Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Third Time's A Charm >> A Very Special Dog


When Pittsburgh-based pet photographer Nicole Begley sent me a submission featuring photos of a beautiful dog named Charm, along with a little bit of her story, I was incredibly moved.  Nicole told me how Charm, a small pit bull, had been used as a bait dog in a fighting ring, and ended up in a local shelter, scared and starved.  Thankfully, she was rescued by loving parents who nursed her back to health through their love and care.  Now Charm is 7 years old and facing another battle: liver cancer.  Despite her struggles, Nicole told me, Charm is an amazingly sweet dog who has become a treasured companion.

As many of you know, I am a huge dog lover, and my Bubby, like Charm, was a very special rescue dog who beat the odds over and over.  I also lost my other dog, Tabha, a magical Alaskan Malamute, to liver cancer in 2008, when she was only 8-1/2 years old.  Before rescuing Charm, her parents had also lost their almost 16 year-old yellow lab after a long illness (which is exactly what we went through with Bubby, at the exact same age).  Needless to say, I felt very connected to and especially touched by their story.  I asked Nicole if Charm's mom, Clara, could share more about Charm and how he came to be part of their family.  Her words are below, accompanied by Nicole's photos.  I'm really honored to be able to share this with you guys.



We had just lost our Yellow Lab, Buster, who was almost 16 years old. The decline was long and slow, and we did every single thing we could for him. We had countless sleepless nights, and were frazzled and fatigued. But the inevitable happened one terrible day. Matt and I agreed we would definitely have another dog in our lives, but we would wait a while until we adopted again. We were drained emotionally, physically, and mentally.

Three weeks after Buster's death, we volunteered at a shelter called Animal Friends, where we've now been volunteering about twice a month for 15 years. A couple volunteers called out, "Hi Clara," but I didn't know either of them. It turned out that they weren't talking to me, but rather to a new dog they'd gotten. I looked down and saw a mess of a dog, who was only 6 months old, and had been starved by her previous owners. She was emaciated, and her ribs were showing. Her back legs were broken, and Animal Friends had just performed $4,000 worth of surgery on her. Her fur was shaved and she had ugly sutures all over her legs. I burst into tears, and told Matt this was a sign. The dog had MY NAME, and was in terrible need. We had to take her.

The next day, she was living with us. But - there could only be one Clara in the house. This was the third dog that Matt and I had together, and you know what they say: "the third one's a CHARM!" So Clara dog was now Charm.


I had learned that the people who previously owned Charm were using her as bait in pitbull fights. She herself is a pitbull (an American Staffordshire Terrier), but she's just a little thing. She was 21 poundswhen we got her, and now she's 38. In order to get "bait" used to pain, they would throw dogs out the window of a moving car. But one day when Charm was thrown out of a car, another car drove past, hit her, and broke her 2 back legs. Both cars took off, and left Charm laying in the middle of the road. Thankfully, a good Samaritan came by, picked Charm up, and took her to Animal Friends. We consider that the luckiest day of our lives, because that's the incident that brought us all together.

This was 6-1/2 yeas ago. As the years have gone by, Charm has had to endure two more operations stemming from this car injury. She had a dislocated knee cap and a torn ACL. And she recuperated from these surgeries with a big smile on her face.


Recently, Charm was hit with another battle when she diagnosed with inoperable liver cancer. She was only 6 years old and the news stunned us. This is our princess -she's had such a tough life - how could this be happening to her? Why is being dumped on? We became warriors - we were going to save her life!

We found an animal hospital in New York called Animal Medical Center. Dr. Chick Weisse was doing a study on liver tumors and Charm turned out to be a perfect candidate. How lucky were we! She required three treatments, all a month apart, that involved us taking her to NY for a week. So off we went. We absolutely hated what we were doing to her, but Charm handled the treatments well. And finally, after the last treatment, it was discovered that the liver tumor had died. YAY! It was shrinking. YAY!

Unfortunately, our joy was short lived. The cancer ended up spreading anyway. The doctors determined she only had about 3 months to live.

Back in Pittsburgh, we set about finding a new game plan. We now take her to Dr. Barbara Newman at Pittsburgh Veterinary Specialists every Thursday for chemo. When we first started the treatments, her body was made up of 49% cancer cells. After a couple weeks, her blood smears showed 0% cancer cells! We're continuing to fight this tooth and nail, and Charm is quite a trooper. She's having no side effects at all, aside from some low energy. She's happy, eating, drinking, playing, and forever smiling. I know one day the cancer cells will come back and overwhelm her, but we're hoping to keep them at bay for a long time.


Naturally, we have a million pictures of Charm and Mitch (our other dog), but we wanted professional photos done. Luckily, our paths crossed with Nicole Begley, who came out to our summer cottage one day and went "snap-happy" on our dogs. We just saw the finished products and she truly captured the personalities of our angels. We couldn't be happier. It meant a lot to me to have good photos of them to look at after they're gone.

For now, we continue to fight the good fight. Whatever we can do that is best for Charm, we'll continue to do. Matt and Charm love each other, but it's actually Charm and me that have the deep connection. From the minute I saw her, she bowled me over and continues to do so to this day. It's funny - I never wanted a female dog, never wanted a puppy, and never wanted a small dog. But Charm was all those things when we adopted her, and I can't imagine life without her.



Thank you again to Clara for sharing Charm's incredible story, and to Nicole, for sharing these beautiful photos.  We will all be rooting for Charm and continuing to keep her in our thoughts!

If you'd like to view more of Nicole's amazing work, or if you live in the Pittsburgh area and would like her to photograph your pets, be sure sure to visit her website, blog, and Facebook.


P.S.  Do you have a photo session or project you'd like to submit to Bubby and Bean?  You can find more information on how to do so here.

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Monday, July 30, 2012

GIVEAWAY // Win a $150 Gift Certificate to Jigsaw London!

Today I'm thrilled to be partnering with the amazing Jigsaw London for a truly fantastic giveaway!  Jigsaw has been July's featured sponsor here on Bubby and Bean (you can read my interview with them right here), and I've seriously fallen in love with their classic, British-inspired clothing and accessories. In fact, I am officially jealous of the lucky reader who is going to win a $150 gift certificate to spend shopping on Jigsaw's website


Jigsaw

To enter, just visit the Jigsaw London website and leave a comment below telling me which item is your favorite.  That's it!


Once you've completed the mandatory entry above, you can also gain one additional entry for each of the following.  (*Please put each extra entry in a SEPARATE comment in order for it to count).
  • Like Jigsaw London on Facebook
  • Post on the Jigsaw London Facebook wall that you were sent by @Bubby & Bean Art (if you do not yet "like" Bubby & Bean's FB page, make sure to do so here first so that @Bubby & Bean Art appears as a link in your post.)
  • Follow Jigsaw London on Twitter 
  • Tweet this:  Win a $150 gift certificate to @JigsawSays in Bubby & Bean's latest Giveaway! via @MotM_EcoFashion >> http://bit.ly/c6j9XX
  • Subscribe to Jigsaw London's Blog 
  • Follow Jigsaw London on Pinterest 

This giveaway is open through August 5th and is open to residents of the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.  The winner's name will be randomly chosen and announced here on the blog shortly after.  Thank you again to Jigsaw London for being such a wonderful featured sponsor, and for offering Bubby & Bean readers the chance to win their beautiful clothing!

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Friday, July 27, 2012

My Style >> Indian Summer


So I know that 'Indian Summer' is actually an occurence that takes place in the autumn, when the temps become unseasonably warm one final time before winter's evil reign begins (we're all well aware of my feelings about winter).  But for whatever reason, when I hear the expression, it's a certain type of lighting that comes to mind for me, not a fall-time heatwave.  I think of that magical hour on an idyllic midsummer evening, right before the sun begins to set, when everything is enveloped with a warm, soft, pink and butterscotch kissed haze.  It's my favorite time of day, and conjures images of sun-drenched wheat fields and bare feet and earthy patterned fabrics and messy hair and dried wildflowers and all sorts of bohemian summery goodness.  Completely weird and random, I know.  But that's what Indian Summer is to me, and that's the exact lighting we got when we went outside to take pictures of this look the other night.  The outfit itself is kind of boho/modern flower child, so really, it all worked out perfectly.  Thanks, nature.

Tribes of Robin Dress

I'm going to make a little confession to you guys.  Lately I've been starting to wonder if the short dresses I've been wearing incessantly for so many years are becoming a little too, well, young.  I've never been one to follow fashion rules (have you seen my wedding dress?) or feel defined by my age, but sometimes you may or may not get to a point in your 30s where you realize you still have (and wear) some of the (really short/perhaps age inappropriate) dresses that you wore in high school, and that may or may not start to freak you out a little bit.

So when I got this dress in the mail from Sugarlips, even though I'd adored it online, I was a little worried about the length. When I opened the package and tried it on, however, my fear instantly diminished.  True story.  This is one of those dresses that is timeless, ageless, and even seasonless if you have the proper layers going on.  First of all, I love the print.  This is the exact type of pattern I was talking about above when I was describing the images that come to my mind when I'm having my 'Indian Summer' daydreams.  And the colors are divine too.  It looks like a summer sunset, all dusty and warm with hints of vibrant blue poking through.  It's comfortable, casual, and quite flattering.  I even love the name: The Tribes of Robin Dress (for the robin's egg blue trim).


My other favorite part of this outfit is the absolutely beautiful set of earrings that were handmade by my sweet friend Laura.  I probably wear more jewelry from her line, Roots and Feathers, than all of my other jewelry combined these days.  It's so my style, so well made, and so unique that I just can't help it.  When she sent me these particular earrings, she told me that they reminded her of my blog.  I have to agree!  The triangle and circle shapes are pretty perfect, don't you think?  The necklace I'm wearing here was actually made by Laura as well, from her Violet Bella line.  She sent it to me right after we first became friends, a little over a year ago.  The meaning behind it is something that is incredibly important to me, and represents something positive and powerful that came out of a similar loss we both had to endure.  It's a really special piece and I'm honored to be able to wear it.


As for the rest of the outfit, it's just chock full of bargains you guys.  The denim jacket (which I wore here as well) was a Good Will score.  It's Ann Taylor, and it was $4.  Yep. The moccasins are Candie's, believe it or not, and were discovered when on a whim, when I ventured into a Kohl's that I happened to be driving by.  The only time I've been in Kohl's before has been with Robbie because he insists that they have the best deals ever on men's socks. I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised at the cute things that were hidden amongst the, well, not-so-cute things.  Mostly though, I cannot adequately express my love for moccasins in general, and these babies were 50% off.  Score.  The hat was free, because I borrowed it from my husband (who paid for it at some point years ago, and has worn it a whopping zero times).  The bracelet is a Tibetan Buddhist mala that I've had for years.  It's very special to me and I usually don't wear as a "fashion" piece, but I happened to have it on the day we took these pics.   And the sunlight that was blinding me in this last shot is courtesy of mother nature.

Dress: c/o Sugarlips   //  Earrings and Necklace: c/o Roots and Feathers  
Jacket:  thrifted  // Shoes:  Candie's //  Hat: stolen from husband  //  Bracelet: Buddhist mala  


Happy Friday!  Do you have anything planned for the weekend?  Robbie leaves today for three days for a festival the band is playing, so I'm going to have a girls weekend with a couple of different friends who I love and don't get to see often enough.  Whatever you do, have fun!

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Thursday, July 26, 2012

you must live in the present...

You Must Live in the Present

I don't often post my own design work (illustration or clothing) on Bubby and Bean, but I wanted to share a recent project I completed because it's one of my personal favorites.  And also, spreading positive quotes and messages is always a good idea, right?  I have adored this quote by Henry David Thoreau for as long as I can remember, and a few months ago, decided that I needed something that I could look at everyday to remind me of it.  Because let's face it - once we reach adulthood, we become much more accustomed to getting buried by life's daily stresses than we do to living in and appreciating each moment.

As much as I enjoy working on graphic pieces, my heart belongs to the pen and ink drawing.  The style of my drawings is really quite different than the style of my graphic work (which tends to be modern and simple), but it's a style that I've carried with me since I was a child.  On the rare occasions that I sit down to draw, my ideas almost always manifest via a bunch of tiny doodles that interact with each other - and often with text as well - within one illustration.  And without fail, there will be one or more of the following: swirls, flowers, dots, dashes, stars.  (My 'Why Old Dogs are the Best Dogs' print is another example of this.)  I've never been very good at drawing people or landscapes or scenes that are supposed to fit together in any sort of realistic manner.  I think this is because there is more planning involved, and I am incredibly impatient.  Really, I am.  I always have an idea before I start a piece, but the concept forms along the way, not before the pen hits the paper.

I hope this magical quote inspires you guys to always challenge yourself, to seize the moment when you can, and to try your best to live in the present (today and everyday!). 

P.S. Here's a little shameless plug/coupon, if you'd like to snag one of these new prints >> Take 15% off with code BUBBYANDBEAN15 right here.


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Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Our Latest Spontaneous Adventure // The Michigan Shore


On Friday, I told you guys how Robbie and I had decided that we needed to go on another spontaneous adventure.  It was the last weekend he'd be home over the next month, and it had been a really stressful week.  We'd had so much fun on our spontaneous adventure in March, and another unplanned mini road trip/overnight getaway sounded like the best idea ever.  The plan (other than not to have one, of course) was to get in the car that afternoon and drive to either Michigan or Wisconsin so we could hang out on a beach that didn't have skyscrapers behind it. 


Well...  here's the thing.  Pretty much everyone who lives in the greater Chicago area escapes to the beaches of Michigan and Wisconsin in the summertime.  As a result, the hotels in those places book up many months in advance. But we figured that there had to be a few options available, so Robbie did some quick searching while I finished up work.  And you know what we discovered?  That I am clearly in the wrong business.  I mean, why am I working such long hours to try to pay the bills when I could just operate a low-budget motel close to Lake Michigan?  I wouldn't give a second thought to the fact that a comparable hotel would cost $30-$50 a night, because I could charge $200+ a night alllll summer long when all of the more desirable hotels were booked solid!   Seriously though, I don't think either of us really realized how difficult it would be to find a place to stay, and neither of us could justify spending that kind of money to stay in a cheap motel.  Robbie even reached out to a friend who's family has lake cottage in southwestern Michigan to see if we could possibly crash there, but his parents were already using it for the weekend. And although the whole point was to be spontaneous, heading off to a general area where there won't be any lodging within a 50 mile radius (other than the quadruply marked up motels) on a 95 degree midwestern day (camping outside = extremely uncomfortable) just didn't sound all that fun anymore.  We ended up having some local fun Friday, and decided that Saturday, we'd just drive to Lake Geneva in Wisconsin for the day, and head back home that night if we weren't able to find a place to stay. 

But then, on Saturday, a miracle occurred. (Yes, I'm being dramatic, but it makes for a better story.)  The friend we'd contacted on Friday called to say that his parents were leaving early and we could stay there for the night.  Score!  This was especially awesome, because Saturday morning had brought some unexpected tasks for me, and by the time we would have gotten to Wisconsin for our day trip, we'd have only had a couple of hours there before we'd have to head home.  So we quickly threw some overnight stuff in the car and hit the road.


On our way, we stopped at the Indiana Dunes.  When I was growing up, going to "the dunes" was kind of a regular thing for everyone I knew, yet somehow, I'd never been there.  And although I left this area for 14 years after graduating from high school, it was one of those silly things that had always bothered me.  How could I have traveled so much of the world and never even seen the freaking Indiana dunes?  I'm glad that I can now say that I've been there, even though we only stuck around for a few minutes.  The dunes themselves were cool, but it was crazy crowded and we wanted to get to Michigan and relax.


We ended up pulling in the driveway of the lake cottage about an hour before the sun was setting, after grabbing some ridiculously good Mexican food from a tiny taco stand on the way into town.  (If you're ever in New Buffalo, stop by Rios.  It's a little shack on the side of the road that you'd probably overlook, but trust me - it is AMAZING.)  Having a quiet, private beach right on Lake Michigan was almost too good to be true.  We adored every minute of just sitting there in the silence, snapping photos as we slowly watched the sun disappear behind the lake. 


We sat outside for a while after the sun set, and even got treated to a rad fireworks display by one of the houses down the street.  Once the bugs started biting, we went inside and read (okay, I worked a little too - but only a little), and then ventured back out when the sky got really dark.  It was so incredible to be able to see bright stars that weren't faded by light pollution, and Robbie had all sorts of fun setting up the tripod and playing with long exposures on the camera.  It was a perfectly relaxing evening.  Our phones had little to no service, which made me realize how much life is sucked away by smart phones.  I love my iPhone dearly, but I wouldn't mind it losing service a little more often.


The next morning, we decided that we'd get some food and then drive around and explore for a couple of hours.  We got some breakfast from a local diner called Rosie's, then stopped in a little chocolate and coffee shop next door called South Bend Chocolate Co.  Thankfully, they have several locations, because you guys have to try this place.  I ordered a white chocolate mocha, and watched the barista literally scoop melted white chocolate into my espresso drink.  It was ridiculously decadent without being too sweet or covering up the flavor of the espresso.  (My mouth is watering thinking about it.)

After that, we drove north a few minute to St. Joseph, a really cute lake town that my friend Tieka had recommended to me.  We walked around for a little while, but it was excruciatingly hot so we didn't stay long.  I'd love to spend an entire weekend there sometime.  After that, it was time to head back toward Chicago.


The thing about spontaneous adventures is that there are always going to be a few challenges that pop up, because you're not making concrete plans like you would be for a more thought-out trip.  There are also going to inevitably be some small things that you will have to plan (like making sure there will be at least a couple of lodging options once you arrive if camping isn't an option).  But because you're keeping an open mind and allowing for some adventure, it's much easier to just "go with it" and roll with whatever happens.  In our case, just when we'd thought we'd be doing something else entirely, an unexpected opportunity popped up, and we got to really get away instead of just settling for something more close-by.  We were only gone for 24 hours, but it felt like a real mini vacation.  Best of all, it allowed for our minds and spirits to feel relaxed and recharged upon our return.  I'm thinking we'll have to cram in one more of these spontaneous adventure trips before the summer officially comes to an end.

Have you gone an any spontaneous adventures this summer?


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Tuesday, July 24, 2012

July GIVEAWAY // Win a Prize Package of Goodies Worth $130!

July is my favorite month of the year, and has been since I was a little girl.  For me, it represents the true essence of summer: sunshine and swimming, parties and picnics, lightening bugs and lemonade cocktails, fresh fruit and fireworks.  Like the month of July itself, July's group giveaway is full of the perfect mix of many of my favorite things.  And thanks to the oh-so-wonderful July sponsors who donated these incredible items, one lucky Bubby and Bean reader will win the whole prize package of goodness, worth $130...

VISIT THIS SHOP   ///   VISIT THIS BLOG


VISIT THIS SHOP   ///   VISIT THIS BLOG


VISIT THIS BLOG   ///   VISIT THIS SHOP


VISIT THIS SHOP   ///   VISIT THIS BLOG


VISIT THIS BLOG   ///   VISIT THIS SHOP


VISIT THIS BLOG   ///   VISIT THIS SHOP



This giveaway is open to all Bubby and Bean followers/subscribers.  If you're a new reader, just make sure to subscribe first using GFC (click here, or click on the blue "Join This Site" button under "FOLLOW" in the right side bar), or with one of these readers.
Then just leave a comment with your favorite summertime food or drink.
  That's it!


Once you've completed the mandatory entry above, you can also gain one additional entry for each of the following.  (*Please put each extra entry in a SEPARATE comment in order for it to count).

This giveaway is open through July 30th.  The winner's name will be chosen randomly and announced soon after.  Thanks again to the amazing Bubby and Bean sponsors who contributed these great goodies!  GOOD LUCK!

UPDATE: This giveaway is now closed. Check back soon to see if you won!