Do you have a clan of messy eaters in your house? Are dinner time spills taking over your table?  We’ve got an opportunity for you! Recently, Crypton developed a fun line of colorful and reversible mess-free suede placemats.  Not only are they stylish, the Crypton technology behind the fabric means they are completely stain- and water-resistant, too. Although you can’t buy these placemats in stores yet, we thought it would be fun to offer our readers an exclusive opportunity to test them out. We’ll even give you the full set of four placemats – all you have to do is share your story with us.  

 That’s all it takes to receive three additional placemats: a full set!  This opportunity won’t be available for long and space is limited, so sign up soon! All signed up? Once you’ve recieved your placemat, fill out a feedback form to recieve the other three.

We look forward to hearing your messy stories!

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.

Randy’s Reads
Each month, Life on Crypton will begin showcasing a few blogs and articles from the previous month chosen by Crypton’s co-founder, Randy Rubin. “Randy’s Reads” will feature just a few of the ideas and inspiration running through Crypton these days. Enjoy!

style carrot Penned by freelance style writer Marni Elyse Katz, Stylecarrot.com provides design inspiration through large montages of photos – depicting interior spaces, art and objects. Check out her recent piece on the many uses of sheepskin rugs.

Eco-Stylista: Crypton prides itself in creating green and long lasting, sustainable products – we have extra appreciation for like-minded people. This simple blog showcases items
for ‘eco-conscious living’ with an emphasis on décor. Recently featured items? Wool throws, a “luxe laid-back dining room” and an organic bike.

“Pets on Furniture”  This article from AtticMag picks up right where Julia Szabo left off in her AP column featured on our blog a few weeks ago. Alongside beautiful pet photography, the writer explores what it means to design a home with your pet in mind.

Sweet Paul Magazine : SweetPaul is a gorgeous lifestyle blog covering food, home décor and DIY crafts, and is run by Paul Lowe. He is expanding his online presence with the up-and-coming online magazine dedicated to the “theme of simple, elegant, stylishly easy”. The first issue comes out this spring – keep an eye out for it.

Admit it: You sleep with your dog because he or she is very good in bed. You’re not alone: According to the American Pet Products Manufacturing Association, www.appma.org . no less than 42 percent of dogs now sleep in the same bed as their owners, up from 34 percent in 1998. Why is that? Simple: human relationships are fraught with complications, but dogs are easy – and their snoring amounts to soothing, restful, white noise. Try saying the same about the disturbing racket made by a sleeping human!

As with human relationships, sharing one’s bed brings up the subject of protection. Except in the case of dogs, we’re looking to protect our mattress investment – especially if we’ve splurged on a spine-friendly luxury model. www.tempur-pedic.com But here’s something you might not know (I sure didn’t): no matter how deluxe your mattress, it’s one of the biggest sources of germs and allergens in your home. So even if you don’t have pets, you could be sleeping with critters and not even know it. After ten years of use, a mattress can actually double in weight because of the dust mites, skin cells, allergens, and other unwanted debris that collect inside of it night after night. (Of course, if you do have pets, you can add pet dander to that nightmarish mix.) So the first consideration when making the perfect, pet-friendly bed—even before you unfurl your favorite high-thread-count sheets – is covering it with the very best barrier known to man or beast. That accurately describes the Crypton Mattress Protector, www.cryptonnight.com which offers a breathable moisture barrier for the top and four sides of your mattress that’s easy to clean and disinfect (in fact, it’s the only disinfectable fabric approved by the EPA). www.epa.gov I’d say that’s the stuff of sweet dreams.