taking some time off...

I wanted to give you all a bit of an update so that no one is left wondering "What is going on with ONE?" I've had a lot going on outside of my business and need to take some time off to take care of other matters. Everyone is fine and everything is ok, I've just been very busy. For the time being, I've put my Etsy and 1000 Markets shops on hold and will re-open them shortly. In the meantime, feel free to write with any questions or comments to designsbyone@yahoo.com. Thank you all for your patience - YOU ROCK!!

Do you like 1 or 2 better?

Hey everyone! I need some help and I would really appreciate some input:

I am currently designing a custom fabric-print for dog collars that I will be offering in my Etsy shop. I am just about finished with the print but I can't decide which dog I would like on it. They are identical, the only difference is the ears. What do you think - option 1 or 2? Thanks in advance!

As Seen on the "For the Love of Cute" Blog

Our "Rock and Ruff" tee has been featured on the "For the Love of Cute" blog. Make sure to check it out here and see all the other fabulous doggie picks.

City Dog Magazine: Summer 2009

I am super excited to announce that our Summer Garden Tank has been featured in the summer issue of City Dog Magazine. They put together a collection called "Cool Products: What's Hot for Cool Dogs " and we were one of the lucky ones to be included! (That's our tank in the upper left corner). These are some pictures of the issue but you can get your copy here. Enjoy :)

Velma's new collar

Have you heard of Dublin Dog? It's definitely worth checking out! Since I'm always looking for cool new collars to add to Velma's collection, I stumbled upon their website and fell in love with their products. Of course I immediately whipped out my credit card and ordered her the "Terra Cotta Daisy Daze" collar, along with one of their "Lucky Me" pewter tags. These collars are hand-crafted, made to last, and best of all: low maintenance. They rinse clean and are made from a non-porous material that doesn't harbor odors. Pretty cool, right?

My contest winner: Sadey

Here is precious Miss Sadey showing off the collar that her mom won for her (in my blog contest)from my shop. Isn't she sweet? The dress is also one of my creations :) So cute!!

And the winner is...

Roni :) Ok, so she was the only one who participated but it's still exciting to get to announce a winner. Here are the correct answers in case any of you were curious (the correct answer will appear in orange, bold italics):

1. On what date did I adopt Velma?
a. May 26, 2002
b. April 30, 2005
c. May 18, 2006
d. June 16, 2007

2. What is Velma's middle name?
a. Kelly
b. Daphne
c. Lee
d. Belle

3. What breed/breed mix is Velma?
a. Jack Russel Terrier/ Chihuahua mix
b. Chihuahua/Rat Terrier mix
c. Purebred Chihuahua
d. Dachshund/Chihuahua mix

4. How much does Velma weigh?
a. 6.5 pounds
b. 8 pounds
c. 9.25 pounds
d. 4 pounds

5. Who is Velma's best doggie pal?
a. our neighbor "Scottie"
b. her daycare friend "Rocky"
c. her "cousin" "C.J."
d. her dog park friend "Buddy"

6. What is Velma's favorite place to be?
a. at doggie daycare with her friends
b. watching T.V. in "grandpa's" room
c. in the car on a long road trip
d. wherever mommy is!

7. How many collars does Velma currently have in her collection (many more to come soon!)
a. 34
b. 16
c. 22
d. 41

8. Which TWO places has Velma visited?
a. The Aztec pyramids in Mexico and the Space Needle in Seattle
b. The Grand Canyon and the Roman Coliseum
c. Niagara Falls and Big Ben in London
d. The Eiffel tower in Paris and Half Dome in Yosemite

9. What sorts of places does Velma MOST enjoy visiting?
a. off-leash beaches
b. long running trails
c. loud, busy cities
d. all of the above and more

10. What are the TWO most common "nicknames" I use for Velma?
a. "Baby" and "Love of my life"
b. "Munchkin" and "Little one"
c. "Hot Stuff" and "Miss Attitude"
d. "Sassy" and "Princess"

11. Any good answer would have done for this one :)

So there you have it. Congratulations Roni!

I promised and the contest is HERE!!

....the contest I told you about in honor of Velma's and my "anniversary"....remember...

Ok, so the grand prize for the person who answers the most questions correctly will be your choice of a custom collar for your pooch from my shop. Here are the rules:

1. Anyone can play

2. The questions are multiple choice and one "fill-in". To answer the questions, leave a comment on this post with just the letters that correspond to your answers. Example: a, c, d, b.... and so on

3. The contest will run until Tuesday, May 26th. That day I will announce the winner (please make sure that I have some way of contacting you: through your blog, email, whatever...)

Here are the questions:

1. On what date did I adopt Velma?

a. May 26, 2002

b. April 30, 2005

c. May 18, 2006

d. June 16, 2007

2. What is Velma's middle name?

a. Kelly

b. Daphne

c. Lee

d. Belle

3. What breed/breed mix is Velma?

a. Jack Russel Terrier/ Chihuahua mix

b. Chihuahua/Rat Terrier mix

c. Purebred Chihuahua

d. Dachshund/Chihuahua mix

4. How much does Velma weigh?

a. 6.5 pounds

b. 8 pounds

c. 9.25 pounds

d. 4 pounds

5. Who is Velma's best doggie pal?

a. our neighbor "Scottie"

b. her daycare friend "Rocky"

c. her "cousin" "C.J."

d. her dog park friend "Buddy"

6. What is Velma's favorite place to be?

a. at doggie daycare with her friends

b. watching T.V. in "grandpa's" room

c. in the car on a long road trip

d. wherever mommy is!

7. How many collars does Velma currently have in her collection (many more to come soon!)

a. 34

b. 16

c. 22

d. 41

8. Which TWO places has Velma visited?

a. The Aztec pyramids in Mexico and the Space Needle in Seattle

b. The Grand Canyon and the Roman Coliseum

c. Niagara Falls and Big Ben in London

d. The Eiffel tower in Paris and Half Dome in Yosemite

9. What sorts of places does Velma MOST enjoy visiting?

a. off-leash beaches

b. long running trails

c. loud, busy cities

d. all of the above and more

10. What are the TWO most common "nicknames" I use for Velma?

a. "Baby" and "Love of my life"

b. "Munchkin" and "Little one"

c. "Hot Stuff" and "Miss Attitude"

d. "Sassy" and "Princess"

11. In three sentences or less, describe what you most like about Velma (If I like your answer, it will be correct, otherwise I'll count this as a wrong answer. If I have a tie, my favorite answer will be the winner)

Thanks for playing :)

A big thanks!

It sure has been busy around here lately and our line has been getting some fabulous exposure. Here are some of the things going on:

Our Summer Garden Tank has been featured in LuvHandmade:

Our Water Resistant Trench has been featured in FoundHandmade:

AND.... I'm excited about this one!... This summer we've been asked to be featured in City Dog Magazine!!THANK YOU to all of you for all your amazing support!! Hugs and licks from Velma :)

P.S. I haven't forgotten about the contest I mentioned in my last post. I promise it will be up soon.

How does a contest sound right about now..?

In honor of Velma's (my dog) and my upcoming third anniversary (I rescued her on May 18, 2006) I was thinking it might be fun to do some sort of "Collar Giveaway" to a lucky winner of a contest. Since the world revolves around Velma (or at least mine does!) the contest would be a series of questions related to her and the person who answered the most questions correctly would win a free collar from my Esty shop. Sounds like it could be fun, right? I'll keep you posted on when the "official" contest will take place. Meanwhile, I have to come up with some questions...

Check this out!

I've already told you about Pets Jubilee, but now I want to tell you about the new pet photo contest. That's right, you can submit a picture of your precious furbabies to the photo contest blog and if the picture wins, you'll get a free Pets Jubilee sampler box! Pretty cool, right? Details can be found on the blog. Unfortunately, contributors to the box aren't allowed to participate for the first contest (which means I can't), but at least I have more time to pick the cutest picture of Velma. I have so many, this is going to be tough....

Have you heard about "Pets Jubilee" yet?

Yikes! Has it really been more than two weeks since my last post?! Sorry folks, it's been crazy busy around here but I promise to start posting more often again.

Anyhow, I wanted to share a WONDERFUL Etsy shop with you: Pets Jubilee. Pets Jubilee is a team shop that sells "sampler boxes" which contain all kinds of pet-related goodies donated by Etsy sellers (including myself). When you purchase one of these fabulous boxes (for an incredible price) you never know what you might get: collars, collar charms, dog cookies, cards, you name it.... Basically, it's like a great Christmas present any time of year! You can even specify if you would prefer a cat-themed, dog-themed, or other kind of pet-themed box. I haven't gotten to the best part yet-- what makes me very proud to contribute to this great team is that not only are you supporting "handmade", but you are also supporting the SPCA International. That's right, a portion of every purchase is donated to help prevent cruelty to animals. Can't say it gets any better than that... Make sure to check it out!

Earth Hour 2009

Tonight, Saturday March 28, 2009 at 8:30pm your time, please vote "Earth" by switching off your lights for one hour. Your vote will help goals of reaching one billion votes to be presented to world leaders in the upcoming Global Climate Change Conference. Let's work together for a more energy-efficient green, clean, and healthy future for all of us. Earth Hour is not just about 60 minutes of darkness, it is a lifelong commitment to help preserve the world we all share, our home--planet Earth.

How CUTE is Lucky?!

SOOO cute :) This is a picture I just received from one of my fabulous customers of her, dog Lucky, modeling our bandanna. Absolutely precious! Just look at that smile...

It seems like it might be warming up a bit....

Flowers are blooming, the sun is out, and allergies are acting up :( Or at least mine are! Anyhow, staying cute and hip is still important in the warmer months and I've got your pooch covered. I've been working on some new collars so check our shop often for the latest and greatest. In the meantime, here is one of the newest:

This fun and sassy collar is sure to draw tons of positive attention wherever your pooch wears it! It is a beautiful shade of aqua marine color that subtly transitions into a vibrant royal blue. The floral design is delicately outlined in white, adding a dainty and feminine touch. The black contour, no-choke, side-release buckle and adjustable slider will ensure safety and comfort for your best pal. The nickel D-ring is also sturdy enough to attach a leash to and perfect for tags. This collar is inner lined with high-quality webbing, making it not only chic but very durable as well. The exterior fabric is 100% cotton, meaning it will last, stay looking fabulous, and will be easy to care for! Best of all, it is soft and very comfortable for dogs to wear. Stress points have been stitched several times through to ensure security and for prolonged durability

The Sassy Tee

Sass, attitude, charm and a funky edge-- this shirt has it all! This super comfortable black tee shirt has a vintage-inspired look with a beautiful organic swirl and heart silk screen design in white. It has been accented with pretty pink rhinestone flowers and felt applique hearts. One of the hearts is pink to show off your pup's innocent side while the other heart has a zebra print inspired by the wild, spunky side of her! If you have a pup with a big personality, and even bigger attitude, this shirt is the one for her!

I had to share

I love these pictures and I just had to share them with you because I thought they were too cute to keep to myself. It genuinely looks like they are smiling :) These two lovely ladies are Kimo and Blackie (I think you can figure out which one is which!) I was "pet-sitting" them last week while their owners were away on vacation and we had a great time together. They are such great dogs! Of course, when their "parents" came back home, they found a surprise waiting for them-- I couldn't resist making collars for their girls while they were away. Who wouldn't want these two cuties sporting their merchandise, right?

Our newest jacket...

The perfect coat for strolling city streets in style is here. Chic, smart, sophisticated, warm but light, durable, and convenient; everything you want in a coat for your pooch. This classy trench has a yoke and belt loops in a beautiful plaid that is complimented beautifully by a cotton khaki fabric that is found on the lower half of the coat. This coat features an easy, over-the-head design that is very easy to slip your pooch into. The bottom (chest) section has straps that come up and over the upper portion, fastening securely on the back in a double-breasted manner with rustic silver snaps. The chest straps are also held securely in place during walks by the D-ring located on the center back, allowing easy leash attachment, and making the coat double as a comfy walking harness. It is slightly long in design to protect most of your pooch from the cold but significantly shorter in the front for ease (and no messes)during potty time. The pocket on the back adds an extra touch of detail and can be used to carry clean-up bags on a walk. This coat is also completely lined and beautifully finished inside and out. A matching collar can be found here.

Super Sweet Sadey

If Sadey had a superpower, I think it would be melting people with her unbearably cute face!

Sadey is one of my favorite customers (along with her sister, Molly). Roni, their "mom" and owner of Daisy Wares, is always lovely enough to send me pictures of them when they purchase something new from us. This time, it was Sadey's new necklace. It looks divine on her, right?!

It's a proud day in a mother's life...

When her daughter fetches her first ball! For some reason, Velma likes fetching stuffed animals and other soft toys but not balls. Not until the other day that is :) Soon she'll be a ball-fetching pro! Luckily my brother, who always has his camera handy, caught it on video :)

(Please excuse the mess in my room and the weird noise my brother makes at the end of the video...)