WITH MY CAMERA

Wordless Wednesday.

2012-05-16T10:20:00.000-04:00

This edition of Wordless Wednesday is brought to you by Riley's birthday adventures: a trip to the beach and a trip to the dog park.

As if trying to take pictures with Riley wasn't hard enough, we had this little kid that kept trying to pet Riley at the same time as our picture. Ugh.

Happy birthday Riley!

2012-05-15T15:12:00.001-04:00

Riley celebrated her first birthday yesterday! We took her to the beach and the dog park for her birthday weekend and she got lots of new toys and was spoiled rotten!

It's so hard to believe that it's been a year already. It feels like just yesterday, I was in the midst of #OperationPuppy and doing anything in my power to convince Mike to let us get a puppy. He was so resistant to having a puppy in the begining, mostly because he had never had a dog before and didn't know what to expect. It feels like it was just last week that I was counting down the final days till when I was finally able to make the 2 hour drive to pick her up. The past year with Riley has definitely been an adventure and she's brought so much love and happiness to both Mike and I. She's made us more of a 'family' and I can't imagine our lives without her. Happy birthday, Riley- your mama and papa love you very much!

Love this!

2012-05-11T16:55:00.005-04:00

Happy Friday everyone :) I'm a little bit late with this week's post. I've been busy (for a change) at work, so my usual Internet slacking off is on the back burner these days. Mike has been out of town all week and I am definitely looking forward to his being home on Sunday night. I think I might take Riley to the beach tomorrow and then I have Mother's Day plans on Sunday with Mike's mom, sister and Nana. What are you all doing this weekend??

These really cute note cards, using a friendship bracelet design, are so cute! (via Design*Sponge)

This dog, all nice and colorful, courtesy of the Color Run (via Dog Milk)- they had an event like this in Miami, you better believe that Riley and I would be out there getting in that mess too!

The Signs of Affection Project (via BB-Blog)

The photos that Joanna posted of her mini-vacation to Amsterdam- they make me want to visit so bad! (via A Cup of Jo)

This really awesome, modern, DIY dog crate, that doubles as coffee table- how cool! (via Dog Milk)

These really beautiful photographs by Alberto Seveso (via A Chance To Fly)

This really great bookcase (via August Empress)

This concept digital camera, modeled after Instagram, it prints out photos and lets you choose different filters (via PhotoJojo)

This illustration (found via Tumblr)

Wordless Wednesday.

2012-05-09T11:39:00.000-04:00

Wordless Wednesday this week is brought to you by the photos I wanted to post last week, but couldn't, due to a broken laptop. Photos from a day spent with Mike's family; photos of my backyard, of Mike, and of course Riley.

My weekend re-cap.

2012-05-07T12:30:00.002-04:00

My weekend started out early, with me taking Riley to the beach all by myself, while Mike was out of town. Mike got back Friday evening and we spend a quiet weekend together. We were lazy on Saturday morning and didn't do much, until I had to leave to go babysit my cousin's (amazing) daughter. While I was babysitting, Mike stayed home and did yard work. Can you say domesticated? ;) Later that evening we went out to dinner at the new/only Red Robin down here in South Florida. I'd been wanting to try out their blue cheese burger- it did not disappoint! We got home in time from dinner to walk Riley and enjoy the Super Moon. On Sunday we went to the movies and ended up seeing "Think Like A Man" because "The Avengers" was sold out. It was actually really funny and we both definitely enjoyed it. After the movies we enjoyed a really delicious dinner of grilled fish and veggies, as always- prepared by Mike. He leaves again tomorrow for a week, so we tried to spend as much quality time together as possible.

How was your weekend?

Love this!

2012-05-04T12:24:00.000-04:00

Happy Friday you guys! I'm so happy that this week is finally over- today is not only Friday and the end of my work week but I also get to pick Mike up today. Unfortunately Mike has to leave again on Tuesday, but I am sure that we will make the best of our short weekend together. What are do you have planned for this weekend? As always, here are some great things I saw online this week:

This tattoo of Davy Jones from the Pirates of the Caribbean. He's one of my favorite characters from the PotC movies. I can just picture him saying "99 soulssss!" (found via Tumblr)

This really great time lapse video of the very talented Nikko Hurtado tattooing (via TattooSnob)

This statement (found via Tumblr)

This really great venn diagram by Gerren Lamson (via Paper Crowns)

This really cute DIY chunky knit pillow (via Design*Sponge). I used to knit back in the day, I wonder if I could remember how, and make this...

“You may not be her first, her last, or her only. She loved before she may love again. But if she loves you now, what else matters? She’s not perfect - you aren’t either, and the two of you may never be perfect together but if she can make you laugh, cause you to think twice, and admit to being human and making mistakes, hold onto her and give her the most you can. She may not be thinking about you every second of the day, but she will give you a part of her that she knows you can break - her heart. So don’t hurt her, don’t change her, don’t analyze and don’t expect more than she can give. Smile when she makes you happy, let her know when she makes you mad, and miss her when she’s not there.” -Bob Marley

This quote from Bob Marley (via PEA)

This cute "Busty Girl Perks" cartoon, cause it's so true (via Fail Blog)

This really awesome Ball jar painting (via Design*Sponge)

This drawing (found on Tumblr)- how I wish this was possible!

This really great table runner- meant to resemble paint chips. I love this! (via Design*Sponge)

This set of goals for the month of May (via EatSleepCuddle)

Wordless Wednesday.

2012-05-02T10:38:00.000-04:00

Wordless Wednesday is brought to you this week by the many faces of Riley. I had other photos I intended to post, but my laptop at home died over the weekend and the pictures are on there with no way of me getting them off. I ordered a new AC adapter on Amazon and I am hoping that takes care of my laptop issue! Until then, here are some photos of Riley from the past couple of days ;)

THIS FACE! haha!

Jasmine blooms.

2012-05-01T16:30:00.000-04:00

The scent of jasmine is one of my favorite things in the world. The smell is intoxicating, heavenly and amazing! I love jasmine scented soaps and perfumes, and if I could live in a completely jasmine-scented world, I'd be thrilled. I am very lucky in that we have a few over-grown jasmine bushes (trees?) in our backyard, lining our back fence. The smell of the blooms seems even stronger in the evenings and when the wind is just right, I get to enjoy the delicious smell the entire time I am walking Riley. I love it!

Airport goodbyes.

2012-04-30T17:06:00.001-04:00

Have I ever mentioned how much I dislike airport goodbyes? Mike just left for another trip this afternoon. For almost 8 years I've been dropping him off at the airport and having to say goodbye to him, for a week, sometimes weeks, at a time. You would think after so many years of doing it, that it would somehow get easier to deal with, but it doesn't. In the last 3 years that we've been dating, I've dropped him off at the airport for every single trip- I make it a point to be the one that drops him off. In these 3 years, there hasn't been a time where I haven't gotten a little teary-eyed during/after our goodbyes. I don't necessarily break down crying, but I do always get a little misty. I am such an emotional person and having to say goodbye just isn't easy for me. We both enjoy each others company so much, we're with each other almost all of the time, so being without him (even for a week or two) is a hard adjustment to make. Unfortunately because of Mike's crazy travel schedule for work, he travels constantly, so once I finally do get used to his being away, it's time for him to come home again. Then he's home for a little while and then has to leave again and we start the whole cycle all over again.

Mike being away always gets me thinking about how other people do this and how other people get through times like this. Like my friend Dawn for instance- she's a military wife, so being away from your spouse comes with the territory. In the years that we've been friends, I think that her husband has been deployed for longer than he's been home. She's had to deal with countless deployments and I can't even begin to imagine how hard that must be on the two of them. She's a really great wife and deals with it so smoothly (from what I can tell). I definitely admire her strength and patience.

How do you handle being away from your loved ones??

(via joshokie)

(via livvips)

(via nicola bigi)

(via emmanuel deparis)

The artwork of Liz Clements.

2012-04-30T11:29:00.000-04:00

I recently discovered the Tumblr of this really great illustrator and I just had to share her work with you all. I absolutely love what she does- she has a great style. If I knew my boss wouldn't hate it, I would love to cover my office walls in her prints!

Please check out Liz Clements: Tumblr - Facebook - Etsy shop

Love this!

2012-04-27T11:29:00.000-04:00

Happy Friday! I'm looking forward to this weekend very much. Mike and I are going down to the Keys for an impromptu trip, to celebrate an early Mother's Day, as Mike will be out of town during the real Mother's Day. I'm definitely looking forward to the drive (so pretty) and to being around his family. What are you all up to this weekend? As always, here are some of my favorite finds this week:

This photograph of Frida Khalo, part of a new exhibition of previously unseen photos of her, from her personal collection. I love this shot because it's so unlike her usual 'look'- with her braids and flowers in her hair. (via NPR)

This amazing set of wedding photos- Kendra from The Ruffle House blog's wedding, to be exact. Who knew that a simple white parachute as a prop would make for such amazing photos?!

This sign/graffiti (via WordsOverPixels)

This cute way that Jenny and her husband announced to her blog readers that she was pregnant- so cute! (via Chandelier Jenny)

This awesome indoor swing! How fun! (via Bleubird Vintage)

This quote (found via Tumblr)

This funny list of dog names for graphic designers (via Dog Milk)

This cute sandy-nosed Vizsla named Captain (via It's A Vizsla Thing)

These photographs of Audrey Kawasaki at work (via Audrey Kawasaki)

This illustration of Frida Kahlo by Tara Jacoby

This statement (found via Tumblr)

This really awesome cat tattoo (found via Tumblr)

Wordless Wednesday.

2012-04-25T09:51:00.005-04:00

Wordless Wednesday this week is brought to you by a rainy Miami weekend, yet ANOTHER new braid toy that I made for Riley (she loves them and plays with them so much that they get destroyed, so I guess that's a good thing!), and the growing mangoes in our tree- I can't wait to eat some!

(look at how high she jumps!)

SERIOUSLY?! I die over her silly cuteness!

Love this!

2012-04-20T12:27:00.000-04:00

Happy Friday!! How is everyone doing this lovely Friday? It seems like it's about to turn into a rainy Friday here in Miami and I am hoping that is not an indication of our upcoming weekend weather. We were hoping to be able to take Riley to the lake at some point this weekend for a swim. No rain this weekend please! Hope you all have a great weekend- here are some cool things I found online this week:

This beautiful setting. I wish I knew where this was! (found via Tumblr)

This french toast recipe from Miss James (via A Cup of Jo)

This beautiful .GIF (via Little Chief Honeybee)

This top knot how-to from A Beautiful Mess

This amusing PRO/CON journal (via BB-Blog)

This really cute idea for a children's toy- they copy your children's artwork and turn it into a toy (via Spookular)

These really cute nautical rope bracelets (via A Cup of Jo)

This great Adele .GIF (found via Tumblr)

This cute tattoo flash by Ashley Love- I like that this pin-up is chubby!

This amazing dog portrait tattoo by Adam Barton

These photos on Naomi's blog, from a weekend trip to NYC with her family- they really make me nostalgic for the birthday trip that Mike and I took to NYC a couple of years ago. (via Rockstar Diaries)

This amazing iPhone photography (via Photo Jojo)

Wordless Wednesday.

2012-04-18T14:42:00.002-04:00

More DIY.

2012-04-17T10:02:00.000-04:00

Remember that DIY toy that I made for Riley?? I made her another one, but this time I modified it a bit by adding a tennis ball to it. She was liking her other braid so much and she happened to have this old tennis ball that already had the holes in it (it used to have a rope going through it but she chewed through the rope) so I decided to put a braid and the ball together.

Riley has loved this new braid/ball combo so much in fact, that she had already destroyed the braid part of it by yesterday afternoon! Of course, because I'm a good mama, I quickly made her a new braid again last night ;) Riley was very happy and went right back to playing. She plays with this constantly, non-stop! Needless to say, that makes me a happy mama.

Currently.

2012-04-16T16:44:00.000-04:00

Currently...

Loving: Loving the way that my bangs are growing out. I usually hate them in the growing out stage, but this time (so far!) it's been great.

Thinking about: Thinking about the doctor appointment I had last week (a second opinion about my back) and it didn't exactly go as I'd hoped or wanted. I've got lots of thinking and figuring out to do.

Anticipating: I can't wait to get home to Mike tonight! He arrived really late last night from Long Beach and it was so late and I was so tired, that we didn't get to really catch up with each other yet. I want a dinner date tonight, just so we can talk, flirt and catch up with each other.

Listening to: Listening to absolutely nothing right now! Sometimes it's nice just to have a little bit of silence and quiet.

Eating: I just nom-nom-nommed on some "cuties" - they are so delicious! I never cared much for citrus before, but now that I've started eating cuties, I'm addicted!

Wishing: I wish that there was a miracle cure for my back and that I could just wave a magic wand and have all of this go away. I'm so sick of living (or NOT living, really) my life around my back pain and what I am able (or not able) to do.

What are all of you up to right now?

Love this!

2012-04-13T11:17:00.005-04:00

Happy Friday everyone! I can't believe that April is half over already. Wasn't it just April Fool's Day?? It's definitely true that the older you get, the faster time flies- at least for me! Here are some of my favorite Internet finds this week:

This Details magazine photo spread (via Photojojo)

This photograph by Camila Mangueira Soares- I am pretty sure I've stepped out looking this way a time or two ;)

This beautiful carved oak rope swing (via Design*Sponge)

This how-to on a twisted side ponytail from A Beautiful Mess really comes in handy for me. My hair is always coming undone if I wear it in a side ponytail- this helps it stay together nicely.

This really great Dorothea Lange quote (via Pinterest)

This illustration by Señor Salme (via Swamperella)

These pretty magnetic chalkboards from ShabbyVintageMom

This really cute panda "lover/fighter" print from SadlyHarmless

This really cute DIY tutorial for these his & hers pillow cases (via A Beautiful Mess)

This SUPER CUTE video of my friend Paige's baby pug Moz, who turned one this week! This video is hilarious, of him when he was a tiny little thing. (via Danny Brito)

Riley is growing up!

2012-04-13T10:00:00.000-04:00

I try to get on the computer over the weekends, so that is why I am making this post today rather than tomorrow. Riley turns 11 months old tomorrow!! I can hardly believe that in a month my baby girl will be a year old! It feels like just yesterday I made the extremely long and extremely nerve-wracking trip to West Palm Beach to meet Riley for the first time and bring her home. I was SO nervous meeting her, the breeders and her mom. I was worried that Riley wouldn't like me and wouldn't want to come home with me! I can't believe I was even worried about that ;) I think I was nervous because I had to meet her/pick her out without Mike, because he was away at a race. Needless to say, I obviously made the right choice and Riley obviously loves her mama and papa! In honor of Riley's 11 months, I answered a little survey on her behalf. I post hundreds of her photos here but there are so many awesome little Riley details that you don't know about.

My beautiful baby girl :)

Name: Riley Mia Yankovich is her full name. I picked her first name and Mike picked her middle name. Her middle name is a tribute to Miami aka MIA.

Nickname: Riley-Piley, RyeRye, Poop-a-loops, Poops...and we sometimes call her almost any other "R" name just to be funny: Ripley, Rusty, Rupert...

Age: turns 1 year old on May 14, 2012

Breed: Vizsla

How did I end up with this breed/Riley? Since I was really young, I've always been one to watch dog shows on television and Vizsla's were always a breed that always stood out to me. As I got older and learned more about the breed, I liked what I read about them. I've grown up with dogs my whole life and had many different breeds, from pure breed to rescues. Mike had never really had a dog before, so he pretty much left the entire puppy-finding process up to me. Obviously I included him in all of my decisions, but because I had more experience with dogs, he trusted my judgement when I started narrowing down my breed selection. Vizsla's are a hunting breed from Hungary and are known for loving the water. They are also a very loyal, affectionate and loving breed. So affectionate in fact, they have the reputation of being a "velcro dog" because they get so attached to their owners. After everything I read about them, their personalities, their love of water, their size and temperament, they became our first choice of breed. I believe in pet adoption and rescuing a dog that needs a home but Vizsla's are not a common breed and the Viszsla rescue club in Florida RARELY gets animals that need homes. I literally sent dozens of emails to breeders all over Florida (mostly North Florida) and no one was breeding Vizsla's any time soon. I was starting to feel like I'd never get a Vizsla and out of the blue, about 6 months after I started looking for a breeder, one found me! I got an email from a really nice lady about 2 1/2 hours north of me, saying that she got my email from another breeder and did I still want a Vizsla. She was breeding her dog and would find out soon if she was pregnant. I don't think I've ever replied back to an email so fast in my life! Needless to say, thanks to her we ended up with Riley, the love of our lives.

Favorite toy: her Kong Wubba (she has a little one and huge one) and any kind of ball/tennis ball

Favorite food: dehydrated/baked sweet potato slices, raw zucchini, red apples. She LOVES her fruits and veggies!

Favorite place to sleep: During the day: on the back of the couch so she can look out the window; at night: between Mike and I- literally on a pillow between us- yup she's spoiled ;) We have a huge king-size bed though, and she fits perfectly between us, with enough room to spare.

Weirdest quirk: Miss Riley has a few quirks. She likes to lick your wet feet and ankles after you shower. She snores LOUDLY when she sleeps. She's obsessed with Mike's socks and only Mike's- she could care less about my socks. And finally- eating sticks. Yes, EATING. She's so weird. She loves to find any/all sticks outside and start chewing away. She loves sticks and I don't mind her playing with them- as long it's just playing. but that's not enough for Riley. She chomps away on sticks and eats them like they're beef jerky! Mike and I are forever taking sticks away from her.

Pet peeves: Her biggest pet peeve is Mike and I showing ANY affection towards each other. Gone are the days of Mike and I being the touchy-feely, lovey-dovey, constantly hugging and kissing couple. Riley will jump on us, bark like a maniac at us, sit/stand in between us, etc. to try and stop us, anytime that Mike and I show affection to each other. The sound of a kiss drives her mad; us hugging makes her throw a fit! It's hilarious and annoying at the same time. Mike and I have resorted to sneaking hugs and kisses whenever Riley leaves the room or is asleep and we've trained ourselves to kiss very, very quietly LOL. Funny thing is, we haven't been able to figure out which one of us she's jealous of!

Best trick: She knows how to play dead. If you point a fake gun at her with your fingers and say "BANG!" really loud, she'll flop on the floor, lay on her side and lay there. It's really cute.

If my Riley was another animal, what would it be? She would be a dolphin/porpoise! She loves being in the water and jumping around and splashing.

If Riley had a blog, what would it be named? "Let me tell you something" because she's EXTREMELY vocal. Riley swears she can talk. She doesn't just bark- she makes SOUNDS. Mike and I are trying our hardest to get her to make a sound that resembles "I love you" and I know one day we'll get her there!

*The idea for this post & survey came from the Dog Milk blog and their "The Scoop!" blog feature.

Throwback Thursday.

2012-04-12T15:46:00.000-04:00

These photographs are from the first vacation that Mike and I ever took together, to Fort Myers Beach- this was in June 2009, about 2 months before we started dating. We had such a great time- fishing, swimming, eating, relaxing, and me getting tattooed. Once we became a couple, Fort Myers Beach instantly became one of "our places." We love going there as often as possible, even just for the weekend. We both love the extremely laid back FMB attitude and FMB is one of the first places we think of when we want to get away.

I have to say that one of the things that saddens me the most about this upcoming summer, is the likelihood of us not being able to make any trips to FMB this year. We'd already started making plans, talking about how much fun it was going to be to include Riley this year...and now it's all on hold. My back has been deteriorating rapidly in the past month. I've been missing a lot of work because of the pain and I've been generally having a much harder time dealing with my back pain than usual. Lately, sitting any place for more than an hour puts me in excruciating pain, so I know that a 4 hour car ride to FMB is not in the cards for me at the moment. It breaks my heart to think about not going anywhere this summer. With that being said, I love being able to look at these pictures and re-live our first trip together.

We arrived in Fort Myers Beach in time to catch a quick dip in the ocean and watch the sunset.

This trip was also my first attempt at TtV photography. Looking at these pictures makes me want to try it again. I definitely didn't give this enough of a chance.

The west coast of Florida is known for an abundance of shells- I mean just look at all of these buried in the sand!! (Side note, the shell col

Ready for dinner and drinks, the night after I got my arm tattooed. (I look so much thinner here!)

Seriously, ALL THE SHELLS!

Some-what Wordless Wednesday.

2012-04-11T10:30:00.000-04:00

This week is some-what Wordless Wednesday ;) It's not always easy to NOT comment on my photos!

It was really, really windy a few days ago- windy enough to bend this bamboo all the way over. There was another piece on the floor, completely snapped at the base.

Baby mango!

My heart.

Mike thought this cloud looked like an M or a sideways 3.

Food Trucks!

We got to the Food Trucks really early, so there weren't many people there yet, which is a GOOD thing, as a lot of the trucks tend to sell out at the more popular Food Truck events.

Always my number one choice of Food Truck- Ms. Cheezious aka the best grilled cheese EVER.

One of my closest friends from junior high/high school designed this logo/character!

This photograph does not do justice to the deliciousness of our grilled cheeses. Pork and red pepper and cheese for Mike and Bacon and blue cheese for me.

It drives me crazy when irresponsible owners bring such young puppies to the dog park.

This is Wednesday- a brindle French bulldog.

Riley had lots of fun with all the Boxers at the park.

That beautiful face!! I love her so much!

Riley likes to think that she can walk herself ;)

Love this!

2012-04-06T14:22:00.000-04:00

Because I was a slacker (too busy, tbh) and didn't make a Love this! post last week, this week you all get an extra-big post! I hope you enjoy!

This GIF found on Tumblr

This picture of Maddie- she looks so happy to be in that swing! (via Maddie on Things)

This video of Lindsay Lohan's morphing face, from newborn to adult. Poor girl looks ROUGH. I love that they included her mug shot(s) into this video though ;) (via OhNoTheyDidnt)

This cool art installation by Steve Lambert (via Yellow Bird Yellow Beard)

These pet floats- which would be awesome if I had a pool! (via Dog Milk)

These rainy-day engagement shoot pictures are so beautiful. (via Little Chief Honeybee)

These really cute sandals- perfect for summer. I especially love the orange shade- so pretty! I wonder if my back would tolerate me wearing these... ;)

These stunning photographs, shot in Italy, make me long for another visit to Italy so badly! (via Paper Crowns)

I have a big love for striped shirts, so this cute print by Caitlin McGauley immediately caught my eye (via Pinterest)

I can't wait for my hair to be as long as Christen's! (she's from Two Happy Hearts)

Speaking of hair I envy, Naomi from the Rockstar Diaries has really pretty long hair that I love (and a really cute daughter too!)

7 Steps to Happiness (via Pinterest)

This beautiful photo of Grenada, Nicaragua (did you guys know that I am half Nicaraguan? Betcha didn't know that!) (via Travel This World)

This really cute embroidered art (via 365 Lucky Days)

This awesome patterned wallpaper (via Design*Sponge)

This beautiful collage by Cassandra Warren

This awesome porch bed/swing- wouldn't this be perfect for relaxing on the weekends? I can totally picture Mike, Riley and I napping away our Sundays on that! (via Prehistoric)

This really cute pug t-shirt from LastEarth (too bad there are never any cute Vizsla t-shirts!)

This funny MonaLISAFRANK that I saw on Tumblr (you know you liked Lisa Frank when you were a kid!)

This quote from Frank Zappa

And finally I leave you with my new favorite Tumblr- I'm literally going through all of the pages, reading every post and giggling to myself. I'm also trying to restrain myself from re-blogging everything! #WHATWESHOULDCALLME

Wordless Wednesday.

2012-04-04T10:41:00.000-04:00

(look at her face all dirty from digging!)

Thanks to Riley.

2012-04-03T16:36:00.000-04:00

Thanks to Riley, I now

Have an easier time dealing with Mike being away a lot of the time during race season- I don't sit around and mope like I used to- so this is a really good thing for me.
Am much more active and don't lead a completely sedentary lifestyle- she keeps me constantly moving, which is really great for me.
Am constantly laughing or smiling at something she's doing. She's such a happy and fun dog that you can't help but be in the best mood because of her.
Have become a lot less self-absorbed. I have to focus on her now and not just me ;)
Am much more responsible- not that I wasn't responsible before, because I was, but she's definitely made me even more so.
Am much closer to Mike. Obviously Mike and I have always been close but I know that Riley has definitely changed "us" and our relationship- for the better. She brought us closer together as a family, I suppose. She's brought out the nurturing, fatherly side of Mike and brought out the mother in me.

I could sit here and write about all of the amazing things about Riley and how much love and happiness she's brought us, but I am suddenly at a loss for words to describe what a happy, loyal and loving dog she is. She's more than a dog, she's family.

Getting crafty with Pinterest.

2012-03-29T10:05:00.000-04:00

If you're anything like me (and the rest of the Internet) you've jumped on the Pinterest bandwagon and obsessively pin anything and everything. One of things I tend to pin the most (aside from wedding ideas and nail polish colors LOL) are all sorts of DIY craft ideas. I pin things all the time but until this week, I'd never gotten around to actually making any of the things I've been obsessively pinning. Being the crazy dog mama that I am, it should come as no surprise that I made Riley a dog toy. I had fun making her this tug-toy, it was really easy plus she LOVES it, so that just makes it really great any way you look at it.

Pinterest has a few different dog toy DIY ideas- most of them involving old t-shirts or fabric scraps. I had a few old t-shirts that I had set aside to donate to Goodwill, so I decided to use them for this project instead. I looked through the different pins in my pinboard to get the basic idea and then I set out to make one for Riley. It was so easy to make that I can definitely see myself continuing to make these for her.

Here are a few of my tshirts. I ended up using only three shirts, to have 3 colors/patterns.

I measured out about 20 inches and started cutting strips, trying to keep them all about 20 inches long and about 3 inches wide.

As you can tell, I definitely wasn't going for perfection here! All my strips were different widths. I ended up cutting 15 strips total, 5 from each t-shirt.

I gathered all my strips and tied them together on one end. I made the tightest, strongest knot I could. I originally cut 15 strips, but it was too bulky to tie into a good knot, so I ended using only 3 strips from each color, for 9 strips total.

After you tie your knot, you just make a basic braid and tie another strong knot at the end.

And then you're done and it's ready for your dog- in this case Riley, who was not-so-patient! She hated taking these pictures, because I wouldn't let her play with the braid right away.

FINALLY!

She LOVED it right away.

She paraded and pranced around the backyard like a lunatic. It was awesome.

Good job! Riley approved!

Wordless Wednesday.

2012-03-28T10:30:00.000-04:00

Wordless Wednesday this week is brought to you by me, Mike & Riley and our backyard.

Tiny baby mangoes!! Can't wait for them to get big and juicy!!