Autumnal news and bargains to choose!

And when I’m not spending time discussing the hazards of kicking up my heals and frolicking through the autumnal leaves, we are super busy here at Little Dog Towers unpacking all the new stock lines which have been arriving weekly.

I love this time of year. All the designing, sourcing, commenting and tweaking from the previous six months is finally realised when we open the deliveries. It’s great photographing then adding new product to the website and seeing everything starting to come together.

Big for us this season has been the development of our Pet Product offerings. We began with bowls and food mats and then introduced the very popular handmade walking pockets.

These little numbers came into being when I was thinking about how irritated dogs must be with their owners taking too long to leave the house for their walk. So, one handy little pocket with clip was created. Perfectly sized for a combination of poo-bags, treats, house keys and phone. Just pick it up, grab the lead and you are out the door! And inspired by the discovery that bio-degradable bags start bio degrading/splitting easily if they’re been left in a coat pocket for nearly a year, we invested in some pocket sized hand sanitisers!

And then we also added some deluxe, one of a kind, feather pet beds, not recommended for toothy chewy puppies but great for when they are out of the “destroy” phase. They are super comfy, rather nice and the covers are all machine washable. Style AND practicality all in one. Keep ’em peeled for the “Big Dog” dog bed offerings which should be ready in a few weeks. The fabrics are gorgeous!

So now, with the arrival of the leads and collars it’s all looking good to go.

All you need is the dog!

Stepping out in Style!

These leads and collars proved a big hit with the buyers at the recent Autumn Fair Trade show, so if you can’t find them in a gift shop or garden centre near you, then you’ll definitely find them on our website.

And as a loyal LDF ( Little Dog Fan ) you are welcome to use this exclusive 20% offer code Ldfpets19 on anything in our Pet Products section. A quick link if you want to find out more https://www.thelittledog.co.uk/product-category/pets-products/

(This code is valid for the whole of November but unfortunately cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer)

What else have we been up to since our last newsletter?

Thanks to some wonderful inspirational help from the Little Dog’s Facebook followers I finally got to a satisfied place with my new bird designs. I should show you the various directions I took but that is probably a newsletter in itself!. I’m secretly rather chuffed with how nice these cards look and feel on their textured board. They’ve printed up a treat and I chose a yummy sage green envelope to finish them off.

The reaction to them at the trade show was one of intrigue. Buyers sometimes seem wary of anything other than dog designs from us, but the follow up orders from the show and brochure mail-out have been really positive. I hope they prove popular because there are so many other garden birds I want to paint and that’s before I even get to our coastal feathery friends! This week I’ve been designing notebooks and glasses cases for this range and will hopefully see some samples ready to preview at our Spring trade show.

 I was amazed at the popularity of the Robin. This brave little soul means so much to so many people, myself included. The Robin was my Nan’s favourite and I always think of her when I stop to say hello to this bold little bird.

There are twelve designs in total and the artwork continues on the back of the card.

    To take a closer look at the Tuppence A Bag Bird Collection … follow this link https://www.thelittledog.co.uk/product-category/greetings-cards/bird-cards/

P.s I think I spotted my first Goldcrest the other morning. It’s tiny and very very beautiful.

The Little Dog Open Studio Weekends

I bottled it. This event was meant to take place this October and early November. I’m surrounded by so many talented friends and wanted to hold another art exhibition plus a variety of creative workshops. All summer long I’ve procrastinated and dithered. I can’t fully say why as usually I love to overcommit and place myself under enormous pressure, especially in the run up to Christmas! Whether it’s a sign of maturity or cowardliness, I’m not sure. I’ve put it on hold until next year, possibly around Easter time. And so, for the rest of this year I’m going to enjoy working with pastels again and if no one is looking I may even have another go with big boy paints (acrylics and oils!) which I haven’t used since I was in sixth form.

Team Little Dog

And while I’m living the easy life, drawing wildlife and trying to locate my dog’s poo, the rest of the team are all hands on deck in the run up to Christmas. Ann and Mandy in Dispatch are flat out wrapping and sending orders. Alison is taking a short break from the sewing machine to take a lifelong dream trip to Memphis. Martin our Warehouse Manager is currently rebuilding our staff kitchen area, which like all the other building works he has done at Little Dog Towers, is that of a quality craftsman. His perfectionism and talent is amazing. Nathan is juggling the workload of two people plus the day to day office tasks and Gavin is all over 2020, managing licensing and potential new projects. We are small in number and at an age where conversation is littered with aches and pains comparisons, but the workplace mood is a happy one!

And on that cheerful note I’ll leave you with another exclusive loyalty code. Original19 will get you 10% off any of our unique handmade items from our Handmade Temptations section on our website. There are lots of new designs, bags and cushion creations recently added including my favourite, these wonderful hot water bottle covers.

(This code is valid for the whole of November but unfortunately cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer)

Thank you for your continued interest and support. We absolutely wouldn’t be here without you!

Best wishes from all of us at “the little dog laughed”.