LOLLYPUPS IS STILL ALIVE AND SWELL (FROM 2021 TO 2022)

 It's June 1,2021 and Lollypups Designer Petwear is still alive and well. Last post of 2018 indicated a bit of a lull in blogging, vendor events and business in general for the simple reason that life gets to take precedence from time to time. Travel to Finland, Denmark, Helsinki and Estonia were amazing experiences in 2018 and I could go on for days with that experience. But then on to Scotland in 2019, where I decided to adopt Edenburgh and Glasgow, the people and the culture of Great Britain as my new home away from home, and vowed to go back to see the castles, seaside towns, Highland Coos and numerous pubs I had missed during this whirlwind excersion. 

It was the most magical and beautiful place imaginable and the people made it feel like I was among jovial family members.  I even got sufficiently inebriated to go into a pub and attempt to fiddle along with the back room musicians,  Unsuccessfully, I admit, though they were kind and gracious in their attempts to egg me on.  

The trip was not without petwear inspiration either.  I happily discovered a local fabric shop and purchased  a few yards of authentic Scottish plaids.

Finland and Helsinki artiness 

Then,  after 21 years in our beautiful home it came time to ease our lives a bit and downsize what was accumulated over that time period because it was no longer relevant in our 70 year old lives.  Four bedrooms of furniture, tchotchies, books, (tons of books) vintage clothing and shoes, studio furniture, art studio equipment, easel, dressers, giant office desk where JL had written many a script and signed many a deal;  handpainted curio cabinet;  heavy wooden kitchen farm table; iron chandelier, sofas,  armoire, antique iron and brass bed we bought for our very first house 45 years prior, garden and patio furniture and tons of stuff just stored away in the attic and cellar and not touched in those 21 years.  The children's doll house I lovingly built for my first born, complete with lighting, wooden plank floors and furnished in 1920's oak which travelled to California and back 3 times, then  remodeled  for my second born 12 years later.. Tons of toys both old and new,  that were spread across the playroom floor when the grands came to visit.  Vintage clothing I had collected through my 20s, 30's, 40's and 50's that fit me through all 4 decades until  I was vintage myself and they emphasized that point unapologetically.  How I loved the shoes, finding some from the 30's and 40's in pristine condition and still in their boxes over many years. My arthritic knees could no longer bear the brunt of 3 and 4 inch heels for quite a while, but I couldn't bear to get rid of them in the hopes that one day I'd be miraculously cured or get the knee replacement I so dreaded. 

And so it goes. It's all good really. We had a new grandbaby added to our growing family, just before the pandemic of 2020 closed down everybody's lives.  We were able to be there for my daughters' 

delivery so were very grateful for that.  Then came all the chaos of trying to figure out how my daughters would cope with homeschooling while working from home. Helping when I could and when I was permitted.

Lollypups remained on the back of the burner somewhat while we sorted it all out but I did manage not to waste that Scotland inspiration and developed the Bonnie Lass and Highland Hound harness vests. Business and development has picked up I'm happy to say, and after 11 years I think Lollypups will keep on pampering pups across the globe for a bit longer.  After all, smiles and giggles are a healing force during pandemics and such.  .....to be continued...........