Good Bloggie!

A pooch feeder which gets the mess off the floor and into the air!

This stylish feeder is made by the folks at These Creatures and would make a great kitchen statement. Pick from five colors and choose a smoking or non-smoking Frenchie. No, really. They offer a smoking Frenchie, “Pierre (who just won’t put down the Gauloises)” or the post-Chantix version of Pierre, who’s kicked the habit.

If you are on a tight budget, choose a small ornament of Pierre, but you will want to limit this gift to those 21 or older, or for dogs older than three, as he only comes smoking. (Do the math: 3 actual years x 7 dog years = 21 dog years).

They offer custom designs and many other items. Check out the gate decoration featuring Tige, Buster Brown’s sidekick. And what about that pot and pan holder? It sure has a rather familiar silhouette in the line up…

Ever wonder how art is created for a children’s book? Check out the blog of illustrator Fian Arroyo and see his progression from pencil sketch to finished art and cover for the new book Best in Show, written by Barbara Bakowski and published by Red Chair Press. Yes, there is one small flaw, no Frenchies made the book, but an English Bully did and it’s about a dog show, so we’ll cut them some slack. Plus, Fian’s art is a real treat! Enjoy.

While watching the fascinating documentary about the inner workings of Vogue, I too, became crushed as creative director Grace Coddington saw her cherished Paris je t’aime photo shoot whittled down, further and further, by Vogue editor, Anna Wintour. Not only because the moody, lush, 20s-inspired images taken by Steven Meisel are wonderful, but because the most compelling image (at least from a Frenchie person’s point-of-view) included two French Bulldogs, a brindle and a cream, decked out in badger hair collars. Near the foot of another model, is what looks like an antique “Growler” toy adding to the image’s mystique.

Of course wanted to share this image with you, so began with the Vogue site, but Vogue has edited out that photo, again. Opened the search to include the movie’s site, then the web, finally finding a grainy, skewed version of it at Jezebel, along with the movie trailer it came from. Image isn’t very sharp or big, and certainly doesn’t do justice to the true image, but at least you can get a hint. (And learn more about the image, photoshoot, movie, and history.)

And while another blog, Femmes de Fleurs, doesn’t include the Frenchie-enhanced image, it does delve into the background behind the original photos and historical times which inspired this Vogue photo shoot.

The only way you may be able to view the image fully is to rent The September Issue and keep your remote control finger snappy. This photo shoot is towards the first third of the film, and appears again as they are blocking out the magazine with small images and page spread comps.

Frenchies are cute, cuddly, and woolly??

Get out your needles and remember how to knit and purl, or just have fun checking out an unusual slant to a time-honored craft – Knitting AND French Bulldogs!

Knit and wear a French Bulldog sweater. Visit this blog to see a sample worked up and get links to the pattern. Portraits of Dogs in Knitting

Or, if your Japanese is good, crochet and play with a French Bulldog toy. Click on the image or link below and scroll down the page to see images from inside the book. If you are an excellent crocheter, you might be able to just go by the diagrams.

Japanese Crochet book

The book is also available on Amazon, the Japanese version.

If you want to get really, really crazy, knit using your Frenchie’s fur as the yarn. Knitting with dog fur experienced a surge during WWII when knitting materials were scarce and continues today as a hobby. Page through the book Knitting with Dog Hair. They do warn Frenchies provide a “poor harvest.” Maybe aim for a scarf and not a sweater…

Don’t have a spinning wheel? Pay someone to spin that hair into yarn. Search for “spinning dog hair” and you will get several hits.

While no French Bulldog garments are represented, you might enjoy seeing some final dog yarn products.

Hum…makes one look a little differently at those fur balls under, and on, the couch.

Picking up from an item featured at Tilda in the Burbs; dog stencils for decorating.

The Esty shop owner’s description of this stencil is “Boston Terrier.” Is it a Boston, or a Frenchie in disguise? (Click on the images to visit the shop.)

Check out the bobble-head stencil, too.