The Lavender Apple

Country Cottage Bathroom Update

5:11 AM

Dog Washing Tips

5:01 AM

We have two beautiful big dogs here on the Lavender Apple Farm. When it comes to bathing them, each one has his own personality and quirks when it comes to getting clean.

A lot of dogs hate getting bathed. Can you blame them? They are getting restrained, then soaked in cold of water, and covered in scented suds. But there are several things you can do to help your dog actually enjoy getting bathed.

Obviously make sure your water is a good temperature, not too hot, not too cold. Also, make sure you are careful not to get water or soap in your dogs eyes or ears.

Speaking of soap, a good dog soap is key. Avoid using human shampoo, because that is actually really drying on dogs sensitive skin. You can buy our natural lavender dog soap HERE Our Lavender Dog Soap is made wtth goat's milk. Our dog soap is made with tea tree and neem oil which is healing for your dogs scalp and will even keep the bugs off you dog. Try it you and your dog will love it.

Brush your dogs coat to remove loose fur and those dreaded tangles. Be gentle and try not to tug on the skin while doing this. When your dog is wet all over, apply your soap from the neck down and massage it into his skin. Its good practice to check your sweetie pie for any lumps or any other oddies you may notice that may need veterinary care. Use a damp cloth to wipe any dirt from his mouth and eyes.

Dogs hair is much thicken than human hair, so you have to be extra diligent to ensure all of the soap has rinsed off. This is why using something natural and chemical free is a plus because if you accidentally leave some on his coat, it won't cause itching.

Pet stores offer super absorbent towels you can use to help dry off. Or, if your dogs are like ours, they will immediately find some grass or dirt to roll around in after all of your hard work. We like to give our dogs a treat as well after a bath as a reward so they associate this as a positive activity.

What other tips or tricks do you use when bathing your fur babies? We'd love to hear!

DIY

I Spy Quilt

5:43 AM

Peggy recently made an "I SPY" quilt for her 2 year old grandson. I personally had never heard of these before and thought it was such a darling idea! The basic gist is that you round up squares with different fun kid themed patterns on them. You sew them all together into a quilt and then play "I spy" with your toddler. It was such a hit with Peggy's grandson! He was giggling and hopping around so excited to find the next image we would "spy" for him. He loves sleeping with his new blankie from grandma and I expect this will be a family heirloom for years to come!

You can choose any size of fabric squares to use. You can also decide to make your blanket as big or small as you'd like. Our squares were about 6 inches by 6 inches and we made our blanket about 10 squares across. But like I said, you can make your squares and your length/width of your blanket whatever size you want just depending on the number of squares you use and how large they are. Finding this many different fun fabrics was a lot of work, but it was really enjoyable!

Step 1: lay out your squares in whatever patter you'd like. Then start sowing the rows together

You basically are sowing them with the right sides of the fabrics facing each other so the seam isn't shown when you fold it open.

Once the rows are each sew together individually in long strips, then you sow each row together using the same method.

You will want to have picked out a backing fabric for the opposite side. You will lay out your batting, then cover it with your fabric on each side and pin it in place.

You will want your backing and fabric to be slightly larger than your squares because you will be folding your backing fabric over and sewing it down to create a clean edge.

This was the first quilt Peggy had ever made and it turned out so adorable and only took a few hours! Well worth the effort for how much it has been loved already!