Thursday, May 29, 2008

Butterfly Houses 4 Sale!

If you have checked in on our Etsy shop lately, you would have noticed that I have been busy adding some of our product line into the shop. A couple of the latest items I have add are some of our butterfly houses. Right now we have two butterfly houses listed. We have a bright and sunny Yellow and Green Butterfly House, and also a red, white and blue Patriotic Butterfly House. I must say that either one would be an inviting home for any butterflies fluttering around your yard.

I have also added a bunch of bird feeders and bird houses to our Etsy shop too. I still have a lot of products left to list, so make sure you keep on checking back to see our latest additions.

I'll be barking to you later!

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Squirrel Condo!

It is time to start adding some of the products that we have been working on for the last couple of months to our Etsy store. Just yesterday I listed one of our squirrel condos in our store. It is just what every squirrel in the world dreams about - having their own condominium! This lovely home has been constructed out of cedar. The rough side of the cedar is facing out to give the condo a more rugged looked. The bottom of the condo has been lined with wire mesh to help the squirrels clean out their home the natural way with debris and waste falling out of the bottom. The top is hinged in order to assist you with any of the larger cleaning jobs that the squirrels might need some help with. The inside of the box has been etched to help the little baby squirrels learn how to climb and assist them in their travels and out of the box. Any squirrel would be proud to call this one their home!

I should be heading back out to the shop now. I'll be barking to you later!

Sunday, May 25, 2008

Rachel's Feast Report!

Today was Merlin's Bark Products grand debut to the public at the 2nd Annual Rachel's Sustainable Feast. Unfortunately I wasn't able to break away from the office and join my workers at the feast, but I made sure that they reported back to me everything that went on. Here's the report I got back:

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"What a perfect day for the event! The weather was spectacular. The setting was idyllic. And the crowd was full of some of the nicest people we have ever had the pleasure of meeting! We received a lot of positive feedback and suggestions from all of the people who stopped by our booth. We must have had about two dozen people stop by and ask about bat houses! It was a great experience and we are so glad that we were able to be a part of it."
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I would like to give a bark-out to China Millman from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for including us in her wonderful preview story about the feast. Another bark-out goes to Tim Sweet and Fiona Fisher for inviting us to the event. Many thanks are in order for all of you!

And also, many thanks to everyone who stopped by our booth. And if you were one of the many who asked about our bat houses - I promise that we will be starting production right away.

I'll be barking to you later!

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Final Countdown!

Only two more days left until Merlin's Bark Products big debut at the 2nd Annual Rachel’s Sustainable Feast being held this Sunday. So much left to do and not much time left to do it in. And I must say that I have just been working my little bunny-butt off getting things ready for the feast!

I never really realized it, but a lot of work goes into getting ready for a show. There was a tent to buy, table cloths to get, a banner to have made, seller aprons to find - the list is almost endless! Since I know that there are a lot of other pups out there getting ready for upcoming craft/art shows, I thought it would be helpful if I posted a checklist of items that they should take along with them.

Merlin's Quick List of Craft/Art Show Necessaries:
*Tent
*Table cloths
*Banner with business name
*Tables (if not already supplied)
*Weights for tent
*Chairs
*Flyers and/or business cards
*Aprons for money/credit card slips
*Sales book
*Calculator
*ProPay account
*Knuckle-buster
*Credit card slips
*Credit card sign
*Cash for change
*Pens
*Paper
*Markers
*Scissors
*Stapler
*Extra price tags
*Shopping bags (nice paper ones with a handle)
*Display racks
*Snacks and drinks
*A camera to take pictures of your setup!

I am sure there are a number of other items that I am forgetting about right now, but these are just some of the bare basics that pups should take along with them. Feel free to add a comment of any other items that I might have forgotten about.

I'll be barking to you later!

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Bird Cakes!

Now before you get the wrong idea, I am not talking about making cakes (or pies) out of birds. I am talking about making cakes for birds! Since Merlin's Bark Products is adding pine cone feeders to our product line, I thought it would be nice to also offer a line of vegan suet cakes too. Our Sweet Birdie Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies are made with a good helping of extra crunchy peanut butter, whole wheat yellow corn meal, vegetable shortening, flour, sunflower seeds, cracked corn, and other types of seeds. I am not sure how they taste, but they sure smell sinfully delicious!

Speaking of birds, the Pittsburgh Post Gazette has a great story in their newspaper today on the peregrine falcon family living on top of the Gulf Tower downtown. The picture of the baby chicks mommy is amazing! She sure is big and beautiful. Good luck to her and her new babies. May they live long and fly fast!

I'll be barking to you later!

Sunday, May 18, 2008

Pine Cone Feeders!

While on vacation at the Outer Banks earlier this month, I stumbled upon some pretty awesome pine cones while hiking. They were huge! As soon as I saw them I thought to myself that I needed to figure out a way for Merlin's Bark Products to use the pine cones. After giving it some thought, I think I came up with a nifty idea for them. Just yesterday I starting using them to make some Seedy Peanut Butter Pine Cone Feeders. Okay, truth be told, I wasn't the one making the pine cone feeders. Even though I am the CEO, I am not allowed to get into the peanut butter. Something about my fur getting all sticky with peanut butter and how disgusting that would be. Oh, and something about the fact that the peanut butter probably would somehow be diverted into my tummy and not onto the pine cones....

Anyhow, the pine cones are being transformed into tasty treats for the birds and squirrels. They are getting a nice slathering of extra crunchy peanut and then are being rolled in sunflower, cracked corn, and other types of bird feed. We hung one of the pine cone feeders on our oak tree last night as a tester. And I must say that the birds seemed to be very pleased with the end result. I sure wouldn't have minded getting a lick or two on the pine cone myself!

Our Seedy Peanut Butter Pine Cone Feeders will be one of the many products Merlin's Bark Products will have available for sale at the 2nd Annual Rachel’s Sustainable Feast next Sunday. I hope everyone plans on stopping by our tent and checking out our products. Until then, I'll be barking to you later!

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Deck Dog!

Deck Dog. That was the new nickname I earned while vacationing in the Outer Banks last week. I quickly became a Deck Dog Master in no time at all. I developed the ability to lounge on a deck (any deck) for hours on end. It didn't matter if it was the 2nd floor deck, the 3rd floor deck, or the deck around the pool - if there was a deck I was lounging on it. Heck, I even lounged around the carport a couple of times too! I thought about getting a deck installed at home, but I realized that it would probably seriously interfere with my CEO'ing abilities. I would probably just lounge on the deck all day long and not even give a second thought to Merlin's Bark Products. You don't even have to be a CEO to know that lounging all day would not be good for business. Oh well, a pup can dream.

I'll be barking to you later!

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Back to Work!

Now that I have been back from vacation for a couple of days, I have to get back to CEO'ing. Though I am really tempted to extend my vacation for a little bit longer, I realize that I have to get back to work preparing for Merlin's Bark Products exhibit at the 2nd Annual Rachel’s Sustainable Feast on Sunday, May 25th. So much to do in so little time!

Before I get start CEO'ing this morning (and since I know that everyone is dying to hear about my vacation) I'll share one of my vacation adventure stories with you. As you can tell from the picture I was lucky and found all kinds of nifty things on the beach. While everyone else was looking for seashells and sand dollars, I was using my extra sensitive puppy nose to find the most interesting things that washed up on the beach. I was really excited about this fish skeleton I found. I actually tried to take it back to the beach house with me a couple of times, but nobody else seemed to think that was a good idea. I didn't see what the problem was. I mean, I get to chew on other kinds of bones all of the time and this one looked extra special. It was even lightly salted with the ocean water! At least I got a picture of me with my prized fish. And, I did get to nibble on it a couple times before getting dragged away from it....

Oh well, back to work for me. I'll be barking to you later!

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Back From Vacation!

I just got back from vacationing on the Outer Banks late yesterday afternoon - and I think I need another vacation to recuperate from my vacation! Vacation was wonderful though. I didn't think I would be able to do it, but I was actually able to forget about CEOing for a bit and relax. Sure it was hard, but after chasing a couple pelicans down the beach all of my stress just seemed to fly away along with the birds. I have lots of pictures I will share with you and things to report, but for right now I think I am just going to take a nice long nap.

I'll be barking to you later!

Thursday, May 1, 2008

OBX or Bust!

Since I've was appointed the CEO of Merlin's Bark Products a couple months ago I've done nothing but work my little bunny butt off day and night. And it is time for a much-deserved vacation at the beach! I will be heading off to the Outer Banks early Saturday morning with my family and our friends the Baileys (Mara, Jody, Lili, and Mat) for a week of fun in the sun. I know you all will miss my words of wisdom while I am gone, but be rest assured that I will be back with even better business insights. There is nothing like chasing a couple flocks of pelicans to help a pup clear his mind and help him make those hard business decisions that I am faced with. I will have to practice some of my doga exercises on the beach too.

I hate to bark and run, but I haven't even started packing for the trip yet! Not to meantion that I haven't even had to chance to decided what chews and toys I should take with me. I would like to take them all, but if I do that then there wont be any more room in car left for me.

I'll be barking to you later!