Must Be Magic

 First challenge starting a commission is... Fiber! What fiber will make this particular dog look like him, feel like him and hopefully be as similar as possible.  Beginning as I always do searching through bins of fiber. Everything from baby camel to buffalo. I wait for color to catch my eye... then feel.  Cairns can be a huge challenge in this area because anyone that knows them knows not only can their fur change from puppy to adult but often from adult to some other coloring completely. It amazes me how the Cairn breeders know what that little puppy will turn into.. I like to have that same ability when making mine...Should be easy to make another Cairn. After all I have made more of them then any other dog I own two now and have studied them endlessly.  Looking into my bin I see a color that would be perfect! I see that it is actually a bit of Old Ted's fur.. can I work with this? Do I want to? Is remembering him in such a tactile way what I want right now. Had to.. it was the color I needed. Touching his fir seeing the guard hair again brings back all that love I had for him over whelming emotion for this past little darling that I miss daily in spite of the immense amount of love I get from the darlings still with me.  I went for it I started working on the dog... there is a point in the creation when I see a spark of reality in the eye the face comes to life for me in a emotional way. The Magic if you will is there.. this magic was my Old Ted! Where did he come from?  I could not turn this little dog into anyone but Old Ted. The hips were his skinny little hips the way he sat the long often messy beard, the expression! Tail with only wisps of fur on it. Deep inside it struck me  these mini dogs in some inexplicable way seem to almost use me to come back in a three dimensional way.  One of the pictures is the dog sitting on a package under the tree. Representing to me one of the greatest gifts he was in my life... he also had the habit of sitting on ANYTHING, if it was a piece of cardboard or a paper bag or plastic or poster board you name it if I put it on the floor Ted sat on it! Just one more tiny thing I loved and miss about him.. Now to make another Cairn!

Brian

A bit of excitement when I get a request for a Cairn Terrier... when the picture looks so much like my own dog Bob, and my fur grand baby Mario!  There is just something about their faces that gets me deep inside. Is it from the great love I had for my Old Ted? Is it just that they are the cutest little dogs? No real challenge working on this little guy. Mini Brian is a Xmas gift so he is wearing a red bow. I tried to get a photo of him next to my own Cairn Bob... Bob seemed indifferent to the whole idea. Maybe he is sick of me showing him my work... Little Brian is on his way to London.. hope he makes his new owner happy because it sure made me happy to make him for her. These little dogs are just a package of joy for me... well dogs are.

Angelo

 A tiny little dog with a giant love. Angelo passed away the summer of 2012. Leaving his elderly owner with a big hole in her heart.  Old dogs and people touch me deeper then anything. With the combination at work here my heart was full when I started looking at the many pictures sent to me to recreate such a special friend.  Each commission is special ... when the dog is gone it adds another level to that. No explanation... I may get too involved in each piece. You see I know the loss and the love and the missing... when it's in my hands to create through a visual representation a piece that will recall our memories of the special creature whom we were able to borrow for a short time to love in our life.. a piece of  "forever life".
Angelo is a 80th birthday gift from two daughters..

Barcardi

 Bacardi is a dog from many years ago. During a photo sorting I came across his album. Feels right to write about him now.. he is after all on my slide show on Designer Dog Miniature's Website, so he is an important piece. To choose 7 photos for a slide show when you have hundreds says it all.  This is one of his favorite actions in the real Bacardi's life.. the old paw offer move. I see this myself daily from my big dog Onyx.  Onyx adds a bit of a slap with is paw offer. His objective is to somehow turn a offer of the paw into a full on "sit on your lap move" ..in Bacardi's pose he is looking gentle and in a true offer of the paw. Said it before ... love those dogs paws. Here he has wonderful paws that seem to actually put weight on the surface he sits on. Attentive sweet expression! So much in those eyes... love, energy,excitement all at the same time. There is always some bond with a piece when it is a persons pet..I can't work with those photos so closely and not get that dog in my head and heart. Enjoy him..

Rottweiler

Here we are again... with I hope something you find interesting. Dog Earrings... in this case Rottweiler. My daughter has a Rottweiler named Jack! He is giant in heart and size.  He is, or should be the poster child/dog for sweet breeds that are misunderstood. Calm wonderful gentle boy. Brings true meaning to "Wiggle Butt" as it seems to be in constant motion displaying the sweet friendly personality he has. My daughter's  first Rottweiler was in Germany, when returning to the USA she had of course to have another, so here is the inspiration for my work.  I have made so many Rottweilers just learning to get them right! The tiny little ones turned into earrings and some went to tiny, tiny 1/4 scale doll houses. I have made earrings of two different dogs so someone could wear both their dogs at once. I have made pins of other breeds so people could wear their own dog at dog shows. This worked wonderfully for show dog people. Hands free display of YOUR dog..  Here is Jack! From puppy to adult.

Greydee & Bearaboo

 A unusual couple at first glance.. living with them you see it's quite natural for this dog Bearaboo to have Greydee the somewhat crabby looking kitty follow him everywhere.  I enjoyed making this couple. Bearaboo had a under bite that was most important to show in the piece. Greydee had a little closed eye look to her that gave her both character and charm.

What about a Poodle?

Today I am focusing on two of the oh so many Poodles I have made.  In my life my first encounter with a Poodle was a Standard Black male named Josh.. magnificent animal in all regards. He was groomed in the fancy show cut that we all think of when someone says "Poodle"..not a fan as a child of that style of dog but a dog was a dog and I did love all dogs and big dogs for sure.He was not Rin Tin Tin or Lassie but he was big and he was impressive. Josh belonged to a lady that owned a fabulous large brick home on many groomed acres. My mother did her cleaning and I accompanied her many times with the intent on playing some of the very clever games Josh knew. Brilliant animals those Poodles and he was no exception. Hide and seek was one of his favorites. You know what is fun about hide and seek with a dog? They love to be the seeker! Ha ha. Your it! is also something they love... because the chase is the most fun.  You just can't be bored if you have a dog as your friend. The two examples I am showing of Poodles I made both for the same owner.  Sadly the black example is a memorial piece named Wolfy. The beautiful Chocolate brown Poodle is Guiness. He arrived as a wild spirited puppy to help with the passing of Wolfy.  He helped in more ways then expected as she found herself with a handful of puppy that quickly consumed every thought and maneuver to outwit him. Today he has settled into the wonderful companion she needed and wanted.