Matt Mets @ Make: Online writes:

To help keep her dog Tucker warm and visible at night, Hack Pittsburgh member Val made him this awesome light-up dog hoodie. After fashioning a hoodie for him using her leet sewing skills, complete with a silk-screened skull for decoration, she added a light-detection circuit that turns on a set of LEDs when it gets dark out, ensuing that he will remain visible at all times. She had originally planned to use a Lilypad to control the LEDs, but after some experimentation determined that it would be too big to fit on the small dog. Excellent work! She has a short write-up on her website, and a walk-through of the process on her Flickr set.

This hamster home, hacked from an IKEA Expedit bookcase, is amazing. Martina created the hamster mansion complete with loads of space for running, and even a compartment filled with bedding in which her pet can burrow (all while she watches through a glass window). I better make sure our pet rat, Reese, doesn't see this or he's going to be awfully jealous .... [via Apartment Therapy and IKEA Hacker]

Stephanie the Multi-Tasking Mama is guest blogging on Crafty Chica, where she shows us how to convert a photo of a beloved pet into a fabric portrait suitable for a stocking or even framing!

Speaking of reusable coffee cup holders, Ana of Paco Collars just announced their gorgeous leather coffee cup cozy (aka coozie). You can still get it in time for Christmas if you order it today. (Same goes for the beautiful handmade dog collars, human belts and bracelets, and other leather goods.) If you want to try making your own, Ana wrote a great leather dog collar how-to for CRAFT, volume 10.

I can't wait to parade my sweet boxer, Stella Baby Star, around in her ballerina costume on Halloween. She is the most social and loving pet, and she always insists on being the center of attention. Last night, as I was working on my own Halloween outfit, she looked up at me with her sad eyes that clearly seemed to say, "Brookelynn, I want to be a ballerina, will you make me a tutu, pretty please?" How could I say no? Follow my easy steps to make a tutu for your prima-donna dog! And, always remember to keep a watchful eye on any pet when they are dressed up. Oh, and treats help during fittings!

Glamourpuss: The Enchanting World of Kitty Wigs by Julie Jackson
Book Site: kittywigs.com

Julie Jackson who brings us Subversive Cross Stitch and Kitty Wigs has reached "eleven" in terms of cuteness with her new book, Glamourpuss: The Enchanting World of Kitty Wigs. The fashionable kitties, photographed by Jill Johnson, are styled in various Kitty Wigs amid scenes of their fashionable life. Hey, it's the world of the supermodel kitties! I love each of the hilarious kitty quotes that go with each photo making it super believable that these kitties are living some kind of extraordinary life that we get a glimpse into.

Book Giveaway Time!
We are giving away 3 copies of Glamourpuss. Just leave a comment in this post and tell us why you want this book. Please make sure you include your email address in the comment form field (won't be published). All comments will be closed by Noon PST on Thursday, October 29th. The lucky winners will be announced on the site. Good luck!

Halloween is clearly not just for humans. Down Under Dog Designs has some amazingly adorable dog costumes in their Etsy shop. My favorite is the Big Bad Wolf costume, custom-made to fit your dog's exact measurements, whether your pooch be big like the one pictured above or little like the ones below.

If your dog is docile enough (or even not?), you could try dressing it up as a bunch of grapes for Halloween. Might be good for just the photo-op, even.

Instructables user Doggie Stylish writes:

Martingale collars are a very popular choice for dog trainers. They are not a severe as a regular choke collar since they cannot infinitely tighten and choke the dog. This instructable will show you how to make a martingale collar from scratch.

While on You Tube, I came across my new favorite channel, Cooking with Dog, a Japanese cooking show complete with a poodle host/sidekick. Makes me love Japan even more now. It also reminds me of one of my favorite Nintendo games, Cooking Mama. Watch this video on how to make a bento box.

Crochet Cat Toy Pattern
By Kristin Roach

I am so happy to be here with all of you for the next two weeks. Guest writing for CRAFT is such an honor! Thank you so much to Natalie and all the wonderful CRAFT team for having me. I am so excited about the next two weeks and all the fun projects, tutorials, and inspirations I get to share with you.

My name is Kristin Roach and I am visiting from Craft Leftovers, my craft blog all about using up my leftovers craft supplies and inspiring others to do the same. Learn to create uniquely wonderful handmade projects using what is on hand. There are free patterns, tutorials, book reviews, interviews, and general musings about stash. In the next two weeks I'm going to share with you some of my favorite ways to use up yarn leftovers!

Today, get started using up yarn bits with a cute catnip mouse. Needing under 20g of yarn and a catnip pillow, it's just the thing to use your yarn ends up and make your (or your friends') cat really happy!

Materials

1 catnip pillow
10g or less of Color A worsted yarn
10g or less of Color B worsted yarn
Size D hook

Directions

Learn how to start your crochet project with a magic loop (adjustable loop) on Crochet Me. Don't have a catnip pillow on hand? Learn how to make your own catnip pillow.

This pattern was first featured in the September issue of Craft Leftovers Monthly, a print extension of Craft Leftovers!

When chilly winds start to blow, your best friend can battle the elements in cozy style with a dog coat made from a recycled jacket. For the raw materials, you can tap into the never-ending supply of jackets in thrift shops and yard sales, where I often find the racks chock full of color and fabric choices. Or consider Plan B: make the dog coat from a favorite in your closet that's outgrown or showing its wear. You'll keep it all in the family with one more hand-me-down recipient, the dog.

This project is a how-to for transforming an old jacket into a new dog coat. Once you've assembled the materials, you'll find it goes quickly. A dog coat is basically a flat piece of fabric that needs edge finishing and a means to stay put on the dog. Here are the main steps:

1. Select a dog coat pattern.
2. Lay it out on the recycled jacket.
3. Cut it.
4. Finish the edges.
5. Sew on the velcro fastening.

A group of Japanese artists are recycling roof tiles and making them into birdhouses. I like the look, and otherwise these tiles would be going to waste. Via BBG.

Here's how you can take a dollar store analog clock and make your cat a feeder that will allow her small meals throughout the day. This is perfect for cats like mine with sensitive stomachs or behavioral food issues.

Usually here on CRAFT, we like to interview crafters about their crafty businesses. I know you are thinking I must have lost it, because it looks like I'm profiling a pet store. Yes, I am. But this pet store is a special one. To finish off our We <3 Pets theme this month, I have a profile of two crafters who started out with an idea to open up a custom clothing boutique and instead created an organic, healthy, and fun haven for dogs and cats.

Meet Shireen Nyden (right) and Suzie Yannes (left), owners of South Paw, the local pet store which opened in 2005 near where I live. It's an offshoot of their very successful pet store, Pawtrero, located in Potrero Hill, which started back in 2002. Shireen loves to sew and had the idea to move back to San Francisco from New York to start a clothing boutique. Suzie was a freelance graphic designer (she's worked layouts for Taunton craft books), and the two of them became friends after meeting at a local dog park. The were both set to start their new crafty business, that is until the health of their dogs came into the forefront of their lives. Suzie's dog Jackson had an allergic reaction to canned dog food, with bumps that wouldn't go away. Her vet continued to tell her it was allergies. Suzie ended up switching his food to natural food, and later raw foods. The bumps disappeared, and Jackson has been healthy ever since. Shireen's dog, Cheyenne, was sick and similarly became healthy with raw food.

The duo switched gears and decided to focus the business on the mission of helping people learn how to keep their pets healthy with natural and raw foods. They don't sell commercial pet foods or supplies. Think organic, eco-friendly, and handmade — for pets. Both their shops carry foods, mostly from local producers. They also feature a lot of indie goods for pets from toys to bags to handmade treats. (Contact them if you are interested in showcasing your pet goods.)

What's next for the ladies? Coming up this fall is their new e-commerce website, along with a delivery service for San Francisco. They are also in the works of developing custom raw food for dogs with special diets. And their annual Halloween event, set for October 25th, is promised to be even bigger this year! (That's where the Star Wars dogs made their debut.)

It's always a treat to go in the store when both of them are working. We can talk dogs, crafts, and usually always end up laughing. It's like a second home for Lulu, who can now "shake" and "high-five," thanks to the warmth and hospitality of Shireen and Suzie. Of course, Lulu wouldn't even let me take a picture of them without being in the photo herself!

View more photos in the slideshow below or view my Flickr set:

South Paw Bathhouse & Feed Co.
199 Brannan St
San Francisco, Calif. 94107-2004
(415) 882-7297

Pawtrero Bathhouse & Feed Co.
199 Mississippi St
San Francisco, Calif. 94107
(415) 863-7297
www.pawtrero.com

Crafter Lee Meredith of leethal.net likes to shake things up at home with her furry kitty and crafty assistant, Banzo.

Name of Pet: Garbanzo (we call her Banzo or Foofer...)

Pet Type: Shelter kitty.

Favorite activity: Chasing the mysterious red light that comes out of the laser pointer.

Favorite food: Natural Purrz Tender Chicken "healthy moist cat treats"

What does your pet do when you are crafting? Usually finds a place to flop down near me and watch but pretends she doesn't care at all and it's just a coincidence that she's there. Once in awhile she'll think my knitting yarn is a toy, or try to help by batting at buttons. One time she really did help me unravel a recycled sweater by pulling at the other end so I could rip it out faster and easier -- I want to train her to do that all the time!

Best thing about your pet: If she does something bad (like fish out a ball of handspun yarn and drag it across the room) and I yell at her, she goes off to sulk for a couple hours. Then she apologizes by being extra cute and purrs like crazy when I forgive her and scratch her head.

If your pet could talk, what do you think she would say? "I don't care about you at all, whatever..." then 10 minutes later "Wait, where are you going? What are you doing? Is it fun? Can I come?"

Can you share a pet tip you've learned since having your pet? In super crazy heat, wet the cat comb with cold water and brush her. The water cools her and helps shed lots of excess fur.

We're celebrating pets her on Craftzine, so take a look at two easy cat toys you can make at home. One is a tassel type toy for the end of your stick/string toy, meant to be swappable with a piece of ball chain as an attachment, and the other is a crochet and needle felted catnip toy made from wool.

Subscribe to CRAFT in iTunes or download the m4v video.

Make your eco-pet proud with this collar made out of recycled materials. By turning food wrappers and bedding pouches into neck decor, you'll find that feline fashion is in the bag!

Crafter Jamie Chan loves her Amazon Parrot so much, she named her indie business after her! Mary Jane's Attic was her online store for years to the point that when I first met Jamie, I thought her name was Mary Jane. Mary Jane's Attic eventually lead to her her brick and mortar fiber store, Urban Fauna Studio, located in San Francisco (1311 16th Avenue). We always knew about the great fiber, now we can find out more about Mary Jane herself!

Name of Pet: Mary Jane

Pet Type: Yellow Fronted Amazon Parrot

Favorite activity: Hanging upside down from her cage, trying to finagle peanuts from her parrot kong toy, grooming (lots of it), getting her head scratched, morning showers, and long walks on the living room carpet.

Favorite food: Chili Peppers, Strawberries and Peanuts

What does your pet do when you are crafting? Mary Jane serves as quality control officer on all Mary Jane's Attic fibers and yarns. Each piece is strictly "beak tested". She likes to unravel yarn and construct a nest from wool scraps.

Best thing about your pet: She is incredibly cheerful. Of all our pets, she is always in a good mood. Eager to greet us when we enter the room and she enjoys a good joke....even if she doesn't quite get it all.

If your pet could talk, what do you think he/she would say? Our pet can talk! Most of the time I hear her say "Hi, Hello!", "Love you baby", "Woo, woo honey" and "What?" I imagine what she would say if you had more practice is "Stop playing so much NPR....puleeaze!" since we leave talk radio on all day for her when we go to work!

Can you share a pet tip you've learned since having your pet? Well, first off watch what you say around parrots. Many can mimic you, from dirty words to bodily noises. The Amazon parrot's lifespan is 40-80 years (I've met an 85 year old Amazon) so plan to change their cage arrangement (who doesn't like to remodel?) and toys on a regular basis. Be sure to feed them lots of fresh veggies and fruits but avoid foods with caffeine, coffee, kidney beans, lima beans and avocados. These foods are dangerous for parrots. And bathe your Amazon parrot on a regular basis, it does wonders for her mood and her skin!

In Jamie's crafty news, her store Urban Fauna Studio is turning one year old soon! There will be a fun party and giveaway at the end of August. Subscribe to the mailing list or check out the Urban Fauna Studio blog for more details.

Catnip Castle
A kitty playground we can all enjoy!
By Julia Szabo

As a pet lifestyle expert, I'm often asked the question, "What do cats want?" The answer is simple: A fun outlet for their instinctive needs to scratch and climb. Unfortunately, most commercial pet playgrounds consist of towers (aka "cat condos") and scratching posts swathed in hideous nylon broadloom.

If you dread displaying these eyesores at home, you can now make your very own Catnip Castle. Easy to craft out of corrugated cardboard, it mounts to the wall, niftily saving room in small spaces. While the Castle's sculptural lines are aesthetically appealing, it also works as furniture insurance, keeping Kitty's claws gainfully occupied.

We all know and love Crafty Chica's Kathy Cano-Murillo for her amazing craft projects and sparkling personality. But did you know this star crafter has not one but five chihuahuas at home to give her love?

Name of Pets: We have five! Ozzy, Bianca, ChaCha, Bootsie and Captain Kirk (she is a girl, go figure!)

Pet Type: Chihuahuas

Favorite activity: Barking and/or howling in unison, sleeping, having their picture taken, following me around the house, car rides, dips in the pool, snacking.

Favorite food: They love the Rachael Ray dog food. We tried it one time and now they won't eat anything else. They like to pick up a few pieces in their mouths, carry them around and then play with them before eating them. Our dog, Bootsie, he likes to lie on his back, and swat a piece of food back and forth in the air with his paws. He'll play with it for several minutes before he finally chomps it!

What do your pets do when you are crafting? They sleep under me. They like to fight over who gets to rest their heads on my feet.

Best thing about your pets: They are so loyal and lovable! They are very entertaining to watch.

Ozzy (tan with pointy ears), our oldest, is finicky like a cat. He inspects anything before he dare eats it. He loves chew toys and puts them in a pile in front of him and covers them with his paws. Of course, this only entices the other dogs to steal them away! Ozzy is calculating. He waits until bedtime and sneaks behind the curtain until everyone is asleep and then he curls up by my side.

Bootsie (black) is like a little bandit. He loves to run up and swipe Ozzy's toys away, right from out of his mouth! He snags anything and everythign and dives under the bed. We recently moved the bed and found bras, socks, papers, stickers, even Ozzy's collar!

Bianca (tan with floppy ears) is the ultimate mama dog. She spends all day cleaning everyone's ears and bodies. If we hold her close, she attempt to clean our ears too! She does have a maldita side (bad girl). She likes to steal Ozzy's toys when he isn't looking, she trots away with a toy in her mouth and hide it outside, on the side of the house.Poor Ozzy!

ChaCha (furry white) thinks she is a movie star. She always sits on the highest pillow or the highest couch cushion. She is half Maltese and half Chihuahua. She has weird, wiry fur. People see her for the first time and gasp in horror because she is 'ugly-cute'. We have a running joke that she thinks it is her beauty that stops them in their tracks. When she sees herself in a mirror or in a window she growls - as if she is saying, "Who is that ugly dog staring at me?"

Captain Kirk (small white) is our puppy. We have to put pillows on the floor by the couch and bed so she can jump up. She barks to demand things and then whimpers when she doesn't get them. Bark and whimper. Bark and whimper. So cute. The other morning I woke up to a Captain Kirk necklace! She was curled up under my chin! Bootsie is teaching her how to steal Ozzy's toys!

If your pets could talk, what do you think they would say? "Who are these crazy humans, and how did we end up here?"

Can you share a pet tip you've learned since having your pet? Give them equal love, take them on family adventures, play games with them to keep their minds stimulated. They love it!

Calling all Salty Sea Dogs
Your matey will look shipshape in this piratical costume.
By Andrea DeHart

I've never owned a store-bought costume. I was one of those kids lucky enough to have
a super crafty mom who would jump on her sewing machine and whip up anything from a placemat to a prom dress without hesitation. When Halloween came around each year, she would fulfill our wildest fantasies no matter what the request. I loved my homemade costumes, and no other kid in school had a custom costume like mine. Following in my mom's footsteps, I too enjoy the thrill of the challenge. So when I was asked to design a canine costume, I said, "Aye, Cap'n!"

If you're looking to turn your dog pal into a swashbuckling seafarer with style, set your sights on this project. Moderate sewing skills are required, but the supplies will only set you back a couple of doubloons. Although the outfit was created for a pug, you can easily alter the pattern pieces to fit most small dogs.

Pirate accoutrements complete the costume; included in the pattern are a functional pirate hat and belt. Don't forget to pick up a miniature fake parrot for the shoulder (or train yours if you have a real one). Other pirate pizzazz to plunder: a small toy sword, a pouch filled with gold coins, an eye patch, a treasure chest, a large bone, and some gold hoop earrings. Mass-market costumes can walk the plank!

From the UK, Youdoodoll offers kits to make doll replicas of your dog (or your cat or your self, for that matter). The DIY dog doll kit comes with one blank pet, one collar, one iron-on transfer sheet, one doggy t-shirt, and instructions. You can order one in the States for under 20 bucks from Buy Olympia. For kicks, be sure to check out the photo gallery to see hilarious pics like this one of Mitzy:

Name of Pet: Potato

Pet Type: Dwarf Hottot Rabbit

Favorite activity: Chewing, running, eating kale, hopping, mayhem

Favorite food: Any leafy green but kale in particular. He also loves cords, shoes straps and vintage books.

What does your pet do when you are crafting? Potato likes to "help". He picks up pieces of fabric with his teeth and tosses them around. Today I was sewing and turned around the see Potato sitting on my little tabletop ironing board, just sort of overseeing all my activity.

Best thing about your pet: He's so surprising. He is my first rabbit and getting to know a rabbit personality is really fun. I love when he does his crazy little spastic side-jumps. They are supposed to be expressions of pure joy.

If your pet could talk, what do you think he/she would say? Potato is constantly exploring and sniffing so I think he would just be like, "ooh, what's this? what's this? can I eat it?" on a constant loop.

Can you share a pet tip you've learned since having your pet? Don't give your rabbit too much sweet stuff. People always want to give him carrots but they should only have a tiny piece as a treat.

In crafty news, Kayte's got a brand new book coming out later this year, Appliqué Your Way published by Chronicle Books.

Catnip, Nepeta, is a pretty plant that will thrive in most everyone's garden. This potent plant is known for driving cats wild, a fact that often overshadows how lovely it is to grow.

Catnip is a flowering perennial, meaning once you plant it, it lives year after year. The leaves are silvery green and heart-shaped with a serrated edge. The flowers are generally pale purple and they look a little bit like a lavender flower. Harvest its leaves to entice the cat, and it will be a fun-filled addition to your landscape.