (available in sepia, color and B/W).

Took a close look at my calender today…can you believe the Holiday season starts in just a couple of weeks. Well…mine does anyway….remember to all those that will be wanting a photo session and or a Painting….be it a gift for someone special, or a gift for yourself…now is the time you want to get this done. It takes about six weeks during this time…and if I am verrry busy it could be longer to get something for the Holidays…add to that an early cut off date (will post more on that a little later). Gift Certificates are always available.

What is it about sunflowers I adore… So very fragile looking with their long stems and large flowers…. Swaying in the breeze… hues of gold, yellow, brown and green. Standing so tall and proud… Always turning their heads towards the sun.

Taking a break and doing something fun. Hung out with the puppies earlier then sat and painted a few things…just because I felt like it and the fact I am not feeling well…Lupus…sometimes just has to rear it’s ugly head. I often think it does that just as a way to get me to pay attention on the “good” days….take in all you can, when you can

Add to the fact that while I so enjoy painting portraits, often times I have to do what the client wants for they want what they want and the fact the artist wants to be creative, well sometimes you just have to paint in a way that is more appealing to the one that will be viewing the painting on a daily basis It takes me a while to wrap my mind around making the changes that were requested…best to walk away for a day or so and then start with fresh eyes, and a fresh mind.

Managed a few shots of the puppies…very hot here in the Atlanta area and bad air as well….so early morning is the best times for us to explore for a little while.

I have never been into Sports all that much. As a young girl….well let me just say I was usually the one sitting on the sides. I do enjoy every once in a while watching the youngsters play, that is if the parents are not so very driven. It should be about fun and sometimes, well some people (the adults) tend to get a tad bit carried away

I am still here, although a little busy as of late. The Tee Shirt Give Away is coming along fine and I will be posting info on it very soon!!!

Niki enjoying the large Bumper Bed in Brick and Sunset (twill fabric).

I am always in search of products that my dogs will give Paws Up…and these beds do just that. I have been in search of comfortable dog beds….made in the USA and found a company that is here in the states….what really sold me was that so too are they a green company as are the beds affordable ($79.00-175.00 plus S&H). Did I mention all covers can easily be unzipped, removed for machine washing….the perfect dog bed!

So, coming soon to Paw Prints Store will be several of these wonderful beds.

The Bumper Beds come in nine colors that by mixing and matching you have up to 81 different combinations to choose from. The Tuckered out comes in two colors (plus a Premium which is in cow print….fun).

Roomy enough to share!

These beds are stuffed with 100% recycled intelliLoft …and they are very well made!

Rocky and Niki in the x-lg Tuckered Out Bed in the Beach Glass / Chocolate (made with reinforced Berber material).

Beach Glass/ Chocolate & Oatmeal/ Chocolate

Each bed is well made and is zippered so covers can be easily removed and machine washed! So “Paws Up” from my pack!!! Please know that if interested and you just cannot wait until listed in Paw Prints Store, just contact us and we will order one for you!

Paw Prints Studio does it’s best to support local small business’s and business’s located in the USA and actually stands behind their products beings sold as Made in the USA products.

I love creating the above sketch type portraits. Just a simple sketch on a colored background with a few highlights and the faint bit of coloring added here and there to the background. Always printed on art paper where splashes of oil pastel is added throughout making it a Mixed Media print!

Coming Soon…I have been asked enough times about creating sketches in Corel Painter, enough so I have decided to offer this as a class. New classes will be starting again in September. Check back for the dates and times of all classes.

Yesterday found me sitting on the floor grooming the dogs. I have a grooming table, however this pack of dogs….I am terrified Niki will fall off for she cannot stand for long periods of time, so to groom her I actually have her down and on her side…she is till so very sensitive through out her spine and hind legs and paws. I never taught Rocky to Hup onto the table for he has Pano (sore joints) and did not wanting him jumping off and I cannot lift him off the table. Gemma…well what can I say…the easiest to groom soI just do the same with her.

So, Niki the ckr mix has her face clean shaven with a #10 blade and body shaved with a # 7 blade, then paws, tail and ears are scissored with straight shears, the top of her head is trimmed with thinning shears. Then her nails are “sanded” with the dremel tool. The nails come out nice and smooth when doing it this way. If wanting to give that a try remember to introduce it to the dogs slowly…the noise, the vibration and very important to make sure they understand stay. Paw fur should be neat and trimmed…you can even put a little sock with whole cut out the toe end onto the dogs paw to protect the fur from getting caught on the rotating sander drum. Now, grooming Niki is time consuming for I need to take a lot of breaks, as does Niki. Since the dogs were not getting a bath following thier hair cuts their ears were cleaned with a home made ear cleaning solution and they are also flea combed (yippee….fleas are under control). Niki was given a good waterless bath, then sprayed with a mixture of vinegar, water, cedar wood, lavender and tea tree oil. For being such a good girl some Peanut Butter as a reward

I have three 7f blades that at the feel of them getting warm I swap for another, this way I do not have to use the spray to cool them down (I cannot handle the smell). Plus the fact we take several breaks everything stays pretty cool.

Then Rocky’s turn…good brushing. I do not remove the whiskers on his face….just a personal choice. The thinning shears are used on his ears, the inside of his ear flaps….all the fur near the ear going down on the side of his neck. Then his front legs….Rocky has a lot of “fuzzy hair” growth that is removed on the front of his legs with thinning shears then the backs are trimmed with straight shears. His rear legs….again a lot of fuzzy fur growing every where….thinning shears used….then rear feathering and tail. He is then told to down, over onto his side where the fur growing out between the pads of his paws is removed with a #10 blade. Then fur on top of the paw is brushed against the fur growth and the thinning shears is once again used to remove all of the fur….and he has allot of fur that grows fast like a weed. Once the paws are completed I also shave the fur in his groin area….followed up by some medicated powder. He is told to stand ears are checked and cleaned with the appropriate cleaner and he is brushed once again then sprayed with the vinegar, water, cedar wood, lavender and tea tree oil mixture. PB is given as a reward. Rocky is never ending for he has sooo much fur.

Gemma….easy, easy…easy. Good brushing, told to down over and nails are sanded. Placed in a stand and another good brushing, ears looked at and wiped clean and then she is sprayed with mixture PB is given as a reward.

All three are kept neat and trim, I will not be winning any grooming awards anytime soon. They are brushed just about on a daily basis….grooming takes place about every four to five weeks….I do try to sand their nail more often…about every two to three weeks.

All three will be bathed over the weekend then a quick going over with the comb and scissors.

Grooming Tools Used: Pin Brush, Greyhound Comb, Flea Comb, Straight Shears, Thinning Shears, Dremel Tool with Sander, Clipper, #7 F Blade, #10 Blade, Home made Ear Cleaning Solution, Ear Flush, Waterless Bath Spray, White Wash Cloths, Vinegar-Water-Cedar Wood Oil- Lavender Oil- Tea Tree Oil Spray, Gold Bond Medicated Powder