Monthly Archive for March, 2011

Pillow Talk

Published on March 25, 2011 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , .

For a while now I’ve been printing some of my favourite designs onto cushion covers. These make a lovely addition to a sofa or bed, & have become one of Max and Molly Designs’ most popular products.

Lazy greyhound design (Warning: popular with dogs too!)

Each cover is made of 100% natural cotton & is screen printed by hand using non-toxic fabric ink. They measure 39 x 39 cm or 15 x 15 inches, have a zip on one side, & fit standard square pillow inserts (e.g. those available from IKEA).

Relaxing greyhound design

There are currently 14 different designs available, priced £10 each, or 2 for £17, in my Etsy & Folksy shops.

Nom nom nom design

To celebrate reaching 300 Facebook fans, Max and Molly Designs is giving away one of our hand printed cushion covers! Entering the give-away is simple:

1. Pick your favourite cushion cover from the selection available in our Etsy & Folksy shops. (They can be found in the Home Decor section of both shops.)

2. Become a fan of us (‘The Dog House‘) on Facebook. (Just click the ‘Like’ button! )*

3. Share your favourite cushion cover design by leaving a comment on our Facebook page here.

In 1 week’s time (31st March) a comment will be selected at random (using an online random number generator thingamajig), & that person will win whichever cushion cover they have chosen as their favourite! (Complimentary worldwide shipping is included.)

Which one will you pick?

Watchful greyhound design

* Liking us on Facebook means you will receive updates about Max and Molly’s adventures, along with other interesting snippets from the world of greyhound rescue & handmade, in your news feed ;-)

Say NO to Cruel Cosmetics

Published on March 16, 2011 in Uncategorized. 4 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

Thanks to decades of campaigning by the European Coalition to End Animal Experiments (ECEAE), cosmetics made in the European Union are no longer allowed to be tested on animals. However, such products made outside the EU can still be marketed & sold here. Europe was due to be free of all new animal tested cosmetics by 2013, but, as a result of pressure from the cosmetics industry, officials are now considering extending this deadline. In response to this threat, my friend & fellow artist & animal lover, Annette Tait, has started the ‘Bun Blog Pledge‘.

Ms Rabbit, the ambassador for the Bun Blog Pledge, has been travelling around blog land since the end of January, & this week I was delighted when she decided to hop through our letterbox after a trip down South to visit Charlotte & her pet rabbit Humphrey at Cottontails. Ms Rabbit was a little bit nervous when she heard she would be cohabiting with two greyhounds this week, but I assured her they had promised to be on their best behaviour! After adding my signature to her (& of course to the online petition organised by BUAV), I let Ms Rabbit loose in our bathroom to take a nosey round the assortment of cosmetics we have in there…

First stop was the bathroom cabinet, where Ms Rabbit was delighted to find toiletries made by Chain Bridge Honey Farm (hand cream), Crystal Spring (deodorant), daysoft (contact lenses), Earth Friendly Baby (baby wipes) Faith in Nature (deodorant), Green People (sunscreen), Kingfisher (toothpaste) Lush (moisturiser) Marks and Spencer (lip balm), Natracare (tampons) & Wikaniko (face wash), none of whom test their products (or the components thereof) on animals. She was particularly impressed by the bars of cold process soap made by Martin & Is’ own fair hands! What better way to ensure the cosmetics you use are not tested on animals, than to make them yourself? That way you are in control of exactly what goes into them.

Next Ms Rabbit hopped down from the cabinet & into the shower, where she was distracted for a moment by the pretty glass fish hanging there (handmade by Jo Whitehead of Glassprimitif), before busying herself taking stock of what toiletries were lurking in there. She gave a paws up to the cruelty free products we use made by Lush (shower gel & shampoo), Method (shower cleaner) & Wikaniko (conditioner). I told Ms Rabbit that I was particularly fond of Lush products because of their recent campaign against greyhound racing, & had been the lucky enough to receive a whole gift box full of Lush goodies from my brother-in-law-to-be, Philip, at Christmas time.  When she found our bottle of Serendipity Herbals pet shampoo she started to feel a little vulnerable positioned underneath the shower head, but I assured her that I would not be using the shampoo on her & only ever used it on Max & Molly when they got really dirty (about once or twice a year)!

After all that hard work, Ms Rabbit was ready to curl up on the sofa with Max & Molly, who were true to their word & stuck to sniffing rather than chasing her! Here at Max and Molly Designs we not only love greyhounds but care about the welfare of all animals, & pledge to say NO to cruel cosmetics. You can say no too by signing the petition & by making sure the cosmetics you use are not tested on animals. If you are not sure then you can easily check which products are cruelty free here.

If you’d like to invite Ms Rabbit into your home & take the Bun Blog Pledge too, please contact Annette by via her blog, & she will add you to Ms Rabbit’s itinerary ;-) In the meantime, she is packing her bags again & heading off to visit Gill & her bunnies, Daisy & Archie.

Introducing Ziggy

Published on March 9, 2011 in Uncategorized. 4 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

Max & Molly are currently sharing their coveted sofa space with their ‘cousin’ Ziggy, Martin’s Mum’s dog. Ziggy is a 6 month old cavoodle (a cavalier king charles spaniel crossed with a miniature poodle) who has come to stay with us for a fortnight whilst Margaret is on holiday.

Ziggy

& whilst I can’t say I wholeheartedly approve of the whole designer dog movement (there are after all thousands of intelligent, genetically balanced cross-breeds already waiting  for homes in dog shelters up & down the country), there is no denying that Ziggy is cute, & it has been fun having him around these past few weeks…

Ziggy doing his chewbakka impression!

cuddling up on the sofa

Molly & Ziggy had already been introduced  down in Manchester when Ziggy was only 3 months old, with Molly being admirably tolerant of all his puppy antics, so we knew that the pair of them would get along fine. & it didn’t take long to establish that Max was happy enough to welcome Ziggy into our house as well.

when Molly met Ziggy back in December 2010

Max, Ziggy & I curl up on the sofa together

Ziggy certainly has a lot more energy than our greyhounds, but they have been teaching him a thing or too about the virtues of ‘deep sofa relaxation’! He has also enjoyed meeting & socialising with the other dogs that I walk, in particular my neighbour’s dog, Fidra, an 8 month old border terrier – the pair of them have gotten up to no end of mischief  together on our daily walks at Blackford Hill!

the terrible twosome at Blackford Hill

a brief pause to rehydrate…

…before coating themselves thoroughly in mud!!

a slightly reproachful Ziggy in the bath afterwards!

Many people would be surprised to learn that 2 retired greyhounds could live quite happily alongside a such a small, fluffy & lively young puppy. However, I am beaming with pride at the way my two taken Ziggy in their stride & would confidently offer to look after him in their presence again (though I think we all may need a wee break first…!!).

a full sofa ;-)

Folksy Friday: Lather Up

Published on March 4, 2011 in Uncategorized. 6 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

This week Martin & Is’ first batch of cold process soap, which has been curing in a cupboard for the past month or so, was finally ready to use. I’m relieved to say`that neither of us have suffered any caustic burns, or so much as broken out in a rash (though I did make Martin try it first!!).  In fact I’m rather pleased with the creamy, fragrance free bars we’ve produced – rather good for a first attempt!

We made our soap using a blend of olive oil, coconut & avocado oils, & cut it into rather plain looking rectangular bars. But handmade soap can be much more creative than this, as demonstrated by the Folksy sellers who have made the beautiful, & no doubt wonderfully fragranced, soaps below:

Sheep soap by Bits N Bobs, Yummy Chocolate soap by Miju Beauty, Ice Lolly soap by Sophie’s Soap,  Honey Buns soap by  Oakwood Soaperie, Natural Forest soap by Karramandi, Tea Tree & Fresh Mint soap by Original Soap Co

Encouraged by the results of our first batch & inspired by all the gorgeous handmade soaps above, I now feel ready to graduate to more fancy scented & moulded soaps for our next batch, which we plan to distribute as favours at our wedding later this year. Will keep you posted with the results… ;-)