Happy Memorial Day!

Hera Chilling out at the Pool, Memorial Day 2010

Take some time to to think about all the brave men and women who served our country. Wishing you all a safe and Happy Memorial Day!

Also, enjoy this Memorial Day coupon from the Lydia & Pugs from the May Newsletter!

Save 10% off your entire purchase at Lydia & Pugs, now through today, Monday, May 31, 2010. Coupon Code: MemorialDay.
*Coupon good for one-time-use, not to be used with any other offer or custom designs.

Pugs & Kisses,

Dawn & Hera the rescue pug

Friday Favorites: Memorial Day

DIY: Stars & Stripes Memorial Flag Cake Stand from Martha Stewart . And red, white and blue Patriotic fans for decoration.

I hope all of you enjoy your long Memorial Day weekend! We've been busy here at Lydia & Pugs this week with surprising blog headers, new designs in the works, and many other fun products coming your way!

Lydia & Pugs May Newsletter will be sent out this afternoon! So sign-up here, if you haven't already!

Pugs & Kisses,

Dawn

Etiquette Wednesday: Hosting

Q: We entertain a great deal, and I usually don’t know if our guests are vegetarians or have food allergies – until they’re sitting at my dining-room table and not touching the main course. Should I be asking everyone ahead of time about dietary restrictions?

A: If you’re having a few people over for a dinner party or a weekend stay, it’s a good idea to check, especially if you’re planning to serve a dish some people can’t handle. You could say, “We’re thinking about having shellfish, and I’m wondering if you’re able to eat shrimp or clams.” Another approach: “I haven’t bought groceries yet for the weekend – any preferences?” When you’re planning a larger party, you needn’t ask each guest about food restrictions, but to be on the safe side, make sure you include some “neutral” dishes such as a vegetable platter, pasta with meatless sauce, fresh fruit for dessert. That way, everybody will find something he or she enjoys.

Q: At a dinner party, if the hostess offers coffee, can you ask for decaf?

A: It’s not a great idea to come out and ask for it, because the hostess might not have any decaf and you don’t want to embarrass her. But you can certainly respond to “Would you like coffee?” with a question of your own: “Is it decaf?” Because so many people prefer to skip caffeine at night, it may well be. If, however, your hostess says, “No, it’s regular,” and doesn’t offer to make a pot of decaf, then just say, “No, thank you,” and leave it at that.

via Emily Post.

Pugs & Kisses,

Dawn

Children's Stationery with your Pup

Lydia & Pugs has expanded to include more dog breed silhouettes for my "Little Girl Walking Dog" note cards! These are too precious not to love for your sweet little one. You choose the little girl's dress color, shoes color, dog breeds silhouette and even the dog's bow color! And of course it can be personalized as well.

I also recently designed this Little Girl with Great Dane stationery for a client, she requested a Great Dane with uncropped ears, making the dog significantly larger than the little girl. These will be perfect Thank-You notes for her daughter's upcoming birthday celebration.

Check out the Children's stationery here!

Pugs & Kisses,

Dawn

Lydia & Pugs Doggy Library: New Additions

New dog breeds have been added to the Lydia & Pugs Doggy library!

Most of these breeds had been requested from the Lydia & Pugs fans, and although these might not look exactly like your pup at home, they are considered a representation of your specific breed.

If you are interested in a custom design of your unique pup, you can visit my Custom Stationery page to read more about the process and view previous designs.

Also, I am always looking to expand the L&P Doggy Library, so if you have any suggestions as to a breed I don't have in my library, I would love to here them!

Pugs & Kisses,

Dawn

Friday Favorites

It's Friday!

Lydia & Pugs Graduation thank yous and Grad party paper goods are still up on the shop, for those graduating later in the summer!

Also, I've been working on some Nautical Stationery that I just love! The stationery set comes with a set of Wrap Around Address labels and of course the stationery is rendered water color!

It's been a long and busy week this week here at Lydia & Pugs, with some very exciting new projects coming up! I hope everyone enjoys their weekend!

Pugs & Kisses,

Dawn

Nautical Stationery

Lipstick Pink Nautical Stationery

Blush Pink Nautical Stationery

Summer is right around the corner, my favorite season!

When I am not illustrating cute dog breeds and water coloring your favorite pooch, I often thinking of other creative ways to express some of my favorite things, one of which is the nautical seashore.

Perfect for summer these new Lydia & Pugs set of 12 flat note cards come with coordinating envelopes and a set wrap-around address labels!

Check out all the summer section of my Etsy shop, as I'll be adding more fun designs throughout the season!

Pugs & Kisses,

Dawn

Lydia & Pugs Open Forum!

I am always thinking of new ideas for new products here at Lydia & Pugs. And I am always open to ideas, especially from my fans and fellow dog lovers!

I have posted a few ideas on our L&P Facebook Fan Page. But I would love to know if you have any thoughts or suggestions for new products or new designs. One suggestion, that I am most likely going to offer are coffee mugs with your L&P custom design (you can use a previous custom design, blog header design, etc.) or favorite dog breed.

I would love to hear your thoughts!

Pugs & Kisses,

Dawn

Custom Blog Header: Canines & Crime

Claudia requested a Custom Blog Header that would represent her up and coming first mystery novel!

I illustrated her wearing a khaki trench coat, red silky dress peeking underneath and of course those red statement heels! Her two pugs share her love for mystery and adventure and are the perfect detectives for the job, scooping out the area and getting into mischief with pug paw prints and opened books and magazines spread everywhere!

It's a mystery waiting to be solved! Head on over to Claudia's blog, Canines & Crime to read more about her and her new novel!

Pugs & Kisses,

Dawn

Friday Favorites

Graduation for many is just around the corner! That time for writing all those Thank You notes, and not to mention sending out those Grad Party Invites! Check out L&P Graduation paper goods here!

Lydia & Pugs May Newsletter will be send out next week! Don't miss out on any of the exciting news, new products and promos going on! Click here to sign up!

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend!

Pugs & Kisses,

Dawn

Pet Sitting Custom Design

Katherine came to Lydia & Pugs asking for some marketing material for her pet sitting business. She wanted a unique Custom Design and that would represent herself in an illustration format as well as her favorite pooches too!

I created Katherine's flyers to post around her community with lipstick pink envelopes attached to the flyer with a stack of her coordinating business cards inserted into the envelope. Her business cards and flyers are matching in that they both illustrate a representation of Katherine dressed in her favorite walking duds and her favorite pair of purple sandals.

I know she couldn't be more happy with the final proofs! And hopefully she will be getting more business too!

Pugs & Kisses,

Dawn

Etiquette Wednesday: Graduation Gifts

Q: I am a senior graduating from high school and have been invited to a few graduation parties for friends. Should I bring gifts? Or is this not necessary since I am also a graduate? I am afraid that these graduation parties could get expensive. Should I just not go?

A: Congratulations on your graduation. Generally it is expected that you bring a gift when you go to a graduation party. It’s likely these are your closer friends from high school and you may be exchanging gifts anyway. If that’s the case, just bring the gift to the party. Clearly this could get expensive, so think about gifts that might not cost too much. Print out and frame a photo taken during your senior year. Wrap it up and attach a fun graduation card and you’re set. If you’re artistic or poetic, give some of your work as a gift. It really is the thought not the amount you spend that counts! And your friends will remember that forever.

via Emily Post.

P.S. Don't forget to order your graduation paper goods here!

Pugs & Kisses,

Dawn

Graduation Paper Goods

Graduate Girl with Pooch Invites and Thank Yous

"Dress Your Pooch" Graduation Invites & Thank Yous

Graduation Address Labels & Envelope Seals

It's Graduation time!

And why not send out your celebratory announcement with your favorite pooch? Dressed in a graduation cap of course!

Check out all of Lydia & Pugs Graduation paper goods here!

Pugs & Kisses,

Dawn

Custom Stationery: Mom-to-be

Hope you all had a great weekend and a great Mother's Day! The above photos are from the Lydia & Pugs Mother's Day Give Away winner, Jessie over at Little Me, Queen Bee.

It turns out Jessie will be a new Mom very soon, within the next few days, so she decided to treat herself to the goodies of the Give Away!

Jessie requested a set of Custom Stationery with the whole family including her doctor husband dressed in blue scrubs, her pup Hairy Winston, her brown tabby cat, and her new bundle-of-joy riding in her Bumble Ride Stroller! The Give Away also included a set of kitchen towels embroidered with Jessie's monogram!

Everything turned out just adorable and I know Jessie was beyond thrilled with all her goods!

Enjoy!

Pugs & Kisses,

Dawn

Friday Favorites

DIY: Vintage labels for your lemonade or even fruits for the summer! So fresh and I'm loving the colors!


Lydia & Pugs address labels and Envelope Seals! Lots of colors and pups, you can't go wrong there! Check 'em out!

Enjoy your weekend! And I'll see you next week with new designs including Graduation announcements and more summer stationery!

Pugs & Kisses,

Dawn

Custom Blog Header: Life's a Beach

Trever wanted a new and fresh look to her existing blog, Desperately Seeking Seersucker. She is a huge fan of the beach, so incorporating a scenic sandy beach-scape for her Custom Blog Header was the perfect solution.

Trever is dressed in her favorite sky blue tunic dress, Tory Burch flip-flops with her everyday essential her Roots Lauren handbag and who can forget her favorite glass of red wine.

Her 8-month-old Westie, Louis is taking residence on the Adirondack chair all while sitting in the shade on the colorful umbrella!

I also incorporated Trever's existing blog colors of red and blue for her blog border. The final proof was perfect for Trever and she couldn't be more pleased!

Pugs & Kisses,

Dawn

Etiquette Wednesday: Stylist Break-Up

Q: You’ve been going to the same hairstylist for two years, but your last few cuts have been big disappointments (though you haven’t said anything). You’d like to try someone else in the same salon but fear it will be awkward. What should you do?

a. Say nothing and slip away to look for a new place and stylist

b. Inform your current stylist that you’re disappointed-and say why.

c. Tell the receptionist you want someone else to do your hair in the order to make good on the first stylist’s disasters.

A: It’s less than sensible to disappear after two years. Who knows if you’ll find someone else at another salon who can do the job better, or even as well? And if you make a fuss and switch to one of your stylist’s coworkers, you’ll set up a tense situation. It just isn’t fair to “fire” your stylist without letting her know there’s a problem. Most hairstylists would like to be informed of a client’s disappointment. So tell her why the last few cuts were such letdowns (b). A professional can take it.

via Emily Post.

Pugs & Kisses,

Dawn

The Brussel Griffons Family

Laura requested a Custom set of Stationery illustrated in watercolor of her sister Audrey, as well as, her two pooches Quinnie and Violet, both Brussels Griffons.

Audrey is dressed in a cotton purple tunic-like shirt and capri jeans, as well as, some stylish flip-flops. Audrey is also a huge fashionista of all designs Louis Vuitton, so of course her LV handbag made for a perfect accessory!

I also included Audrey's pups names next to each illustration, which added a more personalized touch to the final stationery piece.

Enjoy!

Pugs & Kisses,

Dawn

NEW Envelope Seals & Address Labels!

Colorful Dog Silhouette Envelope Seals

Dog Silhouette Polka-dot Envelope Seals

Dog Breed Silhouette Address Labels

Dog Silhouette Polka-dot Address Labels

I am SO excited and delighted to say, Lydia & Pugs has some brand new address labels and envelope seals!

I've been working on some new designs and revisions to my old designs. Also, I have expanded my very popular Pug address labels to also have other dog breeds as you can see! If you don't see a dog breed silhouette, please let me know, and I'll be happy to create your favorite 4-legged silhouette for the Doggy Library!

Enjoy! And Happy May Monday!

Pugs & Kisses,

Dawn