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May is National Pet Month

There’s no denying that pets make a home happy. Hairy too! But, I overlook that for all the joy and love my dog brings our family. In honor of National Pet Month, here’s a post devoted to our furry friends – especially Charlotte, my 8-year old yellow lab baby.

Char-Char at 9 weeks old…

Today…

These days, there’s all kinds of designer decor to glamify your pet’s space in the home. I personally love the idea of giving your 4-legged love their own space. A place to eat, a place to sleep (if your spouse is against them sleeping on your bed – good thing for Char that hubby is overseas a lot!), and a place to just chill during the day. And why not make those places lovely by coordinating them with your decor?

This is Char’s dining area in our laundry room. I wish she had a room all her own, but this little space gives her a quiet place to eat away from the activity of our kitchen and our 5-year old.

The vent keeps it nice and warm in the winter and cool-as-a-cucumber in hot weather. She likes laying on the vinyl floor in the dog-days of summer. (I know – dog puns – stop already.) The aluminum food storage pail was purchased at HomeGoods, and definitely looks more stylish than a big ole yellow bag of Pedigree slumped in the corner. (To be honest, we keep the food pail in the garage. I brought it in just for the photo. If you keep your dog food in the garage, a tin container like this is the way to go. It will keep the mice out of your dog’s food. Lesson learned – do not use a plastic container – mice chew through!)

I bought this painting at a HomeGoods. This epitomizes Charlotte – the tennis ball-obsessed girl that she is!

I like the little rug under her bowls – keeps the area tidy and coordinates with the curtains. These curtains were hung purposely just above the floor -to keep them clean and from inadvertently dragging into the bowls.

It’s a dog’s world! This adorable plaque was a gift from my bestie, Sharon.

And here is Charlotte’s bed in my office/solarium. She usually chooses to lay in here when I work, so I was giddy when I spied this doggie bed at HomeGoods that completely matched my color scheme: sea-foam blue and brown.

From this perch she can sleep in the sun or keep watch on what’s going on out back.

And pose for mommy’s pic!

When she isn’t lounging on her bed, there’s one other place she calls her own. Even hubby has given her reign of this couch. The zebra throw protects the couch (well, not really, it still gets hairy) and looks pretty cool too!

When I was thinking about this post, I surfed the net for doggie decor, and found a lot of inspiring ideas. I love this pet bed made from recycled pallets!

And I thought this was a great idea for providing kitty with indoor activity, while still looking architecturally cool!
And beds! Wow – there are sooooo many unique, stylish and inventive pet beds out there. Kind of makes Char’s bed look like she’s sleeping on a Flintstone slab of bedrock! Check these out!
Aqua lucite – for the posh pup!

 Kitty can still sleep next to you, without actually being on the bed! Awesome idea!

Wish they made this basket-style bed in big dog sizes! I would so be snapping one up for my big girl!

And I can’t forget our fish-friends… I love this modern fish condo! Except it needs some rocks and plants. A fish has gotta feel at home too!
The pet decor available on the market is endless. There’s no reason Fido and Fifi’s digs can’t coincide seamlessly with your style. And the options look so comfy. Heck, I’d sleep in some of those beds! Charlotte is looking over my shoulder, silently making her picks right now. Ahh, if only we could read their minds!
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Tangerine – my new favorite color

Today while strolling through Home Goods, I came upon this gorgeous set of orange beauties! Aren’t they fabulous? I stopped, stared, touched them longingly, and imagined how perfect one would be inside my recently “refreshed” master bedroom. You might remember from my Facebook posts a couple months back, that I added a few tangerine accents to my otherwise blue (aka drab) decor.

I love this bust, but Saxon is afraid of it. He doesn’t even like to look at her.

I’m not really a fan of silk flowers, but these look like the flowers in the painting below and I just had to have a few. They’re on my bedside table, and feel so springy.

This painting hangs above our expresso-wood headboard. It really changed the room and brightened it up!

These throw pillows are probably a little too feminine for my hubby’s taste, but he endures them without a word. Gotta love that!

So, when I saw those tangerine chairs today, I would have loved to snag one for the corner of the room.  But, I refrained. I had that conversation with myself…you know, the one that goes something like this, “Traci, do you really NEED that chair?”

Of course not. I just want the chair. My inner voice of reason, the one that pointed out the more practical things I should buy with the money, won. Bitch. I hate her.

So, here I sit – thinking about those chairs, as I am sure to do over the course of several days – browsing the net for other tangerine goodies to drool over.

I will not put roosters in my kitchen…I will not put roosters in my kitchen. Oh, but maybe just this one rooster. How cute it this!

Wow – those chandeliers make a bold statement! I love them! The site where I grabbed this image says that Tango Tangerine is the Pantone 2012 Color of the Year. Guess that’s why we’re seeing various shades of orange all over fashion and home decor. While I love the color, what happens next year, when the color of the year is something like Perfectly Plum? I suppose they could be painted easily enough!

This is a great little space, and the tangerine accent wall looks great behind those floating shelves. So sophisticated. I must have a tiny nook like this in my house somewhere just begging for attention!
This is where I get up, start pacing around the house, looking for a place where I can paint and drive nails into the wall. Until next time!

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