National Mutt Day!!

Tomorrow is National Mutt Day! If your favorite four-legged friend is without a pedigree (a.k.a your dog is a Half-Breed, or Mixed-Breed) then you know this is a day for them! In many ways, pure-bred breeders, and sometimes the public in general view mutts as “lesser” than pure-breeds.  However, mutt owners know better.  They know how to appreciate diversity and uniqueness in their pet (mutt).

What is a mutt, you may ask? Well technically, a mutt is a mixed-breed dog whose ancestry is unknown, and exhibits characteristics of two or more types of dogs.

Advantages of mutts:

  • Studies that have been done in the area of health show that mixed-breeds on average are both healthier and longer-lived than their purebred cousins.
  • Cross-bred dogs have a number of desirable reproductive traits. Researchers found that cross-bred dogs were superior mothers compared to purebred mothers, producing more milk and giving better care.
  • While purebred dogs exhibit little variability of appearance within their breed, mixed-breed dogs often exhibit unique appearances.

Most Famous Mutts

  1. Benji
  2. Old Yeller
  3. Odie- From the “Garfield” Comic Strips
  4. Pluto- “Disney” Cartoon
  5. Lady & Tramp- “Disney’s ‘Lady and the Tramp’”
  6. Clifford

Mutts deserve their day in the spotlight just as much as pure breeds! So if you own a mutt and you’re reading this, we hope you thoroughly enjoy Mutt’s Day, and that you celebrate the day by relaxing, spending time with your mutt, or even by adding to your family with the adoption of a special little mutt from your local animal shelter!

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Happy Hot Dog Day!

Hot Dog!! Today is national Hot Dog Day! If for  some unfortunate reason, you do not know what a hot dog is (let’s hope not), allow me to provide you with a brief history of this ball park delicacy, and perhaps even some fun facts! How does that sound?

Sausages go way back into history, and are even mentioned in Homer’s Odyssey as far back as the 9th century B.C.! Though there is some controversy concerning the origin of the hot dog, it is one of the oldest forms of processed food that is still enjoyed today.  And no one disagrees with that!

The North American hot dog that we enjoy today comes from a widespread common European sausage brought here by butchers of several nationalities.

Flash forward to the year 1893.  In that year sausages seemed to be the standard fare at baseball parks.  In 1901 the phrase “hot dog” was coined by a concessionaire at the New York Polo grounds.  It was a cold day in April, and one of the vendor’s cold foods were not selling well, so he decided to sell “dachshund sausages” that were piping hot.  A nearby sport’s cartoonist was not sure how to spell “dachshund” so he simply wrote “hot dog”! The cartoon was a hit and the name “hot dog” was born!

Hot Dog Facts!

  • Sports cartoonist Tad Dorgan is credited with the coinage of the term “hot dog” in 1901 at the New York Polo Grounds.
  • The first words that Walt Disney’s immortal creation Mickey Mouse ever uttered in a cartoon were “hot dogs” (in “The Karnival Kid, 1929). The cartoons he was featured in were silent ones up until that point.
  • New Yorkers consume more hot dogs than any other city, beating out Chicago and Los Angeles.
  • According to a study in 1999, Americans consumed 7 billion hot dogs or 818 hot dogs every second during the Hot Dog Season.

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CG Group Shots: Camping Trip 2010!

Lately we’ve been asking our customers who ordered group designs to send us their pictures so that we can show them off a little…okay, maybe more than a little! It’s been absolutely amazing to see how creative and artistic our fans are, and I can’t wait to share their design photos with you! Who knows, maybe some of them will inspire your next group design! Enjoy:)

This group photo was sent to us by Mika.  Mika’s husband and his friends have taken a camping trip together every summer since they graduated from high school.  To commemorate the 10th (or 11th) summer of their camping trip, Mika designed these awesome “Camping Trip 2010” tees, and the guys loved them! What a good wifey! We can’t wait to see the tees she designs for them next year!

If you would like your group to be featured on our blog, simply post your picture to our Facebook page, or send us an email with your photos attached.

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Family Reunion Month

Tie Dye Family Reunion Tee

July is family reunion month! During July, there are many holidays that are celebrated; some are just for a day, or a week, and others for the entire month.  Family reunion month is a great time to hold your family get-together! The weather is great, which means there are plenty of options in terms of outdoor activities, and ways to keep the kids entertained. You could have a water-balloon toss, play horse shoes, backyard volleyball, and barbecue, have a scavenger hunt, and more! The possibilities are endless, and each family has their own traditions.

Family reunions are great because many families are spread throughout many different states and they may not get to see each other too often.  So during this get together you can all come together and see the family that you have not seen, and get to see how all the children are growing up, as well as catching up with family you get to see a little more frequently.  You can even commemorate this special event by creating custom apparel like these Family Reunion T-Shirts!

Griffin Family Reunion Tee

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It’s Chocolate Day!

Best Bitches Matching Tanks with Chocolate Bunnies

Women of America can rejoice, for today is Chocolate Day! Chocolate Day is always on July 7th, and it provides us with the perfect opportunity to indulge in our favorite chocolates in large proportions (just in case you need an excuse to do so).  Chocolate is America’s favorite flavor in candies, ice cream, cakes, breakfast cereal, toppings, and a whole host of desserts.  Unrivalled in popularity, it certainly deserves its own day!

If you need some suggestions as to how to celebrate this sweet day of confection, allow me to suggest some additions to your menu.

Breakfast: Try a chocolate cereal and/or two or three chocolate-covered/chocolate-filled donuts washed down with some hot chocolate or a mocha latte!

Mid-Morning Snack: Chocolate candy bar (with or without nuts) to hold you over until lunch.

Lunch: A tall glass of chocolate milk is a must, perhaps with a piece of chocolate pie or chocolate pudding for dessert.

Mid-Afternoon Snack: Try healthier options (kind of) like chocolate covered nuts or raisins!

Dinner: Sip on some chocolate liqueur before dinner (if you are an adult), and try either chocolate flavored coffee or chocolate cake for dessert.

Interesting Fact: Did you know that chocolate is a vegetable? It comes from the Cacao tree found in rainforests.

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Happy Fourth of July!

“In the truest sense, freedom cannot be bestowed; it must be achieved.”  ~Franklin D. Roosevelt

It’s Independence Day! Each year on July 4th, Americans celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence, which officially established the original thirteen American states as a separate entity from the British Parliament.  Many Americans celebrate the birthday of the United States by flying the American flag, having cookouts, fireworks, and family gatherings.  Sometimes communities will sponsor their own special events like parades, carnivals, and fireworks displays.

This is all pretty common knowledge to us now, but do you know other cool patriotic facts like the bird that Benjamin Franklin preferred over the Bald Eagle for our national bird? Or how many hot dogs Americans will consume today? Read some Independence Day Trivia and find out!

Independence Day Tivia

  • Benjamin Franklin wanted the turkey to be the national bird, but was outvoted when Thomas Jefferson and John Adams chose the Bald Eagle.
  • An estimated 150 million hot dogs will be consumed today!
  • The 4th of July was not considered a national holiday until 1941.
  • The national anthem is set to the tune of an old English drinking song called To Anacreon in Heaven.
  • The first 4th of July party held at the White House was in 1801.
  • Oddly, the majority of our patriotic paraphernalia (flags, fireworks, emblems, etc.) are produced in China.  Nearly $349 million dollars are is used each year to import the products.

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Happy Canada Day!

What better way to ring in the month of July by celebrating the day that Canada became a nation! July 1st 2010 marks the 143rd celebration of Canada Day, formerly known as Dominion Day. On this day in 1867 the British North American Act united the British colonies of Upper Canada, Lower Canada, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia into one unified country. These colonies became the first four provinces of Canada. Lower Canada was renamed Quebec, and Upper Canada was renamed Ontario. Thus, Canada became its own kingdom that day, but the British Parliament kept limited rights of political control over the new country that were shed by stages over the years until the last vestiges were surrendered in 1892 when the Constitution Act patriated the Canadian constitution.

Typically Canada’s birthday is celebrated much like we celebrate the 4th of July; with outdoor pleasures such as barbecues, picnics, fireworks, community sponsored parades, free musical concerts, and more! So if you are Canadian or your family is Canadian, wear your colors with pride today! Happy birthday Canada!

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