All You Need Is Pug

#125 - Peak-A-Boo

2012-01-22T10:26:00.002-05:00

When we adopted Ringo nearly two years ago, we couldn't be sure of exactly which breed or breeds he may be because he was an abandoned pooch without much background information available.

We were told that he is all pug, but looking at his features as well as watching some of his behaviors has told us that he is likely a mix between a pug and another breed or two.

While there are numerous tests available to find out his genetic makeup, we would rather not. You see, we just have too much fun imagining what he could be, and so finding out would take away a bit of his charming mysterious quality that he seems to embody.

But it is pretty clear from his photos in our new Peek-A-Boo Dog Hat with ear holes that he could be part Boston Terrier. His ears sometimes stand up on their own and will stay up if you just pick them up and hold them for a moment. They also readily fall and relax to look like the tiny floppy ears that pugs have. No matter what Ringo is, we know that he is the most adorable little mutt that we could ever have asked for.

#124 - Guess Who's Back

2012-01-14T00:03:00.004-05:00

You are probably wondering where we have been. Maybe the mountains of Switzerland or the wild safaris of Africa... possibly venturing with Sherlock Holmes across Baker Street in London or hanging out with koalas in Australia.

Oh, we wish it were as exciting as all that! Though we have not been traversing the wide world, we have been busy making all sorts of new accessories for pugs, pooches, and people. Above, you will see James Dean in his petite french beret. If we cannot go to Paris, we will bring Paris to our own living room! This hat was inspired by our lovely friend Nancy and her pug Howie, who requested our first ever dog beret, and this is our newly updated version that is now available for the masses.

Every Wednesday night I attend ballet class and Thursday nights are filled with the jigging and battering of my Irish stepping feet. James Dean often wishes he could come to class with me as a special four legged guest, but since the studio is intended for humans only, I thought I'd give JD the chance to be a little dancer at home. He is now the proud owner of the first pair of Snuggly Dog Leg Warmers.

While making a granny square throw for myself, I thought of how beautiful and intricate each individual square is. Then it occurred to me that they are not only ideal for blankets, but perfect accessories for pooches. This granny square neck warmer in particular has a circus feel to it with its rich colors. Ringo, the little jester, is quite regal in it.

These are just a few of the ideas we have for our 2012 collection. There are many more to come. I wish that there were more hours in a day so that I could create all of the silly little wonders that pop into my brain.

I have two other brain-children that I have been nurturing as well, including my second shop, Literary Luxe, which specializes in handmade journals and accessories for humans, and my brand new blog, Wicked Little Whimsy. While my blogs here are geared towards my furry friends, Wicked Little Whimsy is more for the human kind. I just began the blog and its main focuses are recipes, artwork, fashion, tutorials, writing workshops, and other intriguing fancies.

What have all of you been up to? Do you have any resolutions for the new year? What does 2012 hold in store for you?

x's & o's

#123 - Off to Hogwarts

2011-09-05T08:28:00.004-04:00

Who's that dapper pug who just hopped off of the Hogwart's Express? Oh my! I believe it's Ringo. And it looks like he's been accepted at Gryffindor house!

Fortunately, his brother James Dean is also a member of Gryffindor. At least we won't have to worry about a rivalry between them.

From what the boys tell me, they are already becoming great friends with a ch arming Mr. Harry Potter and his mischievous mates. Let's hope that they send us some lovely postcards through the Owl Post this fall!

Which Hogwarts House are you a member of? If you want to show off your house colors with a scarf, too, these knits are the newest in our line of dog accessories. You can peak at them in our magical little shop.

x's & o's

#122 - Quick & Craveable Peanut Butter Cookies

2011-08-30T08:45:00.009-04:00

Hurricane Irene became "tropical storm Irene" before it reached us, so we are very lucky that we didn't have any damage! A few of our friends are still without power and there are some who have a few missing shingles, some fallen branches, and other minor issues, but fortunately most of our friends were not affected. We hope that all of you were able to stay safe, too!

When it's stormy outside, we always love to sit and munch on homemade snacks. Today, we thought that we'd share one of our favorite recipes. This quick, easy cookie is safe for both humans and puppies, and it tastes so delicious that people will demand the recipe from you. And the best part is, you can make a batch in about 5 minutes and enjoy them immediately. Instant gratification... what could be better?

Quick & Craveable Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup rolled oats (whole oats, not quick oats)
1/2 cup dates
1/2 cup honey
1 cup peanut butter (or almond butter for sweeter cookies)
1/2 cup carob chips

Directions:
- Process the oats in food processor until finely ground.
- Add dates to the food processor and process until ground and mixed well with the oats.
- Add the honey and peanut butter. Process until the mixture starts to stick together and has a texture that is thick and able to be molded. If the mix seems too crumbly, add more honey until it sticks well.
- Stir in your carob chips by hand with a spoon.
- Take small chunks of the mix into your palm. Roll the chunks into golf-ball sized clumps and flatten each to create your cookie.
- Store in a closed container with foil or waxed paper on the bottom, to prevent sticking. They will keep for 4 days without refrigeration, up to 10 days in the fridge, and even longer if frozen.

Whenever I make these cookies they only last about 3 days before everyone in the house, JD and Ringo included, has devoured them! Go ahead and make a batch, relax, and enjoy a lovely day.

x's & o's

#121 - Hurricanes and Sleepy Days

2011-08-27T16:55:00.004-04:00

Hurricane Irene is going to hit some places much harder than others, but no matter where you are, remember to bring your pets inside. Pups left outdoors risk major injury and will likely be scared by the stormy weather, so keep them in, snuggle up, and watch the rain from the safety of your homes!

We plan on waiting out the weather by watching 'I Love Lucy' re-runs and Bing Crosby flicks with a batch or two of popcorn. How will you pass the time while the storm rolls through?

Looks like JD and Ringo will be counting sheep!

x's & o's

#120 - JD the Flying Wonder

2011-08-25T15:30:00.003-04:00

JD looks serious as he prepares for his first secret mission as an aviator. He must parachute down into an unknown land in order to steal back snacks that have been stolen from him and his poochie friends.

Fortunately, JD is very brave and has a specific plan of action. With the help of his spiffy goggles and protective headgear, he is sure to be successful!

Would you like to be JD's copilot today?

x's & o's

#119 - Our Friend, Lily

2011-08-14T08:52:00.005-04:00

Meet our new friend, Lily. She is a beautiful puppy who is barely 3 months old and is a mix between a beagle and a golden lab.

Isn't she lovely? She moved in across the street from us last week. Our neighbors, who love animals very much, lost their beagle, Sprint, last year to old age. JD and Ringo were sad, too, because Sprint was their best friend. He was over 15 years old and they were devastated when they had to make the decision to put him to sleep due to his failing health and suffering. But now they have this new ball of fur and joy in their lives! I think Sprint must have sent Lily to them so that they could always remember him, but still help another rescue dog in need.

It appears that Lily and JD are already falling in love. We will have to keep an eye on this budding romance.

Lily loves to visit Ringo and JD in our yard. They even garden, inspecting the tomato plants and digging in the corners to be sure that everything is in order.

After gardening and playing, everyone relaxes in the shade. I think JD is about ready to sneak a kiss before Lily heads home for lunch. Ooooh puppy love!

x's & o's

#118 - Customer Close-up - Lil Smug Pug

2011-08-13T08:16:00.003-04:00

What's the biggest perk about having a job as a fashioner of dog hats?
Receiving photos of my furry, little clients!
Nothing puts a bigger smile on my lips than receiving e-mails full
of pictures of pugs and other pets in our hats.

This little darling from the Lil Smug Pug blog is one adorable koala in her pug hat! We love that she is here commiserating with her panda and getting ready for a bear hug.

She seems to be saying "I am Koala, see me snuggle!"

Please stop in at Flora's blog (the pug's momma), to read all about the Lil Smug Pug and see many more photos of her in our hat.

Also, we remind you that your pooch could be the next Customer Close-up on our blog! If you have any of our items, whether it be hats, neck warmers, art work, cards, etc. simply take photos of your pets with our items and send them in. We would love to hear about and blog about your fur-babies! You can send all photos and blurbs to jessica@allyouneedispug.com and be sure to tell us all about your pets so that we can brag about them for you.

Have a lovely weekend!

x's & o's

#117 - Waiting for Fall

2011-08-07T07:39:00.003-04:00

JD's favorite season is fall, and so is mine. Though we aren't trilled about college classes, exams, and ten page research papers, we can't wait for pumpkins, apple crisp, and hay rides!

We are so excited for the beautiful foliage and cool breezes, that we don't even mind if we have to rake... as long as there is hot apple and cinnamon cider waiting for us when we're through.

What's your favorite thing about autumn?

x's & o's

#116 - Windows

2011-07-20T14:43:00.002-04:00

Where ever I am I always find myself looking out the window wishing I was somewhere else.
~ Angelina Jolie ~

JD wishes that he were at the beach, roaming in the sand. Where would you like to be today?

#115 - Panda Invasion

2011-07-19T11:09:00.003-04:00

Oh my goodness! Hide your bamboo! It's a panda on the prowl.

He is heading right toward you and is ready to attack with kisses and and snorts.

And he has two faces!

What a crazy creature to encounter in our own backyard. It's too bad J.D. was nowhere to be found. He would have loved to meet this little beast. Now, where is that little pug?....

#114 - BatPug - The Next Great Super Hero

2011-07-13T11:10:00.003-04:00

Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na BatPug!

A few months ago, we unleashed our "Black Cat" hat, which soon developed many names. Reminding us of a creature from "Where the Wild Things Are", we soon made the connection between the children's classic and our hat. Then when we revealed our hat on Facebook, our friends couldn't believe how much it resembled Batman's famous headgear.

Yesterday our wonderful friends Melissa and Archie listed all new sweaters from their Super Hero Collection, including this snuggly Batman sweater! We can't help but to think how fantastic our creations would look together. What an amazing costume that would be for Halloween this year. JD is especially keen on this idea :]

Please visit Melissa's wonderful etsy shop for dozens of creative sweaters as well as her charming doggy artwork. For a dose of her adorable pug puppy, Archie, head over to their blog for posts on Melissa and Archie's exciting adventures!

#113 - On the Home Front

2011-07-11T15:12:00.001-04:00

We were so excited to see our ladybug neck warmer on etsy's home page yesterday evening! James Dean smiled from ear to ear :]

#112 - Ringo's 1st Gotcha Day!

2011-07-10T06:00:00.000-04:00

We adopted this handsome, old chap exactly one year ago today! When we saw his photo online on a rescue website, we fell in love with his big eyes and gray snout that show his wisdom and experience. At 8 years old, it looked as though Ringo would be stuck at the shelter, and we knew that with a name like "Ringo", he had to be a part of our family (since we are huge Beatles fans)!

He was only 12 lbs. when we got him, completely malnourished and starved. He was a bit skittish and would eat anything that seemed remotely edible. Now Ringo weighs in at a healthy 20 lbs. and enjoys every day with my family. He eats only healthy foods, with an occasional yummy treat, and often plays with his favorite stuffed octopus. He loves to curl up in the corner of the couch in the cutest little ball and is a warm bundle when he lays across your lap. He is especially attached to my mother, since he is more her dog while JD is mine, but the entire family adores him and his caterpillar-like eyebrows.

Ringo turned 9 years old just 3 days ago on July 7 - the same day as the real Ringo Starr. How cool is that coincidence?

Thank you, Ringo, for joining our family!

x's & o's

#111 - Diary of a Pug

2011-07-08T20:09:00.005-04:00

I've been having a blast making handmade journals for Literary Luxe. I print all of the designs and filler paper right here in my work space and I cut each journal to the perfect size. I use these myself, especially on the go and in my college classes.

One day, while making a dozen journals, JD came over and plunked down on top of my cutting mat and stared at me with his huge, brown eyes. It was clear that he wanted to be a part of my paper working, so I decided to bring all new dog journals to the All You Need Is Pug shop! Each journal is one of a kind, as I have so many papers and binding threads that no two journals will ever have the same color combination.

I hope that many animal lovers will adopt my journals and use them for daily jots, inspiration, and collecting their special thoughts!

What do you write when you keep a journal?

x's & o's

#110 - Coupon Time

2011-07-04T09:16:00.003-04:00

Because we love our blog readers, facebook fans, and twitter followers, we are giving all you 10% OFF of our ENTIRE shop for one day only to celebrate the 4th! Enter the coupon code "FIREWORKS" at checkout to receive the discount.

Enjoy a lovely day full of cook-outs, face paint, and sparklers :]

x's & o's

#109 - Red, White, and Pug

2011-07-02T11:00:00.001-04:00

We hope that you enjoy a thrilling, safe 4th of July weekend. Please remember that though fireworks and sparklers are beautiful, puggies and other pets do not appreciate the noise. It gives them anxiety and makes them sad, so it is best to leave them home while out on your adventures. Of course, you must bring them home a frozen treat or a veggie burger to let them celebrate, too, and it can't hurt to let them watch the fireworks and Boston Pops on TV. They will appreciate it!

What are your holiday plans? We'd love to hear, so comment and share with us!

#108 - Summer Reading

2011-07-01T17:53:00.005-04:00

We don't want you to think that we forgot about all of our friends again, because we have been thinking of each and every one of you! Unfortunately my Nana (JD's great grandmother), passed away two weeks ago and we are just getting back into the swing of everyday life. She lived with my family or 8 years and each day certainly won't be the same without her, but she will always be in our hearts.

We don't want this to be a sad entry, though, because we are celebrating her life and enjoying the deliciousness of summer breezes and long sunlit hours. We have been devouring book after book, and since JD is such a literate pug (Ringo prefers TV versions of books to the stories themselves, you see) he thought that we would share our summer reading list with you!

June:

"Just Kids" - Patti Smith (our favorite so far! a must read for any artist.)
"White Oleander" - Janet Fitch (the book and movie are equally enticing)
"The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (JD's personal favorite. He believes that he is Watson)
"The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath" (because she is our favorite poet)
"The Time Traveler's Wife" - Audrey Niffenegger (beautifully written and a timeless but odd love story that is romantic but not at all cheesy)
"If There is Something to Desire: 100 Poems" - Vera Pavlova (poems originally in Russian, but translated into English by her husband. Beautifully simple and provoking.)

Coming up in July:
"Stardust" - Neil Gaiman
"Olive Twist" - Charles Dickens
"Peter Pan" - J.M. Barrie
"The Picture of Dorian Gray" - Oscar Wilde
"Wonderful Tonight" - Patti Boyd
"Maggie Now" - Betty Smith
"A Room with a View" - E.M. Forster

What's on your summer reading list?

x's & o's

#107 - JD's 3rd Anniversary

2011-06-22T21:38:00.003-04:00

Three years ago today a handsome little pug named Reggie was at a foster home in Mansfield, MA. He was only 7 months old and had been surrendered by his family because he was too energetic and needy for their busy schedules. As I sat on the foster mum's couch, Reggie hopped up beside me and immediately bit my hand in a playful way, as if inviting me to be his new friend. He was the feistiest pug that I had ever met, and it was his incomparable spunk that caused me to become immediately enamored with his squishy face, buggy eyes, and tireless energy.

Reggie was a mere pup and barely knew his name. He didn't look or act like a "Reggie"... it seemed to fall short because it couldn't hold the same enthusiasm and character that he embodied. I decided to name him James Dean because he was the littlest rebel in the rescue and he certainly was handsome, too. He snuggled up on my lap and slept for the entire 2 hour car ride home, and his warm fur felt so soft as it glided through my fingertips.

James Dean was nicknamed JD or Jimmy, which have become the two names that we most often refer to him as. He came into my family's home and turned it upside down with his playful antics. His first night, he kept me awake the entire night - roaming, smelling, rolling in the blankets. We slept for an hour or two at the most, and at first, I had a moment of panic. I had just graduated high school and taking care of JD felt like caring for a baby. He was so innocent and unlearned because he hadn't been trained, so we worked on house breaking and developing a schedule, and soon we fell into one another's patterns and schedules.

On his second night, he slept in a crate. We crated JD for a few months so that he would get used to sleeping at certain hours and learning when to relax for quiet time. He hadn't gone to the bathroom since he arrived, due to his nerves, so he left a messy present in his cage. When I woke up and turned to the crate to let him out, he had little smudges of poop all over his fur. It sounds completely gross and the poor little fellow looked mortified, as though he expected me to yell. Instead, I couldn't help but to laugh. He looked so sweet and confused with his big, brown eyes and his apologetic frown. I scooped him up, gave him his first bath, and after that he never had an accident again because he learned to tell me when he had to go. This memory always makes me laugh, especially when I think of how well behaved and mature he is now.
3 years ago I met a little man who changed my life. He now sits by my side, glancing at me from time to time as he dozes in and out of sleep. I can't help but to feel lucky every time I feel that wet, little nose against my cheek.

We are so glad that you stopped in to read all about JD's anniversary and his first days in my life. How were your first days with new pets? Tell us your stories in our comments box. We would love to read them!

x's & o's

#106 - Outside

2011-06-03T08:15:00.003-04:00

"Earth laughs in flowers." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

JD wants you all you all to get outside and enjoy the fresh air this weekend. Do any of you have special plans? We'd love to hear all about what you'll be up to during this first weekend of June!

x's & o's

#105 - Dog Neck Warmer Giveaway

2011-05-28T08:27:00.003-04:00

James Dean and Ringo love a good, long weekend because it usually means more walks and extra visitors at the house to snuggle and play with. We know how wonderful it is to curl with with a good book or to spend a few relaxing hours outdoors with friends and family. Since we anticipate a lovely kick-off to our summer, we would like to kick yours off, too!

We are giving away a custom neck warmer for dogs over on our Facebook page to bring a bit of fun to your weekend festivities. To enter, simply "like" the status about this giveaway. If you don't have facebook and would like to enter, please send us an e-mail at jessica@allyouneedispug.com with your name so that we can contact you if you win. Enter by Monday night and we will notify the winner on Tuesday morning.

Good luck, everyone!

x's & o's

#104 - In the Works

2011-05-23T08:51:00.003-04:00

Good morning, lovely friends! It has been a long time since we have written and we have missed yo all very much. We have been hard at work making all new things to share with you. JD and Ringo have been busy playing the days away while I was finishing up the first semester of my junior year in college. It was a long but interesting semester, and I am glad to have more time now so that I can share our stories with all of you again!

We are brewing dozens of new ideas for toys, cards, prints, and even new hat designs. With the summer coming, you can also expect to read all about JD's and Ringo's travels and anecdotes as they enjoy their eventful, sunny days.

In case you've been wondering what we were up to while away, take a peak at some of our newest creations!

Black Pugs and Free Hugs Cards, which also come in Fawn. We even have a new French Bulldog design with the same theme!

Greyhound Rescue Cards

Simple Boston Terrier Cards

We have many other new things in our etsy shop, too, and we are planning on spending today working on a whole new line of toys. We will also be listing a dozen or so pre-made hats this week, so be sure to stop in again to see our newest pooch couture!

What have all of you been up to? Do you have any special plans for the summer? Be sure to share with us! We would love to hear from each and every one of you.

x's & o's

#103 - Time to Get Smoosh Faced

2011-04-19T14:31:00.005-04:00

Party Pug on Threadless!

Our design is currently entered in the Threadless competition. If it wins, our pug image will be printed on t-shirts and sold by Threadless to lovely people all over the world! If you could take a moment to stop by, rate our design, and leave a comment, you can help our shirty dreams come true! We know that you'd all love to own this shirt, so you can help to make that a reality by voting.

We appreciate all of the love and support that all of you send our way!

x's & o's

#102 - Ringo's Vet Visit

2011-04-08T08:11:00.002-04:00

Today it is Ringo's turn to have his poor little mouth fixed up. When we rescued him in June, he had already had several teeth extracted upon arriving at the shelter, and they told us that he had very poor oral health so it would be likely that he would lose more teeth. Unfortunately, they were right. Since he had been starved before the rescue found him, the malnutrition and lack of care took a toll on his overall health, teeth, ears, and eyes included.

The little guy has just been dropped off. He has two broken teeth that are being removed to prevent infection and he will also be getting another cleaning. Hopefully that will help to ward off any more troubles. We have been making sure that his nutritional health is tip-top so that he can be strong all over.

Please keep our little old man in your thoughts today as he is having his little operation. JD made sure to assure Ringo that it is not so bad, since he had his teeth fixed in January. He's such a good little brother! He misses Ringo already, even though he has only been at the vet for just over an hour. I know that he will help Ringo to recover quickly by sharing a little bit of frozen yogurt and lots of warm snuggling!

x's & o's

#101 - Say Hello to Our Little Friends

2011-04-02T08:47:00.009-04:00

We are constantly sharing photos of James Dean in our hats, such as the one above. This koala hat was inspired by one of our awesome clients, Adam, and his pug, who came up with the charming idea of creating a koala hat for dogs. Thanks, Adam!

Since we are always showing JD off, he thought that it would be a better idea to share photos of our friends today so that we can show you the love and sweet photos that we receive from all over the world. Some of you may find yourselves here, too!

Tweedles is one of our favorite friends. She writes a beautiful blog and is such an inspirational pug! The photo of her in the Pugkin Head is the first hat that we ever made for her, and the second hat is the Sock Monkey hat that she helped us to create. Hugs to you, love-pug!

How sweet is Phoebe in her custom neck warmer?

Lily catches some sun in her All You Need is Love hat.

We want to give Howie a big kiss when we see him in his Sock Monkey hat.

Buster and Jingles are picture-perfect as they snuggle together.

Bob gives his biggest smile for his photo-op!

Tubby strikes a pose out in public.

Ping, looking cute enough to nuzzle.

Mimi relaxes at home like a little monkey.

Mischa, one of the kitties who lives with our friend, Stacey, from the Fabulous Animal Rescue Project, models the hat that we made for her grandma's doggie.

Olive is the Easter Bunny's fiercest competition.

Percy is ready for a nap in this cozy hat.

Rosie prepares to pounce her Tumbler toy.

Tater is just as cute as the name implies in this University of Washington themed hat.

We have so many photos sent to us every month, so we can't possibly share them all today. If you don't see your furry friend here, never fear! We will be sharing more photos very soon. If you have not sent us photos of your pets in their accessories or with items that you've gotten from our shop, please feel free to send them along. We'd love to see them! Even if you haven't bought from our shop and just have a cute photo of your pet to share, we are always happy to see sweet animals in our inbox. You can e-mail photos, messages, and other fun to us at any time at jessica@allyouneedispug.com

x's & o's

#100 - Here, Little Chick

2011-03-18T15:36:00.006-04:00

JD got super cozy during our photoshoot this morning and even slept in his new "Little Chick" hat that we've just hatched. We have so many ideas that our heads and journals are brimming with thoughts. We wish that there were an extra dozen or two hours in the day for us to play with!

You can find this new hat by clicking here to visit the listing in our etsy shop.

We are planning to post photos in our next blog of some of the sweet customer photos that we've received. If you have one of our hats, neck warmers, or toys, be sure to take a photo and send it our way so that we can share it with our readers! All photos can be sent to jessica@allyouneedispug.com

x's & o's

#99 - A Dear Friend

2011-02-26T08:14:00.003-05:00

Today we are writing to celebrate our dear friend Emmitt. We just learned from his wonderful mom, Melissa, that Emmitt went over the rainbow bridge today into a better place where he will forever be the happy, lovable guy that we all know him to be.

I know how hard it is to lose your best friend, and I am still crying after reading the beautiful post on the pugnotes blog about Emmitt. Even though we never had the chance to meet him, we feel as though he and Melissa are members of our extended family and our hearts are with both of them as Emmitt learns his way in heaven and Melissa finds peace here on earth.

I feel as though there are many things to say, but no words to express them. Emmitt as an all-around wonderful dog who cared for his friends, inspired all he knew, and will always hold a special place on our thoughts.

We send all our love to you, Emmitt, and to your family.

x's & o's - Jess, JD, & Ringo

#98 - Pugs, & Bunnies, & Monkeys, Oh My!

2011-02-21T10:28:00.008-05:00

Hello old friends! We've been so busy knitting and making greeting cards that we haven't had even a few moments to stop and enjoy writing a blog to all of you. We have received e-mails and facebook messages from many of you, and we are happy to hear about all of your adventures over the past few weeks.

We have many exciting new things going on with All You Need Is Pug. First, our adorable friend, Tweedles, gave us the idea to make a sock monkey hat and we decided to play with it and had so much fun. Tweedles is incredibly inspirational and creative. She is a wonderful pug, so be sure to visit her blog and say 'hello'! This is the hat that she helped us to come up with:

It has already become a fan favorite on Etsy and it for sale right now. We also can make it in other colors, so if you want something special, be sure to let us know! We love getting inspiration from all of you.

Our second fun new idea came to us when we were creating items for our other shop, LiteraryLuxe. I was making rabbit brooches, inspired by Alice in Wonderland, when I thought how cute JD would look with big, floppy ears. That's when I knew that I had to make this hat happen. I am very happy about it because it ended up on Etsy's home page 2 days in a row, which brought us many wonderful new fans and friends.

To celebrate and share the excitement that we've had here, we've decided to do a give away this week. We will be raffling off a special surprise. Visit the blog on Wednesday afternoon to find out what the prize will be and to enter to win it!

x's & o's

#97 - Carob Cookies for Canines

2011-02-07T15:16:00.007-05:00

Hello everyone! It's been so long since we've written, and we've missed you all! To apologize for our absence, we come bearing a recipe for tasty vegan dog treats. These dog treats are wonderful because they are so natural that even humans can enjoy them. Though they aren't as sweet as the cookies that we are used to, they are hearty snacks that you and your pooch can both enjoy.

I found a recipe for dog treats that was full of dairy products and lacked any nutrients, so I decided to come up with my own recipe. Since I've made these a few days ago, JD and Ringo (the pickiest pugs on earth) cannot stop eating them! The great thing about these is that they are softer than most dog "cookies". Since both JD and Ringo have missing teeth and JD was also born with a crooked jaw, neither of them can generally eat dog cookies, so they seem thrilled now that they have found something just for them! Without further ado, here is our recipe:

Hearty Carob Cookies for Canines

Ingredients

Egg replacer equal to 1 egg (I use Ener-G egg replacer made from potato starch)
1/3 cup applesauce
1/2 vegetable broth
1 tablespoon agave nectar (or honey)
6 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon water
1/4 cup canola or safflower oil
2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups carob chips
3 tablespoons of soy or almond milk

Cooking Instructions

Preheat oven to 300 F.
In a small bowl, combine 3 tbsp of brown sugar and 1 tbsp water.
In a large bowl, combine egg replacement, applesauce, broth, agave, the brown sugar mix, and oil.
Gradually stir in flour. The dough should be stiff.
On a floured surface, roll out dough.
Use your preferred shape cookie cutter to make shapes from the dough. (You can also roll them into small balls instead, then slightly flatten the balls down in your palm to make a rounder, puffier treat)
Place on lightly greased cookie sheets and bake for 30 minutes, or until the cookies are golden brown.
While treats are still warm, use the remaining brown sugar to sprinkle over them.
Combine carob chips and soy/almond milk and melt them together in microwave or in a saucepan.
Dip half of the each treat into melted carob mix.
Place cookies on waxed paper and let stand until carob is set.

Just another note: you can use turbinado sugar instead of brown sugar for an even healthier alternative!

The boys can't seem to get enough of these. If you make some for your dogs, be sure to let us know how they like them. This week is a great time to make some heart shaped cookies as a Valentine's Day gift to your furry friend :]

x's & o's

#96 - Baby, It's Cold Outside

2011-01-27T16:17:00.006-05:00

It has been so cold and snowy here in New England that all JD and Ringo seem to want to do is sleep! Neither of them is a fan of the cold weather, so they are not thrilled about the 10 inches of snow that was added to our mountains of ice over night. If you won't tell them that it is going to snow again on Saturday, then I won't either! It will be our little secret so that maybe they will cheer up and play instead of being lazy little lumps.

These are photos that I took a few minutes ago to show all of you the amazing amount of snow that is accumulating here. Some drifts are taller than I am! (though... that is not too hard to do, since I am only 5'2", but still... fairly large for snow mounds).

All of this snow has been keeping us busy, but so has the beginning of my new semester at college, annnnd both of the etsy shops. Here's a peak at our brand new item that is hot off the press. I just finished designing and printing these this afternoon, so they are now available in the Etsy shop :]

Happiness is a Warm Pug Greeting Cards

#95 - Classic Qutoes with Ringo - On Life

2011-01-18T08:06:00.002-05:00

"Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far."
-Theodore Roosevelt

#94 - The Recovery

2011-01-15T09:04:00.003-05:00

As you can see, James Dean is still a bit groggy from his dental extraction yesterday. He went in at 7 a.m. and was already finished and waking up around 11 a.m. He ended up needed 4 teeth out, rather than 2, because two of his smaller teeth were a bit decayed, so the vet decided it best to remove them, as well. The cause of JD's two large back teeth needing extraction was that he managed to get something wedged between the two teeth that caused them to get infected and to decay. The vet says it looks as though he may have gotten hold of a rock or another hard item, chewed it, and gotten it wedged up there. Poor thing!

He is still tired today, but surprisingly quite alert at times. He did have an appetite last night when he came home, and even tried to steal pizza crust from his aunt! As badly as he wanted the crust, we made sure that he only had some soft scrambled eggs and quinoa so that he wouldn't hurt the open sore spots in his mouth.

Ringo missed his buddy and immediately went to him once we arrived home. He shook his little bum and tail to say "welcome home" and stayed close by JD's side for the night.

JD will be taking it easy today by enjoying long naps and a small bowl of vanilla ice cream to ease the pain. Thank you all for your love and support! I am sure that JD will feel better that much more quickly with the help of your warm thoughts. What would we do without all of you?

x's & o's

#93 - Dental Work

2011-01-13T09:38:00.004-05:00

JD is having his dental procedure tomorrow, and I, of course, am a bit nervous because of the anesthesia. Please keep him in your thoughts throughout the day and hopefully he will have a speedy recovery!

x's & o's

#92 - Cute Quotes with Ringo - On Sleep

2011-01-08T11:47:00.004-05:00

"A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor's book."
~Irish Proverb

#91 - Introducing Etsy Shop #2

2011-01-07T08:21:00.004-05:00

Oh my goodness, we have had such a busy week! We just opened our second etsy shop, Literary Luxe, and we've been working on literaryLuxe.com, which will be up and running soon. I love making all of my pug and pet related items, but I also spend a lot of my spare time designing jewelry, cards, and other items for my friends. These items are generally inspired by novels, poetry, quotes, etc. As an English major, I cannot help but to be enticed by words, so I decided to open a second Etsy shop where I can sell my other artwork. The shop only has a handful of pieces right now, but will be expanding throughout the next few days and weeks.

To celebrate the grand opening, I am giving 10% off of any item in the shop to my blog readers. At checkout, simply type "rebel blog" into the "message to seller" and I will then refund 10% of the price to your PayPal account.

Here is a peak at some of our items:

"Never Mind" Post Earrings

The "Author" Brooch

Innocent Rose Hair Clips

All You Need Is Pug has plenty of new stuff, too! We just listed some fabulous new tote bags, handmade journals, and valentine cards, so be sure to stop by and take a peak at the shop :]

Pug in Love Tote

Pug in Love Hand-bound Softcover Journal

Cuddle-Pug Valentine

Have you been feeling creative lately? If you have plans for the weekend, we'd love to hear about them, so be sure to leave us some comments and let us know what you all are up to!

x's & o's

#90 - Curlicues

2011-01-03T15:53:00.002-05:00

We've been having a lovely week thus far, thanks to all of you! We are overwhelmed by the amount of love and support that we've received from our friends around the world who heard about JD's dental issues. His procedure is currently scheduled for a week from Friday. We are a little nervous, but I know that he will get the best care. The reason that the bill is so expensive is because this vet has the best reputation around. It doesn't help that I live in New England, where medical bills in general seem to be more expensive, but JD's vet is the best is the area. There are other vets that charge a bit less and I could save $200-$300 going to some of the other animal doctors, but their reputations aren't as wonderful as JD's vet. I trust them, and that is certainly #1 when you are trusting someone with the love of your life. I know that he is well worth the extra money to make sure that he is as comfortable and safe as possible!

A few people have asked about sending "get wells" to JD. If you'd like to send wishes along, you are more than welcome to e-mail us. If you prefer snail-mail to send your wishes, please e-mail us and we will be glad to send you the address where you can ship cards or whatever you'd like to send to cheer JD up. Our e-mail address is jessica@allyouneedispug.com

Thank you all again for your support!

You are probably wondering what's up with the photo at the beginning of this post. I wanted to recommend this book to all of our pug and pet loving friends. "Curlicues" is a children's book from the 80's by Valerie Worth and Natalie Babbitt. It is an adorable story about two pug dogs wind up on an adventure to find their forever homes and change the lives of the people who they meet. It is a very sweet story to share with kids or to read when you need something to brighten your day. many public libraries have copies and you can also find it on Amazon.

If you do read it or have already read it, let us know what you think of these two pugs and their story :]

x's & o's

#89 - JD's Booboo

2010-12-30T16:36:00.006-05:00

Hello friends! We are a bit under the weather today. We took a trip to the vet yesterday because we noticed that quite quickly JD developed bad breath and after investigating, we found a bad tooth at the back of his mouth. It turns out that something got lodged in his gums and caused an infection to occur which caused two of his teeth to rapidly decay. Unfortunately, because JD never displayed pain, I didn't know about the issue until his nasty breath gave him away. The vet told us that JD needs a $700 surgery to have his two teeth removed, the infection cleared, and the rest of his teeth cleaned to prevent further issues from coming up. My poor love-pug! He is not thrilled about the dental work that he will be having on January 14th (though he was happy yo see his favorite vet- he is quite smitten with her). I am also in a bit of a panic since $700 is fairly hefty for a college student whose source of income is an Etsy shop! I am hoping that I sell many items and work until my hands are ready to fall off so that I don't have to deplete my bank account in one fell swoop.

If anyone has ever wanted to buy a hat for their pooch or some awesome stationary for themselves, now is certainly as lovely a time as any, because we need all of the help that we can get! Our prices are changing as of January 2nd, so visit the shop and pre-order your accessories now in order to lock in our current price!

We hope that your puggies are all in good health and that you all are well. JD and Ringo send their pug hugs and kisses to all of you. We would also like to wish you the happiest of new years as we kick it off tomorrow night at midnight. Remember to stay safe and celebrate in style :]

x's & o's

#88 - Holidays and Snow Storms

2010-12-28T09:53:00.004-05:00

Hello everyone! We hope that you had a wonderful holiday. We surely did! We are also currently buried under nearly 2 feet of snow thanks to the nor'easter that hit New England from Sunday to Monday. Yesterday we spent the day shoveling and discovered how much JD and Ringo do not like the snow. JD has already been here with me for two winters, so I was already aware of his utter hatred for the cold, wet slush that graces us through the winter. I wasn't sure how Ringo would react because I am not sure that he has ever seen snow before now. Ringo lived his entire life in the south before being surrendered and sent to Springfield, MA, where my family rescued him. This is his very first New England winter, and, well... he, too, hates the snow! Both JD and Ringo immediately do their business and bolt for the door. Though they appear to be longing for spring, I did catch JD sneaking a few licks of fresh white snow, and Ringo does enjoy kicking a good snow cloud up in JD's face, so maybe they will learn to love it.

Here are some of our holiday and snow day photos for you to take a peak at:

What did all of you do for your holidays? Do you have your New Year's resolution thought out? Make sure to visit us again on New Year's Eve to hear all about what JD and Ringo have planned for the New Year!

x's & o's

#87 - Pudgey Update

2010-12-20T09:20:00.002-05:00

Hello to all of our friends!

I wanted to update everyone on PRoNE's rescue, Pudgey, that I wrote about in my last blog post. From the look of the above photo, you can see that he is doing much better in foster care! PRoNE's facebook update also indicated that he may be able to avoid surgery now that he has an improved diet and environment with a foster family that understands his needs. He may even be up for adoption sooner than expected!

Thank you to everyone who sent donations to PRoNE for Pudgey and thanks all of you who also sent your loving wishes and regards for him. It looks like PRoNE may fulfill this handsome little boy's holiday wishes, after all :]

x's & o's

#86 - A Pug in Need Derserves Help, Indeed

2010-12-15T09:24:00.002-05:00

Hello again, everyone! First I don't write for weeks, and now I write twice in one morning. This time I am posting because a little pug right here in New England needs a lot of help. The Pug Rescue of New England, which is the rescue that I adopted JD from, just got the sweetheart that you see pictured above: Pudgey. Here is Pudgey's story as related by the rescue:

"PRoNE got a call from an emergency vet facility Sunday (12/12/10) afternoon about a sweet little 2 year old boy. His family had brought him in to be put to sleep because they couldn't afford bladder stone surgery and he was suffering. The vet told us he was completely unable to pass any urine and we agreed to take on his expenses and ultimately find him a great forever home. So far, Pudgey remains in the hospital while they continue to treat him and alleviate his pain. His care costs continue to accumulate rapidly. The little guy is a real trooper and will make a wonderful companion for a lucky family once he is well."

What PRoNE needs is about $2,500 in donations to help Pudgey receive the care that he needs. What is wonderful about the generosity of so many animal lovers is that even if people can contribute something as small as $5, if several people do it, Pudgey is getting closer and closer to receiving care!

If you'd like to help this little guy you can click here to visit the PRoNE donation page and make a donation via PayPal. You can leave "instructions to merchant" when paying and note that you'd like your donation to help Pudgey specifically.

Thank you all for reading Pudgey's story, and if I receive updates on his condition, I will be sure to share!

x's & o's

#85 - We're Back

2010-12-15T08:09:00.007-05:00

My goodness, it has been so long since we've written! We've missed all of our blog friends greatly, but we got so busy with holiday orders and final exams,so the blog had to rest for a bit.

We hope that you have all been well. We certainly have been! I just finished my last final exam two days ago and my last day with my "real job" at the library was on Friday. Since I am starting at a new university and All You Need Is Pug is going so well, I decided to devote all of my work time to both of them. I have so many new ideas for All You Need Is Pug, and I can't wait to share them with all of you! I will also be opening a second Etsy shop in the new year with items inspired by classic literature. It's going to be quite lovely, I hope!

JD and Ringo have been busy little fellows. They have been watching the Christmas gifts accumulating in the house and I can just see their eyes light up hoping that there is a new toy or a package of treats hidden in there somewhere. They have both been wonderful while I've been busy working and finishing up with this semester. JD has taken to napping when he sees me pull out my school bag, so he's certainly been happy the last few days that my textbooks haven't taken up all of my time.

We already have over a dozen hat and neck warmer pre-orders for the new year, so we are going to be knitting away for the next few weeks! You can take a peak at some of our recent hats and new shop items below:

These are are new "thank you" cards and are now available in our etsy shop.

Winter Wonderland greeting cards

People loved our hippie hats so much, that we decided to make neckwarmers, too!

Now that you all know what we have been up to, how have all of you been? Is anyone doing anything special for the holidays? Leave us some comments and let us know!

x's & o's

p.s. I saw the movie "Due Date" last night. It was hilarious and the French Bulldog, Sunny, is too cute for words. If you need a good laugh, head over to your local movie theater and check it out!

#84 - Give Thanks and Be Merry

2010-11-26T15:06:00.005-05:00

My goodness it feels like ages since we've written! We have had so many holiday orders that we've been neglecting our friends here at the blog, which is not acceptable. We do apologize and hope that you are all well.

Did you all stuff yourself with tasty goodies for Thanksgiving? James Dean, Ringo, and I sure did!

Here is a list of what we are thankful for:

Jessica: family, pets, friends, animals, the MSPCA, art, music, a warm house, books, and my scholarship to Merrimack that will allow me to quit my job and take All You Need Is Pug & college classes full time!

James Dean: family, his girlfriend Molly, organic treats from Trader Joes, raw green beans, fleece tag blankets, cozy sweaters, and silly hats.

Ringo: family, neighbors who feed him snacks, Mr. Pugsley's peanut butter snacks, the big armchair that he loves to curl up in, and neck warmers.

And of course, all three of us are thankful for all of you: our readers! We also are thankful for the amazing customers who purchase form our shop and allow us to do what we love each day.

What are all of you thankful for?

We'll leave you to think about it and drop us some comments. But before we do, here are some of the fabulous new gift items you can find in our shop!

Handmade Tumbler Toys in 4 New Colors!

William Puspeare Postcard Set

Black Cat Postcard Set

Pouty Pug Postcard Set

Vintage Sheet Music Prints

You can see these and other fabulous gift items in our etsy shop.

We will be opening our website shop soon and would like to get some feedback from all of you. If there are any new items you'd like to see us create, please let us know! After the holidays we will be adding all new products to the shop and would love to hear from you about what you'd like us to offer :]

x's & o's

#83 - You're 3, JD!

2010-11-15T08:45:00.019-05:00

They say it's your birthday
We're gonna have a good time
I'm glad it's your birthday
Happy birthday to you!

We are so glad that you could all join us for JD's 3rd birthday celebration. JD is normally a spoiled little prince and likes to sleep in, but he must know that today is a special day because he woke up bright and early at 8 A.M. to run in the yard and play in the leaves.

& after I got home from work JD and Ringo enjoyed vanilla ice cream and vanilla pupcakes.

Thank you to everyone who sent birthday wishes. JD loved seeing them! Here are some of the lovely things we received in our e-mails:

Sequoia and Tuni are ready for our party in their awesome party hats!

Wilma, Brigitte, and Sluggo from Wilma's blog sent JD an awesome e-postcard with one of our favorite pictures of them and JD at the pug social! JD is all smiles thanks to this special message.

Olive from www.olivegreendog.com sent us a lovely birthday e-mail. JD is excited because he knows that this means I will definitely be shopping for him in this lovely shop. Thanks Olive!

We also received a facebook message from our lovely friends Melissa and Emmitt from Pug Notes! They are always so sweet to us and JD loves hearing from them :]

Our friends Catherine, Nancy, Lisa, Jess, Lilo, Ruby, & Rhoda also sent their love along. And, of course, his dad left a comment from work before stopping by later to grab a cupcake.

Thank you all for making JD's day so sweet and special. He is going to bed one happy pug!

x's & o's

#82 - You're Invited!

2010-11-13T23:42:00.004-05:00

Hello friends! Please be sure to stop by our blog on Monday to wish James Dean a happy 3rd birthday! I can remember picking him up from a rescue foster home at just 7 months old and I can't believe so much time has already passed. He's grown up to be quite a dapper young gentlepug and he wants all of his friends here to help him celebrate this special day. Bring your favorite toys and wear your most fabulous attire for this special event :]

You can send photos, messages, or e-cards to James Dean to wish him a happy birthday. Simply send them to jessica@allyouneedispug.com and I will be sure that he gets them. We will also share them on Monday's blog so that everyone can see the fun things that pugs and people send along.

Have a lovely night, folks!

x's & o's

#81 - Pawesome Present for Pug Lovers

2010-11-06T11:15:00.003-04:00

Good morning poochies, friends, and family! I have already begun Christmas shopping because with a big, fun-loving family like mine it is never too early to start. In my browsing I always stumble upon fabulous items that I know so many of you would enjoy and I have decided that from now to Christmas I will share some of my sweet finds with you.

Above is a necklace by Kimari Jewelry. I love the simplicity and beauty of this necklace, and I especially appreciate the positive message about rescuing dogs from shelters. The shop offers many other beautiful pieces and designs, so if you're looking for something for a lover of accessories, this shop is a great place to start.

In our own shop we have added holiday greeting cards:

And we have also added stocking stuffers for dogs and those who love them:

We can't wait to offer even more holiday goodies and to share our whimsical finds with all of you!

x's & o's

#80 - Pumpkin Patch

2010-11-04T18:38:00.003-04:00

JD and Ringo are perplexed. These toys are much too heavy to pick up, but they can still lick them and growl at them!

#79 - Halloween Adventures

2010-11-02T15:26:00.006-04:00

Hello love-pugs & other furry friends! First and foremost we'd like to announce the winner of our Nature Pug Postcard Giveaway.

Congratulations to Yoda & Brutus of The Pugs Strike Back! If you would just e-mail your address to us at jessica@allyouneedispug.com then we will send you these cards along with a surprise goodie bag :]

We hope that everyone had a safe and fun halloween and we cannot wait to browse through all of your blogs to see your costumes! Take a peak at some of our holiday happenings.

JD is confused as to why he hears little bells when he runs through the house.

My mum as a disgruntled man (fake beer gut and all) and Ringo as a lazy pug who just rolled out of bed in his bathrobe and slipper boots.

Myself as Minnie Mouse with my Aunty Patsy (a Disney fanatic) and her shih tzu, Doodles, who was a mini Minnie!

JD and his dad, Jeremy, who dressed as an escaped convict.

My cousin Ryan as a scarecrow. He loves JD and even has a stuffed pug named after him.

Aunty and Doodles

Our family friend, Dottie, and my Aunty Kathy went as Aunt Jemima and her husband. I'm still waiting for her to make us pancakes.

Part of the gang. Aunty Kathy, Myself, my mum, my cousin Max, Aunty Patsy with Doodles, and my cousin Livy.

Doodles

With my little sister the sailorette.

Our motley little family.

What did all of you do for Halloween? This is our favorite holiday every year, so we had a party after trick-or-treat and then watched creepy movies like The Shining all weekend.

Have a lovely day, everyone!

x's & o's

#78 - Walden Pond and Prizes

2010-10-29T18:35:00.006-04:00

Hello everyone! I had so much fun visiting Walden Pond last weekend and wanted to share my photos with everyone. We're all big fans of nature and getting back to the simple things in life, so the puggies and I are huge fans of Henry David Thoreau.

We saw this charming couple while walking through Concord. Aren't they just lovely?

What a beautiful place! I can't wait to go back again :]

As promised, we are giving away a set of our Nature Pug postcards in a goodie bag with a few other little surprises.

To enter to win, simply leave a comment on this post. A winner will be drawn on Tuesday evening.

We hope you all have a sweet, safe, and scary Halloween weekend. We will post pictures of our adventures and our costumes next week!

x's & o's

#77 - Klaus & Natty Toss and Tumble

2010-10-27T08:16:00.006-04:00

Look at how cute Klaus and Natty are playing with the Tumbler Toy that they won as one of JD's birthday surprises! They look like they are having so much fun.

Never fear if you didn't win, because we will be having another giveaway this Friday. I will be sharing photos from my day trip to Walden Pond, where author Henry David Thoreau built a cabin that he lived in for about 2 years. In honor of him and this beautiful place, I will be giving away a set of Nature Pug postcards and a small goodie bag filled with pug themed tricks and treats.

Be sure to stop by! All you have to do to enter to win is leave a comment on Friday's post.

Have a lovely day, friends!

x's & o's

#76 - The Fabulous Animal Rescue Projec

2010-10-19T16:20:00.006-04:00

I am thrilled to announce that I am the newest artist to join The Fabulous Animal Rescue Project! This project is a global effort to that reaches out to animals by raising money for animal rescue groups, sanctuaries, and shelters. The money is raised by selling items including greeting cards, magnets, buttons, etc. that feature the animal themed artwork of artists around the world who have donated their work to the project.

You can read the FARP blog's post on All You Need Is Pug and our donation over at the FARP blog. You can also purchase items featuring the image that I donated at the FARP Etsy Shop.

& here is a bit of fun for today:

The answer to today's Free Kibble question included pugs! Pugs are a breed that don't do well with the cold, which is why the hats and neckwarmers that I make are as cute as they are practical. For those of you who don't know about Free Kibble it is a charity that donates a free bowl of kibble to a cat or dog every time you answer the daily trivia question. I am subscribed to get an e-mail reminder every day so that I remember to answer and donate a daily dose of kibble. It's a great way to do one small thing that make a big impact!

Have a lovely day, pugs, pooches, and pals!

x's & o's

#75 -2010 Pug Social

2010-10-16T15:36:00.002-04:00

We're busy busy busy as always, but had to stop in and share our Pug Social adventures with all of you! We had so much fun meeting hundreds of pugs and their families. We usually take more photos than we can count, but we were so busy vending that we didn't take many this year. We sold about 2/3 of the items that we brought with us, which is exciting and incredible! All of the items that didn't sell are now for sale as "ready to ship" items in our shop.

At the social we were lucky enough to meet Wilma, Sluggo, and Brigitte from Wilma's blog! They were all so sweet, especially Sluggo who looked so handsome in this photo that his mom took of him in one of our Pugkin Head hats:

You should definitely read Wilma's post about the Pug Social, because her mom got tooonnnns of photos from the event. Thank goodness, since we missed out on a lot of the fun while we were busy with our little customers! Wilma's, Brigitte's, and Sluggo's parents were also very nice and it was such a pleasure to meet them and their pug babies :]

There are more awesome photos of Sluggo and his sisters below along with some other shots that we took at the event.

Pug Social - Oct. 10, 2010

Our stuffed mini-mascot.

A happy customer.

Ringo wore his hat alll day long to show people how cute he was so that they'd want their pugs to be extra cute, too! He loves his hat and even fell asleep wearing it.

A little gal trying on our new Breast Cancer Awareness hat.

Myself and James Dean got all snuggly!

Smiling in the sun... which eventually resulted in October sunburns. Ouch!

Jeremy and Ringo relaxing.

How exciting! It's Sluggo, James Dean, Wilma, and Brigitte finally getting to meet one another :]

Sluggo is such a handsome little charmer and a great kisser!

Brigitte hung out in her stroller for a moment or two, but she wasn't about to let her brother and sister have all the fun without her, so she soon got down to join in the fun, too.

And here's the fabulous Wilma herself. She was just as sweet and lovely in person as she is on her blog!

Sluggo and James Dean: the two boys sticking together... and possibly plotting against the girls? Boys will be boys!

Sluggo models our candy corn neck warmer, which is now a "ready to ship" item in our shop.

The boys were exhausted after a looooong day of meeting, greeting, selling, and having fun.

JD walked away with 2nd prize for Best Photo and Ringo won honorable mention for the same award. I am so proud of these two charming and lovable boys who inspire me to do what I do every day :]

We can't wait until next year already! Now we have several orders to get working on since the social introduced us to dozens of new people who want some hats for their pooches. We also are excited to get baking for the Fall Festival at the MSPCA next weekend that we volunteered to bake some treats for. Yum!

We hope you all have a fabulous weekend! What are all of you cutie-patooties up to?

x's & o's

#74 - Get Ready for a Pug Party!

2010-10-05T18:31:00.009-04:00

This Sunday, October 10, All You Need Is Pug will be vending at thePUG SOCIAL in Spencer, MA! This awesome event raises money for the Pug Rescue of New England, who helped me to meet the love of my life: James Dean. The above photo is of James Dean, Jeremy, and myself as guests at last year's social.

If you're not too far away, please stop by our table, say hello, meet myself, JD, Ringo, and our family, and participate in some crazy events including the costume parade, fastest runner contest, and many many more. Last year JD won first prize for Best Kisser and Cutest Photo, so we'll see how he does this year. Events start around 11:30. You can get all of the info. that you may need at PRoNE's website. You can also click here to download a flyer and read all about the events, raffles, and other exciting adventures that will take place. This is PRoNE's biggest yearly fundraiser to help raise money for special rescue pugs who need medical care.

JD went to his first Pug Social the year that we got him in 2008. Here are some of his fun photos from his first social:

JD in the car on the way to his first puppy event.

JD (right) meets a twin pug. It's like looking in a mirror!

JD and I when were were youngins. We've grown up a lot in 2 years!

Baffled by the concept of a gate.

Showing off his 2 "honorable mention" medals for "most wrinkles" and "cutest photo". These were his first 2 awards ever.

My fat little bumble bee in all of his cuteness and glory.

This year we will be bringing not only our camera, cash, and competitive natures, but also our hats, neck warmers, doy toys, stationary, and more! We will also be taking photos of pooches in their new accessories to share later on the website and blog, so don't miss our table. We hope to see some of you there :]

x's & o's

#73- Winners, Winners, Everywhere!

2010-10-01T15:46:00.007-04:00

We are very excited today because we have just been notified that we won the PetsDirect.co.uk Unique Website Award! This is quite an honor and our first ever official award. Thank you to John who chose us as the award recipients.

I had a lovely birthday thanks to all of you and my wonderful family and friends. I am now happy to announce the winners of our birthday giveaways!

The winner of the tumbler toy is Klaus and Natty of Two Pugs in a Pod!

And our set of pug postcards will be going to Tweedles & her mums!

Yay for our winners! If you will please e-mail us with your addresses, we will get your presents to you ASAP :]

And here are a few more pupcakes that we baked up for our guests:

Thank you to every single one of our guests and everyone who supports us and makes our business possible!

In other news, I just received my acceptance to transfer to Merrimack College, which is FANTASTIC! Could this week get any better?

Let us know how all of your weeks are going. We'd love to hear :]

x's & o's

#72 - Jessica's 20th Birthday Blog Party

2010-09-29T09:40:00.003-04:00

Welcome one and all to my 20th birthday blog bash! We loved seeing so many of our guest's photos in our inbox and we've baked up a batch of fabulous pupcakes for you all!

You all look sweet enough to eat! Don't worry if you didn't arrive early. You can still e-mail your photos to us at jessica@allyouneedispug.com and we will make a pupcake for you and add it to our guest list :]

You can all feel free to take your cupcakes home with you and post them on your own blogs if you'd like.

We're glad you're all here because we have presents to share and we're itching to give them away! We love presents, so we want to share the fun with all of our friends. There will be one present for pooches and one for humans. Our pooch present is a fabulous handmade tumbler toy:

And our giveaway for pet parents is a set of "All You Need Is Pug" postcards from our shop:

All you have to do is leave a comment and you are automatically entered to win. We will draw the winner on Friday afternoon, so even late guests can get in on the fun!

Thank you all for coming to celebrate my 20th birthday with me! We hope you enjoyed your tasty pupcakes and we wish you all the best of luck in winning our birthday prizes :]

x's & o's

#71 - Sweet Sheltie

2010-09-28T15:13:00.006-04:00

We just had to share this fantastic customer photo! Meet Smudge the Shetland Sheepdog. This hat is part of his halloween costume and we think that he looks sweet as candy!

Here are a few more of our recent customer photos:

Biggie

Giles

We are already so excited for tomorrow! We had fun opening our e-mail today and seeing our blog party guests sending in photos for tomorrows "Pupcakes". Thanks to Heather for making me smile by calling the cupcakes "Pupcakes", since I hadn't even thought of that!

We are off to knit some hats and get ready for tomorrow's fun festivities. See you all at the party :]

x's & o's

#70 - National Dog Week

2010-09-27T18:56:00.003-04:00

Hello love-pugs! I hope that everyone is having a lovely week, especially since it is National Dog Week. I am thrilled that my 20th birthday falls smack-dab-in-the-middle of this fabulous celebration of canines! Since there is so much to be happy about, we want to invite you all to do something special. In honor of my birthday we will be having "Canine Cupcakes" during this Wednesday's blog. They will look like JD's cupcake pictured above.

We want all of our animal friends to join whether they be dogs, cats, birds, or any other living being. Send us your pets' photos via a comment or via e-mail to jessica@allyouneedispug.com and we will make a cupcake for each pet and post it on Wednesday's blog!

We will also be giving away 2 surprise items on Wednesday; one for humans and one for pets. All you have to do is come by on Wednesday and leave a comment to be entered to win, so don't forget to come on by!

Lastly, we want to make sure that we make this week as special as can be, so we added a "SALE" section to our Etsy shop where you can find discounted goodies. We will be adding new items to it throughout the week, so keep checking in!

We hope to see you all at my Blog Birthday Party on Wednesday. Don't forget to send your photos in so that I can bake up a charming batch of Canine Cupcakes to share!

x's & o's

#69 - The Peace that is Pugs

2010-09-22T20:24:00.003-04:00

"True happiness is found in simple, seemingly unremarkable things"
~Eckhart Tolle~

Ringo and JD find their happiness in one another. It makes me smile to see that they fell asleep a bit in the shape of a yin-yang, which shows just how much harmony exists between them. What little things make all of your days extraordinary?

x's & o's

#68 - Selling and Strutting for Animals

2010-09-20T21:10:00.022-04:00

It's been a few days since we've last written, but we've received many orders and had so much fun getting into fall that we haven't been online much. We got over 20 orders during the last week or so, which is exciting! Our shop is ever growing and I am thrilled to see it is being recognized.

We hope that you all are well and getting ready for fall. This is our favorite season, so you can expect us to share lots of photos from the adventures that we have planned.

A week from tomorrow (Sept. 29) is my 20th birthday. My mum is not too happy that I will be leaving my teen years, because it confirms that I am, indeed, an adult. Please come by next Tuesday to celebrate with us! We'll be having a little blog party and there will be some special prizes to win :]

Now here is an update on what we've been up to while we've been away:

The Bradford Pet Fair - September 11

There's mum getting ready for a fun day of vending.

There I am with a basket of hats.

Me manning the table bright and early in the morning.

That is my "yes, I sell dog hats.... and yes, I am serious" smile :]

Mum sets up some of our display.

Mum shows off a Pugkin Head Hat.

Our banner.

Our table mascots courtesy of Bulger Animal Hospital.

Sparticus the ten week old French Bulldog got a hat to gear up for his first autumn in new England. He is too cute for words!

Lovely Lola tries a hat on.

Miles loved relaxing in his Red Sox hat.

Another english bulldog enjoying in his hat.

This tortoise, Mater, was our neighbor at the fair. She is 35 lbs. and only 3 years old. She could live to be up to 250 years old!

The MSPCA Walk for Animals - September 12

JD meets a pretty pug named Maya.

Maya looks so pretty!

Some handsome pigs. I want to go in and snuggle them.

Mycroft the dachshund looks handsome in his sweater.

Jer's sister, Sofia, loved playing with JD and Ringo.

JD poses with his dad, Jeremy. I love my handsome boys!

We had a great time last weekend at these events. Our Walk for Animals team, "Rebels With a Cause" raised a final total of $380. Thank you to our friends who donated! The Methuen walk brought in nearly $70,000 for the rescue shelter!

We hope you all have a fabulous week. What are you all up to, loves?

x's & o's

#67 - Fall Snugglies

2010-09-10T17:39:00.003-04:00

Oh boy, it seems like so long since we've last written! The first two weeks of school have kept me so busy. I am also applying to transfer colleges and I have been preparing to vend at the Blessing of the Pets. If you live in New England, stop by the Bradford Common in Bradford, MA tomorrow to visit my first ever vending event! I hope it goes well. I am very excited and plan to take a lot of photos to share with all of you.

JD is super happy because he saw that this arrived in yesterday's mail:

It's a custom made sweater that was made for JD by our friend Melissa from Pug Notes! JD looks so fabulous in his sweet vest.

Melissa, you did such a beautiful job! JD is already in love with his vest and will wear it often as the weather here continues to get colder.

This weekened is a busy one. After tomorrow's Blessing of the Pets, I am walking at the MSPCA benefit "The Walk for Animals" on Sunday and I also will be going to my little cousins 5th birthday. JD and Ringo are looking forward to attending all of these events with me and we will share all of our fun stories and photos with you soon!

What are all of our friends up to this weekend? Leave a comment and let us know what exciting adventures you have planned :]

x's & o's

#66 - RAWR!

2010-09-03T19:56:00.002-04:00

JD, Ringo, and I have been so busy preparing for next weekend's "Blessing of the Pets". If you live in New England, please come by and say hello! We will be at Bradford Common in Haverhill, Massachusetts from 9am-4pm on September 11th vending at our first event. I am so excited and I hope that everything goes well and that I get to meet many sweet little cuties.

We hope that you all have a nice long weekend! The boys and I will be crafting, doing homework, and working on filling out my transfer application. I am hoping that my 4.0 GPA will get me a scholarship to Merrimack College so that I can have a shorter commute and get more involved in campus life. I know JD and Ringo would love this change so that I would be home more often during the school year.

In other news, the Cape Cod MSPCA had to evacuate thanks to Hurricane Earl, so I will probably be putting in some extra volunteer work at the Methuen shelter, since they took in many of the animals from the Cape. I am glad that they'll all be safe here away from the roaring tides and stormy weather!

It's going to be one busy weekend! Do any of you have special plans for Labor Day? We'd love to hear :]

x's & o's

#65 - Summer Ends with Fuzzy Friends

2010-08-31T13:03:00.006-04:00

Today is my last day of summer freedom. I begin my fourth semester at the university bright and early tomorrow morning. JD is not thrilled about this, because that means that I will not be home half as much, but he is lucky to have a sweet Grandma to take care of him while I'm busy studying in working.

Since we're getting ready to fall into autumn, I thought we'd share some photos of our sweet little friends who have sent us photos over the past few months.

Sarge

Elliott

Zoey (photo by Bea W.)

Lili (photo by Bea W.)

Lili and Zoey (photo by Bea W.)

Nigel

Our good friend, Emmitt, from Pug Notes

Maddi

Sadie

Tonka

Macaroni

Magda

Jockamo

Smokey

And here are some other friends who've passed photos along:

Oh those cute faces! If anyone else has photos of their pets in some of our items, please send them along! We'll be adding a customer gallery to our website and I want as many of our friends as possible to be included. Don't have a hat or neck warmer but want one now that you've seen so many cuties? Head over to the etsy shop to order one :]

x's & o's

#64 - Words of Wisdom II

2010-08-29T23:02:00.004-04:00

“Look at everything as though you were seeing it either for the first or last time. Then your time on earth will be filled with glory.”
-Betty Smith-

I am a big Betty Smith fan, and when I stumbled on this quote, I knew we had to pass it along. For those who aren't familiar with her work, Smith wrote "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn". Though I love that novel, my favorite of her works is "Joy in the Morning". I came upon it accidentally while shelving at the library last summer and I fell in love immediately. It's so heart-warming that you won't be able to put it down.

On an entirely different note, I am incredibly excited because I just finished my first pug illustration. It is a digital illustration that was inspired by a photo I took of JD last fall. I love the way that it came out, so I've added postcard and greeting card sets to my shop that feature the illustration. I had a lot of fun doing this and plan on attempting more soon.

Has anyone else tried any new activities lately that they've had fun with?

x's & o's

#63 - Coconut Cupcakes

2010-08-26T20:34:00.009-04:00

My mum had a lovely birthday yesterday! There she is posing with her baby, Ringo, and below she models her "red hat society" gear that my sister bought her as a joke for turning 50.

Too funny!

I wanted to share my tasty vegan chocolate and coconut cupcakes with everyone. This recipe is a modified version of one of Alicia Silverstone's "kind life" recipes. They are so simple to make and even easier to devour!

Coconut Cupcakes

Ingredients:

Cake
2/3 cups soy milk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
2/3 cup dried shredded coconut
2/3 cup agave nectar
1/3 cup safflower oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup unbleached all-purpose baking flour
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
pinch of sea salt

Frosting
1/2 cup Earth Balance vegan butter
1/3 cup agave nectar
3 tbsp. pure maple syrup
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/3 cup unsweetened vegan cocoa powder

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325°F and line 10-12 muffin tins with muffin papers.
2. Combine milk and vinegar, mix, and allow to sit until the mix bubbles. Add agave nectar, oil, and vanilla. Stir well.
3. In another bowl, combine flours, baking powder, baking soda, dried coconut, and salt. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until smooth.
4. Pour batter into the tins and bake for 18-22 minutes until a fork comes out clean when stuck into the center of a cupcake.
5. Cool cupcakes for at least 15 minutes before frosting.
6. For frosting, cream butter, agave nectar, and sugar together using a mixer. Add vanilla extract and cocoa powder. Mix on low speed. Add cocoa powder a little at a time if you have difficulty combining ingredients. If the frosting is a bit loose, refrigerate for a bit before using.
7. Frost those cupcakes, add some shredded coconut to the top if you wish, and enjoy!

These cupcakes can be enjoyed by the pup, too, just DON'T add the frosting (since pups cannot have chocolate)! JD and Ringo loved these soft treats :]

Has anyone else made any yummy treats lately?

Well, we're off to watch project Runway, but here is a photo to make you smile. JD in his aunt's crab hat that she got in Boston:

x's & o's

#41 - Goodbye, Friend

2010-08-25T10:21:00.005-04:00

When I started making knits for dogs, I knew that they were cute, but I also hoped that they would serve a purpose. I get a lot of messages saying how fun and sweet my items are, but what I love to hear most is that my work means something to pugs and people. One person warmed my heart twice this year. When Faith asked me to make a neckwarmer for her pug, Sarge, in March and explained that he was blind and toothless at 20 years old, my heart went out to them. Faith is an amazing person who rescues dogs who need special care, and Sarge was one of the lucky pugs who became her soul mate.

Faith messaged me this week to let me know that Sarge passed away at the ripe old age of 21. She wanted to let me know that he loved his neckwarmer and that it kept him warm and cozy. He wore it right to the end of his life.

Boy, you can bet I cried for a good 20 minutes when I read that message and I'm about ready to cry again just sharing this story.

My point is that stories like this make everything I do so worth while. If I can make a difference even in the life of one animal by knitting and having fun all the while, then there is nothing else that I could possible ask for in life.

So now that I've probably made you cry, I hope you all cheer up and have a lovely day, because the good news is that all animals live good lives and have to go eventually, but as long as they lived and loved, the sadness won't last for long.

Now that I've spread the sad news about death, I am off to celebrate life! It's my beautiful mother's 50th birthday today and my family and I are spending the whole day with her.

There she is with her grandpug, James Dean, and her son, Ringo. They are excited for the birthday because they know that I will sneak them some of the plain vanilla cupcakes before I frost them so that they can have a little treat, too!

x's & o's

#61 - Words of Wisdom I

2010-08-22T18:02:00.003-04:00

"Nature is full of genius, full of the divinity; so that not a snowflake escapes its fashioning hand."- Henry David Thoreau

JD passes these words from one of his favorite local authors today and hopes that everyone can enjoy the little things that nature provides. Since we are so busy while summer is winding down, we want to apologize for neglecting the blog over the past week! We hope you all are well. What has everyone been up to?

x's & o's from all of us!

#60 - Angels, Demons, and Heavenly Cream Cheese

2010-08-14T17:18:00.008-04:00

Look at those beautiful angel and devil costumes! I collaborated with Glenda from Midnight Boudoir on Etsy who made these costumes to send in to the 3rd annual Fur Ball charity gala that is run by the Kitten Rescue in California. Glenda asked me to take photos of JD and Ringo in the costumes so that she'd have some photos of her beautiful work to send in to the gala. The pups were more than happy to oblige and they look so charming in these pieces. I cannot believe how talented Glenda is and how intricate these wings are. I am so excited that her costumes and my photos will be seen by celebrities like Jenna Fischer from TV's "The Office", who has been to past galas! Please visit Glenda's shop and see how lovely her work is :]

I currently have the house to myself and have been spending the whole day playing with the pups, so they are currently exhausted and both napping at the moment. Since they're being so quiet, I have a few minutes to share my tasty vegan cream cheese recipe with you. I made it this morning and I can't stop eating it!

Smooth Strawberry Cream "Cheese"

Ingredients:
1 cup of soft tofu
1/4 cup of broken cashews
1/2 tsp of sea salt
1/2 cup of strawberries (feel free to use another berry if you prefer)
4 tsps. of agave nectar or pure maple syrup

Directions:
Pat dry the tofu. Don't worry about making it dry, you want it a bit wet. Toss the tofu and all other ingredients into a food processor or blender until the mix is smooth and creamy. Enjoy it on anything from bagels to toast to english muffins, or use it to jazz up a yummy wrap. I like to eat mine on Ezekiel 4:9 Cinnamon Raisin Bread. Mmmmmm!

You can refrigerate the leftovers for approximately 4-8 days. This will make around 1 cup of cream "cheese". And, yes, it does taste like strawberry cream cheese, only it's better for you!

Enjoy the day, loves!

x's & o's

#59 - Meet Our Friends

2010-08-11T08:04:00.012-04:00

Hello loves! We currently have 3 entries for our Tumbler Toy giveaway. They are such beautiful photos and stories that we would like to share them with you :]

The Pug Corral

Meet Payton, Dallas, and Reggie, our friends from The Pug Corral blog! These cuties have a blog that is so much fun to peak at. Here's what the pugs have to share about themselves:

"Dallas and Reggie were rescued by our Momma's wonderful friend, Miss Sheila, who found us in a lady's backyard breeding business. Although, Reggie was a surprise: he was in his Momma Pug's tummy, unbeknownst to Miss Sheila! Peyton was rescued through Kentuckiana Pug Rescue (KPR). We are all very sweet, fun, and loving Puggies and Momma says she doesn't remember her life before we came!"

Who could remember life pre-pug? I don't think anyone could, especially when they have three cuties such as these! Thanks for sharing your story, lovepugs :]

Flora

Flora is a cute little black pug with an irresistible face. Her mom, Tiffany, e-mailed me with this story:

"Flora is a feisty, Lab-loving (her brother Butters is a yellow Lab!) Pug. We actually refer to her as a "Pugrador", as she really does seem to think she is a big dog/Lab! Her favorite toy so far is a soft Kong "fox", and she enjoys carrying it around in her mouth while whining. She is generally a bit of a whirling dervish, but then poops out pretty quickly and "recharges" in the sunlight that comes through our sliding glass door. She is a snuggler, but also enjoys her independence! She is a quirky, clownish pug, and of course, her human dad and I adore her!"

I love to hear about little pugs who think that they are these huge powerful conquistadors. It's too funny! JD has this same complex. We are so glad to have met Flora and to hear about her adventurous and playful nature.

China

We received our latest entry yesterday when China's mom brought her story to our attention. This one makes my heart feel warm and fuzzy.

"I found her on an online selling website and knew I had to find her and give her a home that she deserved. Upon adoption I found that she had had 5 owners before she was even 12 weeks old, and within our first vet visit we found that she also had a severe case of Demodex Mange. China has just turned 1 year old and has had no health problems since she came to live with us. She's the happiest pug I have ever seen!"

Now that is a heart-warming story! When I was in grade school, my teacher used to call random acts of kindness or tokens of love "warm fuzzies". I think that Flora's mom, Samantha, gave China a "warm fuzzy" by adopting her and bringing her back to health. It is intriguing that a "warm and fuzzy" creature can inspire us to be so giving of ourselves through "warm fuzzies".

Well, this completely made my day! I hope that this has inspired more readers to enter our contest to win a dog toy that we have hand-made with lots of love. Click here for details on how to enter. All you have to do is send us a picture and a small blurb about your sweet fur-baby or fur-babies, and you'll be entered.

Have a lovely day!

x's & o's

#58 - Playdate

2010-08-09T15:46:00.003-04:00

Today is a picture-post kind of a day. On Saturday JD and Ringo finally got a cool enough day to run around and enjoy the fenced-in yard. Their girlfriend, Molly, who is our neighbor, even came over to play. We used to always play in her yard because ours wasn't fenced in, but Saturday we got to return the favor by inviting her to our humble little yard. I seized the opportunity to snap some photos of the pups and also to get some photos of myself and Jeremy. Yay for new family photos!

Ringo enjoying some natural fiber.

James and me in front of some of my favorite flowers- Black Eyed Susans

The boys playing like wild cheetahs.

JD and his girlfriend, Molly.

The biffles hanging out together.

Molly.

JD and his daddy.

Our family.

Jer and I.

Ooooh, a smooch!

All you need is pug <3.

My little man and me.

Thanks for stopping in to see look at the photos from our relaxing adventure!

x's & o's

#55 - Bananarama Breakfast

2010-08-07T10:12:00.012-04:00

It's a lovely Saturday and we're here with another fun recipe for you and your pooches to enjoy!

Bold Bananarama Pancakes

Ingredients:
1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
2 tbsp. sugar or stevia
3 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1 cup soy milk or rice milk
1 banana, mashed
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg replacement (such as Ener-G)
1/4 cup raw nuts (optional)
1/4 cup blueberries (optional)
1/4 cup vegan carob chips (optional)
Extra banana slices (optional)

(Makes 6-8 average sized pancakes)

Directions:
1. Stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, egg replacement, and cinnamon.
2. Mash the banana in a separate bowl and mix it with the milk and vanilla until the mix is fairly smooth.
3. Now is a good time to turn on your skillet or griddle and grease it with Pam cooking spray.
4. Mix wet and dry ingredients together until it feels creamy and smooth. If the batter feels a bit thick, just add a dribble more soy or rice milk to thin it out.
5. Add your batter to your skillet. Here is where you add your optional ingredients. Pictured, we have made a blueberry and slivered almond pancake, a vegan carob chip pecan pancake, and a vegan carob chip almond pancake. Sliced bananas also are great to add to the top or into your pancakes, as well.

A note for the pups: If you're cooking these for your pooches, omit the nuts. Some dogs have nut allergies, so experimenting with nuts can be dangerous. For pups, stick to adding berries, bananas, or vegan carob chips, which are a safe and healthy alternative for your fur babies.

These are a Sunday morning brunch favorite in our house, so we hope that you can make this and brighten up your weekend!

Before we head off to enjoy our day, we want to let everyone know that we are recruiting members for a street team to help spread the word about our shop! We already have 3 team members signed up. If you'd like to join in, please leave a comment with your e-mail address listed so that I can contact you, or you can e-mail me at jessica@allyouneedispug.com . Street team members will receive a coupon for a special discount as thanks for helping JD, Ringo, and I to share our work with others :]

x's & o's

#54 - Mmmmm! Vegan Zucchini Muffins

2010-08-04T07:47:00.008-04:00

JD looks awfully tired, and seeing as it is 7:45 a.m., most of you are probably tired, too. Wake up with my first attempt at vegan baking :]

Sweet Spiced Zucchini Muffins

Makes 2 loaves of bread or approximately 18-24 muffins

Ingredients:
6 tbsp ground flax seeds mixed with ½ cup water
1 cup applesauce
2 cups brown sugar
1½ tsp vanilla
3 heaping cups grated zucchini
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp. fine sea salt
1 tbsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tbsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. nutmeg

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Spray your bread or muffin pans with Pam non-stick cooking spray
3. Grate zucchini and press down into measuring cup until you have 3 well packed cups of shredded zucchini.
4. Mix flaxseed liquid, vanilla, applesauce, and brown sugar in a bowl.
5. Add all zucchini to wet mixture, mix, and allow to sit.
6. In a second bowl combine flour, whole wheat flour, sea salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Toss them together until well blended.
7. Add the wet mixture to the dry mix and stir until the batter is "just mixed" and all ingredients appear to be evenly distributed.
8. Split your batter between the 2 bread pans or your muffin pans.
9. Cook breads for 40-45 minutes and muffins for 30-35 minutes or until you stick a cake tester or other utensil into the center of a bread or muffin and the utensil comes out clean.
10. Cool, enjoy, and share with anyone who needs a little pick-me-up!

These muffins are perfect for you, and your pooches will love them, too! Here's a tip: I like chopped raw pecans, raisins, and dried cranberries in my bread, but the pups can't have raisins and I generally don't give them nuts in case of allergies, so I compromise. I split my batter in half and make half with my nuts and dried fruit and make plain muffins for James Dean and Ringo. If you want to add anything such as nuts, fruit, chocolate chips, etc. to your mix, add it after step #7.

If you make this recipe, please let me know! I'd love to hear how you like it. It is my first experiment in vegan baking, and so far my family and neighbors are giving it rave reviews (which is exciting for me). I looked at several vegan recipes and decided to make them a little more healthy. My neighbor couldn't believe that they were vegan and she quickly asked for the recipe. Some of my family still aren't so enthusiastic. Even though they admitted to loving the muffins before they heard the dreaded word - "vegan", once I let is slip that they were vegan there were some who lost their love. It's quite silly if you ask me... vegan is not a stigma, it's another way to help save animals and to get happy and healthy.

If you do make them and share with your pooches, I'd love to see photos of your pups enjoying these muffins! Anyone who sends in photos will have their photos posted on my blog.

If you have any requests for a recipe that you'd like me to attempt to veganize, I'd love the challenge, so just comment with your favorite dish and I will take a stab at it and post my recipes in upcoming blogs.

Have beautiful day, loves!

x's & o's

#55 - Guardians of Being

2010-08-02T22:34:00.006-04:00

The pups and I wanted to share a book that we read recently. While shelving at the library, I came across the book "Guardians of Being" by Eckhart Tolle. I noticed that it was illustrated by Patrick McDonnell, the illustrator of the adorable Mutts comics. I read the book and immediately fell in love with the way that the illustrations, the thoughts, and the concepts come together to create so much unity between people, nature, and animals. It's little things like this book that make day worth while. We highly recommend that you find a copy of this book, curl up, and get ready for a warm heart and sweet smile.

I also want to show off this new print that I just finished. It is a collage print that I made with some of my photography, an old illustration that I colorized, and a bit of scrapbook paper from my stash. I love the way it came out! As soon as my scanner is back up and running this print will be available in my shop along with note cards that feature this print. The colors are more vibrant than the photo shows and the print doesn't have my logo, so it looks much better in person. JD is quite a prince, don't you think?

x's & o's

p.s. - Here are a few etsy treasuries that featured us this week!

#54 - Happy Birthday, Emmitt!

2010-08-01T13:41:00.002-04:00

JD, Ringo, and I just wanted to wish our friend, Emmitt, from Pug Notes a happy 14th birthday! We hope that you get many yummy treats and exciting toys to celebrate. JD and Ringo send sloppy kisses and pug hugs your way :]

#53 - Mutt Day

2010-07-31T14:25:00.006-04:00

Happy Mutt Day, Everyone!

Who cares if you're a purebred or a mixed breed? All you pooches are just as sweet and snuggly as can be! JD is a purebred, but we believe Ringo is a mixed breed who is likely a cross between a pug and a boston terrier. Celebrate today with us by taking 10% off of any item in my etsy shop by writing "love my mutt" in the message to seller at checkout.

We hope you all have a fun weekend. We are off to spend the day working hard at making new items to share with all of you.

x's & o's

#52 - Free Toys for Our Friends

2010-07-31T01:13:00.003-04:00

RAFFLE TIME!

Hello lovely pets and their parents. It's crazy here in the Furtado household, as always. Tomorrow I am devoting the full day to working on all of the ideas that I've been brewing for new items for my shop. I am going to quarantine myself in my room armed with all of my crafting bins, a glass of lemon water, some good music, and the company of my pooches so that I can get some work done!

In the meantime, I am thrilled to continue our second contest/raffle. We currently have 2 entries and will make this raffle ongoing until we reach 10 or more contestants. The fabulous prize will be one of my handmade Tumbler Toys. The tumbler is one of JD's and Ringo's favorite toys and the have a blast swinging them and tossing them in the air. Here's how to participate in the raffle:

1. Submit a photo of your pet or pets by leaving a comment with a link to the photo or by e-mailing your photo to jessica@allyouneedispug.com. Make sure you also note your e-mail address if you are entering via a comment so that I can contact you if you win!

2. For an extra entry, give us a little information about the pet or pets in the photo. You can tell us anything about them including how they came into your life, their likes and dislikes, or about their personalities. Anything you can think of.

3. For another extra entry spread the word about the raffle via a blog, twitter, facebook, etc. You will get an extra entry for each place that you post it, so be sure to let us know that you've told your friends about it!

The more entries we get, the faster a winner will be chosen, so spread the word and have a bit of fun :]

I am a bit tired, so I am heading to bed, but the next time that I write I will share about the concert that I went to on Wednesday. I got free tickets to see The Spill Canvas, Switchfoot, and The Goo Goo Dolls. I even got to meet The Spill Canvas and Switchfoot! It was a fantastic night, and I'll spill all of the details and some photos in my next post.

x's & o's

#51 - Busy Babies

2010-07-25T13:09:00.008-04:00

Oh boy, we've been so busy that we've neglected to blog for over a week! Hopefully that will not be a common occurrence. I missed hearing from all of my lovely blogspot friends :]

I hope all of you are doing well. JD, Ringo, and I have been inside a great deal since the heat here in New England is stifling and humid. The boys have been spending a lot of time with their grandma while I have been picking up extra hours at work. I've been hired to run 3 young adult craft sessions at the library where I work, and the first one is tomorrow. Hopefully it goes well!

I have also been crafting and knitting up a storm since October is coming closer and closer and I need to have all of my items ready to sell at the Pug Rescue of New England's Pug Social.

Aside from my own crazy activities, I have also been spending my Sundays at the MSPCA wishing that I could take every sweet pup home with me. There is the sweetest American Bulldog who has been there over a month now. Her name is Sky and she was surrendered because she has terrible allergies that cause her to have many painful skin issues. The poor thing is such a beautiful and sweet dog. I walk her and spend some time giving her TLC every chance that I can. She currently has a cone around her head to keep her from biting her skin and making it raw. even though I love seeing her greet me every time I go in, I hope that soon I will walk in and see an empty cage where she was and know that some wonderful family finally took her home.

Today when I arrived I saw 3 new Boston Terriers who have just arrived and are still in holding. I cannot explain how badly I want to scoop one of them up and take him home! My favorite one is a young, playful sweetie named Mitchell. He's one of the snuggliest little guys I've ever gotten the chance to spend some time with at the shelter.

As you can see, it's been hectic around here with my scrambling between my pooches, crafts, my "real job", and the MSPCA, but keeping busy is the best way to make change in the world, so it's well worth the trouble! JD and Ringo are making their impact on the world, too, by causing people everywhere to laugh and smile at how cute they are. Here are two new prints that I've made of them to add to the fun items in my shop:

JD as a Supermodel Mug (Man + Pug = Mug)
Thank you to my cousin, Jonny, for being the body for this shot!

JD and Ringo as Sgt. Pupper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

They crack me up every time I look at them! Prints of these images are available in my Etsy shop and $1 from each sale goes to the MSPCA or the Pug Rescue of New England. Every month my lovely customers help me to donate about $15-$30 to these shelters, and I usually chip in more, too. So thank you to everyone who helps to support my shop! The profits help to pay for my college tuition and also to help animals at local shelters, so all around, your purchases mean so much to so many individuals.

x's & o's

#50 - Spunky and New

2010-07-17T08:39:00.009-04:00

It feels like ages since I've logged in to write a blog even though it's only been a week! I can see that I have a lot of catching up to do in reading about all of our friends and their adventures. It'll be a lovely Saturday catching up with everyone :]

Thank you to everyone for your warm wishes and love that you sent along for Ringo and the rest of my family. Ringo is adjusting well and fits into the family like a glove. He's already very attached to my mother and can't stand when she leaves the room. (The photo above is of Ringo sleeping on my mum's lap outside. So cute!) And we've already picked up on some of his cute quirks. For instance, if you say "buh-bye" he barks and spins in circles before running to the door to prompt you to take him out. It's one of the funniest things I've ever seen. As for an update on his health, his mouth is healing well and his stitches from his neutering are healing up and he seems to be doing just fine. He's already gained 2 lbs. which is very good because he is much too underweight for his height. I am glad to see that his new home makes him as happy as he makes us.

JD likes and respects his new pal. They've taken to running with each other and nudging one another playfully, so they're on their way to plotting mischief together already!

The boys have been keeping me busy, as have my crafts, which is why I haven't been blogging as much as I usually do. I've also been cooking up a storm in the kitchen. The boys get fully home-cooked meals now and my own vegan diet has gotten me to be much more creative in the kitchen. I actually enjoy going grocery shopping and I've been vegan for exactly one month now. I'm loving every minute of it and look forward to sharing some recipes with everyone :]

Since my crafts have been keeping me so busy, here's a peak at what I've been working on in the past few days:

And here is the new tote that I designed and had printed that just arrived:

There are several other new items available in the shop now and I've also begun listing Pugkin Head hats so that people can order now and beat the rush this fall.

I hope that all of you are doing well and are planning to enjoy a nice weekend. Is anyone planning on venturing out into the heat of these summer days?

Well, I am off to read some of everyone else's blogs to catch up on all of your adventures. Tomorrow I will re-open the raffle for the Tumbler Toy, since we only had 2 entries (both very sweet!) I want to give more people the opportunity to enter. Enjoy a lovely day :]

x's & o's

#49 - A New Member of the Family

2010-07-11T13:42:00.010-04:00

It has been a few days since I've been on to post about all that JD and I have been up to, but that's because we've been busy making some big decisions. My mum and I have been talking with the rest of the family for awhile now about adopting a second pug. A few days ago my mom decided to look through some adoption profiles and start looking for a dog so that we could adopt one for her as a birthday gift. That's when we stumbled upon this photo:

Mum thought he was very cute. Then I saw his name... "Ringo"! That's when I decided that fate must be knocking on our door and telling us to adopt this dog. Anyone who knows me knows how much I adore The Beatles, so the name fit just right. We thought about Ringo for a few days trying to decide how he would adjust and how JD would react to a new addition to the family. In the end, mum decided that this little guy needed a good home and we took the 2 hour drive to Springfield, MA to adopt Ringo from the Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society. Ringo is an "old soul" at 8 years old, but he has a great deal of spunk. He already knows some tricks and is a perfect gentleman when it comes to house training. Ringo is a pug but the poor thing is so emaciated that you can see his ribs and spine, but we will fatten him up in no time with our good homecooking :]. He is supposedly a purebred pug but he looks like he may be a mix... it could just be because he is so thin. We aren't quite sure yet.

JD is adjusting and is a bit jealous of Ringo at times, but they seem to get along. Ringo is a bit quiet and not so apt to play as JD is, so they each get plenty of individual attention in different ways. It's only been 24 hours, so they have plenty of time ahead of them to bond. They've already begun modeling together...

I just had to share the exciting news :]

Here are some photos that we've snapped of our new Starr so far:

Asleep on the way home from Springfield.

Ringo's temporary shelter collar.

The little backseat driver.

JD & Ringo waiting for my mum to finish dinner.

JD getting acquainted with his new buddy.

Asleep after a long long day.

x's & o's

#48 - All About JD

2010-07-06T08:13:00.006-04:00

Good morning, everyone. It's another scorching hot day here in MA. JD and I thought it would be fun to fill out a little survey today so that everyone who is new to our blog can get to know him a little better.

Full Name: James Dean Furtado-Boutin
Story behind it: I have always thought that James Dean was a handsome actor. I am someone who belongs in the past. I am definitely a 50's and 60's kind of gal, so James Dean fit perfectly for my handsome boy!
Nicknames: JD, Jimmy, Jay
Birthday: November 15, 2007
Adopted: June 23, 2008
Adopted From: The Pug Rescue of New England
Favorite toy: A HUGE white plush squeaking bone that is bigger than he is.
Favorite store: Four Your Paws Only in North Conway, NH and Just Dogs! Gourmet in Newburyport, MA
Favorite park: A huuuuge park on the water in Wakefield, MA
Does he like car rides? JD usually sleeps in the car. He's like a baby- the motion makes him sleepy.
Cool tricks: High-fives, crawling, and he even does a version of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" dance. I will have to tape this some day and prove it!
Cats?: JD wants to play with our cats,but they are old ladies and they do not like him at all.
Dogs?: JD LOVES other dogs, which is why my family just filled out an adoption application and is waiting to hear back from the pug rescue to see if we can adopt a second pug :]
Favorite food: JD loves vegetables. Green beans with rice and natural apple sauce is his favorite meal.
Favorite Treats: JD really enjoys pineapple and organic dog treats from Trader Joe's.
Grooming?: I do all of JD's grooming right here at home. He just had a bath yesterday and is looking lovely today.
Teeth brushing?: JD is not a fan of the teeth brushing. I try... but it is no easy task.
Favorite Accessories: JD loves the hats and neckwarmers that I make and he also looks dapper in his new collar and tie by Punchy. My favorite winter accessory for him is his Paddington Bear style coat.
Has your dog ever won a contest? JD has won more than we ever imagined he would. At the yearly pug social in 2008 he received honorable mention for best wrinkles and his photo and in 2009 he won 1st place for best kisser and best photo. This year we also won the MSPCA's Mother's Day photo contest as well as the Nebraska Pug Rescue calendar contest and the Pets Blogroll pet bowl giveaway. Phew... he's one talented pug!
Favorite Babysitter: JD enjoys spending time with his grandparents. He always stays right here with my mom and dad while I work or have to go out.
Sleeping arrangements: JD slept in a crate for his first year with me, but now I don't like to confine him. The rescue recommended that I do it because he seemed anxious at night when he first got here and they thought a little place of his own might help. Now that he is the king of the house and behaves very well, he loves to hog my bed at night!
Favorite walk: Around the block. It's quiet and cozy.
Favorite sport: Frisbee
How does he feel about the vet: He doesn't seem to mind visiting the vet. He's very good about it.
Is he the best dog ever?: I certainly think so, but all dogs are quite wonderful in their own ways :]

#46 - JD's Baby Buddy

2010-07-05T15:21:00.005-04:00

It's been a few days since our last post, but that's because we've been having so much fun. This weekend I had my second training session at the MSPCA shelter and I can't get enough of all of the amazing dogs I meet every time I walk through the doors. Along with volunteering, I've been acquiring all new supplies to make new items for the shop. Above is JD with our new goodie bags that we've just put up in our shop.

The most exciting thing to happen this weekend is that my cousin Bobby is visiting from Hawaii. He, his wife, and their new baby moved to Hawaii a few months ago and they weren't supposed to visit for a long time. Unfortunately, a sick family member is what brought them home, but the blessing in disguise is that we get to see them again! I haven't seen Bobby and his wife Lacy yet, but my aunt did bring 8 month old baby Anthony over for a visit yesterday. He and JD became quick friends.

They meet.

My mum helps them get acquainted.

They fall in love.

They bond.

What cuties!

In other news, we are postponing the raffle for the handmade tumbler toy for one more week since we only had two entries. Hopefully this week a few more people will vie for the prize :] Click here to see how to enter.

x's & o's

#45 - Magnets, Totes, and Postcards Oh My!

2010-07-01T14:18:00.004-04:00

Hello Loves! JD & I are stopping in for a quick post today since I have some errands to run before I head to work. We want to introduce you all you our newest products that we are very excited about :]

All You Need Is Pug Cotton Totes

All You Need Is Pug Glossy Postcard Sets

All You Need Is Pug Vinyl Fridge Magnets

I am currently buys at work on several other designs, too. So much to do and so little time!

Don't forget to view my last post and enter to win a Tumbler Toy for your pup! We are also now offering a prize to a second winner which will be a coupon for a free bag of specially formulated dog food just for pugs. Click here to view the post and enter.

x's & o's

#45 - All Starr Raffle

2010-06-29T08:08:00.011-04:00

We have so much exciting news to share today. The Ringo concert on Sunday night was fantastic! I cannot believe how much talent and energy and exudes on stage. I was glad to see that he played drums for much of the show, and because his band is full of "all starrs" there were many talented musicians that I got to see along with him. Ringo's band included Rick Derringer of The McCoys ("Hang on Sloopy"), Edgar Winter ("Free Ride"), Wally Palmer of The Romantics ("What I Like About You"), and a handful of other amazing artists. Ringo ought to be a comedian as much as he is a musician. He cracked hilarious jokes, danced and jumped around, and even broke into jumping jacks. The tracks that he sang included "Yellow Submarine", "Honey Don't", "Act Naturally", "Boys", "With a Little Help from my Friends", "Photograph", "Give Peace a Chance" and a handful of songs from his new album "Y Not". I will be bragging about this to anyone who will listen for at least a year or two :]

In puggie news, JD and I unleashed the second issue of our zine "Rebel With a Cause" this morning. This is our second issue and has more content than the last. It also is our first color-cover edition. We've packed this issue with a "chow time" recipe, JD's tips for happy pugs, keeping pups cool in the heat, how you can help animals in need, and more fun. We had a great time making it and we hope that buyers will enjoy reading it. $1 from every zine is donated to a New England animal shelter.

RAFFLE TIME!

I am thrilled to announce our second raffle today, since the blog has just reached 30 followers. This raffle will be for one of my handmade Tumbler Toys. The tumbler is one of JD's favorite toys and he loves to swing it and toss it in the air. Here's how to participate in the raffle:

1. Submit a photo of your pet or pets by leaving a comment with a link to the photo or by e-mailing your photo to jessica@allyouneedispug.com. Make sure you also note your e-mail address if leaving a comment so that I can contact you if you win.

2. For an extra entry, give us a little information about the pet or pets in the photo. You can tell us anything about them including how they came into your life, their likes and dislikes, or about their personalities. Anything you can think of.

3. For another extra entry spread the word about the raffle via a blog, twitter, facebook, etc. You will get an extra entry for each place that you post it, so be sure to let us know that you've told your friends about it!

The winner will be announced one week from today on July 6.

x's & o's

#44 - Busy!

2010-06-26T08:26:00.005-04:00

Good morning everyone :] JD and I have had an eventful week and it's not slowing down! JD never forgets to stop and load up on snacks to keep his energy up, though. He and I have been hard at work creating new items for the shop. We made several book marks and listed a few on Etsy. We made about 10 more last night, too. Maybe we'll show you those in the upcoming week.

Today I am going to Jeremy's for dinner because his family from Italy is visiting and is making me a special vegan homemade lasagna. Yum! JD wishes he could come and gobble up this tasty treat, too. Maybe I'll sneak him a doggie bag. And, of course, this will give me a chance to practice a bit of Italian so that I am not rusty once summer is over and I study in Italian III this fall.

Tomorrow promises to be a VERY busy and exciting day. In the morning I will be starting my first day as an MSPCA volunteer. Right after I complete training I have to rush home, get ready, and drive off to Connecticut to see Ringo Starr! I am so excited that I am bragging to everyone I know. Most people don't think it's as fantastic as I do, but my obsession with The Beatles makes this quite a highlight for me. The Beatles are JD's favorite band, too. We have a CD of Beatles instrumental lullabies that helps him to sleep every night. Ringo is his favorite Beatle. He even has a huge stuffed caterpillar toy named Ringo! I will share all about the concert, the MSPCA, and JD's newest adventures in Monday's post.

Have a fun rest of the weekend everyone! Is anyone else making exciting plans, too?

x's & o's

#43 - Remember Elephants

2010-06-24T11:28:00.004-04:00

Hello everyone! Today is "Remember an Elephant Day". This day is about making people aware of the cruelty that occurs to circus animals, especially elephants. It is also about educating people about the fact that they should not go to circuses that use animals because that contributes to the cruelty and allows it to continue. JD is particularly concerned with this cause because he loves all of his fellow animals and it makes him sad to see them suffer. If you'd like to help, wear a string around your finger today and tell everyone who asks why you're wearing it about the cause. For more information and to sign the pledge that you won't support animals in circuses, click here.

On a happier note, last night's Rain concert was wonderful! I had much closer seats than I had the last time that I saw this Beatles tribute band, so it was amazing to see their costumes. They sound so much like the Fab Four that it truly amazes me and "Blackbird" almost makes me cry every time they play it. If they ever come to your area, I highly recommend seeing them. JD would like to see them, but since venues check bags, I can't smuggle him in! He did spend a lovely night with his grandparents playing and waiting for me to get home. He even stayed up late to wait for me. What a cutie!

I am glad to see that we are only one follower away from our next giveaway, so invite your friends and get ready to enter our contest for the Tumbler toy :]

x's & o's

#42 - Pet Pieces and Puppy Love

2010-06-22T23:09:00.007-04:00

JD was looking too cute relaxing on the back of his favorite chair in front of the window. What a face!

Not much news or excitement today, though we are happy to see that we are only 2 followers away from our next giveaway! That is very exciting :]

Two of our items were featured in two different treasuries today. The animal themed treasuries are very cute, so if you want to stop in and take a look simply click on the images below.

Tomorrow I am going to see The Beatles cover band "Rain" down in Cohassat, MA for the second time. I can't wait! It is almost as good as seeing the original Fab Four. Is anyone else doing something fun this week?

I will be sure to write all about the concert and to tell you about JD's adventures while his grandparents babysit him in the post on Thursday. Maybe we'll have more followers by then and we'll be able to announce our next free giveaway for the Tumbler Toy!

x's & o's

#41 - Pug Pinbacks

2010-06-21T20:25:00.006-04:00

It's been a busy day, but I did want to make sure that I at least stopped in to make a quick post to share the new pug brooches that I've made. I went to my favorite antique market called Todd Farm in Rowley, MA yesterday and got a large jar of vintage buttons. I have made brooches in the past for myself with literary quotes and images of celebrity icons and decided that pugs would be a perfect embellishment for these pinbacks. I use the buttons as mounts for the images. I've only designed two so far, but plan on making more soon. Both are available in my etsy shop now :]

x's & o's

#40- Happy Fathers' Day

2010-06-20T13:04:00.003-04:00

Since today is a day to celebrate dads, I thought it would be nice to share some photos of JD with his dad and grandpa.

JD and His Dad

JD and His Grandpa

We hope all of you other pet dads and grandpas have a great day, too. You are much appreciated :]

x's & o's

#39 -Books, Blogrolls, and Adventures

2010-06-19T15:39:00.009-04:00

We got some fun news from Pets Blogroll today. We were one of the 5 out of 50 blogs to win a dog bowl from the blogroll. How cute! We are so glad to be a part of their site.

Today JD an I went to Essex with my parents to enjoy a day out. JD and I walked with my mum while my dad browsed antique shops. JD had fun, but unfortunately it was hot and JD was far too active attempting to run and play in the heat. He began to pant a bit more heavily than usual. We made sure to get him some water and his grandma carried him back to the car so that he could cool off in the air conditioning. Poor little fellow! He calmed down and began to relax fairly quickly. Before leaving Essex, my mum found a concrete pug for the garden at a local shop. Unfortunately the shop was very expensive, so she didn't buy it, but now dad and I have an idea of what to get her for her birthday in August!

After Essex, JD hung out with his grandpa in the parking lot at Trader Joe's in Danvers while his grandma and I went to pickup some groceries. Today is my second day as a vegan, so I needed to pick up some food. I have been a vegetarian for 9 years, so the switch to veganism isn't so bad. I just miss my TJ's cocoa cover almonds and chocolate covered raisins. Other than that, I am doing fine without animal products so far. This is definitely going to take some experimentation in the kitchen!

JD and I are now home and relaxing while working on some new projects. Since I am such an avid reader, I decided to start making book marks for the shop. I posted 2 today and one sold within two hours of posting! I will be listing more this week :]

Since we're on the topic of literature, here are some of the books that I am reading or planning to read this summer:

"The Animal Activist's Handbook" - Matt Ball
"Farm Sanctuary" - Gene Bauer
"The PETA Practical Guide to Animal Rights" - Ingrid Newkirk
"Harry Potter Series" - J.K. Rowling
"The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
"Maggie Now" - Betty Smith
"Northanger Abbey" - Jane Austen
"An Old Fashioned Girl" - Louisa May Alcott
& L. Frank Baum's Oz Books

I know I won't get through everything since there are 14 Oz books alone, but I always make my list long to keep me busy. I also usually end up changing my list a lot. I have at least 200 books between my mother and I, so I have too many to choose from. The shelf pictured above is barely 1/5 of our own little collection. Plus, I work in a library, so I find books all the time to bring home and delve into. I still can't believe that I never finished reading the Harry Potter books. In middle school I made it to book 3, stopped, and never picked up again. Now I've re-read the first three books over the last 2 weeks and am starting the fourth. Maybe I'll finish this time! JD likes Harry Potter because he's got that spark of adventure in him. JD prefers movies to books, though, so I will have top rent them for us to watch after I am done reading.

I am going to go and watch "Jersey Girl" (the cheesy 1990's movie starring Jamie Gertz. I highly recommend it for a girl's night!) and work on some paper crafts. Have a lovely day, all.

x's and o's

#38 - And the Winner Is...

2010-06-18T14:52:00.005-04:00

We would like to thank everyone who entered and posted about our very first giveaway. After taking down all of your names and the number of entries that each of you had, we assigned numbers to everyone and used random.org to draw a number.

And...

drumroll please...

The winner of the Yuppie Puppy Harness is none other than our good friend Emmitt from Pug Notes!

Emmitt's mommy Melissa is always very sweet to JD and I and shares our posts & artwork with all of her friends. Congratulations Emmitt! You two can send your address along to us by e-mailing it to jessica@allyouneedispug.com and we will mail it out to you ASAP :]

The next giveaway:

Don't worry if you didn't win! We have several items set aside to give away this summer. Our next giveaway will be for one of our handmade Tumbler Toys. When our blog has reached 30 followers, we will do this giveaway. We hope to reach more pet lovers soon, because we would just love to give away one of these squeaky toys to you!

JD is enjoying a nap in this warm weather that we're having. It's supposed to be hot for the next few days, so we'll stay cool and we hope that you all have a safe and happy weekend! Is anyone doing anything fun?

x's and o's

#37- Dapper James Dean

2010-06-17T11:03:00.003-04:00

James Dean wanted to stop in and show you how handsome he looks in his new collar necktie from Punchy's Pug Possessed Shop on Etsy. Thanks Punchy, we love it!

JD also wants to remind everyone not to forget to enter our raffle for the free harness. Sharing is caring, so tell your doggie friends, too. You can get all the details and enter here. :]

x's & o's

#36- The First Raffle Day

2010-06-16T07:13:00.007-04:00

It's Raffle Day!

Good morning everyone. We are happy to finally give you the chance to enter our first ever free giveaway! We are raffling off a size medium Yuppie Puppy Anti-Pull harness. Here's how to enter:

1. Become a blog follower & leave a comment with your name and e-mail address so that I can contact you. Below this information, tell us a short story about a special dog in your life. It can be the story of how you met, a funny story of something that he or she did, or any other creative tale that you can think of. The story can be as brief or as long as you like it to be.

2. For additional entries, post a link to the contest on twitter, facebook, or any other networking place, and you will get an additional entry for every place that you post it. Just leave another comment to let us know that you posted the link so that we can add an entry for you.

3. Become our fan on facebook for another entry.

4. Follow us on twitter for another entry.

Here's the prize:

This raffle will go on until this Friday afternoon (June 18). When the entries are in, we will randomly draw a name out of the bunch to win the harness. We will also share some of the entry stories in our blog.

We are hoping that this raffle goes well because we have another harness, a bag of organic treats, and a tumbler toy to raffle off in the future, so invite all your puggie and puppy friends! JD wishes you all the best of luck :]

x's & o's

#35 - Vegetarian "Bird's Nest" Recipe

2010-06-15T13:04:00.007-04:00

It's a lovely day to share a tasty recipe with all of you. My mother has been making this meal since I was a kid, but once I became a vegetarian at the age of 12, she had a bit of modifying to do! My mom's tasty chicken and broccoli ring is a version of a Pampered Chef recipe that we have made vegetarian friendly (and puggies enjoy it, too! James Dean cannot get enough!). I like to call it the "bird's nest" because of its shape. So, without further ado...

Vegetarian Bird's Nest Recipe

Ingredients:
1 8oz. Bag of Morning Star Chik'n Strips
4oz. Reduced Fat Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
4-6 Tablespoons of low fat or fat free Mayonnaise
12oz. of Frozen Broccoli
1 Package of Pillsbury Crescent Roles
Salt & Pepper
Garlic (fresh and/or powdered)
Pam non-stick cooking spray

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. Defrost the Chik'n and broccoli. You do not need to fully cook it, just defrost it enough so that you can work with it.
3. Finely chop the chik'n and broccoli together. This can be done using a food processor or a slap-chopper (or by hand if you are very ambitious).
4. In a large bowl mix the chopped chik'n and broccoli with the mozzarella and mayonnaise.
5. Add pepper, salt, and garlic according to taste preference and mix well. A fair amount of garlic should be used for best flavor. (I use both powder and fresh to give it a tasty kick).
6. Coat an 11-13 in. round baking pan with Pam. Crack open the crescent roles and separate the triangles. Arrange them in a circle around the pan with the bases overlapping in the center and the points hanging over the sides of the pan.
7. Spoon the broccoli filling onto the bases of the doughy triangles.
8. Take the doughy triangle points that are hanging over the sides of the pan and fold each one over the filling so that the filling is partially covered and so that the point connects with the dough that is at the base of the triangle. Pinch the point and the base together so that they stick and will bake together in the oven.
9. Bake 20-30 minutes. It may take up to 35 minutes in some ovens. Check in on it and when it is golden brown, it's done!
10. Allow to cool, cut it, and enjoy!

I hope some of you will make this yummy meal. It is great for parties!

Now, switching over to pug business, I am hoping that some of you can give me some tips. I have tried to brush JD's teeth on several occasions, but it never works out. He is panic-stricken at the sight of the tooth brush and he tries to run and ends up scratching me. I hate to see the poor little guy so scared, but I also do not want him to jeopardize his dental health. He was born with a crooked jaw, so he has a hard time with hard treats, which means that his teeth don't get as clean as some other dogs' do. Does anyone have suggestions or alternatives? JD would be very appreciative!

We hope that you will all come by tomorrow and enter to win our raffle for a black, size medium Yuppie Puppy Anti-Pull Harness!

x's and o's

#34- A Crafty Monday

2010-06-14T12:41:00.013-04:00

We have so much news and fun to share today! This is going to be a longer post, but we are quite sure that you'll enjoy it. JD woke up this morning and I just had to snap this photo of him sitting near the James Dean poster that's by my bed. Him and his idol in one shot... I just couldn't pass it up :]

This morning I made an Etsy treasury called Warm, Fuzzy Feelings, which is composed of items that promote animal rights, well being, welfare, rescue, and other positive attitudes towards animals. I love so many of these items and the messages that they send! I am especially excited about this treasury because one hour after making it I received an e-mail offering me a volunteer position at the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MSPCA). I've been donating to them for a long time, so I am glad to finally have the chance to do more. I begin on Sunday, June 27. I will share all about it! I am also signed up for the MSPCA Walk for Animals this fall. My team is called "Rebels With a Cause". I will give details about that later this week, in case anyone is interested in becoming one of my sponsors.

This morning was a busy one! I had a physical with my doctor so that she could make sure I'm growing up good and strong. Good news: I am! After the physical I came right home to spend the morning crafting with JD. Above is my "portable" paper crafting basket that comes around the house with me. I made some new cards and have ideas for more to make this evening.

I decided to make "All You Need Is Pug Gift Sets" to sell in my etsy shop. Now family and friends of pug and dog lovers can give a lovely gift for any occasion :]

I think I will share my vegetarian "chicken" and broccolli ring recipe tomorrow since I already jam-packed today's post. I will end by sharing a photo of JD and I from this morning. I was trying to get a photo of my new haircut and color that my cousin gave me yesterday and JD wanted to show off his handsome face, too. He is such a charming little fellow!

x's and o's

#33- JD's Busy Weekend

2010-06-13T10:49:00.009-04:00

Today there is a Sundaes on Sunday for pugs in Canton, MA, but unfortunately we did not have time to make the hour long drive so we will have to make our own yummy treats at home!
We've had a busy weekend, since it was my dad's 50th birthday party yesterday and his actual birthday today. At the same time my grandmother had to go to the hospital for dehydration, but she will be okay and back home with us in a few days!

JD is a bit out of sorts because he isn't used to so much commotion. He had a lot of fun seeing all of our friends and neighbors yesterday, but he was sad when he had to stay in the kitchen so that he wouldn't attempt to steal food from everyone's plates. Don't feel too bad for him, though, because I stayed with him most of the time and snuck him plenty of the yummy things that we cooked up (strawberries were his treat of choice). As you can see in the photo above, he was pooped out after a long day of begging for snacks, impressing everyone with his charm, and helping his grandpa to enjoy the party.

Yesterday my pug ring and necklace by Sofa City Sweethearts arrived. They are so cute! Thanks a bunch to Carrie for selling such cute items in her Etsy shop.

Today is a cloudy, rainy day so JD and I plan to snuggle up, knit, and watch movies with Jeremy and the family. We love lazy days like this and we hope that you all have a nice, relaxing end to the week. We'll be back tomorrow to share our vegetarian "chicken" and broccoli roll recipe from the party, and don't forget to stop by on Wednesday to finally get the chance to enter the raffle for the Yuppie Puppy Harness :]

x's and o's

#32- Paws Up for Charity

2010-06-11T16:15:00.014-04:00

This has been a very productive and eventful week! JD had a bath 2 days ago and we forgot to share our photos. He hates baths, so he was not thrilled that I insisted on snapping a few photos, but in retrospect he is happy to be clean and smelling like yummy berries!

Watching the news every night really puts a damper on the day as I see how many animals are dying or being injured thanks to BP's oil spill. I can't sit by and do nothing, and I wish I had the money to fly down and rescue animals myself, but because that isn't an option I am doing something small. I am selling the above print in my etsy shop and donating a portion of the profits to the National Wildlife Federation's oil spill relief fund. It isn't much, but I am glad I can give something.

In other news, I joined the group "Etsy for Animal" which is a community of shops that donate a portion of their profits to animals. I am very excited to begin getting involved :]

Our final bit of excitement for the day is announcing our new goal. From tomorrow, June 12, until December 12 our goal is to sell 1 hat to each of the 50 states (yes, even the warm state of Hawaii!). We have printed the above map and will be keeping track of our progress. We have 6 months to sell 50 hats to people all over the US, and we hope you will have fun tracking our progress with us. The 50 buyers who represent each state will receive a free pug print as a token of our thanks in helping us to reach this goal that we've set for ourselves. We want to see alien dogs taking over all over the US in our hats!

Tomorrow is my dad's 50th birthday party (his real birthday is Sunday). We'll tell you all about it. Have a fun weekend everyone! Any plans?

x's and o's

#31- French Toast and Fashion for Pugs

2010-06-10T10:18:00.011-04:00

This morning I got the opportunity to make my first Etsy Treasury! I entitled the treasury "Project Pugway" (since I am a huge Project Runway fan) and made it all about the cutest dog fashions on Etsy. Please stop by, leave a comment, and click the link a few times to help all of these lovely artisans to get on the front page.

Yesterday was JD's first time trying French Toast. I have been giving him more natural foods and less kibble. If I am eating better, he should, too! You can share in his explorations of new tasty treats with our recipes.

Fido French Toast and Sweet Cinnamon Eggs

Ingredients:
(serves 1)
2 Cage Free Medium Brown Eggs
1 Piece of Whole Grain Toast
Soy Milk or Skim Milk
Vanilla
Cinnamon
Sugar
1/4 Cup of Blueberries
Pam Non-stick cooking spray

Directions:
1. Crack the two eggs into a bowl and beat them.
2. Beat in 2 tablespoons of soy or skim milk. Then beat in a splash of vanilla, about a teaspoon of of cinnamon, and about a teaspoon sugar.
3. Spray a skillet with Pam non-stick cooking spray and allow it to heat.
4. Generously coat each side of the bread with the egg mixture. Save the remaining egg mixture and put it to the side.
5. Once skillet is hot, place the bread on the skillet and cook the first side until it is golden brown.
6. Flip bread and allow second side to cook.
7. After the toast is done, spray the pan with a fresh coat of Pam. Grab the remaining egg mixture, re-beat it, and cook it in your skillet.
8. Plate your eggs and toast and add a tasty helping of fresh blueberries.
9. Enjoy!

Yum! I think I'll make this tasty toast again today. Have fun, everyone :]

x's and o's

#30- Play That Funky Music, Pug Boy

2010-06-09T09:43:00.012-04:00

Good morning! It's still early in the day and JD and I have already done so much. AllYouNeedIsPug.com now has a working resources page. We have listed some of your blogs, shops, and pages, so head over and take a peak to see if you're there so that you can tell your friends. If we haven't listed you, don't worry! We were scurrying around collecting so much information that we couldn't grab everyone in the first shot. The page will be updated constantly, so of you want your blog, shop, or page listed, just send us a message and we'll include you in the next update.

Our hat was featured in today's Zibbet blog entitled "Make It Personal" with tips on how to market your shop. It is a very helpful article if you're looking to get your business known.

For today's bit of fun, JD and I would like to share our summer playlist with you. These are our favorite songs to dance to, to be lazy with, and just to have some fun.

1. "Band on the Run" - Paul McCartney
2. "Crusin'"- Huey Lewis and Gwyneth Paltrow
3. "Float On" - Modest Mouse
4. "Have I Been a Fool?" - Jack Penate
5. "Here Comes the Sun" - The Beatles
6. "High Times" - Landon Pigg and Turbo Fruits
7. "How Bizarre" - OMC
8. "I Saw Her Standing There" - The Beatles
9. "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" - U2
10. "Lovefool" - The Cardigans
11. "Jolene" - Dolly Parton
12. "Mack the Knife" - Bobby Darin
13. "Mercy" - Duff
14. "Randy Scouse Git" - The Monkees
15. "She's Got You High" - Mumm-Ra
16. "Soul Meets Body" - Death cab for Cutie
17. "Stand By Me" - Ben E, King
18. "Summerboy"- Lady Gaga
19. "The Remedy" - Jason Mraz
20. "You Really Got a Hold On Me" - She & Him

If anyone would like a CD with all of these songs on it, just leave us a comment or send us an e-mail with your address and we will gladly mail you a copy :]

Lastly, we sold our 199th item on Etsy this morning. The person to make our 200th sale by buying any item in the shop will receive 20% off of their next purchase! We want to make sure that our blog readers get the chance to head over to our shop and take a look to get the chance to have this special discount. Also, our blog friends get the exclusive perk of receiving a special surprise gift with their order along with the discount. If any of you do make the 200th purchase, be sure to let me know in the invoice that you follow my blog so that I can send the gift with the item that you've bought.

Have a lovely day, everyone!

x's and o's

#29 - Super Starr

2010-06-08T11:29:00.011-04:00

What a wonderful start to the week JD and I have both been having!

Today I got my tickets to go and see Ringo Starr on June 27. That same week I am also going to see the Beatles tribute band, Rain. I can't even begin to express my excitement!

JD and I have been very busy this week. Yesterday we did a little photoshoot to get some images for our new website AllYouNeedIsPug.com. The new layout is now up and looks fantastic (thanks to Rockdown web designs), so please stop in and take a look. I am currently working on the resources page and that should be up as early as tomorrow afternoon. If anyone has any businesses, associations, or other resources that relate to pugs, pets, animals, and animal rights that you feel would be a nice addition to the directory, please let me know!

JD was a perfect little model posing in my newest neckwarmers and hats and with our tumbler toys. We are making of dozens of items to prepare for the Pug Rescue of New England's Pug Social this fall. We are teeming with ideas and can't wait to continue showing them off and sharing them with you. The neckwarmer above is my newest favorite. It was inspired by candy corn. There is a hat to match, but it is not finished just yet. I will share that once I have added the pompoms to it.

We would like to ask all of our friends to vote for JD in two photo contests that he is currently in. He is entered in both the Arizona Pug Adoption and Rescue Network contest and the Kentuckiana Pug Rescue Contest. Votes for these contests are just $1 each and all money goes to help the rescues. All votes are appreciated! You can click here to vote for him in the Arizona contest, and click here to vote for him in the Ketuckiana contest. He is pug #15 on the Kentuckiana page.

And lastly today I would like to give a shout out to Kiley from Fabulously Fierce Pets. We met on Attack of the Craft, the crafting forum. She makes spunky leashes and collars and her shop is going to be listed in the upcoming resources directory on my website. Visit her site to check out some of her designs, and also be sure to sign up at the AotC forum if you are crafty. You can find a link on the left sidebar that will direct you as one of my referrals.

I'm off to seize the day :]

x's and o's

#28 - Furries and Felines

2010-06-07T08:13:00.014-04:00

Good morning everyone :]

James Dean and I are happy to announce that this blog is the most recent addition to Pets Blogroll. You can find our profile page here. If any of our friends are also members, please let us know so that we can add you to our "favorites"!

Today James Dean and I will be relaxing and working on creating some new toys and brainstorming new ideas. Thanks to Jeremy, who is not only my boyfriend, but a fantastic graphic designer who owns the web design company Rockdown, AllYouNeedIsPug.com is getting a remarkable makeover this week. We can't wait to unveil the new site. In addition to the content already on the site, there will be an all new page with a directory of resources for pugs, pets, and animals. If any of our friends know of animal rescues, shops, organizations, etc. that deserve recognition, please feel free to leave a comment and let me know so that I can consider adding it to the directory. The new site will also have a photo gallery and a brand new layout. It should be finished within the next few days and I will let you all know when you can see the magic that Jeremy has worked!

I would like to mention that this month is "Adopt a Shelter Cat" Month. If your heart is open and your home has a bit of room that you could offer to a homeless little friend, please consider adopting a cat from a local animal shelter. The MSPCA is hoping to find forever-homes for 500 cats, and many other shelters have similar goals. One of my family's 2 cats, Salem, is pictured above. We adopted her several years ago, and we hope that she inspires a few people to adopt, too. You can read a bit about this adoption event on PETA's website.

And my final announcement today is in regards to the raffle that JD and I have decided to have. As I mentioned before leaving for vacation, we will be raffling off an Anti-Pull Harness from Yuppie Puppy. On June 16 we will be announcing how everyone will be able to enter, but even before then you can get a chance to have additional entries! For every person that you get to "follow" my blog, twitter, or facebook, you will receive an additional entry into the raffle. Simply e-mail a list of the people that you refer to us to jessica@allyouneedispug.com. Also be sure to include your name and e-mail address so that we can contact you if you win the raffle. We cannot wait until the 16th so that we can tell you the fun and simple little thing that we've come up with for everyone to do to get another entry into the raffle. That way even those who don't like social networking can have a chance at winning, too!

We hope you all have a fantastic day :]

x's and o's

#27 - Back from North Conway

2010-06-06T16:49:00.011-04:00

I'm back from my little vacation. Jeremy surprised me and took me up to North Conway for the weekend. We stayed at a cozy little bed and breakfast that had the most amazing Texas-style French toast that we've ever eaten. We arrived late Friday night, woke up early yesterday morning, and took the Cog Railway train up to the top of Mount Washington. Unfortunately, it was cold, rainy, and so foggy that we could barely see more than a yard or two in front of us. We ended up walking around a bit before taking the cog back and heading back to North Conway. Once we had dinner we went to a teeny tiny local theater to see "Shrek Forever After". It was a hilarious movie with phenomenal graphics, so I do recommend seeing it. It certainly will not disappoint Shrek fans. Once the movie ended late, we headed back to the B&B where Jer taught me how to play chess. We went to bed early because we were intending to go horseback riding early this morning, but stormy conditions prevented that, so we opted to head home.

While in N. Conway, I missed my little James Dean very much. He had a lovely weekend with his grandparents and many of the neighboring dogs came to visit him. I just had to bring the little guy some presents. I found a fantastic pet supply store and bake shop called Four Your Paws Only. If you are ever in North Conway and you have a pet, you will have to stop in. The workers were all incredibly friendly and there was such a positive vibe in the shop. I found some adorable toys for JD and got him some of their home-made biscuits. I even managed to find myself a magnet for my car that I posted a picture of above. Jer got a bumper sticker that said "My Pug is Smarter than Your Honor Student". We got a kick out of that one. Some of their products are available online at their website, so stop on by and check out there store here.

Here are some of the photos from our excursion:

The thick fog on top of Mount Washington.

Jer at the Cog Railroad

Yours truly at the Cog.

The train that we took.

Another cog getting ready for action.

Getting blown away on top of Mount Washington.

Jeremy in the fog.

The valley below Mount Washington.

A sign that we were happy to see at a local mall. My campaign this summer is educating people on the dangers of leaving dogs in cars, so this sign made me smile.

Jeremy catching a view near our hotel in North Conway.

Local view.

The pretty sky after the rain.

The nasty second storm that we hit this morning.

The tasty treats we bought for JD at "Four Your Paws Only". That blueberry oat biscuit looks so yummy that I could eat it myself! I think JD is going to enjoy his chicken pot pie treat tonight.

I am off to spend some time relaxing with Jer and JD. More adventures to share soon!

x's and o's

#26- Helping Hands

2010-06-03T13:04:00.008-04:00

Yesterday I was sad to read about this adorable little puggle named Ricco.

He was hit by a car and neglected by his owners until the Pug Rescue of New England came to his aid. He isn't even 2 years old yet, the poor thing! Fortunately PRoNE got him the surgery that he needed.

Another sad case from PRoNE is Bogart who has terrible eye and hip injuries that PRoNE has had operated on and are now helping him to recover.

I'm sharing their stories here in the hopes that some of my compassionate friends who may have some funds to spare can donate to the rescue and help them to help animals like Ricco and Bogart. You can read their stories and how to help them at PRoNE's blog.

More sad news came to me today when I found out that Rue McClanahan of The Golden Girls died after having a stroke earlier today. Rue was an avid animal advocate and is one of my heroes when it comes to animal rights activism. I hope that others will also remember her for her compassion, and not just her hilarious role as the sultry vixen, Blanche Devereaux.

Cruelty is one fashion statement we can all do without. ~Rue McClanahan

Tomorrow afternoon I am leaving for a trip and won't be back until Sunday night. I am sure I will have dozens of photos to share when I come back and JD will have plenty of adventures to brag about while his grandparents spoil him! He already is acting like the king of our bedroom while he watches me pack.

He will miss me while I'm gone, but he will certainly enjoy having the bed all to himself for once :]

x's and o's