A Great Gift for that Canine Caroler on Your Christmas List!

It's almost that time of year when, if we are lucky, we are treated to the sound of rich voices joining in song outside our door! Or in my case, a somewhat shrill Schnauzer voicing her concern over the carolers outside her home! Whatever the time, when she decides to join in the fun THIS year, she won't receive the obligatory cookies and hot cocoa offered her "human counterparts"; rather she will be the glad recipient of the following gift instead.

This gift is a simple one to make and can easily be adapted to meet the needs of any, from the smallest of dogs to the serious sized canine in your life! And since almost everyone either HAS a dog or knows of someone with a dog that they feel they must give a gift to, this is both practical and unique, plus it has the added bonus of being relatively inexpensive to create!

The supplies are few and can be easily acquired. They are:
cellophane in a roll(this comes in many different colors and designs so choose your favorite),

3-5 different colors of ribbon...you can use curling ribbon, grosgrain, satin or even patterned ribbon found in the fabric department but we chose curling ribbon for the festive look it gives the finished product as well as the array of colors available,

and 3-5 different kinds of dog treats...be sure these are HARD treats as the soft variety tend to spoil and mold.

Cut the cellophane in strips 12"; wide and lay flat on a table. Beginning at the left edge, place small piles of treats an the cellophane, leaving approximately 6"; at the top and bottom and a generous amount of space in between each pile of treats.

Be careful not to place too many treats in each pile as you now must be able to roll the cellophane and treats into a tube, leaving space in between to tie the ribbon. If the tube rolls too hard or there are too many treats to completely go around each pile at least once, unroll it and begin again! If you chose curling ribbon, this where, after you tie the ribbon that you get to curl the edges and make it as fancy or as simple as you choose!

This is a quick, easy present for the dog (or dog lover) in your life and can be changed easily to meet your needs! It seems every dog has more than enough "chew toys", but other than plastic, there are few alternatives in the stores. If you only require a few of these gifts, consider buying multi-color treats and separate them into colors for a unique look or if you have MANY gifts to create, buy different shapes and sizes of treats and use your imagination!

This project also has proven adaptable in size as well, as we have made them smaller with only one small treat to a section and three sections in all and used the finished product as tree decorations! Caution should be used doing this though as they prove to be quite a temptation so they should be placed out of reach of the dog! Remember, cellophane is hard on the dog if consumed so you have to be careful where you place this treat!

Garland can also be created by using the cellophane LENGTH, again using one treat per section. An observation was made recently, that this would make a unique gift for your pets Dr., if a 2' tree were decorated in this manner and was used for decoration in his/her waiting room this Holiday season! With the addition of a colorful leash draped around the tree, this would be a great focal point for any pet lover...or the Dr who takes care of them!

This is a unique, fast selling craft for Holiday fairs or Bazaars this season too, and in fact when I created 2 dozen of these for a Church fair they were all snatched up in less than 10 minutes! Everyone loves a unique dog gift and are eager to give something "different". This also is a good craft for a scout troupe or a bunch of bored neighborhood kids! Depending of course on the size and type of treats used this can be as little as $1.00 each to create!

So, if you have a pampered pooch in your home or simply are tired of the same old latex dog toys on the market, gather round the kids and try this one! It is simple...it is easy... and it is a sure fire winner!

Happy Crafting and Happy Holidays from my home to yours!