Archive for March, 2010
We were recently approached by Josh D’Alessio at Quio.me about incorporating our custom pet art in a very cool, clever eCard program. It’s not the typical, convoluted online eCard setup where you have to go online, register, log in, configure your card, enter the email, send it out and then your card’s recipient has to jump 
thorough similar hoops to pick up the card. With Quio (pronounced “Key-oh”) Digital eCards there’s a simple alternative to all this clicking and registering and logging in. Josh has created a program you just download directly onto your desktop so it’s just sitting there ready to go at any time like your own personal stationery. You can send eCards straight from you to your friends’ and family’s inbox with no middle man.
So when Josh asked if we would like to work with him we were flattered and of course and agreed. But then we asked if there was some way we could use the card program to help raise funds for animal cancer research. Many of you know we lost our beautiful Kylie to cancer and our very close friend lost her adorable boy, Trouble, to cancer around the same time. So we are always looking for ways to honor them. Josh was totally agreeable to the idea. We hope you’ll find it a worthy cause too!
Here’s how it works:
The program is super simple and FREE to download. Just click here: http://quio.me/download/papCards.exe
You get to check it all out and send two cards for FREE!
If you decide you love it, just click on the “buy it” option. Then for a very reasonable $20, 100% of our portion of the proceeds ($10) will go to Colorado State University’s Animal Cancer Center (ACC) to support their research and treatment center.
If for some reason you don’t love it, it’s just as easy to uninstall it so no worries there. But we hope in that case you’ll forward it to others who might really enjoy it. Oh, one limitation, the program is not Mac-friendly. But if you are Mac, you can still help out by passing this along to all your PC friends. And if you are PC you can now send a cute, colorful card to all the animal lovers in your life for any occasion!
Thank you so much for your help and support for this cause!
More info about ACC:
CSU’s Animal Cancer Center’s mission “is to improve the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer in pet animals, translating our research and knowledge to also benefit people with cancer.” In their pursuit of this mission, every penny counts! Visit them at www.csuanimalcancercenter.org.
We are certainly no financial experts here and would never consider giving out any investment advice or stock tips, but that’s exactly what the folks at TheStreet.com do. And they put together a list of great stocks for animal lovers to invest in as Pet Stocks continue to thrive even in this down economy:
It’s said that a dog is a man’s best friend, but he could also be your best investment. Pet stocks — those companies that cater to the health and happiness of your furry companion — is arguably the hottest growth market going.
Indeed, amid the greatest consumer downturn of this generation, the pet industry managed to grow 5.4% in 2009 to $45.5 billion, according to the American Pet Products Association (APPA). “Pet suppliers offer more compelling growth prospects than most retail categories,” Morningstar analyst R.J. Hottovy, wrote in a note. And it doesn’t seem like this momentum will slow any time soon, with APPA predicting another 5% jump in 2010.
According to the APPA, 63% of U.S. households own pets, and it’s a number that’s poised to expand, as the trend of humanizing pets has also boosted the sector. Service-based businesses like dog walkers, pooper-scoopers, trainers and even massage-therapists are booming, while day care, pet walking and pet sitting all continue to be in high demand.
Within the sector, the more reliable pet plays are those companies that provide veterinary and animal-health products; while consumers might delay purchasing a new chew-bone for their pup, or might stock up on a cheaper brands of biscuits, they won’t deny medical care to their beloved pet.
In 2009 health-care spending on pets surged 8.5%, as medical advances generated a greater range of services available. “From CAT scans, root canals and cancer surgery, to antibiotics, anti-depressants and even grief counseling, pet owners have more medical choices and spending options than ever before,” the APPA said. The association expects this sector to increase 6% in 2010.
Still, with such a litter of pet-centric companies to choose from — and still others with smaller animal divisions — how can the investor sort through them all?…
Click here to read on and get the complete list of companies they recommend to set up your Pet Portfolio!
We are obviously animal friendly around here but did you know we try to be earth friendly too? We have started a new single stream recycling program for our home and office but our biggest challenge is being environmentally conscious when shipping our portraits. Obviously they are fragile and need to be handled and packaged with care, and we need to use very specifically sized boxes so we have to purchase them new. And most other packing materials are not recycle-able and not even bio-degradable. So for these items we do the next best thing, a little real world recycling… We obtain our packing materials through craigslist and freecycle.com.
Fortunately more and more people are becoming aware of craigslist and freecycle and are using them to keep things out of landfills. Especially after moving, lots of people will post that they have boxes and other packing materials for free to anybody who wants them. We have acquired bags & bags of bubble wrap, packing peanuts, and paper to fill our boxes and securely ship our one of a kind portraits to our clients. So if you order a custom pet portrait of your own you may find the package filled with some paper and some plastic pillows, or some other combination of nice cushy materials keeping your masterpiece protected.
Whenever possible we will REuse a box too, so if we happen to get a conveniently sized shipment from amazon, your portrait may arrive with a familiar smiley face on the box! And it definitely will arrive with a sticker reminding you to please Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle what we’ve sent to you.
Just doing our little part for the planet and hoping you will too! So remember next time you need to pack or ship something check your local craigslist or sign up with freecycle.com!
