Komondor Stamped Birch Slice Coasters - Make a Set With Your Own Dog's Breed!

This is one of those easy DIY projects that was just so. much. fun.  Photographing it was the best.  While other bloggers were carefully curating their craft projects with pretty washi tape rolls and cacti, I was over here doing this:



It's no secret that I've become on of those people: totally smitten with my pup.  I had a dog before Szuka and, although she was wonderful, I do not remember being as deeply committed to my Jack Russel Terrier as I am to Szuka.  That says a lot because sometimes Szuka's stubborn Komondor ways make her difficult to love (like when I'm frantically running down our road and crashing through the woods, bra-less and in my pajamas in the pitch black - because there aren't street lights in the country - trying to lure her home after she escaped during her bedtime pee break).

But still, look at that face!   

Sometimes she's just the coolest dog around.  We took her for her first canoe ride this summer and she was so chill!  Now when we paddle around the bay, she rests her head and watches the shore, stopping to bark at that bitch Gracie (a miniature Schnauzer she loathes), but otherwise just enjoying the ride.  I can't help but be smitten with this dog!

When I came across a shop on Amazon that makes rubber stamps of various dog breeds, I immediately looked for a Komondor.  Sold!

I bought it to hand stamp some fabric, but I thought I would do a little experimenting first.  I used my stamp to make a set of DIY Komondor coasters and I love how they turned out:

Obsessed with your dog too?  Here's how I made my Komondor emblazoned coasters (they're SUPER simple):

Supplies:

• Birch log/branch and chop saw - or purchase ready-to-go birch slice
• Varathane Ultimate Wood Stain in White Linen (optional)
• Dog shaped rubber stamp
• Acrylic paint (I used Artist's Loft, metallic cobalt blue)
• Watco Spray Lacquer (Clear)

How to Make Personalized Birch Slice Coasters:

Just like with my painted birch slice coasters, I cut birch slices with a chop saw and then sanded them smooth - peeling off any really loose layers of birch bark.  Next I applied a thin coat of white stain, to lighten the wood a bit so the stamped Komondor outline would stand out more clearly more.  The stain is totally optional, though!

When the stain dried, I brushed some paint onto the stencil, evenly spreading it out.  I tried a few stamps on a scrap piece of paper to get a feel for it.  I was never much of a scrapbooker or card-maker so this stamping thing was new to me!  I found that trying to apply even pressure took some practice.  With the stencil evenly covered in paint, I eyeballed the center of the birch slice, pressed down and lifted straight up - no wiggling or it smears the design.

I let the paint dry overnight, then applied a few coat of spray lacquer.

You can glue on a felt bottom or flip it over and spray the other side as well.  You could even paint the other side the same color as the stamp for a reversible coaster.  So many options!

I am really pleased with my Komondor stamp, which is from a company called Rubber Hedgehog.  They have a cute paw print stamp, if your pup's a lovable mixed breed.  There's also a dachshund rubber stamp that's too cute for words.   I can't even look at its face...  Next up, I want to stamp a white blouse with an all over Komondor print.  Then a tea towel.  Then everything Hubby owns while he's at work.

P.S.  Have extra birch slices?  Check out my painted birch slice coasters and these DIY wood burned birch slice ornaments!

Homemade Dog Treats - Easy Recipe Ideas

Because Szuka is such a large pup (weighing in at 95 pounds these days), people always ask us about our food bills.  Everyone assumes we're going broke buying dog food and treats for such a sizable pup.  The thing is, she's pretty low energy so she doesn't eat as much as we expected.  Her cute, mod bowl always has kibble in it and she'll graze throughout the day, but she never eats more than four or five cups a day - often only three.  She's a really picky eater and isn't very food motivated.  Even when I finally find a snack or treat she favors, she will still turn it down if she's not in the mood/distracted/angry with me/guarding the house/too tired/lazy. 

Cheese is her only weakness.  She also really likes freeze dried liver (we buy Pure Bites), but only if we dole it out sparingly.  Too much, too often, and it looses its appeal.

That girl has willpower to spare!  I, on the other hand, recently swerved the truck and hit a gravel shoulder so hard I created a dust cloud that engulfed us, and five cars behind us, in pursuit of roadside pie.

Because she is so picky, I often bake Szuka dog treats and these homemade treats gets ranked pretty high up there - just below cheese.  I call them "kitchen sink cookies" because I don't use a recipe.  They end up being somewhat budget-friendly too, because I usually use leftovers from our own cooking/baking.

Excellent DIY Dog Biscuit Ingredients:

• Shredded carrots
• Unsweetened pumpkin puree
• Bits of bacon
• Bacon grease (secret ingredient she salivates for)
• Chicken broth
• Bouillon cubes
• Unsweetened peanut butter (she finds peanut butter very agreeable)
• Shredded cheese (her weakness!)
• Oats
• Dried Blueberries
• Mushed banana
• Apple pieces

For ideas, I look at the ingredients on the wholesome doggy biscuits I've bought her (ones she didn't turn her nose up at).  Of course, I don't add any ingredients that are harmful or poisonous.  I'll pick a few ingredients from the list above, then add an egg or two, some flour (whole wheat, preferably), a little chicken broth or bacon grease, and mix until the dough is firm enough to roll out onto a floured cutting board.  I use a cute, dog-approved set of cookie cutters and bake at 350 degrees until lightly browned (usually about 10-15 minutes).  Easy! 

I like experimenting with different ingredients.  The batch pictured has pumpkin puree, oats, peanut butter, flour, eggs, and a bit of water.

She must recognize her cookie cutters because when I'm baking for her she seems to know it, and she'll watch the oven the whole time.  Because she's so blasé about her food, it makes me happy to bake her something she actually likes!  We don't feed her table scraps, so maybe it's the thrill of getting to eat something made in the human's kitchen that makes these cookies such a win for her.
 


If you've got a picky pup, I encourage you to try your own "kitchen sink cookies".  It won't take long before you land on a magic ingredient that appeals to your own pup.  But if you're not a fan of winging it, I found a some great-looking recipes to help get you started: 

• A good, basic dog biscuit recipe that you could easily build on.
• Peanut butter and milk biscuits that look easy to make! 
• A grain-free recipe for pups with a wheat allergy or intolerance (black beans are the secret ingredient!).
• Bacon biscuits - I've made a similar version with little bacon bits (leftover from our own BLTs) and they were a HUGE hit. 
• If you don't have a bone cookie cutter, these paw print cookies are an adorable option. 
• Can't go wrong with cheddar + bacon biscuits! 
• These carrot and banana cookies would be a good way to use up bananas that are getting a bit too soft and are banana-bread bound.
• Squash, Parmesan, and yoghurt cookies sound delicious! 
• A low fat option for pups who have packed on the pounds...

If you've got a recipe of your own (or a secret ingredient), I'd love to hear it!

Read more »

And Then She Swam Away

It's Monday!  I have a funny story about Szuka, which I hope makes you smile.

Last year Szuka mostly avoided the lake, until Hubs and I jumped in one day.  Szuka reluctantly joined us, but then proved herself to be a strong, if a little timid, swimmer.  The fall encroached quickly, followed by the ice, and Szuka didn't get much time to test her sea legs.  Last week I spent an afternoon raking, with Szuka at my side.  She plucked a super mangy piece of driftwood from the shore - just totally rotten and disgusting -  so I tossed it back into the lake as soon as I could get my hands on it.  To my surprise, she dove in after it.  I started tossing stick after stick into the lake.  No matter how far I threw a stick, she obligingly retrieved it.  After last year's tentative swimming, I'm surprised by how much she loves the water!

Here's the funny part.  Hubs and I were sitting on the shore, admiring my handiwork and the view, and she was chewing a stick near us.  Then she heard geese squawking across the bay and took off running across our neighbour's yard.  We yelled at her to come back, and she did - begrudgingly.  She knows she's not allowed off our property - and she knows exactly where the property lines are - but sometimes the urge to protect us makes her willful.  She wouldn't come back and hang around us, but instead decided to wade into the lake and inspect our dilapidated dock (unusually high water levels last year totally destroyed it).

She walked out a little bit at a time, intensely sniffing every segment, until she reached the end.

That's when she started to book it toward the other side of the bay.  Toward the geese.

We just about died laughing at her determined swimming (and creative disobedience).  We called her name and she turned around with an expression that read, "What? What do you want?"

We instructed her to come back.  She looked peeved, but starting swimming back.

We're kind of curious how far she would have gotten, or what her end game was.  We were warned Komondors can be stubborn...

In other delightful doggy news, Hubs and I were having lunch with my Dad when he said he saw a mini-Szuka.  I turned around and spotted a corded pup!  She is a white Puli (which is less common than the typical black).  Pulis are another Hungarian breed, but they have way more energy because they're livestock herding dogs (not guarding dogs, like Komondors).

Her awesome corded coat, made even more special with colourful threads woven around some of the cords, made me regret - just for a second - not cording Szuka.  I'm always envious of people who have corded their Pulis or Komondors because it looks so cool!

Read more »