If you’re looking for the perfect stocking, check out these adorable offerings from artist Melodie Musick. Other than regular grade school and high school art classes, Melodie is mostly self-taught but has loved drawing and painting for as long as she can remember.
Melodie opened her Etsy shop (RaeRussellDesigns) in 2019, starting with portraits and tote bags. When she came across a cute, jute stocking she thought might be fun to work with, she painted one for her dog. After posting it on Facebook, everyone loved it, and she actually got quite a few orders based on that post. So, she added it to her shop, and it has grown from there — she’s now in her fourth year of creating and selling the stockings.
A lifelong animal lover, Melodie is particularly taken with dogs. “I grew up with dogs, cats, horses, cows, you name it,” she says. “But there is something about dogs. I love their personalities, their capacity for love and forgiveness and how unique they are.”
Her own dog, 11-year-old Trooper Russell, is an inspiration to her. “He didn’t have the best first part of his life,” Melodie says. “There was some abuse and some bad situations, but now he is nothing but a ball of love. When I adopted him, I gave him the name Trooper because that’s what he is — he just keeps on going no matter what, giving love to everyone he meets.”
One of her favorite parts of painting the stockings is seeing the photos she’s sent by customers. “I love their names, their expressions, and I love knowing that they are so loved that their humans want a painting of them,” she says. “I wish every single animal could be that loved in their lifetime.”
See more of Melodie’s dog stockings on her Etsy shop and on Facebook and Instagram @raerusselldesigns.
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