Category Archives: Advice, Tips and Tricks

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Save Money This Halloween – Re-Purpose an Old Costume!

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If you’re feeling creative, one great way to save money this Halloween is to re-purpose an old costume. You may have an outfit in the closet from an old recital or school play or something retro that belongs to a family member. Maybe you can take a costume from Halloweens past and add or remove some accessories to give the outfit new life. Or some small tweaks and DIY elements may turn one costume into something completely new. Why not take a look in storage and see if anything sparks your Halloween creativity?

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Keep reading to see how I transformed one of Sadie’s old outfits into five completely new Halloween costumes for my dog!


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dogs, designer dogs, Yorkipoo, yorkie poo, Halloween, dog costume, pig costume

For example, I have a simple pig costume for Sadie. It’s a fairly easy Halloween costume for her to wear, because it mostly sits on her back, held in place with Velcro. It’s easy for her to move around, as there are no restrictive parts of the costume on her legs. And it’s a convenient costume for me because it has a hole made for a harness or leash to fit through. But most importantly, when I looked at this old costume I had a sudden burst of DIY inspiration.

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dogs, designer dogs, Yorkipoo, yorkie poo, piggy bank, Halloween, dog costume, pig costume

With some simple DIY printing, cutting, and pasting, I can turn Sadie’s pig costume into a super cute piggy bank costume! I printed a large image of a coin I found online and also printed a solid black rectangle off of my computer. I cut out the rectangle and taped it to the back of Sadie’s pig costume, making sure not to cover the leash opening. I then cut out 90% of the coin, leaving a wedge of printer paper attached to the bottom of the coin. I folded over the wedge and taped it to the black rectangle attached to the costume. This enabled to coin to appear standing up, as if it’s just being placed into the piggy bank. Thus with a few pieces of paper and tape I turned Sadie’s pig costume into an adorable piggy bank Halloween costume!

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I was also able to use Sadie’s simple pig costume and turn it into a glamorous Miss Piggy outfit that’s perfect for Halloween! All I needed was a blond wig and a dress worthy of the most stylish Muppet. I placed the blond wig over the head of the pig costume, using the ears to hold the wig in place. Then I chose a dress that is slightly larger on Sadie and put it on over her pig costume. The combination of the visible pig elements with the dress and wig create pretty cute representation of Miss Piggy from the Muppets.

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dogs, designer dogs, Yorkipoo, yorkie poo, muppets, miss piggy, Halloween, dog costume, pig costume

dogs, designer dogs, Yorkipoo, yorkie poo, muppets, miss piggy, Halloween, dog costume, pig costume


Harry Plopper (from the Simpsons)

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Piglet Costume

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To turn a plain, old pig costume into the adorable Piglet from Winnie the Pooh, all Sadie needed was the right sweater. A simple purple and pink striped dog sweater works perfectly as Piglet’s signature style.

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Spider Pig (from the Simpsons)

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Sadie has added a Spiderwoman dress to her pig costume to transform into Spider Pig from the Simpsons. One red and blue jumpsuit is all it takes to go from ordinary pig to superhero!

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dogs, designer dogs, Yorkipoo, yorkie poo, dog costume, diy, beanie baby

Super Easy DIY Halloween Costume For Your Dog!

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I love looking at all of the creative DIY Halloween costume ideas you can find everywhere at this time of year! But to be honest, I’m a bit clumsy with crafting, and most DIY costumes are beyond my beginner skill set. But when I came across a photo of a Beanie Baby dog costume on Pinterest, I immediately knew this was perfect for me – easy enough for my skill level and adorable enough for my dog. Plus, as someone who collected Beanie Babies at the height of the craze, I rather liked the idea of having a Beanie Baby of my own dog. Below you can find the steps I used to create the Beanie Baby costume seen in these photos of Sadie.
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Beanie Baby Dog Costume

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Step 1:

Search online for a good image of that unforgettable heart logo tag. Try to find an image that has the tag open so that your own tag can be opened and read.

Step 2:

Print out the heart, making sure the tag will print large enough based on the size of your dog. I printed mine at 150%, making the heart take up the top third of a piece of standard printer paper.

Step 3:

Glue / tape the paper with the heart printout to a piece of cardboard. This will help to make the tag is sturdy enough to survive being attached to your dog.

Step 4:

Cut out the tag and fold in half.

Step 5:

Write your dog’s name and birthday inside. You may also include cute little facts about your dog, or a small story or poem.

Step 6:

Punch a hole in the tag at the upper left corner. The correct spot may be marked with a small circle, depending on the heart image you chose online.

Step 7:

Attach the tag to a piece of string or a rubber band. I used a hair elastic for Sadie’s tag.

Step 8:

Loop string around your dog’s collar and you’re done! (I also tried hanging the tag by Sadie’s ear, as a lot of the Beanie Babies I owned had tags in that position. By using the hair elastic, I made sure this placement wouldn’t pull Sadie’s hair or hurt her. It looked pretty cute in the photos, but as you can probably guess, the tag did not stay in place very long and I ultimately realized the collar placement is better in the long run.)
dogs, designer dogs, Yorkipoo, yorkie poo, dog costume, diy, beanie baby

dogs, designer dogs, Yorkipoo, yorkie poo, dog costume, diy, beanie baby

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This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

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Be a Tourist in Your Own Town!

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The sun is shining; it’s a beautiful day. You want to take the dog out for a walk, but where to go? It gets boring walking the same old path around your neighborhood. But you’re not really in the mood to sit in traffic driving somewhere new and interesting. So why not explore your own town? I bet there are plenty of places in your own city that your dog hasn’t seen and smelled yet. Have you taken your pooch to every single park? Maybe you’ll find a waterfall you’ve never noticed before (Click here to read about the time Sadie and I discovered a surprise waterfall). Or maybe there’s a dog run your fur baby hasn’t explored yet. Your dog’s new favorite place could be waiting on the other side of town, so why not try out all the dog friendly places your own town has to offer!
dogs, designer dogs, Yorkipoo, yorkie poo, tourist, tacky, camera, sunglasses

dogs, designer dogs, Yorkipoo, yorkie poo, tourist, tacky, camera, sunglasses

dogs, designer dogs, Yorkipoo, yorkie poo, tourist, tacky, camera, sunglasses

dogs, designer dogs, Yorkipoo, yorkie poo, tourist, tacky, camera, sunglasses

dogs, designer dogs, Yorkipoo, yorkie poo, tourist, tacky, camera, sunglasses
This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.
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dogs, designer dogs, Yorkipoo, yorkie poo, watermelon, fruit, dog smiling, tongue out

Can Dogs Eat Watermelon?

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One of the most anticipated treats every Summer is a juicy piece of watermelon. But can this tasty snack be shared with your canine best friend?
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Can dogs eat watermelon?

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The answer is YES!

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Watermelon – without seeds – is a sweet, refreshing treat that dogs, cats, and humans can all enjoy.
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You can read more about pet appropriate fruits and vegetables in this article from PetMD.

 


This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

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dogs, designer dogs, Yorkipoo, yorkie poo, flowers, spring flowers, dogs with flowers, daisy

Which Flowers Are Safe For Your Pets?

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If you’re thinking about planting a garden or just planting a few flowers to make your home look nice, you need to consider which flowers are safe for your furry family members. There are many flowering plants that are toxic or cause health issues for pets (See my list of flowers toxic to pets here). It would be best to keep your pets from eating any plants in general, as you never know what your pets will react to. But sometimes dogs will be dogs and insist on eating things they are not supposed to. So it’s best to make sure that the flowers in and around your home are the safest types for your pets. That’s why I’ve complied this list of the safest flowers to have around your pets.


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  • Roses
  • Violets
  • Camellia
  • Marigold
  • Aster
  • Snapdragon
  • Jasmine
  • Gerber Daisy (Sadie is posing with some pretty pink Gerber Daisies in these photos)
  • Impatience
  • Orchids
  • Petunias
  • Sunflower
  • Zinnia

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To learn more about toxic and non-toxic plants and to look up specific plants by name, visit the ASPCA’s Animal Poison Control website.


dogs, designer dogs, Yorkipoo, yorkie poo, flowers, spring flowers, dogs with flowers, daisy

dogs, designer dogs, Yorkipoo, yorkie poo, flowers, spring flowers, dogs with flowers, daisy

dogs, designer dogs, Yorkipoo, yorkie poo, flowers, spring flowers, dogs with flowers, daisy
This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.
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