We are the Dino Dogs!

Mummy is getting a tad bored of our boring grey wall and how it's showing in our photos.

To spruce our shots up, she decided to get crafty!

#wethinkshehastoomuchtimeonherhands

A quick trip to Art Friend and she was ready to get crafting.

#wecanhelpbutyoumustpayintreats #mummycannotsaynotothesefacesone

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Freezy Pups!

Auntie Charmaine went on a holiday to Hong Kong and came back with a gift just for Pecan ah ma and myself!

THANK YOU AUNTIE CHAR!

We were super excited when we got our paws on it! 

It's Freezy Pups!

She's really generous as well. She could've just gotten us the tray and the four sample packs. But she was such a darling and actually bought us not one, not two, but FOUR boxes of refill packs.

*Wriggly dance*

I HEART YOU MY MIL.

Oh, ah ma says she loves you too.

Happy dogs waiting for yummy and cooling treats!

We were spoilt for choice as the starter kit came with four different flavors!

Picking one wasn't difficult. I simply chose my favorite color - Orange (chicken soup recipe)!

It is so fuss-free that we could've done it without Mummy! 

Simply dissolve the entire packet in hot water and we were done!

Of course we needed Mummy's help to distribute the portions evenly into the tray.

And then the horrid news came. 

We had to wait at least 10 hours.

#mylifesucks 

I guess this is pretty expected when you've a lazy mom.

So we spent the next 10 hours lazing around.

And lazing around. 

Zzzzzzzz

And when the clock struck twelve, I couldn't care less and with my bed hair, I stared Mummy down. 

Ah ma was super slow and was still engaging in her waking routine while I attempted to get Mummy's attention. (Must scratch here, scratch there, lick here, lick there. Yucks)

Mummy got the hint and strolled to the freezer, took out the tray and headed back to her couch potato posture. 

WHAT ARE YOU DOING MUMMY!

Just when I was about to flare up, Mummy mentioned that it was recommended to leave the tray outside for a good four minutes before trying to remove the little freezy pups from the tray.

And the longest four minutes of my life finally ended and viola~ 

our orange chicken-soup flavored Freezy Pups were ready!

By allowing it to 'rest' for a while, each of the treats easily popped out of the tray. 

On a downside, they were melting rather quickly too.

Silly Pecan has clearly forgotten about our pact on photographing with food items that melt: we were not supposed to smile. 

I gently tugged her to remind her and...

she instantly put on a grumpy face. 

Well done ah ma, well done.

Seeing that she wasn't gonna get the shot she would like, our resigned Mummy called it a day and started giving us our very own Freezy Pups!

Yet another victory for Sam & Pecan.

Whheeeeeee...

Pecan ah ma is possibly the least lady-like female dog I've met. 

The way she eats is just.....

tsk tsk tsk.

No wonder she is single and grumpy. 

As for me, I put on my best manners and gracefully licked my Freezy pup, enjoying each lick as it goes. 

Ahhhhhhh....

 

The Freezy pups were seriously tasty and we loved it!

Too bad for us, Mummy read the instruction packet on a whim and realized that we were only allowed two a day based on our weight.

Simi Sai!

My heart broke as I saw Mummy packing the extras one after another into a box before finally sealing it and placing the entire box into the freezer.

What a waste~

Hee, I sure hope it hits the stores in Singapore soon, so that I can get endless supply of freezy pups every weekend! 

Thanks Auntie Char for remembering us in HK!!! 

Come by next time and I'll offer you one some!

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My origami pet dogs!

Grandma bought me a really cute book from the kids section of a bookstore - Doggie Divas Origami. Honestly, the cover of the book was too princessy and off-putting that I was a bit like 'huh' when I first got it (Mummy agrees). Despite the cover, we were both quite intrigued by the contents as this interesting read actually demonstrates how to fold origami dogs! 

It even provides readers with pattern paper to fold specific dog breeds. There is also a sheet of stickers for you to customise your canines. Hee, you can choose eye colours for them!

Mummy told me that I get to keep whatever I manage to fold as my pets. Hence, I was really excited and started examining the instructions right away.

 I attempted to make myself a Schnauzer. Despite my nimble paws, my first try was a total flop. 

My Schnauzer looked more like an elephant. 

Boohoo~ 

Seeing how upset I was, Mummy stepped in and helped.

And I did my part as the crafting duo by providing eye support. 

*Glares*

After some try and error, we completed my first origami pet - Bully, the brindle Bull Terrier!

Bully is really good looking. I adore his blue eyes, pointy ears and cute white tip tail!! More importantly, he is a sweetheart and would rest quietly on my back.

Seeing how much I wanted another one, Mummy went on to make me a second pet.

Here's Goofy, the Basset Hound. 

Sorry for the blur photo as Goofy was really active and would not stop moving!

Like Bully, little Goofy has a white cute tail. His long dopey ears and white broad chest are so adorable too. Oh oh and his eyes are yellow. 

*Envious*

Lucky for me, my paper pets got along just fine. 

They love to just hang out together and stick close to me. 

Hee, my furry back is their favourite hangout spot. I had to keep real still to prevent them from rolling off! 

 Proud Pet Origami Owner - one little boy on each paw!

I had a ball playing with them. But stupid Mummy had to spoil my fun (as usual) by taking them away for safekeeping. Nonetheless, I'm loving my new pets!

And yap, guess you really shouldn't judge a book by its cover!

I gave Mummy a new challenge - to create an origami Sam!
Hee, too bad her crafting Xp is still low and need some time to experiment.
Keeping my fingers crossed and I can't wait to see a paper me!

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Architecture For Sam...

Mummy discovered a website, Architecture for Dogs and fell head over heels with the many pieces of functional (or not) furniture designed by world class architects and designers. This community of dog-lovers selflessly shares their stylish designs with the world by uploading their blueprints, together with instructional videos, to encourage canine lovers everywhere around the globe to get down and start building these pieces for their dogs at home! Even better is the fact that many of the designs are breed-specific, depending on the dog the designers owns.

And with a stroke of luck, Torafu Architects designed for Jack Russell Terriers, like myself! 

*Wriggly dance*

Introducing the Wanmock!

(Source: Architecture for Dogs)

Here's how the blueprint looks like. There are actually two ways to assemble a Wanmock and mummy chose the hassle-free option where all pieces are cut to precision and all that is needed during assembly is to slot them together. Yes, in case you are wondering, not a single nail was needed, let alone a drill! 

(Source: Architecture for Dogs)

Unfortunately for us, we didn't have a garage of cutting tools and wood planks lying around the house as many households in the states do. Mummy wanted it so badly and was desperate enough to even consider buying the kit that's available online for USD235. But lucky for Daddy, mummy found a cheaper (in fact, free) alternative - my resourceful GrandDaddy! (Hip hip hooray!)

My awesome Granddaddy got the pieces we needed cut for free and even added a protective layer of paint (which mummy wasn't fond of initially as she had wanted the plywood colour, but the darker brown is growing on us!). 

Kudos to GrandDaddy!

I can't wait to start building my very own designer bed!

We were impressed by how nicely cut the pieces are, not to mention they are of good quality!

We recruited the engineer for help - Daddy.

With the aid of his iPad and the instructional video on the website, we got cracking.

Assembling was easy breezy and within minutes, my brand new bed was built!

Mummy quickly grabbed a decent looking shirt (Go HEATS! Go LEBRON!) as my bed. 

Oh oh, the kit even included a cute wooden bone to go with the bed! 

How thoughtful.

Okay, as aesthetically pleasing as the bed seemed, it wasn't exactly the most comfortable thing around. It could be that I'm a little heavier than the bed is designed for or that the dri-fit shirt mummy's using isn't a good fit. So it took me a tad bit to get used to the Wanmock.

After a few minutes, I started warming up to the Wanmock and gosh, it is actually pretty comfortable!

For a moment, I thought I was chilling by the beach on my Wanmock. 

Sucks that when I opened my eyes, all I saw was mummy.

#lifesux

Posing with my very own wooden bone!

On a side note, this bed makes me look Fatttttttt...

T_T

What a huge belly I've. 

Enjoying life like a king. 

Mummy decided to spice things up a little by changing to a cotton tee shirt. As the material was less stretchy, it stayed taut and was way more comfortable.

But unfortunately for me, mummy still plans on wearing these shirts. Hence, my Wanmock is currently topless and mummy is set to go on a mission to purchase THE SHIRT for me. 

Looking forward to seeing that!

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Crafting duo strikes again - Paw Print Keepsake

Wtith the haze situation deteriorating, I was stuck indoors all day (Limited to quickie walks lasting no more than ten minutes, a far cry from my usual routine). 

Besides too many games of fetch, there was nothing much to do.

I was almost dying of boredom.

So I approached Mummy and asked that the crafting duo do something fun. 

Mummy: "What shall we do then?"

Sam: "Let's do something with.. my paw!"

Coincidentally, mummy bought a Sculpey Keepsake Deluxe Pawprint Kit from Art Friend a couple of days ago!

Time to put it into good use!

The kit comes with clay, a ring (for the shape and size), a small rolling pin, a detail tool and a ribbon. The clay is only sufficient for one application, but mummy says that we could always get more clay from Art Friend. Let's see how this goes before we decide if we are gonna do it once more.

Let's get the ball rolling!

To minimize mess and to keep the project within my reach, mummy decided to do it on the floor using the baking tray and parchment paper.

And here goes.

We began by preheating the oven. 

Kneading the clay was easy and took no more than a couple of minutes. However, fitting the kneaded clay into the ring and smoothening it out took mummy way longer than she expected. Besides that, the other huge challenge was removing the clay from the ring without losing its shape. 

She barely succeeded after nth tries. -_-

I was so bored and tired from waiting that I actually fell asleep. I did give her some 'eye' support, but since it wasn't all that helpful, I thought I was better off taking forty winks. 

I was woken from my beauty sleep abruptly by Daddy. He brought me over to mummy and got me ready to 'christen' the clay. Mummy was kinda expecting me to be all fidgety and uncooperative (after the last paw print incident). I totally surprised her by being extremely calm and still when imprinting.

My little hollywood moment. 

Tadah~ Presenting my paw print!!

While it isn't perfect, mummy thought it looked decent. The truth was she dreaded the idea of having to knead or reshape the clay again, not to mention the 'black face' Daddy might give if she asked for help once more. 

So with that, Mummy declared it a "PASS"!

Mummy added two holes (using the detail tool) before placing it in the oven to bake. After 30 minutes.. Viola~ it's done! 

The end product looked great and the texture turned out well. 

(I swore I heard a loud sigh of relief from mummy)

Before we could declare it completed, there was just one more thing to do - Personalize it!

Using her trusty Martha Stewart Stencil and my official colour, mummy quickly added my name to it.

She added the final touch (the ribbon) and it was done!!

Presenting my pawprint keepsake!

Tadah~

(Pardon my expression.. I just woke up from my second nap. 

Shhhh)

Isn't it just perfect?

Within minutes, mummy found the perfect place to hang it up - The Grafunkt mirror! 

If you swing by our place, don't forget to check it out!

Once Mummy cleared up the mess, she rewarded my hard work (Hey, it is extremely tiring providing 'eye' support!) by yet another round of fetch. 

Guess being stuck indoors isn't all that terrible after all - especially when the crafting duo get to create more fun pieces! 

(Though I much rather go for nice long walks. Boo to the haze. =/ )

Till next time!

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