Drumroll Please...

Miss Kitty!  She is the winner of one dozen notecards in the Bouquet Cat Giveaway. Congratulations Kitty-- you will be contacted shortly to find out your selections....

Didn't win?  Don't despair.  There is still time to make a pledge over at my Kickstarter campaign and receive combinations of 2, 4, 6, or 12 notcards.  Thank you to everyone who helped share the link!  We are 2/3 of the way through the campaign and have raised almost 3/4 of the seed money that will allow me to have 16+ designs professionally printed as notecards and giclee prints.  With a little over a week to go, there are several ways you can help me reach my goal:

1. Make a pledge at this link: http://kck.st/1bnprOr
2. Share this Kickstarter link on Facebook:  http://kck.st/1bnprOr
3. Share this  Kickstarter link on Twitter: http://kck.st/1bnprOr
4. re-pin this Kickstarter Pin to your own Pinterest page: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/100979216618695813/

Thanks for your help!

It's a Bouquet Cat Giveaway!

First, a big THANK YOU to all of my generous backers so far who have supported my "A Bouquet From The Cat" Kickstarter Project!  Thanks to you, I am now over halfway to my goal in the first week!

To celebrate, I'm having a giveaway!  As you may know, my goal is to raise the seed money necessary to have notecards and giclee prints of my new artwork professionally printed. Here are some of the prototypes of the notecards:

Each card is 5" x 7" with an image that is 3.5" x 5.5" and suitable for framing!  They are printed with Dura-Brite inks on matte card stock, blank inside, and each includes an envelope. Pop them into a 5" x 7" frame, and I think they would make great gifts for your favorite veterinarian, pet sitter, or that crazy cat lady down the street. Here are the 16 designs that you will be able to choose from:

THE GIVEAWAY: The prize will be one dozen deluxe notecards, your choice of designs! (including shipping, it's a $45 value!). The winner will receive these cards in early December.

To enter, just tell me what your favorite bouquet is-- tulips, roses, carnations, sunflowers, mixed bouquet, etc.-- in the comments section below.   Entries will also be accepted on my Facebook page.

EXTRA ENTRIES: For extra entries to increase your odds of winning, please help me spread the word about my Kickstarter project...

1. Share my Kickstarter link on Facebook:  http://kck.st/1bnprOr
2. Share my Kickstarter link on Twitter: http://kck.st/1bnprOr
3. re-pin this Kickstarter Pin to your own Pinterest page: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/100979216618695813/

...for each extra entry, come back and leave a separate comment saying which one you did. Each comment will count as one entry. 

The giveaway will end Saturday evening, November 23, at 5 p.m. PST, at which time I will select 1 name at random from all of the entries.

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.  If you don't want to make your contact info public, You may send the contact info directly to my email .  If you visit www.susanfaye.net , you will find an email link.  

THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

Inka's Snazzy Giveaway

As you probably know by now, Buttonwillow and Inka came to me several weeks ago and demanded a new and improved cat toy.  They demanded that it be big and SNAZZY.

The only problem is, Inka still isn't sure what "snazzy" means.

That's where you come in.  Tell her what you think snazzy means in 10 words or less in the comments section below, and you'll be entered to win one of four Snazzy Rat Junior prototype catnip toys.

 

What is a Snazzy Rat Junior?  It's a slightly smaller version (at 5-1/2" long) of the current Snazzy Rat catnip toy. These were my very first prototypes, but once I got the fabric back from the printer and sewed them up, they just didn't seem quite big enough and I went back to the drawing board. But the four "juniors" are perfectly good catnip toys and here's your chance for Kitty Dearest to own one.

EXTRA ENTRIES: For extra entries to increase your odds of winning, please share my Kickstarter link on your Facebook page or Twitter, then come back and leave a comment saying that you did so for each share. Each comment will count as one entry.  Here is the link to share: http://kck.st/Z05ibL

The giveaway will end Sunday night, April 21, at 5 p.m. PDT, at which time I will select 4 names at random from the entries.  Entries will also be accepted on my Facebook page.

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 participating! 
 

Caption This! Giveaway Ends Tonight with $50 Gift Certificate!

There is still time to enter the giveaway for a $50 certificate to my Etsy shop!  Just think up captions for Inka and her friend as depicted in this photo and leave them in the comments section of the original post, where you can read all of the cute entries so far. There won't be any judging (winner will be selected at random) so just have fun!

Here are a few of the entries so far: 

From Carol Mai

From Chrissykat

From Jhitomi

Giveaway ends tonight. You may enter a second caption suggestion over at my Facebook Page for a second chance to win.  For more information please visit the original giveaway post:  

Caption This! (and a Giveaway)

Caption This! (and a Giveaway)

UPDATE: The giveaway has ended and the winner, drawn at random, is BuncoBuddy!  Contratulations, and thank you to everyone who participated!

It's been a busy several weeks here at Susan Faye World Headquarters.  My studio assistant Buttonwillow and Assistant-In-Training Inka have been busy as little elves, helping me fill orders as we've sent my little creations to faraway lands around the world and to every corner of the USA, including Hawaii and Alaska.

Buttonwillow takes a short break from catnip toy production.  I think the fumes have simply overwhelmed her.

Here are just a few of the exotic places that we've sent our little packages off to explore:

• Jupiter (the one in Florida, that is)
• Tentúgal, Portugal
• Sion les Mines, France
• The Bronx
• Wien, Austria
• Kingston, Nova Scotia
• Waipahu, Hawaii
• Port Coquitlam, BC
• Wauwatosa, Wisconsin
• Waxhaw, N. Carolina
• Kranj, Slovenia
• Fowlerville. Missouri
• Crossgates, Fife, United Kingdom
• Dinwiddie, Virginia
• Queensland, Australia
• Istanbul, Turkey
• New Iberia, Louisiana
• Odenthal, Germany
• and Minsk, Belarus

 Below is a snapshot of Inka taking a little break from her grueling schedule.  She seems to be in an intense, yet private conversation with her little friend.  What do you think they are saying? 

Please share your ideas for captions in the comments section of this post. For example--- Inka: "I hear they're serving Spam again in the cafeteria today."  Mouse: "I vote we go to Taco Bell".  Anyway, you get the idea.

THE GIVEAWAY:

On Wednesday, December 19, at 8:00 p.m. PST,  I'll throw everyone's name into a hat and draw one name at random to win a $50.00 gift certificate to my Etsy Shop.  You may enter a second caption suggestion over at my Facebook Page for a second chance to win.

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 participating! 

Cover Girl Winners!

It was a landslide. Crazy Cat Lady "A" won the popularity contest with a whopping 34 votes. Tuxedo Mom and Tea Time Lady tied for second with 16 votes each, and Autumn Cat Lady came in with a respectable 11 votes.

One voter's name was drawn at random to win a calendar, and the winner was knitting cat lady Nancy P. who cast her vote over on my facebook page.  Congratulations, Nancy P.!

Crazy Cat Lady A would like to humbly thank everyone for participating, especially those who voted to make her dreams come true to become this year's covergirl.  She will be working tirelessly all year to promote peace, spaying and neutering, and a better cat fur removal system for dark clothing.

I will be printing up calendars this weekend and will list them in my Etsy shop asap.  Stay tuned...

Birthday Giveaway

 UPDATE: the giveaway has ended and the winner is Rita Dean.  Thank you to everyone who participated and described some delectable-sounding cupcakes!
 
I glanced at the calendar and apparently it is time to celebrate the anniversary of the birth of some certain silver-haired cat lady once again. Hopefully cupcakes will ensue.  In the mean time, let's celebrate with a giveaway!

In the comments section, just tell me what would be your favorite flavor combo for a cupcake-- cake plus frosting.  For example, I would have to go with the classic dark chocolate cake and vanilla frosting, all made from scratch, of course!

At 9:00 Pacific Time tonight, I will draw one name from the comments section to win this original ACEO card, a collectible mini work of art! It is an ORIGINAL miniature watercolor painting from my 2009 series of 365 Cat Ladies.  It's called "Party Animals No. 6". It is in ACEO (Art Card Editions and Originals) format, which means that the artwork size is 2.5" x 3.5".

It is is hand-painted on super-heavy Arches 300-lb. acid-free cold-press watercolor paper with professional quality watercolor paints. Artist-initialed on front, signed, dated, and titled on back. The card will arrive in a rigid plastic sleeve for protection.

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.

Now bring on the cupcakes!!! 

Grandma's Doll Wants To Find Her Name... Vote For Your Favorite!

Grandmas's Doll and I want to thank everyone for the many beautiful and old-fashioned names that were suggested in the "Doll Who Lost Her Name Giveaway"! Actually, I loved ALL of them but had to whittle it down to my five absolute favorites, and here they are:

• Emmaline
• Isadora
• Viola
• Adelaide
• Evangeline

Now it's your turn to vote for your favorite and help this dolly find her name!  You'll find a poll at the top of the right hand column of this blog here you can make your preference known.  The poll will be open until Wednesday at 9 p.m. PDT.  There will also be a poll on my Facebook page-- you may vote once here and once there.

In the mean time, I've drawn THREE winners at random from all of those who suggested a name.  Each winner will get to choose a set of 5 bookmark/gift tags.  The winners are: Queen B, Paddy's Katy R., and Erika. Congratulations!   I'll be contacting you shortly to find out your prize choice and your mailing info... 

Thank you  to everyone who participated!!! You can read all of the wonderful suggestions at the end of the original blog post.

The Doll Who Lost Her Name [A Giveaway]

This charming cat lady has a story or two to tell. Her fragile china head, now 125 years old, has survived the love of many little girls, but like many older heads, it sometimes loses track of things.  Like places. And dates. And worst of all, names.  

This much she remembers:

 

In 1887 a little girl was born to the Cornwell family in Louisiana, and her name was Mabel Lavancha.  Mabel had four older brothers and two older sisters and somewhere along the way this beautiful china-head dolly with the blue eyes became hers, a precious hand-me-down.  

Mabel made a beautiful necklace of cast-off glass beads for her dolly, with two bright red beads that matched the dolly's stylishly red high-top "shoes".

Decades passed and Mabel became a mother, and then a grandmother, and she came to live in the corner room of her daughter's house.  The dolly sat in a place of honor on top of the oak dresser and when little granddaughter Susie asked nicely, she was allowed to hold grandma's doll and pretend to be the little prairie girl's loving mother. 

Many more decades passed and little Susie became Susan Faye and Grandma's Doll now sits in a place of honor in her home, with a little adopted Steiff cat to keep her company.

But somewhere along the decades, the dolly lost her name! Perhaps Grandma simply forgot the doll's name in her later years.  Maybe Susie just never asked. To Susie, she was always referred to as "Grandma's Doll" or "The China Head Doll".

It's time for "Grandma's Doll" to have a REAL name again!  What do you think her name is? Leave your suggestion in the comments section of this post.  Next Sunday, July 15,  I will pick my five favorites and we will put it to a vote.

 

Each person who suggests a name will be entered into a random drawing.  On Monday, July 16, I will pick THREE names and each will receive their choice of a set of 5 bookmark/gift tags from my Etsy Shop.

Garden Cat Gift Tag/ Mini Bookmark Set

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.

Summer Garden Gift Tag/ Mini Bookmark Set

 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.


Grandma's Doll and I thank you for your help!!

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"):

http://www.ericas.com/magazines/homespun.htm

http://store.stonehouse-publications.com/default.php?cPath=42005_42539 

[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/  

Cotton Patch: http://www.cottonpatch.co.uk/acatalog/Magazine_Back_Issues.html

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!

The Results Are In!

My Studio Assistant Buttonwillow and I have been up all night tallying the results of our marketing survey and would like to thank all of our friends here, on Facebook, and at The Hive for your valuable input on my new line of cat lover pendants.



Overall, Robin Egg Blue was the favorite with 30 votes, but Sweet Violet was right behind with 27. Apple Green was also popular with 19 votes, but Rose Pink only got 10 thumbs up.

As for which cat color/breed/markings to create next, calico had the most votes, with tuxedo being the next most popular. After that came variations on an orange/red/yellow tabby, a black cat, a tortoiseshell, gray/Russian blue, and a white cat.

Also mentioned were the always popular Maine Coon variations, Siamese, and Himalayan. There were also some very specific and some exotic suggestions: Bengal, Ragdoll, mackerel tabby, Scottish Fold, dilute calico, Havana Brown and an odd-eyed cat (one blue eye, one green eye).

Because there were so many respondents, I've decided to give away TWO of my prototype pendants pictured here, and TWO names were drawn at random: Nora Johnston, who commented on my Facebook page and JHitomi, who commented here on this blog. Winners- please contact me with your color choice and mailing information, and congratulations!


JHitomi also had a great suggestion: ..."another idea would be Black background, and maybe a round or heart shape for the pendant. Maybe because I've been coveting cameos and it would be a mock cat-cameo". Another great suggestion made by Laurie F. was to make stitch markers for knitters with my tiny tiles. I love hearing your ideas and feedback-- it helps keep my creative wheels turning. Thank you to EVERYONE who responded to my survey!

Your Opinion Please...(and Thank You!)

It's time for a little market research here at Susan Faye World Headquarters
and I'd love to hear your two-cents-worth!

I've been working on a new line of cat jewelry, with the intent of including as many possible breeds/markings/cat-colors as possible, both in shorthair and longhair versions. My first offering will be the gray tabby pictured above.

Please respond to the following questions by leaving your answers in the comments section of this post to help me with my decisions (I'm a Libra, I need all the help I can get!). As a thank-you, I will draw one name at random on Tuesday, March 13 at 8 p.m. Pacific Time, and the lucky winner will receive their choice of one of the above prototype pendants, including a 24" petite ball chain!

1. Which of the above background colors would you be most likely to wear?
2. Which of the above background colors would you be most likely to give as a gift?
3. Which type of cat breed/coloring would you like for me to do next? (you may name up to 5--examples: brown tabby, tortoiseshell, seal point siamese, ginger tabby with white chest, mackerel tabby, white with gray spots, etc.)

That's it! Thanks for your help!

And The Winner Is....

Congratulations to Chrissykat! Her name was drawn at random and she is the winner of the Cat Lover Candle Tin in the Battle of the Bulge Giveaway.

Here is her suggestion for Buttonwillow's diet lament:

Thank you for all of the fun and fabulous entries at the original blog post , on Facebook, and on an identical post over at The Hive.

Thank you for participating!!

The Battle of the [Buttonwillow] Bulge...Week Three

We have entered Week 3 of Buttonwillow's new diet regimen and things are REALLY getting desperate around here.


Things are so desperate that Buttonwillow has eaten the ears off of her favorite catnip mouse toy.


That's the white stuffing that you see poking out of the holes where the ears used to be. Obviously, the nose is next. That means it's time for a new mouse toy. AND it's time to enter the Buttonwillow Caption Giveaway before it's too late. The giveaway ends tonight at 8:00 PST, so hop over to this blog post to read all of the fun and funny entries and leave your own suggestion if you haven't already.

Thanks for participating!

The Battle of the [Buttonwillow] Bulge...Week TWO and a Caption Giveaway

[Update 2-20-2012...Giveaway entries are now closed. Thank you for participating!]

Buttonwillow's new diet regimen continues. Crankiness has morphed into Drama Queen theatrics. Let me translate for you:

I'm blue. As blue as this chair.

Sigh. I am wasting away as you can see, already skin and bones.

I barely have the strength to lift my head, just the slightest amount, to see if any food has appeared in my bowl. Alas, I see none.

What do you think the little Drama Queen might say next?

Add your suggestion to the comments section of this post. Each person who leaves a comment will be entered into a drawing to be held on Sunday, February 19. At 8 p.m. PST . I will draw one name at random to win the candle tin pictured here. Double your chances to win: You may leave a SECOND entry by "liking" my Facebook page and leaving your entry on the corresponding post (it was posted on 2-14): http://www.facebook.com/SusanFayeArt.

Thanks for participating!

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.

[Update 2-20-2012...Giveaway entries are now closed. Thank you for participating!]