Effective today, rates for USPS have increased. Not significantly, but you’ll see the difference in our shipping costs. But always know that we will never raise our handling fees - we want to keep your shipping costs as low as possible. We agree that it is ridiculous to pay nearly as much in shipping as the item costs to begin with! Shipping at Pattern & Paw is calculated by weight, so you know you’re never paying too much.

Hopefully you stocked up on the Forever stamps before the increase!

Pattern & Paw will be in Lebanon, TN this Saturday at the Humane Association of Wilson County’s annual Bark in the Park fund raiser. We’ll be there with a big selection of collars, leashes, and accessories - including some brand new styles yet to be seen on the website!

If you’re local to the Tennessee area, come on out this Saturday from 1-5 pm at Wilson Bank & Trust in downtown Lebanon Tennessee. Support a great cause, as a portion of proceeds from the event will go to the Humane Association of Wilson County. For directions and more event details, please visit http://www.hawconline.com/bark-in-the-park-08/index.shtml.

Seeing that today is Earth Day, I thought it would be fitting to share the ways that we are trying to make our business more earth friendly.

- Reduced packaging. We don’t use any more packaging than necessary. Your order will be shipped to you wrapped in tissue (made from 75% Post Industrial Recycled Fibers) and sealed with a sticker. No unnecessary plastic or padding. We use USPS certified Priority boxes, and our bubble mailers are entirely recycle-able. We encourage our customers to re-use and recycle the mailing boxes and envelopes. We do ourselves - we reuse shipping boxes and materials that are still in good condition, including packing peanuts and bubble wrap when they are needed.

- No invoices. We’re not forgetful, we don’t include an printed packing slip or invoice in retail orders on purpose. It’s extra paper that is just not needed. You’ve already received an email version. Because of this we’ve been able to save countless reams of paper.

- No commuting. We happily and proudly operate Pattern & Paw out of our home, which means we don’t need to drive to work every day. We feel very strongly that our decision to do this has made our business that much more eco-friendly.

- Natural/fluorescent lighting. We work mainly during the day, and utilize as much natural light as possible. For the few stormy days or evenings where we do need to work, our office is outfitted with compact fluorescent bulbs.

Personally, we also try to make our lifestyle as green as we can. Recycling, using reusable grocery bags, combining errands into one trip, being conscious of our water and energy use, and using non-bleach and chemical free cleaning products in our home.

What are you doing in your own home/life to be more green?

The Lovely Mei of jakeandmicah.com (check out the precious fortune cookie and sushi cat toys - Kalypso has a purple cookie and loves it to death!) sent in some photos of her site’s namesake (one of them at least), Micah. Micah says he loves his Fiesta Stripes Cat Collar! Occasion for a party? I think so!

Psst! We LOVE seeing photos of pets in their Pattern & Paw collars. Send one in… and you just might see it popup here on the blog or in our pet photo gallery!

You’d think she’d actually been working….

Happy Easter from Pattern & Paw!

Nicole over at Making it Lovely recently posted a fabulous project - make your own shrinky dink dog tags! She even provides a fancy template for you to use to make it. Check out her step by step instructions for making this adorable dog tag as well as a key chain.

Nicole recently adopted a new pup - dubbed Murray - shown here wearing his new Celedon Dots Dog Collar, complete with custom nickel buckle and chocolate brown webbing. He sure is a cutie in polka dots!

We absolutely love seeing photos of your pets in our collars. Have one you want to send? Please do! We just might feature it on this blog! Also take some time to peruse our pet gallery - it’s sure to make you go “awwww!”.

It should be obvious who’s in charge around here. No question at all who is calling the shots.

So when a new batch of ribbon comes in, she always gets first dibs on some new digs.

This pretty little number is called Pop Dots. And there’s another super-sweet colorway of the same pattern. Kalypso would like you to know that this is a brand new design, one that only she has… for now. But not for long, since this and a dozen other brand new designs will be up on the site in the next few weeks. Can’t wait? Be sure to check out the huge selection of cat collar designs we have currently available.

Obviously we like ribbon, a lot. And we’re always on the lookout for new patterns for future collar designs. Have any requests? What color or pattern would you like to see on the newest Pattern & Paw pet collar?

And yes, she gets IN and OUT of there all by herself.

Hello again from the shipping department! Did you know that each and every order we ship out includes a Totally Indie coupon pack? Inside you will find all kinds of deals offered by some great indie businesses. And psst… there is a coupon good for 15% off your next Pattern & Paw order in there!

What are the Totally Indie Coupons? Let’s just say it’s a group of dedicated independent artists and businesses who got together one day wanting to do a little something extra for their customers. The result was a packet of 40 coupons. Explore the businesses, find new goodies and great unique gifts, and save some money while you’re at it!

Are you an indie business and are interested in participating? You’re in luck, because our next coupon round will begin next week! Please visit Totally Indie Coupons for sign up information.