Mother's Day Mama & Kitten Plush Kitties

It's almost Mother's day! 

If your mom is a cat lover, she will love this sweet pair of kitties!

And here's an original watercolor pencil kitty card to go with it!

Or how about a trio of kitties?

Also a great gift for birthdays and new moms!

Available in my Catcalls shop along with lots of other gifts for cat lovers! 

Mews & Purrs!

Do You See What I See?

looking vs Seeing

How much time do you spend looking versus seeing? 

Looking is passive – seeing is active. How many of you after spending several minutes or even several hours with someone can answer this question? 

What color were their eyes?

Unless there is something that creates a striking contrast, most people will never remember eye color.

I wonder how much of life we are missing because we have turned into passive lookers rather than active see-ers? I am taking up a challenge this year to become more of an active see-er rather than a passive looker. I expect it to filter its way into much of my life, but I am making it a monthly artistic challenge and writing about it for the online publication I work for, GeaugaNews.com, where you will find my full article. 

Below is my office-craft-laundry-bedroom. It is about 10' x 15'. 

This is the linoleum floor.

Here is a close up of one of the squares.....what do you see?

Here's what I saw.

I made a pencil rubbing, 

cut them out and added the second pencil rubbing.

I cut out appliques from cotton fabrics and placed them on a cream polka dot background that has fleece lining underneath.

I stitched the cats on, 

and placed the third tiny cat where I wanted him,

then traced around him with my fine point brown marker and used acrylic paint for details.

I added clouds

and a cotton back with another striped cat like the front one,

quilted around the clouds and small cat then added the road for perspective with some random stitching.

After sewing the back and front together, I now have a lovely pillow for my Catcalls shop! Click on the picture if you are interested in purchasing it or any other of the handmade cat-themed items in my shop! 

TADA!

What do YOU see that others only look at?

My Warm & Fuzzy Prezzie!!

I received these super cute fingerless gloves in the mail today from AnnieKDesigns! It's been very cold here in the mornings, and the room I sleep and work in gets down to the 50s at night and takes quite a while to warm up during the day. I can't tell you how much I appreciate these! They even match the long underwear I have – LOL! Thank you, dear friend!

If you want your own pair of very cool and cute fingerless gloves, visit her shop HERE. 

Agility Competition with Sissy and Wandering Freddie

This morning I made what I hope to be my annual trip over to the big brown barn to watch my fellow Etsian and dog-lover, Bree, compete with her dogs in agility classes. This was the first time I had seen Sissy, her Blue Heeler mix, compete. She is two years old, so friendly, and full of energy! 

Sissy may not have had the best day following the courses, but she sure had fun! AND she made it through the weaving poles which is something that she has seldom done. Way to go Sissy! You can watch her as she she slows down to go through them toward the back of the arena. 

My video of Freya was not very good, but she had a bit of an off day today as well. Oh well - two more days of running are yet to come, so we will wish them luck! 

*******

Now this little guy...

(View here on Flickr since blogger won't load it!) 

is Fred the doxie-mix. I think he is one year old. He was a riot!! He really needs no intro as he has only one thing on his mind...F-U-N! Go Freddie GO! 

Bree works 40 hours/week at her regular job in an organic agriculture department AND spends almost as much time per week working at Etsy - PLUS she finds time to train her two dogs and compete them. She's pretty amazing! 

It was great to see you! I was highly entertained! 

You can visit Bree's shop, Freyasstudio, and find beautiful handmade collars and leashes for your dog. 

The time has come! After 30 some years of waiting and wishing......

Stevensville, MT

I'm moving to Montana! 

I'll be leaving in July with my sister, who has also decided she is tired of Ohio, and we will drive with whatever we can fit into our cars. Everything else must go! Chubbs, her kitty, and my guinea pigs, Tooey and Violet, will be coming. I will be looking for homes for my other piggies. 

Since Chubbs will be traveling with us, he needed a harness for our rest stops. I have not made such things before, so like any good creative soul, decided this was a good time to try! He has never been in any kind of clothing or harness before, so this was quite a shock to the fat guy! Fat indeed! He has 22" girth! 

As you can see, Chubbs has some adjusting to do! 

I had such fun making this one, that I made another 'plus size' kitty harness-jacket and listed it in my shop. I do believe these will become more populous in both Mewmart and Catcalls! 

I will try to keep you posted on our preparations. I am having a moving sale this Saturday, June 9 and my sister is having one June 23 to raise money for our trip.  So we have plenty to do. I have very little - she has much more! LOL

Prayers are always welcome! For both the leaving and the traveling.....

I CAN'T WAIT!!!! 

New Red, White, and Blue Art and Clothing!

I've been on the red, white, and blue kick lately and added these to my shops in the last week. 

This first one came into being as I was considering the plight of the greyhound. The good news is that only seven states still allow racing. But that is also the bad news. One day it will be just a shadow from the past. It can't come soon enough. 

Visit  http://www.grey2kusa.org/  and follow @grey2kusa on twitter for ongoing updates about  the state of the racing industry. 

This watercolor pencil work was just for fun. Kittens are just so cute, and I envisioned a little CAT-det hiding away on July 4th, taking everything in. 

Keeping with a red, white, and blue theme, I finally used this cheery polka dotted fabric to make a skirt. I love polka dots - they are always happy! Add a little bird and a few cats and it becomes triple happy!

Click on any photo to be taken to the listing in my shops. 

Memorial Day 2012 - Thoughts From Those Who Served

RoadAheadPhotos

Today is Memorial Day. Many will be enjoying picnics, parades, and playtime! Nothing wrong with that. But some people aren’t here today. They are overseas in Afghanistan, The High Seas, Iraq, Germany, Japan, etc. Or they served their country in previous wars and are now gone. Let’s not forget. We enjoy our picnics because someone pays the price.


I thought it might be interesting to find quotes from those who have served in the military as to why they joined and what they gained. Below are a list of answers by anonymous people that I do not know and yet respect all the same. Thank you to all who have served, are serving, are will serve. May God help us to work to become a nation that He can bless. 

Beejoyfulquilts

~ Drafted at 20 during the Vietnam war. Didn’t want to go, but avoiding the draft in any way was not a legitimate moral choice. Was the best thing that ever happened to me. I grew up a lot, had the privilege of serving my country, and learned the true meaning of sacrifice. I would strongly encourage any young person to spend a year or two doing something outside themselves either serving the country or the community in some way. It’s not only good for the country but good for the individual.


~ I joined the USAF at age 20, in 1965. I had dropped out of college due to boredom and was working a dead-end job. After my service, I returned to college, with a new sense of the importance of an education. I recommend a tour of duty for all young men. It’s a real experience that is more important than college at that time.


~ My husband joined right out of high school. Got his masters over the years. He has no regrets. Traveled, learned, grew, developed, was mentored, mentored others, and is thankful for the opportunities it affored him and then our family. NO regrets at all. Career man. Military put us where we are today. It was wonderful. More young people should join. Guides their lives, turns some of them around, helps them decide on what they want to do, gives them a focus and makes them strong to face life. It’s a GOOD thing. 


~ 20 years old. A friend of the family was an instructor at the winter survival school for pararescue. So, AirForce was my choice….and a wise one at that. IMO, every American should spend 2 years in the military. It’s the LEAST they can do for our country and will make true men and women out of them. 


~ Joined at 17….to get out of NJ, see the world…..went to Paris Island at 18…stayed in for 11+ years and still miss it (sometimes). Best thing I ever did. Made some friends for life. The Few. The Proud.


~ I joined the US Navy when I was 17. I wanted to serve my country. I volunteered for air duty in Vietnam. I have no regrets and would do it again.


~ Joined USAF in 1960 mostly to try and find what I wanted to do. I was a HS drop out and was really going nowhere. It was the best move I ever made. I finished my HS education (GED) and went on to get a couple of years of college while in the AF and finished up college when I got out in 1964. Even though I griped and moaned the entire 4 years (3 in the UK) they were some of the very best times of my life. The military taught me discipline and how to focus and look past the next beer or day off. I would do it all again and in fact would gladly have gone back after 9/11.


~ I served for awhile in the reserves in the 1980′s, and I’ve recently re-joined to see if I can help out with the global war on terror. For me, the experience has been phenomenal. I got in to serve others, but the real beneficiary is myself, in terms of confidence, fitness and strength. 


~ Enlisted in the Army at 18, wanted to be on my own. Wasn’t quite ready for college, and didn’t want to flip burgers. Taught me respect for country; to this day I cannot listen to the national anthem and not get teary-eyed. Best thing I ever did. When I got out I had almost $30,000 for college. No regrets, and look back with pride.


~ I joined the Army when I was 19, looking for adventure. Found same. There were other reasons of course, too many to list, but ‘the money’ was definitely not one of them. Do I regret it? Not in the slightest. Would I recommend it? Only for those that are willing to risk their lives for their country, their friends, and their way of life. You’ll always have brothers and sisters in the Army if you feel that way. As far as specific recommendations, each service has it’s own personality, and people generally drift towards the one they’re most compatible with. Job selection varies quite a bit, but again, people gravitate towards what they’re good at. I would definitely not recommend the military for everyone. However, I would say that I’ve seen things my civilian peers never will, and am far richer for the experience. (If a little banged up in the process.) I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything. 

luvinstitchin4u

Take a moment to reflect, then enjoy your day....because you can. 

The American Cat and Dog

I do believe that to be a cat or a dog in America is probably one of the best, if not THE best, country to live in! Animals rights aren't everywhere. So thank God - and hug your fur friend this weekend!

Weekend Skirt Creations!

Some new creations from the weekend! I found this lime green dotted fabric while at my local thrift store on Saturday (which I love). It was a sundress of sorts - rather ugly, actually, with this yucky green lacy stuff all over. But the fabric itself was very cute. So I bought it ,and after washing it, cut it into a skirt. I added some ribbing I had on hand and then mixed some fabric paint Itogether - red, white, and blue - to make the kitties. I had just had a customer tell me the day before that she liked my cat themed clothing in Catcalls, but there were no plus sizes, so this is, hopefully, the beginning of more of those sizes. It was quite fun to make! 

Not to leave my Dogbarks shop out of the fun, I pulled out the left over flannel you see here, and after looking it over, decided a skirt would be a cute creation for this remnant as well. So I did the same thing again, adding pockets and a waistband from a black t-shirt. It's very comfy! 

Just click on the pictures to find more info on them. 

So what did YOU create this past weekend? 

New Cats and Dogs in Watercolor and Ink

I hope you have been busy with new projects! Here's some of my recent art from Catcalls and Dogbarks to start the New Year! Click on any picture for more info!

This one is self explanatory! 

"I ♥ U"

"Happy Kitties"

"Love One Another"

"Greyhound Moon"

IT'S FREE SHIPPING DAY!

Check this out!! YES! There is FREE SHIPPING today ONLY, Friday, Dec. 16th, at Catcalls.etsy.com! 
Use coupon code FREECAT at checkout. 
TheCatRack.etsy.com has FREE SHIPPING every day!! Here are a few of the goodies you can get today!

Click HERE to go to Catcalls

and 

HERE to got to TheCatRack. 

Happy Shopping! 

You'll find LOTS more at both shops!

Catcalls (FREECAT coupon code) and TheCatRack offer the coolest cats and cat themed gifts, clothing, housewares, and art!