How About A Green House For Your Dog or Cat? Modern Indoor Kennels / Planters.

The Kokon Kennel and the K-Bannette Kennel are indoor homes for small pets that are modern, ecologically friendly and double as decorative planters for flowers and greens. Created by Sebastian Haquet and Thomas Lanthier of Pousse Creative, the small pet homes can function as stylish modern hideways for dogs and cats or as litter boxes hidden from view. They come with flower pots or planters in the top and a comfy pillow. A plastic tub can easily be inserted to hold kitty litter.

The Kokon Kennel



This modern home for your small dog or cat can serve as a hideaway with comfy pillow, which comes with the product, or as a litterbox (simply fill a plastic tub with gravel). The back has a door which opens easily to clean the litterbox or interior of the space. A planter is integrated into the top of the kennel so you can cultivate plants and flowers for natural decoration.





Made of roto molded plastic and environmentally friendly (recycled and recyclable), it's available in white or brown. Made in France. Buy it here.

The K-banette Kennel


Sold in an easy to build kits, the K-banette is made of wood, is ecological and respectful of the environment. It comes with four flower pots that fit into the top of the kennel. If you decide to use K-banette as a litter box, simply fill a plastic tub with litter gravel. To easily change and clean the tub of litter, you just have to open the trapdoor in the back for access.





Available in natural wood or white laminate with a taupe front panel. Made in France. Buy it here.


above: Sebastian and Thomas of Pousse Creative

Founded in 2010 by Sebastian Haquet and Thomas Lanthier, Pousse creative is a company based near Lille in northern France. Thier brand has a desire to create simple and innovative products that enhance the connection between Man and Nature.

Pousse Creative

How To Turn Your Dog Into a Live Chia Pet This Halloween.

Personally, I'm not a big fan of dressing up dogs. However, The Flirty Guide (Stacie Tamaki) shares with us a way to make this terrific "Howl"ween costume, turning your dog into a live Chia Pet. All you need are some plastic aquarium plants, muslin, fabric, elastic straps, felt and a willing participant. (Note: a "green" version of this costume is possible by using organic materials and eco-friendly felt as shown in the photo at the beginning of this post, courtesy of Inhabitat).



Needed elements for the Terracotta legs:
•An inner liner made of muslin
• An outer layer using terra cotta colored fabric
• Two straps and a cross strap connecting the first two together. The first straps are attached at the top of each leg, suspender style, to hold them up once you slip all four legs onto your dog.



The Steps:
1. Sew an inner leg liner using muslin or another fabric that is thin enough to bend if your dog wants to sit or lie down.
2. Sew and outer terra cotta leg with appropriately colored fabric that is also thin enough to fold and bend for your dog's comfort.
3. Make sure they are both the same width at the bottom. Drop the liner inside the terra cotta layer and fold the terra cotta layer under allowing you to sew them together with a single pass of your sewing machine.
4. Now stitch the two layers together at the top in only two places where the strap will fasten along the outer side of your dog's leg and directly across from it on the other side. This holds the two layers together without binding them completely and eliminates the need to make the pant legs fit your dog's leg perfectly. This way the pant legs can loosely fit, be comfortable and look great!
5. Once you've stitched the top of the legs together sew the felt strap along the outer side of the pant leg.
6. Do one leg first, then slip the other pant leg on your dog's other leg and pin it into place along the strap you're attaching them to. Make sure you can slip it off, bending your dog's leg to do so, and you've got the perfect length to trim the strap to.
7. Attach the other pant leg same as the first.

Elements for the covering and foliage:
• Felt to make a blanket or body cover and fabric for lining so the plastic plants do not irritate your dog.
• Plastic aquarium plants that come attached to grids (available at Petco) or organic plants for the green version:


To attach the plastic foliage, pull all of the foliage off the mats. Then make a horse blanket out of green felt and strategically cut holes in the felt using an x-acto knife. Push the prongs of the grid through the holes and reattach the foliage alternating the two different types of leaves. Then line the entire costume on the underside so that none of the plastic will poke through and make your pet uncomfortable.

And Voila! Ch Ch Ch Chia.... Chia Dog!


Images and instructions courtesy of the Flirty Guide Blog.

Jewelry The Cat Coughed Up. Feline Furball Necklaces, Earrings and Rings.

Okay, so it hasn't actually been digested by a cat, but the custom jewelry by Moderncat blogger and jewelry designer Heidi Abrahamson, is actually made from the fur of a feline.




The one-of-a-kind pieces where made when Kate Benjamin (shown modeling the jewelry above) gave several cats a good grooming (she recommends the Furminator) and then hand-rolled each ball of cat fur into a tight bead. By rolling the loose fur between her palms, the strands become felted together, forming a solid little bead. Her friend Heidi then added her silversmithing skills by attaching jewelry findings to the furballs and then mounting them on earrings, ring shanks and chains.



Yes, Heidi said she would be happy to create custom hairball jewelry for you, too! Feel free to contact her for pricing and details.

all photos by Kate Benjamin. Info and images courtesy of Modern Cat


If you think this is bizarre, check out the people who make sweaters from their dog's fur here

This Christmas' Must Have Toy: Pleo

Wouldn't you like to be the coolest parent (or grandparent or Aunt or Uncle) this holiday season?

Then get on board with what will be the hottest purchase this holiday. It's Pleo, the adorable, computerized, 'smart' toy brought to you by the same creator of Furby. At $349.00 the price may actually go up if demand is like that for hot toys in the past. It isn't avialable until October in the US, but you can pre-order now.

You may laugh at my thinking about Christmas gifts in June, but I can assure you this one will be a nightmare to attempt to find once it's hit the market.

Read on and learn why it's an unusual, inventive, adorable toy.



Pleo, a one week-old dinosaur, is a robotic marvel and the newest member of your family! Pleo interacts with you – moving organically, expressing emotion, autonomously exploring and responding to the world around him. Each Pleo has a unique personality that develops based on Pleo’s life experiences with you.




On Pleoworld.com owners connect, find training tips and download new enhancements to Pleo. Pleo’s sophisticated sensory system has devices that enable him to hear, to see, to sense touch, and to detect objects: a color camera, sound sensors, two infrared sensors, 14 motors, over 100 gears, eight touch sensors, and an orientation sensor.




Every Pleo is unique. Yes, each one begins life as a newly-hatched baby Camarasaurus*, but that's where predictability ends and individuality begins. Pleo doesn't just do what he's told. He develops his own personality, moods, and habits—all shaped by the time he spends with you. In creating this Life Form, we merely set the wheels in motion. Making the magic is up to you and Pleo.



*What is a Camarasaurus?
Camarasaurus was a late-Jurassic North American herbivore, 60 feet long in adulthood, and just Pleo's size as a newborn.



What comes in the box:
Every Pleo life form Includes
Companion guide
Training leaf
Authenticity ID Card
NiMH replaceable, rechargeable battery pack
AC charger



Measurements
Pleo: 20.7" L x 6.0" W x 7.5" H. (3.5 lbs.)
Shipping Box: 24.0” x 10.0” x 8.0: (5.0lbs)








How Do They Do It?




Significant Processing Power
32-bit Microprocessors – central and image processing
8-bit Subprocessors – motor control

Highly Articulated Movement
14 Motors
Over 100 custom-designed gears

Complex Sensory Network
Camera-based vision system – light detection and navigation
Microphones – binaural hearing
Skin sensors – head, chin, shoulders, back, feet
Foot switches – surface detection
Force-feedback sensors – one per joint
Orientation tilt sensor – body position
Infrared mouth sensor – object detection

Multiple Data Ports
Mini USB™ port – online downloads
SD™ card slot – Pleo add-ons
Infrared transceiver – Pleo-to-Pleo communications

High-Quality Sound
2 Speakers – mouth and back

Power Source
Rechargeable and replaceable NiMH battery pack

To see him moving, click here.


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Not intended for children under the age of 8.

PLEO’s NiMH battery recharges in four hours, which provides approx. one hour of operation.

Pleo will be available in the United States in October 2007.

Available for purchase and pre-order now ($349.00 USD), click here.

In Memorium

Abbey

March 7, 1993 - May 12, 2007

As some of you know, my dearest friend and devoted canine companion of 10 years, Abbey, was diagnosed with terminal cancer last september. After pallative treatment of chemo and radiation in October, and several efforts at staving off infections with various antibiotics (and yet making sure she has a positive quality of life), at the age of 14, she is finally leaving me.

A jack russell terrier with tons of attitude who was smart as a whip and equally as beautiful, her absence will leave a hole in more lives than just my own.

Not everyone understands what the love of a dog can do for your life. I am thankful that I do. Abbey basically saved mine by coming into my world at a point when I was suffering from severe depression and a broken heart and was painfully lonely.

I never had any pets growing up. Well, okay, not entirely true. I did have some of those tiny turtles in a plastic bowl with a fake palm tree and a hamster named Cream Puff, but never knew what it was like to have a pet who curled up with you during an afternoon nap or licked your face in the morning to wake you. The birthday wish I made as I closed my eyes and blew out the candles from age 5 to age 16 was to have a dog.

I'm forever grateful to my friend Kim, who was Abbey's original mommy but whose life at the time was complicated and wasn't the best for raising a dog. She saw that I needed something to love and she generously let me adopt Abbey in 1998. Not once did she ever ask for Abbey back nor during her numerous and frequent visits over the following years, did she make me feel like Mommy #2. Because of her generosity, I had the wonderful unparalleled experience of having Abbey for 10 years.

Abbey and I drove across the country, just the two of us, twice. She was my partner in strange hotels and adventures in towns I had previously never seen. The perfect road trip companion, she never wanted to change the radio and not once asked "Are we there yet?". She helped make every unfamiliar place comforting. She gave me strength to do things I'd never undertake alone.

I moved to Michigan for work in 2003 and returned in 2006. Part of what made that experience endurable and void of homesickness was Abbey. Wherever she was became home to me.

It will be hard to adjust to life without Abbey. In the past ten years there were very few nights she did not sleep tucked under the covers with me. More often than not, hers was the last face I saw before going to sleep and the first face I saw as I woke. But, like all living things, no matter how wonderful, she cannot grace the world forever.

She is being peacefully euthanized today in the comfort of her home, in the safety of my arms. And someday, someday I hope to see her again, to hold her, to let her nuzzle her snout in my neck and to give her kisses on the belly. Until then I can happily say I have no regrets. None at all. I'm so happy that I spoiled her rotten, put her needs before mine, and spent every penny on everything from gourmet dog food, beautiful collars, the finest medical care and all those deposits for hotel rooms.

It was completely worth it.



Goodbye Sweet Abbey.



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Below are a few of my favorite pictures from the past ten years:


Abbey, 1999


"Abbeytude" 2000


Abbey, 2002


Portrait, 2002 photo by Jon Pearce


The perfect passenger, road trip 2003


Dec. 2005

Luxuriating in bed, 2006


Napping in a hotel in Sante Fe, 2006


March 2007


April, 2007


Yesterday: Abbey sleeping peacefully on the porch the last day before her death.