passion: floral and plant design

Playing with flowers and plants brings me endless amounts of joy.  My home is always full of floral arrangements and plants of all sizes.  In the past 7 years, I have helped out at a floral boutique in Chicago, did a couple of weddings on my own, and am known by my friends as someone who can whip up an arrangement when they need one.  Here are a few of my faves that I've made...

passion: pet nutrition 01

I love my dogs.  Ok, I'm crazy and obsessed with my dogs... and all dog related topics, reaaly.  I just love dogs.   Now that THAT'S out of the way, it may be easier to understand why pet nutrition is such a passion for me.  I will always put the best food into my dogs bodies!

I'd say my introduction to pet nutrition started back in 2000 when I didn't even have a dog.  I was riding into work with my boss who went off on how disgusted he was with big name pet food manufacturers and how much shameful garbage they were using as pet food ingredients.  He was making his own dog food at that time.  I'm quite sure he was the only person I knew making their own dog food.

Fast forward to 2005 when I became a dog owner.  Welcome Texas Lacy Game Dog, Lottie!  I didn't have the time, knowledge, or resources to make my own food.  I did some research and dabbled around some kibble.  Solid Gold, Wellness Core, Orijen and Acana to name a few.  Lottie hated kibble.  She ate Orijen and Acana better than any other brand but she never ate vigorously or like she really even enjoyed it.  I just accepted her as a picky eater.  Fast forward to 2011.  I took a job at a specialty dog food store. I discovered Raw food.  I fed some to Lottie and she LOVED eating.  I was determined to learn as much about Raw food and pet nutrition as I could.  Being in the Chicagoland area, I was lucky enough to attend a seminar by Dr. Karen Becker.  It changed my life.  I learned how a dog's digestive system worked and what foods their bodies were intended to eat.  Guess what?  It's not kibble.  It's real food!  I was ready to share this knowledge with anyone who would listen.  I made guides to teach people how to read pet food ingredients.  I got as much freeze-dried raw into pet's bowls as I could.  My influence helped many people switch over to thaw and serve raw meals.  I continued to educate myself as much as I could.

Minnow came into my life in 2012.  She was a 4 month old disaster with behavioral problems and was suffering from a full body yeast infection caused by a poor diet.  I knew that raw food could help dogs with yeast sensitivities and now I was faced with the challenge of curing my own pet.  It worked.  I followed the teachings of Dr. Karen Becker and had 2 healthy dogs happily eating raw food.  The behavioral issues took a little longer to fix but in time, I had a great, well behaved friend.

From 2011 to 2017, I had a chance to go to work and see about 100 dogs a week.  I saw many pets in terrible health.  Poor diets equal poor health.  Period.  It's a hard truth to face.  Humans have created these dry kibble meals that are so convenient for us BUT so wrong for a dog's digestive system.  Not to mention being full of chemical preservatives and shitty by-products.  Even the grain-free ones people.  It's time to walk away from all those kibble bags at Target.  Do some research.  Go to an independent, specialty food store where the employees can answer questions and give you some good food recommendations.  Give your pets real food!

What do I feed my dogs?  Raw food.  I buy frozen raw food that I thaw and serve.  Currently I use these brands:  Steve's Real Food, OC Raw, Primal, and Raw Bistro.  I make my own raw food using Dr. Becker and Rodney Habib's recipe which was formulated to be completely balanced by Steve Brown, creator or Steve's Real Food.  I have really healthy dogs because I put the right kind of foods in their bodies.

what is HousePet?

HousePet is a collection of ideas that inspire me, things I am passionate about, beautiful modern design, and a place to showcase people who motivate me with their awesomeness. 

In my dreams, HousePet  is a little shop with Scandinavian aesthetics... I envision modern simplicity with natural elements.  HousePet is a place where you can by beautiful things for your home inspired by nature.  That place where you can buy a succulent arrangement, natural beauty products and household items with clean, chemical-free, and cruelty-free ingredients.  And the place to go for healthy, RAW pet food, nutrition education, and stylish accessories for your pets. 

HousePet reflects everything I love.   

All posts in February are like a sneak peek into the store of my dreams. 


My dream shop interior is absolutely inspired by these spaces...