Can You Say "Scherenschnitte"?

It's a German word that means "scissor cuts". It describes the beautiful folk art tradition of cutting paper into elaborate designs and silhouettes; one that began in Switzerland and Germany in the 16th century and is still practiced today.


One of my favorite treasures in my house is an exquisite example of this art form. I spied it at the bottom of a boxed lot of miscellaneous frames and art at an auction twenty years ago. Keeping my fingers crossed that no one else would recognize that it was an original papercut, and not just a print of a silhouette, I placed my bids. I was delighted to get the entire box for only $25!

The silhouette is a single piece of black paper that has been cut into a charming and intricate storybook image. I love everything about it and I'm fascinated by the amazing details. I could look at it for hours! In the lower right corner is the very faded signature of the paper cutter: Lotte G___ (can't make out the last name), Berlin.

What do you think that whiskered kitty has on its mind?!?

(By the way, "Scherenschnitte" is pronounced Sharon-sh-net, if German or Sharon-sh-net-ah if Swiss).

I have an even greater appreciation for paper-cutting now that I've begun to make my little dioramas. My paper-cutting skills are crude at best when compared to Lotte's, but I'm having great fun nonetheless. Here is my latest endeavor-- it features garden cats Mario and Bella, enjoying the beauty of Mother Nature, now available in my Etsy Shop:

Thanks for visiting!

Cat Compassion

Last week I heard a televangelist declare that "humans are the only ones of God's creatures that worry."

I beg to differ.

Anyone who has ever seen a dog or cat waiting at the window for their master or mistress to return has witnessed one of God's other creatures in a state of anxiety, concern, uneasiness, disquiet, discomfort, apprehension, nervousness--dare I say worried?

I can say with great confidence that I have also witnessed joy, anger, envy, a sense of humor, loyalty, and compassion in my pets over the years. And I can also say with great confidence that it is not my imagination or a matter of anthropomorphism: Attribution of human motivation, characteristics, or behavior to inanimate objects, animals, or natural phenomena.

When a cat exhibits compassion or concern, it is clearly a feline characteristic. Take tabby cat Mia for example. Cat Lady Taffy writes about her 93-year-old-mother and her furry "guardian":

"My mom had a stroke when Mia was 3 years old and now we are in charge of taking care of Mama. Being a caregiver is quite frustrating, especially when the person cannot communicate and is hard of hearing. Well, sometimes I have to say things more than once and with each repeat of directions or information, I tend to get louder and louder and when I get too loud for Mia--she comes very close to me and will begin to nip at my ankle or shoulder, depending on where she is at. She protects my mom from loud outbursts. A friend of mine told me that Mia is telling me to calm down and that I can do this job.

"Mia doesn't like when I sing either, especially something that smacks of opera. She slowly comes into my space to give her opinion. Mia likes little fuzzy mice as her favorite toy. She will whip them up in the air and sometimes they will land very close
to me so I can throw them for her. Mia IS very much loved by Mama and me."

And dare I say, Cat Lady Taffy and Mama are very much LOVED by Mia!

Cat Lady Taffy enjoys participating in these "click-a-day" websites. Your click will generate donations from the pet-related sponsors who advertise on these sites. Check them out:

http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/clickToGive/home.faces

http://www.care2.com/click-to-donate/pets

http://www.freekibblekat.com/

Spring Fling Weekend Sale In My Etsy Shop

Hop on over to my Etsy Shop this weekend and take 20 percent off your ENTIRE purchase (wholesale lots excluded) today and tomorrow, April 9 and 10. Just use the coupon code SPRING20 during checkout.


Gentle Reminder: Etsy Orders must be received by April 14 for items to arrive in time for Easter.

Click here to enter my Etsy shop and see all of the goodies:

Susan Faye Originals

Thanks for visiting!

Picnic For The Planet on Earth Day!

As Earth Day approaches, and snow and ice turn to daffodils and songbirds (at least here in the Northern Hemisphere), what better way to celebrate than with a picnic! Mario Tabby and Bella Cat like nothing better to nibble on tuna al fresco in their favorite sunny spot in the patio garden. Food tastes so much better when mixed with clean air and sunbeams.

The Nature Conservancy is hosting a special event called Picnic For The Planet on Earth Day 2011, and in preparation, they have a new suggestion each week for becoming more aware about the food that you eat. This week's suggestion is Eat Sustainably, with an emphasis on knowing more about your seafood.

"For centuries, the oceans' bounty seemed inexhaustible. But humans have altered our oceans' ability to provide for us, so we must make more conscious food choices and ensure that the seafood we are eating comes from a sustainable source." You can help by learning more about sustainable seafood; this article is a good place to start: Finding Nemo On Your Plate.

Also helpful: The Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch provides regional guides that contain the latest information on sustainable seafood choices available in different regions of the U.S.A. Their "Best Choices" are abundant, well-managed seafood that is fished or farmed in environmentally friendly ways. Seafood to "Avoid" are overfished and/or fished or farmed in ways that harm other marine life or the environment. You can view the guides online or download a pocket-size version.

Thanks for visiting!

New in my Etsy shop: Art for your Fridge!

These new mini dioramas have SUPER strong magnets on the back to secure your most important memos to the refrigerator, file cabinet, or locker. Click on the image for more details.

Poetry Corner-- "Daffodils"

Thank you to Etsy seller bpsbagsntotes for creating a lovely treasury of Etsy art and craft creations today, based on the William Wordsworth poem "Daffodils":

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.


The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed--and gazed--but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

To see all of the creations in the Etsy Treasury (including my narcissus earrings!), just click on the image below:

Cat Ladies in the News

Thank you to Cat Lady Jennifer F. for helping me reach a wonderful milestone this past Friday: she was the Etsy customer who purchased my 1000th item sold! As a thank you, she will be receiving a complimentary set of my cat sachets with her order.

She wrote: "I adore your work! I am the Executive Director of a small animal shelter in Northern Michigan. I have been dubbed the 'Crazy Cat Lady' (with action figure to prove it) due to my six kitties at home and my 70 at work, of which approximately twelve are in my office at any one time. Real helpers as you can imagine... I look forward to shopping at your store many times in the future. With kind regards, Jennifer F."

At the Alcona Humane Society that Jennifer directs, the dogs and cats sleep on Kuranda beds, but don't there aren't enough for everyone yet. If you would like to donate a bed at a special wholesale price for a another dog or cat to sleep in comfort, please donate a Kuranda bed.

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The folks at Purina Cat Chow recently sent out a call for entries for a new Cat Chow Correspondent (entries are now closed). Two of my very favorite Crazy Cat Ladies applied for the job. Here is a video submitted by Skeezix the Cat on behalf of the Food Lady, aka CCL Karen Nichols. It's a hoot:



But wait--the vivacious Crazy Cat Lady Carm ALSO applied for the position. She brightens the day of hundreds of cat ladies around the world with her daily blog, which includes beautiful and fun photos of her gorgeous "pride" of cats. Once in awhile she throws in a gorgeous shot of one of the Big Cats at the Buffalo Zoo, where she and her husband are docents.


Both are highly qualified Crazy Cat Ladies and both would make sensational Purina Cat Chow Correspondents. The only solution? Purina must hire TWO correspondents!!!!

Thanks for visiting!

...And The Winner Is...

Cat Lady Karen T! Congratulations!

There were 28 entries in the Bunny Haiku Giveaway! That means $28 has been donated to Red Cross Disaster Relief (I rounded it up to $30) on your behalf. Paypal has an easy donation site in conjunction with MissionFish, which I used to make the donation.

Karen's name was selected in a random draw to win a Desktop Diorama of her choice and she chose Harey's Carrot Patch (pictured above).

Karen is mom to two darling cats: Zoe (all white) and Bob (stripey):


Karen tells us: "We joke about Bob being like a dog -I used to walk Bob on a leash, he would play fetch, he's super friendly and would follow me around the house." She adds, "Certainly if this were a real picture, those flowers would be little green stumps because Bob would have eaten them all before the flash went off."

"Zoe is very shy but has managed to terrify and fascinate our new dog, after a single bap on his nose. She's handling the attention quite well. We also call Zoe the 'belly kitteh' because when I lie down she immediately crawls up on my stomach and makes herself comfortable. Both of them are rescue kitties."

Thank you to Karen and all of the other participants--it was so much fun to see how creative everyone was!! Click here to see most of the entries : Bunny Haiku

(Note: a few haiku were submitted on an identical post at The Hive)