Hit & Run - No. 1

Last night, I attended an event called "Hit and Run Happy Hour" at the CS Gallery.  It's a really unique monthly gig, that's opening, closing, art fair all in one.  Artists pay a fee to be able so sell for these two hours. Basically, it earns the artists some quick cash, and allows us to network "without working that hard," as Daniel said. Plus, refreshments are provided. I had a great time, though socializing with strangers usually leaves me feeling pretty drained.  It was really interesting mix of mediums.  My table was between O Joy Photography and Paper Pieces by Vicki.

I brought in my patrons, and a friend who I think should start showing there.  It's a great venue, and Daniel is very easy to work with - very relaxed, not stuffy at all.  I'd really like to eliminate that idea of fine art being pretentious.  We have to pretend to be pretentious so that the wealthy will pay attention to us and buy our stuff.  It's all a big dumb game.

But anyway, here are some of the people that participated last night.  If you couldn't come out, take a look at their websites.  A lot of them are part of the Columbus Etsy team. Great stuff!

Blue Flame Leather - leather items for very, very, VERY reasonable prices! I didn't get to talk to this girl, but I look forward do the chance. :)
Cam's Crochet - great crochet jewelry and accessories.  I would have bought all her bracelets if my dumb hands would fit through the things.
Cobenick Studios - This is Daniel's shop.  Handmade paper, books, calligraphy.
Cassandra Glass Photography - beautiful candids and scenes. No website, but this is her e-mail, right off her business card.
O Joy Photography  - her photos have a hazy, dreamy feeling to them, and she puts them on functional objects!  Win-win!
Paper Pieces by Vicki - Pre-made scrapbooks.  Totally worth it, in my not-so-humble opinion.
The Roscoe Room - Suzanne is so much fun, and the story about the name of her studio is great!  She's full of insight and encouragement, and I would totally be best friends with her. :)  The Roscoe Room is her studio, and is attached to the CS Gallery.  It's much more appropriate than the insurance office that used to be there.

I can't wait to show with all these great people again!

Nature's Miracle!

I'm not talking babies, folks. I'm talking about Nature's Miracle brand cleaner. My poor puppy had the runs the other day, all over the apartment, and I bought this stuff to clean it up. I had no idea how well it would work! It was $8.99, and I've never used anything that worked better. There's even an advanced version. I can't imagine what you might need that for...

I got it from my local Pet People, but the picture below is linked to Amazon. Pet People is one of those stores that really cares about your pet. They carry household cleaners and salt for your driveway that are safe for dogs and cats, and food without all the junky fillers that you find in most grocery store varieties. The vet said that he "wouldn't change a thing" about sweet Hazel.

The Love Pup - An Introduction

My wonderful puppy woke me up this morning to go potty, and I can't get back to sleep.  I'd love to, but it's not happening.  Why? Because my brain gets too busy thinking about the fact that "balled" and "bald" are pronounced the same way, and that I ALWAYS say "wing'ed" if I'm going to say it at all.  Then I take a little tour of my body and figure out where anything is in an awkward position, and if I've unnecessarily tensed any muscles, correcting these things.  I don't know why I have this affliction, but it means I don't fall asleep easily, and that I don't get to catch up from being out too late.  But I do think of fun things I can tell you about!

Since you already know I love organic/natural/super good stuff, you could naturally draw the conclusion that this must certainly extend to my pets.  They're a part of the family, and keeping them in good health is extremely important.  The first step, as it is with people, is nutrition.  Dogs are hunters, and eat meat.  They don't eat corn, or potatoes.  Wild dogs don't, anyway.  And though the domestic canine has come a long way, their digestive system is basically the same.  So Hazel gets to eat fantastically high protein food.  I buy two brands, different varieties and rotate them.  Come on, you'd get bored eating the same thing for your whole life too!

The first is Evo. They have several different flavors and sizes of food.  Hazel gets the small bites, though she would probably be ok with the larger kibble.  Currently she's on red meat, and there is a white meat variety as well.

Note: One of the pet store guys told me that white meat is one of the culprits in dogs having tear stains.  Sounds odd, right?  I'll let you know if I see a difference.

Now Natura, the company that makes Evo, uses ingredients that I would put in my own body.  Their ingredients are grown DOMESTICALLY.  Remember all those pet food recalls?  They weren't involved.  Read up on their philosophy and such.  I think you'll give them your approval.

Next up is Orijen.  They, too, use locally grown produce.  The only difference is that they are based in Alberta, Canada, instead of the states.  Orijen isn't so concerned with having different flavors.  They have puppy formulas for large and small dogs, an adult formula, and one for senior dogs.  Theirs includes fresh caught salmon (yay Canada!), at the same incredible quality.  Seriously people, if the zombie apocalypse happens, you could totally live on this stuff.



Now, you get what you pay for. This food is a little on the pricier side, but I say TOTALLY worth it. A 5 or 6 lb bag is almost $20.  But since my dog is only 4.5 lbs, it takes her several months to eat that much food.  I say, if you can afford it, do it.  You'll see a difference in your dogs health, that might save you money and grief in the end!  Plus, the high protein and good fat in it is wonderful for their coats. I can't tell you how many times someone has pet Hazel, and said "oh my gosh, she's so soft!"  They ask me what kind of shampoo I use, but it's all in the food. 

Here she is, Hazel, the Love Pup.