Thursday, July 10, 2008

My first blog.

OK, this is a new thing for me...I'm pretty much an Internet hermit and have decided to venture out into this vast land to share my thoughts with you. So, let me crawl out from under my rock and tell you a little about myself.

Wow, this is kind of like the first day at school. I feel like I should take a photo with me and my lunchbox sitting at the computer...Anyone want to share a Hostess Cupcake? ;)

It would be an understatement to say that I am passionate about dogs. I LOVE DOGS! I have always had an affinity for dogs. Perhaps because I am shy and they come right up to me. Perhaps because they don't judge. Perhaps because they give love unconditionally and never hold anything against you. Perhaps it's just because they rock!

Anyway, a few years back, I started to get involved in graphic design. I started making cards by hand and giving them as gifts or just using them for my own notes. I then decided that I needed to learn how to create designs on the computer. I was in LA at the time and decided I needed to head back East to the South...my homeland! I took some classes, learned some stuff and started making stationery. It's been a fun hobby but I've always wanted to try to make it less of a hobby and more of a trade. As I was learning my new trade, we got a border terrier....Probably the cutest dog you've ever seen in your life, hands down, bar none. OK, second to your own dog, but adorable nonetheless! So, we named our little guy Finlay (pronounced Fin-lee, long-ish story that I'll tell you about later) and became head-over-heels in love with him! Somehow we stumbled across a terrier club which we joined since we had our own little terror, I mean, terrier. Thus began my foray into the world of "dog-people", you know, serious dog people, not just casual owners. We have met some really cool folks from the club and at the same time, I've gone to events and noticed that these dog-people really need cool stuff to showcase their breeds. Some of the stuff I see looks straight out of 1980...My friend said it best, she said something to the effect of: "The art is a picture of a dog with a far-away look in his eyes against a painted landscape of a field..." It's that 70's/80's oil painting look and not in a good way! So much of the stuff out there is just not hip or cool or if it is cool, they don't have a lot of breeds offered, just the usual labs, yorkies, goldens, etc... So, that's where I decided to combine my passion for dogs with my love of art! I'm currently working on a line of stationery that any dog owner would be proud to actually use. I'm working on breed silhouettes (on cool backgrounds of course!) and am about half way through all the AKC (American Kennel Club) recognized breeds.

I am working on the website: http://www.houndandthistle.com/ and hope to have it up and running soon!

OK, I'm off for now...I've eaten my lunch and introduced myself, so I'll go crawl back under my rock until I feel inspired again! I actually am already thinking of a few things to tell you about, so hopefully you'll hear from me really soon...

Anyone have a napkin so I can wipe the Cheetos dust off my hands?