TJ Maxx HomeGoods Happy: Poodle Decor & Dog Accessory Finds

I've been redecorating my front room area-- I went from a classic/traditional ivy/preppy native-inspired type den to a softer luxe peachy feminine oasis. Parts of the room are finished and all the main pieces are there (sofa, tables, chairs, large rug, etc), but I'm still in the process of switching out the accessories and adding those last touches.  With my last decor style my bookcases were filled with items like-- vintage trophy, basketball, great grand father's first camera, vintage college paraphernalia, etc. But now with my more airy, soft and feminine decor I have to switch it up. One of the things I knew I wanted to put on my bookcase were poodles. I was able to order a bronze vintage poodle from online, and I found a ceramic one that matched perfectly, but it broke in the mail :-(. So I've been on the lookout for items to stylishly fill my shelves ever since. 

Well on a recent trip to HomeGoods some of my prayers were answered. I went in search for pillows, but ended up with 2, technically 3 good unexpected finds.  Next to the pillow aisle was a pet aisle. Not only was it filled with bowls and beds, but also a few handsome in-trend pet decor items. As my eyes glanced up and down the shelves I spotted not one, but two matching white ceramic poodles! They sat their poised and ready for the taking! I honestly felt like they would perhaps be too tall for my bookcase, but I couldn't pass them up. I also ended up finding a purse dog carrier, something I rarely ever see in Ross or TJ Maxx. It looked just like a regular purse and was the exact color of the purse I was wearing so I knew it was meant for me. 

Huxtable is in the bag above, he fits perfectly

Long story short-- I went in for pillows to match my new sofa and came out with two ceramic poodles and a stylish cognac colored bag for Huxtable. Did I mention Huxtable was in the store with me too? Well, he was and I'm thinking he might have been my good luck charm. As usual he caught the attention of many, and I had about five 5-minute conversations that took what should have been a 30 minute shopping trip to an hour... but it was okay especially because of our great finds.

Like the commercial, I certainly walked away HomeGoods Happy :-)

Two more posts about the items above to follow.

American Apparel Dog Clothes: Hoodies and Shirts for Pets

Huxtable, the hipster poodle 

I lucked up and got a Groupon for American Apparel. I believe it was $20 for $40 worth of items or something of the like. When I saw the deal I immediately purchased it because I had been eyeing a few of their dog items for Huxtable. 

Ater searching American Apparel's website, seeing the instock and out of stock items, I finally decided to purchase 2 hoodies and 2 shirts.

 The Package

The Goods 

- Gray American Apparel Dog Hoodie

- Navy American Apparel Dog Hoodie

- Navy Blue and Red American Apparel Dog Jersey/ Raglan/ Baseball Tee

- Black and Red American Apparel Ringer/ Rib T-shirt

 

The Rockstar Dog

 

Huxtable's Review: I love my american apparel clothes, they're so comfy! I love to snuggle up in my hoodie during cold fall and winter days. 

Huxtable's Mom Review: My little poodle has alot of dog clothing, and the pet clothing from American Apparel are amongst my favorite. The material for both hoodies and shirts are very soft, they fit well, easy to put on, and they are great basics that easily coordinate with a dog's wardrobe, lol. But best of all, Huxtable seems to really like AA jackets and tees. He'll curl up tight sometimes in a ball, then cock his head forward to put the hoodie up... poodles, lol, they're so smart.

Size: Huxtable was about 6lbs pounds in the photos above, he's about 7lbs now. While toy poodles usually wear smalls, I decided to get him a medium so that he would be comfortable fur and all. They fit perfectly! Poodles are slim, but they have long bodies so it's important to compensate for that by maybe going up one size, especially if they are very fluffy and furry.

When fur filled and wearing a continental clip, AA pet size medium fit best. After Huxtable got his short clip, a small would have definitely worked better. So make the decision based off the predominate clip/cut your pooch sports. 

You can get your dog American Apparel Pet Clothing, Here -or- Here. 

"Mom said she put my hair like this too keep it out my face and to keep my ears  from being chewed on while I ate my bone, but I hope she stops because it's embarrassing"... 

Modern Poodle Grooming Chart Illustration

A very pretty modern poodle grooming chart.

It's actually more of an artistic poodle print illustration by artist Amelie Fontaine

http://www.ameliefontaine.fr/

A Touch of Masculine: Bow ties for Huxtable

 Huxtable, the Poodle in his blue & white chevron dog bow-tie. 

Let's face it, poodles are pretty... no matter how you slice it. And the more groomed you keep them, especially if you keep any part of their hair long, well, the prettier they're going to look. So to combat the "awww, she's so pretty" comments I get from time to time I decided to always keep my little guy bow-tied up. To be honest, I find that most people just tend to call your dog the sex of their own. I for one am quicker to say "he" than "she" because I have a he. Others ask and even look. But their are those who see those long pretty ears, that banded top knot, and big pretty amber brown eyes and can't resist telling me, "how beautiful and pretty she is", lol... so for them (and for me) (and for him) I keep little dog bow ties for Huxtable. 

When I first got Huxtable, dog bow ties were unreasonably expensive. I would look for hours to finally find a nice patterned one for less than $25. Now you can easily find adorable ones for less than that, some even $5-$7. I tend to get most of them from one of my favorite online stores-- etsy.com. 

My little dapper poodle, sitting in his car seat tentatively waiting for dad on a rainy Sunday morning.

Product Review & Giveaway: PetMatrix SmartSticks & SmartChips

SmartBone's new SmartChips and SmartSticks

The good folks over at PetMatrix sent us two bags of their new product to try-- SmartSticks & SmartChips. 

General Info: "Similar to the original line of SmartBones, the new products, SmartSticks and SmartChips, are fortified with vitamins and minerals and are 99.2% digestible (much easier on a dog’s digestive system than rawhide treats and even the highest quality dog foods, which are only 85% digestible). Both SmartSticks and SmartChips are available in two flavors – chicken and peanut butter."

Huxtable's Review: 4/5 paws. My tail wags everytime one of my smart snacks is near! I like to eat the red part, so after a few chews I'll pull it out, eat it, then finish eating the outer part.

Huxtable's Mom Review: I often read and hear about how rawhide technically isn't that good for your dog, so it was great to be able to try out an alternative. We often go out to nearby cafes and restaurants and eat on the patio, so I've been bringing one of these along to give to Hux while we eat.  The SmartSticks lasts longer and are shaped better for eating than the SmartChips. Sometimes the SmartChip gets stuck in the back of Hux's mouth (because of the shape)-- so definitely monitor your pup while he eats it. 

Sometimes new treats or foods will temporarily change your dog's "potty remnants" (that sounds better than saying one of the many other words for #2), but from what I can tell they are pretty much the same, no looseness or anything, which is a plus. 

Overall I like them, I wouldn't purchase the SmartChips again because of what I mentioned earlier, but the SmartSticks are a lovely alternative to traditional rawhide and would make as the perfect snack to carry in your purse or pocket when you're going to eat with your dog at an outdoor cafe. 

You can purchase the SmartBones, HERE.  SmartSticks, HERE.  SmartChips, HERE.  

DOG / PET GIVEAWAY: For a chance to win your own bags, please comment, email, or tweet us @huxtablepoodle. Contest ends midnight Sunday, June 16, 2013. Winner will be announced the following day. 

Poodle Snack Time, Walking for Treats

Hux, chillin in front of the pantry... patiently waiting for a mid day snack. 

walking toy poodle

After awhile he'll start doing tricks to speed up the process of getting a treat :-)

Sporty Pooch: Toy Poodle & Basketball

Huxtable has a new hobby, shooting hoops with mom and dad at the park. He can't quite dunk, but he loves the cardio of running up and down the court :-)

Huxtable's New Cut: Low Poodle Clip

A few months ago, little Hux was in need of a cut. Although I was giving him his brushings, it seemed like he was growing a new layer of hair underneath which caused lots and lots of tangles and some mattes... (sadface). So I was basically forced into getting Huxtable clipped down (extra sadface). And because he had to be cut down I decided to try one of my favorite short poodle clips.  I'm not exactly sure if this clip has a name, but a white poodle by the name of Gunther sports it on the regular and looks so handsome! Huxtable isn't a standard poodle so I figured the clip probably couldn't look exactly the same, but I hoped it would look very similar, neat and attractive (plus top knot).

 Gunther in his lovely short cut. 

The groomer did an excellent job on the clip, but I found the ears and hair to be a little lacking. A little bit of tangled/matted hair had to be cut from his head and ears as well so I'm thinking he just left all the hair he could so that he wouldn't have to grow too much back, but I wish he would have evenly clipped the ears and blended the top knot or atleast styled it in a complementary way. All in all I was happy with the results, he really does know how to blend. I can't stress how important it is to have a groomer that owns a poodle-- I think it really makes a difference. 

I have a couple pics of Huxtable in his new clip... they're sort of blurry since they're from my cell phone. I wish I would have gotten one at the groomers like I usually do.

I think the clip came out cute, just like Gunthers-- low in the middle, then fuller on the arms and legs, fluffy tail, and neatly cut poodle feet. 

 Toy parti poodle in short clip; 
After some research I realized it's a model / town and country clip. It''s like a blend between a lamb clip and a town and country. 

I'm going to try and find more pics of the clip so hopefully there's more to come

Poodle Climbing Fence Play Pen Video

Huxtable's Great Escape

Huxtable escaped his play pen while being babysat (dogsat technically) one afternoon... after escaping several times it was caught on video (via phone)... every time he escaped he just simply laid on the bed and watched tv :-). It might be time for a bigger play pen for this toy poodle.

Btw, the play pen is Midwest Gold- Zinc Indoor/Outdoor Exercise Pet Pen. They also have it in black, but the gold matched my decor better.


poodle escaping play pen

Geared Up Poodle: Running Errands with Mom

Huxtable in his cute little doggie sweater and jacket running errands with me a few months back. Though I initially didn't want to cut his fur down, I will admit it made dressing him up in clothing much easier and more practical.  He wasn't used to a low clip so he highly preferred wearing atleast one layer of clothing, and the low clip made them look and fit more neatly.