Filly is my Shih Tzu Terrier. When I grew up I had a Chocolate Labrador named Koko. He passed at 13 1/2, but is the one who really started my "dog obsession." Ever since I found out about Lydia & Pugs years ago, I have wanted to get a custom illustration of my dog. In the past I purchased the pre-made Chocolate Lab stationery. One year wearing a santa hat (for Christmas) and last year wearing a graduation cap (for College graduation).
Next year I'm getting married and I knew that I wanted Lydia & Pugs to design my bridal shower thank you stationery. I even decided to use the design in my blog header! I emailed Dawn and sent her a few photos (actually many photos) of my dog, Filly so that she could see him from different angles and how his fur changes color.
What is great about Lydia & Pugs is that your illustration is kept on file FOREVER! That means that you can re-order in the future or you can use/add-on any of the illustrations in Dawn's library to your current illustration. Meaning, for Valentine's Day I can order stationery of Filly wearing a sweater with hearts, or for Halloween, he could be next to a pumpkin. The possibilities are endless!
The Design Process:
There are 4 stages to the design process. First you send in your inspiration photos. For me that was photos of Filly and a picture of my all-time favorite Lilly Pulitzer bag in the Dark 'n Stormy print. Next Dawn drew a rough sketch (a simple outline). Following, she finished the illustration in watercolor. With your custom order, you get three proofs. I made a little tweak to the final design to make Filly stand out more on the paper and decided on whether the cards should have my name or both mine and my fiance's name. The end product was better than I could have imagined when I got it in the mail!
