Give Us a Kiss

The inspiration for the two love birds above came from two sources. The first was a hyacinth macaw I took care of one summer who would greet me every morning with, “Give us a kiss.” Of course if I had attempted to give him a kiss I would have lost my nose! The second was my maternal grandmother who would say, “Give us a kiss then” whenever she was leaving. I hope you have someone in your life you can ask to give you a kiss.

The other two designs are of two canine friends who shaped my love of animals and dogs in particular. The Basset Hound was named Omar and belonged to an older woman who lived up the street. I took him for walks for her, or tried to. Although he too was getting along in years, he was quite strong and the enticing smells his nose picked up determined where we would walk. Omar loved to splash through puddles and play in the mud, so I added a bit of colored mud to the design.

The Schnauzer’s name was Sherman when he arrived at the shelter where I was volunteering. His person had passed away and he was quite sad and confused at first. I nicknamed him Gent because he always seemed so prim and proper - a real gentleman - and we became good friends. Happily, he was adopted by an elderly couple who said they were moving to Florida. I often think of Gent and hope he got the happily ever after life he deserved.

You can get each of the designs on a HUG MUG by clicking on the images below.

Please let me know if you have any special animal friends you’d like to see on a Hug Mug. So far I have requests for sloths, hedgehogs, and opossums!

Sending Love and Hugs Your Way!
Jena

Copyright 2025 by Jena Ball. All Rights Reserved.

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