May 28, 2012

NEW! Mini Meditation "Stones" for Nature Lovers


There's nothing like walking through the woods or stargazing on a mountain top to wash away worries and to rejuvenate one's soul.
Wishing Star

But sometimes when we need it most, we can't get away to commune with nature.
 ...Perhaps you're stuck in traffic...
...The baby won't stop crying...
...The boss needs you to work overtime this weekend...
...The cat just ate your prize fern and is looking a little green... 

Sounds like you could use a mini meditation vacation!  That's why I've created my brand new  glass "Meditation Stone" paperweights. They are designed to brighten your day, one happy thought at a time.

On the front you'll a peaceful mountain landscape. 
Crescent Moon

 On the back is an inspirational suggestion such as "dream by moonbeam..." or "wish awhile upon a star". 


 Just follow the simple instructions in the mini booklet included with the stone, and allow yourself to be whisked away to a magical place of relaxation and beauty, if only for just a moment or two. When not being used for a mini meditation, this glass paperweight will serve to brighten your desk and batten down any wayward memos.
 
Your glass "stone" and the instruction booklet will arrive in a cotton-lined kraft paper box, ready for gift-giving. A nice gift idea for your Dad, a Grad, or a favorite hiking buddy, nature lover, or star gazer! 




Each paperweight measures 2" x 3" and features four "bumpers" on the bottom so that your furniture will not be scratched.



Full Moon Mountain

 
There are four different designs to choose from. 
 All currently available in my Etsy Shop.  Enjoy!

Mountain Moonrise                                                                                                                                                





May 16, 2012

New Items In My Etsy Shop!


This week I am celebrating the ginger-ey goodness of orange stripey tiger cats!  


I've added new personalizable pendants and matching earrings to my Susan Faye's Pet Projects Etsy Shop featuring both orange/red/ginger tabbies and orange and white tuxedos. 
Orange Tuxedo Shorthair

Orange Tabby Tuxedo Longhair
Each of these color combos comes in both shorthair and longhair versions, with four background colors to choose from. If my math is correct, that's 16 different variations to choose from! 

[Yes, I've been very busy... ]

Orange Tabby or Maine Coon Longhair

I handcraft each sparkling pendant using a mini print of my whimsical artwork which is preserved under crystal-clear glass, then sealed on the back. The glass tile is 3/4-inch wide and 1-1/4 inches tall and features a silvertone bail. 
Orange Tabby Shorthair
 Pendants may be personalized on the back with a pet's name or other short "heart" phrase of your choice...

And here are the matching earring choices:



[Yes, I've been very VERY busy.]

Click here to visit my Etsy shop and see 
all of my jewelry designs currently available: 

Thanks for visiting! 

May 15, 2012

Those Delicious Redheads of the Cat World

artwork copyright 2012 Susan Faye
Does your heart belong to a stripey-orange-hued cat? The official designation for this color is "red", but even if you describe your delicious cat as orange, ginger, marmalade, cinnamon, apricot, pumpkin or peach, there is no doubt that these lovable redheads of the cat world have a special place in the hearts of their Cat Ladies and Lads...
 ,
And there is no better ambassador for ginger cats everywhere than Cecil, a handsome cat who showed up at the door of Cat Lady Rose eight years ago. There is no telling where Cecil will turn up next! A bit of a clown, he loves to mug it up for the camera, and Rose's photos of him never fail to crack me up.  Here are a few examples:

"I thought you said the cutest mugs go on top..."- photo copyright Rose Gates

Sometimes Cecil Gets A Big Head - photo copyright Rose Gates

Purrfect Fit- photo copyright Rose Gates

Cool Cat- photo copyright Rose Gates

Unsinkable Cecil- photo copyright Rose Gates
"CATsserole" copyright Rose Gates

To find out more about Cecil's favorite cat rescue organization, please visit Angelcat Haven

Are YOU lucky enough to share your domicile with a ginger cat? Then it's time to show off!  You are invited to share photos of your little darlings on my Facebook page this week:


(to see all of the photos posted so far, click on "posts by others" in the drop-down box at the top of the posts)
Thanks for visiting!

May 11, 2012

Cat Lady Spotlight: Crafty Cat Ladies

What is your favorite thing about Australia?  Here is what readers have mentioned so far: kangaroos, koalas, wombats, Hugh Jackman,  80's band INXS, the Coral reef barrier and the beautiful sea life (add yours to the list here for a chance to win a copy of Australian Homespun Magazine--giveaway ends tonight).  

Of course my favorite thing about Australia right now is the May issue of Homespun Magazine and Australian Cat Lady Megan Fisher, who is responsible for my one of my cat lady designs being published as a how-to applique wall hanging project in this month's issue. 

Here are some insights into Megan's love for cats, her creative quilting, and her role as Technical Editor at a major needlecraft magazine :

"My husband and I are both cat people from way back. Our preference in recent years has been tuxies. Unfortunately, our once-in-a-lifetime absolutely-the-most-wonderful-pusscat-ever cat died at the age of only 2½ some years ago, and my husband can simply not bear the thought of getting another one, so we’ve been catless for a few years now. 

"My husband and I are both introverts, but this cat – formal name Mozart, nickname, Mr Pooh (as in Winnie-the …) – was the most extroverted cat I’ve ever met. All over everyone like a rash. in your face, on your lap, cuddles, hugs, purrs, kisses on and on and on. Getting out of bed every morning was a real drama, because the 'Welcome back from the Land of Nod' from Mr Pooh took at least 15 minutes – as though you’d been gone for months, not hours. We still miss him.

 "...He was definitely one of life’s little rays of sunshine and optimism, and when you have a face like his, that can be important." -Cat Lady Megan

"I’ve been making quilts for a bit over 20 years. Prior to that I did a bit of cross-stitch, and I still do some from time to time.

"I prefer making scrappy patchwork quilts, with postage-stamp quilts being a particular joy... One of the things that I like about quiltmaking is that I can make gorgeous work without having a strong artistic bent. It’s just about choosing colours and working with value and patterns – I don’t have to be able to draw!

"I’ve been working as a Technical Editor for Australian Homespun for about 10 years. The primary purpose of this role is to ensure that the instructions for the projects published in the magazine are accurate and provide sufficient information for readers to make a project just like the one we show in our photographs. Many designers are highly creative and do absolutely sensational projects for the magazine, but they don’t enjoy what, for them, is the tedium of writing the instructions down in gory detail. So, it’s important that someone who is more analytical, perhaps more detail-orientated, perhaps more of a ‘words person’ than a visual person, reviews the instructions. 

"In addition to checking the project instructions, I also write some of the short articles that introduce the projects, the book reviews (what a fabulous job that is!) and the occasional feature article. I enjoy being playful with language and feel that part of my contribution to the magazine has been to inject some light humour and fun.

"Crafting is an important part of the lives of many of our readers and I feel very fortunate to be able to play a part in bringing such wonderful projects to them in the magazine every month. It can feel somewhat relentless – the team is always working on different aspects of four or five different issues at any one time, and, of course, the cycle never ends, so there’s little opportunity to stop, draw breath and relax. Nevertheless, I always make sure that I have time to tackle some quiltmaking of my own. Even though I’ve had a number of projects published, it still gives me a thrill to see my work in print."

-------------------------------------------


Cat Lady Teri is another crafty cat lady whose crafty passion is knitting.  Her custom portrait was one of my paintings that inspired Megan's adaptation for "Knit One, Purr Two".

Teri  started a knitting group on Ravelry.com called the Amazing Flying Squirrel Karma Team. Projects have included an afghan for a grandmother's 100th birthday, making gators (kind of a cowl for men) for the soldiers stationed in Afghanistan, making an afghan to be raffled to raise money for RAINN, and making lapghans and afghans for residents of LANDAHAM State Psychiatric Hospital. "I am very proud of this group and the work we are doing!! Members of Ravelry.com are welcome and encouraged to stop by (http://www.ravelry.com/groups/amazing-flying-squirrel-karma-team) and help with a project or offer moral support. "

She also knows how to sew and "did quite a bit when my kids were small.  I have never done any piecework or quilting though." [note: she and I prefer the idea of having Megan make a 'Knit One, Purr Two" wall hanging for us. LOL].  Teri has another talent, which was evident in the recent "You're a Poet and You Know It Giveaway."
Here are her two lovely entries.  As it turned out, she was one of two lucky entrants whose name was drawn at random to win a mug.

opening tuna can 
tuna juice for my kitty cats
sandwiches for me

ZuZu and LeeLou
napping on the back porch
spring sunshine for all 
-------------------------------------------------------
THE GIVEAWAY: It's not too late to throw your hat in the ring for a chance to win a copy of the May issue of Australian Homespun magazine. Just visit this post: http://365catladies.blogspot.com/2012/05/fun-collaboration-and-giveaway.html and in the comments section, tell us something that you like about Australia.  
GIVEAWAY ENDS TONIGHT, Friday May 11 at 8 p.m. Pacific Daylight Saving Time, I will draw one name at random to receive the copy of the magazine (a $9.95 value in Australian Dollars!)


i

May 9, 2012

Dreaming of Summer Seashores

Clear skies, cool breezes and soft sunbeams have been flirting with me. Lately this is my favorite color combo: the tranquil aqua blue hues of the surf, the pale golden tan of the sand. Hmmmm, summer must be just around the bend... 

Etsy is one of my favorite places to surf, and here are some beautiful things that caught my eye recently: 

Click here to visit this Etsy treasury
I hope you enjoy this treasury, and if you do, please click on the images, comment, favorite it, tweet and share it... it it would be SO much fun if it were to make it onto the front page of Etsy! Almost as much fun as dreaming about summer seashores... 

Enjoy!


May 8, 2012

From Mother Earth to Dear Old Mom


Need a last-minute gift for your mom or other favorite nurturer?  Here's an option that will benefit TWO moms: your own maternal mom-figure and Mother Earth.

The Nature Conservancy has a long list of ways to honor of your mom:

Adopt a Coral Reef
Adopt Trees in Brazil
Protect Habitats for Hummingbirds
Adopt An Acre of Rainforest
OR make a donation of any amount and send a beautiful Tribute E-Card

Click here for more information:  



The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. The Conservancy's strong performance is recognized by Charity Navigator as exceeding or meeting industry standards. Here is their track record:
  • We've protected more than 119 million acres of land and 5,000 miles of rivers worldwide — and we operate more than 100 marine conservation projects globally.
  • We work in all 50 states and more than 30 countries — protecting habitats from grasslands to coral reefs, from Australia to Alaska to Zambia. See where we work.
  • We address threats to conservation involving climate change, fresh water, oceans, and conservation lands. Learn how we're responding.

May 6, 2012

A Fun Collaboration

As reported yesterday, Buttonwillow and I are VERY excited and hopping up and down with joy that this beautiful needlework and craft magazine landed in our mailbox, having flown all the way from an entirely different hemisphere and across the Pacific Ocean from the faraway continent of Australia. Why?


It all started with an unexpected proposal for a fun collaboration a little over two years ago.

On January 1, 2010, I had just completed my 365 Cat Ladies project of 2009 with a happy dance and a sigh of relief, having posted my artwork of 365 different Cat Ladies and Lads over the period of a year.  I also received an email on that day from Cat Lady Megan Fisher in Australia.

Megan had enjoyed seeing my artwork and had a proposal for me.  She wanted to adapt one of my Cat Ladies into a needlecraft project for possible publication in Australian Homespun magazine. Lucky for us, it just so happens that Megan is a Technical Editor of the magazine!

copyright 2009 Susan Faye
copyright 2009 Susan Faye
In case you don't know, anything to do with sheep, wool,spinning and knitting are a big deal in The Land Down Under, and Megan liked my knitting cat ladies...


...and in particular, this one that was a custom portrait of avid knitter Cat Lady Teri and her twins, LeeLou and Zuzu, and her departed angels, Red and CC :
copyright 2009 Susan Faye


Unfortunately, Megan had an illness in the family and needed to put the project on a back shelf for the better part of 2010, but eventually she was able to put together a schematic of an applique, embroidery and patchwork wall hanging:
copyright 2012 Megan Fisher

In early 2011, she presented it to the magazine's Editor Catherine Sanchez who said "yes"! As with most magazines of this type, projects like this are planned up to a year in advance (or more) and Ms. Sanchez thought this would be great for their winter issue in 2012 (their seasons are the opposite of those in the Northern Hemisphere). 

Then the real work began for Megan.  Not only would she have to create the actual wall hanging, she also had to write step-by-step instructions and draw an accurate, full-size pattern to be included as an insert in the magazine. Once all that was accomplished, she and I both signed contracts, provided photos and contact information, and...

Voila!  Here is the beautiful finished product that Megan created:

And here is the actual article as it appears in Volume 13 No. 5, Issue #108, the May 2012 issue of Australian Homespun magazine!!!!

 


 Buttonwillow is particularly pleased that her name now appears in print in an international magazine, highlighting her very special calisthenics routine which can be seen here: Physical Phitness with Buttonwillow


And I'm particularly delighted that there is a full page profile on yours truly and my art... quite a surprise, as I was expecting a very small "blurb"! Buttonwillow and I are feeling pretty big for our britches, pleased as punch, and tickled pink right about now...

To find out more about Australian Homespun (it is a visually beautiful magazine, chock-full of needlework projects of all kinds) click here for their website and blog: Complete Craft/ Homespun

You can order e-zine versions of the magazine for your electronic devices at www.Zinio.com

In the U.S. you can order actual paper copies online here (at some sites you may have to wait a few weeks until they become "back issues"):


[Note from Megan: "We do not recommend Amazon – they only sell subscriptions and the amount they charge is ridiculous!" ]

In Europe, the distributors are two UK-based firms: 
Manor House Magazines: http://www.manorhousemagazines.co.uk/  



THE GIVEAWAY

[Update: Giveaway has ended...Thanks to everyone for participating!]
In the meantime, I have one extra copy of the magazine to give away to a lucky reader.  Just leave your name in the comments section of this post and tell us what your favorite thing is about Australia (you know, kangaroos, koalas, Hugh Jackman, etc.)

On Friday, May 11, at 8 p.m. Pacific Daylight Saving Time, I will draw one name at random to receive the copy of the magazine (a $9.95 value in Australian Dollars!)

Please make sure that I have a way to contact you if you are the winner, such as a link to your blog or e-mail address included in the comment. You may send the info directly to my email if you don't want to make your contact info public.

Also, if you encounter trouble with the Comments feature, please contact me by e-mail
. If you visit www.susanfaye.net , you will find an email link.

Thanks for visiting!

May 5, 2012

Tasty Tidbits

LOOK at what arrived in our mailbox this week!!! 


Buttonwillow and I are VERY excited and hopping up and down with joy.  WHY would we be so excited about receiving a needlework and craft magazine from Down Under?  The  intriguing answer will be revealed tomorrow...

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Join Zoe's Kitty Party
In the meantime, Buttonwillow is enjoying a virtual international cat party with her European kitty friend Zoe at Annuk Creations.  She's mingling with dozens of other beautiful kitties from exotic faraway lands. Don't worry about any language barrier-- Zoe's mom speaks multiple languages fluently, including Meow. To join the party, click here for your special invitation Zoe's Kitty Party

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GENTLE REMINDER 
about my  
MOTHERS DAY SALE:

Bunny Mom Desktop Diorama
Mother's Day is just ONE week away and my deadline for ordering Mom Day gifts from my Etsy shop is TOMORROW, Sunday, May 6. Use coupon code THANKSMOM15 at checkout, and receive 15% off your entire order from my Etsy shop [discount does not apply to wholesale listings].  Gifts can be shipped directly to the recipient with a gift card, so send me a message if you would like that option.

Click here to find lots of goodies for an extra special Mom: 

Thanks for visiting!