Amanda Jackson

MImi Green is all moved in. Whoo hoo!

2010-02-27T15:16:13-07:00

We are finally all moved in! I'll try to take you on a virtual tour of the place :

My desk area. I can see out the little window at everyone working in the studio.

View of the kitchen area

Front door

Paula working away. Didn't take us long to make messes! That little guy is Cooper, Jessi is babysitting him for a friend, but I really don't want him to have to go home! He has been so much fun to have around. See how much light we get! It is absoulutly wonderful.

The sitting area in my office. Of course I'd have a gallon of milk on my desk ;)

Prepping area

Paula, Jessi and Cooper working

Paula's pug Chupa hard at work ;)

Overall it was a great move. We did it in 2 days, but Dan and I still haven't gotten to cleaning up the old studio. It is so nice to have the office close by, it is only a mile away from our house!

I really love this new space ;)

Mimi Furnishings

2010-02-05T19:35:38-07:00

Okay, so I am having a dilemma. I found these cool acrylic folding chairs at TJ Max for $60 each, but I already have wooden folding chairs that are going unused. Only this is, the wooden ones are not super cool acrylic or PINK!

Here they are side by side with the new TJ Max table and my reminder to LAUGH! from my friend Tracy. Dan says he likes the pink chairs but that I don't need them. But they are SO cool!

More office furnishings I have bought this week:
Couch that is made of down and is going to have super cool pillows made of Mimi Green fabric.
The shelves look like this. Everyone says they will be prettier when they have beautiful fabrics stacked on them.

Other than that, we got a sweet Cuisnart coffee maker. Still looking for a fridge and a tiny microwave. I am having a lot of fun decorating, although I must admit it is a bit stressful. I just want the new studio to be so perfect!

The next 10 days are going to be R-E-A-L-L-Y long ;)

We did it! Mimi Green Dog Collars has a home!

2010-02-01T21:03:37-07:00

We got a place! And I am in love with it. It is right outside of Nob Hill, right by a freeway entrance/exit, and 1/2 a mile from a drive thru Starbucks. (I took these photos with my iPhone, so they kinda stink, but you will get the idea;)

I am nuts about the checkerboard floor and the built in desk/office for me.

Also, it has refrigerated air, which in New Mexico, is a huge blessing!

And I really love that we can see the Sandia Mountains from our front window.

And look, there is a window box for pretty flowers!

The building is cute too, we are the middle one with no sign yet. But I ordered a really awesome one and cannot wait to get it in the window.

It is 2.5 times bigger than the current Mimi Green studio (it is hard to tell from the photos), so we will finally have room to walk! Plus the prep table won't have to double as the shipping table and my desk won't be in my dining room! Yahoo!

The new place is just one mile from our house so Dan and I can ride our bikes in the morning. I am so excited, my head could explode! We move in on Feb. 15, what a cool Valentines present, right?

Growing pains

2010-01-25T19:29:36-07:00

Mimi Green has grown so much in the past year that it is time to get a bigger space. I have been so reluctant and until yesterday I hadn't seen a building that I liked as much as our current studio.

Then I saw this listing on Craigslist -- a space in Albuquerque's historic Cal-Linn Building -- the very building where Bill Gates and Paul Allen founded Microsoft in 1975!

Right now it is a beautiful gallery called Arthaus 66, the current owners have done a fabulous job. The track lighting is great, the floors are stained concrete, and no detail has been overlooked.

And I can finally have my own office through that red door -- can you imagine?!? And maybe I can channel Bill Gates and turn Mimi Green into a super company ;)

The only problem is that I need to find $84 K or somehow convince the current owner to rent to us. I will keep you posted on what happens, today I talked to the Realtor 4 times so hopefully we will know by weeks end.

So send positive thoughts our way. We need a fabulous building to make fabulous collars and leashes in and I really think this is the one for us!

Fancy Doggie: Mimi Green Bow Ties

2010-01-12T08:47:05-07:00

Our customers asked for it, and we finally did it! A boy's alternative to the collar flower -- a dog collar bow tie!

They were only going to come in boy colors, but when I saw how cute it was on Piggie, I had to do a pink bow too.

You can find them here: Doggie Bow Ties

This pink one reminds me of the bows Cinderella's birds help her make for her dress;)

I'm so happy to finally have collar accessories that husbands will let you put on your boy dog! They attach just like the flowers, with ribbon and velcro -- so easy.

If you want a color you don't see, just email me and I will make it for you. I just made a black and white one for a customer -- it turned out awesome!

Also, if you have photos of your dog wearing its new bow tie, please send them to me and we will feature them in our web gallery.

Sneak Peek of our new bow ties!

2010-01-04T20:18:41-07:00

I wanted these new bow ties to be for boys, to be really masculine, but I have to say -- Piggie looks pretty darn cute wearing it!

We are going to launch these soon, just a few colors at first to see how they do.

Here it is in the green. I am thinking of doing a blue and red too.

I think she knows how darn cute she is! Look at her posing for the camera;)

Mimi Green on Facebook and a new contest!

2010-01-03T15:35:13-07:00

Amanda Jackson-Miller is a fan of

www.ShopMimiGreen.com

Create your Fan Badge

Okay, new contest. We are giving away a $35 Mimi Green Gift Certificate to one lucky winner this month! Here's what we need:

We are trying to rock this whole Facebook phenomenon and we need your help.

To Enter, become a fan of Mimi Green of Facebook and then upload a photo of your dog wearing its Mimi gear. Sounds easy, right?

You have 30 days, so get your entry in soon! WooHoo! Look forward to seeing you photos

My favorite holiday, or anyday, cookie

2010-01-02T20:43:44-07:00

I have a confession to make. I am a serious cookie-holic. Don't feel bad though, I am kind of proud of it ;)

Because of my addiction, I consider myself to be a cookie connoisseur of sorts. If you want to know about good cookies, I am the lady to ask.

Last year I came upon a recipe for Holiday Snowballs and I became infatuated. I made them a few times last Christmas, and at least 10 times this season so I think I have finally made the last adjustment to perfection.

Aren't they beautiful!!??!! I actually took all of these beauties to our master seamstress Jessi's holiday party and I didn't even cry when I had to share them. I am proud of that too ;)

The recipe said to dust them in powdered sugar (so they look like snowballs) but this year I found that rolling them in sparkly sugar makes them look like jewels, which seems ever better.

So here it is, my all time favorite cookie recipe:

Snowballs (aka super yummy shortbread cookies)

1 1/2 c. (3 sticks butter) softened

3/4 c. powdered sugar

1 Tbsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. salt

3 cups all purpose flour

1 bag Nestle white morsels

1/2 c. chopped nuts (I like them with pecans)

Preheat oven to 375.

Beat together the butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Slowly add the flour. Stir in morsels and nuts.

Then roll balls the size of your palm (roll in colored sugar if making them look like jewels is your bag) and put on cookie sheet and bake for exactly 12 minutes or until the tops are light brown.

Sprinkle with powdered sugar (if you didn't roll them in sugar) and wait patiently for them to cool. They taste way better cool.

Tadda! Meet the best cookie you will ever eat.

Noah made them with milk chocolate chips and they rocked. They were super rich, but if you make them small they are great with a cup of coffee.

I woke up in the middle of the night thinking of other things I could put in these babies, that's when I finally had to talk to a professional about my obsession. lol. I think that they would be amazing with walnuts and semi-sweet chips or even with no chips at all.

If you try this, let me know! I'd love to hear if anyone else thinks they are as good as I do. I like them so much I'd marry them, but don't tell Dan!

Happy Pig-a-versary!

2009-12-31T18:01:49-07:00

Today marks one year since Piggie, (aka Olive) came to live with us!

She is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen, I am so in love with this pug. Check out those beautiful eyes!

She got a new collar as her present for making our lives so awesome this year and touching our hearts more than any other dog I have ever had. Tomorrow we are going to celebrate with a doggie cake, I can't wait to see her dig in!

Poor Piggie had it really rough the first 2 years of her life and at this point you would never know. It took her 9 months to start to warm up to Dan but now she is madly in love with him (and what woman wouldn't be really, he's a cutie ;)

The first day I had her I wanted to give her back because she wouldn't even let me touch her. That would have been such a huge mistake. I called my friend Tracy to come over and see what a mess of a pug I brought home and she totally convinced me to give it some time because she could tell how sweet Piggie was. Boy was she right!

So Happy Anniversary Piggie. I can't imagine my life without you!!

DEER Dan,

2009-12-30T18:35:57-07:00

Please start to like my deer horns, they are here to stay and I think they kinda rock.

Love Amanda.

Super cool right? I bought it 4 doors down at an estate sale, decoupaged the wooden back, and painted the horns white. I used the Amy Butler scrapbooking paper you can buy at Joanns, it was hard to choose which color because they all rocked, but I had to go with the Green. It was only right.

Dan isn't very impressed, neither is Noah really. But I think they are so Anthropologie and so hip. What do you think?