I'm a sucker for dogs, pugs especially. So when I was at The Dog Park, a local pet boutique for the doggie ice cream social last weekend, I couldn't help but to be drawn to a greeting card display. All of the cards featured dogs or cats, but there was one set in particular that I fell in love with that featured vintage-looking ads.

After perusing each and every card while my husband (and dog) waited patiently, I finally settled on two greeting cards each featuring pugs - one black (like Lulu) and one fawn (like Oliver). I picked them up for $3.60 each, thanks to a 10% off discount due to the store's special event that day. 

I initially purchased the greeting cards as just that...greeting cards. But as soon as I brought them home I realized they were so darn cute I wanted needed to display them. Hang them on the frig maybe? No, that would just contribute to our already cluttered kitchen mess. And then I remembered I had purchased two frames on sale from Michaels craft store months back, with the intention of framing vacation photos from a recent trip to Napa.

Unfortunately the vacation photo idea never came to fruition, but the pre-matted frames were patiently waiting inside our coffee table storage trunk, just begging to be used. I retrieved the cards, gave them a good once over with glass cleaner, and affixed the back of the card to the cardboard that came with the frame. 

Admittedly the cards aren't a perfect fit for the matte size, but there isn't a lot of contrast between the white border of the card and the white background. Normally these things bother me, but for some reason I'm not inclined to purchase a new matte to make this project perfect. But you certainly could.

I think these little pugs will be a perfect complement to the Ken Bailey bull terrier print already hanging in our family room. The scale is a little small for the open areas behind the chair, so we may need to move some things around, or hang other items in addition to the photos to make a larger, more substantial grouping.

But, even though they're not the perfect size, investing around $20 and 10 minutes time in something that makes me smile seems well worth it. Here's the final outcome:

Isn't it interesting how you start to see patterns in your home decor? When I walked over to the cards, it didn't occur to me that I have "a thing" for mock vintage canine advertisements. But it seems clear to me now I'm bordering on needing an intervention.

Has anyone else completed a quick, easy art project recently? Or discovered a hidden obsession manifest itself in your decorating? If so, we'd love to hear all about it.