Monday – Basil's Travels

February 1, 2016

Make it Monday! DIY Vintage Suitcase Dog Bed!

The weekend may be over but don’t let Monday get you down. Lets get creative! Today on Make it Monday! Basil, and I, with the help of my brother in-law Jake, turned a super cute vintage suitcase into a new unique dog bed.

What you need!

Hard case suitcase. (I found this yellow Samsonite case at an antique store for $9!)
4 short table legs. (The ones we used were actually banister toppers found at a hardware store. The leg came with hardware already included.)
2 2×4 pieces of wood cut to size.
Hot glue gun or sewing machine. (My Sewing machine is currently out of order so I went the glue route and it worked just fine.)
1 yard of fabric
1 or 2 standard size pillows or square thick foam. (I used 1 pillow and a small old quilt for padding.)
Drill
Optional: Trim

DIY Vintage Suitcase Dog Bed — I told him I wouldn’t photograph his face… I lied! Oops!

Okay so if you are anything like me you probably don’t have a clue how to build things using power tools. The extant of my knowledge is limited to hanging a picture straight on the wall and using an allen wrench to put together my “affordable Swedish crap.” This is where my brother in-law Jake came into the picture. He is a construction work and has every tool under the sun. For the first part of this project, the hard part, putting on the legs, I pretty much just handed him the pieces and said “help me!” In the following pictures if you see hairy forearms, they are not mine!

Part 1: The Hard Part! Attaching the legs!

Step 1: Mark where you want to position the legs and drill holes.
Step 2: Attach the wood beams to the inside of the suitcase. These are going to act as the anchor for the legs. Make sure to position them over where you drilled the holes.
Step 3: Screw in the legs, with the already attached hardware, through the drilled holes and into the wood beams.

Part 2: The Fun Part!

Step 1: Find a cute fabric to match your case.
Step 2: Use fabric is cover your pillow/foam padding. Make a pillow case using your sewing machine or hot glue gun. FYI, they make fabric glue for your hot glue gun! It’s washable! (I’m not going to show you how to make a pillow case. Thats not fun. If you really don’t know, there is this magical thing called Google that will help you out.
Step 3: Attach your trim, if you so choose. I liked how it looked with the trim so I went for it. I used a chevon red burlap ribbon that I found at the craft store. I used my hot glue gun to glue it around the inside of the whole case.
Step 4: Insert padding and pillows!

Done!!

I put the adorable new bed in Basil’s new “dog cave” and he and our cats love it! The best part is now I have a dog bed that doesn’t look like a gross ugly dog bed!

Thanks to HGTV for the idea. If you want to see how they did it, its a little different, check it out here.

Let me know if you make this project. I would love to see your pictures!

Until next time friends! Xoxo

Travel well, nap well, live well!
-Abbey & Basil

October 5, 2015

The biased ref! OOTD!

Today is Monday night football and our beloved Seattle Seahawks are going head to head with the Detroit Lions! Basil is prepare to referee the game in case the official refs call out. You just need to know that he may not be 100% unbiased. Let the best team win… GO HAWKS!

“Ruferee” Jersey T-shirt Target $7 | Flag dog toy Target $4 | Seattle Seahawks dog collar, Handmade. Similar found on Etsy.com $15 |
Tuxedo Kitten, similar found at your local shelter. Check out aspca.org Priceless!

As you see Sebastian had to be involved in the shoot. I told him if he keeps doing that I’m going to start dressing him up everyday too. I don’t know if he is happy about that!

Who are you rooting for tonight?

Travel well, nap well, live well!
-Abbey & Basil

September 14, 2015

Make it Monday! – DIY Vintage Suitcase Dog Bed

The weekend may be over but don’t let Monday get you down. Lets get creative! Today on Make it Monday! Basil, and I, with the help of my brother in-law Jake, turned a super cute vintage suitcase into a new unique dog bed.

What you need!

Hard case suitcase. (I found this yellow Samsonite case at an antique store for $9!)
4 short table legs. (The ones we used were actually banister toppers found at a hardware store. The leg came with hardware already included.)
2 2×4 pieces of wood cut to size.
Hot glue gun or sewing machine. (My Sewing machine is currently out of order so I went the glue route and it worked just fine.)
1 yard of fabric
1 or 2 standard size pillows or square thick foam. (I used 1 pillow and a small old quilt for padding.)
Drill
Optional: Trim

Okay so if you are anything like me you probably don’t have a clue how to build things using power tools. The extant of my knowledge is limited to hanging a picture straight on the wall and using an allen wrench to put together my “affordable Swedish crap.” This is where my brother in-law Jake came into the picture. He is a construction work and has every tool under the sun. For the first part of this project, the hard part, putting on the legs, I pretty much just handed him the pieces and said “help me!” In the following pictures if you see hairy forearms, they are not mine!

Part 1: The Hard Part! Attaching the legs!

Step 1: Mark where you want to position the legs and drill holes.
Step 2: Attach the wood beams to the inside of the suitcase. These are going to act as the anchor for the legs. Make sure to position them over where you drilled the holes.
Step 3: Screw in the legs, with the already attached hardware, through the drilled holes and into the wood beams.

Part 2: The Fun Part!

Step 1: Find a cute fabric to match your case.
Step 2: Use fabric is cover your pillow/foam padding. Make a pillow case using your sewing machine or hot glue gun. FYI, they make fabric glue for your hot glue gun! It’s washable! (I’m not going to show you how to make a pillow case. Thats not fun. If you really don’t know, there is this magical thing called Google that will help you out.
Step 3: Attach your trim, if you so choose. I liked how it looked with the trim so I went for it. I used a chevon red burlap ribbon that I found at the craft store. I used my hot glue gun to glue it around the inside of the whole case.
Step 4: Insert padding and pillows!

Done!!

I put the adorable new bed in Basil’s new “dog cave” and he and our cats love it! The best part is now I have a dog bed that doesn’t look like a gross ugly dog bed!

Thanks to HGTV for the idea. If you want to see how they did it, its a little different, check it out here.

Let me know if you make this project. I would love to see your pictures!

Until next time friends! Xoxo

Travel well, nap well, live well!
-Abbey & Basil

August 3, 2015

Re-Make it Monday! DIY Dog Bow Ties!

Its Monday and life is crazy! ICYMI Check out this Make it Monday! post for DIY Dog Bow Ties. I’ll be back next Monday with a new MIM so let me know what you want me to make.

Happy Monday friends! For years Basil, being the 1st class hipster that he is, has been wearing bow ties. And for almost that same amount of time I have been purchasing him those bow ties. Okay so the cost isn’t that much each time, 1 bow tie retails for about $10-$20 but in the long run, that cost really adds up! So after buying Basil’s 20th bow tie (I know, I’m crazy!!) I figured I could make these, so I did!

Below you will find my simple DIY No Sew bow tie tutorial. Hopefully it works for you and your dog can look like a gentleman without breaking the bank! Step 1: There is a few things you’ll need!

• Large flat work area
• Hot glue gun
• Double sided Velcro
• Sharp scissors for cutting fabric
• Fabric
• Optional: elastic

The great thing about this project is most people have a lot of these craft supplies already in the their home. If you need anything on this list all of it can be found at your local craft store. I highly recommend using double-sided Velcro and it can be a little tricky to find. I ordered mine online(http://www.etsy.com) at a great deal. I also use a standard hot glue gun on the high setting. For my fabric, I found an amazing deal in the remnant fabric bin at Hobby Lobby. It was 1/8th a yard and only .59 cents! Also, I couldn’t pass up the Elvis in the 50’s pattern!

Step 2: Cut out a square!

The size I picked was about 6 inches by 6 inches. This bow tie is going to be a little large for a medium size (20 lb.) dog but that how I like it. If you want a smaller tie make the square smaller.

Step 3: Flip square over and glue edges down!

It doesn’t have to be perfect! I glued the “hot dog” sides first and then the “hamburger” sides. You really just want to make clean edges for the front of the bow tie.

Step 4: Cut a small rectangular piece for the center of the tie!

I cut a 2×6 inch piece of fabric. Make sure the length is 3 times the size of the width. I flipped the fabric over and glued the edges down like I did with the first piece of fabric.
Step 5: Pinch to make your bow tie shape!

Pinch the large square that you created, from the back, to make the bow tie shape that looks best to you. When I did this it made Elvis’s face a little weird.

Step 6: Tie the long rectangular piece around the pinched square. Knot in the back!
Make sure the fabric is laying flat on the front. Knot fabric in the back and glue flaps down. This is also a great time to glue down what doesn’t look right!

Step 7: Measure & Attach Velcro!

I grabbed one of Basil’s everyday dog collars and placed the double sided Velcro on top to see how much I needed. For a 1 inch collar I recommend at least 2 inches of Velcro.

I cut the Velcro and glued the strip on to the center, back of the bow tie. Make sure to place the glue on the soft side of the Velcro! This way the Velcro teeth can grab onto the collar as well as the other side of the strip. If you prefer to use elastic you can glue a loop of elastic band in the same spot.

Step 8: Attach to collar and look awesome!

Wrap the Velcro around the collar in your preferred area. Think about how the collar is going to hang and sit once on your pet.

Look how cute he is! This bow tie is cute, easy, and lightweight. I hope you enjoyed this tutorial. Show me your pictures of your creations!

Tomorrow is Travel Tuesday and the featured city is San Antonio, Texas! So make sure to check back then!

Travel well, nap well, live well!
-Abbey & Basil

July 13, 2015

Make it Monday! DIY paw print art!

Art is what you can get away with. -Andy Warhol
Happy Monday everyone! It’s so good to be back and even though we are still super busy it feels so great to be posting and sharing our adventures with all of you!

Today on Make it Monday! we got a little creative, Basil and I did some custom paw print art work. It was super easy and we had a lot of fun. I seriously love the 2 pieces we made and can’t wait to hang them in our new home!

What you need

Blank Canvas (Any size. I used square)
Non-toxic water based acrylic paint (I used Crayola washable kids paint)
A plastic shower curtain liner or painting drop cloth
Wet wipes

I found all these things at Target at a great price. I was surprised to find the canvas but I guess Target is getting pretty artsy. That worked in my favor! I decided to use the shower curtain liner as the floor covering and I couldn’t be happier. I purchased the cheapest one they had, $2.49, and it worked like a charm. The magnets those things have weighted down the sheet so when I throw it out on the lawn it stayed put, even with a bit of a summers breeze. Next all I did was set out the canvas onto the shower liner, poured out a small amount of my desired color onto the shower liner next to the canvas, and let Basil walk through it. Then I had Basil walk directly onto the blank canvas. He wasn’t super into that part but he put up with it! You can also apply paint to 1 paw and press that paw onto the canvas. We did both.

After its all said and done the clean up was a breeze. I used the wet wipes to clean the paint off Basils paws and to clean the paint off the shower liner. I thought about just throwing the liner away but we really didn’t make that much of a mess. If you have a larger dog with bigger paws I would recommend a large wet wash cloth and maybe just saying good bye to the liner.

Once back in the house (We did this all in the front yard. I’m sure my neighbors and the UPS guy were all very curious as to what was happen!) Basil got a short little puppy bath with our favorite Burt’s Bees Apple & Oatmeal dog shampoo and is now happily napping.

Here is what our final creations look like. Once they’re dry I’ll add Basil’s name to the corner. He did do the majority of the work after all!

What do you think of our art? Do you love it? I think it’s so post modern.

Let me know if you try this project and how it came out. I would love to see it!

A big thanks goes to Treats a la Bark for the original idea. I saw their take on this fun little art piece on Pinterest and had to give it a try.

Tomorrow is Travel Tuesday and I’ll be posting about Leavenworth, Washington. Make sure to check back then to learn about our favorite dog friendly spots in this little Bavarian village. Xoxo

Travel well, nap well, live well!
-Abbey & Basil

June 15, 2015

We love FreshPet!

Hello Monday people! How was your weekend? Around here we are having a “heat wave” or it’s just the Deep South and this is what June is. Who knows! With temps at almost 100 degrees and high humidity it’s really hard to get out and leave the comfort of your air conditioned home.

We’ve been hanging around the house getting ready for our cross country move and enjoying each other’s company. And let me tell you, being stuck in the house is so much easier when it’s not smelling like puppy toots! I owe this clean air to FreshPet.

Basil, Willow, and Sebastian have been on FreshPet Select for about 3 months now. You may have seen it in the fridge in the pet section of your local Target or grocery store. Recently the fresh pet food experts released a new baked kibble recipe.

Basil had the pleasure of trying this recipe this last week and he loves it!

This first thing I noticed when receiving the bag is how it looks almost identical to the fresh from the fridge variety. You can really see the dehydrated carrots, oats, and other superfood right in the kibble. This was very encouraging knowing we hadn’t even opened the bag yet.

Once the fresh seal was opened Basil was hooked. He doesn’t know what makes good dog food, but I do.

FreshPet is a made in the U.S.A, natural, no artificial preservatives added dog food. This kibble is made with 100% fresh chicken, whole grains, and essential vitamins. Chicken is the main ingredient listed and I can actually read (and understand) the remaining ingredients. This makes a good dog food!

FreshPet Baked also comes in turkey and grain free chicken.

Also, you know how I mentioned our toot free air. Well, FreshPet is the first pet food Basil has tried that stops all that stinky tooting! This super common Boston terrier problem which is caused by sucking in an excuse of air while eating or by digestive issues has become a thing of the past. Although Basil is very excited by his new food he seems to enjoy it at a reasonable rate and its easy on his sensitive tummy.

We highly recommend this new baked kibble recipe for all dogs. You can find it exclusively at Target stores.

Make sure to also check out all the other FreshPet products like their straight from the fridge food for dogs and cats and treats.

Let me know if you have tried FreshPet and if your dog loves it just as much as Basil!

Travel well, nap well, live well!
-Abbey & Basil

June 1, 2015

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!

Waking up this morning we still can’t believe it! Saturday night, at the Nose to Nose awards for the BlogPaws conference 2015, we won the best pet photo award for the picture below.

We were up against some hard competition but Basil’s cuteness prevail! Although we were unable to attend the conference this year we were able to watch it streaming live on YouTube.

I want to thank BlogPaws for this award and everyone that reads this blog and loves my dog, we are truly thankful!

Now to start planning for the 2016 BlogPaws conference being held in Phoenix, AZ. Xoxo

Travel well, nap well, live well!
-Abbey & Basil

May 25, 2015

Make it Monday! Peanut Butter & Carrot Dog Cupcakes!

Happy Memorial Day everyone! I hope your weekend has been fun and you are spending today relaxing.

For todays Make it Monday! I thought we would make one of Basil favorite “sweet” treats, peanut butter & carrot dog cupcakes! I’ve made these a few different times and they are always a hit. They are dog and people friendly and super simple.

The recipe!

1 cup white flour (For gluten-free use coconut flour!)
1 top baking soda
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup shredded carrots
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup honey (If you don’t have honey on hand, I have left it out a few times, no big deal!)
1 egg
Mix flour and baking soda together and then add all other ingredients.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.
I frosted these dog cakes with non-fat cream cheese and toped with a chunk of carrot.

Makes 9 cupcakes but can be doubled or tripled if you are having a real shindig!

Let me know if you make these and if your dog loved them as much as Basil does!

Travel well, nap well, live well!
-Abbey & Basil

May 11, 2015

Make it Monday! DIY T-Shirt Dog Toy!

So being Monday and all I thought, “lets be creative!” Today is the first of my Make it Monday series. Here is a re-share of my first dog DIY project, the T-shirt dog toy. I know a lot of people enjoyed this one and I know a lot of people missed it so I thought I would repost. I hope you like it and going forward on Mondays I’ll be posting new dog friendly recipes I’ve tried, other DIY toys, crafts for the home, and a ton more!

DIY T-Shirt Dog Toy

Hello all! In our house Basil loves new toys and my husband loves new t-shirts so I came up with a way that I can make both of those things happen much faster. By using an old, stretched out, too large t-shirt of my husbands and a pair of scissors I can make a rope toy, and I can show you how.

What you will need:

1 clean, old T-shirt

Pair of good scissors

Step one: Cut off both sleeves of the T-shirt.

Step two: Cut the seams off both the sleeves

Step three: Cut down the seams on both sides of the body of the T-shirt.

Step four: Cut long, wide strips “hot dog” wise. (One T-shirt can make two or more toys)Step five: Over lap the ends of 3 to 5 of the strips. (I used only 4 this time but do whatever you are comfortable with braiding!)

Step six: Use one of the seams that you cut of the sleeves to tie and knot the overlapped strips.

Step seven: Braid! Make it as tight as you can for the best toy.

Step eight: Use the 2nd seam from the sleeves to tie off the other end of your braid.

Step nine: To finish the toy off, I hand knotted the middle to add more interest for my boy. I also added a few stitches to the knots on each end to insure that they stayed put!

All that was left was to leave the new toy in the toy bin and wait! It wasn’t long before he found it and brought it to me. We played tug-a-war for a while and I tried to get a good picture of him enjoying my handmade toy but that was much harder than expected!Let me know if you want me to Make it and I’ll give it a try!

Have a happy, creative Monday and we’ll see you tomorrow for Travel Tuesday!

Travel well, nap well, live well!
-Abbey & Basil

April 27, 2015

DIY No Sew Bow Ties for Pets!

Happy Monday friends! For years Basil, being the 1st class hipster that he is, has been wearing bow ties. And for almost that same amount of time I have been purchasing him those bow ties. Okay so the cost isn’t that much each time, 1 bow tie retails for about $10-$20 but in the long run, that cost really adds up! So after buying Basil’s 20th bow tie (I know, I’m crazy!!) I figured I could make these, so I did!

Below you will find my simple DIY No Sew bow tie tutorial. Hopefully it works for you and your dog can look like a gentleman without breaking the bank! Step 1: There is a few things you’ll need!

• Large flat work area
• Hot glue gun
• Double sided Velcro
• Sharp scissors for cutting fabric
• Fabric
• Optional: elastic

The great thing about this project is most people have a lot of these craft supplies already in the their home. If you need anything on this list all of it can be found at your local craft store. I highly recommend using double-sided Velcro and it can be a little tricky to find. I ordered mine online(http://www.etsy.com) at a great deal. I also use a standard hot glue gun on the high setting. For my fabric, I found an amazing deal in the remnant fabric bin at Hobby Lobby. It was 1/8th a yard and only .59 cents! Also, I couldn’t pass up the Elvis in the 50’s pattern!

Step 2: Cut out a square!

The size I picked was about 6 inches by 6 inches. This bow tie is going to be a little large for a medium size (20 lb.) dog but that how I like it. If you want a smaller tie make the square smaller.

Step 3: Flip square over and glue edges down!

It doesn’t have to be perfect! I glued the “hot dog” sides first and then the “hamburger” sides. You really just want to make clean edges for the front of the bow tie.

Step 4: Cut a small rectangular piece for the center of the tie!

I cut a 2×6 inch piece of fabric. Make sure the length is 3 times the size of the width. I flipped the fabric over and glued the edges down like I did with the first piece of fabric.
Step 5: Pinch to make your bow tie shape!

Pinch the large square that you created, from the back, to make the bow tie shape that looks best to you. When I did this it made Elvis’s face a little weird.

Step 6: Tie the long rectangular piece around the pinched square. Knot in the back!
Make sure the fabric is laying flat on the front. Knot fabric in the back and glue flaps down. This is also a great time to glue down what doesn’t look right!

Step 7: Measure & Attach Velcro!

I grabbed one of Basil’s everyday dog collars and placed the double sided Velcro on top to see how much I needed. For a 1 inch collar I recommend at least 2 inches of Velcro.

I cut the Velcro and glued the strip on to the center, back of the bow tie. Make sure to place the glue on the soft side of the Velcro! This way the Velcro teeth can grab onto the collar as well as the other side of the strip. If you prefer to use elastic you can glue a loop of elastic band in the same spot.

Step 8: Attach to collar and look awesome!

Wrap the Velcro around the collar in your preferred area. Think about how the collar is going to hang and sit once on your pet.

Look how cute he is! This bow tie is cute, easy, and lightweight. I hope you enjoyed this tutorial. Show me your pictures of your creations!

Tomorrow is Travel Tuesday and the featured city is San Antonio, Texas! So make sure to check back then!

Travel well, nap well, live well!
-Abbey & Basil