Mimilove for Ollie

I first saw Mimilove's work on Flickr.  The embriodery groups were all abuzz about her work.  And with reason.  There is no true category for her style: it's portrature, but much more fun; it's a painting, but also includes amazing stitching. Is it craft, is it art?  It's gorgeous, thats what it is.

The holidays seemed like the perfect excuse to treat myself with something truly beautiful.  Ollie, my constant furry companion seemed like the perfect subject. 

And voila, look what I get out of the bargain.  What's so amazing to me (aside from the portrait itself) is the fact that she was able to capture the essence of Ollie without ever meeting him.  All it took was a couple of email exchanges, a couple of basic questions and my furry little friend is accurately depicted in art.

Words can't describe how much I love this.  It hangs on the wall in front of my workspace as a source of inspiration.  Part of the fun is reading her story behind the portrait.

To see more of Mimilove's work and the process behind each piece check out her blog.  Not only is her art inspirational, but reading you get a sense that this is a woman in love with what she does.   You can commission a portrait of your own here.  I recommend this too - she is such a pleasure to work with, she's sure to make you giggle.

Happy Third Ollieversary

I've written about Ollie before, of the lessons I've learned from him.  He's my muse, my companion, my little empath.  He spends his day sleeping on the floor near me.  I know when I'm stressed out because he comes over to calm me.  Conversely, I know when I'm calm because my deep, even breaths inspire deep snores in him.  He reminds me when I need to take a break and a walk, an action that always gets me out of any block.  Waking up each morning, I greet the new day with enthusiasm and a healthy walk around the neighborhood.  Because of him I know more about  Kensington than ever before.  I know my neighbors, their dogs, the school crossing guards.  I'm also aware of new stores and restaurants, community events and updates.  I honestly can't remember what life was like before having him.  I'm sure it was boring.

We adopted Ollie from BARC Shelter three years ago.  Before bringing home we knew him for all of fifteen minutes.  It's just another example of how taking a leap of faith can positively impact your life.

Before becoming a Wang he had a patchy history, of which we know little.  A couple of shelters, a couple of owners, somewhere in there the records got erased. Since we don't know his actual birthday, July 7th is celebrated as our Ollieversary - the day our little family expanded. 

The honoree will be celebrating his day with a nap, a walk and some fancy new chews.  Not a bad life indeed.

Lessons I've Learned from Ollie

About three years ago Robert and I went to BARC Shelter in Williamsburg hoping to adopt a pet.  As is generally the case, a dog selected us.  Quiet and aloof, after about five minutes of hearing about his history and personality he came over and leaned against me.  That's all it took, the simple gesture of the lean. 

I don't know much about his history. He's about six years old.  He's a Shar-pei mix but we're not sure what the "mix" is. He was in at least two shelters before coming to us.  At first this bothered me, I wanted to know more.  How old is he really?  What else is he, Pit Bull, Basenji?  What kind of moronic people could give up this wonderful dog (though I'm grateful he's with us)? 

Then one day I realized that none of this mattered.  Spend an hour with Ollie and you'll see that despite any past trauma or events, he's happiness personified (or dogified, in his case).  This furry little bundle of love actually holds the secrets to contentment.  He has a lot to teach me, and here's what I've learned so far.

• Wake up each morning excited about the day ahead
• Take a couple of walks each day
• Notice all the nuances and subtle changes in your neighborhood
• Kiss the people you love
• Drink lots of water
• Give yourself the occassional treat
• Take a nap
• When in doubt offer a handshake
• Be fearless
• Protect your pack
• Enjoy a car ride
• Greet everyone with enthusiasm
• Breathe deeply
• Jump when you're excited
• Live in the moment

Happiness really is just that easy