More on the Blue Dog love

[judecorp]

So when my Jennifer and I went to New Orleans last year, the high point of the trip (well, one of them - we had a good time) was stumbling across the Rodrigue gallery and getting to stare wistfully at all of the awesome Blue Dog-ness. I have a bit of a Blue Dog obsession that I don't talk about much because a) do you even care that I have a Blue Dog obsession? and b) I'm pretty much exclusively a pop art girl and I know a lot of arty type folks have commentary about that. So anyway, it's just me and my love for Blue Dog most of the time.

But after weeks and weeks of looking at and searching for baby nursery bedding, and coming up with NOTHING that really screams "WE LOVE THIS!" while coming up with some things that say, "We like this but it's not worth spending $400," Jennifer has allowed me the privilege of indulging my Blue Dog nursery fantasy.

Last night we used one of my Amazon codes from a holiday return to order two sets of Blue Dog notecards that we can frame to our hearts' delight! Instead of some froo-froo bedding set, we added some good old-fashioned solid color bedding items to our BRU list (bright red crib skirt, bright red bed sheet, red checked bed sheet, bright blue bed sheet, etc.) and found a mobile that is all primary colors with no animals, letters, cutesies. And we can fill our kid's room with Blue Freaking Dog!!

As much as I love George Rodrigue, though, I'm a little sad (though of course I understand) that he doesn't really mass-market too much of anything. I was hoping to find a Blue Dog wall calendar so I could hang up some bigger things... or to find an actual Blue Dog print that wasn't $1000. Alas, it is not meant to be. Jen is thinking of painting a mock Blue Dog for the baby's room which would be cool as well. I'm also thinking of scanning one of the notecards and printing it out in blue, red, yellow to keep the bright primary color thing going. (Don't tell the art cops.)

I know that babies do not need (nor should they use) quilts/comforters/etc. HOWEVER, they are cute and lovely and beautiful and can at the very least be hung on the wall until they become safe to use. rizzo41 has suggested that I toss out a call to my crafty friends to help.

I was originally skeptical to do this because I didn't want to be all, "Hey you, make stuff for my baby!" but Jodie assures me that some crafty people LIKE being crafty and LIKE to do projects but run out of ideas. So hey, I'll see if that's true. So... it would be kick-ass if some crafty folks could somehow help me out with a really unique and amazing baby quilt that would be in big, bold colors (like primary reds, blues, and yellows, maybe some vibrant green, but especially a Blue Dog blue). (We've looked. All dark primary colored things are full of boats and planes and cars, because apparently only BOYS like bright colors.) Or just suggestions on more things to do to add to the Blue Dog goodness. Or anything.

If people are really interested in doing this, and not from an "Ugh, I have to" standpoint but from a, "Ooh, that would be cool," standpoint, drop me a comment or e-mail and I will mull it over with Jen and Jodie as to how to work it out. And if you have any other suggestions as to how to make a nursery exploding with Blue Dog awesomeness, I am all eyes and ears.

What do you think? Am I totally off my rocker?

Comments

[wendywoowho.livejournal.com]

As Blue Dog is a Corgi, Puck most certainly approves.

Most! Certainly!

Do you have access to an opaque projector? If so, it would make muralizing a lot easier... just project the Blue Dog of your choice on the wall, and mark out your outlines!

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

Yes, she certainly is a Corgi. I think of Puck often! Actually, I think of Puck whenever I see ANY Corgi!

We do have a projector. Jen would LOVE to muralize the walls but I am really weird about murals (as in, don't like them and feel like they keep you from rearranging rooms, which I love to do) and I'm hoping she loves me enough to do it on moveable canvas instead.

But thanks for the tip! And if any REAL Corgis want to make an appearance, well, we can talk.

[changinglight.livejournal.com]

I think that this is an awesome idea. My friend Jenn quilts like there's no tomorrow, and so I shot her an email describing your project, and will see what she says. In the meantime, I will see if Jess and I have any fun ideas rolling around...

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

You know, quilts are amazing things. I have zero desire to do it but I love to have them. Isn't that awful? And not the fake store kind. There are only two quilts in my house and they were both made by someone.

Thanks for asking!

[bigmeanie.livejournal.com]

I'd be thrilled to make a quilt for your baby! Have you seen the one I made for gala and hoo's baby? (Picture) I could do something like that, but in the colors you want, and I'll see about getting a background fabric with blue dogs. (It wouldn't be Blue Dog, but it would be blue dogs.)

All fabrics are high-quality cotton, the batting is cotton, and the threads were both cotton and a cotton-poly blend (because I couldn't find the variegated thread in just cotton!). The final size of this one was about 42" by 48". I know they've used it as something soft for the baby to be on on the floor, and I'm hoping it'll become a favorite blanket as she gets older.

If this is what you have in mind, I'll do a mock-up graphic for you and send it off to you. Let me know what size you want and your due date, too, please. :D

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

That blanket is beautiful - very nice! Sometimes I think I wish I had crafty skillz but then I also realize that I have no attention span for projects... so if it can't be completed in two hours, I will put it down and forget about it for three years. Not the greatest personality trait, I know!

That size is fantastic, and I'd love to see what you have in mind. You Mainers are so crafty!! (My dearest Jodie, the craftiest gal I know, lives in Brewer dontchaknow.) Let me know, too, what we can pay you or offer you in trade or whatever, because I totally know that there is major work involved!

p.s. Jodie was suggesting that whoever wants to make stuff should coordinate together to match things like curtains. What do you think about that?

[bigmeanie.livejournal.com]

I'm not a Mainer.. I just live here. :)

And yes, I think coordinating could very well happen!

[gala.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I even found a diaper in the same dragon print!!

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

Cool!

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

Excellent! I will pass on anything you send me to her.

(And I know you're not a Mainer... but hey, it's fun to say!)

[indigodove.livejournal.com]

Wow! That quilt is beautiful! :-)

[bigmeanie.livejournal.com]

Thanks. :) The backing and binding are made from purple fabric with big green dragons!

[changinglight.livejournal.com]

Also, less expensive prints can be found here:
http://www.bluedogrelief.com/

for Hurricane Katrina relief

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I like those a lot actually - we saw a lot of those in NO. Unfortunately, I don't have $500 to spend on a print either, not any time soon anyway when we could be paying bills. :)

I esp. liked the "Throw me something, FEMA" one... it was right in the front window at the gallery at the time, as Mardi Gras had recently ended.

[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

Ordinarily I'd say yes, and I have plenty of brightly coloured fabric to back it up. I know I cannot possibly promise that anything be done this summer, though. I'm completely swamped with other things right now.


Sorry about that.

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

Well, you do have crazy things like a WEDDING to plan. I don't know what you're thinking, being BUSY. ;)

No one has to make anything, nor feel obligated to want to make anything, which is why I was so leery to bring it up in the first place. I just have ZERO crafting skillz.

[rizzo41.livejournal.com]

It's also generally way cheaper to make something than to buy it. Generally, but not always...

*Cough cough* You might want to toss up the window measurements for the nursery. Maybe the person making a quilt could coordinate with someone else to make matching curtains?

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

You are too PRACTICAL.

Window measurements will come when I can clear the room enough to measure the windows. Heh. :) Because it's the Ugly Room, it's also the room where all of the unpacked crap currently lives. So chic.

But yeah, I will totally do that. I would guess on the window sizes but if the rest of the house is any indication, the windows are a totally different size than any other windows in the house. It's so weird.

*smooch* Did you get any packages yesterday?

[rizzo41.livejournal.com]

I did! Thank you. =) We were in the middle of a blizzard, so I didn't think anything would get delivered. Half the state was shut down, but around 7PM Friday evening the delivery man waded through at least 7 inches of fresh snow (neither the deck or the driveway was cleared) and brought me an adorable delivery. Thank you! I was even going to be a good girl and call, but if I haven't been running the roads this weekend I've been sleeping. I'm an old fucking woman now and I start nodding off around 7:30 most nights. Grumble. Thank you very much! MWAH! Just know that I'm terrible with roses and if the bush is just a pile of brown potpourri next time you visit, I did the best I could.

Thank you!

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

Hey, anyone is better with plants than me. I figured you could give it a good go! I'm glad you got it, even in the nasty weather. Way to go post office!

[indigodove.livejournal.com]

I'd love to help out if I can -- life is a little tospy-turvy at the moment, as you know :-/

Post your colors when you have them, and I'll try something. I do have some bright rainbow-colored varrigated soft yarn, and was thinking that would be for y'all. :-)

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

I will have to scope out the bright colors and see what we like. Thanks!

[lunamoonwmn01.livejournal.com]

I love the Blue Dog! When I was doing relief work in Louisiana after Katrina, we ate (and drank, haha!) at a bar called the Blue Dog all the time (which of course featured a lot of the original artwork. As a thank you, the health department sent us a framed poster. I think it's a GREAT idea for a nursury!

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

I love Blue Dog, too! I'm glad I'm not the only one out there. She is just so cute and blue and lovely!

I didn't see a bar called the Blue Dog. Bummer. :(

[lunamoonwmn01.livejournal.com]

It's in Lafayette : http://www.bluedogcafe.com/

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

Oh wow, my friend goddamnelf lives in Lafayette. I will have to ask him about it!

[sacharine.livejournal.com]

you know, i saw a blue dog book filled with various blue dog things at Barnes and Noble on uber-clearance a while back. As much as it would pain me to destroy a book, you could totally get it, cut out the pics you want, and frame them yourself... still cheaper than $500!

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

I will have to scope it out! I don't normally rip up books either but hey, there's always a first time!

Thanks!

[lemur68.livejournal.com]

I thought you were off your rocker for a minute, because this is what I thought of when I saw "Blue Dog".

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

Woah, SCARY!!

[sunshyne72.livejournal.com]

My cousin was REALLY into the primarys for her first son. One wall, Blue, one red, one green and one yellow. The room is very fun, playful and awesome. She used reds in the crib which was on the blue wall. It looked great. I'll try and find a pic. Anyway it was a fun painting party and now that he's 3 and has a big boy bed, he has yellow sheets and blue comforter. It's really easy to coordinate in that room. Good luck with it... and just go with whatever makes you happy and at ease in the room.

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

Thanks - I think it will be fun. I love primary colors and your cousin's kid's room sounds so cool! :)

We need to have a painting party.

Calendar

[girlinphoenix.livejournal.com]

I happened upon your journal as we have a mutual friend and eh.. regardless I happened upon it.

Blue dog does have a calendar.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0810978660/bluedogstuff-20

Re: Calendar

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I saw that. I guess I should have been more specific. That's a desk calendar rather than a wall calendar, so the images will be smaller (the same size, probably, as the notecards we ordered and we'd have to take a book apart). I was hoping for a desk calendar because those pictures are usually bigger and ready for framing.

Thanks for stopping in! :)