December 20, 2012

Why You'll Love PupLove

Pamela over at Something Wagging This Way Comes (great blog title, no?) came up with the great idea of a "Pet blogger gift exchange" - only the gifts we're exchanging aren't wrapped in shiny paper and pretty bows. Instead, the gifts are the kind that money can't buy and that can't be stuffed under the tree: encouragement, compliments, and appreciation! Who doesn't want to get some encouragement? Better than a funky Christmas sweater any day, right?

Pamela matched everyone up who wanted to participate with a partner, and I was matched with the uber talented AJ of PupLove.


You might think I'm all impressed with AJ because when she reviewed my book this past August, she said loved it...well, yeah - I liked that... A lot. But, really I thought she was amazing and awesome from the first time I saw some of her artwork!

About AJ
I originally found out about AJ back in June when she guest-posted on Kol's Notes, where she shared some of her fantastic dog art.

In addition to being a writer/blogger, web designer/developer, and a certified dog obedience instructor, she's also an artist! In her post on Kol's Notes, AJ wrote that she's not sure what "her style" is yet - she does "stylized vectors" (I do not know what this means, but I know it looks damn good!), "cartoony illustrations" and "semi-realistic sketches." Here's a sampling of some of her work:


This one is my fave. How amazing is this?

Or how about this - equally awesome, right?:

And you know what's crazy? She went to a special high school for creative/artist-types - but she went there simply because it was close to her house. She never took an art class while she was there! She didn't even know she could draw. Nutty, right?

In addition to being ridiculously talented, she's also a mom to rescue pup, Jack.

About Jack
Happy Jack
Jack was rescued from a life of being crated 24/7. Like our own Rita, they'll never know exactly what Jack went through in his early months, but he'd obviously not been socialized at all. With some patience, love and training, AJ and The Mister (which is the term she uses where I use "the hubs", cute no?) were able to help Jack become a happy boy! Hooray for AJ and The Mister finding and adopting Jack!

About PupLove
AJ started the PupLove blog in 2010 as a place to talk about life with Jack. This year, as her blog evolved, AJ decided to expand and offer recipes, training tips, dog (and cat!) news, product reviews and personal tales. She recruited some other fabulous writers/bloggers to help her in this mission: Vanessa, Jamie, and Jodi.

PupLove.ca
So check out PupLove - and check it out NOW, because along with Kol’s Notes, Rescued Insanity, [hey - while you are checking out Rescued Insanity, notice the very cool banner artwork of Shiva - see if you can guess who did the artwork?!), Woof Woof Mama & I Still Want More Puppies, there's a very cool "Advent Calendar for Dog Lovers" going on, with giveaways every day. If you enter any day's contest, you'll also be entered to win the grand prize which is valued at over $1000! We entered a couple of times and you should too!


14 comments:

  1. Eeeeeek! I'm blushing! Thank you so much for all the kind words, Jackie - I feel all warm and fuzzy! :)

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    1. Oh good, we like feeling warm and fuzzy around here! The best way to feel!

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  2. What a great post about a wonderful blogger. AJ has been such a real leader in the pet blogging world who has helped a lot of us with technical struggles.

    It's also neat to see different pieces of her art together here. She really does work in a few different styles. I would have expected the images you showed to have come from 3 different artists.

    Thanks for joining the Pet Blogger Gift Exchange, Jackie!

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    1. Oh my gosh... thank you Pamela!

      I'm always happy to help out with the tech stuff where I can. :)

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  3. What a great post and her art is amazing. I can't wait to enjoy her blog more. Thanks for posting!
    Maggie

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  4. Great post! I had not seen PupLove before so now I have a new blog to follow!

    Merry Christmas!

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  5. Great and informative post about AJ! I learned a lot about her and how talented she is!

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  6. What a great post! She is so talented, I love her art!

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  7. Aj's art is totally awesome - can't believe she thought she couldn't draw - apparently all humans can draw as kids and then for some reason some of them stop, it's great that AJ decided to try again, my Mum on the other hand is best giving up cos she really can't draw! :)

    Big Wags to all,

    Your pal Snoopy :)

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  8. I am loving learning about these great blogs and thanks for another one. I found this through Pamela's great idea for gratitude to one another. Pawtastic!

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  9. Those sketches are beyond fantastic. I heart PupLove! (I originally wrote "I love PupLove" but I thought that seemed confusing.)

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