Hot dog hairbow - I love doxies

My latest addition to the ten top most popular dogs series. See it in my online shop at http://www.etsy.com/listing/87118983/dog-dachshund-photo-collage-pets-animals

Doxies are cute. The American Kennel Club describes them as "a lively breed with a friendly personality and keen sense of smell." I think it would be fun to have a sausage with short feet running around the house.

GIVEAWAY!!!! custom cat collage

Want to win a unique holiday gift for a cat lover?

I'm trying to get discovered! Can you help with a tip or two? I'm giving away a custom cat collage for the best marketing and promotion idea. I want to get my collages into popular magazines, blogs, stores etc.

It's been suggested that I make custom collages for Martha and Oprah, both major pet people. According to Wikipedia, Martha has Chow Chow dogs, French Bulldogs, Himalayan cats, and Friesian horses. I believe that Oprah has two cocker spaniels.

Anyway, is that a good idea? Someone? You can see my online store at http://www.petcollage.net.

Please send along any thoughts you have and win a collage similar to the ones below. You can pick from among the three or mail me a photo of an actual pet (belonging to you, friend, family member), pick a background, and I'll put him/her on the chair with Mona Lisa on the wall behind. The collage will be 4x6" placed in a 5x7" thin black frame ready for hanging.

Deadline: December 10.

Thanks so much for any contributions!

Transformation, part 3 - punked out dogs

Here's Ozzy, my godson, with a pierced tongue. I can't tell you how many people, upon seeing this collage, ask me if it's real. What do you think? Did my friend, Renee, pierce her BFF's tongue? Or is the tongue stud a little silver ball glued to a photograph?

The mohawk on the dog below is real.

Transformation, part 2 - Shih Tzu collage

http://www.etsy.com/listing/80217943/dog-collage-shih-tzu-girl-child-blue


The above is an example of a transformation from photograph to pet portrait. The little girl above, photographed in a Chinese restaurant, was a perfect model for an "I Love Shih Tzus" collage.

Shih Tzus were cherished by Chinese royals as prized house pets for over a thousand years.

The name translates as Lion Dog, so named because Shih Tzus were bred to resemble "the lion as depicted in traditional oriental art."

Also known as the Tibetan Lion Dog, there is some argument as to whether the breed is Tibetan or Chinese.

Ozzy, my Godson, is a Shih Tzu/Tibetan Terrier mix. He's adorable. No argument there.

Transformation, part 1 - butterflies & I'm starting to get over the death of my cat

I've decided to focus on transformation for a while. Seems like a good topic for me as an artist, therapist, animal lover and human being.

Let's start with butterflies. Here are some photos I took.

The following info is from Emily Gems at http://crystal-cure.com/protection-butterfly.html

Butterfly: symbol of change, joy and love, transformation, metamorphosis

If you are going through changes or transitions in your life right now, study the butterfly to make these changes beneficial, joyful, and rewarding. All change is good - even if it may not seem so at the time. Change is what life is made of and is necessary to growth, and accomplishment.

Butterfly Dance

The "dance of the butterfly" can teach you not to take things so seriously. The butterfly has taste sensors on the front legs, enabling them to experience life through motion (dancing, walking).

GET MOVING PEOPLE!

In my research for this blog entry, I discovered Emily Gems at http://crystal-cure.com/amerindea.html. They sell high quality gemstones and crystals and provide information on their properties and uses. They sell jewelry too. Another of their websites - www.amerinidea.com - includes "information about the specific uses of gemstones in magic." Have to check that out.

One of the things that attracted me to Emily Gems is this little "gem" about how it all got started.

"It is said that when you connect with a cat, magic and mystery come alive. Inspired by my favorite feline, a new company "Emily Gems" was born. Emily loves the stones and crystals and inspects each one carefully when new shipments arrive!"

and heeeeerrreeeees Emily!!!!

I am just starting to get over, if you will, the death of my cat, Roscoe. I don't completely break down everytime I think of him. Today, I was emptying the wastebasket in my husband's office when I spied some of Roscoe's fur. OMG! It's now put away in a safe place.

To be continued.....

Make a pet lover smile today

The above pet portraits are from my "Top Dog" series. They make unique gifts for animal lovers. I can create something completely original that features a favorite animal breed. Or I can make a collage that includes the actual image of a beloved pet with or without its person.

Check out my online store at http://www.petcollage.net.

Owl girl and magical power animal meditation

Nicole (aka "Owl Girl") loves owls and is very smart! I made the above portrait of her by taking her photograph and transforming it into a work of art. I added the eyeglasses to make her look even smarter.

Nicole considers the owl to be her "magical power animal". Check out the following link for a great article on finding your own.

http://spirit-animal.net/find_your_magical_power_animal.htm

Here's an excerpt:

Power Animals are spirit animals that protect, teach and guide us in our everyday lives. It greatly increases your magical safety and prowess if you have a power animal.

Here is an easy way to find your own personal magic power animal.

The Magical Power Animal Meditation

Find a quiet place and make yourself comfortable. Close your eyes and take several deep breaths. When you are relaxed and ready, imagine a forest. It can be any kind of forest you are familiar with or that comes to mind.

Imagine walking on a path through this forest. Just keep walking. Breathe. Finally you reach a clearing, maybe a meadow. In the middle of the clearing is a little lake. Everything is very calm and serene, and you are just standing there. Standing and waiting patiently.

At some point, you sense that an animal is approaching you. It can be a mammal, fish, reptile, bird, or insect. It can be huge, it can be tiny. Now you see it. It is looking at you, watching you.

You know that this is your power animal and not just some animal that pops up in your imagination, when you see it several times. How is it behaving? Is it moving? Does it let you see it from different angles? Do you feel a connection in your heart? What does this particular animal mean to you? What is the specific magical support it can give you?

Once you have your power animal, honor and cherish it. Display or create images of it, listen to it, play with it, dance with it. Sense its spirit, tune in to its energetic presence often.

Here are the magical powers of some of the animals, although it is more important what your animal means to you personally.

BEAR: Strength, stamina, introspection, vision.

BEAVER: Building, family, community, security

BEE: Harmony, community, celebration of life

BUTTERFLY: Transformation, change, growth

CAT: The unity of the physical and the spiritual world, magic

DEER: Love, gentleness, sensitivity

DOG: loyalty, unconditional love

DOLPHIN: Freedom, peaceful communication, harmony

EAGLE: Spirit, freedom, honor, higher perspective

ELEPHANT: Commitment, family, nurturing, patience

FROG: Healing, cleansing

GIRAFFE: Grounded higher vision

HORSE: Grounded power, freedom, journey

HUMMINGBIRD: Joy, lightness, beauty, and magic

LION: Courage, leadership, strength that come from the heart

MOUSE: Teaches to pay attention to the small things

OWL: Wisdom, at home in the spiritual worlds

RABBIT: Abundance, health, home

SALAMANDER: Transformation, feeling grounded in the present moment

SNAKE: Transmutation, rebirth, healing

TURTLE: Grounding, protective earth energy

WOLF: Teacher, protector, social skills

Contributed by:

Carna Zacharias-Miller
http://www.EmotionalWellnessCoach.net

Horses and Roosters

http://www.etsy.com/listing/85623587/horse-collage-girl-pony-love-animals

http://www.etsy.com/listing/85623753/rooster-collage-girl-animals-portrait


Above is my newest artwork for horse and rooster lovers. I've decided one of my goals in life is to make a collage that features every animal on earth. Maybe I'll make one for every letter in the alphabet, for starters.

Maybe I should do a collage with musician Patti Smith holding some horses. You may or may not know that "Horses" was her debut album released in 1975 and is often cited as one of the greatest albums in music history. It was a key factor and major influence on the New York punk rock scene. If anybody can tell me what the song "Horses" means, I'd be much obliged.

As for roosters, who knew they make good pets? Check out this article - http://silverpoet.hubpages.com/hub/Roosters-Make-Good-Pets. Here's an excerpt:

Mean Roosters

Roosters do have spurs, and occasionally they have been known to attack people, but this is usually only if the bird has been provoked.

My advice - don't provoke a rooster.

ORDER YOUR HOLIDAY COLLAGES NOW at http://www.petcollage.net!!!!!

Cool cat shoes

Here are some really cool looking shoes I found on ETSY.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/83524903/size-65-7-leopard-animal-print-platforms

http://www.etsy.com/listing/80358894/gold-spiked-suede-pumps-cheetah-print

http://www.etsy.com/listing/81919015/vintage-leopard-fur-boots

Lion paw pumps & purple pug portrait

Check out these lion paw pumps. I'll take two. Full article can be found at:

http://cocoperez.com/tag/lion_paw_pumps

Check out the shoes on the babe below in one of my collages. You could sure buy a lot of my pet art for $4,995.00. ORDER NOW FOR THE HOLIDAYS!!!!!

Do you know someone who loves Pugs? If so, consider my purple pug portrait, a great gift idea for a mere $30.00. Such a bargain! Seriously. I can custom make an affordable collage with any animal breed. Or I can include an actual image of a beloved pet if you send me photos.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/73968783/new-dog-collage-purple-pug-girl

The cutest cat on earth.

I can't stop thinking about Roscoe, my cat, tonight. I remember his beauty, his smell (the best), his softness and sweetness. Sigh. Here are some of my favorite photos of him. He was the cutest cat on earth.

Audrey Hepburn & her pets

2011 is the 50th anniversary of the release of Breakfast at Tiffany's. Those of you who have seen it know that a cat features prominently in the film. Here's a little background info found at http://thecatfiles.wordpress.com/2009/04/07/audrey-hepburn-and-cat-from-breakfast-at-tiffanys/.

Audrey Hepburn and Cat from Breakfast at Tiffany’s
By John Greco

Audrey Hepburn’s feline co-star was Orangey, an orange tabby who made his film debut in 1951 in “Rhubarb.” Orangey went on to make appearances in films like “This Island Earth” and “The Incredible Shrinking Man.” Orangey is the only feline to win the “Patsy Award” twice, the animal world’s equivalent of the Oscar.


Here's a picture of Audrey and "Cat".

And here are some of my collages featuring Audrey with her pet giraffes and flamingos. You can find them on my website at http://www.petcollage.net.

The happiest place on earth.

I participated in Chicago's Ravenswood Art Walk this past weekend and was placed in the "Urban Pooch" to show my collages. This "canine life center" is a 7,100 sq. ft. state-of-the-art facility designed to support canine health and wellness. It's an amazing place where everybody smiles and laughs and wags their tails a lot. In fact, I overheard one very satisfied customer say, "This is the happiest place on earth!."

in addition to our dog beaches, we Chicagoans are lucky to have an amazing array of places that care for and cater to animals. Like Urban Pooch. This facility offers lots of products and services, including boarding, grooming, etc. They have a chill lounge, "a special place with a serene atmosphere where dogs can socialize, but also relax. Perfect for elderly canines, those recovering from surgery, or dogs that need a little quiet time." I think I might like it there.

They offer massage, promising that afterwards, "your pooch will feel like a puppy." The ancient Japanese technique of Reiki is available too, helping to instill deep relaxation and healing. I really want to check in and feel like a puppy too.

While there, I was allowed the special privilege of going into the day care room where I was immediately surrounded by a pack of 40 or so dogs. I was warned that they would jump and drool. They were all curious and friendly and adorable and well-behaved. When I told them not to jump, they didn't. Suffice it to say, I loved it there. In particular, I met a huge, gorgeous, sweet Great Dane - what a magnificent specimen!!

Here are some photos I took.

The last image is that of an Urban Pooch employee. Does she look happy or what?

Meditating on bugs and bassett hounds

If you like beetles and cats and frogs, you might want to meditate on the above image which is one of my pet mandalas.

In the Hindu and Buddhist religious traditions, mandalas are considered sacred art. They may be used for focusing attention and as an aid to meditation and trance induction, helping one to experience a mystical sense of oneness with the universe. Groovy.

Carl Jung saw the mandala as a "representation of the unconscious self." I'm big on Jung and his thinking often informs my work as a psychotherapist. Yes, I am a therapist as well as a pet collage artist!

So, back on the subject of bugs. What does it mean if you dream of one? It could be that something is bugging you. Or that there's a part of you that, like a bug, is something icky or scary you don't want to look at. One thing for sure, you don't want to wind up in the bug house!

You know what bugs really bug me? Those little gnats that fly around your kitchen and in front of your computer screen. Did you know that gnats can come from houseplants where they like to breed in the dirt? And that there are non-biting and biting gnats.

Here's another mandala. It's a bassett hound mandala. All together now - ooohhhmmm.

Pretty bugs

'bugs' by PetCollage

Lampwork Glass Lady... BearellasBeads $2.99	SALE 41 Bug Theme S... BeaderyDestash $4.25	bug pin - Bug off -... thelittleantiq... $7.50	Spooky Spider Hallo... DistinctlyIvy $12.50
Bee Ring, Silver Sw... ClassicKeepsak... $28.00	Set of 12 - Miniatu... naturesadornme... $26.95	Labradorite Spider ... GemstoneDragon... $24.00	PolyPedia E-Book Vo... irismishly $26.00
Franny Firefly the ... buildersstudio $27.50	Ladybug, Lady bug b... AlphabetPlanet $4.00	NEW Crocheted Newbo... LAPropShop $45.00	1 - Raw Brass Art D... birdysdesignga... $1.95
Vintage Lady Bug Fa... grannydsattic $7.99	Wooden Bug Wine Cha... TimberGreenWoo... $15.95	Beetle Optometry Po... HelenGotlib $20.00	LiliBug Halloween S... LiliBugBoutiqu... $6.50

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

This is a treasury I did for ETSY that I really like. I don't like bugs but bug jewelry I do like. Bugs as pets? I don't think so.