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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Crypton dog beds get a shout-out on Martha Stewart Radio’s “Morning Living”

I love my job – it lets me meet amazing animals and their equally awesome people. Two of my absolute favorite animal lovers are Kim Fernandez and Betsy Karetnick, the dynamic duo that co-hosts “Morning Living” on Sirius XM’s MarthaStewart Radio. Both are proud owners of multiple dogs that they adopted from animal shelters, which means they’re my kind of gals. Love them!

I’ve been very lucky to be invited on this show many times. It’s serious fun donning head phones to chat with Kim and Betsy, and answer their listeners’ questions live. In fact, the feedback I’ve gotten from the show’s loyal followers is so inspiring that it was a driving force behind my new book, “Pretty Pet-Friendly.” After all, what could be prettier or more pet-friendly than lifestyle legend Martha Stewart and her talented team?

This morning at around 7 a.m. EST, we discussed dog grooming, which is even more important in winter than in summer, believe it or not. When a pet’s coat gets tangled and matted or dry and flaky, it can’t insulate animals from the cold as efficiently, so regular brushing and bathing with gentle, all-natural, conditioning shampoos are absolute musts.

Of course, when asked about my favorite pet products, Crypton dog beds topped the list! Don’t miss this fabulous, eye-opening show every weekday morning between the hours of 7 and 10 a.m. EST.

Meanwhile, for your weekend pet-expert fix, be sure to tune in to Greg Kleva’s always-enlightening show, It’s a Dog’s Life, Saturdays at 8 p.m. A ringer for Keanu Reeves, this gifted
dog trainer is as easy to listen to as he is easy on the eyes. Follow him on Twitter : GregTheDogGuy.

Posted by Julia Szabo.

Here at Crypton, we know that style never goes out of style. With the recession squeezing household budgets, true style mavens have gotten creative with ways to keep stylish with home décor. One of our favorite places for affordable chic is Etsy.com, an online marketplace for designers and artisans to sell handmade goods.  With over 200,000 sellers offering nearly 5 million items, you’ll be sure to find something that fits your style. A search for home décor is particularly inspiring: hobbyists and independent designers alike are offering everything from lamps to pillows, accent pieces to wallpaper.

We are so excited about the creative ideas generating from Etsy, that we will be profiling two of the Etsy designers we love – starting tomorrow with Cherie, from StudioCherie, a designer who often uses Crypton Fabrics in her work.

In the meantime, we’ve pulled a few fun design and pet-related Etsy items to feast your eyes upon until tomorrow. Enjoy!

Fun hoodedsweatshirts for dogs from anniessweatshop

Walldécor with “Naughty kitten” design from LanaKole

Handmade Chow dog bowl

The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is, without a doubt, the ultimate K9 beauty contest. Appropriately, visitors to the show this week at New York’s Madison Square Garden walked away with super-stylish arm candy: fabulous Crypton totes.

This year’s winner, as everyone knows, is a scintillating Scottie named Sadie. But Sadie’s not the only dog star in Westminster’s firmament – and there’s more to Westminster winners than just style and looks.

Crypton loves any individual or organization that combines good looks and good works, so we’d like to “paws” to appreciate the fact that more and more dogs around the country – including many Westminster champions as well as shelter-adopted mutts – are volunteering their time as certified therapy animals, spreading cheer at hospitals and raising the spirits of young and old alike.

David Frei, known to millions as the dapper co-host of the USA Network’s Westminster broadcast, is a longtime advocate of animal assisted therapy. His tireless efforts to promote his charitable pet project, Angel on a Leash, are responsible for raising the national profile of therapy dogs and inspiring so many Americans to get their dogs certified.

David doesn’t just talk the talk – he dog-walks the walk. His own three dogs are all certified to do the important work of visiting hospital patients, applying the healing power of paws wherever they go. Here’s the youngest member of the Frei family, a gorgeous Cavalier King Charles Spaniel named Angel, taking a break between hospital visits on her Crypton bed, which we think coordinates beautifully with her lovely red hair!

Sweet dreams, Angel – bless you and all your fellow therapy dogs for the wonderful work you do. You are truly Angels on Leashes. 

Posted by Julia Szabo.