Checking in with old friends who get better with time

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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.

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Win a Kolcraft Infant-Toddler Crib Mattress with Crypton Technology

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!

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Crypton Loves William Wegman, our Funny Valentine

Crypton Loves William Wegman, our Funny Valentine

With Valentine’s Day around the corner, it’s high time we “paws” to appreciate Crypton’s very own rock star: William Wegman.
 
This talented, prolific polymath – photographer, author, filmmaker, and designer of Super Fabrics – delights the world with witty depictions of dogs. His artworks reside in the collections of such prestigious institutions as the Whitney Museum of American Art.
 
Here at Crypton, we’re so lucky to have Wegman creating fabric designs that are every bit as uniquely captivating as his art.

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Wegman’s Crypton creations are art you can really live with, taking the form of pillows, aprons, or dog beds. 
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They’re functional accents that turn any home into an art gallery; they’re also Funny Valentines. And when they get dirty, you can just toss them in the washing machine, and they’ll come out good as new. That’s not something you can say about a framed artwork!

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With their glossy blue-gray coats, Wegman’s sleek, elegant Weimaraners make gorgeous models and muses; they are truly fashion hounds. Little wonder so many fashionable companies have commissioned Crypton’s favorite artist to create iconic imagery. One of my all-time favorites is his portrait of a dog wearing a fabulous “Pleats Please” garment by the legendary Japanese fashion designer Issey Miyake.
 
But chic as they are, Wegman’s dogs, and the numerous artworks they inspire, are about so much more than style. They’re serious fun. By dressing dogs up in human clothing and posing them to look like people - sometimes with, say, a hand in the mix, holding a pair of binoculars for the dog to peer through - Wegman blurs the line between person and canine. More than willing to suspend  our disbelief, we can’t tell where the person ends and the dog begins, and we don’t want to. We’d rather see it Wegman’s way: there’s really no barrier between the two species, as anyone who’s ever loved a dog knows for sure.

That’s a powerful, immediately accessible way to convey the magical bond between people and pets. I’ve dedicated my career to describing and celebrating that bond in my writing, but too often language has a way of coming up short. Wegman’s insightful imagery does the job much more eloquently than mere words ever could.

Posted by Julia Szabo.

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