Design Dogma

farm living

did i tell you we have chickens? oh, my, they are cute, i have to admit. i didn't think they were so cute when billy and pete showed up with them and told me they had to live in my house for 2 weeks. anyway, we now, clearly, think we are farmers, which is a huge joke. i am very afraid we would starve, shrivel and die if left to our own devices. we are so pathetic, aren't we? so dependent on all of our fine modern conveniences (but, i am sort of weaned from the cell phone. by the by, mine is still busted and i didn't do anything about it b/c i knew we were going to switch services when the new iphone came out...billy seems to think he will be more handsome and smart with an iphone...so now that has been, what? weeks, at least, and i still do not have a cell phone. and, guess what? i don't care now. ha!)...i've digressed, sorry.

where was i? oh, i know. chickens, grocery stores vs. farms, etc. anyway, i like my chickens, and i like seeing my children with the chickens, and i look forward to the fresh eggs. and i like our garden, and the tomatoes, corn, broccoli, squash, etc. that manage to come to fruition, and i love the feeling i get when the majority of our supper comes from the garden. however, could i chop off those cute chicken heads and pluck them and dress them and fry them in a pan? i think not. and could i live from my garden alone? and tend it well, and can the excess, and store the taters and all those other fabulous homestead-y type chores? alas. alak. no, i could not. my family and i would starve. because i am spoiled. and weak. and maybe even lily-livered (what does that mean, do you think?) and i think we all are. heaven help us if the economy does some sort of freak out and really plummets, cause i'm not sure that we, as a nation (that would be a nation of the rich and spoiled) are quite as sturdy as our forefathers. i wonder how we can recapture some of that independence/drive/strength. hmmm, i will have to ponder that while i watch my children and chickens romp around the yard.

technology

oh my gosh, i have been without a cell phone and without internet access for over a week, and i feel like i have been on the moon! it is astounding how dependent we are on all of our wireless gadgets. i mean, i am a serious technological buffoon, and even i have felt stranded without my fine modern tools. i am really not that much of a cell phone talker, either. my friends are constantly complaining that i never have my phone with me, and it's true. but boy, when you don't have your phone cause you can't have your phone, that feels very different. i don't know what is wrong with the stupid thing, but it is busted...and it busted when i was out of town with my 2 older children...very convenient. couldn't call the office, couldn't call the dr. when stella came down with pink eye (always pretty), couldn't call lala who was staying with franny, couldn't call katie to ask about her exciting date, couldn't, couldn't, couldn't......i mean, i guess you actually still can use pay phones (they still have those, right?), but i don't even think i know how to make a long distance call from one of those anymore. and i guess you can call from the hotel and pay them some ridiculous rate for the use of their phone, but that is just irritating in this age. isn't it funny how fast that happened? POOF... we are all addicted to our cell phones. so strange. and the internet...again, i am -- we are (i am including billy in here) -- technological morons. i hate the computer. i don't like checking my emails, i don't like writing this stupid blog...or so i thought. but when i don't have it, i really miss it. it makes me crazy not being able to check my emails from home. and, oh, i need a flight to nevis. well, g--damnit, i can't look that up without the internet, and i don't wish to talk to the lady at delta. isn't that weird? when did it happen? and, again, i cannot express enough what idiots we are (my friend, elisabeth, calls us the luddites...she is often rude). so, if i feel this at sea without my phone and wi-fi, just think how addicted those blackberry toting, text-messaging, city-slickers must be. they must be ready to fling themselves into a pit of hot lava whenever their blackberries/bluberries/i-phones go on the blink.
well...i've got to go now. i have got to go see if somebody can fix my phone and internet, so i can join you people in the modern world. Thank goodness I can still draw without technology!

april's fool

Hello -- it is april the 2nd. did anybody get FOOLed yesterday? i'm feeling a little bit fooled by how fast this year is slipping by. already april. can you believe it? spring break is over, the trees are popping and the flowers blooming, baseball season is starting, and in just 2 short months, school is out. wow-wee.

and my blog is over-due. again.

at stray dog, it is time to start gearing up for the summer shows and the new catalog .

some of our new samples have been trickling in these last few weeks. that's always fun. i've seen some stuff that i am pretty psyched about. i am particularly fond of my freaky 10-legged spider (somebody in haiti doesn't know how many legs a spider has...or they mistook my rendition of those pinchy things for an extra set of legs...but, either way, i love it just as it is). and i'm looking at some cute, happy new lamps made out of tin. and the papier mache peacock is really fun. and i am going to really really love my new papier mache flowers, once i get the base perfected�

anyway, enjoy the april weather. and enjoy the moment, heaven knows it will be gone in a blink.

jane/designer/stray dog designs

be sweet

happy valentine's day! kiss your sweetie. or send a card to your mom. maybe you could bake cookies for your elderly neighbor. and certainly you need to buy a box of chocolates for all the children in your life(a small box, of course, that big box is bad for the teeth...and bad for your figure when you finish it off for them) if you see a stray dog, bring it some food. and it's cold out there today, it would be nice to donate a blanket to a homeless person.and it would be really really easy to just sprinkle bird feed in your driveway.or call someone you've lost touch with and tell them you miss 'em. spring for lunch for your employees, or even just desert, if you are feeling poor. it would probably be nice to take flowers to a newly divorced or single friend. in othere words, be sweet. spread the love. let your light shine. all those good things.
gosh, it's amazing how easy it is to think of nice things to do on special occassions. it's too bad those things don't pop in our brains every day.

jane gray/designer/straydogdesigns

christmas bitch

it's november, and you know what that means... the dreaded holiday season is upon us.

now, i am obviously a part of the retail world... therefore i have no right to complain as my clients, and thus i, benefit from xmas�but i am going to whine anyway.

bah humbug�it hasn't even really revved up, and i am already over it.

i went into walgreens this morning, and swoosh, presto, whammo, halloween is gone and christmas is here! omygod. it makes me sweat.

now, i am really, by nature, not such a scrooge...i like festivity, i like cutting and pasting and making ornaments�i like cookies (i don't really like making them, but i like eating them). what i don't like is the beast that the season morphs into, somehow...

it becomes such a big deal to have the cutest holiday card with the most fabulous picture of your children looking perfect and angelic.

and it is sooo important that you get your decorations up in a timely manner and have a picture-postcard looking house for the season (and it had better smell good, too)

and the tree -- good god, have you priced xmas trees lately?? i really love spending $180 on the tree so that billy can have a complete temper tantrum trying to get it to stand up straight, and then it is around for all of 3 weeks, shedding and making a mess the entire time.

and the whole making a ginger bread house with your children thing, well, i love the idea...but, i've tried that and i can't ever go there again.

oh, and i really love standing in line in an overheated mall with 3 overly excited and strung out children to sit in fake santa's lap.

and then i really like to pay the 19.99$$ for the extremely unfortunate photograph.

i, obviously, could go on and on in my nasty tone, but i will spare you that...here is what really freaks me out: the presents. now, i don't mean presents in general. i think gift giving is good and fine in moderation. i am talking about the amount of presents my children get each year. it's gross. it's revolting. it's sick-making. really, every year i look at that crap strewn all over the floor and i get a stomach ache. and i wonder, how did this happen? of course, a lot of it is not from us...it's from grandparents, and aunts and uncles, and godparents, etc...but it is too much, and it needs to stop. and my kids, i swear, don't get nearly as much stuff as their peers, and that freaks me out even more. when did we become a nation of such monstrous consumers?

here is my plan for this year, and i've already started talking to my kids about this. they are each going to get one small present on each advent sunday�and they can open it then...but, it will be small...like a book, or something reasonable...and then on xmas day they will each get one present from mama and daddy, and then, hopefully, santa will bring them each something. and then the money we save not buying all the other little crap that gets tossed in the toy box never to be seen again, can be used to go shopping for xmas presents for homeless kids�and we can do that all together, in lieu of baking that ginger bread house.

jane gray/designer and christmas bitch

haiti

today is thursday, october the 4th, and it is time for the blog. Blog, fog, dog, nog -- i hate writing the blog. i can't tell you how much i admire people that have the intelligence and wit to write clever daily blogs. and there are lots of them out there. amazing. more power to them. but i am certainly not one of them. I don't mind drawing everyday, but trying to think up ways to entertain cyberspace taxes my small brain.

here's what i should be writing about: haiti. but i can't. it's too depressing. such an unbelievably, eye-poppingly beautiful, natural setting. dramatic mountain ranges that run right up to the gorgeous Caribbean. fabulous, freaky, tropical vegetation. beaches that look like a travel agency poster -- stunning, really. but not as stunning as the poverty. and the people are so pretty -- tall and muscular, gorgeous shining skin, beautifully shaped heads, and such lovely carriage. and the art is amazing -- even the street art. everybody can paint. how is it that an entire country gets the creative gene? so weird. and so sad, because there is no one to sell it to.

haiti is on my mind because billy and i were there last week working on new designs. our papier mache products are made there. actually, it is better than when we were there last time -- haiti, that is. more stable. less gun-fire. and that's good. and if it continues to stabilize it will prosper. let's hope so. it would be lovely to see haiti and it's lovely, charming, creative people really shine.

busy

hello. it is thursday, the 23rd of august, and we are BUSY at stray dog. the phone doesn't stop ringing, we're getting lots of nice orders, and everybody needs their stuff RIGHT NOW! when it rains, it pours, right? of course, it is not actually raining here. i don't think it is ever going to rain again in chattanooga. it�s about 105 degrees, and the sun is shining, and the warehouse is frying. poor billy and mariano are frenetically trying to get orders out the door and it is just unbearably hot back there. oh well, i bet it is most dietetic. perhaps i should shimmy on back there and sweat and pack with them. or maybe i should just stay here and answer this phone�keep calling, keep ordering. we like your business, even when it makes us sweaty and crazy. thanks --
jane, designer (and sometimes phone answerer), stray dog designs

systems?

we returned this week from the atlanta gift show (which was very successful, thank goodness), and we�re busily entering orders into the system...

our next hurdle is the big city -- the ny gift show. we need to get our booth together in the next couple of weeks. the new york show is always such a challenge for us from a merchandising stand point.

you know, it's just hard to drag all your product and display tables and back drop and platforms and flooring, etc., etc., and try to cram it into a little space (on the piers, for heaven's sake), and figure out how you are going to hang your lighting attractively and SAFELY (buyers don't wish to be bonked on the head by a falling big bufta, now do they?), and figure out how ALL this stuff is going to fit into this little bitty booth and not look like some sort of carnival gone wild freak show�!

yikes, it hurts my head to even think about it. not only is it mind-boggling, it is extremely expensive...you know how outrageous shipping is. getting the whole shebang to new york and back is seriously high dollar!

oh well, we will figure it out...you would think, after all these years, we would have a system wouldn't you? well, you would be wrong. i'm afraid we are not very systematic people. nor are we sleek and glamorous, and we would like to be those things, as well.

but, you know what? we're creative. so, chances are good that we will get that booth together and it will be adorable (but sadly not sleek and glamorous)�and safe? well, safe enough.

jane/designer/stray dog designs

swamped

Hello! we have been extra swamped at stray dog. you should see this office -- we are sitting at our desks, surrounded by stacks and stacks of boxes�the warehouse is creeping in here -- yikes! this is usually our dead time of the year, but not this year! I can't complain -- it�s a good problem to have. but I am feeling a little claustrophobic, with towers of boxes looming all around me�

we have also been keeping busy with our new catalogue. tomorrow is the last day of photography and then it should go to press about a week later. it's going to be very swish (or swish for us) so, if you are not already on our mailing list, be sure to sign up so you�re sure to get one in july!

may day

hello. it's may day! dance around your pole. frolic in your garden. plant some tomatoes. shop for your bikini. summer is almost here.
i am actually really excited about summer. not about the putting on the bathing suit part--i am not looking forward to that at all. but i am really ready for school to be out. i am sick of schedules and i hate homework! 2 whole months of no spelling words, no multiplication tables, no scary fractions-bliss! (now , of course you realize ,that by july 15th i will be counting down the days until school starts again... but that is just how it goes with the eternally dissatisfied).
summer also means another round of shows, and i am excited about that, as well. we will have lots and lots of cool new product to debut this summer. i have actually seen very few samples, but those i've seen, i like. and assuming everything translates well, we will be styling!
so spend june basking in summer's glory and then come see us at the gift shows in atlanta and n.y. , with your bad-ass tan, where we'll have a whole crop of fun new wares for you.
AND a really fabulous new catalogue!

spring

Hi. Today is the 27th of March and, oh my, it is so beautiful here in the scenic city(Chattanooga, TN, shipping headquarters of Stray Dog Designs). Everything is popping. The red buds, dogwood, cherry blossoms, pears, forsythia, viburnum--everything. It smells good, it looks good, the air is soft and delicious. We went out to Cessna and Elizabeth's house on Sunday. They are our lovely and talented artist friends who happen to live in the most beautiful place in the world. It was a perfect day. They had rescued a baby squirrel and the children got to feed it with an eye dropper. They have a pet duck(don't ask me why) and Franny got to give it a bath. And Pete fished all day. Stella led the gaggle of geese to the pond. And then Franny and Cessna danced to bluegrass music in the cherry grove. Truly a perfect day. The kind of day that can only happen in spring. So, it's spring. Be happy. (and take about 8 Benadryls)

jealous, jealous

i cleaned out my pantry this weekend�oh, dear god! what a freak show! we have lived in that house less than 3 years and you cannot believe how nasty it was...the pantry is right off the kitchen (where all pantries are, i guess) and it houses the vacuum cleaner, mops, brooms and dustbin, the dog and cat food, art supplies, tools, electrical cords, all matter of weird party supplies that i have accumulated, i.e., chinese lanterns, witch mobiles, mexican papel de fiesta, bunny napkins, etc., etc. there are also vases and containers, dog leashes and dog brushes, artwork and school work of the children's (that i feel weirdly compelled to save), platters and serving pieces that don't fit anywhere else, an obscene number of mary jane bags, etc., etc., etc., etc......you get the picture. we live in an old house with out much storage space, so everything gets shoved in the pantry. floor to ceiling crap.

and, to make matters worse, franny -- our 2 year old -- loves to feed the animals, so there are little dog and cat food kernels sprinkled everywhere. nasty. why we are not overrun by rodents of an unusual size is beyond me.

so, i cleaned it out (which put me in a foul mood all day sunday) and threw all manner of nonsense out, and placed many other things in more logical places (why did we need to store a collection of swimming goggles in the pantry?), and now it is lovely and organized and not laced with kernels of dog food, and almost even martha stewart-like (but, not quite).

which brings me to the whole thrust of this blabbering.....how do people do it? how does martha do it? how can anybody be so wonderfully organized and color coordinated all the time? and sit around cooking all those elaborate dinners?

i'm a designer, i'm creative, i like for things to look good, but, goodness, i cannot seem to get it together...why is that? is there some magic pill that nobody will tell me about? or am i just missing the clean gene?

here's what i suspect...martha and her ilk (the squeaky clean domestic goddesses) have got to be angry all the time...you would have to be, right? who could possibly work, keep a beautiful house (and i mean one that is not littered with leggos and polly pocket shoes), make a well-balanced, wholesome and delicious dinner every night, whip up some crafty tea-cozies or whatever, and still have the energy left to smile (and i didn't even mention helping with homework, feeding the dogs, taking out the trash, blah, blah, blah).

anyway, that is my rant for the day�clearly, i am just jealous.

jane gray/designer/straydogdesigns

hot and cold

it is February 8th , and it is cold outside. but, of course it is supposed to be cold, it's February. we love to sit around and bemoan nuclear winter and global warming and then when it actually turns cold -- we freak out. or, at least, i do. if it were nice and balmy out there, i would be whining about the environment. why is it we are so eternally dissatisfied? i need to work on that.

here is what usually does satisfy, and sometimes, even thrill me. spring. and I find myself looking forward to it as I sit here freezing, freezing, freezing. I have my mind on what I want to start designing next week and lilies of the valley keep popping into my head, and foxgloves...and poppies.... and cosmos...and nasturtiums....ouch, such delicate and perfect little designs....do you think a bunch of spring flowers will appear in our line this summer? i'm thinking maybe.

new york

it is thursday, jan. 25th, and i am posting a new blog today because i will be leaving for new york in 2 days and will be out of pocket for a while...we will be at the ny gift show until next thursday, or so...poor billy is already on his way to get a jump start on set up...always hellish
i am excited about this show because i am so excited about our new product...i think it is really pretty cool...we have some new tole lamp bases that i really like, and a couple of new iron lighting sconces that i think are very good looking...but, it is the papier mache that i am really, really thrilled with...it is just sooo different from anything i have seen out there...and it has such a great, organic feel to it....we have about 7 lamp bases now, and i love every single one of them...and we did some new stool/accent table things that i LOVE...we used them at the atlanta show (you can see one in the pictures of our showroom from the previous blog) and they are so strong and so comfortable and so functional and just so fabulous...i have not been this pumped about new designs in ages, and it feels good.....we also have some fun birds to sit around and a couple of mirrors in the papier mache that look great....and it is all white, which is so unlike me...but i love it! i think it looks so sleek and fresh and universally usable....but i also can't wait to add color to it, which we will do for the next round of shows...i have tons of other designs in to the manufacturer, and i can't wait to see the samples...my head is just spinning with all of the possibilities....
anyway, i hope that the buyers in ny will be as pleased with the new line as i am...we had a great show in atlanta, but sometimes they can be very different markets...here is what i am not excited about -- the weather...i just heard that there is going to be an arctic blast descending on new york for the next week(the week we'll be there, naturally)...what is an arctic blast? it doesn't sound very friendly, does it? so, if you are going to be at the show, please come see us and bring a nice hot cup of coffee....jane gray/designer/stray dog designs

showtime

today is january the 17th and i am finally getting around to posting blog #2-yeehaw!

i returned from the atlanta gift market the night before last and i am still pretty dazed...january tends to be quite the whirlwind...new samples arrive, either make the the cut or not...off we go with the winners to atlanta, where we spend 3 to 4 days frantically trying to get the showroom togather...back home for a day or 2 and then... it's showtime! 7 days of peddling your wares in a sea of houseware products....

at the atlanta gift show there are 3 buildings, at least 15 floors each, and they are literally filled with every imaginable thing that one could sell for the home or person...talk about consumer overload.

i honestly don't know how buyers do it..it has got to be exhausting, not only physically(comfortable shoes are a must) but mentally and visually...i would have to think that a buyer would be cross eyed by the time they got out of there. certainely there are lots of really gorgeous lines out there and they must be really fun and exciting for the buyer store buyers and designers to see, but there is also A LOT of junk...floors of booth after booth of really horrible. ridiculous and really cheap looking junk. but the good buyers have to wade thru it all looking for the pearls.

luckily for me, i don't have to do that job...we are there to sell and i rarely get out and walk around at all. but i did cruise a bit, and i did see some very pretty things..the line that is in our old showroom is really breathtaking, it is called bobo , and is well worth checking out..and jamie young's lamp line is always lovely...and ther is a newish lamp line called shine that i find stunningly beautiful....and my friend margeret's line(she shares our showroom) is eternally elegant and exciting--fortunata...and in high design, i think bluefish always looks great....there are, of course, hundreds of other great looking lines, but those are what pop into my head from the teeny bit of walking i did...

sales wise we had a fabulous show, and i am really excited about and pleased with our new product, but i will fill you in on that next time...

jane gray/designer/stray dog designs