A new reason to appreciate Crypton dog beds 

My dog Tiki, a charming Chow-Rottweiler cross that I adopted from an animal shelter 11 years ago – and the handsome K9 cover model of my book, “Pretty Pet-Friendly” – was recently diagnosed with oral cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of this deadly disease.

This nightmare started when the right side of Tiki’s snout appeared slightly swollen; within a few days, my dog’s snout was seriously distended, as if he had a cherry tomato wedged in there. A visit to the vet confirmed that there was an abnormal, scary-looking growth high up on his gum. But a needle-aspirate biopsy returned from the lab “inconclusive.” Still, the tumor’s frightening speed of growth indicated that it was most likely cancerous. Not wanting to waste a precious minute of Tiki’s time, I decided to fight this thing with the alternative cancer treatment Neoplasene.

Formulated from alkaloids in the bloodroot plant, Neoplasene is the brilliant invention of Dr. Terence Fox of Buck Mountain Botanicals in Montana. It’s an alternative form of  chemotherapy that’s highly effective, and much less expensive than surgery, radiation, or traditional chemo. Unlike traditional chemo, which attacks all of the body’s cells (healthy as well as unhealthy), Neoplasene targets only the cancerous cells and leaves healthy tissue unharmed. It’s a beautiful thing, and more dog lovers need to know about it, because it really works. (To locate an animal hospital near you that uses Neoplasene, contact Buck Mountain Botanicals.) 

Today I have wonderful news to report: After three injections under anesthesia, administered at the Humane Socity of New York’s excellent clinic, Tiki’s face began showing dramatic signs that his body was evicting the cancer. Now, there’s an inch-wide crater of clean, healthy tissue on his snout where the cancer used to be; and it’s healing up beautifully. To prevent a recurrence, Tiki will be taking twice-daily doses of oral Neoplasene with his food for the rest of his life. 

So, where does Crypton fit in to this story? Simple: When the healing crisis happened, Tiki’s snout basically began spurting blood all over the place. This was the desired result, and cause for celebration, but it would have been quite a complicated cleanup job if not for our trusty Crypton dog beds and Throvers! What’s more, I’ve had to apply a thick, dark-yellow “Wound Balm” (also made by Buck Mountain Botanicals) to Tiki’s snout several times daily – and inevitably, the balm winds up rubbing off. But a quick wipe-up, followed by a spin in the
washing machine, and everything comes out looking like new. 

That means I can be completely ecstatic about Tiki’s success with this alternative cancer treatment, without worrying about how to get rid of the mess. Thank you, Crypton!

Special thanks to Lev Gorn for his beautiful portrait of Tiki.

Posted by Julia Szabo.

Great Design Links From Randy

Each week, Randy Rubin, co-owner of Crypton, features several articles or blogs that resonate with Crypton’s core goals: providing clean, beautiful design for everyday living.

Everyday living means life with kids, pets, and anything else that finds a way into your home. Below are just a few thoughts and ideas we are inspired by this month.

Trendir: A go-to source for the latest in high-end design trends, Trendir features a wide range of the luxury styles in home décor as chosen by interior designer Lillian Pikus. We were especially taken by the recent post on carved wooden wall paneling

Coochicoos: If you’ve ever felt as though children and modern design cannot co-exist in a home, Coochicoo should be the next blog on your list. A whirlwind of ideas, DIY projects, and products designed for parents and children alike, Robert Yang’s blog proves that “design” and “parent” belong in the same sentence.

Randy’s Picks: Great Design Links

Each week, Randy Rubin, co-owner of Crypton, features several articles or blogs that resonate with Crypton’s core goals: providing clean, beautiful design for everyday living. Everyday living means life with kids, pets, and anything else that finds a way into your home. Below are just a few thoughts and ideas we are inspired by this month.

Design Mom: Gabrielle Blair writes about the space where “design and motherhood intersect.” As a mother of five, she certainly knows the design challenges facing a home with children.
In addition to posts on décor (check out her thoughts on textures, she also explores fashion, photography and crafts.

Swag the Dog : With the tagline, “Cool stuff for Lucky Dogs,” this blog features all the best items to pamper your stylish pup. Our own Molly B. is quite pampered herself, and we always appreciate  designers who knowhow to spoil their pups.

Giveaway on Phetched!

Interested in our fun William Wegman Doodle Dog pet beds? Our friends at phetched and  DesignerDoggy are hosting a pet bed giveaway this week. And we can’t help but notice they’ve chosen a lovely green for St. Patrick’s Day!

Visit phetched.com for all the entry details. You have until Friday night to enter.

Of course, if you aren’t the winner, you can view all the available colors and order a pet bed of your own on our Web site. Check out our wide variety of petbeds !

Each week, Randy Rubin, co-owner of Crypton, features several articles or blogs that resonate with Crypton’s core goals: providing clean, beautiful design for everyday living.

Everyday living means life with kids, pets, and anything else that finds a way into your home. Below are just a few thoughts and ideas we are inspired by this month.

Material Girls: Like some of our featured reads last month, this blog is packed with photos to inspire contemporary design. Check out the post showcasing the many iterations of BarcelonaChairs (and Crypton’s version , while you’re at it)

How do I select beautiful furniture that will work with my pets?: The Denver Post Homegirls blog met with Tennille Wood to hand out tips on decorating with pets – including special tips for any “chewers or scratchers.” Wood, an interior designer, also blogs about luxury style at Beautiful Habitat.

Decorating in a Downturn – Part 3

This is the final piece of a three-part series on decorating on a budget from guest blogger Debbie Wiener. Debbie is a DC-based interior designer and author of the top-selling book, “Slob Proof! Real life Design Solutions.” She has also recently partnered with Crypton to develop the Slobproof! Collection – a colorful line of Crypton-covered furniture designed with busy households in mind. You can find more information about Debbie, and links to purchase Slobproof! furniture pieces at www.slobproof.com

Wite it out! Keep the correction fluid “Wite Out” on hand for quick corrections to white cabinetry, doors, wood trim and even white tile grout! It quickly covers flaws, dings and damage until you have the time to re-paint. Got scratches on painted furniture and walls? Sharpie permanent ink markers come in dozens of colors and can be used to camouflage marks on furniture legs, walls, picture frames…just about anything in color.

Using Wite Out to hide a small nick

Do the Flip! Rotate sofa cushions to hide wear and tear and to extend the life of your seating. Got a spot on that seat cushion? Turn it over and keep the clean side up when company comes. Rotate your area rug to extend its life span and even out the wear and tear. You may even be able to hide spots and stains under furniture with this simple move.

Debbie Wiener is an interior designer in Silver Spring, MD and head matriarch of a house full of slobs. She’s also the author of the top selling book, “Slob Proof! Real life Design Solutions” from Penguin Press. You can send Debbie your designing dilemmas by visiting her website www.mydesigningsolutions.com

Decorating in a Downturn – Part 2

In the next week, we have a three-part series on decorating on a budget from guest blogger Debbie Wiener. Debbie is a DC-based interior designer and author of the top-selling book, “Slob Proof! Real life Design Solutions.” She has also recently partnered with Crypton to develop the Slobproof! Collection – a colorful line of Crypton-covered furniture designed with busy households in mind.

You can find more information about Debbie, and links to purchase Slobproof! furniture at www.slobproof.com

1. Follow the three R’s! Re-mat, re-frame and re-arrange your art and photos to update wall and table-top displays. Replace white and off-white matting with something fresh and colorful- grass green, pumpkin orange or periwinkle blue. Try a few new frames to give new life to your photos. Check out the assortment at www.exposures.com 

This room has a gallery look from a day of re-matting, reframing and re-arranging at a do-it-yourself frame shop. 

2.  Toss It! If you can’t afford to change the sofa and chairs, change your toss pillows! Soft, down-filled pillows in unexpected patterns and colors will make the seating look new and feel luxurious. My favorite sources include www.blissstudio.com and www.companyc.com.

It’s the pillows that make this window nook an inviting place to sit.

3. Light it Up! Nothing makes modest rooms look impressive like good lighting. Start by lighting up room perimeters to make small spaces look large and dramatic. Inexpensive canister uplighting, purchased in home stores, fits inside floor plants and behind furniture to add Hollywood style accent lighting along room walls.

Battery-operated flameless votive candles use LED bulbs for realistic and long-lasting candle light that’s perfect in groupings. Add them down the middle of a long dining table, along a fireplace mantel or on shelving for soft, zen-like room lighting. Upgrade the standard bulbs in your recessed lights and lamps to halogen to ensure you’re getting the brightest, whitest light possible from your existing fixtures.

Debbie Wiener is an interior designer in Silver Spring, MD and head matriarch of a house full of slobs. She’s also the author of the top selling book, “Slob Proof! Real life Design solutions” from Penguin Press. You can send Debbie your designing dilemmas by visiting her website www.mydesigningsolutions.com

Stay tuned next week for more of Debbie’s design tips on a budget….

Decorating in a Downturn – Part 1

In the next week, we have a three-part series on decorating on a budget from guest blogger Debbie Wiener. Debbie is a DC-based interior designer and author of the top-selling book, “Slob Proof! Real Life Design Solutions.” She has also recently partnered with Crypton to develop the Slobproof! Collection – a colorful line of Crypton-covered furniture designed with busy households in mind.

You can find more information about Debbie, and links to purchase Slobproof! furniture at www.slobproof.com

Yes, the economy sucks! But even a small decorating budget can yield big results, making your home look brighter, and more spacious and stylish.

1. Paint It! Use paint to make even empty, unfurnished rooms feel warmer, and older room designs seem fresher. Yes, you can! In one weekend, paint your ceilings in a pale sky blue, add color around your white fireplace, stripe your crown moldings with color pulled from the furniture and accent one wall in a white room with your favorite color. Freshen up areas that are showing the signs of wear and tear with a new coat of paint.

A room transformed: a colorful accent wall in a white room

A scrubbable finish, like Benjamin Moore’s Aura, provides one-coat coverage with very low odor. It’s a perfect choice for winter re-decorating when it’s too cold to open the windows. Need color inspiration? Check out the crown moldings, fireplaces and accent walls featured in my book, “SlobProof! Real Life Design Solutions” from Penguin.

2. Curtain Calls! Give new life to older curtains that you can’t yet replace. Buy colorful tie backs and decorative trim at your local fabric store. You can add tapes, scalloped edges and tassel trims to the inside or “lead” edges to make plain curtains look new again and “pop” with color and style. My favorite on-line trim source? www.mjtrim.com. Got too much on our window? Take down the curtains, leaving shears or simple blinds to allow more light and spaciousness into your room.

Debbie Wiener is an interior designer in Silver Spring, MD and head matriarch of a house full of slobs. She’s also the author of the top selling book, “Slob Proof! Real life Design  solutions” from Penguin Press. You can send Debbie your designing dilemmas by visiting her website www.mydesigningsolutions.com

Stay tuned this week for more of Debbie’s design tips on a budget….

Each week, Randy Rubin, co-owner of Crypton, features several articles or blogs that resonate with Crypton’s core goals: providing clean, beautiful design for everyday living.

Everyday living means life with kids, pets, and anything else that finds a way into your home. Below are just a few thoughts and ideas we are inspired by this month.

Making it Lovely : Nicole Bauch is the author of this décor blog and chronicles her journey to transform her “so-so house into a lovely home.” She does so with fun photos and a keen eye for style. Check out her post on installing a petdoor,where she shares a few musings on adapting the ideals of home design for the needs of everyday life.

Lonny Magazine: Packed to the brim with style and interior design, editor Michelle Adams and her team have created a truly innovative concept – an online magazine that feels like a printed one. Adams herself also blogs at M.A. Belle,where the topic of conversation often includes one of our favorite things – eco-friendly interior design.

Contest: Win a Kolcraft Infant-Toddler Crib Mattress with Crypton Technology

This week, Redbook is hosting a “Sleep Clean ‘n Green” contest on their homepage. Visit the Kolcraft-Crypton giveway for a chance to take home an Infant-Toddler Crib Mattress, made by Kolcraft with Crypton Green Technology, as well as a Crypton Travel Clean kit – including Crypton’s Disinfectant & Deodorizer, the first-ever disinfectant and deodorizer product to be approved by the EPA for fabric.

Kolcrafts’ new Contours Infant-Toddler Mattress features a bamboo cover treated with Crypton Green Technology, making it earth-friendly and resistant to bacteria, odors, liquids and stains. It’s perfect for moms who want to do everything possible to ensure that their children are surrounded by clean, pure environments. Be sure to share the link with other moms in the know – there will be FIVE lucky winners on Redbook.com this week. Simply fill in your e-mail address, and you’ll be entered for a chance to win!