Dog lover Christmas gift guide 2017

| LWarren

giftguideLRI’ve pulled together a Pinterest board of doggie gift ideas, which I’m still adding to in the build up to Christmas. For anyone like me who is a little bit dog crazy it could help with your Christmas shopping ideas (I’ve also included lots of lovely kitty cat ideas too)…

The gift guide includes ideas for dog cards & gift wrap, cat and dog stocking fillers, doggie tree decorations, dog themed gifts for him and her, doggie decor and more… so have a look and see if there is anything you can tick off your Christmas list while you support an indie business this Christmas! See the full gift guide on Pinterest here: Dog lover Christmas gift guide 2017

I’ve found lots of lovely makes and here are just a few of the highlights:

Firstly if you have a Fox Terrier you will probably want anything and everything by Forever Foxed (I’m a huge fan) including these gorgeous minimal designs…

The dog tags by Hooby Noo are awesome, gorgeous pops of colour, you can personalise with your own choice of colours, words, breeds and even markings! A fab stocking filler and come in a wide variety of dog breeds…

 

It wasn’t me Christmas card by Doodle Dog Ink on Folksy  – just because it’s very cool…

it wasn't me

I love anything and everything by Sweet William Designs who also stock a large variety of breeds and have some great dog gifts for men and fab Christmas tree decorations in multiple breeds…

Always be kind stocking filler pin by Cutie and the Feast  / The Black Dog Club. There are more lovely cat and dog pins to choose from in the shop. This pin is made as part of a campaign to support self care and well being. Really looking forward to see what other designs will be coming out from them.

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Dachshund duck egg cushion by Homemade with Love – cottage chic decor all handmade so if you have any special preferences I’m sure you could choose your own fabric combos and there are other colours available. I just love this dachshund fabric in duck egg blue – so pretty!

duckegg cushion

 

Beagle lamp by artisan sellers Horton & Grimwood. I am certain that whatever your requirements are they will be able to come up with any breed you ask for, as they take custom orders. I’ve also seen a cat version they made which is also fabulous. This is the white version that I ordered for my office with turquoise cord – it is fabulous, I love it 🙂 and highly recommend these sellers for great customer service…

doug

Dachshund necklace by Barking Hen Jewellery. These are designed and made by hand and I’m pretty sure if you contact Tamara from Barking Hen Jewellery she will be able to come up with pieces especially for you and your dog’s breed.

dachshun necklace

 

Boston Terrier fans might not be able to resist these gorgeous makes by MollyMoochins on Folksy… there are more cute designs in the shop.

bostonterrier

Crocheted Dog Baskets – by Pixies’ Magic Hook. You may not be able to order a custom basket this year as I know the shop is very busy and these gorgeous personalised baskets are very time consuming – so maybe need to start planning ahead to next Christmas for this one! How cute though???

I am also going to unashamedly plug my own makes. I offer a range of doggie prints that can be personalised with your own words and I also create commissions from portraits, typically in my modern pop/art style… I am shipping to the UK until the 20th December. Then I’ll be shutting the shop for Christmas. Unfortunately I can not guarantee prints in time for Christmas for international orders.

For cat lovers there are lots of goodies pinned in my guide including these gorgeous enamel pins by Laura Talanti – she has more gorgeous kitty cat goodies, perfect for stocking fillers and these cute paw print gloves by Bspoque.

All the items I’ve included are from artisans and small indie businesses who sell across online platforms, all these shops are working very hard this Christmas and I hope you can offer some support to them by having a browse before you resort to supermarket / corporate chains for your shopping.

It would be great if you could give a little bit of time to support indie businesses like me – I guarantee that the person does a little happy dance when they make that sale, having poured their love and energy into their makes – you don’t exactly get that at the checkout of corporate chains, and so many products that you buy are mass produced. So yes please shop small and support indie businesses this year!

Thank you and happy shopping!

Leanne @LEAPUP xx

Dog lover Christmas gift guide 2017

Winner 2

| LWarren

💓💓💓 CONGRATULATIONS!!! 💓💓💓

#LEAPUPmodelsearch2

💓💓💓 Here is the next giveaway winner in our LEAPUP model search, chosen by nine year old Felix… Entry number 125 – Lily. Thank you so much Felix I couldn’t have made this impossible decision without you xx

Lily’s prize is a Christmas illustration featuring her pretty face. Another winner will be announced on Facebook tomorrow. 💓💓💓

Winner 1

| LWarren

💗💗💗 LEAPUP MODEL SEARCH UPDATE 💗💗💗

#LEAPUPmodelsearch

CONGRATULATIONS to the very first prize winner, Eric (entry 76) who is 5 today!!! I’m sure you’ll all join me in wishing him a very happy birthday! His mom will be receiving a set of dog love postcards in the post.

Yellowpostcards2

Also just a little note to say WOW!

Thank you for all of your wonderful entries to the model search, each and every doggie is so beautiful and full of character… this is going to be a very, very (if not impossible) decision. There have been more entrants (115 at the last count) than I was expecting so I’ll also be upping the number of spot prizes too. Hurray!

To help me choose some winners I’m happy to report that I now have dog lover, 9 year old Felix, on the case to choose a doggie he’d like to see in a Christmas design… and I’ll announce this prize winner this weekend!

The first Spring collection model will be chosen on Monday too so watch this space!!! Don’t forget to be chosen as the model for the new collection you have to have followed all of the instructions on the pinned post.

Thanks everyone and have a great day!

From Leanne, Sophia (the lab) and Oscar (the Cav) xx

Dog model search

| LWarren

seekingdogs

💖The LEAPUP search for dog models begins over on Facebook today!!! I’m looking for FOUR 🐶🐶🐶🐶 new dog models to inspire part of my new pop art collection 💖

yorkshire terrier model

💖 For a chance for your dog to be featured in my SPRING 2018 doggie pop art COLLECTION:

1.Go to my facebook page (@LEAPUP1)

2. Post a photo of your dog that best shows your dogs’ character and personality 🐶

3. Tell us his/her name 🐶

4. Write five words best describing his/her strongest personality traits 💖


5. If you haven’t already don’t forget to like my facebook page! 🐶 (@LEAPUP1)

6. Feel free to tag your dog loving friends to help share this opportunity! 💖

7. One selected model will be announced from entries every Monday for the next four weeks, finishing Monday 20th December 2017 💖

model🐶 Four dogs will be chosen by Leanne Warren of LEAPUP to feature in the next collection, each model will receive a free art print of their dog from the spring 2018 collection. 🐶

PLEASE ONLY POST YOUR ENTRY TO THE ORIGINAL POST ON THE LEAPUP PAGE OTHERWISE YOUR ENTRY WILL NOT BE COUNTED

 

 

model compPlease note: Successful dog owners will be notified on Facebook. Only one photo entry will be accepted per dog. Multiple entries of the same dog will be disqualified. LEAPUP’s decision in respect of all matters to do with the competition will be final and no correspondence will be entered into. You must own copyright of any photographs you post, please do not post photographs taken by professional photographers unless you expressly have copyright permission to use the photograph for this purpose. The prize is as stated and no cash or other alternatives will be offered. There is no entry fee and no purchase necessary to enter this competition. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, seekingdogs3Facebook, Twitter or any other Social Network.

Gangsta’s paradise

| LWarren

After taking a break in the Lakes over the summer holidays I’m back to it and happy to report that three more from my new Pooch Paradise collection are now available to buy online…

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This very random idea for a set of doggie ‘gangsta paradise’ designs came to me in the middle of the night earlier this year and it’s great to finally get these designs finished and listed in my shops. Sometimes it’s really hard to make time for all the new ideas but it’s really satisfying when I do take time to follow through with them. I have to say though that I’m slightly concerned that at the speed I’m going it will be years before everything that I have started for this collection is finished! Too many ideas, not enough time!

So my three latest designs feature Dachshunds (also referred to as Doxies / Wieners / sausage dogs / hot dogs), King Charles Cavaliers and chocolate Labradors… with more to be uploaded next week, I can’t wait to show you!

I’m particularly fond of this one as it features my little King Oscar, who hence forth shall be called ‘Kingpin’…

😂

Kings_Chillin_2

This one is hubbies fave… the perfect art for a man cave!

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I know this is not going to be everybody’s cup of tea but they make hubbie and I chuckle (possibly inspired by my recent addiction to Power on Neflix and my love for the classics like Scarface and Pulp Fiction). A little bit of light adult humour for the walls!

If this is the first you’ve seen of the collection, here’s a peek at the other Pooch Paradise designs…

Chillax_3
Stay_Chilled_3
Basset_hound (8)
Aloha2
spaniel

 

I now have four stores online so you can shop here:

 

Shoppers in the UK:

Folksy

Walter & May

MicroMkt

International shoppers:

Etsy

 

Beagle Vibes Only

| LWarren

We’re feeling very chilled here at LEAPUP HQ, and so is Doug my beagle desk lamp, a custom order made by Horton & grimwood and those gorgeous crochet pots are by Pixie’s Magic Hook (both on Etsy). My beagle print is available to buy now 🌴🌴🌴

Unplugged

| LWarren

 

I’ve just returned from three days totally unplugged in the Lakes, with lots of walking and chilling. I didn’t take any technology or check my phone once. Bliss!

That sounds like it should be easy (especially considering that just over two years ago I didn’t even have a phone with aps on it) but now I’ve joined the masses and become chained to my mobile devices.

I knew I was long overdue a holiday, and that working from home was creeping into every second of the day, a natural side-effect of working for myself, trying to start up two creative businesses. I had no idea just how much I needed the break though.

Out in Kewick at a local cafe I would hear a ‘ping’ or a ‘ting’ and my knee jerk reaction is to immediately jump or twitch to see what it is. Seeing everyone (even people out on walks) looking down, glued to their devices – how have I recently become that person? It’s actually scary how much I am addicted to using my devices but more importantly what am I doing on them? Am I being productive all of the time? The simple answer is no and time is flying, whizzing at an uncontrollable speed and I need to slow it down, put it down, unplug and pay attention to what is here and now.

After a long chat with hubbie over a delicious meal and bottle of vino, I’ve got things into perspective. It’s actually quite scary hearing it from someone else that they have concerns about the direction things are going, it’s a good wake up call. I need to wake up and cherish the time I have with my husband, dogs, family and friends – in the pursuit of following my creative passions there is a risk that life is literally passing me by and I am not letting that happen anymore. I feel like this trip was a moment of clarity to re-prioritise and work a bit smarter. Quality family time is now at the top of my list of priorities and we’re officially ‘unplugging’ for set times every week to try and restore some balance and inner zen. I know that it isn’t going to be easy, that there will always be ‘just one more thing’ on my to do list before I shut down but for the sake of my health and the future of my family it’s time to make this happen, to unplug and allow myself the time to chillax more regularly.

What’s really funny is that I get my creative inspiration in huge flurries usually in the dead of night or early hours of the morning. Typically this happens sporadically over a couple of days where I just see lots of different images, really clearly in my head, I usually get up and scribble everything down into a note book. One of my most recent ‘flurries’ of ideas is the tropical collection that I have just started promoting. If you have a look you will see they say ‘chillax’, ‘stay chilled’, ‘chilled vibes only’ etc and I think my subconscious was telling me what I needed to do, before I even knew myself! The mind works in mysterious ways.

Anyway, watch this space, I’ll let you know how the new zen me goes…

My tropical prints collection are available now on Etsy and Walter and May

Feeling the Sunday chilled vibes 

| LWarren


We could all take a lesson from this beagle print now and again… stay chilled people 😎🌴

I’m actually really excited to share this print with you it’s another one from my tropical paradise collection. I’m now off for a little break in the Lakes and plan to take some of my own advice!

 

ALOHA!

| LWarren

Gorgeous Bracken the Springer Spaniel is feeling those chilled summer vibes. This is the latest giclee print from my new August 2017 collection. Can you tell I’m in need of a holiday? 🌴

A4 “Aloha” Springer Spaniel giclee print

***5% from the sale of this print is donated to Bryson’s Animal Shelter in Gateshead*** Printed onto luxurious 308g cotton rag paper using archival quality pigment inks.   All digital prints are printed with white border (as shown) for ease of mounting and framing.  Prints are dispatched within 1-3 working days and ship free to UK customers.   Your print will be signed and dated on the back by the artist and securely shipped using high quality packaging materials to ensure it gets to you in perfect condition.   Note that this listing is for the print only. Any other items such as frame, mounting & accessories are not included.  Thanks so much for looking. If you have any questions, would prefer a different coloured background, or if you would like this print personalising in any way please get in touch. Please be advised that this print posts free to the UK. International customers please pay separately for your postage.

$35.00

 

Chilled Vibes Only

| LWarren

A hint of what’s to come in my new collection. A lovely gift for Basset Hound lovers and those who have a soft spot for pink flamingos and all things tropical. Watch this space for more designs from the new collection in coming days. 💕

A4 Bert says “Cool vibes only” giclee

***5% from the sale of this print is donated to Bryson’s Animal Shelter in Gateshead*** Printed onto luxurious 308g cotton rag paper using archival quality pigment inks.   All digital prints are printed with white border (as shown) for ease of mounting and framing.  Prints are dispatched within 1-3 working days and ship free to UK customers.   Your print will be signed and dated on the back by the artist and securely shipped using high quality packaging materials to ensure it gets to you in perfect condition.   Note that this listing is for the print only. Any other items such as frame, mounting & accessories are not included.  Thanks so much for looking. If you have any questions, would prefer a different coloured background, or if you would like this print personalising in any way please get in touch. Please be advised that this print posts free to the UK. International customers please pay separately for your postage.

£24.00

Basset_hound (1)
Basset_hound (3)
Basset_hound (7)
Basset_hound (8)

Meet Doug

| LWarren


Meet Doug my gorgeous new desk lamp by Horton & Grimwood. The perfect desk accessory for any crazy dog ladies like me (or even the perfect office assistant / office dog if you’re unlucky enough not to have real fur babies in your life). Doug the dog light was a bespoke order and painted white for me with a custom turquoise cord… look out for him appearing in my stop motion animations very soon (can’t wait)!

Doug did a good job of keeping me company while I worked on a new custom pet portrait last night, my actual fur babies deserted me and took themselves off to bed! Horton & Grimwood make bespoke pieces out of wood and their shop is well worth a visit: www.hortongrimwood.etsy.com

#ColourMyEveryDay

| LWarren

Firstly, apologies, I’m real behind with LEAPUP blogs, lots has been happening but I ‘m not going to fit all my updates in here as there’s far too much to tell you. So, I thought instead I would post and say how much fun I’m having over on my Instagram account @LEAPUP

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I’ve joined in with an Instagram challenge called #CoulourMyEveryDay by @adventuresandteaparties. Each day you have to post a colourful picture along that day’s theme or prompt. Having never joined in with anything like this before I have to say I’m so glad I did. Firstly I’ve ‘insta-met’ lots of other like minded creatives which has been fabulous.

[Here’s some of my new ‘insta-pals’ Instagram accounts that are worth checking out out if you get the chance…

If you know anyone who is getting married check out these AMAZING handmade flowers, it’s suuuuch a beautiful account and Helen’s a fellow Folksy seller @paperbeacompany

If, like me, you LOVE all things retro these two accounts are worth checking out (warning though, some of the things for sale might be just to cute and kitsch to resist)  @planet_utopia and @yayretro

Also, not forgetting @pippaquigley25  who has the most amazing wardrobe, I’m in awe (mainly because if I’m not at work I’m in my PJs) but wow to own a wardrobe that gorgeous and colourful would be awesome and check our her gorgeous wedding dress that she embellished herself!]

This challenge has also really helped me feel a little bit more inspired and creative, I’ve been thinking a little  bit more about colours and the prompt each day has meant I’ve been posting a more diverse range of images,  which I think adds much more interest to my account. I’ve started thinking more about moving images, I’ve started using Boomerang (still getting the hang of it) and I’ve made some stop motion videos, so yes the creative ‘sparks’ are really going at the moment! Yay!

 

My first stop motion effort… (press play to watch)

 

Second attempt… (press play to watch)

Today’s video… (press play to watch)

You can tell how much fun I’ve had by the mess on my desk… lots!

mess

Now I’ve hit day eleven I’m feeling confident that I’ll be able to keep it up until the end of the challenge, so watch this space. The challenge is still going on until the end of the month so come and join in, it’s lots of fun! Come on over to Instagram and say hi! @LEAPUP