The dog days...

The "Dog Days" are the hottest, most sultry days of summer. According to Wikipedia, in the Northern Hemisphere, the dog days of summer are most commonly experienced in the months of July and August, which typically observe the warmest summer temperatures. This all means that I am writing this during peak "dog days". They also imply laziness due to domestic dogs generally being not as active due to danger of overheating. I can certainly attest to this laziness as all I've been wanting to do lately is nap which just happens to be my favorite past-time. My own dog also is a testament to the dog days, as usually we'll send him outside to do his business. He then wants to come right back in because it's so hot, whereas usually he'll want to spend hours outside, ignoring my pleas for him to come inside when I have exactly 3 minutes to be somewhere.

Dog days aside, my Zazzle buddies are always busy at work creating awesome art and design. Nothing stops 'em! But first a message (product) from our sponsor (yes that would be me!)

Paris Destination Wedding Invitation by starstreamdesign
Start off a romantic Parisian destination wedding with an unusual invitation meant to look like a postcard from a bygone era. The background is made to look like an aged letter with subtle engraving, cursive handwriting and visa and postage stamps. The Eiffel Tower is dominant on top of a maroon panel. The paper background is repeated on the reverse to highlight extra information for your guests with a website at the bottom.

Rainbow Personalized Weekly Meal Planning Notepad by starzraven 
Use this 8.5" x 11" notepad for planning your (or your family's) meals for the week. These tear-away sheets, each with color-coded days of the week, are perfect for maintaining healthy eating and staying organized, complete with a column for your grocery list. Personalize this planner with your name or your family's name. This notepad has 40 sheets, which will last you more than half of a year's worth of planning!

Pink wild rose mint green floral wedding invite by weddings_ 
Pink wild rose mint green floral wedding invitation, featuring a beautiful wild rose in pink with dark green leaves, red waved lines and halftone elements on white and mint green background. This contemporary, floral design with a touch of vintage is perfect for a modern or traditional spring or summer country garden wedding.

Autumn Owl in Tree Birthday Invitation 5x7 by allpetscherished
This cute little owl is peeking out from an Autumn tree. Perfect for any occasion. You can change the wording and customize for a birthday invitation, baby shower invitation or bridal shower.

Vibrant Pink Orange Abstract Floral Personalized Travel Bag Tag by wasootch
You can personalize the name and address on this vibrant and cheerful hot pink and orange abstract floral personalized luggage tag. To change the name and address, use the personalize options. For more extensive changes to the tag, including changes to the font, font color, font size, and/or text placement, use the customize it option. A chic and stylish luggage tag for women and girls.

Customizable "Love" Stamps from malibuitalian
Customize the script on this stamp to reflect any sentiment.

Trendy Black and White Biker Wedding Invitation by sfcount
Black and white wedding-themed and motorcycle-themed photos framed by a leather-effect background make this wedding invitation a sophisticated, modern choice for biker couples. An open shield shape at the top contains a customizable monogram.

Elegant wedding dress bridal shower thank you card by Jamene This bridal shower thank you folded card has a soft mauve pink colored background with a darker mauve border. In the background, there is a swirl flourish design with a trendy white wedding dress. Thank you is written on the front. The inside is blank for you to hand write in your thank you message at home.

Modern Vintage Filigree Bridal Shower Invitation by twoheartsshoppe 
This striking bridal shower announcement by Two Hearts Wedding Shoppe features a stylish vintage lace filigree pattern in the background with the words "Bridal Shower" in modern and trendy typefaces.

bridal shower rose stamp by dbvisualarts
rose bridal shower stamp coordinates with rose bridal party cards

Elegant yellow sunflower bridal shower invite by TheStationeryShop

An elegant and stylish floral bridal shower invitation featuring a photo of a beautiful yellow sunflower on a distressed, brown, stained, old paper background. Brown customizable invite text. Beautiful bridal shower invitation for summer and autumn weddings.

Lime and Purple Damask Bridal Shower Invitation by NiteOwlStudio 
This modern lime green, white, and purple damask wedding shower invitation is fully customizable.

Yellow High Tea Bridal Shower Invitation by Cards_by_Cathy

Damask Yellow High Tea Bridal Shower Invitation. Lemon damask pattern background, and Vintage teapot with flowers. Perfect for inviting friends, family and bridesmaids to honor the bride-to-be!

Make sure you visit each of these shops. They're all so unique and I love how each of the artists expresses themselves in so many different ways and mediums.

Hot stuff!

So here we are mid-July and the thermometer says....

Needless to say, I'm staying inside. I'm battling a summer cold and my throat feels like I swallowed a handful of stinging nettles.

Anywho, my Zamily and I have had a busy summer so far. I just got back from a 3-day trip to a resort in the Poconos. Fun, but definitely not relaxing. Hoping to schedule another vacation for mid-August... maybe a road trip out to Cape Cod. Who knows, we specialize in last-minute plans.

Here we go onto some awesome designs by some pretty awesome people....

Song Birds Floral Weekly Personalized Meal Planner Scratch Pads by wasootch
You can personalize the name on this handy blue, green, brown, and white song birds leafy floral personalized weekly menu plan or meal planner calendar tear away notepad. Just fill it in each week and then tear it away to get to the next blank week. It includes meal planning for the whole week and a section to write out your grocery list so you can take it with you to the grocery store. Functional and pretty. A pretty nature inspired design featuring birds, leaves, flowers, and branches.

 Chocolatier Business Binder by starstreambusiness
This binder for a chocolatier, chocolate factory or retail shop elegantly displays the fruits of a chocolatier's labor by featuring a row of delicious-looking homemade chocolates displayed on a counter. A business name is highlighted in a plaque on top of a cream striped patterned background with a business description or tagline and a title of the binder below. Add a phone number or a website under the counter. The reverse reveals additional information against the same striped wallpaper bordered by the chocolate brown diamond border on top and the damask pattern below. However, someone's been at the chocolates and taken one!

Green Leap Frog Shower Invitation 2 sided invite by allpetscherished
This sweet frog baby shower invitation is perfect for a baby boy or baby girl. We love that it is customizable on BOTH sides and perfect for writing LOTS of instructions. If you have a baby shower raffle, lots of registries and instructions for guests, our LEAP FROG invitations are perfect for you!

Hearts, snowflakes aqua brown winter bridal shower personalized announcements by TheStationeryShop
Elegant winter bridal shower invitation with a pale aqua blue and brown border and two brown hearts on a soft white to pale teal gradient with snow and white snowflakes. Dark brown text, all text except for "Bridal Shower" can be customized. Cute and stylish design for winter showers.

Chic hot pink green paisley baby shower invitation by Jamene
This stylish baby shower invite has a sweet hot fuchsia pink, white, and lime green paisley design in the background. In the middle, there is a pink band. In the center, you can easily customize the baby shower information.

Mr & Mrs Watermelon Custom Thank You Note Cards by starzraven
Cute red notecards designed with 2 slices of watermelon, one wearing a black bowtie, "Thank you" boldly pre-printed on the inside, and personalized inside with your own custom text (or delete to leave note card message blank).

Modern women’s 20th birthday simple photo custom announcement by yourbirthday
Modern women’s 20th birthday simple photo invitation, featuring your photo on the front and some white text on a black banner with turquoise outline. We see the same banner and white text on the back on black background. A cool design perfect not just for the milestone 20 birthday party. Change the number to 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, and why not 100! Also works great for men's birthdays.


Hope the summer is treating you well. Stay cool by the pool!