Inu Inspirations

Etsy Voter

2009-08-18T17:03:00.001-07:00

Hey all!

If you have a moment of extra time, would you please vote for me in the Etsy voter? Mine is this listing: Houndstooth Doggy Bandana

And here is the link to the Voting Click HERE

So, if you could vote for me, I'd appreciate it! Winners get put into a gift guide, so I need all the help I can get to get to the top!

Who doesn't love pugs??

2009-07-22T13:59:00.000-07:00

Well I sure love pugs! When I was little, I always wanted a dog. A pug to be exact.

I started saving up my money for one. Not having a regular job at that age, it was going to take me ages to have enough money for one. I was in grade school at the time. Well, one week during Christmas time, my parents said we were going to go to one of my dad's coworkers house for a Christmas party. When we got to the house, we went out to the garage which I thought was kind of odd, until I saw all the kennels of pugs! My parents had surprised me and picked out a little baby pug for me! I had known since I was little that I'd name a pug "Princess". Yes, I know many people hate those types of names for dogs, but hey, I was young!

My Princess is now gone, and I sorely miss having a pug around! I know that someday I will get another one. There's nothing like personality of a pug. Honestly. Until you've owned one, don't knock their smushed in face.

Here's one shop on Etsy devoted to dogs, and pugs in particular!

Lydia And Pugs

This has got to be my favorite item of hers. I love pink, and I love the floral pattern on the pug! Salmon Pug Patterned Folded Note Cards

So if you've got a minute, go check out her shop!

The Rescue Boys

2009-07-02T19:35:00.001-07:00

So, I've been busy this week taking in some rescue chinchillas.

Here's their story.. I'm an admin on a chinchilla forum. So we get a fair number of chinchilla rehomes and things, but then one was posted in my area. The original post was by a breeder that the woman had contacted, not the lady herself so I didn't know the details of the chinchillas until I called the lady. Turns out there was two pairs of chinchillas, so 4 total.

One pair was of two standard greys. Turns out, one has malocclusion. Now, for those who don't know what malocclusion (malo) is, it's a issue where the teeth grow too much. It's common in animals that need to wear down their teeth like rabbits and chinchillas. There's two types. One is where the incisors grow crooked or grow too long, and the other type is where the roots of the molars keep growing non-stop into the jaw and eye sockets. The first type is treatable over time, as the chinchilla can go into the vet and get the incisors trimmed periodically. However, the second type is not treatable. You can prolong the life by pain meds and hand feeding a mush food. But there's nothing to stop the growth. As you can imagine, this type is extremely painful. Normally the first sign is drooling and the chinchilla will stop eating since it hurts to chew.

Sadly, this one chinchilla has the second type. Two of his molars are growing into his jaw. Now, for whatever reason, this woman's vet did not want to put the chin down despite the fact that it has no quality of life whatsoever. I discussed this with the woman and stated my view on it. I also stated that I rehome chinchillas, I cannot keep any more as I have 5 myself. So seeing as how I could not rehome this malo chin, I did not want to take him in and stated rather blunty that he did not have much life left in him sadly. So in the end, we decided that I wouldn't take him. However, the breeder is taking him. I won't really go into this, but I don't really agree with it. That is like keeping this chinchilla in pain that he doesn't deserve. I'd be more inclined to give him a peaceful passing, but it's not my pet.

So anyways, I took the other pair. Turns out these two have had issues as well. The beige, Gus, attacked the violet, Hammie. So Hammie is missing a bunch of fur and has scabs on him from the attack. This lady did not separate the chinchillas because she didn't want to spend the money on another cage. This is just so sad as you can easily get used cages for about $20 on craigslist around here. So she left them together. When chinchillas choose to fight, normally they don't stop. And chinchillas will fight to the death, so to leave the two together was a death sentence for poor Hammie. And it isn't Gus's fault either, he just doesn't like Hammie. So, needless to say, I have now separated the two.

There were other typical owner mistakes like horrible food and other things which could have been avoided by some basic research, but I won't get into that here. Basically, PLEASE if you are going to get a pet, research first!

Onto pictures!

This is Hammie. As you can see his fur is rather messy and one of his scabs is evident.

And Hammie chowing down on hay. Seems like he must have not gotten it much at his previous home!

And then one of Gus, he's just a little scared

I believe that I've already found a new home for Hammie, the violet. Now I just need to find one for Gus! I'm sure he'll find one soon though! I will be posting more pictures of them for sure as they get used to being here. Hammie will probably be going home next weekend, but I'm not sure how long Gus will have to be with me. I'll work on figuring out his personality to place him with a loving home.

Needle Felting!

2009-06-18T13:27:00.000-07:00

Ever since I knew what needle felting was, I've wanted to try it. I think I saw it on a hgtv show a couple of years ago. So, the other day I bought a needle felting kit! It's great because it came with a number of colors of wool, a needle, the foam pad, and some instructions.

I really want to learn how to make a seal, or a flower or something like that, but for my first attempt, I decided to make a cupcake! I think it turned out fairly well for my first try ever!

You can find any number of kits on Etsy, but I got mine from a fellow CAST team member yarn2spin

Silly Lila

2009-06-17T12:55:00.000-07:00

Lila is so weird. I mean, I guess most dogs are kind of weird, but Lila makes me laugh.

So, Lila sleeps in her kennel at night. We've been doing that since she was a puppy and she doesn't seem to mind, so I continue to put her in her kennel at night.

Well, when I woke up this morning this is what I saw. Lila sleeping upside down. She loves laying upside down and it never ceases to make me laugh. What a goof, she has no shame with her legs spread apart like that!

I'm addicted to handmade soap..

2009-06-09T14:40:00.001-07:00

Yes, it's true. Since joining Etsy I've found the joy of handmade soap. I mean, I love pineapples and cotton candy, so obviously I'm overjoyed that I can buy soap smelling like these things!

But, my boyfriend asked me "Are you sure this stuff is safe?" And I said of course it is! It's actually better than store soap. But I wasn't quite sure why. So I looked it up.

Handmade soap is better for you than store soap because it doesn't contain any of those nasty chemicals and preservatives. In fact, most store bought soaps contain strong chemicals like Laureth Sulphate (SLES), Sodium Lauryl Sulphate (SLS) and parabens. SLS is commonly used as a filler, but in actuality it is bad for your skin. It can dry out your skin, is harmful if it gets in your eyes, and I've actually heard that it is like a heavy metal and can accumulate over time, being stored in your body.

Not only is handmade soap better for your body, but you can also support small independent businesses by buying from them.

Here's just a couple of my favorite soap stores on Etsy..
Luscious Lather
Mum Mum's Crafts
Sweet Treat Your Body
Dirty Ass Soaps

Wholesale..

2009-05-31T14:02:00.000-07:00

So I have another potential wholesale or consignment opportunity. I'm a bit more excited about this because it's a local company. I have wholesaled before to a company in Chicago, but this one is only a couple miles from my house. It's a little grooming and boarding facility.

My grandma brought her basset hound mix into the place for a bath and the owner asked my grandma where Lydia (the dog) got her cute collar and leash set It's this set if you're interested Kawaii Skulls Collar which I find funny that my grandma bought that set for her dog. My grandma is in her 70's haha! But anyways, my grandma told her that I make them, and so the owner gave my grandma her card for me to call and talk about selling at her store.

So, all I have to do now is call her! Of course, I hate talking on the phone, but for my business, I think it's worth it. So hopefully it goes well! I prefer selling to the buyer, but I enjoy that stores want to sell my products, it just makes me feel good :)

A small milestone

2009-05-26T19:37:00.000-07:00

Today I had a small milestone in my shop... I reached over 100 sales! A little over 7 months and 101 sales, I'm ecstatic :)

Of course with my 3 Etsy shops, I was well over 100, but it is nice to see that big of a number in one of my shops.

So, thanks to all my customers for making my shop a success!

Oh, I love my Chibi..

2009-05-22T14:18:00.000-07:00

I just had to share this video of Chibi, one of my chinchillas. Now, Chibi is a very special chinchilla. If you've ever owned a chinchilla, you would know that most aren't exactly the cuddling type. But Chibi loves attention, and she is just such an outgoing chinchilla. She was my first, and made me fall in love with chinchillas. None of my other 4 are quite like her, but that's okay.

Chibi loves being scratched. She looks like she's in heaven and will even raise her little paws so you can reach under them to scratch better.

So, isn't this just the cutest thing??

Something In My Head

2009-05-21T16:06:00.000-07:00

Well.. My sister and I had this great idea.. and I've had it in my head to do for quite some time now.

So, be on the look out for something new coming to my Etsy shop soon!

I haven't started them yet.. so it will probably be a couple weeks lol

But here's a clue!

I do too work!

2009-05-18T16:13:00.001-07:00

You know what is so annoying to me? When people assume that because I'm self employed and work from home that I don't work! It's so rude for them to say things like that and it annoys me to no end! I've gotten comments from people like "So, still don't have a job huh?" or "Must be nice not having to go to work on Monday." etc. etc.

Sure, I don't put in the normal hours like some people do. But you can bet that I'm here working during the day. I cut fabric out, I sew fleece houses, sew collars and toys, drill wood toy parts, put wood toys together, and much more all in one day. It's not like I'm sitting at home watching tv!

But to prove a point, here's a couple pictures of what my day is like.
First is pictures of my working area. It's nothing too spectacular and is pretty messy right now!
First is where I store some things for my chinchilla site. I've got the lava items, water bottles, and various medical supplies in these bins

Then is my fleece storage

Then my work tables, sorry they're so messy right now! They're from IKEA and I store my wood toy parts in the far left, my flannel and cotton fabrics and webbing in the center and then misc craft supplies on the right.

Then my sewing machine area. Those hanging baskets above the sewing machine are awesome. They're from IKEA as well. And my lobster from Maine watches over my sewing :)

And then some pictures of finished work from today. Obviously not all I did, but just a couple snap shots.
A matching zebra print bed and house for a chinchilla

Then a matching leopard set of a fleece tube, corner house and cuddle buddy for a chinchilla

And finally, a bunch of flavored loofah drying. And yes, it's the loofah that you may use in the shower. But the kind I buy for the chinchillas is natural, unbleached, and then I flavor it with koolaid. The chins love it!

Hope you all enjoyed seeing a bit into my daily work!

The Lila Monster

2009-05-18T15:58:00.000-07:00

I didn't include any pictures as examples of why Lila makes me laugh so much, so here's a couple that I've taken of her..

This is her classic demon pose. Don't let the smile fool you, I think she's plotting about eating me. It's even more hilarious when she starts making her demon sounds. They're unlike any normal dog sounds. I can't explain it, it just sounds like a banshee.

Then, this is how Lila likes to sit. Sometimes I'll go downstairs and she won't follow me, so later I look up the stairs and this is how she's sitting. Always with her paws one step down. Never all on the same level.

And then just a cute picture of my poor bored puppy

Funny Dogs

2009-05-17T20:46:00.001-07:00

Life with dogs is so funny. I think there's not a day that goes by that I don't laugh at the dogs. This past weekend I spent the weekend alone with the dogs. My parents ride a tandem bicycle and they were at a rally in southern Wisconsin.

So it was just me and the dogs. I'm not quite sure what made the dogs feel differently about this weekend, but Lila was constantly staring at me with her big brown eyes. Then she'd proceed to moan in boredom. It was so funny. I think it's hard to explain if you aren't there, as Lila is a very funny pup.

I think they've got me trained well. I'd let them outside to run around the backyard when they started getting antsy.

But Lila's expressions and just her moaning in boredom is what gets me. She never ceases to make me laugh with her antics.

What happened to Wednesday?

2009-05-14T13:52:00.000-07:00

Well, I missed this weeks Etsy feature. Reason being, me and my boyfriend took a trip to South Dakota to see Mt. Rushmore and the Badlands and I just got back last night.
It was a great trip! We stayed at Custer State Park in one of their new cabins. It was so nice because the cabin had heat which was great at night! They even have air conditioning for in the summer. And our little cabin was right next to a stream with a little waterfall so we got to listen to the water running.
We went and saw Mt. Rushmore, went on the Needles Highway, went fishing, saw a bunch of prairie dogs and buffalo, and saw part of the Badlands. The trip was only 5 days and it takes 9 hours to get there, so we missed out on a lot, but hope to go back soon.
So, here's some pictures from the trip!

Cute one of me any my boyfriend

Our little cabin

Baby Buffalo!

A cute prairie dog looking for food. And this isn't zoomed in at all, she was this close!

At Mt. Rushmore

The little chipmunks loved peanuts! haha

Then one at the Badlands

Hope you like the pictures! I literally have 150 of them, so obviously I can't share them all lol!

We Love Etsy Wednesday

2009-05-06T20:13:00.000-07:00

EEeeeeeeeeee!!! I love octopi! Geez, I wish I knew how to knit! Someone make me one for a present!! Pretty please??
This shop is full of knit patterns of awesome animals. These octopi are my favorite. I love octopi, but they have other cool animals like chameleon, seahorses, anglerfish and so much more!
So go check it out!
hansigurumi

And seriously.. I'm crying over here over not knowing how to knit. My birthday is in July.. ;)

My Regal Pup

2009-05-02T19:17:00.001-07:00

So... with the prompting of some fellow Etsy friends, I decided to take this hilarious picture of Lila

Doesn't she just look so hilarious? I mean, she looks rather regal, but all the collars around her neck just makes it so funny looking! She looks like one of those women from those tribes that elongate their necks with brass rings.

I'm using this picture right now for my Inu Couture collars which are my designer line made with more expensive fabrics.

She's just so cute I had to share!

We Love Etsy Wednesday

2009-04-29T18:10:00.000-07:00

So this Wednesday I'm featuring a shop with no sales! That's right, it's a new Etsy shop, so please go check the shop out and help out with some sales if you can!

Look at this pug face! I absolutely LOVE pugs. I've loved them since I was little and knew that I wanted to get one. I did end up getting a pug, a little fawn girl, and I named her Princess. I got her I think it was 10 years ago. She went across the rainbow bridge about a year ago now and I miss having a pug around. Someday when I get a house Lila will get a pug friend.

So anyways, while searching pug things on Etsy I found this cute new shop. This shop has cute dog and cat prints in very vibrant colors. I love the look of them, it kind of reminds me of comic books or pop art and I love it! They are also super affordable! And, they're in Madison WI which is practically my neighbor! Well, it's 2 hours away but I love that they're in Wisconsin.

These would make a great gift for any pet lover, or would look great on anyone's wall, as they would add a pop of color!

The shop can be found at POPETS

We Love Etsy Wednesday

2009-04-22T17:37:00.000-07:00

Here is my next Etsy shop that I'm featuring. This shop is called Sew Melody and Melody makes very pretty things for mom and baby! If you're expecting or know someone who is, I really suggest you go check out her shop! Or, even if you don't know anyone who is expecting, you can buy one of her items and she will donate the blanket and the proceeds to the Cleveland Crisis Pregnancy Center.

I met Melody through one of my Etsy teams (CAST) and she's super nice, so please go support her shop!

Please go and check her shop out! It can be found at Sew Melody

Amount Raised towards Sneak Attacks!

2009-04-21T20:31:00.001-07:00

Here I will keep track for you all to see what we have raised towards sneak attacks through my shop and the shops that I have used that money towards their attack! This will also help the shops get further exposure as you can click on the link to their shop! Together we can all make someone's day :)

As of 4/30/09 amount raised:
$15

Shops attacked:
Secret Lolita Kanzashi style hair clips
Kittredge Candles Candles including votives, jars, and novelty shapes

Sneak Attacks

2009-04-21T17:17:00.000-07:00

Pretty much every Monday Wednesday and Friday there's a group of people on Etsy "attacking" a new Etsy shop. People might think this sounds horrible, but what we're actually doing is sneaking up on a shop and buying a bunch of things from them! I see it as a great way to help out new shops. Sometimes people are afraid to buy from a new shop and this way it helps new shops get a head start.
Want to learn more? Go to Handmade Movement and check it out!

We're working on getting a team made on Etsy for this. Would you like to help out with the Sneak Attacks but maybe aren't around to participate in the actual attack? Take a look around etsy and search for things tagged "SA support" These are items that people put in their shop that they've dedicated the money from that sale to go back and buy something from a shop during a Sneak Attack. So while you may not be buying something from the Attacked shop, you're helping us have money for the attacks while you get something from us!

Here is the link to search on Etsy for Sneak Attack support items

So one of the things I'm working on is putting some cheaper items in for people to buy to support the Sneak Attacks. Here's a sneak peek at some. I'm going to be adding some puppy bows for puppy's fur! A cute accessory that will be affordable too! And if you buy something that I've titled Sneak Attack Support Item, you can know that the money from that sale will go to buy something at the next sneak attack I'm present at.

Awww So Cute!

2009-04-18T15:53:00.001-07:00

Aren't these two just so cute?! Mushu is on the left and Keiki is on the right. I wanted a picture of them together so had to lure them next to each other with a favorite treat (a small shredded wheat). I just think their fat little pose they're sitting in is the cutest thing ever!

Mmm ice cream!

2009-04-18T13:34:00.000-07:00

Don't these look delicious?! Okay, well, to be honest, they're for dogs! I was a vendor at a local Pet Expo last weekend and one of the other vendors there was a pet bakery. And I just had to get some of these ice cream cones! They even smelled good to me!
I almost thought they were too cute to give the dogs, but I gave in and bought them some and they loved them! Lila was a little uncertain of the cone part, but she did eventually eat it.
If you want some of these (or they also make cupcakes!) you can find them online at Perfect Pet Gift Shop

We Love Etsy Wednesday

2009-04-15T21:02:00.000-07:00

It's another Wednesday, so another shop to feature!

I found this shop a while ago, and I know that I've seen their photos on the front page of Etsy, but just thought I'd feature them since I love the feel of their photos. I've got them in my favorites to buy some things for when I finally get my own place again.

I love the effects done on the photos! It's got such a nostalgic and enchanted feeling to it! I think they'd look great in a bedroom, or some of them a little girl's room.

Go check this shop out! It can be found at is photography

How cute is this?!

2009-04-14T20:11:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited. I just got these cute chinchilla pendants in the mail today! They are hand cut and are just so cute!
I'm selling them just as pendants so if you'd like one let me know, but I will be making them into some really cute handmade jewelry in the near future!

We Love Etsy Wednesday

2009-04-08T14:08:00.000-07:00

Wow, I can't believe another week has gone by! This week has been crazy busy for me. I have a pet expo I'm selling at this Saturday so have been trying to make as much as possible. Not only that but I got a huge amount of orders in through my chinchilla site this weekend, so that takes up a bunch of time too..

But here we are at another Wednesday, so time to feature another Etsy artist!

I found this shop because I was searching for these Hens and Chicks plants. Although it may seem odd, these plants mean a lot to me. My grandmother, who passed away a couple of years ago now, used to have these growing all over the retaining wall outside her house. She once gave me a bunch to try and grow on my own, but being probably 12 at the time, they all died sadly. But these plants remind me of my grandmother so much! I spent so many days at her house and love to reminisce about the time there.

So if you like plants, have a look at this Etsy shop! These Hens and Chicks plant is only $6 making it really affordable! And they have other plants as well as photographs!

Her shop can be found here Two Dog Gardens

We Love Etsy Wednesday

2009-03-31T18:57:00.000-07:00

So, I've been meaning to do a feature day and figured why not Wednesday? So each Wednesday I'm going to post about a shop I've found on Etsy whom I've fallen in love with their items or the person behind the shop. I'm a member of a couple groups so I will feature some of the members, but I will also feature just random shops that I've found!

So here's my first feature!

I fell in love with this shop when I happened to Pounce on it on Etsy. I was searching for a shop to do my first Sneak Attack on (vist Handmade Movement if you want to learn more about Sneak Attacks) and happened upon this shop. Since then she's added more new things. They're mostly hair clips and pony tail holders but I did ask her to make me some custom pug magnets which are lovely!

Her prices are great and I am very glad to have found her shop! The picture that I've shown is her Pale Pink Flower Hair Bow Clip and is only $3.50!

Her shop can be found at Diane W. Designs

Chinchilla Play time!

2009-03-31T17:38:00.000-07:00

I love letting my chinchillas out to play. I take them into the bathroom because there isn't anything for them to get into in there and it's small enough that when I want to take them back to their cage, I can get to them easily. My only problem is that they like to try and chew on the woodwork and the walls, which I'm sure my parents don't really enjoy, but I try to stop them as soon as I hear them chewing!

Tonight's playtime was Chibi's time. Chibi is my standard grey chinchilla and was my first chinchilla. She started the addiction I suppose. But she has the friendliest personality of any chinchilla I've ever met or owned. Many chins don't really like to be held or care about much human attention, but I swear she thinks she's human. She doesn't mind being held, and I can walk around with her. She also jumps right into my hands when it's time to go someplace. And anytime you walk by her cage, she's plastered right up against the cage bars looking for a scratch, a treat, or some petting.
So, here are pictures of Chibi's playtime!

A cute meerkat position

"Sooo pretty!"

Then one of me and her (don't mind me, I look like a dork!)

A new girl!

2009-03-29T21:06:00.000-07:00

Just about a week ago I went to the National Chinchilla show in Auburn Indiana. Well, I tried so hard to fight the urge to add another chinchilla to my crew, but I just couldn't resist.
So... I ended up buying a little violet girl. She's a little over a year now and I've named her Keiki which goes along with my other girl's names. It is Hawaiian for baby and with my sister living in Hawaii for 4 years, I've come to love the culture.
So here she is!

And then snuggling with her newest buddy MuShu my mosaic (it was a long and stressful introduction for the two, introing chins is not easy but now they get along great)

So yes, now I have 5 chinchillas. And no, I'm not crazy. They make great pets!

And here's my store for chinchilla supplies if you haven't seen it before Camphor Chinchillas (http://www.CamphorChins.com)

A Great Jewelry Shop

2009-02-04T17:34:00.000-08:00

I recently entered a blog giveaway for a fellow UWIB shop, and I actually won! The shop has some wonderful items so I thought I would share the shop with all of you.
This is one of my favorite items from her shop and is only $14!

I love the vintage and fantasy feeling of her items. And with most of the jewelry being in brass or copper color, I'm in love! Those two colors are my favorite for jewelry.

Baby It's Cold Outside..

2009-01-26T13:10:00.000-08:00

I just had to share this, I think it is hilarious and cute at the same time. I was browsing ety and found this seller who knits this adorable dog hats! I just had to get Lila one because I knew it would be so cute. And they're super reasonable too.
Her shop can be found at Simon's Designs
I think that it'll be so cute to have Lila wear this for walks. I need to get her used to it though. Her and Maka thought it was a toy so she wanted to get it off and chew on it.

A Wonderful Group of Ladies

2009-01-20T08:32:00.000-08:00

Just thought I'd take a minute to share a wonderful group of women that I'm a part of. It's a yahoo group called Unique Women in Business. It's a group for all types of women who run their own business. Whether it be on etsy, artfire, Mary Kay, tupperware, anyone is invited. Here is a link to the yahoo group Unique Women in Business

There is just one requirement to be a member and that is to make one purchase a month from a member of the group. But there is no minimum amount to be spent. At first I wasn't sure if I would want to do this, but in all reality, I've bought things I would have bought anyways. I bought soap from Anita who is a member Anita's Crafty Creations and there's plenty of other things to buy. Like pet toys from me, jewelry from many members, candles, paper cards, and so much more. It really isn't that hard to find what you want to buy. And I love knowing that I'm supporting someone who is like me and is trying to be successful with their business.

It's so much more than a group to just buy from. I've gotten advice on my etsy store, they tweet in twitter about my products to their followers, I've been in many treasuries on etsy made up by UWIB members and they're all just a great group of women!

And actually, right now we're giving away a free ad spot on the blog. See this post if you'd like to enter UWIB blog giveaway
There are a lot of followers of the blog, so it's a great opportunity.

If you do decide to join, feel free to use me as who referred you. And your purchase from any of my websites: Inu Inspirations Camphor Chins etsy or Camphor Chinchillas will count as your month's purchase.

Just thought I'd share since I've had so much fun with the group! :)

Oh Puppies..

2009-01-17T20:14:00.001-08:00

Look at these eyes! Haha I just had to share this picture of the girls. I was eating a snack this evening (nachos to be exact) and I had an audience. It probably didn't help that I had given them a piece of a chip earlier as I was preparing the nachos.

I just think it's so cute with them watching me so intently! Lila never used to beg. I had taught her that it wouldn't get her anything. And so if she would ignore me and go lay down, sometimes she would get a piece. But, since Maka has moved in, she feels the need to join in the begging. Such bad habits haha. Thankfully we don't allow them to beg at dinner, so it isn't so bad.

Although I am glad the girls get along so well. At first poor Maka was terrorized by my puppy Lila who always wanted to play. Now that it's been about 2 months since Maka moved in, they get along fine and play well together. I think Lila enjoys having someone to bother all the time. She reminds me of the littler sister. She's constantly picking up toys and walking around with them and chomping on them in front of Maka as if to say "Look at me! I know you wanna play with this!"
They are just too funny.

All about Chinchillas

2009-01-12T16:59:00.001-08:00

I realize that I haven't really posted much about my other store, Camphor Chinchillas. My store can be found at Camphor Chins I have toys and supplies, everything your chinchilla could want!

I'm not sure how many people reading have chinchillas, but they really make great pets. Not necessarily for small children, since they don't like to be held generally, and they tend to be more nocturnal. But, if you don't want a pet like a dog, they are great! My first chinchilla, Chibi, got me addicted to them. Here she is in all her Chibi glory

That is the face I always get when I go by their cages. She is always wanting attention and loves to be scratched on her chin and behind her ear. She is rare for a chin to want attention this much. My other girls love me, but not nearly as much as Chibi.

Chinchillas can actually live up to 20 years. I'm hoping that mine make it that long. But Chibi was actually born from two petstore chinchillas which makes her future uncertain. It'd be like breeding two dogs you got from the local pound. You have no idea of their background and whether or not they're likely to get a genetic defect. So she could get malocclusion which is abnormal growth of their teeth which can be genetic. I hope not, but it's always a possiblity when getting an animal from a petstore or a person who just breeds anything.

I can't talk about just Chibi though. Here are my other girls.
This is MuShu. She's a mosaic and is my second friendliest chin.

Then comes Mei, who is my oldest. I bought her from a large ranch that actually pelts their chinchillas. I don't necessarily agree with this, and felt like I was saving her life in some ways. She likes me, but tends not to like others as much.

Then my youngest, Kona, who is a black velvet. She is my most skittish and won't really come to people. She will take treats from me, but doesn't like to be held at all. She is a diva, and although she is half the size of her cagemate, Mei, she rules the cage! She steals treats and is always first in line for her twigs!

And then to leave the post, I will put one more picture of Chibi. Here she is enjoying her scratches! Isn't she the cutest thing?

I'm looking for a Safe House

2009-01-06T20:12:00.001-08:00

I know that everyone likes to read about personal stuff every now and again, so just thought I'd share one of my favorite restaurants. If anyone is ever in Milwaukee WI, the SafeHouse is a must. It's a local restaurant that me and my sister discovered years ago. We first went there when she went to college by Milwaukee.

The basis of the restaurant and bar is that it's based on a spy safe house. You have to know a password to get in, and if you don't, they make you do something silly to get in. When you try to get into the restaurant, you enter into a place that looks like a weird old office with no door to get into the restaurant. So if you haven't been there before, it's a little confusing. But at night there is a person there to ask for the password. Don't worry if you don't know it. They'll just make you dance like a tapdancer, do the chicken dance, or do some other silly act. And just so you know, you're on camera! And everyone inside the restaurant can watch you do your act. It's really hilarious

The whole inside of the restaurant is decked out in spy theme and there are tons of little nooks and crannies to discover. To get out, you have to go through a telephone booth and enter a code. Truly a fun time! I recommend the burger, they're really good there.

So here are some pics from our most recent trip down to Milwaukee to vist the Safe House!

Me and my boyfriend

My sister and her husband

Me and my sister exiting through the tunnel

These pictures don't give a good idea of the uniqueness of this place, but it is so fun! If you're in the area, definitely go there for dinner.

Etsy presents for Christmas

2008-12-29T19:48:00.001-08:00

Since Christmas is over, I figure I can share some of my awesome etsy presents that I bought people for Chirstmas. I wanted to try to get atleast some of the things off of etsy to help support fellow artists.
First off is the tandem clock I got for my parents. They ride a tandem bicycle, and me and my sister used to also when we were younger. They're member of the C.O.W.S which is Couples on Wheels, the Wisconsin tandem group.
This was made by Artisan Woodcrafting

Then, for my sister I had this cute Japanese seal purse made. She used to volunteer at a seal rehabilitation center and used to live in Hawaii. We both love Japanese things, so I thought it was perfect. It was bought from Syl Syl

Then I bought a bunch of bath products from my favorite bath seller Anita who I talked about earlier. Here is one of the products I bought, a cherry lemonaide bubblebath bar. It smells delicious and is a great idea!

New Dog Toy

2008-12-22T12:58:00.000-08:00

I've been inspired lately to add to my dog toy line. I've decided that one of the types of toys I'll be adding is knotted toys. These are durable and tough for your dog to chew on, but are in fun shapes as well. Here is the first one I listed today, a Squid shape knotted fleece toys.

This is one of Lila's favorite toys to carry about the house. Then her and my sister's dog Maka have to fight over it. So I made them a second one, but of course they always want the one that the other has.

One of my Favorite Etsy sellers

2008-12-20T16:05:00.001-08:00

Okay, look at this picture! You would think it's some sort of food right? Wrong, it's soap! I found Sweet Treat Your Body (by Anita's Crafty Creations) when I joined Unique Women in Business, a yahoo group for women with their own businesses.

This is just one of her many delicious creations out of soap and other bath and body products. I've bought from her twice so far and have been delighted with my orders. They smell so wonderful and she is the nicest to work with.

You should definitely check her out! Her shop can be found at Anita's Crafty Creations

What's new for Saturday

2008-12-20T15:33:00.000-08:00

Nothing too fun happening around my house here on Saturday, so thought I'd take the time to show one of my newest toys.
Here is the cute little whale dog toy. I absolutely love this guy. And he even has a squeaker in him! How cute!

Well, as for new things for Inu Inspirations, I have quite a few things planned for the new year. I'm going to add cat collars soon here, since I know many cat owners love cute little collars for their cats. I'm also going to be adding some key fobs to match the cute collars on my site. What a great way to use up the extras of ribbon I have everywhere. I'm sure there's more, but you'll have to stay tuned for that!

Newest Creation

2008-12-15T18:18:00.000-08:00

Well, I was kind of having a bad day, so put that towards making some new items. Here is one I got listed today, and I'm really happy with how it turned out.

Skelly the Fishbone Cat Toy!

They've been pretty popular, so I won't list a specific link, but just go to the cat toy section and look for it there
Cat Toys

Just thought I'd share!

My photo setup

2008-12-11T08:12:00.000-08:00

Just thought I would post some pictures of my photo box to give others an idea of how some people do it.

It really is nothing too fancy, me and my boyfriend just screwed some pine boards together and then I put fabric on the sides. When I take pictures of my chinchillas I put white felt over it, but I like some color in my photos for my etsy store.

Then for lights I use compact fluorescent bulbs that are daylight specific. I only have 2, and could use a 3rd, but I use a photo editing program, so it's not too big of a deal. I only use either the Microsoft picture editor or PhotoPlus 6, so I didn't even pay for a photo editing program, I just didn't feel like spending that kind of money.

Here's the front of the box

A side shot to show how the wood is put together

The type of lights I use

A photo before editing

And the final photo after editing

Crazy

2008-12-11T06:44:00.000-08:00

Okay, wow, I can't believe it's been a month since I updated this thing. Geez, I get behind easily.

Been trying to redo all my pictures lately and that's taken some time.

I really use twitter more than this blog, guess I find it hard to find something really worth writing about..

Happy November!

2008-11-03T20:16:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a great Halloween. I went and visited my boyfriend for the weekend. So I didn't get anything done for either of my shops, but I had a great time.

It's back into the swing of things tomorrow, and hopefully I'll get some new things listed in the etsy shop.

Behind the Business

2008-10-30T15:20:00.000-07:00

Just figured I'd share some pictures of the faces behind the business haha. If it weren't for them, I wouldn't be doing this. Everyone needs their credit!
Here is Kona, my black velvet

Mei, my beige

Chibi, my standard grey

MuShu, my mosaic

Then, me and my dog Lila

2008-10-28T09:14:00.000-07:00

Finally back into the swing of things after unpacking everything. I got a ton of chinchilla houses cut out and got 2 new collars made so far today. I think that they're going to be some of my favorites. One is this cute pink and white flowers, and the other is an awesome Christmas one with little skulls wearing Santa hats. I think Lila's going to have to wear one for Christmas.
Here's some pictures of them:

Here are the links to them in my store

Santa Skulls

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=16683468

Pink and White Flowers

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=16683174

a few of my favorite things from etsy

2008-10-27T19:29:00.000-07:00

I put an alchemy request for business cards first, and went with LilyBeanDesigns. And then I had her make my banner. What a nice lady and I love what she did for me, and how quickly she did it. Here's a link to her store
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5547400

Another awesome thing that I had made was a custom stamp for my CamphorChins.com store.
It was a cool kanji design for the camphor tree and then a chinchilla. Couldn't have been happier.
The link to Tommie's store is
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5867848

So many great artists to be found on etsy!

the start..

2008-10-27T12:15:00.000-07:00

I just finished my move from Superior WI back to Appleton where I grew up. It's good to be home.
Of course moving means now everything I need to make new things are packed away, so it's going to take a couple days to get back into the swing of things. Kind of sucks, but I'm getting a ton of storage from IKEA in the coming days so it should be more efficient.

I did take time to list 2 new things on the camphorchins etsy
A corner hammock for chins and other small pets
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=16647385

And 2 manzanita perches
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=vl_other_2&listing_id=16648049

It's been a while since I posted something new in the Camphorchins etsy, because I've been focusing on Inu Inspirations. I've got a craft show in a month, so I need to get going on that!