DIY CRAFT :: for the DOG + Chili pics

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Here's a story. About a pup named Chili. Who was living with three humans of his own. He was very loved. Living all together. But the girl was the chosen one . . . 

So we may or may not have recently been watching old episodes of the Brady Bunch which inspired my opening statement here (LOL) but I thought it worked as I do want to catch you up on the story with Chili our pup and show you a super easy and super crafty way to personalize your favorite pup's eating area! 

This girl & her dog are just about the sweetest thing to see together as they are best buds and have so much fun together. Since this is her first dog, I really wanted a smaller dog for her so she feels like she could handle him and be able to be his 'momma'. It will be TWO years soon that we have had him and it is still one of the best decisions I ever made. Chili has taught my daughter so much in such a short time. Of course he has taught her all about the normal things like responsibility, taking care of someone, structure, diligence and of course how to have some major FUN but it's the other attributes of having a dog that have mattered the most to her. Chili has taught her forgiveness. Trust. Unconditional love. Consideration. Compassion. When you decide to get a dog, you don't think about those things being taught but it's a HUGE bonus that has happened and this little pup that we named Chili, has shown her all of those things. And let me tell you it makes this momma's heart just melt.

My wish is that he will be around for her for a long time. Fortunately for her, this breed has a long lifespan and she even did the Math the other day and realized that she could still have him once she gets out of college! I sure hope so because there is soooooo much these two give each other on a daily basis and I enjoy watching them and what they're up to every day . . . from snuggles on the couch, to daily walks, playing with all of his bazillion toys she loves to buy him, teaching him the latest 'trick' and being best friends!

Disclaimer: cute puppy photos are next! You've been warned!! ;)

One of my favorite things to do every week, with my daughter, is hit our local Target because hey . . . you can never tire of that place, I say! ;) She is always wanting to spend her allowance money, look for a new toy for Chili and just chill with her momma while perusing the aisles for deals. Teaching her young I say, right? ;) I mean seriously our typical routine is to grab a drink, hit the Dollar Spot and then whip out my phone to see the latest Cartwheel savings deal & then we're off! 

On our trip this past week, she of course wanted to check out the dog toys to make sure there weren't any new ones he didn't have yet as she is constantly thinking about her BFF and we love that the pet section has everything we need there. One stop and done is the way to go right? When we first got Chili I was so thankful that Target had everything we needed so I am not running around to multiple places, getting what he needs. Helloooooo, I'm at Target every week anyway so it's just so nice to be able to pick up what we need and they have a great selection. Like I said, the girl is always wanting to pick up the latest toy they have and I am pretty sure we have almost all of them - not kidding. For example, Chili just had his second birthday a couple weeks ago and we got him a spiffy new bow tie there (see pic above), a new collar, several new toys, a chew bone, some treats and a water bottle for when we are out walking with him. I mean he now has his own water bottle!!!!! This boy is so spoiled! ;) 

Anyways, this trip we needed to pick up some dog food too. IAMS just happened to have a deal going on through the Cartwheel app so we grabbed a bag of it for Chili to try! Make sure to get the deal when you go too! (And if you have a cat, there's a savings for you too: IAMS cat dry food and IAMS wet cat food)  Hello, saving money like a boss! I am pretty picky about what we feed Chili too as I want him to lead a healthy life and I know it's important from what Chili's vet has said, to find something that helps keep his teeth and gums healthy and dry food can do that. It's also necessary for me to give him something to promote healthy digestion for his breed, reduce tartar buildup, help boost his immunity and the IAMS brand believes that the right diet can do great things for our dogs, so we got him the IAMS dry food to help with his daily needs. I like that it has different varieties to choose from depending on your dog's stage in life and needs they may have. And I feel good knowing I am doing my part to keep her best friend around as long as I can. =)

We were feeling kinda crafty on this trip as well and she wanted to make something for who else, Chili, so we checked out the craft aisle for some ideas and we came up with an idea to do a customized place mat for the kitchen. She wanted us both to do something on the place mat so I decided I would hand letter his name on it and she would put some of her doodles on it to make it extra special.




STEPS for customizing a place mat for the dog:

1. First, grab a few supplies for your project. You will need a place mat (I used one that could be wiped off - for obvious reasons), a pencil, some permanent markers or paint or whatever you would like to use to draw with.

2. I started by drawing it out on a scrap piece of paper first, so I could be sure of my design and if I was going to like the way it looked. Then sketched it on my place mat in pencil.

3. Next take your markers and color in your design as you would like it to look.

4. Finally, have your kid draw some doodles on to make it fun and extra special! She chose to just do white dots with a chalkboard marker to give it some pop and keep it simple. ;)

I love doing these type of fun crafts with my daughter, especially when we get to enjoy seeing others using them. I think this looks great in our kitchen and Chili will be eating his meals in style now. 

So how do you like the way it turned out? I love it and hopefully you will give it a try as well as it's super easy! Remember you can pick up the supplies for this craft as well as your bag of IAMS dog food to try, the next time you are doing some shopping at Target! Maybe I'll see ya there! ;)

Have you created any special items and spoiled your pet lately? I would love to hear something you have done for that special pet in your life. Let me know below . . .
 
     

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