Let's Get Crafty with Ella Dog

A few months ago, I saw this at a cute boutique here in Little Rock. First thought? "OHMYGOSH, HOW CUTE". Second thought? "SIXTY DOLLARS?!? I can make that myself."

**Wow, this has got to be the crappiest photo I have ever taken.
Seriously, it looks like something you would see on Craigslist....
I am ashamed (thanks for nothing iPhone 3GS)

In case you can't tell from my wonderful photo above, it's a silhouette of a dog. On a map. Of Little Rock. Where I live. My mind was filled with the thought: WHAT A GREAT IDEA! 

There was only one thing wrong with this find: My Ella Dog is not a weenie dog. Thank goodness-- instead she resembles a bear cub. Insert "Awwwwww." Yet another great reason to DIY. So I began.

The first step was to google a silhouette of a dog that looked like Ella. When that didn't work out (it's hard to find silhouettes of shorkiepoos. Can't imagine why) I took a picture of my pooch and outlined/filled it in in photoshop. Yeah, I got mad skillz. 

Next, I had to find a non-creased map of the Natural State. Since we got Ella in Vilonia (about 30 minutes northish of Little Rock), I wanted it to be included on her cut-out. Luckily my momma had a spare atlas and so this step was fairly easy. Here's a look at the "before."

** Ella dog + map

And here's the map after I cut her silhouette out. I stuck it on a maroon shirt so you could actually see it. As you can see, I got both her homes on there: Little Rock and Vilonia!

Next, I grabbed a frame I bought last weekend in Dallas and put her in there, only to discover that I would need something behind her besides white. You couldn't even see her on that white background -- the same issue I'd encountered when taking the above photo (which, as I said, is why I took it on a contrasting background).

Which one do you like?

Leave a comment and tell me which one I should pick! I'll see what the most popular one is, and then post about it on Tuesday! Happy Labor Day weekend!