A Rainbow of Favorite Colors... What's Yours?

Violet, plum, moss, sapphire, eggplant, mimosa, watermelon, orchid...I'm loving the beautiful and creative descriptions of favorite colors that readers have shared in the Lavenderlicious Giveaway! Here are just a few:

K said: "The only way I can describe my favorite color is 'that green you only get in the early spring'. It's a high cool green, almost bordering on a yellow and full of light. In the first months after leafing, the picture window in my living room is filled with it. Coming as it does at the end of the long, cold northern Michigan winter, I think of it as 'hope green'."

Cyndi said...Buttery yellow. I just painted our new kitchen that color. My husband even compared the walls to an actual stick of butter. Yes, buttery yellow! It makes me happy. :)

skkorman said...My favorite color is emerald green, the exact color of my beautiful red tabby Joey's eyes!

Marija said...My favorite color is the blue of a crystal clear lake on a calm day- crisp, bold, and shimmery.

Alyssa said: My favorite color... hm...I love the kind of teal/navy blue of the sky right at Dusk. It's so incredibly gorgeous! But then I also love the salmon-y, purple-ish of the sky when the sun is setting. The sky is my favorite place to look for color inspiration.

Visit this post to read the rest of the entries in the Comments section, then add your own for a chance to win one of two prize packages: Lavenderlicious Giveaway. Giveaway ends the evening of July 17.

Thanks for participating!

Brotherly Love... The Fluffy Kind

Many fabulous felines will capture the heart of a Cat Lady during one lifetime, but her very first cat usually holds a very special place in her heart. Such is the case with Canadian Cat Lady Martine who shares her story about two special brothers:

In February of 1993 she and her college roommate adopted two cat siblings and named them Sable and Chipper. "She was the one who wanted them, but I soon fell in love and was hooked! I was the one who kept them when we went our separate ways. I have other cats, but none will ever take the place of my very first special babies...

"People had a hard time believing that Sable and Chipper were brothers, as they looked so different from one another! Sable was gorgeous! He looked exactly like a Birman, except for the white on his face, which to me, made him even cuter and unique! He was also the SOFTEST cat I've ever seen, truly!

He was a shy cat around strangers, but was very loving and affectionate with his mommy. People were always surprised to find out that he was dominant over Chipper, as Chipper was much more social and outgoing with people. They were the best of friends, always snuggling and licking each other. Unfortunately, Sable was diagnosed with a serious case of chronic renal failure fairly young, at 7.5 years. He was very sick for the first 4 months and it was touch and go. But things got better, and with treatments, he lived comfortably for another 3 years before I had to let him go.

Chipper looked like a Maine Coon, but was much smaller, as he never weighed more than 10 pounds. Chipper got his name because he was such a happy cat! He loved everybody and truly was the sweetest cat around! Even the vets couldn't believe how nice he was during his visits! He loved to lay on my outstretched legs when I was on the couch. You didn't even have time to get comfortable that Chipper was already trying to climb on you! His other quirk was that he was addicted to plastic! He had an uncanny sense of smell for plastic bags, and could find them anywhere. He would quickly chew them out and actually eat them if I wasn't careful enough! So I've lived 18 years with all plastic bags under lock and key! lol!

"I spent the last 18 years of my life with this little bundle of love! I just had to say goodbye to him this past February. It was hard to see him go, but I feel so lucky to have had all these years with him that I couldn't complain about anything. He deserved to rest and meet up with his brother Sable, who had been waiting for him for 7 years!"

Be sure to drop by Martine's charming blog Scrap.Cats.Love where you will see her latest beautiful creations and learn more about her current kitties and her travel adventures.

Do you live with cat brothers or sister? Are they more different than alike? Any sibling rivalry? Let us know in the comments section.

Thanks for visiting!

Welcome New Friends! (And a Lavenderlicious Giveaway)

[Giveaway is now closed. Congratulations to our winners Marija and Hannah from Ohio (we had two different Hannahs that submitted entries)!]

Warm greetings to new friends
and old pals from around the world! Welcome to my little corner of the blogosphere. I hope you enjoy your visit.

I am delighted to be participating in the Crafty Chica blog hop this week. Over the past four weeks, I've enjoyed participating the the Crafty Chica's (aka Kathy Cano-Murillo) DIY Publicity For Artists online workshop. Kathy has been a fantastic teacher, generously sharing a treasure trove of information with her class, including lots of tips for blogging, networking, and advertising-- all on an artist's shoestring. The online video "chats" were lots of fun-- once we got to hear her entire herd of chihuahua cuties saying "hello" in the background. Kathy's enthusiasm is contagious and her knowledge and experience are vast! Watch for future online workshops on her website, including some great DIY craft classes!

If you are new to 365 Cat Ladies and Friends, I hope you will enjoy exploring my little gallery of art and stories. The "ABOUT" link above will tell you a little bit about me and my artwork, and the "BUTTONWILLOW' link will tell you about my slightly quirky studio assistant. Click "TUTORIAL" for a lesson on how to paint a whimsical cat lady and lad!

To find out what artsy-crafty things I've been up to lately, please visit my Etsy Shop where you'll find my latest artwork, jewelry and handcrafts.

And if you like what you see, I'd like for you to visit and "like" my Facebook page if you'd like. (it's a regular like-fest around here isn't it?). Visit this link for a complete list of all of the other students' blogs and send them some like too!

And now for the good part.
It's GIVEAWAY TIME!

As you might know from my post earlier this week, I just spent a fabulous weekend at the Yamhill Lavender Festival. I sold art, jewelry, and lavender sachets in my booth and met dozens of friendly and fascinating Cat Ladies, Nature Lovers, and Garden Goddesses. I heard funny stories about cats with names like Cheddar, and Trouble, and Bojangles, and a few dog stories too. So for this month's giveaway, the prize combines my love of cats and my love of lavender.

This month I will be offering TWO different prizes as pictured below. Each one consists of a ceramic cat lover's mug from my Cafepress shop and a matching lavender-filled sachet from my Etsy shop (value of each prize package is $21.50).




To enter, just tell me what your favorite color is in the comments section of this post. Let's hear some interesting and descriptive colors! Can you guess what mine is right now? You guessed it...LOVELY LUSCIOUS LAVENDER!

Lavenderlicious Giveaway ends on Sunday, July 17 at 8 p.m. PST when I will draw TWO names at random.

Giveaway is open to everybody, including international visitors. One entry per household please. 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 (you may send info directly to my email if you don't want to make your contact information public. You'll find an email link if you click on the "A Little About Me" profile in the right hand column.)

Thanks for dropping in! Buttonwillow and I have enjoyed your visit. Come back and see us again soon!

How Do I Love Thee, Lavender? Let Me Count The Ways...

I love lavender.

I love using the color lavender.

artwork copyright Susan Faye 2010

I love lavender fields.
photo copyright Susan Faye 2010

I love growing lavender

photo copyright Susan Faye 2010

And I love the way lavender smells.

photo copyright Susan Faye 2010

That's why I love the Oregon Lavender Festival so much.

It will take place this weekend in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. Dozens of lavender farms will open up their gates to the public for tours, plus there will be an art festival in the quaint town of Yamhill -- The Yamhill Lavender Festival and Plein Air Art Show, where I will be selling my lavender sachets and other goodies with many other vendors and horticulturists.

If you are in the neighborhood and love lavender as much as I do, stop by the art festival andor tour some of the lavender farms. You can pick your own bouquets, try some lavender lemonade, watch plein air painters, purchase lavender plants and enjoy the kind of euphoria-producing aromatherapy that will send you directly to cloud nine.

For more information about the art festival, please visit the
Yamhill Lavender Festival website.

If you would like to tour some of the lavender farms, click here:
Oregon Lavender Festival

Isabella Enjoys Her 'Nip

Meet Isabella. Isabella recently received a Susan Faye catnip ravioli toy and apparently found it irresistible, as documented by Cat Lady Sharon in this clip:



Isabella is the loving companion of Sharon's mom Barbara, pictured here in front of a beautiful geometric quilt. Barbara was lucky enough to acquire the antique quilt at an estate sale auction on Nantucket Island for just $17.

Sharon tells us a little more about Isabella:
"Isabella was a bright light during my father's last year. She would jump up on his lap for some love and would nap with him. She is a very sweet and affectionate cat who has given my Mom much comfort since my father's death in 2009.

"Isabella really is a delight. She is very friendly with all guests, but Mom is clearly her favorite human. Isabella is pretty small and she likes to sit on my Mom's shoulder and lick her face.

"Isabella is a stalker and hunter whether she is in the bay window or outside when she sneaks out. She sits in the bay window of the living room watching for prey outside. If she sees something interesting she hides behind a statue in the window so she can't be seen. Mom has a very nice screened-in porch (with special cat-proof screens) off the back of the house and there is a rabbit who has made its home under the porch. Isabella sniffs around the floor 'til she can 'find' the rabbit and then paws at the floor until something else catches her interest. She sees wild turkeys occasionally but must realize they are bigger than her because she doesn't crouch down into attack mode. She just watches them calmly..."

That's some bunny kick you've got there in the video clip, Isabella. Those turkeys wouldn't have a chance!

Thanks for visiting!

You'll find my catnip ravioli toys in my Etsy Shop at this link: Catnip toys

Your Patriotic Duty

The USA is not just about the wonderfully diverse human beings that live here.

It is also about the wonderfully diverse wildlife that lives here, including our national symbol, seen here in all its glorious wildness at the Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon.

photo copyright 2010 Susan Faye

The USA is also about the wonderfully diverse landscapes, wilderness, and vistas that stretch from sea to shining sea. If you've ever visited any of our National Parks, you know what I mean.


So I believe it is the patriotic duty of the wonderfully diverse human beings to make sure that the wonderfully diverse wildlife and the wonderfully diverse vistas are preserved, protected, and enjoyed. Two ways to make those things happen are to lend support to organizations such as The Nature Conservancy or The National Wildlife Federation, or better yet, volunteer your time and your talents! Your grandchildren's grandchildren will thank you.

Now let the fireworks begin!

Raccoon Babies Melt My Heart

I love baby animals and there are plenty to see this time of year throughout the Willamette Valley and Coastal Hills: calves, lambs, goat kids, foals, an occasional little stinker, and spotted fawns. But the one baby that absolutely melts my heart into a puddle of mush is a baby raccoon.

One neighborhood mama often checks the cat food bowls in my carport for leftovers and I was surprised one night when I returned home and almost "bumped" into her. She stood up on her haunches and raised her paws, like a crossing guard stopping traffic, and then a little youngin' appeared from the carport and scurried by. And then another. And then another. Once the trio of cuteness were safely past me, she lowered her paws and scampered off after them. Instant mushpot. I couldn't stop cooing.

So I was very pleased to have the opportunity to paint this portrait of wildlife lovers Grape Lady and Cracker Man and some of their rascally friends:

Grape Lady is a talented photographer and chronicles her interaction with her "backyard bandits" in her blog The Raccoon Chronicles. If those little rascals don't melt your heart, I don't know what will. Those little faces! I just want to pinch their cheeks!

Now I'm well aware that some folks don't take kindly to urban wildlife. I do take kindly to them. I'm of the opinion that WE are actually the urban wildlife. In general, the other critters were here first and we have encroached on them by creating urbanization. So when it comes to wildlife visiting my backyard, I cut them a lot of slack. And share. And enjoy!