mayhem and modeling

Monday morning mayhem at our household, thanks to amorous bunnies that chose to court each other in the yard across from us, in plain sight from every front window in the house, visible by a certain little doxie who likes to peer out all these windows in search of exactly such serendipitous moments. A moment too good to let go, we figured, and Big Boyfriend quickly got his shoes on and suited up Baxter with harness and leash.

Seconds later, the scene in our driveway was filled with a blur of orange and the sound of high pitched yippy yips as Baxter and his dad did their best to try and catch up with their prey, to no avail.

Two more times did the bunny merry-go-hunt go round before life called us back to our chores for the day. A fine, exhilarating morning for our little boy, who still peered ever so hopefully out the front door while he patiently posed in Sabrina's new fleecy flannely hand dyed orange and navy winter duds.

Just you wait til I'm done helping my mom and I'm back in my own duds, you mean ol bunnies. Just you wait.

dapper doxie duds: cindy brady

dear diary,
i am so embarrassed. u see, my mom's friend brought her mom's dog sabrina over the other day so sabrina could get measured for a dapper doxie dud and uh, well, i kinda barked a lot at her cuz she barked at me, and well, next thing i know i'm staying home yesterday while mom and dad went to sabrina's house to deliver her dud and hang out. like, i totally missed out! i am not even sure why i barked at her cuz she is part dachshund and she is sixteen years old, but all i can say is sabrina started barking first and i just couldn't help myself. and i'm not even a dominant doggie! i am hoping i can meet up with her again sometime and we can pretend this never happened. and maybe we can even go walkies together now that we both have duds! i really like how her dud turned out with the fabric that sabrina's mom provided, mom says it totally reminded her of something cindy brady would wear. mom even quilted it a little bit since Sabrina's mom is a quilter, and well, a quilter's dog's doggie duds ought to have quilting on it then, right?





anyways, here are some pictures of sabrina from mom n dad's visit. isn't she really cute? next time, i totally wanna show her my tummy so's we can be friends and hang out. hee - and what a great time to do it, too, on account of my tan!





toodles!
b.

happy hound roundup: dodo & momo

hee - just a quickie post to link over to dodo & momo's blog, where our pretty little girls are modelling their dapper doxie duds. they are such wonderful models, i hope i'm not out of a job!!

well, gotta run. duk duk and i are playin pirates of the caribbean. guess who i am!

toodles!
b.

dapper doxie duds: daisy belle butterfly

dear diary,
looky! today my mom finished this swell butterfly dud for daisy and i must say with all the leaves and flowers out this time of year, i don't mind modeling it cuz i can blend in with the scenery better. u know, like rambo or sumptin. and u know what that means. squirrels n bunnies, walkin right past me cuz they'll think i'm just a big ol harmless butterfly. boy won't they be surprised when they see this butterfly's mouth full of fangs! hee, so if you would, be very quiet please. i am hunting squirrels. and wabbits.

heheheheheh.

toodles!
b.

dapper doxie duds: wally cleaver & moxie doxie

dear diary,
what a hot week it has been! how hot? so hot the only squirrel i could even get close to was the tiny one on this summery-retro-sittin-by-the-pool-admirin-da-babes dud that my mom made for oskar. and believe me, i looked pretty hard for some real squirrels. i sure hope oskar is havin more luck than me where he is, with both the squirrels and da babes!



speakin of babes, i was so excited when i heard annie has her own room. yes u heard it - her very own room! well, that is what she thinks and who can blame her cuz look at all the doxie stuff in her room! hee, there is even a postcard of me on her bulletin board! but here is the even cooler thing - annie's mom made curtains from some vintage doxie fabric that she got off ebay and had enough left over so that my mom could make annie another dud.



now annie can match her room so nobody can tell her that room isn't hers!



whew! well, i think i will ask my mom n dad if they will take me to dinner with them tonight. i hear it is miss faye's birthday and i sure don't want to miss that. u think they will let me into a nice restaurant? it's not a brathaus, i already checked, so nobody should be confusing me with the main course or anythin. i better go brush my teeth and flea comb my fur just in case.

toodles!
b.

dapper doxie duds: itsy bitsy teeny weeny happy pairs of dox duddinis

dear diary,
today my mom finished some swell doxie duds and guess what - i couldn't begin to fit them. like, not even with my tummy sucked in and everything. can u believe it? oh yeah, these things are tiny, let me tell you. mom says they are for dodo and momo. dodo is a small mini. and momo? momo is a kaninchen rabbit dachshund. i know, don't even get me started cuz i almost dropped my kong toy to the floor when i heard that, but really a rabbit dachshund is still one hundred percent dachshund, they're just really tiny is all.



anyways, dodo and momo's mom and dad mentioned that sometimes people confuse dodo for bein a boy (cmon people u really should start sniffin butts cuz then you'd know), and that it's pretty much hot year round where they live, so these pairs are what mom came up with. tiny happy prints for momo, and cheery flower prints for dodo, coordinated but different enough so that everyone will know that they're sisters, in colors that will complement both their coats. and matching leashes, of course!

now, realistically, dodo and momo only asked for a pair but mom thought both combinations were special and so she made them both and u know what that means. yep, if they don't need a second set then maybe mom might let me help sell them to some other lucky tiny dogs. wouldn't that be somethin - i could have my very own booth! here is a peeky poo at my display. clearly, i would be under a tent, just to make sure the hawks like the one i was lookin at don't bother us. and duk duk would be helpin me with checkout cuz i'm totally paws with numbers and money n stuff. though i really need to make sure he charges in kibble and not worms like last time. some duks! all they think about is food. wait, well, okay i do too, so, um, yeah.

well it is time for me to put on the sunscreen and do some tummy tanning. happy freitag, friends!



toodles!
b.

ps - mamamousejam, hey check out a blue green version of the butterfly/bird/flower lawn fabric mom used for her shirt. me so likey dat, too! :)

happy hound roundup: daisy & ammo

Hey! It's me, Baxter, your roving rover reporter, reporting to you today from the comfort of my kitty perch. Thing is, I have a bit of a problem here as my big kong toy is stuck between my perch and my window, and all I want to do is bark at it, even though mom says I could easily go under my perch to get it. Boy, she's totally missin the point, right? Anyhoo, seein's how I'm gonna be busy all day barkin and I can't go out to find something to report about, I thought I'd report about when the news comes to me. Like, how my mom n me sometimes get all sorts of swell pictures from the happy hounds who now have their very own dapper doxie duds.

U remember Daisy the biker doxie? Here she is, lovin life with her mom on the back of their motorcycle! How cool is that? Daisy looks much better her duds than I did, though I guess there's something to be said about wearin them the right way!

And then there's Ammo! Check him out - his mom customized his helmet and made his pedestal and everything! What a wonderdog! I totally want a hoop and I wanna see his show.

So, that's my report for today. Short n sweet cuz, cuz, well I gotta get back to barkin! Thanks Ammo n Daisy for sharing the pictures and this is Baxter your roving rover reporter, wishing you a happy new week! :)

dapper doxie duds: ammo the wonderdog

So it all has to start somewhere. Inspiration, an idea that grows into a plan. In Ammo's case, the concept was pretty easy because Ammo's mom already found her inspiration, and turned it into her own idea that she asked me to make a reality, filling in the blanks with fabric and thread and whatever else might need to be used. Ammo, by the way, is part of an amazing family of performers, being a brother to several trick ponies that also make art! So naturally he would follow in their hoofsteps and naturally he would need a performance outfit.

Figuring out a few of the superdud details took some noodling, but both tiny chumley and I had fun throughout the entire process. So much so that one of us had a few regrets about parting ways with our final creation.

If you're in the area, check out Ammo's performance this weekend at the Keystone Dachshund Races!

the secret life of Bark Gent

hee - tomorrow, more behind Ammo's no longer toptay ecretsay duds! :)



and PS - boy have youtube videos improved in quality! I updated some prior videos with their much clearer, and larger cousins. just looky under the category videos or do a search if ya got the time and the hankerin.

dapper doxie duds: biker girl daisy

Meet daring Daisy,a long haired lovely who likes to let loose on her mom and dad's motorcycle. Yep, that's right, motorcycle! Daisy's mom was interested in getting a dapper doxie dud for her little girl and wanted to know how a dud might do for their easy riding. My answer? Let's find out!



So here it is, a working prototype going out in the mail today. And yeah, even though it is a prototype I couldn't just let it go all plain and boring, cuz you never know, first time could be a charm with our little long haired friend. No leather and fringe for this sweet girl, instead a fine wale corduroy dyed in deep pinks and reds with a touch of yellow, trimmed in tiny polka dots, black lace and cheery rose festooned ribbon to coordinate with her black helmet, carrying case, and cool pink gogles. Biker boys beware, this girl may ride bikes but she is all lady!

Vrooom vroom! I can't wait to hear how Daisy's duds work out for her!

still life

Just life, imitating art, according to my little boyfriend.








Okay, Bax Bax Binks really cracks me up so here it is in larger glory! Happy Friday!

of gardens, butterflies, and june pugs

Hey everybody, it's me, Baxter, your roving rover reporter, reporting to you today about June. What's that? Oh that's not me, silly, that's June. June pug. You know, the kind of dog that would drive me bonkers cuz of the way they sound when they breathe, all noisy n stuff? Luckily, June wasn't visiting me, she was visiting Molly, and even though Molly was pretty put out with having to share her mom's lap with June and her brother all weekend long, Molly still let June borrow one of her duds so they could be butterflies in her garden. My mom says they're both so cute it cracks her up.









I say, better them than me. Hey, speakin about time in the garden, this is me, not taking time to admire the hydrangeas that are blooming in my backyard. A roving rover reporter's got places to go, you know. Like, for chasin down stories on bunnies and squirrels n such. Which reminds me, I'm late for my daily backyard patrol!



This is Baxter your roving rover reporter wishing you a wonderful Thursday in the garden. Bye June Pug n Molly!

dapper doxie duds: the cuban godfather

Okay, maybe it's just my mind seeing what it wants to see. It's been known to happen, especially when it comes to maroon fabric that I want to call plum. But here's the deal. I saw this fabric and immediately thought it was summery yet manly enough that a boy like Ike could get away with it. Especially if you're me and all you can think about when you see it is how it would make for a great cabana shirt that Fredo Corleone would wear in Miami or Cuba, back in the 50s when casual still meant well dressed, with nice tropical weight woolen slacks that would hang just so and a gold watch for a bit of elegant bling. So of course Ike's summer cuban godfather dud had to hark back to that fashionable time, when even the clothing labels were a work of art.

And what does a guy like Ike Corleone do in his free time? Why, hang out by the bunny tracks, of course. Here's hoping Ike doesn't spend all his kibble at the tracks, cuz I'm sure it would break his brother Otto's heart.





Badda bing, baby!

dapper doxie duds: ike's pendleton plaid winter woolen wonderland

Today, a tiny peek at Ike's winter duds, made from a Pendleton wool jacket, olivey brown tropical weight wool binding, a vintage silk necktie, and lined in super cozy blue flannel chamois. Made extra dudly with an artifact from this past Sunday's science experiment, an etched and stamped copper oval tag complete with Ike's name on it. Stately duds for a stately boy.

Tiny chumley was totally in the groove for this photo spread, game for posing every which way til the noise of a sliding window caught his attention, and I caught him, peering over with his bright, shiny eyes and big wet nose.





Tomorrow, a peek at Ike's summer duds. Cabana cruisewear, vintage godfather inspired.

dapper doxie dud: annabelle's lady in red

dearest annabelle,
totally luv the dragon,
hope u love your dud!

- baxter, 3.4 years old, taking a break
from squirrel hunting to model annabelle's new dapper doxie duds.

Meet lovely Annabelle, a self described sweet tomboy of black and tan smooth doxie whose mom noticed that Annabelle's regular harness had rubbed a raw spot under one of her armpits (Annabelle, not her mom!). Ever the sweet girl, Annabelle didn't complain at all about the owie, but Annabelle's mom decided it was high time to treat her girl to a dapper doxie dud, one of the girly but not too frou frou kinds that would turn heads but not undermine Annabelle's tomboy status with her toyfriends. Somethin like Molly's patchwork dud, which Annabelle's mom really liked, but in reds with an ever so slight touch of blue. The result? This fun mix of velvets and cottons, and even a splash of hand dyed fabric, all bound in a cheery cherry red denim and lined in soft t-shirt cotton, embellished with an oblong baroque freshwater pearl. A little lady in red.

What's that? What happened to the Annabelle tag? Coco Chanel said it best, "Look in the mirror and take one thing off". Annabelle's dud was a little too frou frou with it, and so I left it off, drilling a hole hopefully large enough so that Annabelle can wear it on her collar, or perhaps her winter coat. Because I say, "No coat is complete without a tiny bit of bling."

b is for ballboy

dear diary,
today i am practicing my game face cuz duk duk thinks it will help us win our pawball match against mr dragon and bunnito bunnalini. personally, i'm not so sure my game face will help win the game, but i think my sporty new summer duds that mom made me will go a long way in winning points with da ladies, if ya know what i mean.

well, okay, i don't really know what that means either, cuz i only heard that expression on tv the other day. but i am hoping it means if i win enough points from the ladies, i can trade them in for some rawhide. u know, kinda like green stamps and credit card miles.

well, gotta run to practice! hope u r having a wonderful saturday!!

toodles!
b

please go home

dear baxter,
hey it's your pal, sammy the cat. u know, honeybear n kerny's brother? i know i was part of the posse givin u the stink eye and all the last time you visited us, but we're buds still, right? cuz i really need your help getting your mom outta my home before she drives me absolutely nuts. i mean, looky here at what she did to me. sure i wore it and all and it was comfortable but i'm a cat, not a dragonfly. what are the birds and squirrels gonna think? i'm not gonna be able to catch anythin in this get up!

well, anyways, if there is anythin u can do, i would appreciate it. say hi to your dad for me and save me some cheese, will ya?

your friend,
sammy

dapper doxie duds: strawberry fields

dear diary,
i am really bummed because i just found out i am not allowed to go to the strawberry patch to pick strawberries. can u believe it? just because i am a dog. and i even dressed up for it! oh well, i guess mom can send these duds to molly after all. i hope she likes them!

toodles,
b.

dapper doxie duds: lepidoxulata lavandula

Whee! Another dud brought to life by the little kielbasa, who not only had to wear this dud for Molly not once but twice, when I decided a little subtle sequiny shimmer would do a world of good for Molly's lavender wings. What? Wings for Molly? Shimmery Wings? What will her big siblings think? Molly's got a reputation to maintain. Fearless molly, queen alpha doxie.

But fear not, whenever Molly wants to conceal her inner butterfly, all she has to do is unsnap her wings and snap on her new vintage carved mother of pearl secret decoder button. Nobody will ever know she's actually a member of the lepidoxierology club. Unless she wants them to know. ;)



Tiny chumley, however, has already been outed thanks to the modelling work he did last week with Annie's wings. Baxter has a long way to go to recover his reputation with the squirrels, but he is hopeful that Duk Duk's new PR plan might do the trick. It's all about attitude, right?

i am butterfly,
superhero and hunter.
run, you squirrels, run!


- baxter, 3.34 years old, hoping his new re-imaging campaign will get back his street cred with the squirrels.

dapper doxie duds: i like ike

Okay, I admit it. I was a little intimidated by the thought of making a dud for Ike. Don't get me wrong, it was nobody's fault but my own. You see, Ike is famous. Joey n Maggie superlative famous. World's longest dachshund, AND he's a city boy, AND he's never worn a dud style harness before AND he needs a little sumptin to take him through spring and summer? All the wrinkles in my brain smoothed to a glassy surface. Ike was a sizing and fabric challenge for which I had nuttin, and there was little inspiration to be found in my piles of wintery woolens and girly prints and perky hand dyes.

While the back of my mind whirred furiously thinking of fabric options, I sent a gajillion prototypes to his patient mom, unsure how Ike's body might be different. Some prototype bodies were wider, some longer, some narrower. Surely Ike's extended length required an alteration to the basic dud shape, I figured. Only to find out with a bit of a blush that Ike was pretty much Baxter sized, only rounder. Okay, I realized, I totally need to chill and just see what happens.

So with a lightened brain and score of some lightweight indigo wash denim, I came up with this. A study in balanced asymmetry and texture, incorporating a bit of silk necktie and fab old watch face that help lend this dud a vintage city boy feel, all lined in cotton interlock to keep things cool on those hot summer days. Ooo, I'm thinkin with a bit o naughty, maybe Ike won't like it so I can size it down for chumley. Ooo but I do like Ike. Guess I'll be a good girl after all and see what his mom thinks.



Tiny chumley, by the way, had a fine time modelling Ike's dud in warm afternoon sun, til a squirrel fight proved too much for his patience to contain. It only took seconds to take off Ike's dud before I let the kielbasa loose to frolic in the fracas, but time that seemingly took forever for this little hunting dog . Hey, which way did they go???