A Cuddly Lap-Cat No More

Illustration Friday

(theme: "wild")

artwork copyright 2013 Susan Faye

 Normally a mild-mannered lap-cat, Percival is sometimes inexplicably transformed into a wild jungle beast, helplessly lured by the intoxicating scent of his rodent prey which have been cleverly disguised as catnip toys.

Going Green with Snazzy Rats and My Newest Design

With Earth Day fast approaching, I've been mindful of trying to keep my latest project earth-friendly. Although not perfect in their "footprints", my Snazzy Rat catnip toys are trying to do their part to have a small impact on the planet, while having a big impact on Kitty Dearest.

And in honor of April 22, here is a sneak peek at my newest Snazzy Rat design:

artwork and design copyright 2013 Susan Faye, all rights reserved

It's definitely "green" and called "Earth Day Every Day". I hope you like it! I'll be adding it to the line-up if we reach the next "stretch goal" in my Kickstarter campaign (details here).

Here are some of the other ways that I've tried to make this project as "green" as possible:

FABRIC: My catnip toys are made from 100% cotton fabric with no synthetic fibers. Spoonflower.com, who does my printing, uses digital textile printers, which are modified large-format inkjet printers. Unlike traditional textile methods, this process creates less textile waste, and uses less electricity, water, and ink. Spoonflower uses eco-friendly water-based pigment inks on natural fiber fabrics. No additional chemicals are used in the process. Read more about their operation here.

THE 'NIP: The catnip that I use is certified organic, grown both in Canada and the U.S.A.

Assistant Yarn Inspector Inka performs a quality assurance test

YARN: The tails are made from up-cycled yarn-- you know, those little leftover bits that knitters donate to Goodwill or sell at a yard sale in hopes that someone can use it up. I look for the SNAZZY remnants. 

FIBERFILL: I use a tiny bit of fiberfill to fill out the rat's ears and nose and currently have been using bamboo fiberfill.  However, I recently found out that it uses a lot of chemicals in the processing and is not so eco-friendly after all.  Does anyone have any ideas for a fiberfill that would be "greener"?

PACKAGING:  I've switched from plastic poly-bags to glassine paper bags. These almost transparent paper bags are recyclable and bio-degradable, yet will still keep the catnip toys fresh and clean until kitty is ready for them. 

As you probably know by now, I'm currently raising the "seed money" necessary to launch this new line of catnip toys. By making a pledge, you will be pre-ordering your choice of Snazzy Rat designs   If we reach my next "stretch goal" before the end of the campaign, I'll be able to add the "Earth Day Every Day" design to the line-up.  As of this writing, we are just a few pledges away! Please help by making a pledge today, or by sharing my Kickstarter link with all of your crazy cat lady friends.  Here it is: http://kck.st/Z05ibL.

And as Earth Day approaches, remember to always reduce, re-use and recycle EVERY day! It really makes a difference in the long-run.  Your grandkids' grandkids will thank you.

Glass!

My BFF Mary and I look forward to Tuesday every week now, because Tuesday is Glass Class! Each week we are let loose in the candy store as we learn new techniques in fused glass in a workshop-style setting at In Fused With Love, under the guidance of mother-daughter team Lynette and Alison Neeld.

Here is what I've been working on over the past weeks:

Some early experiments using silver foil, "liquid stringer" and frits (don't look too closely!)

On this one I used dichroic glass under clear and opal frit (frit is powdered glass) for some of the squares, glass "stringers" for the whiskers and glass chips for the daffodil petals:

 

"Daffodil Cat" before firing

Daffodil Cat after several firings.  The dichroic squares came out looking like opals!

This was my most ambitious one so far, trying out lots of different techniques with frits, glass stringers. liquid "stringer", and something called "flexi-glass".

Calico Cat before firing

On the second firing I added some green enamel on top of the white squares to tone the bright white down a bit. I also forgot to add whiskers the first time around, so I painted some on with enamels before the last firing.  I'm thinking about having this one "slumped" into a shallow dish.

"Calico Cat" after several firings

This is my latest experiment-- I wanted to see if I could "paint" with frits to get a watercolor effect.  I used to do something similar with powdered enamels when I was learning cloisonne enamel techniques twenty years ago...

"Cactus Blossom" finished

It took an extra firing to do some touch-ups with enamels, but I was pleased with the final result and learned a lot in the process...

"Cactus Blossom" close-up

I have lots of ideas to try and can hardly wait until next Tuesday!

Jinx the Cat... Snazzy Rat Endorsement #1

Market research is one of the important responsibilities of my studio assistants Buttonwillow and Inka. With that in mind, they recently sent Snazzy Rat prototypes to a few of their friends to get some valuable feedback.  Here is a consumer report from Jinx the Cat on the "LaLa Land"  Snazzy Rat model.  Originally from Las Vegas, Nevada, Jinx now resides in Monmouth, Oregon, with his humans Tina and James.  

Hi I'm Jinx.
I was once a mild-mannered feline who had never been exposed to the enticements of herbs.  That is, until I received a LaLa land Snazzy Rat toy filled with something called organic catnip. 

"LaLa Land"

I'm not sure what it did to my brain, but I went berserk trying to get that stuff out of the rat, even resorting to my very best bunny kicks.  I was transformed into a wild jungle beast trying to rip apart my helpless prey.

photos courtesy of Tina W.

It was useless, but I had fun trying.  Once I exhausted myself and turned back into a mild-mannered domestic cat, I found that the Snazzy Rat made a really great pillow, producing surprisingly sweet dreams.

You ought to get yourself one. You can reserve one by making a pledge at my Aunt Susan's Kickstarter Campaign, which is in full swing.  She's raising money to buy the materials to make lots more of these Snazzy Rats.  Trust me, this catnip stuff is the best! 

Cat Lady Craftiness

It's been lots of fun to watch my fabric squares fly off to different corners of the country. What's even more fun is to get reports about what some very Creative Crafty Cat Ladies are doing with them! 

Take Cat Lady Rose, for example.  Always looking for new ways to raise funds for her cat rescue organization Angelcat Haven, she recently received a lesson in applique technique from her neighbor, then stitched up these pretty towels.  Here is product model Fluffy Gates showing off a favorite:

The first batch of towels already sold out, but Rose is busy stitching up some more that she will offer for sale at Cinco de Meow, A Fiesta 4 Felines on May 4th at Seven Arrows Farm on Oakhill Avenue, Attleboro, Massachusetts, from 11am-3 pm. The event will feature a chili contest, music, food, non-alcoholic drinks, raffles, crafts and a bake sale, all to benefit the rescued cats of Angelcat Haven.

Can't make it to the fiesta?  You can contact Rose through her Etsy shop and purchase some of her cute jewelry which also benefits rescued cats. 

Here's another great idea from Etsy artisan Genie of GenieCrafts-- she used the quilt blocks to stitch up a beautifully crafted wall or door organizer with four pockets:

Available at: GenieCrafts

Each pocket can hold coupons, recipe cards, glasses, appointment reminders, mail, anything that you need handy and it leaves more space on your desk or counter top.

The four hand covered button clothespins are included and are very useful for attaching items to each pocket such as mail, post cards, business cards, appt. cards, articles, notes. This organizer is available for sale in Genie's Etsy shop.

Finally, in case you missed it a couple weeks ago, here is a quilt-in-progress by Cat Lady Rosie:

The animal rescue that Rosie works with is called Charm City Animal Rescue (www.charmcityanimalrescue.com). 

Have some crafty ideas of your own?  You'll find both cat and bunny fabric squares here in my Etsy shop: Fabric Squares.  Here are two new ones, just listed: 

New Quilt Block!

Another new one!

 Be sure to send photos if you have any works-in-progress.  We'd love to see them!  

Time to Stretch Again... Please Vote For Your Favorite New Design

[UPDATE April 8:  You voted and "Cheese Louise" was the winner.  Thanks for your input!]

Once again Buttonwillow demonstrates a perfectly executed stretching technique as we celebrate another landmark in our Snazzy Rat Kickstarter campaign:

Thanks to our Beloved Backers, we have arrived our SECOND Kickstarter "stretch goal" and have passed the $1200 mark! And you know what that means...

ONE MORE NEW SNAZZY RAT DESIGN!   

The additional $300 in pledges above our previous goal means that I will be able to print up one more brand new design to add to the current 5 rat designs, but I need your help to decide which one. 

 Buttonwillow suggested that the original "Cloud Nine" offered last time did not have enough of the "Snazz Factor". 

DID NOT PASS THE SNAZZY TEST

So I went back to the drawing board to see if I could snazz it up a bit.
Here is the new and improved "Cloud Nine" and another new offering: "Cheese Louise."

CLOUD NINE artwork copyright 2013 Susan Faye

CHEESE LOUISE artwork copyright 2013 Susan Faye

Please vote for your favorite in the comments section of this blog post.  Voting will end Monday night, April 8 at 5 p.m PDT.  I will also be accepting votes on my Facebook page and Kickstarter page, but please, only one vote per person.

Now how about another stretch? Our next Kickstarter goal is the $1500 mark.  If we reach it before the campaign ends on april 23, I'll add a seventh  design for backers to choose from.  Help me reach this goal by sharing my Kickstarter project with all of your favorite crazy cat ladies and cat guys on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc. Here is the link:  http://kck.st/Z05ibL

Thank You.. Buttonwillow, Inka and I appreciate all of your help and support!

New Snazzy Rat Joins the Line-up

You voted and "Peace 'Nip" was the winner by a landslide.  I've added this design to the original four Snazzy Rat designs in my Kickstarter Project thanks to all of my wonderful backers... Because we hit the $900 mark Wednesday night, I will have the "seed money" to print up and produce this new design.

If you haven't already, make your pledge today to pre-order the Snazzy Rats of your choice.  You'll get to pick out the designs you'd like to own when the Kickstarter campaign ends on April 23. 

artwork copyright 2013 Susan Faye

  
Our next stretch goal = $1200 = 1 more new design to choose from! Help me reach this goal by sharing my Kickstarter project with all of your favorite crazy cat ladies and cat guys on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc. Here is the link:  http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/susanfaye/oh-rats-snazzy-artisanal-catnip-toys-to-drive-your

Thanks for supporting my creative endeavors... it means a lot to me!