My Customized-customized Tote Bag...

Besides customizing our family silhouette pillow from Le Papier Studio, mummy customized another keepsake - a tote bag, using just my silhouette.

The artist was really professional and sent a couple of drafts for vetting before sending the final silhouette to be printed. 

Check out my silhouette! 

Pretty close, ey?

Hee, that's my trademark tail!

Though there were a couple of hiccups with the shipment of the order (apparently, the first shipment got lost!), mummy was really thrilled when she finally received the tote bag. 

The silhouette looked great and the material of the tote bag was better than she expected. It was really thick and sturdy, great for putting Sam's many little doggy things (e.g. wipes, food). 

The only problem was... the design was a little boring. 

Hence, we decided to add some 'bling' to it...

Under the magic hands and paws of the crafting duo, we present you with an even more customized tote bag!

Overall, I was quite happy with the final product. 

My only complaint (which also explained why my face was so 'black' in the photo).... 

See how the "E-S-T" of my middle name looked a little smudged?

It was because my stupid 'brilliant' mummy misspelt my name on her first attempt. As she had to reuse the letter "S" stencil, she, very carelessly, misspelt my name as "F-O-R-S-E-T". 

#facepalm

.....

Thankfully, she spotted the mistake almost immediately and quickly washed off the misspelt letters. Unfortunately, the paint dried a little and there were still faint paint remaining. Hence, she could only try her best to cover the error by carefully painting over the mistake. 

As a result, the end of my middle name looked like this. 

duh. -_-

Sigh, that's just so typical of mummy..

Oh well, I'll make do!

0

Made with Love - Parsley Fresh Biscuits...

Mummy bought a couple of dog food cookbooks from Amazon a while ago. 

On the spur of the moment, she picked out the  "You Bake 'em Dog Biscuits Cookbook" and handed it to me.

I quickly glanced through (while drooling) and was in awe of the number of recipes and yummy treats available for dogs. 

Spontaneously, mummy asked me to pick one recipe for her to try. 

I was a little dubious. I mean, while Mummy has been pretty successful with the home made dog treats attempts, she isn't exactly a baker (I shall not mention her recent failed attempt at baking macaroons...oops). 

For her sake (and mine more importantly), I carefully looked through the cookbook again and selected a relatively easy yet super yummy-sounding recipe - Minty Fresh Biscuits (p.105)! 

The recipe is pretty straightforward and the ingredients required are really basic.

Besides cookie cutters, all we needed were flour (all-purpose and wheat), an egg, milk, olive oil and parmesan cheese. The recipe called for mint flakes but we decided to replace it with parsley flakes since  we had that at home. 

And now we were all set to begin.

So I resumed my usual job and started providing moral support by staring.

GO MUMMY!

Seriously, the recipe is so simple that even a kid could do it! 

Mummy started by preparing the dry and 'wet' ingredients separately, before finally mixing them together using her trusty kitchen aid.

Before long, the dough was done.

After some kneading and use of cookie cutters, the biscuits were ready to go into the oven!

Before...

In the oven they went...

After a good bake!

The recipe stated that the baking time is between 10 to 15 minutes or until the top starts to brown. However, mummy had to bake them for a good 20 minutes to achieve the desired state. In addition, to increase the shelf life of the biscuits, mummy left the biscuits in the oven (turned off) for a good 2.5 hours for them to harden further. (This cool tip was taught by the author!)

Hee, presenting our home-baked Parsley Fresh Biscuits! 

And yes, it comes in three little shapes - Big big bone, small little bone and Sam's silhouette (kinda).

Posing with the lovely biscuits.

And I kid you not, the aroma of the biscuits was heavenly~~~ 

 Now for the most crucial moment - taste test.

I patiently await.

 Here I goooooooooo.....

 The biscuit was extremely crispy and savory! The biscuit was slightly salted (due to the parmesan cheese) and left a nice aftertaste.

The parsley taste, while faint, also added a level of freshness to the taste of the biscuit.

Gourmet.

And yap, I was beyond satisfied.

I had a second, third, fourth helping and mummy had to stop me by quickly putting the remaining biscuits into an airtight container.

Apparently, once they are hardened, they could be kept up to a couple of weeks at room temperature.  

Good for me!

Oh oh..did I mention that the biscuits are good to improve bad breath? (Nope, I'm not saying I've bad breath..)

Hee, guess Mummy ain't that terrible a baker after all. I shall challenge her to a tougher recipe the next time round.

Till then!

Mummy's note: In case you are wondering, yes, I did taste some myself and while mostly tasteless, Sam's description of the taste was pretty accurate. 

1

Beware of the Sam...

Grrrrrrr.... I just ate the doormat...

Nom Nom..

Nay, just kidding.

*Innocent look to redeem myself*

Mummy actually intended to place the doormat at the doorstep, along the corridor. However, she was worried that our neighbors or guests would misunderstand and think that I'm a crazy rabid dog that goes around biting things. 

Hence, in it came..

The doormat has officially became an indoor doormat and pretty much yet another spot for the Sammy Loo to chill on. 

1

ZUNY

Mummy bought a Zuny classic dog bookend for who-knows-what-reason and named it Zuny (Creativity at its best huh) . She explained that Zuny was meant to be a door-stopper, but since our contractor added a stopper on the main door, Zuny became jobless and a 'white elephant'. 

Since then, mummy 'rehomed' Zuny and the little guy became a dust-collector shelf display.

We were never formally introduced and we pretty much minded our own business.

But, I always felt that he looked down on me (not just literally).

And for that, I was not pleased.

On a bright sunny afternoon, I decided that it was time to settle our scores. 

I tried convincing him to come down for a "discussion" but he completed ignored me.

Now what?

I had to get him down, myself.

Despite X attempts, Zuny just seemed to be able to evade my death grips jaws and I could not get him down.

Seeing how annoyed and frustrated I was, heroic mummy decided to step in and got Zuny down to the couch.

There, we had a heart-to-heart, real dog-to-leather dog chat and decided that we could be friends after all.

And all was good... (yes, we even held hands)

Oh oh... and guess what, I found a new purpose in life for Zuny - my foot rest.

Foot rest Friends forever yo?

0

Sam around the house #1

Guess it's finally time for me to show you around my HDB flat. 

I'm creating a new series called "Sam around the house" where I'll introducing little parts of my new sty over a few blog posts. 

Hope you enjoy the series...

Today, I'm going to introduce you to...the BED!

As the bed unit didn't come with any side tables and due to space constraints (making it difficult to buy an exact fit side table), mummy got her contractor to customize the side table. Unfortunately, there was only ample space to add one side table. No surprises to who's sleeping on that side. =P

Anyway, I was anxiously waiting for the bed to arrive as I wasn't around for the furniture shopping and didn't know what to expect...

After two days of waiting and a little magic (aka laying the bedsheets)....

*Drum rolls*

Presenting the Swing bed from Grafunkt!

Also featuring mummy's favorite Dachshund Pillows. 

Mummy selected her favorite shots from our photoshoot and using Canvas on Demand, she created a gorgeous centerpiece to the bed, eliminating the need for a headboard. To balance out the lack of side table on one of the bed, she decided to put my very cute portrait there. 

How perfect~

Isn't my new bed just awesome?

 

I was still basking in the glory of the awesome and comfortable bed (almost zzz) that my parents bought for me until Daddy came and burst my little bubble declaring that the bed wasn't mine and that I wasn't even allowed on it!

I was about to burst into tears with disappointment. 

T_T

Mummy (who was laughing pretty hardly when she overheard the conversation) couldn't resist my pleading face finally commented that daddy was just joking and that I was allowed free reign on the bed. 

Mummy and Daddy are really thoughtful and decided to get a low bed so that I wouldn't get injured with my constant jumping on and off the bed. Due to the box-bed frame and a mattress that is less than 12", the bed is no higher than 17", making it a breeze for me up and down the bed. In addition, a box-frame also means that my silly toys won't roll under the bed no more!

Though technically, it is my parents' bed, I've pretty much claimed it as mine.

So if you are searching for me around the house, the best bet is to check the bed. Cos I'm almost always there! =P

 Time to zzz... nighty night!

3

Our Cartoon Family Portrait...

Mummy has a thing for customized items (usually with me as the focal point). When mummy attended the NYC Comic Con last year, she chanced upon the artwork of artist, Katie Cook in the Artist's Gallery and couldn't resist getting her to do a family portrait of us. 

Hee, I love that the artist kept the scuffy look on me and thought it looked like me, although most people thought that Daddy's cartoon has the strongest resemblance. 

 Before coming back, Mummy got it framed.

Now that we are settled into our new place, mummy finally had the opportunity to put it up on the wall.

 Showing off the great artwork.

Pretty cute isn't it?

0

Crafting Duo presents... Pillow covers!

My parents customized a lovely couch from Sanctuary Dian. Everyone at home is in love with the couch, though I've proudly claimed it as mine.

However, mummy felt that it does look a little bare. Hence, she decided that it was time for the crafting duo to embark on our next project.

Introducing the materials for our project.

After a thorough QC, I approved of the materials.

Materials: Riley Blake Chevron Fabric from Moods in NYC, Pillowcase from Ikea, Gutterman Sewing  threads.

Getting ready at Mummy's sewing station. 

Yes, I did the sewing today.

Nay~ Just kidding. Of course, Mummy was the one doing the work and I did my job by staring.

The project was pretty simple but due to Mummy's low XP, there were a couple of hiccups. (e.g. she cut the fabric too small and had to use snaps to keep the pillow covers closed.) 

Lousy mummy. 

Nonetheless, once she got the hang of it, each pillow cover took no more than half hour to complete. 

Posing with the completed pillow covers.

Presenting the final look! 

Also, check out our customized silhouette pillow from Le Papier Studio.

 Testing out the end products and being extremely satisfied with it.

 Hee, the most obvious reason being.. it's the same fabric as my vintage suitcase dog bed!

Matchy matchy...

Doesn't the extra pop of color just add a new life to our couch?

Hee... yet another successful crafting session. 

Who says crafting is difficult?

It isn't when you are the one staring.

Ho ho ho...

2

The REAL dynamics of our relationship...

Peachy's here for her second staycation with us. 

On the surface (or at least on photos), we appear as the sweet happy couple of direct opposites. 

But...

what really goes on behind closed doors is...

this.

Yes. Peachy clearly wears the pants in the relationship. -_-

I'm not saying I'm henpecked. I really do do my best to overpower her and be a 'man'. 

Unfortunately, my efforts are futile. The truth is she is still DA BOSS.

Sigh~ 

#mylifesucks

A totally defeated me and my gloating girlfriend in the background. 

Boo~

As in all relationships, when it is futile to resist, you give in. And all will be good.

I was too exhausted to fight back and just wanted to zzzz even when Peachy still wanted to play. 

Gosh, she is older yet she is wayyy more of an energize bunny than me.

 

The only two instances where I am able to be a tad bit bossy are when...

1. The real boss Peachy is finally tired.. (and it takes a good while)

Or

2. When I give mummy a pleading face and get her to help me. 

Other than that, whatever she barks, goes. 

Mummy took a random shot of us and couldn't stop laughing. She showed me the photo and said that it was a really good representation of our wedding photo.

This is pretty much how our wedding photo will look - a really happy bride, and a resigned groom.

(wait... that sounds like mummy and daddy.. oops~~)

Well, time for some disclaimer.... (lest my girlfriend gets upset after reading this..)

Despite the real dynamics of our relationship, we are a truly happy couple. We still cuddle, play and share food! I really appreciate having a companion once in a while for endless morning to evening play! 

Not to mention, the stupid things we do together (e.g the wrestling, the tugging of toys) bring lotsa smile to my favorite person in the world - Mummy! I swear she could sit on the couch just watching us for one whole afternoon! 

 So, Happy mummy = Happy Sammy!

Time to get back to enjoying the remaining 3 days of Peachy's staycation!

2