This post is a bit tardy as I was on set in Southampton, NY a month ago to watch Kate Hudson sport our Santorini tote in the film, “Something Borrowed”-a fun beach read by Emily Giffin about love, friendship and loyalty. Although, this was not Blueblood’s first film appearance! Apparently the dog in the opening scene of “Hot Tub Time Machine” wore a Blueblood collar. I have not yet seen the movie, but I think the scene involves something being pulled out of the dog’s butt. Maybe not the most aristocratic of scenes, but hey screen time is screen time-right?

In “Something Borrowed” Kate is arriving at her friends’ beach house for a weekend in the Hamptons, which as any New Yorker knows is what you do in the summer if you live in Manhattan. KH was pretty great about swinging the bag right into the shot. In each take she flung that bag around herself with more gusto each time flashing that big smile of hers and giggling just as you would imagine she would. Thanks Kate!

I myself used to work in the movie business for a few years before I became a graphic designer and eventually started Blueblood. I worked in the art department on both small and larger budget films and therefore had the opportunity to wear many hats. My favorite experience was working on the film “My Dog Skip”- appropriate I know : ). Not only is it a wonderful coming of age true story about a boy and his dog, but being a part of the making of that film was a really special experience for me.

I was lucky enough to meet and even have dinner with the now late author of the book, Willie Morris who was an incredible dynamic, funny and interesting Southern character. He and his wife Joann had a group of us over for a Southern BBQ, lots of drinks and of course plenty of laughs. I was even in a scene with Willie’s best friend, Winston Groom, the author of “Forrest Gump”. That was pretty cool! Not only did I get to talk to Winston (another smart, interesting guy with great stories to tell) but there I stood in the set I had worked on myself- a Southern corner grocery store in Canton, Mississippi, where we filmed “My Dog Skip” as today it does not look much more modern than it did in the 1940’s.

Given my background in history, decorative arts and interior design, working on a period film was very much up my alley. I had to do everything from research photos by Americana photographers like Walker Evans- still microfiche in a library (how antiquated!), to painting over lines on sidewalks that would not be “to period” in the 40’s, to developing film in Jackson, MS 45 minutes each direction oh I don’t know sometimes 4 X a day. Working on a film (if you have not done so) is a TON of work and sometimes very tedious work at that. However it was a great experience I would not trade. Why else would I have lived in Mississippi for four months of my life? I got to see a side of America I would never have seen and experience being part of a really special movie.

Our grocery totes are finally available and in our first fabulous boutique/gourmet lunch spot,  Star Provisions, in Atlanta. I cannot think of a better retailer to be first to sell our grocery totes  featuring illustrations I created five years ago for a children’s book I wrote about life in NYC  with my Lab, Tubby.

Once again, Blueblood’s continuous love affair with canines & cuisine makes its way into our  latest offering: an ideal mix of stylish, green and affordable.  But most importantly, our new grocery totes capture a very special part of my life when I lived in New York City with the first dog I raised on my own.

Tubby was a special dog indeed who left a lasting impression on everyone lucky enough to  cross his path. Not unlike the famous “Marley” or my friends’ Labs, “Mosely”, or  ”Sadie”, Tubby was OBSESSED with food. For those of you who own a Lab, you understand that they love food on an  entirely different level than most breeds. Also not unlike many Labs, Tubby was the perfect  mix of charming and manipulative. He mastered the art of pretending not to notice food and  just as you turned your back, devouring it in a matter of seconds. It is most appropriate that Tubby appears on the face of a bag intended to store your favorite goodies!

However Tubby was in many ways a “one of a kind”. He ate most of the contents of my one bedroom apartment on 74th and 1st Avenue. He first discovered his love for swimming after jumping in the fountain of a fancy, Upper East Side, high rise apartment and stole water bottles right out of strangers’ hands by his favorite fountain in Central Park. While Tubby certainly upset people from time to time, even his naughtiest shinanigans usually elicited roaring laughter.  He preferred sleeping on hardwood floors, upside down like a dead bug to hoping in bed with us and God knows, I would never have dreamt of buying him a fancy dog bed or a beautiful leash as it would have been shredded in seconds.

I decided that Tubby was a character who needed to be remembered, for he was full of life, adventure and tons of mischief.  He was a true comedian and one of the friendliest dogs you’d ever met who made friends with everyone from the butcher to his motley crew of doggie friends. He loved everyone in the diverse melting pot that is New York City and thus began my idea for a children’s book.  I spent the better part of a year writing and editing the book which morphed from prose to verse, long to short, young adult to picture book. I decided I would only want to publish the book if I too were the illustrator. I had been in love with drawing for as long as I’d been passionate about dogs, so who else I thought could bring my imagination to life?

A year later I met Tina and Blueblood was born. Originating as a luxury brand of dog accessories our ultimate goal was to expand Blueblood  to create a lifestyle brand of stylish, functional personal and home accessories.  In addition to adding new products to our existing lines this year, we will be introducing new ones that  include linens, throw pillows and storage bins. Our other focus in 2010 is to incorporate my illustrations and custom prints into every aspect of our line from the leads and collars to fabrics for the beds, totes, napkins and tea towels. It is inevitable to be compared to other brands but for Tina and myself, it is most rewarding when one of our designs are spotted and we hear, “isn’t that a Blueblood?”

I’ve always LOVED Halloween. It’s the time of year that marks the beginning of the holiday season when the air becomes crisp and permeated with the smell wood-burning fireplaces. Growing up on the East coast, it was the time of year to walk through leaves as they crunched under foot- a reminder to start thinking about what I was to be for Halloween this year?

Mom was not the arts and crafts type, so each year I would make my own costumes. While I have always been creative, my execution has not always been the greatest. A seamstress I am not! However, I suppose when your a little kid, the crappy thrown together costumes have a certain charm? Over the years I have been everything from a Siamese backward mad scientist attached to my best friend to Cyndi Lauper (although I learned that no matter how much orange hair dye you spray on black hair it’s not going to show up!) I was Pocohontas and G.I Jane and even the Corpse Bride. Yes, that was only a few years ago.

At this point in my life, I have not yet had children and Halloween is the time of year I always think it would be most fun to have them. I love seeing their little outfits in Halloween parades and how excited they get when you put candy into their trick or treat bags. I too am a little kid at Halloween. Even in my thirties, I get excited about fishing through a plastic pumpkin anticipating what I might pull out: a mini Snickers? Sweet Tarts? Perhaps my favorite… a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup?!

By October of 2006, my first Halloween with Gretel, we had both made lots of new friends at Alta Plaza, our dogpark in Pacific Heights. There I met a group of dog lovers equally fanatical about their pooches, which of course led to meeting my business partner, Tina and the inspiration to start BLUEBLOOD.

When I was told there would be a Halloween contest at our park, I jumped at the chance to enter Gretel. Here was my chance to dress up MY child. Better yet, she would not protest or have an opinion about her oufit. Being the good sport that she is, Gretel would surely let me dress her in anything. But how could I do that to her, I thought? I grew up with big dogs and was never a doggie clothing kind of girl. But I figured it’s only one day and after all, it was Halloween!

There was only one problem. I found it impossible to find an outfit that would fit Gretel’s unique and curvy figure. She has no legs, but is as long as a lab, she has a huge chest and a belly the touches the ground. Once again I found myself kludgening together a home made outfit. If I was going to do this I was going to go big I thought! So, I decided to dress Gretel as someone equally regal and elegant: the most stylish First Lady, Jackie Onassis.

I made her a tweed Chanel-esque suit and matching pill-box hat, which to everyone’s suprise stayed put all evening as it was affixed to her little head with an elastic band. More impressive were her Jackie O glasses which not only stayed in place but seemed to transform Gretel into charater. There she stood with her nose in the air, looking down at the other dogs as if they were mere peons. To top it off her ensemble, Gretel sported a string of pearls which matched the buttons on her tweed suit. The outfit was of course terribly sewn. As she walked around, her chest stuck out further and further and her suit became ratty and frayed. But, I guess that charm rule applies to dogs as well as children- Gretel was a hit! To this day people refer to her as “Jackie O”.

Someone at the park told me I just HAD to take her to Golden Gate Park for their costume contest the following day and of course, I did. As Gretel was called on stage, in typical Gretel fashion she did not want to budge. I had to practically drag the poor girl across the stage and felt like a mean stage mom as I did so. Despite her lack of runway skills, Gretel took third place in the contest and ended up in the Chronicle and Children’s National Geographic.

The following year people started asking me, “What is Gretel going to be this year?” Oh no, I thought. What have I started?! People now EXPECTED costume greatness from us. How would I ever top Jackie O and frankly did I have the time? Well, not really. But I felt somewhat obliged not to let people down and I always liked a good challange. So I decided to stick with the “important women in history” theme and transformed Gretel into Queen Elizabeth the Ist. My sewing skills had slightly improved and this time with Tina and Jenny’s help, I dusted off and used my sewing machine. Her Fleur de Lys satin coat was adorned with lace and velvet and topped with my Nana’s antique rhinestone pin.

Oh and in case you are wondering… her Elizabethan collar is made of coffee filters : ).

Big boned, curvy, voluptuous are just a few words that have been used to describe Gretel, my short but shapely, buxom Basset. As humans we all know those words don’t always have a positive connotation, but who would have thought that dogs would also have to suffer the pressures of aspiring to a body type that is just plain unrealistic?  Three weeks ago my veterinarian, Dr. Moran (whom I happen to love and respect) told me that he thinks Gretel really should loose nine pounds. Yikes! Well, first of all, I was floored. Yes, I realize Gretel is not svelte, nor does she run around for an hour a day with her friends like she did a year ago. However, I barely feed her treats. In fact I almost never do any more. How in the world am I going to get her to loose that kind of weight? I can’t force her to play! I can’t starve the poor girl. She barely eats as it is!

That is when Dr. Moran explained that there was a new drug on the market. Yes, a diet drug for dogs!  The idea is that this drug, Slentrol, was supposed to suppress Gretel’s appetite. I asked if it had been amply tested and was assured it was very safe. So, desperate and feeling like the guilty owner of a grossly overweight dog, I decided to give it a whirl. Three weeks after starting Gretel on this stuff she was due for a “weigh in.” The result? Gretel GAINED a pound! The crazy part is that the drug was visibly working. Gretel’s appetite did indeed diminish. Per instruction, I fed her the exact same amount and low and behold Gretel would leave half her food uneaten every day for three weeks. How in the world that resulted in one pound of weight gain is beyond me!

I can’t get over how pathetic the whole thing seems and  feel torn on the subject. How do I really feel about giving diet medicine to my dog? I care about her more than practically anything in the world and therefore her health is of the utmost importance, but then again so is her happiness. Dogs live for so little- the simple things in life: love and food . To take away 50% of her pleasure for the sake of loosing a few pounds that she may or may not loose seems hard to justify. Is it better to live a bit longer and restrain yourself from some of your greatest pleasures or throw your paws up in reckless abandon and say “What the hell… ya only live once!”

Over the last couple weeks I heard great things about the film “Julie and Julia”. My mom told me I would LOVE the film and must go see it!  So finally I went this past Saturday with a friend and indeed really did enjoy it.  First of all, any movie starring Meryl Streep can’t be bad. She literally nails every part she plays and her depiction of Julia Child was no exception. From her gestures to her funny voice and boisterous personality, Meryl became Julia. As I was leaving the theater, I spotted  a review of the film which explained  how Nora Ephron, the director, came to cast Meryl in the part. One day when the two were together, Meryl asked Nora about her latest project and when Nora explained that  she was developing a film about Julie Child, Meryl immediately shifted into character. Of course (and not surprisingly) she was brilliant and that was that.

The film featured many scenes in 1950’s Paris and was filled with mouth watering scenes of delectable dishes from Beef Bourguignon  and Poulet Roti to Eggs Benedict. I admittedly preferred the portion of the movie which focused on Julia more than Julie. Julia was in 1950’s Paris, whereas Julie was stuck in modern day Queens. However, Julie’s pursuit to accomplish cooking all 524 of Julia Child’s recipes found in “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” in just one year and blogging about it, was equally inspiring. I too love to write and have a tendency to get let’s just say “scattered” at times much like Julie. Like Julie, I too wrote a book which never got published and while I am not a gourmet cook, I have grown to love cooking more and more this year. I have however always loved great food and am lucky enough to live in one of the best eating cities in the world. I certainly left the film feeling inspired to be creative and of course I wanted to scarf down a rich, saucy, French meal.

As all San Franciscans are, I am spoiled by  access to the freshest ingredients, best chefs and some of the most innovative restaurants. I don’t think I have a single friend in this city who would not be considered a bit of a “foodie” or who doesn’t appreciate great wine. I am also spoiled by a business partner who loves food as much as I and despite her modesty is a GREAT cook. Before Nathan came along she would often spoil me with surprise lunches. It could be a Moroccan Tagine one day or Osso Bucco another. Once she asked if I wanted something sweet. “Hello…have we met!? Of course!” Anyway, Tina just happened to have a fruit tart she had whipped up the day before. Out it came, hot from the oven and covered in vanilla ice cream. Let’s just say that Tina’s idea of lunch never involves sliced bread or  processed meats.

Because Tina and I are both such food lovers you will always find hints of our shared passion influencing BLUEBLOOD. Whether it be collars and leads photographed with eggs and milk, chocolate and Clementine oranges or an entire collection named for Willie Wonka, it is always fun to look for the ways in which we use food  to market BLUEBLOOD! After all we love food, we love dogs and God know…dogs live for food and why shouldn’t they?

P.S Go see the movie!

Alexis

After many laughs and much deliberation, here are the winning entries from our collar/lead giveaway contest from last week:

Grace Shelly
“Our video would show Bullet and Percy sitting on the couch, in front of the TV, watching Barefoot Contessa on Food Network, and planning a heist from the pantry”

Mark Johnston
“Our dog, Fluffy, would be filmed in the closet, playing dress up with my wife’s make up, high heels and dresses”

Carleen Aielle
“My innocent Frankie dancing on the kitchen table having the time of his life”

Congratulations to these winners. We’ll be in touch shortly to get contact info and to send out your collar & lead set.

Thanks for all of the hilarious entries — it’s great to know that we’re not the only ones who imagine our pups doing naughty things while we leave them at home. Follow us on Twitter or Become a Fan on Facebook as we plan to announce more giveaways each month!

xoxo,

Alexis & Tina