April is one of my favourite months of the year! We hope your April is an awesome one…
Click here to download your April calendar
by 
Happy April
categories: Calendar
by by by Hoppy Easter
categories: Holiday fun
In October last year, we decided to expand our family and we adopted two gorgeous bunnies! Valentine and Duchess are two super cute fluff balls that are always up to mischief. Duchess is the girl, the ringleader and the boss-but then most of us woman are… (hahaha).
Valentine by nature is quite a chilled little guy, he isn’t too shy and loves cuddles and kisses. Duchess on the other hand is quite shy and only comes to you on her terms, but when she does, she basks in the kisses and cuddles she receives. When she has had enough she lets you know and swiftly hops away. They are absolutely adorable and of course Oscar adores his babies too. Every morning there is a kissing and sniffing ceremony that is too cute for words! Valentine is more forthcoming in these ceremonies, but Duchess is slowly coming around. She is royalty after all and does things when and if she feels like it. Meal times are my absolute best. Watching them devour their daily salads and learning which greens they love and which fruits they are not too keen on is the perfect way to spend my morning. I grab a cup of coffee and Oscar and I just sit and watch them enjoy.
They are curious little creatures too. I am forever thinking of new ways to keep them entertained, giving them new toys to play with and things to gnaw on. They get bored quite easily so it is important to give them new things to throw around and investigate. Something as small and insignificant (to us) as a toilet roll holder can keep them entertained for hours. Bunnies, as I have come to realise are extremely clean pets. They are forever grooming themselves and each other. Duchess will sit and lick Valentine and make sure he looks in tip top condition, of course while he falls asleep!
Now I am most certainly not saying rush out and adopt a bunny for Easter! For 10 years I have wanted a bunny to love and cuddle, and now I have two. I am over the moon with happiness, but I did my research and made sure that I could provide the very best for Valentine and Duchess to keep them happy. It takes, time, dedication and money to raise any pet and bunnies are no exception.
I am so excited to spend their first Easter spoiling them and loving them, of course with Oscar and my human man too 😉 Here are some of Oscar’s Easter spoils this year as well as spoils for Valentine and Duchess. So if you have pet bunnies spoil them over Easter too…
Oscar’s Easter Box
Why not create a fun and exciting Easter box for your pup… Here are some goodies you can include that are available in the Stylish Paws online store. Click here to browse.
A new collar and leash set
A comfy and warm jacket
Non-slip doggy socks
An adventure harness
A doggy bowtie
Mini Donuts
Every pup needs Easter treats to enjoy! Now these are not the healthiest treats I have ever made, but they are oh so yummy. You and your furry love can enjoy these as a little Easter spoil…
Ingredients
2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar (please do not use Xylitol!)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup butter milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbp melted butter
2 eggs
Icing
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tbp milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
food colouring
sprinkles
Directions
Using an electric beater, beat together all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl for 5 minutes. Plug in your mini donut maker, or preheat your oven to 180 degrees and prepare your donut trays. Fill your donut trays with the mixture and place them in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until cooked and slightly golden. Remove your cooked donuts and gently place them on a cooling rack to cool. Repeat the process until your mixture is finished. I have a mini donut maker so I will be using that. Pour enough mixture into each donut ring, close the lid and leave it for 10 minutes or until cooked and lightly golden in colour. Once cooked, scoop the donuts out gently and let them cool on a cooling rack. Carry on making your donuts until your mixture is finished. Once all your donuts are cooled, they can be iced. Mix together the icing ingredients and add your food colouring to the desired colour you are looking for. Carefully dip one side of your donut into the icing and place back onto the cooling rack, sprinkle with some pretty sprinkles and let them dry. Once the icing is set you can enjoy these yummy treats with your furry love! Savour these moments in life, they are precious.
My real Easter Bunnies: Valentine and Duchess
Because we now have bunnies in our family, of course they need to get spoiled too! Here are some goodies that Valentine and Duchess will be enjoying this Easter…
Bunny Basket
Valentine and Duchess will also get an Easter box this year filled with fun things to keep them entertained as well as some yummy homemade treats.
Toilet roll holders filled with hay and their favourite fresh herbs.
Toilet roll balls filled with their favourite herbs. Bunnies love to toss things around and these can come apart and they can roll and throw the rings around. It is a real winner.
How to make them
Take a toilet roll holder and cut it up into rings. Carefully intertwine the rings so they eventually make a ball. Squeeze herbs into the crevices and let your bunny roll them around and have fun.
Homemade treats
Make something your bunny can enjoy over the Easter holidays.
Ingredients
1/2 cup rabbit pellets
1/2 cup oats
1 ripe banana
1/4 cup butternut
Directions
Cut up the butternut and dry roast it in the oven until soft. You can also boil it until soft. Grind the dry ingredients using a food processor so they become fine and of a flour consistency. Once the butternut is cooked, mash it using a potato masher.Mash the banana and add both the banana and butternut to the dry ingredients. Mix thoroughly so a dough forms. Roll your dough out and using small cookie cutters cut out your bunny treats. Place them onto a greased baking tray and bake for 30 minutes or until cooked. Once cooked, turn the oven off and leave the treats to cool and dry out in the oven. Once cooled you can let your fluff ball enjoy his homemade speciality! Store them in an air tight container.
Easter hunt
Oscar’s favourite game is ‘find it’, so what better time to play than on Easter morning! You can hide the contents of your pups Easter box around the garden or just opt for hiding his treats like I do. Watch his excitement as he races around searching for his hidden treasures…. It is the most wonderful thing to watch. If you, like me, have bunnies to love, you can include them in the Easter hunt too. You can hide their homemade treats around their hutch and places they are allowed to run and play. This will provide excellent entertainment for them and for you 🙂 Don’t forget to get your camera out and snap away so you can always remember these wonderfully happy moments!
Have fun with your furry loves, of all kinds! Enjoy giving them gifts and baking them special treats, I know I will 🙂
Thank you for reading
by For the love of pretzels
categories: Recipes
It’s no secret that I absolutely love baking for Oscar! I never buy shop bought treats for him because I know I can make him treats that are tastier and much healthier too. I love trying out new recipes and Oscar is happy to let me know whether he likes them or not…
This week I decided to make him pretzels. Everyone loves pretzels right? So I made Oscar a healthy batch that he can enjoy, and he loved them!
Oat and Apple pretzels
Ingredients
2 cups oat flour
1/4 cup oats
Squirt of honey
1 egg
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
Directions
Preheat your oven to 180 degrees. Add all the ingredients together in a mixing bowl and mix until a dough forms. If it too sticky to work with then add a little more flour. Take two small pieces of the dough and roll them into a tube the size of a pencil. Make a U shape with each tube, twist the ends together and fold back to form the pretzel shape. Gently place the pretzels onto a greased baking tray and lightly brush them with egg wash. Bake for 25 minutes or until cooked and golden brown. Let the pretzels cool before allowing you pup to enjoy. Store them in an airtight container.
Flavour variants
You can make your pretzels any flavour to suit your furry loves pallet! Here are some great combinations your pup is sure to love:
Carrot and apple
Peanut butter and apple
Apple and banana
Pear and apple
Sweet Potato pretzels
Ingredients
200g sweet potato
1 cup wholewheat flour
1 tablespoon oats
1 egg
Directions
Peel the sweet potato and chop it into cubes. Place it in a saucepan of boiling water and let it cook for 20 minutes or until soft and cooked. Drain the sweet potato and allow it to cool, then puree it either in a food processor or mash it using a potato masher. Add the flour, oats and egg and mix it together until it forms a dough. If it’s too sticky, add a little extra flour. Take two small pieces of the dough and roll them into a tube the size of a pencil. Make a U shape with each tube, twist the ends together and fold back to form the pretzel shape. Gently place the pretzels onto a greased baking tray and lightly brush them with egg wash. Bake for 25 minutes or until cooked and golden brown. Allow them to cool and store in an airtight container. Your pooch will love these.
Enjoy baking for your furry love! He will know that you have taken time out to make him something special…
Thank you for reading
by He’s in dreamland…
categories: Oscar
I often find myself watching Oscar as he appears to be having the most awesome dream. Jowls twitching, nose sniffing and feet seemingly running. I find it hysterical to watch and often reach for my camera or phone to film my boy having the time of his life in dreamland. But the real question is, Does Oscar dream?
I’m happy to admit that Oscar doesn’t get the gold medal for being the most active boy on the block but he is the most happy-go-lucky soul I have ever met. Happy to snooze under my feet in the office, happy to fall asleep next to me while I watch my favourite t.v shows, happy to sun tan with me and of course he is happy to snuggle up in bed. I would say Oscar’s favourite pass time is sleeping. So let’s explore whether Oscar does dream or not…
The simple answer is yes. While we do not know for sure what our beloved pups dream about, studies have shown that they enter a state of deep sleep just like us humans do. It is during this deep sleeping period that Oscar has his various dreams. It is also said that smaller dogs will dream a lot more each night than larger dogs will. Puppies also dream more than adult dogs because they are processing the new information they learn each day.
Obviously I would love to ask Oscar what he dreamt about last night and have him answer me, but unfortunately that is not the case. We can only speculate that his dreams are similar to mine. Replaying the days events of chasing birds, eating his treats and barking at the clouds.
While your pups sudden growls and howls may be alarming, please do not wake him from his dream. Your pup needs deep uninterrupted sleep for healthy brain activity. Think about how you feel when you have suddenly been woken up from your dreams…
Waking your pooch from a deep, dreaming sleep may startle him and this could result in him lashing out. A startled pup needs a moment to assess his surroundings. So please let your pup sleep.
The positions our furry loves sleep in can tell us how comfortable and happy they are at that particular moment. Oscar has many sleeping positions, but here are a few of his favourites and what they mean.
Side sleeping: We call this one ‘sleeping like a human’ since Oscar always has his head on a pillow and is covered by his comfy duvet. This is said to be a very restful and comfortable sleeping position. It means Oscar is comfortable with his surroundings without the fear of threats.
Curled up like a ball: This is the most defensive position. Oscar will tuck his feet and tail tightly under himself and nudge his head close to his body too. It isn’t a very restful position and it can also mean he is cold and trying to keep himself warm.
Legs up: When Oscar sleeps in this position, it shows absolute relaxation and comfort. He doesn’t have a care in the world!
Curled side sleep: This is a favourite for many of our furry loves. Oscar will sleep on his tummy, slightly curled up and cosy. This is a comfortable position to for him to sleep in and it allows him to jump up quickly if need be.
It is important that your pooch has at least one super comfortable bed to sleep on. Yes, Oscar is very spoilt and has three of his own dedicated bed, plus he uses the couch and the outside furniture as his resting spots too. If you wouldn’t sleep on your pups bed then you shouldn’t expect him to either. Please make sure you provide him with something comfortable and clean.
You can browse the Stylish Paws online store for handmade beds click here.
Thank you for reading.
by Happy March
categories: Calendar
The month of March is here and we hope it’s a memorable one for you.
Download your free March calendar here
by The wonders of coconut oil.
categories: DIY
We all know how healthy coconut oil is for us humans, but did you know that as healthy as it is for us, it is for our furry loves? It has a wide variety of benefits and uses for our furry companions, including digestion support, fur conditioner, soothes skin irritations, quick energy booster, supports heathy weight, aids in bone and joint health, improves general skin health, and disinfects cuts, wounds and bites just to name a few. I’ll be honest, I am not a huge fan of using it in my cooking but Oscar on the other hand absolutely loves it! So here are a few ways your pooch can benefit from a little coconut oil each day…
Skin and fur conditioner
We have all had skin irritations and rashes at some point in our lives, so we know exactly how itchy and sore they can be. When you notice your pup scratching and gnawing at his fur, try rubbing a handful of coconut oil onto his fur and give him a little massage to soothe his inflamed skin area. Coconut has great soothing properties to help ease skin irritations caused by dry skin, flea bites or just a general rash. Coconut oil works wonders on our own hair so why not treat your pups fur to a hydrating mask too. Simply bath him as usual and condition his fur with coconut oil instead of his usual pet conditioner. Gently massage the coconut oil into his skin-This is always Oscar’s favourite part of his bath regime. It is not necessary to rinse thoroughly but you can rinse slightly to get the greasy residue off. Your pooch will smell gorgeous too 🙂
Snout and paw protector
When your pups paws feel a little extra rough and tough, you can rub a small amount of coconut oil on them to soften them up. It will also heal any cuts he may have on his paws. You can also smear a small amount onto his snout when it looks a little dry and cracked (read all about Oscar’s schnoz and why your pups nose may be a little dry here: Oscar’s Schnoz).
A healthy coat
For a healthy and shiny coat, you can feed your furry love a small spoonful or two of coconut oil each day. You can mix it in with their kibble to make it extra delicious or you can make one of the yummy treat recipes below. Start with a teaspoon amount and slowly increase it to a tablespoon-depending on the size of your pup! If it upsets your pups tummy please don’t give him anymore. As a guideline, for a small pooch start with 1/4 teaspoon and slowly increase it over time to a full teaspoon. For a medium to large pup, start with a teaspoon and work your way up to a tablespoon.
Treats
Coconut oil drops
Ingredients
Organic coconut oil
Directions
For this recipe, the coconut oil needs to be slightly hard, not a runny consistency. Scoop some organic coconut oil into a zip lock bag and seal it tightly. Line a baking tray or any tray with grease proof paper. Cut just the tip off the zip lock bag and squeeze dollops of the coconut oil onto the baking tray. Place them into the freezer for a few hours. Remove them and store the coconut drops in an airtight container or jar in the fridge or freezer.
Frozen peanut butter, banana and coconut pops
Ingredients
1 cup organic peanut butter
1 cup organic coconut oil
1 medium banana, mashed
Directions
Mix all the ingredients together in a mixing bowl. The softer the coconut oil and peanut butter, the easier it will be to combine. You can use a spoon or an electric beater. Once completely mixed, spoon the mixture into silicone ice trays. You can also make little drops like the above recipe if you would prefer. Simply place the mixture in the fridge for 10 minutes to harden slightly then follow the steps above. Place them in the freezer for a few hours. Store them in an air tight container or jar and keep them in the fridge or freezer.
No bake peanut butter and coconut balls
Ingredients
1/3 cup coconut oil
2 tbs organic peanut butter
3 tbs apple sauce
2 cups oats
2 tsp honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
Sprinkle of cinnamon
Directions
Mix together the coconut oil, peanut butter, apple sauce, honey, vanilla and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl, then add the oats. If the mixture is too stiff to work with then add a little extra apple sauce. If it is too sticky then add a little extra oats. Scoop the mixture into meatball-sized balls and place them onto a greased baking tray or plate. Freeze them for a few hours before letting your pup enjoy. Store them in an air tight container or jar and keep them in the fridge or freezer. Warning-These are seriously delicious and I love sharing these treats with Oscar 😉
Enjoy the wonders of coconut oil!
Thank you for reading
by Will you be my Valentine?
categories: Summer Love
No one likes to admit they enjoy celebrating Valentine’s Day… I will admit I love it! Whether it’s receiving a surprise delivery of roses and chocolates at the office or a romantic home cooked meal, every girl gets butterflies when her man says ‘I love you’ on Valentine’s Day!
I agree, love shouldn’t be bound to just one day of the year, but it’s awesome celebrating it on February 14th every year. Oscar of course has no idea when or what Valentine’s Day is, he truly shows me unconditional love everyday of the year. He wags his tail at me, he follows me everywhere, sleeps with me, cuddles on the couch with me, I even catch him staring at me with his big gorgeous eyes.
Yes, Valentine’s Day is a cliché, but who cares! Celebrate it!
Here are some ways to include your good looking pup in your Valentine’s Day celebrations…
Bake your way to his heart:
They say the best way to a man’s heart is through cooking-Well now is the time to bake something yummy and full of love for your furry love.
Milky Hearts
Ingredients
2 cups flour
1 cup milk powder
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup melted butter
1 egg
Icing Ingredients
2 tbs cornstarch or rice flour
2 tbs water
1 tsp honey
organic food colouring
Directions
Preheat your oven to 180 degrees. Mix all your ingredients together in a big mixing bowl. Once mixed, turn out onto a floured surface and roll your dough out. Take your heart shaped cookie cutters and cut out the cookies. Place them onto a greased baking tray and bake for +- 15 minutes or until slightly browned and cooked. Once the cookie hearts have cooled, mix together the icing ingredients and ice the hearts. Play around and be creative. Your pooch deserves some cute Valentine’s treats too 🙂 Let the icing dry/set, then let your pup enjoy his treats. Store them in an airtight container.
Have a photoshoot
Memories are forever, and so are photographs! Create cute scenes with props and outfits and snap away. You will be surprised at just how much your furry love enjoys having his photo taken.
You can use blankets and pillows, anything pink, red, black or white. Make a cute bunting of hearts, ‘X’ and ‘O’. Use chalk boards and write cute little sayings. Have him hold a rose in his mouth or sprinkle some rose petals on him. Use Photo Booth props. Kiss him with bright red lipstick-he will definitely love you for that one! Be in the moment with your pooch and have fun together creating memories.
Red, Red, Red
Live in the moment of love. Dress your pup in anything related to Valentine’s Day. A red collar, a pink scarf, a black jacket or white socks. Anything goes on this day of love! Then take him for a walk at his favourite spot so he can show off his Valentine’s gear.
Stylish Paws has an awesome selection of collars, leashes, jackets and socks for your furry love!
Click here to shop for your furry valentine…
Most of all have fun with your furry loves and celebrate Valentine’s Day!
Thank you for reading
by February Love.
categories: Calendar
Happy February! February is the official month of love. Oscar and I love Valentines day and of course Oscar loves being my handsome model. Download and enjoy the free Stylish Paws February calendar.
Download the February calendar here
by Happy New Year!
categories: Calendar
It’s January, and time to get back into routine. We hope you had an awesome December holiday season with your furry loves! Here is the January Stylish Paws calendar. We hope you enjoy it 🙂
Click here to download your January calendar
by DIY Christmas Fun…
categories: Holiday fun
Who doesn’t love a bit of DIY during the holiday season, especially when it’s for your best friend? For most of us, our pets are part of the family and will travel with us on holiday, have a present under the tree and a stocking hung up. Oscar’s favourite morning of the entire year is Christmas morning! He gets to finish off the cookies and milk which ‘Santa’ didn’t finish, and then he gets to find his presents and open them up. He is a real professional at finding which presents are his under the tree. He then takes them to his chosen spot, tears them open and enjoys whatever is inside. He truly is a very happy doggy on Christmas morning! Naturally I love nothing more than to watch this happy moment take place.
Because Oscar is a really spoilt pup, it is sometimes difficult choosing gifts for him, so I often opt for the DIY option. So here are a few of this years DIY Christmas fun…
Homemade candy cane:
We all love our Christmas sweets and treats-which are not pet friendly. But that doesn’t mean Oscar can’t enjoy a bit of candy of his own…
Ingredients
3 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup powdered milk
1 cup milk
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla essence
Red food colouring
Directions
Preheat your oven to 160 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, add all the ingredients (except the food colouring) and mix together. Break your dough in half and add some of the red food colouring to one half of your dough. This may get messy but it’s ok 🙂 Knead the food colouring through your dough until it is the desired red you would like. Break off a small piece of the plain dough and a small piece of the red dough and roll each one out into a thin strip. Then plait the two colours and make a candy cane shape. You can brush with an egg wash if you like and bake at 160 degrees for +-20 minutes or until cooked. Place them on a cooling wrack to cool. Wrap them up and put them under the tree or in your pets stocking for them to enjoy.
Paw frame:
This one is for us humans to cherish our pups forever…
What you will need
A picture frame
A piece of card board
Paint
Your pups paw
A marker pen
A damp cloth or doggy wet wipe
Directions
Write your pups name on the piece of cardboard with the marker pen. Then pour a little paint into a container and carefully place your pups paw in the paint and place it onto the piece of board. Press gently to get their full paw print. Lift and wipe his paw clean immediately, either with a damp cloth or a doggy wet wipe. Wait for the paint paw print to dry, place it in the frame and hang it up on your wall. Just a little something special.
Treat jars:
Christmas is all about over indulging, so why not let your furry love over indulge a little too…
Ingredients
3 cups flour
2 small bananas mashed up
1/4 cup natural peanut butter
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
Directions
Preheat your oven to 160 degrees. Mix together all the ingredients in a bowl. Then tip it out onto a floured surface and knead until all the ingredients are mixed. You can add food colouring to make your pups treats festive. Roll out the dough and use cookie cutters to cut your shapes. Place them onto a greased baking tray and bake for 15-20 minutes or until cooked. Let them cool, place them in the treat jar, decorate the jar and let your pooch enjoy delicious snacks all through the holidays.
Paw print tree ornaments:
Why not let your pup have his own tree decorations? In our house, Oscar has his very own tree decorated with paw imprint ornaments, doggies that look like him and bones-some are edible and some are not.
Ingredients
1 cup flour
1/2 cup salt
1/2 cup water
Directions
Preheat your oven to 80 degrees. Mix together the flour, salt and water. Roll it out and using cookie cutters cut out the shapes you would like most on your tree. Keep in mind your pups paw needs to fit on some of them. Gently push your pups paw to make an imprint into the dough. Use a straw to make a hole to thread some ribbon through and place them on a baking tray and bake for 2-3 hours or until hard and dry. Let them cool, then begin decorating with paint and glitter. Go wild and have fun! Hang them on your tree every year 🙂
Handmade rope toy:
Oscar has loads of toys, but somehow he always knows which ones are bought and which ones are handmade-the handmade ones being his favourite option to play with.
What you will need
Two or three old t-shirts
Scissors
Directions
Cut the t-shirts into 2cm wide and the length of the t-shirt strips. I used red and white t-shirts to keep with the festive season theme. Pull the strips together and tie them at the top, you can either knot it or use another piece of material to tie it. Then plait them all the way to the bottom and either knot or tie at the end. Wrap it up and watch your best friend have loads of fun opening up his gift.
Free gift labels:
You can’t give your furry love a gift without his name on it, so here are some super cute free printable labels you can use for your Christmas gifts this year.
click here to download your free Christmas tags
Most of all, Stylish Paws and Oscar would like to wish you a very Merry Christmas! Have fun, be safe and enjoy the Festive Season with your furry loves and family.
Thank you for reading
by