Friday is for Friendship

This blog comes from Pauline from PaulinesFashions

After losing his parents, this 3 year old orangutan was so depressed he wouldn't eat and didn't respond to any medical treatments. The veterinarians thought he would surely die from sadness.

The zoo keepers found an old sick dog on the grounds in the park at the zoo where the orangutan lived and took the dog to the animal treatment center. The dog arrived at the same time the orangutan was there being treated...

The two lost souls met and have been inseparable ever since. The orangutan found a new reason to live, and each always tries his best to be a good companion to his new found friend.

They are together 24 hours a day in all their activities.

They live in Northern California where swimming is their favorite past time, although Roscoe (the orangutan)
is a little afraid of the water and needs his friend's help to swim.

Together they have discovered the joy and laughter in life and the value of friendship.

They have found more than a friendly shoulder to lean on.

Long Live Friendship!!!!!!!

Some say life is too short, others say it is too long, but I know that nothing we do makes sense if we don't touch the hearts of others while it lasts!

May you always have Love to Share, Health to Spare, And Friends who Care.....even if they are a little hairy at times.

 

From Pauline

www.PaulinesFashions.etsy.com

BFFs

When the internet first starting really catching on, critics complained that it isolated us. Instead of being out in the world meeting and interacting with real people, we were inside, holed up in front of a small screen, chatting with people who may or may not be whom they pretended to be; that it was an artificial existence. Later, when social media hit the www, skeptics were uncomfortable; you're putting too much of yourself out there for all the world to see. We share too much with total strangers. This is true, but I'm so thankful for it.

In 2008, I joined a wonderful community of artisans on Etsy. The people I met in those chat rooms and forums were all very wonderful, helpful, passionate people and I quickly became "friends" with some of them. I joined teams and made more friends. But, in 2009, I started my own team. A group of people who love and make things for pets. If you're a pet person, you know how easy it is to carry on a conversation with a total stranger as long as you're talking about your furbaby. A lot of people joined our team. Some come and go; some have moved on to other things and we miss them, but the core group; the incredible people who drop by our forum every single day and share their lives and their experiences, their good times and the bad ones, those people have become my very best friends. I do not know what I would do without them. They have gotten me through the toughest period of my life and continue to love and support me as I enter a new phase. I am so very thankful for all of them.
This past Tuesday, was, for most everyone, Valentine's Day. For me, it was the first anniversary of my husband's passing. I woke up crying that morning and really didn't stop until mid-afternoon when I think I just ran out of tears. It was an incredibly sad day. When my daughter came home from work, she presented me with a box that turned my whole day around. My dear, wonderful, thoughtful friends from my team, had all sent in gifts to one member who packaged the whole thing together and sent it to my daughter to give to me on Valentine's Day. These women & men, whom I've never met in person, are more than my very best friends. They are my family. To do such a wonderful thing for me; I was just speechless. No amount of words or thank you's seem to properly describe how I felt opening all of those gifts. I feel so blessed to know these people; and I thank God for bringing us all together.

This is a picture of all of the treasures I received:


Patty (Catcalls/DogBarks/thecatrack/mewmart) sent a mini doxie. Velvet assumed it was hers, she reached out to grab it with her teeth, but I stopped her, lol. She was in amongst everything the whole time. Just like a little kid, lol. I also want to thank Patty for putting the whole box together and shipping it to my daughter. Thank you!
Sue (Frumsglassmenagerie) sent a travel bag.
K (kceknits) sent a heart pin.
Kelly sent an angel and a magnet with a saying on it.
Janice (Dogsrule) sent origami hearts, a card with a saying on it, a small round piece of glass art and teeny tiny hearts.
Athena (SassySashadoxie) sent a book called "Bad Dog", and ACEO of Velvet, bookmarks and magnets featuring both Velvet and Sasha.
Pauline (Paulinesfashions) sent a book "Daily Wisdom to Satisfy the Soul".
Alice (MakingStuffwithLove/GrandmasBliss) sent a felted Velvet and a bag/sachet of really good smelling stuff that drove Velvet crazy. Both were in handmade bags.
Diana (DianaDesignsNY / StylinDogsBoutique) sent a Dog calendar and felt hearts.
John (TheHubbyShop) sent a scrabble pendant necklace with a picture of a beagle on it.
In addition to all of this wonderful treasure were cards full of love, support and encouragement.

To see all of the individual items, visit my flickr page.

Thank you so very much!

All my love,
Shari

It's Christmas Time - Tuesday post

I bring to you simply - a song:





This is my favorite Christmas song.
I hope you enjoyed it as well.
Wishing you a
Very Merry Christmas
and a wonderful and healthy New Year.

Diana

www.DianaDesignsNY.etsy.com
www.StylinDogsBoutique.etsy.com

SHOW AND TELL TUESDAY - DOLPHIN AND DOG

2 videos that remind me of the friends we have made here on our PetsJubilee team.

Enjoy:

We ALL need someone to lean on. I am so glad to have you.
Diana

www.DianaDesignsNY.etsy.com
www.StylinDogsBoutique.etsy.com

Fur-Friends & Saturday Pet Bloggers Hop

This was seen on CuteOverload and I just had to share it here:

A real-life Hakuna Matata moment, and a great theme for today.

No worries.

For those who love the song:

Have a great weekend :)



Shari
PetsJubilee.etsy.com
Ciaohound.etsy.com

SHOW AND TELL TUESDAY

In honor of team spirit, this is for our PetsJubilee team.

I love these flash mobs that we are now seeing. They just give me such a good feeling.
This first one that I found was put together to honor this person's friend who passed away.



And who doesn't love this feel good song:


And one more - especially for Shari, because it is from Ohio:


Diana
www.DianaDesignsNY.etsy.com
www.StylinDogsBoutique.etsy.com

Long Live Friendship

Another e-mail find from Pauline from paulinesfashions.

After losing his parents, this 3 year old orangutan was so depressed he wouldn't eat and didn't respond to any medical treatments.
The veterinarians thought he would surely die from sadness. The zoo keepers found an old sick dog on the grounds in the park at the zoo where the orangutan lived and took the dog to the animal treatment center.
The dog arrived at the same time the orangutan was there being treated. The 2 lost souls met and have been inseparable ever since.The orangutan found a new reason to live and each always tries his best to be a good companion to his new found friend. They are together 24 hours a day in all their activities.
They live in Northern California where swimming is their favorite past time, although Roscoe (the orangutan)is a little afraid of the water and needs his friend's help to swim.


Together they have discovered the joy and laughter in life and the value of friendship.

They have found more than a friendly shoulder to lean on.

Long Live Friendship!!!!!!!I don't know... some say life is too short, others say it is too long,but I know that nothing that we do makes sense if we don't touch the hearts of others... while it lasts!

May you always have..Love to Share, Health to Spare, And Friends who Care.

SHOW AND TELL TUESDAY

SHOW AND TELL TUESDAY - PART 4 I've been asking some PetsJubilee team members what their favorite item is that they have sold or made for someone, and why it is a favorite. Or is there a special connection or meaning to the item or the sale.

Here are the last few of the responses I received:

k (kceknits) says: "... this whole felting thing is relatively new to me. I've been knitting for 40+ years, but the felting started about 3 years ago. I moved to the mom's in maine, went from full time work to part time & finally had time to play more with yarn.

I don't know that I have a favorite shop item, but the felted cat beds & kitty kaves have turned out to be the most interesting & rewarding. I end up meeting great cat/dog/pet people, discovered etsy teams. The biggest payback is seeing photos of smiling cats enjoying something I've created & understanding their owners satisfaction at providing joy & comfort to the furry ones."

k, I could not agree more about how exciting it is meeting all of these pet people, both customers and their pictures and stories, as well as meeting all of you great people on this PetsJubilee team.

I love the item you chose to feature here. Not only do I love the bed, and those really great colors (purple and green again being my favorite), but the kitty is beautiful. I love all of your felted items, and the bed are also my favorite, but I could not pass up the oportunity to show this really great looking hat, which I would wear in an instant:

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Next is Jenya (Jenya2), who had the following to say:

"I would pick this Rosebud sweater as my favorite. Its so pretty and feminine, it makes me happy to look at it! As a matter of fact, I liked it so much that I knitted a shrug for myself using the rosebud pattern."

I think this is definitely one of my favorites as well. I just love the colors and I love the soft look of the sweater. I bet this would look great on my little girl Gianna.

But let's not leave out the boys. I've had my eye on this one as well:

Since Jenya and I convoed, she has listed one of her new shrugs in her shop. I thought I would share it with you. I just love it:

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Since we only had 2 team members shops left for this week, I thought about how I would answer the same question.

Although I could go on and on about stories on some of the costumes I have done for customers, I would have to say that the sale that is my favorite, is the first wedding that I did.

A customer approached me to make a Tuxedo for her Shih-tzu, who was marrying a much larger border collie mix. Interesting couple. Here is the groom:

The customer also wanted a wedding dress for the bride, bandanas for all the various sized groomsmen and a cocktail dress for the maid-of-honor. I was honored to have been asked.

I also got a kick out of the fact that they were actually having a dog wedding.

I have been approached many times since for more wedding attire, and I am excited each and every time.

Here is one of my favorite wedding dresses that I have done:

I hope you have enjoyed everyone's stories, favorites and pictures over the last few weeks.

Thank you for looking and commenting.

Diana

http://www.dianadesignsny.etsy.com/

http://www.stylindogsboutique.etsy.com/

The Last Day of February

As you know, February has not been a good month for me in most respects. However, I do try to look for something positive amid all the dark, gloom, sadness, and despair. In this situation, it stood out like a sunny day! So many people have come forward: friends, family, friends of friends, friends of family, family of friends and even complete strangers to support us through this sad and stressful time. It has meant so much to all of us and we want you to know how much we appreciate it and to thank you for all you've done for us. I know there will be sunny days ahead and that soon I'll be able to snooze in my own sunbeam.

Thank you everyone!

Dedicated to My Friends

I want to thank everyone for all the wonderful prayers, bible passages, words of encouragement, support, emails, convos and gifts during this time of loss. Words aren't enough to express how much you've helped me deal with everything, so I found this montage to help express the warm and fuzzy feeling you all manage to emit across the miles.
Thank you so much for all you do :)

How far did you travel this year?

As this year draws to a close, I have been reflecting on the past as I enter into the future. If I don’t do this, I feel as though I am always standing in the same place on the 'road to nowhere', either looking behind me or looking out in the distance but really never going anywhere. I found these questions useful as they helped me to see that I am indeed making progress on this journey we call life. Certainly there was much back tracking, but overall I can say that I have traveled a number of miles in the right direction. I have listed just a few of my answers here and hope you will share a few of yours in the comments.

1. What did I learn? (skills, knowledge, awareness, etc.)

~I learned that I can really make quality friends online, something I never believed possible.

2. What did I accomplish? A list of my wins and achievements.

~I was determined to quit my job and stay home with my children and through much sacrifice, have done so.

3. What would I have done differently? Why?

4. What did I complete or release? What still feels incomplete to me?

5. What were the most significant events of the year past? List the top three.

~Judah got married, Heather had our first grandchild, I quit my job.

6. What did I do right? What do I feel especially good about? What was my greatest contribution?

~After quitting work, I started attending church again (though I have no car now, so it is sporadic)

~I feel especially good about home schooling again this school year.

7. What were the fun things I did? What were the not-so-fun?

~Numerous trips to Chicago to visit my family (yay for Megabus!); creating new items

8. What were my biggest challenges/roadblocks/difficulties?

~Financial struggles have been ongoing, but I can thank God that I still have my basic needs met.

9. How am I different this year than last?

~I am past the “I wonder if I can actually sell anything online?” phase and no longer in the dark through lots of perseverance, reading, listening, and determination!

10. For what am I particularly grateful?

~Little Zeke! My awesome loving, close knit family, and a husband whose love I feel every day!

Dear Lord
Dear Lord, as I close the door on this old year,
I ponder on the things I've done...
on the things I've said and the joys I've had...
then I wonder, have I lost or won?

I've thought of the new friends I have made,
and of the old ones staunch and true...
the path of the old year was made easier Lord,
because I have walked it with You.

I think of all the many times,
when my burdens were so heavy to bear,
and how my faith slipped away from me...
but somehow You were always standing there.

Now as I open the door to this New Year,
and carefully peep inside,
I wonder what it holds for me...
but I'll throw the door open wide

And whatever it brings to me and mine,
I'll meet it with a heart so true...
I know that, Lord whate'er it may be
You'll be there to carry me through.

Mrs. Merrel Thompson

A Happy New Year to all my wonderful new found friends at Petsjubilee!

Patty

Catcalls and Dogbarks