So much to share with you!

Oh my. I don't know where to begin!

First, the new site is rolling along, and doing great! What a relief that it's finally here and working well. It's fun to see what you all come up with, creating your own products now. We're still adding more products and doodles to it; you're going to love the new things in store for you. One thing we've learned. is that we don't want to carry items just for the sake of imprinting them. We're bringing in some really nice, useful things you'd want even if they weren't personalized. I'll keep you updated on our progress with that right here on the blog.

Then, we decided that Facebook is going to take a backseat to our blog from now on. The reason is, we have been told that the default for your news stream is "most popular" rather than "most recent", and you're missing a lot of our posts. Some poor folks told us they didn't see a special until after it was expired. So, it's much safer to have everything here, where you can subscribe and get it delivered to your mailbox, instead of having to be in the right place at the right time. There's the newsletter too, of course, but I'll likely be updating the blog more often than I'll create a newsletter. I'll still see you on Facebook so we can interact, which I love, but, I don't want you missing out on savings.

Next, CookieKins™ Personalized Cookies has launched! It's Doodlekins™ you can eat; "Your Kin, On A Cookie!" It's a joint venture between your favorite cartoon family label company (that's us!) and Standing Sun™, an incredible winery owned by our pals, John and Laura Wright. Laura is the Emmy winning actress who plays "Carly" on ABC'S General Hospital. She's chief wine taster, too! Winemaker John also offers unbelievable coffee and tea, so, we are working together to bring you yummy cookies for party favors, or, to give as gifts that can include Standing Sun's™ gourmet coffee and tea. The tea is so fresh and fragrant, and the coffee is roasted to-order. Really good stuff!

John connected us with Melissa Redell of the famous Solvang Bakery in California, and they are baking the cookies. It's pretty amazing. You're going to be getting cookies enjoyed by Hollywood stars like Kelly Ripa (Live with Kelly) and Tiffani Amber Thiessen (Beverly Hills 90210), and, the late Michael Jackson. We're so excited for you to have these great products, and give them to family and friends. Only the best for you and your "kin!"

Photos courtesy of Solvang Bakery

Today is a particularly exciting day because Soaps In Depth magazine has hit the newstands, and CookieKins™ is in it! Laura gave the cookies out at a special Emmy lunch she threw for the Lead Actress nominees. Here's what we did, below:

You can just see the top of the box in this photo (highlighted circle towards the bottom edge), but here's a sneak peek. We'll update the blog with the actual article when we get our hands on it; it's supposed to be in a national soap magazine!

Photo courtesy of Laura Wright

Lastly, it's really hard for me and the DoodleDees to blog with all the big things going on. We need some help! I've enlisted a few great customers to contribute; you'll see them on the blog in between their busy schedules too, and if you're interested, and have some great information to share with our readers about life and family, we'd love to have you join in too. We're looking for talented people who can bring something new and different to the table, instead of my posts about Doodlekins™. Something that can enhance our customers' lives! Please contact me and let me know what you'd like to write about! (megan at doodlekins dot com)

See you again soon!
Megan

Pet Model Search Winners!

We are so thankful to our great customers for participating in this fun Model Search. It was SO tough to make a choice, but, here are our winners! You'll see them from time to time in promotional materials in print and online, and they will also be (or have been) used as drawing models.

Winning pet parents, please email us the next time you're ready to place an order so we can issue your $10 prize code! Congratulations!

The Richter Family's cat, "Rex"
"The vet thinks he's about 8 years old (we adopted him from the ASPCA and they found him trying to cross I-70 in Kansas with no tags or microchip!!) and he's a male Maine Coon. We first saw him on TV when the ASPCA had a segment on the local news because they had so many cats, they were double their capacity. We drove out to the shelter in Lawrence, Kansas, to meet him. We were leery because adult cats are usually very unfriendly after living in a shelter, and we have two little boys. But the minute we walked into the cat room, this cat strutted right up to my sons (Tristan, 6, and Ean, 3) and started rubbing on their legs! We looked at all of the cats to be fair, but he followed us around, purring and trying to jump in our laps. We took him home that day and from the start he acted like he'd always been here. Right now he's taking a nap in the window, his favorite place after being locked up in a windowless shelter for over 6 months."

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Jessica Friedman's little Maltese, "Nani"

"She is a Maltese who turns 1 next month! I flew from CA to NY to get this little sweetheart!"

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Karen Jones' Red and White Boston Terrier, "Oliver"

"He is the happiest dog I have ever met. He makes me laugh everyday, he is so outgoing, smart and has a million different facial expressions. I'm proud to be his mom."

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Susan Morris with www.snootersforeverhome.com sent us a few amazing animals, from peacocks to chickens and pigs! Please visit their site, the sanctuary is really incredible.

Our Winner, "Katie" the Pug

"Katie came to us via Pug-a-lug rescue. She is 3 yrs old & has been through 4 homes.

This is her forever home now! "

Honorary mention...in memory of "Trixie" the Pig
Trixie was rescued from a factory farm as a piglet, born missing her front left leg.
She lived at the sanctuary until her passing, 3 years ago. We love you, Trixie!

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Suse Ferreira's "Charlotte", our model for the current Shih Tzu on the site!
She will never, EVER be seen without her signature pink bow, and that's THAT.

We love you, Fenway!

I think I've said this a few times...we have the best customers on the planet. Some of you have been with us since we started over ten years ago, and we can't get over how good you've been to us. Things are going to be changing a lot at Doodlekins when the new site launches, but one thing I can promise is we will always give you the CARE in customer care. It's heartfelt, always will be.

Today, Jennifer D'Andrea, a longtime customer, wrote to us about a future label purchase. She and her husband lost Fenway, one of their three dogs. The story and photograph she shared reminded us that we can all do a little good for people, even with cartoon labels. She was kind enough to let us share this with you. (Click the photo below to enlarge.)

I wanted to make sure everyone has the opportunity to have an angel if they need one. The halo accessory isn't just for a doodle that has passed on. A lot of folks use them in conjunction with the Halloween devil horn headband on pets and children to show them as angels and devils. Really adorable; you guys are so creative, it amazes us every time!

So, if you want the halo to very clearly represent a doodle that has passed on, we can turn them into angels. It's not something we offer on the current site, although it will be on the new site someday, you just have to request it in the cart's special request box. We put a little blue sky and cloud background behind the doodle, and add hearts, too. Dogs get tiny bones around them as well.

We hope to continue improving our products so they fit your family's story and lifestyle. Never hesitate to ask for something special, or make a suggestion. We're here for you, whether you're newlyweds, unmarried, or married for decades, whether you're a family with one mom or two, whether you have human kids or fur-kids, or even fin-kids! (Yes, some of our families really love their fish, so, we love them too!)

We wish the D'Andreas all our best, and to all of you as well.
Megan