Out With The Old to Make Room For The New...plus a Sneak Peek

It's a brand new year! January is always a great time for me to recharge my batteries. As I am finishing up projects and loose ends from December, the creative cogs are already turning and I've got DOZENS of new ideas bubbling up. Actually, I started thinking about spring sometime last September believe it or not, and here is a little sneak peek at ideas I started working on months ago:

BUT, in order to make room for all of these new ideas, it's time for some housecleaning. No, that doesn't mean I'm getting out the Dustbuster or washing windows (don't be ridiculous!). It means OUT WITH THE OLD in my Etsy shop to make room for the NEW for 2011. I've reduced prices on dozens of items which you can find at this link: Etsy Sale

AND and to further sweeten the pot, use the code CLTY11 when checking out to receive 11 percent off of your ENTIRE purchase from my Etsy shop, including sale items!. (If you forget to add the code, don't panic, just send me a message and I'll send your discount in the form of a Paypal refund.)

Now if I could only get Buttonwillow to put that fluffy tail to use and do some dusting around here...

Thanks for visiting!

Gifts and Blessings...What Would YOUR Pendant Say?

It's so much fun to collaborate on a special Christmas surprise for someone. When Carol wrote and asked me to paint a portrait of her daughter Tiffiny and canine cutie Ralph, she asked if I could include a small hand-crafted metal pendant in the painting.

Last week Tiffiny wrote a lovely note telling me how much she enjoyed her special Christmas surprise. And--it turns out that the pendant in the portrait was a special Christmas surprise from two years ago!

Carol had commissioned the pendant from a fellow Etsy artist and had it personalized to say:

"Family,
friends,
work,
frequent flier miles,
road trips...
I'm so blessed"

and Tiffiny says "that's a good sum up of how I feel." And special friend Ralph? "I got him out in front of a Ralphs grocery store, where a kid was giving away puppies...he was about 3 months old. Ralph is now 12-13 years old. He's really such a smart, friendly, well behaved dog. He really enjoys being a cooperative part of the 'pack'. One of his very long-time best friends is a calico cat named Catty Colors. The one thing about Ralph that is very unique is the way he wags his tail in a big circle..not back and forth. I really need to get it on video."

Question: if YOU had to fit 5 blessings onto a tiny pendant, what would they be? Let us know in the Comments section of this post and I will share some of them in future posts.

Thanks for visiting!

Carol and Tiffiny are both Power Sellers on ebay and sell trims, appliques and embellishments for sewing/crafting and some antiques too. Be sure to check out their treasures at these links: Junklady1 and SugarSpunSis

Cue the Fireworks...Again!

Strike up the band! Shout from the rooftops! I'm dancing a jig!

Why? Not only is it a brand new year, it is also my TWO year Blogiversary!!

When I set out two years ago to write a blog with a new painting of a Cat Lady each day for one year, little did I know what a fun adventure I was embarking on! Through the miracles of modern technology, I have made the acquaintance of a multitude of fabulous and fascinating Cat Ladies and Lads, their feline friends, plus animal fanatics and nature lovers from around the world. I am grateful for your friendships, your stories, your collaborations, and your support!

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

CONGRATULATIONS ARE IN ORDER

Congratulations to the winners of THREE different giveaways over the past month!

CAT TELEPATHY GIVEAWAY
Cat Lady Sheila of Florida won the lavender pomander. She is mom to one kitty, a red tabby named Joey, who was a feral cat and has been her baby for 11 years now. She reminded me that she was the lucky winner of a bookmark in March and says "I want you to know that I absolutely LOVE it and use it all the time!"

Cat Lady Mimi of Seattle won the bookmark. She is a talented watercolor artist and you can see more of her work at her online gallery/blog. She recently had a happy experience involving a painting and a charity auction-- you can read about it here: Worth More Than Money

Cat Lady Kaelynne of Texas won the earrings. She tells us about her feline friends: "The House Cats: Tabatha - 8, grey tabby, who is in love with my husband; she and her sister, TaMolly (grey and white tabby)were born under our bed.
Tank, a Siamese, came to us as a 6 week old kitten, who was fearless, and would pop the dogs in the nose if they got in his way. PJ (Pumkin Jr.) was adopted at a local PetsMart last year and is a typical yellow tabby. Barn Cat: Last, but not least is Thomas(Tommy) a beautiful dark gray tabby that adopted us two years ago. He might not have stayed if he knew he was going to be neutered -lol. He is a barn cat, and earns his keep by keeping my horse barn free of vermin - which keeps away the snakes."

Cat Lady Anita of Colorado won the catnip toy. Sadly, her family recently lost a puppy, as mentioned in her telepathy entry: "Our boys are wondering a lot... we lost our puppy a few weeks ago by a car accident. So I think Barabas is saying: Where is that mop that would tackle me? I miss him." Her kitties are Barabas, Jello-Bean, Grover and Albert.

Advice Columnist and blogging cat Fisher won the pendant. Her bio: "I am Fisher. Female. Black and White. Never married. Pisces. Living happily in St. Petersburg, FL. I have enjoyed life as a self-employed advice columnist and, happy to report, published! One of my favorite things is to find places to sleep where they usually can’t find me and for sure don’t interrupt my napping. I really love to think. I think a lot! That’s why I hide. To nap. And dream. Or to pretend I am sleeping so I can just think about things." No word as to whether Fisher will keep the pendant for herself , or give it to her favorite Cat Lady.


CONSCIOUS CAT GIVEAWAY
Congratulations to Cat Lady Lynn of Illinois for winning the December giveaway hosted by Cat Lady Ingrid of The Conscious Cat! She won her choice of a pendant and picked this one. She tells us: "We have SIX felines here ranging from age 22 yrs old down to 2 yrs (our three 2yr olds are siblings we rescued). It's a first for us to adopt a group of siblings (Molly, Leo and Lyle), but I can say the close bond they have with each other is something that surprised us..they do everything together as a 'pack'. I have always loved cats deeply, and will always have at least four in our home.."

12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS GIVEAWAY at THE HIVE
Congratulations to Fiber Artist Donnely of Ohio who won this pendant! If you haven't discovered The Hive yet, it's a great place for artsy-craftsy types..."a dynamic social community designed to help provide a connection between everyone in the arts, crafts and hobby industry. Whether you are a manufacturer, professional artist, hobbyist, retailer or consumer, you have a voice." Click here for more information: THE HIVE

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

Buttonwillow and I would like to wish each and every one of you a
healthy, prosperous, love-filled and PURR-fect New Year!
All the best, Susan Faye

I See The Light At the End of the Tunnel!

Thank you to all of my wonderful customers for making this my busiest holiday season ever! I'm still tying up lots of loose ends and will be playing catch-up for another week or so, then looking forward to some play time and lots of cat naps under Buttonwillow's tutelage.

IMPORTANT NOTE ON CUSTOM PORTRAITS: I am still working my way through orders for custom portraits that were received in December, but I think I actually see the faint glow of daylight at the end of the tunnel! Orders are taking a week or two longer than the normal 3-4 weeks. Don't hesitate to contact me if you have questions or concerns about an order.

Due to a backlog and other time constraints, I will not be able to take on any new orders for custom portraits at this time. If you are a return customer and we've already talked about future portraits, drop me a line and we'll work out a time frame.

I want to thank each and every one of you for your support of my creative endeavors. It means a lot to me!

Merry Christmas!

Just had to share this beautiful photo from Cat Lady Sharon of her lovely Coco enjoying the holiday! Blessings to you and yours.

photo by Cat Lady Sharon

More Cat Telepathy

It seems that Buttonwillow is not the only cat who has to resort to telepathy when needing to get an important message across to those who do not understand the meaning of meow. Based on the responses so far in the Holiday Giveaway, most telepathic messages have to do with gastronomy or unwelcome guests:

Junior and Orion said,"Well, we tell our Meowm all the time to 'FEED US NOW!' She doesn't listen too well."

In Cat Lady Cyndi's world the message is: "When are you getting rid of that dog?!?!?"

Cat Lady Amy of Amy's Stocking Stuffers tells a story of a message coming through LOUD and CLEAR: "I'm pretty sure that when I trapped another stray a few months ago and had her overnight in the laundry room... I was bombarded by telepathic messages from at least 3 of my current 7 saying 'Don't you DARE bring another cat in here!' In fact, so strongly did I feel that they wanted the new intruder (eventually named Freddie by her new person) far, far away, that I flew Freddie from TX to NY, using Feline Fella Paul's frequent flyer miles to do so. (For the record, I do not recommend flying with a cat unless absolutely necessary. We did not enjoy ourselves on the flight. My fellow passengers did not seem to appreciate the yowling either. And that was AFTER giving Freddie a sedative!)"

Buttonwillow is informing me that she has a telepathic message for YOU.

She is saying "Resistance is futile. You are now a captive of my endless charms and will go to this blog post: CAT TELEPATHY (And a Holiday Giveaway) and you will tell me in the comments section what YOUR cat is telling you telepathically. Your reward will be a chance to win one of FIVE prizes in a giveaway that ends tomorrow night. Thank you and good luck. Oh, and while I have you under my spell, send tuna treats. Pronto."

Thanks for visiting!

Cat Telepathy (and a Holiday Giveaway)

It's been a tad hectic here at World Headquarters. We've been working day and night in the workshop finishing paintings and filling orders, and at Buttonwillow's suggestion, I used toaster waffles and chocolate as bait to lure a couple elves into helping us. In just the last three days we've shipped 50 packages. In the past weeks we've sent parcels as far away as Norway, Brazil, Australia, Nova Scotia, Great Britain, and even Turkey!

In fact, it's been so busy around here that occasionally a small bicolor cat can get lost in the shuffle.

That's where telepathy comes in.

Here is a photo of Buttonwillow sending me a telepathic message.
Can you guess what she is saying?

Allow me to translate.
She is saying, "Whatsa girl gotta do around here to get some attention?"
Distracted, I ignore her.


Now she is saying, "Sheesh. Do I have to spell it out for you?"

"Here. Allow me to open the cupboard for you. {{Damn, I hope Santa brings me some opposable thumbs for Christmas}}."

Just where did she learn language like that? Santa might bring her coal instead.

"Okay, are you getting the idea now?"

"No? Now I'm POINTING to the one I want."

Still no response from the slow-moving simian-like creature.
Buttonwillow (still speaking telepathically) says, "Oh you poor addled thing. If it's going to help move things along here, I'll even get it out of the cupboard for you..."

"...and I'll remind you where the food dish is, in case you've forgotten. Just follow me."

Is your favorite feline staring at you right now? No doubt telepathy is at work. What message is your cat sending to you? Share it in the comments section below, and your name will be thrown in the hat for a chance to win one of FIVE giveaway prizes! Entries may also be left on my Facebook post--only one entry per person will count, however. Giveaway ends Sunday, December 19 at midnight, when five names will be drawn at random to win one of these 5 prizes:

A lavender tabletop pomander, a deluxe bookmark, a "birdbrain" glass pendant, glass dangle earrings, or a catnip ravioli toy.
















Please make sure that I have a way to contact you in case you are the lucky winner, such as a link to your blog or e-mail address included in your comment.

Also, if you encounter trouble with the Comments feature, please contact me by e-mail --you'll find a link under my Profile.

(And don't forget to enter my other giveaway going on over at The Conscious Cat where the winner gets his/her choice of ANY wearable art glass pendant from my Etsy shop!)

Thanks for participating!!