Doing stretches with a pair of yoga hounds

My dog Cupcake (and no, I did not name her) is a yoga natural. Her favorite thing to do is jump gently onto any stranger she takes a liking to, and have herself a good stretch. I call this vertical posture her “upward dog” maneuver. Happily, the passers-by she’s used as human yoga mats didn’t complain.

Most yoga hounds prefer to use the ground as their launch pad to enlightenment. At Manhattan’s East Yoga, owner-founder Kari Harendorf can often be seen with Charlie, her beloved mixed-breed dog and frequent partner in constructive rest. June 25th is TakeYour Dog to Work Day, but lucky Charlie Harendorf gets to go to work year-round.

The great thing about having a canine yoga partner is being able to seize the stretch moment wherever you happen to be. All you need is something approximating a yoga mat to take some of the firm out of terra firma – like a versatile microsuede throw.

Incidentally, Charlie and Cupcake both keep their physiques trim and yoga-ready by eating holistic kibble, as any good yoga hound should.

Posted by Julia Szabo.

Life on Crypton wins prestigious PRSA Big Apple Award!

On an evening when most people’s thoughts were already on the long Memorial Day weekend ahead, the country’s most respected and hard-working public relations specialists gathered at New York City’s Hudson Theatre to toast the best of their field for the Public Relations Society of America’s annual Big Apple Awards.

I’m delighted to report that the blog you’re reading was entered under the title “Building a Consumer Voice: Development of Life on Crypton Blog: Carmichael Lynch Spong for Crypton Fabrics.” Oscar nominees aren’t kidding when they say “It’s an honor to be nominated” – it really is. So imagine how thrilled we were to win!

We don’t intend to rest on our laurels – we want to make Life on Crypton better with each posting, and eagerly look forward to your comments. Our sincere thanks to PRSA for a terrific, memorable evening, and to the entire CLS team for its marketing genius.

Appearing in the photo are, L to R: Sarah McQuilkin of CLS; Crypton’s own Randy Rubin, holding the Big Apple Award statuette; Julia Szabo; and Sarah McNeil of CLS.

Posted by Julia Szabo.

Hanging out with a famous dog expert and her muse

What, exactly, is an expert? An expert can hold impressive advanced degrees from prestigious institutions of higher learning – or s/he can be someone just like you and me, with a wealth of knowledge gained from everyday experience. At the end of the day, experts are ordinary people with a passion. What motivates them to educate themselves on a particular topic? Something dear to them.

Moms, for instance, are experts on child care, because they love their kids and want only the best for them. By caring for children every day, Moms become very, very knowledgeable – and if they’re generous, they’ll gladly pass along what they’ve learned to their public, i.e. the people they cross paths with every day. Of course, some everyday experts have a wider public than most.

Case in point: Beth Ostrosky Stern, wife of radio top dog Howard Stern. “Animals are my life,” says Beth, who has been rescuing, adopting, and sharing her life with critters since childhood. Those years of experience have made her an expert on the subject of dogs. Now, she’s sharing what she knows in her first book, “Oh My Dog: How to Choose, Train, Groom, Nurture, Feed, and Care for Your New Best Friend,” which the couple’s millions of fans have helped make an instant best-seller.

Beth spends a lot of energy and time making the life of Bianca, her beloved Bulldog, the happiest and longest it can possibly be. Mindful that not all dogs are as fortunate as Bianca, Beth also tirelessly advocates on behalf of the adoptable mutts at North Shore Animal League America, where she serves as celebrity spokesperson. Beth ran the 2009 NYC Marathon to raise funds for North Shore, and is generously donating a portion of her book’s proceeds to the shelter. 

Every author needs a muse, and beauteous Bianca is happy to fulfill that role. The job description is simple: Lie down on the job, often! To keep her muse comfortable, indoors as well as out, Beth provides the blessed Bulldog with many plush dog beds for her napping enjoyment. Oh My Dog!

Posted by Julia Szabo.

Crypton Giveaway and Excitement Online

Register to win a “Backyard Makeover” at HouseSmartsTV.com, with a list of great prizes including a set of Woodard Furniture with Crypton Super Fabric! Details on the prize package and a registration form (open until June 30th) can be found on HouseSmarts.

In addition to the HouseSmarts giveaway, Crypton just keeps popping up –not only on couches, pillows, walls and floors, but all over the web as well. Check out a few of the links below!

NewYork Times: Slobproof Sofas and Chairs – The Slobproof line of furniture, designed by Crypton and author/designer Debbie Wiener, was featured in the Currents column of the Style section. Read all about it!

Dog Blog Pet Bed Review – Crypton’s Molly B. Luxury Pet Bed received a “Winner” recommendation from DogBlog blogger Julie and her dog Maggie. There’s even a video review of Maggie enjoying her new bed.

Crypton on Facebook – From time to time, we have shared photos, video and other upcoming news on the Facebook page – stay tuned for more updates!

Checking in with old friends who get better with time

One of our very best friends, Molly B. Rubin, often reminds us how important it is to check in with old friends on a regular basis, and Twitter has proven to be a great way to keep in  touch. We’re very proud of our longstanding friendship with The Bark, still the premier magazine for dogs and the people who love them. Together, the two-person powerhouse team of Claudia Kawczynska and Cameron Woo created the gold standard of dog magazines at their Berkeley home base – not to mention a bevy of best-selling books, including their latest title, “Dog Joy.”

When it got its start, The Bark was the first publication of its kind: a rare new “breed” of maverick magazine celebrating deceptively “ordinary” mutts (like Ms. Molly B.!) and the truly extraordinary people who adore them. And The Bark still maintains its lead, despite lots of healthy competition in a market now filled with dog-themed glossies. Plus, The Bark’s online presence, notably its blog, fills the space between its bi-monthly issues so dog lovers don’t miss a single beat, and it delivers strong content with great style – which is something Crypton certainly appreciates! Follow them on Twitter @The_Bark.

From California, we cross the country to Maine, where FetchDog has been a Crypton supporter since its successful launch in 2007. We’re so proud to be staples in the FetchDog catalog – our Screen Saver dog bed is on their page of Best Sellers! And we’re over the moon that our pet beds have a place in the home of glamorous Glenn Close, whose husband Dave Shaw founded the site together with his son Ben. We never miss “Lively Licks,” Glenn’s fabulous Fetchdog blog – check it out, and follow the company on Twitter @ FetchDog.

Fetchdog recently partnered with UrbanHound, the terrific site for city pets and their people. Become part of the UrbanHound community for great, opinionated advice on services and products for dogs in New York, Chicago, and San Francisco. 

Posted by Julia Szabo.

Great Design Links From Randy:

Each week, Randy Rubin, co-owner of Crypton, features 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.

This week’s featured link: Yolksy

Yolksy: “fresh ideas hatched daily,” interior designer Annie May blogs about creative inspiration for designers and decorators. In addition to featuring photos of
well-designed spaces, she adds a twist with her “Beat Boxed” entries: developing an interior décor feel around the sounds of a specific song, artist or band.

When Mercury retrograde makes things go haywire, Crypton keeps you protected:

Just the other day, I got in a cab and there next to me on the seat was someone else’s iPhone. Upon exiting at my destination, I took the phone with me and waited for something to  happen, so I could help reunite the instrument with its rightful owner. Happily, the phone owner’s brother called within minutes. We met on a street corner, I handed him the phone, and all was well.

Inadvertently leaving things behind is a frequent occurrence whenever the planet Mercury goes retrograde, as it’s doing now until May 11th. We all can expect to experience losing and misplacing key items… irritating delays in travel … communications glitches… and computer malfunctions. Yikes!

Under such difficult planetary circumstances, annoying little accidents tend to happen when we least expect them to, delaying matters even further. Crypton’s favorite astrologer, Susan Miller, creator of Astrologyzone, recommends making life easier by labeling your cellular phone and laptop. It’s easy, she says: Simply tape your business card to the back! This way, in the event you are ever separated from these crucial devices, you have a better chance of seeing them again, without having to go through the hassle of replacing them
(argh). 

Might we add that, when everything else is going haywire, liquids tend to spill unexpectedly too. Forewarned is forearmed, so protect the interior of your favorite handbag and/or luggage with a Crypton makeup bag.  If the contents spill or leak, they’ll be safely contained – and the spillage won’t slow you down.

Posted by Julia Szabo.

Crypton tote really holds water – Italian mineral water, that is

There are so many reasons to carry a Crypton tote everywhere – like, you never know when you’ll stumble upon a  farmer’s market with amazing spring-fresh produce and need something stylish to carry it in. But a new reason arose just the other day as I was having a breakfast meeting at Madison Avenue’s swanky Sant’Ambroeus.

I was conducting an interview with the brilliant Dr.Bob Harman, founder of Vet-Stem, the leader in stem-cell regeneration therapy for animals with arthritis. At one point in the conversation, I gesticulated a little too close to my glass of water (which was, of course, nothing less than the Italian mineral water Acqua Panna, from Tuscany).

Happily, my Crypton tote was sitting on the seat next to me, and neatly swallowed up the spill. I didn’t quite realize how much liquid one little water glass could contain until we stood up to leave. As I was preparing to put away my reporter’s notebook, I noticed the bag was heavier than before; that’s because it was literally holding water! So, not only were my clothes spared, but the restaurant’s upholstery and carpeting were too.

Once out on the street, I removed my drenched keys (thankfully, the cellular phone was on the table next to me the whole time), poured out the water, and turned the bag inside-out to dry – which it did in a matter of minutes. That’s Crypton proving its impressive moisture resistance yet again.

Posted by Julia Szabo.

Great Design Links From Randy

Each week, Randy Rubin, co-owner of Crypton, features 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.

This week’s featured link: Blue Ant Studio Blue Ant Studio:

A photography-centric blog from designer Joel Pirela that shares a wide variety of well-designed spaces and décor products. His “Flickr finder” series is particularly interesting; a regular post of found photos from Flickr that feature intriguing interior spaces.

World-renowned astrologer Susan Miller reads Crypton’s style profile

Don’t you just love astrology? We certainly do. There are so many different sources of zodiac information on the Web, each with its own particular blend of the practical and the poetic. But only one can be the best, as the saying goes, and we believe that the go-to astrologer is Susan Miller, the brilliant author and creator of Astrologyzone who is also Elle’s resident planet-reading power.

Susan is uncannily, astonishingly accurate in her forecasts, and her invaluable insights can help enormously when you’re planning important professional or personal initiations (especially when Mercury goes retrograde, as it’s getting ready to do now). But another one of Susan’s great strengths is her tremendous sense of style. Susan knows fashion and beauty, and she passed that gift on to her talented daughter Chrissie, the clothing designer whose hip label Sophomore is getting lots of buzz, and deservedly so. 

Style runs deep in the Miller family, and in Crypton’s family too. As it happens, Crypton was incorporated on January 21st, which falls under the sign of Aquarius. Did you know that everything on Earth has a zodiac sign – not just people, but cities, buildings, and works of art? It’s fun and informative to use astrology to learn more about a person, place, or thing, so when Susan shared this style profile of Aquarius, we sat up and took notice:

Individual, innovative, inventive, and interested in objective investigation into the unknown, Aquarians are hot-wired into the field of new technology and research… Even the fabrics that Aquarius rules are always the ones that are new – Lycra and Spandex, plastics, space-age materials we put on astronauts, or any and all materials that are yet to be discovered.

How appropriate that the Super Fabric, engineered to resist stains, moisture, odors, and bacteria, turns out to be… Aquarian! It’s written in the stars: the product of high technology and careful scientific research, Crypton is futuristic fabric that’s designed to perform.

Have to go now and … check out my horoscope!

Posted by Julia Szabo.