Halloween with Inka

Inka is just a basket case today.  It's her very first Halloween.

Here is her costume.  She's going as The-World's-Cutest-Black-Kitten-Known-To-Man-Woman-Or-Garden-Basket

The Carving of the Pumpkins was particularly exciting for her.

 Feline Fella and I were inspired by a pumpkin we saw on Mousebreath--a fantastic spooky cat face design by carver Hugh McMahon,  seen on our computer screen...

Auntie Mary created her very own special design...

 Things are progressing nicely...

Time for a snack.  Roasted pumpkin seeds, anyone?

 

They're finished! Inka gives her Smooch of Approval.

'

Now for the best part... Break out the candles!

Can you spot the Halloween Hare in Mary's design?

Happy Halloween 

from The-World's-Cutest-Black-Kitten-Known-To-Man-Woman-Or-Jack-O-Lantern!

Buttonwillow's Secret Identity....REVEALED!

Happy Halloween from Susan Faye World Headquarters!

You may have already noticed that my studio assistant Buttonwillow has her own built-in Halloween costume that she enjoys wearing year-round-- a velvety black mask and cape, just like those of her hero, Zorro. This gives us one clue to her secret identity, which will be revealed for the very first time to all on this scariest day of the year.

Another clue is her tail. Upon a casual inspection, you will notice that it looks oddly like an exploding paintbrush-- quite appropriate for an art studio assistant. But upon closer scrutiny, you will discover that the very end of her tail forms the shape of a "Z". It really does! She was born with a fancy kink in the end of her tail with two sharp bends that actually form a Z. This makes her tail shorter than average and creates that distinctive "pouf" at the end. It is reminiscent of Wile E. Coyote's tail just after the TNT explodes, don't you think?




The last clue is her panther-like razor-sharp claws that strike fear in the hearts of table legs, catnip toys and house plants everywhere.




By now you have probably put together the clues to guess her secret identity. Yes, in the dark of night, when you least expect it, Buttonwillow becomes her legendary alter-ego:

Zee Midnight Slasher.

Beware the mark of Zee Midnight Slasher. Should you find an artfully slashed "Z" in your sofa, your wooden wall paneling, or your leg, then you know she has been afoot, avenging the plight of small fluffy bicolor kitties everywhere, whose owners ignore their plaintive pleas for more tasty cat treats from the pantry.



You have been warned. Muah-ha-ha...

Happy Halloween!

A Black Cat By Any Other Name... Today's Featured ACEO Cat Lady

According to a Very Scientific Poll that I recently conducted on Facebook, the most popular names for a black cat are: Midnight, Shadow, and Licorice, with Shadow being the all-time-most-votes-classic-favorite!

Other outstanding names were: Boo, Jynx, Cinders, Inky, Sputnik, Raven, Dark Knight, Tabou, and my personal favorite, Moonshadow!

My ACEO artwork of Cat Lover No.83 (pictured here) was first featured on 365 Cat Ladies on December, 2009, expressing her opinion that black cats are lucky. Are you lucky enough to have a beautiful black cat in your life? If so, let us know what his/her name is in the comments section of this post!

Thanks for visiting!

My original ACEO art of Cat Lover No. 83 (pictured here) is now available in my Etsy shop. This mini watercolor painting is in ACEO (Art Card Editions and Originals) format, which means that the artwork size is 2.5" x 3.5", the same as a baseball card.

It is hand-painted on super-heavy Arches 300-lb. acid-free cold-press watercolor paper with professional quality watercolor paints. Click here for more details.

Today's Featured Cat Lady ACEO... Bewitched No. 1

Bewitched No. 1 was first featured on 365 Cat Ladies on September 4, 2009. Cat Lady Lavancha introduced us to Fang, her jet black feline friend. When Lavancha hears something go {{BUMP}} in the night, nine times out of 10 she can blame it on Fang.

I also shared a little peek at my black and white line drawings for my Bewitched designs. I liken these drawings to creating my own coloring book...the best part is when it's time to pick out the colors and fill in the blanks!


My original ACEO art of Lavancha and Fang is now available in my Etsy shop. This mini watercolor painting is in ACEO (Art Card Editions and Originals) format, which means that the artwork size is 2.5" x 3.5", the same as a baseball card.

It is hand-painted on super-heavy Arches 300-lb. acid-free cold-press watercolor paper with professional quality watercolor paints. Click here for more details.

Thanks for visiting!

All Hallow's Eve

Pumpkin Time is here.
Buttonwillow is ready for Halloween in her black mask and cape,
dreaming up tricks and hoping for treats.

Her trick is to stare at the ceiling to make you think that something is up there...a nutty squirrel, perhaps? Or maybe a broom-toting Cat Lady cackler with a pointy hat...

And now for the treats. Are they in here?

No? Not to worry. Her new friend Jacko Lantern will help her find those treats. She likes that he has teeth almost as sharp and pointy as hers. And how can you resist those eyes? {{ Mwa-ha-haaaaa }}

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Special Halloween offer for my readers: Receive this mini print of "Garden Fairy No. 4"" FREE with ANY purchase from my Etsy online shop. Enter the code "enchanted" in the "message to seller" box when checking out and receive a 4" x 6" print of this print, suitable for framing. Offer ends October 31 at midnight. Click here to see my entire line of jewelry, art, and handcrafted gifts:

My Etsy Shop

Cat Ladies In The News--Pumpkin Madness

There is no denying that Cat Lady Jennifer has a passion for pumpkins. You may remember Pumpkin Pie, her spunky pumpkin-colored kitty who is fascinated with bees:


Jennifer, an extremely talented artist who specializes in horses and Halloween, describes her pumpkin passion: "I love to carve them, photograph them, take wagon rides to pick them and eat yummy pumpkiny treats (yes, I even bought pumpkin pie Pop Tarts). I have tried to grow them but the squirrels nibbled at the squash all summer long. I love pumpkins so much my local newspaper came out to write a story about me:"
A Passion For Pumpkins

Need a little inspiration for your own pumpkin carving this week? Take a look at Jennifer's extraordinary pumpkin carvings at her beautiful blogs:

The Art Of the Pumpkin
Gypsy Mare Studios

Thanks for visiting!

A Black Cat By Any Other Name...

If your cat goes by the name of Cinders, Inky, Shadow, Silhouette, Licorice, or Spooky, chances are you are the devoted caretaker of a black cat.

Contrary to popular folk lore, I've never met a black cat who wasn't a sweetie pie. I suppose there are exceptions out there...

Black cats are popping up everywhere this time of year, and a few new ones have popped up in my online Etsy shop in the form of matted prints, glass earrings, and pendants. Click on an image to find out more about that particular item.






















What is your favorite name for a black cat? Let us know in the Comments section at the end of the post... Thanks for visiting!



You'll also find original mini watercolor paintings featuring black cats and their bewitching friends in my Etsy Shop...

It's Talk (or Meow) Like a Pirate Day!

Arrrr, mateys, thar be bilge rats and rapscallions afoot. Cat Lady Lulu and her shipmate Captain Mackerel be thinkin that all ye landlubbers best be gettin some learnin in the finer art of Pirate Talkin, fer this day be "International Talk Like A Pirate Day".

Avast and hoist your sails fer these faraway and mysterious shores where thar be lessons and tips on such things:

Talk Like a Pirate Day
Meow Like a Pirate
Pirate Translator

Here's to smooth sailin fer ya, me hearties!

This fair paintin o' Cat lady Lulu and Mackerel be makin an appearance in me ol' Etsy shoppe today: Bewitched No. 6 Drop an anchor there and see what treasures lie before ye!

Cat Lady No. 287...Green Halloween

Inspired by Cat Lady Narissa, Cat Lady Lorna and feline friend Begonia want to make their Halloween green too.

Lorna found some great ideas from the Nature Conservancy...In addition to making costumes for the kids out of recycled items, she plans to buy organic pumpkins, roast the seeds for snacks, put the cooked pulp into spicy muffins, and once their jack-o-lanterns are history, she will compost them.

Treats will be collected in biodegradable paper shopping bags that the kids will decorate themselves. And on the big night, Lorna and Begonia will turn out all of the lights (except the porch light) and await the arrival of ghosts and goblins, appeasing them with earth-friendly treats!

Thanks for visiting!

Cat Lady No. 270...The Results Are In!

Cat Lady Hagatha and Assistant Cat Batty have two announcements to make.

First, based on the very scientific 365 Cat Ladies poll, their friend Nancy - who was in search of a more beguiling, less acceptable, more mysterious, less predictable, more bewitching name--has changed her name to Esmerelda.

Esmerelda was the most popular name in the poll with 23% of the votes. To Hagatha's delight, Hagatha was the second most popular name with 14% of the votes. Thank you to all who put in their 2 cents worth!

The second of the announcements is the winner of the 365 Cat Ladies September Giveaway No. 2. In a random drawing, commenter #11 was determined to be the winner. Congratulations Irena!! In a stunning and ironic turn of events, it appears that the winner of the Cat Lady Giveaway is a certified Dog Person! (Hey, we are an equal opportunity pet lover blog here and adore our woofie friends )...You'll find Irena's delightful arwork on her blog Just Crazy About Dogs and in her Etsy Shop. Thank you to everyone who participated!

Cat Lady No. 259... Talkin Like a PurrRat

Arrrr, mateys, thar be bilge rats and rapscallions afoot. Cat Lady Sasparella and Second Matey Percy PurrRat be thinkin that all ye landlubbers best be gettin some learnin in the finer art of PurrRat Talkin, fer this day be "International Talk Like A Pirate Day".

Avast and hoist your sails fer these faraway and mysterious shores where thar be lessons and tips on such things:
Talk Like a Pirate Day
Meow Like a Pirate
Pirate Translator

If ye be a crew member of Facebook, set sail for th' bottom of yer FB page where it says English (or language of choice). Click and in the new window choose "English (Pirate) beta" fer yer language of choice and see what hilarious mischief ensues!

Here's to smooth sailin fer ya, me hearties!



This original ACEO watercolor illustration has just been listed for sale in my Etsy shop...click here:
Bewitched No. 8

Cat Lady No. 257...September Giveaway No. 2

Cat Lady Vivian and feline friend Smiley just got a phone call from friend Nancy who is looking for a more bewitching name.

There were SO MANY great suggestions in the September Giveaway No. 1 that Nancy's head is spinning and she asked Vivian for help. Vivian suggested she take her top 10 favorites and create a poll. Nancy said a few incantations and PRESTO--the poll now appears at the top of the right hand column of 365 Cat Ladies.

Vivian and Nancy would appreciate your help. Please vote for your favorite. If you do, please leave a comment at the end of this post saying "I voted!" (we're strictly on the honor system here) and you will be entered in the 365 Cat Ladies September Giveaway No. 2.

Entries will end at 7 p.m PST on September 30. One name will be drawn at random and will win a boxed set of 10 notecards featuring their choice of one of these three designs from my Cafepress Shop. Notecards are blank inside and perfect for invitations, thank you notes, or Halloween hellos.

Please make sure that I have a way to contact you if you are a winner, such as a link to your blog or e-mail address, or contact me directly at my e-mail with your info...

Also, if you encounter trouble with the Comments feature, you may send your entry by e-mail by clicking "view my complete profile" at the end of "About Me" where you will find an e-mail link...

Thanks for participating!




This original ACEO watercolor illustration has just been listed for sale in my Etsy shop...click here:

Bewitched No. 7

Cat Lady No. 255...A Lucky Lassie

Look lively, ye feline femmes, here be the rollickin results that ye bin waitin fer!

Yes, Cat Lady Lulu and her shipmate Captain Mackerel are getting all warmed up for Talk Like A Pirate Day and Meow Like a Pirate Day on Saturday, September 19.

In the mean time, they would like to announce the winner of the 365 Cat Ladies September Giveaway No. 1.

A plethora of beguiling and bewitching names were suggested for Lulu's pal Nancy who wants to change her name. A random number generator was employed and comment no. 11 is the winner:

It's Danielle, who also just happens to be Cat Lady No. 122! Congratulations!

As Lulu might say, "Lady Fortune be smilin on yon lucky lassie for she'll be findin this fine satchel bestowed upon her by ye olde cargo carryin crew ".

Meanwhile, Cat Lady Nancy will be mulling over all of the suggestions, but is thinking there might need to be a second contest to come up with the winning name. Stay tuned...

Does your favorite feline friend enjoy wearing tricorne hats and eye patches while dreaming of bilge rats and sailing the seven seas? Then be sure to enter the "Meow Like a Pirate Contest" at The Cat's Meow Blog by Friday, Sept 18 for a chance to win great prizes!

Cat Lady No. 252...A Favorite Spider

Cat Lady Wendy and her sidekick Mr. Moto are no scaredy cats, especially when it comes to arachnids. In fact, Wendy thinks that her friend Nancy should change her name to Charlotte, in honor of Wendy's favorite barn spider.

Unfortunately, Nancy thinks that the name Charlotte is even less bewitching than the name Nancy. If you would like to weigh in on a new name for Nancy that is more beguiling, less acceptable, more mysterious, less predictable, more BEWITCHING, visit this link: SEPTEMBER GIVEAWAY NO. 1 and leave your suggestion in the comments section.

Thanks for visiting!

Wendy and Mr Moto have just been added to Halloween t-shirts, note cards, and gifts --all just a magic click away at my Cafepress Shop

PLUS FREE worldwide shipping on EVERY item in my Etsy shop through Sun Sept 13 ! Just add the code "Weekend Deals" in Message to Seller section during checkout, and shipping fees will be promptly refunded via Paypal.