Easiest {no sew} Small Dog Snood {infinity scarf} Tutorial!

Posted on February 4, 2015 by Roeshel

Have a small dog? This is the easiest {no sew} small dog snood {or infinity scarf} tutorial!

Our Italian Greyhound, Rosie, has very little body fat and very short fur. Needless to say, she’s not a happy to be walking in a winter wonderland type girl (she’s so much like me). Even if it’s summer time, she’s burrowed under her blankets on the couch in the a/c. So you can imagine winter time = sweaters, pajamas, coats.

While I was doing some online shopping, I came across something called a “snood”.

Snood: (/snuːd/, rhymes with ‘food‘, not ‘wood‘) is historically a type of European female headgear, or in modern times a tubular neck scarf. In the most common form, the headgear resembles a close-fitting hood worn over the back of the head.

I’ve seen dog snoods for sale but my DIY-eye saw the opportunity for a super easy tutorial where I could choose the patterns and colors for a lot less than $12+ each and not have to wait for (or pay for) delivery.

Ready to make one?

Small Dog Snood Tutorial

1. Shop your closet or thrift shop for a stretchy long-sleeved knit shirt or thermal shirt (this type works best as it won’t unravel or need hemmed).

2. Make sure the cuff area stretches enough to go over your dog’s head comfortably. It should be loose fitting but not so loose it’s hanging. Loose but snug. Got that? Italian Greyhounds have VERY small heads so this is perfect for Rosie.

3. Then simply cut the sleeve off near the armpit area/where the shirt meets the shoulder. Cut your snood shorter if desired. 3/4 length sleeves work too!

Ta-da! The easiest DIY no-sew dog snood ever!

If using a sweater, you may have to hem the larger cut side of the sleeve to prevent un-raveling.

I paid 1.50 for size large shirts from the thrift shop. That’s $3.00 for 4 snoods! Or FREE if you end up cutting up shirts from your own closet. Well, maybe minus the money you’ll need to replace your wardrobe if you go crazy.

I snoodle her by putting her head through the larger part of the snood first (the side I cut), letting it naturally bunch around her neck/collar area. If it’s too bulky, remove and cut the sleeve shorter. The smaller cuff area rests closest to her ears and top of her head, the larger part of the sleeve sits at her shoulders.

Rosie mostly wears them as infinity scarves over her collar but when it’s cold, I pull it up over her ears for her outdoor potty breaks. Awe, baby! Or is that granny? Too cute either way!

And for those concerned about safety, Rosie only wears her snood under adult supervision.

Please supervise your snood-wearing pooch.

Note: Rosie is a 10 lb. senior dog with a tiny skull. If your dog is larger, try sewing a larger version using a stretchy fabric and by looking at the shape of a shirtsleeve and the size of your dog. You don’t have to be a professional seamstress, just a few simple stitches. Results may vary. 🙂

Update: And just like that, that quick, one DIYShowOff reader has already raided her closet and a few minutes later, her sweet chihauhaus are cozy and warm! This is Phoebe & Sable. They love to snuggle. Aren’t they cute?! Thanks for sharing, Mary-Louise! xo

Share your photos and show off your snoodled pups by emailing them to thediyshowoff at gmail dot com.

More DIY:

DIY Lightning Bug Dog Costume

Posted on October 15, 2014 by Roeshel

The Michaels’ Makers October challenge is ‘Halloween costume’. How fun! I received a gift card to create a cute lightning bug costume for my love bug, Rosie, our Italian greyhound.

This will only fit small super skinny dogs. Rosie weighs in at 10 lbs. Alter the design to fit your dog’s size – sleeves of an old black t-shirt? Or sewing two stretchy/knit bands that fit your dog snug but comfortably.

Materials I used:

a pair of fuzzy black socks (or see suggestions above for fitting your dog)
small LED light
black tape
velcro
black pipe cleaner
peel & stick black glitter felt
black glitter felt

What I did:

Cut the ends off of each sock.

Fold adhesive felt in half and cut out a set of wings. (I drew out a few shapes to practice/choose a shape that I liked best). Remove backing, place onto black felt and cut around the ‘wings’. This gives the wings a little more sturdiness.

Cover light with black tape.

One of the socks will go around the neck. Poke the end of a pipe cleaner into the sock, fold pipe cleaner in half. Twist the base and curl the ends.

Towards the other end of the length of the sock, cut a small hole using a pair of scissors. That hole will allow a felt patch with velcro to show through for securing the wings.

Attach a piece of velcro to the under side of the wings.

I added a piece of velcro to the back of the light and cut a small hole in one end of the second sock.

Cut rectangles from remaining felt. Attach a 3″ strip of velcro to each square of felt (velcro opposite of that used on the wings and light).

Dress the dog! One sock around her neck (this fits my dog comfortably). The other sock fits around her waist area, below her rib cage.

Once the socks were on my dog, I tucked the felt square into each sock with the velcro side facing the small holes. Attach wings and light, velcro side down to velcro showing through the small hole.

She’s more interested in being a cuddle bug than being a lightning bug Halloween costume model.

Isn’t she the cutest lightning bug ever?

Do you dress your pets for Halloween? Do they tolerate it? Act a bit embarrassed (like Rosie)? Roll around or proudly show off?

*Note: Please take your own dog’s temperament, personality into consideration and make your pet’s safety your priority.

More Halloween costume inspiration:

Costume ideas from the Michaels’ Makers team (full linky at 10 a.m. CST):

An InLinkz Link-up

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Check out Michaels’ Halloween Market lookbook or Halloween Pinterest board for some project favorites, including costumes, personalized pumpkins, porch décor and more.
Haven’t decided what you want to be yet? Take a look at some of Michaels DIY Halloween costume projects on Michaels.com for inspiration.

As a member of the Michaels’ Makers team, I receive a gift card to complete and share fun craft challenges.

Animal Humane Society Before and After Grand Reveal and Adoption Event

Posted on August 23, 2014 by Roeshel

Helloooo, DIY friends! I’ve just returned from an awesome packed few days where I partnered with Purina Cat Chow in assisting with a fun makeover of the Animal Humane Society in Golden Valley, MN. Exciting and so rewarding!

The Purina Cat Chow “Building Better Lives” program is committed to helping improve the lives of cats across the country by supporting 50 cat-focused shelters nationwide – one in every state! – and donating a generous $275,000 in renovation and adoption support, product and monetary donations as well as a possible $50,000 donation to The Petfinder Foundation, for a total donation of up to $325,000. Wow! Purina Cat Chow identified three of the participating 50 shelters for on-site makeovers of their cat facilities valued at $50,000 each or $150,000 total. The makeovers include custom changes and upgrades to meet the specific needs for each facility. Bri and I were so excited to lend a hand!

The work in progress and awesome team effort:

Purina Cat Chow, a DIY blogger, a skilled contractor and awesome volunteers…we did it!

Ready for some before and after shots of the cat colony room designs? Let’s go!

before

after

Stairs leading up to a shelf that sits level with the window gives cats a better view. Glass walls give potential pet parents a ‘showcase’ view.

3D hexagon/honeycomb cubbies are fun and interactive for the cats and a clean modern fit for the adoption center’s new look.

before

after

Three cat towers reach to the windows for lounging in the sun and bird watching.

before

after

Stairs to a cat walk give the cats a better view and showcase the frisky felines in the adoption center.

from outside the window

I love the cat wall murals, don’t you?

Easy reach cat toy storage for visitors…

The cats are loving the new environment…

So many sweet cats looking for forever homes.

And the entire adoption process has been streamlined so that it will feel less like an interview process and more like a conversation. Those looking to adopt will be in love with the center’s changes too.

The Grand Reveal Party and Adoption Drive started with a ribbon cutting ceremony and provided tours, a vintage photo booth, DJ, giveaways, cupcakes and beverages, balloon animals, face painting, food trucks and TONS of super cute adoptable cats and kittens. So.much.fun!

Purina Cat Chow believes every cat deserves a forever home. The “Building Better Lives” program helps local cats find new homes at all 50 of the brand’s shelter partners.

How can you help? Purina Cat Chow will donate up to $50,000 to The Petfinder Foundation if from now until Sept. 2, at least 1,500 stories are shared with the brand’s social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) using the hashtag #myrescuestory. This donation will be used to support 50 Petfinder.com shelters to help support future cat adoption fees. Find out more about the Building Better Lives program at Purina Cat Chow.

Thanks SO much to Purina Cat Chow for sponsoring/inviting me to participate in this amazing opportunity to help sweet cats find forever homes and for all of the friendly volunteers and staff from the Animal Humane Society for their assistance and guidance, my daughter and assistant, Bri, for all of her help and support, along with one super skilled contractor, Tim Pond and his assistant, for his brainstorming and building genius.

Cat Colony Room Designs

Posted on August 18, 2014 by Roeshel

It’s happening! Remember me telling you about the Humane Society makeover in progress with the Building Better Lives campaign hosted by Purina Cat Chow? (I shared about it here.)That’s where I’ll be this week, pitching in and lending a hand. Maybe a cat snuggle or two in there somewhere.

Oh goodness…the kitties! I want to pack them all up in my suitcase to bring home with me! So.much.adorable-ness. I can’t stand it!

I’ve had the pleasure of working on three cat colony room designs and what a fun challenge! The adoption center is the largest in the stage of Minnesota has been working to transform the institutional look to a more fun, modern, comfortable streamlined process. So exciting!

Here are the rooms before…

And here were some of the room designs…

Fun, right? I’ll be sharing which plans were approved. Fingers crossed that all goes smoothly and according to plan!

The grand reveal is coming up! Stay tuned!

There’s still time for you to share your rescue story. Just use this: #myrescuestory with a photo of your sweet pet(s) on social media. Here’s my rescue story. Once 1500 #myrescuestory tags are reached, Purina Cat Chow will donate $50,000 to Petfinder.com! Let’s help these cuties find homes!

#MyRescueStory {and Pet DIY}

Posted on August 7, 2014 by Roeshel

Meet: CocoRosie or as we call her, “Rosie”. An Italian Greyhound.

Ever since we lost our beloved doxie (Niski) a few years back, I’ve been wanting to open our hearts and home to another dog but just didn’t feel ready. I was just heartbroken. Even now when I think about her, my eyes tear up. I loved that little sausage dog.

When I truly began to settle down into my empty nest, it just felt too quiet. I mean, Lalka, our ragdoll cat is super sweet but most days, she has her own agenda, comes out of hiding or wakes up from napping and plays on her own terms. Cats are so independent. When she’s not bullying the dog, she’s hunting mice but mostly, she’s enjoying cat naps. Or as the baby of our family, looking to get into mischief.

Meet “Lalka”:

And a lot of times, she’s supervising my DIY projects…just to make sure I’m doing things right.

diy cat window perch

and always ready for her photo op….

DIY photo backdrop

Meet: Sneaks. And you may not know this, but we actually have a second cat. His name is Sneaks. He was rescued/adopted by my husband before we met. He is super sweet. He currently resides at my husband’s office (he loves people but isn’t a fan of other animals) so he has taken to welcoming and putting clients at ease. He takes his job as VP of public relations very seriously.

I started considering welcoming a dog into our lives again. However this time I knew I’d prefer to rescue an adult rather than adopt a puppy and so the hunt began.

I saw an Italian Greyhound who needed a home on Craig’s List. Unfortunately by the time I called, he already had a new home but it got me to researching the breed a little more. And the breed seemed like a good fit. It seemed as if we had a lot in common!

Italian Greyhounds:

Small in size.
Short fur/little shedding.
Imaginative.
Funny.
Snuggly and affectionate.
Gentle.

And after more research, I discovered a local/tri-state Italian Greyhound Rescue. After more thought, I finally applied. The adoption process was more than I anticipated with paperwork and a home visit but understandingly so. Our home visit was completed by a friendly IG loving/owning couple in our town who brought their little guy with them for us to meet. He was just so irresistible, the couple so kind and knowledgable. Before we knew it, we were approved!

I was looking for an adult female Iggy. It took about 3-4 months before we found her.

Lucky for us, that same couple that did our home visit began to foster Italian Greyhounds in our town and had a sweet little girl.

I was nervous. I was hesitant. Would I love a new dog as much as I loved our dachshund? Would she be a good fit to our laid back, boring life?

Name: CocoRosie

Breed: Italian Greyhound

Age: 8 years old

Weight: 10 lbs.

Favorite past time: Burrowing under the blankets, sleeping.

Then I met her. 10 lbs. of the sweetest little dog. Calm. Relaxed. So well behaved.

I fell head over heels in love with her. She is super sweet! Those big brown eyes. Her personality is so similar to our doxie…even down to the love of burrowing under the blankets! And guess what – she is perfectly house trained as well! Bonus!

And they aren’t kidding when they call IGs “velcro dogs”. If I’m on the couch, she’s on the couch. If I get up to go to another room, she follows. If I walk out the door, her nose is looking out the French door glass. If I’m on the patio, she’s right there. She never leaves my side.

Rosie has been enjoying some attention here at DIYShowOff…

DIY shaded Dog Bed

You’ll spy a greyhound silhouette in a few DIY tutorials (one coming up soon too)…

fabric interfacing tutorial

She is always by my side for the past year and a half. I think I’ll keep her. 😉 Let’s hear more about your pet!

Have you rescued a pet? Share a picture using the #myrescuestory. For more details, check out the Building Better Lives campaign.

Building Better Lives Campaign

Posted on August 5, 2014 by Roeshel

DIYShowOff is excited to be partnering with Purina Cat Chow in the Building Better Lives program! Woo hoo!

Wait. What is it?

Purina Cat Chow is committed to helping improve the lives of cats across the country by supporting 50 cat-focused shelters nationwide (FIFTY!) – one in every state – and donating $275,000 in renovation and adoption support, product and monetary donations as well as a possible $50,000 donation to The Petfinder Foundation, for a total donation of up to $325,000. WOW!

Bri and I are dedicated to helping in anyway we can to spread the word. If we could, we would bring home ALL of these cuties with us.

Purina Cat Chow identified three of the participating 50 shelters for on-site makeovers of their cat facilities valued at $50,000 each or $150,000 total. The makeovers will include custom changes and upgrades to meet the specific needs for each facility. And Bri and I will be lending a hand!

To celebrate the completion of each makeover, Purina Cat Chow will conduct a “Building Better Lives” adoption event at each organization whereby the brand will help local cats find a new home during the event. Members of the Purina Cat Chow brand team will volunteer their time and talents at each renovation and adoption event. Sweet, right?

Plus! Purina Cat Chow will donate up to $50,000 to The Petfinder Foundation if from now until Sept. 2, at least 1,500 stories are shared with the brand’s social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) using the hashtag #myrescuestory. This donation will be used to support 50 Petfinder.com shelters to help support future cat adoption fees. If you’re a pet lover, you’ve no doubt browsed the pets looking for homes on their site. Let’s raise awareness to get these sweet animals into loving homes!

Each participating shelter will also receive a donation valued at $2,500 – $2,000 in cash to support future cat adoptions and $500 worth of Purina Cat Chow brand cat food.

There’s a HUGE makeover going on at the Golden Valley Humane Society in Minnesota and Bri & I have the opportunity to lend a hand. Here are a few of the before pictures from the Adoption Center:

Just wait until you see how they’re working to transform this cold and sterile looking environment into a new beautiful modern design with streamlined adoption process! As one of the largest animal shelter centers in the state, making the process effortless and smooth will help to increase the adoption rate.

More before…

What a blessed and generous campaign! And we’re so honored to be included! We’ve been assigned to makeover three cat colony rooms.

Before…

How can you get involved? Purina Cat Chow encourages you to share YOUR rescue story on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram with the hashtag #myrescuestory .

Stay tuned for a few fun cat friendly design boards and the unbelievable transformation at the Humane Society grand opening event in Golden Valley, MN!

*This post is sponsored by Purina Cat Chow. We’re partnering with Purina Cat Chow to spread the word and raising awareness about the awesome Building Better Lives program.

DIY Show Off ™ – DIY Decorating and Home Improvement Blog

DIYShowOff – Budget Friendly Do-It-Yourself Home Improvement and Decorating blog

Category Archives: Pets

Easiest {no sew} Small Dog Snood {infinity scarf} Tutorial!

DIY Lightning Bug Dog Costume

Animal Humane Society Before and After Grand Reveal and Adoption Event

Cat Colony Room Designs

#MyRescueStory {and Pet DIY}

Building Better Lives Campaign