PurrPrints: Art, Cats, and Randomness

Checking in

2012-01-27T08:53:00.003-05:00

Hey everyone - long time no see, I know. I'm mostly just writing this post to check in and see if there are even readers still left who would be interested in having me resume posting again. All my energies lately have gone to EtsyGiveaways and my position as a Professor/Writing Center Director--plus I wrote and published a novel for kindle direct. The purrprints art is still all available on zazzle and cafepress, I just haven't been creating anything in the way of new cat art for the last couple years. So anyway, let me know!

This cat and I agree on Justin Bieber...

2011-02-24T10:37:00.001-05:00

...neither of us are particularly fond of him.

Granted, the cat seems a bit more committed to his anti-Bieber stance than i am ;)

http://www.bing.com/videos/watch/video/cats-really-dont-like-justin-bieber/20n5jvur?rel=msn

Don't forget about LoveCats for Valentine's

2011-02-09T12:42:00.001-05:00

I know my etsy shop is a bit inactive these days, what with all the craziness of my new job, but don't forget that you can get my designs in the PurrPrints zazzle shop - the LoveCats cards (and other LoveCats goodies) are particularly popular around this time of year.

An interview on floppycats.com

2010-08-21T16:11:00.003-04:00

An interview I did a while back with the owner of floppycats.com went up today--check it out!

Also, I'm slowly in the process of bring my listings back up to date in my etsy shop; if there's anything you want that hasn't been relisted yet, just let me know!

Settling in

2010-07-21T13:53:00.000-04:00

Well, I'm finally starting to settle in--the DH and I found a cute little Spanish colonial home to rent only 4 blocks from the beach (and right across the street from kayaking on the Intercoastal, which I'm excited about). It's still only sparsely furnished--most of the furniture is still with the hubster in KY as he finishes the packing and remodeling.

I definitely have the easier job.

My new job is nice; it's keeping me pretty busy. As soon as I can I'll post some pics of the kitties enjoying their new digs--well, 2 of them at least. The younger 2 are also still in KY :)

The kitties are happy about our packing

2010-05-30T21:33:00.001-04:00

Here snacker takes advantage of the newly cleared top of the bookshelf, which was previously stacked up to the ceiling with stuff.

Where in FLA?

2010-05-17T21:53:00.001-04:00

A few of you asked, so I figured I should post a quick answer: we're moving to the Daytona Beach area (which neighborhood--Ormond, Port Orange, or New Smyrna Beach--we haven't yet decided).

Thanks for all the kind wishes on our big move!

Blogcation

2010-05-15T17:18:00.003-04:00

I haven't been posting lately because I've been flying all over the country on job interviews--and now that I've snagged a job (in sunny FLA - whoo-hoo!) I won't be posting for a while longer because life is all about packing boxes and house hunting right now.

I'll probably be back around late June. Until then, hope everyone has fun! And if you want any PurrPrints goodies, I suggest hitting up my zazzle or cafepress shops (see links in the header above) as I'll be slow to ship anything handmade while I'm moving.

Snacker was feeling left out

2010-05-01T13:43:00.001-04:00

When snacker climbed up on the desk and began pointedly looking at me after I pulled up the latest puma-themed post I realized he was feeling a bit jealous.

Not that he'd ever admit to that of course. He's now indignantly grooming himself and ignoring me for even suggesting such a thing ;-)

Sunday snapshots: Puma's unusual napping spot

2010-04-25T19:40:00.003-04:00

Mm, it's so nice and cozy in here on Daddy's clothes.

Moooom! You're disturbing my nap with that bright flashy light!

Nothing to do with cats, but...

2010-04-24T21:13:00.003-04:00

A poet friend of mine (we used to write poetry together and help each other revise) sends out a favorite poem every day for the month of April. Today he sent this one--an old favorite of mine that I'd forgotten about--so I thought I would share it with all of you:

Failing and Falling
by Jack Gilbert

Everyone forgets that Icarus also flew.
It’s the same when love comes to an end,
or the marriage fails and people say
they knew it was a mistake, that everybody
said it would never work. That she was
old enough to know better. But anything
worth doing is worth doing badly.
Like being there by that summer ocean
on the other side of the island while
love was fading out of her, the stars
burning so extravagantly those nights that
anyone could tell you they would never last.
Every morning she was asleep in my bed
like a visitation, the gentleness in her
like antelope standing in the dawn mist.
Each afternoon I watched her coming back
through the hot stony field after swimming,
the sea light behind her and the huge sky
on the other side of that. Listened to her
while we ate lunch. How can they say
the marriage failed? Like the people who
came back from Provence (when it was Provence)
and said it was pretty but the food was greasy.
I believe Icarus was not failing as he fell,
but just coming to the end of his triumph.

Zorro loves chinrests

2010-04-22T10:57:00.001-04:00

Zorro has a particular fondness for napping in places that provide a convenient spot for him to rest his chin (which, I think, is why he's particularly fond of this bed).

When he takes lap naps he's always looking for a spot to rest hi head--arms, nearby ledges or desks, books, anything,

Are any of your cats like that?

Squeeee!

2010-04-21T17:07:00.004-04:00

Today when visiting moderncat I saw this picture. I think it may be one of the most adorable pictures of a cat I've ever seen. I literally squealed out loud, causing my parrot to make some very funny (and waaay too loud) noises in response.

That picture is from this interview with pet photographer Holly Sisson - check it out if you want some good tips on pet photography or just to see some squeal-inducing kitty cuteness.

My latest cat-in-progress

2010-04-10T18:10:00.001-04:00

I've been working on this cat sculpture a bit more. Once I finish with the sculpting (I still need to sculpt up that curved pencil line into a tail) I'll be painting him. These stripes were kind of a trial idea--I'm not sure I like them though.

I am also considering doing a solid black with a textured gloss, or maybe some kind of abstract design. What do you all think?

I wish this waiting room had kitties

2010-04-05T13:31:00.003-04:00

I'm currently sitting in a waiting room. Waiting rooms are, as everyone knows, the height of excitement.

When you're in a waiting room for an extra hour because you got the appointment time wrong they're that much more exciting though. ;-)

I think cute kittens should be made a new standard feature for waiting rooms. They could replace the pointless magazines no-one really reads. At least I have pictures of my kitties on my phone to play around with, like this one of Allie Mae.

Actually, she might volunteer to be a waiting room kitty. She loves meeting new people, and she might prefer that to being the perpetual subject of my experiments with Photoshop :)

Zorro makes a good teacher's pet

2010-03-30T17:07:00.002-04:00

Zorro saw that his daddy needed some help grading papers and so he settled down to provide some moral support. He was willing to do the actual grading as well, but Mark was concerned his students wouldn't comprehend Zorro's brilliant and incisive wit, so he simply consulted Zorro on any particularly difficult decisions.

Zorro, as always, offered only the sagest advice. ;)

They loved it!

2010-03-29T22:29:00.002-04:00

My committee loved my dissertation - hooray! That mans that, with the exception of a few administrative odds and ends, I am finished with my graduate education. I don't officially graduate until early May--but it's a great feeling.

Thanks everyone for your kind wishes! (And thanks as always to my sweet kitties for putting up with me [grin])

Tomorrow I...

2010-03-28T11:57:00.000-04:00

defend my dissertation! And then (as of probably around 7pm on 5/29) I'll be Dr. PurrPrints! (how obnoxious would that be?)

Anyway, just had to share - wish me luck!

Puma prefers naps and laps to apps

2010-03-27T17:25:00.003-04:00

I had to steal mommy's blog today to say that I am really tired of this new toy she has gotten.

First of all, what kind of toy has neither catnip, feathers, fur, nor nice crinkly sounds? I mean really, what good is a toy if it doesn't have at least one of those things? (Though mommy will never get me the feather and fur ones because she'sa says they are cruel to animals. I don't know what she means - I'm an animal, and it's cruel NOT to get them for me in my opinion!)

Secondly, this new toy makes her talk funny--always going on about "apps." At first I thought she meant naps, or maybe laps, and I was excited--because those are both very good things. I just thought maybe she had forgotten how to say these crucial words because her dissertation had finally fried her brain. (I don't know what this means, but I always hear her saying this.)

But no, there has been no surplus of naps or laps since she got this new toy, which I find really annoying. instead she's constantly pointing this thing at me and fussing if i don't sit sill to make a picture like the one above. So finally I did stay still--and look what she did! she made me all sideways!

Sigh. Its enough to make me need a nap.

P.s. - mommy says you all should check out this new treasury she is in, which was made by someone in honor f their newly adopted kitties.

My first mobile post

2010-03-23T23:46:00.001-04:00

My latest crafting fascination: plushies & paperclay

I hope to be posting more often again soon because...

2010-03-23T17:50:00.002-04:00

I've now joined the 21st century and gotten a smart phone! I'm hoping having such a handy way of taking pictures and turning them into blog posts will make me more prone to write. Right now I'm in the process of setting up my mobile blogging abilities, so if all goes well I'll hopefully be posting some new pics of both my cats and some new craft projects I've been working on (I'm getting very into sewing plushies and other 3d projects lately) to share with you all - assuming anyone is left after my long absence, that is ;)

Kitty Love pendants are now up at HaberHeartwork's

2010-02-15T16:43:00.003-05:00

A while back I told you all how the talented Sharon of HaberHeartwork's would be turning my kitty-love design into glass pendants. Well, the Kitty Love necklace is now up for sale in her shop--and very inexpensively too ($7.75)--for anyone who wants to check it out!

A thank-you to a cool steampunk blog

2010-01-27T14:56:00.003-05:00

Just wanted to share this as a kind of thank you to The Grand Design, who featured me on her blog today - I love steampunk stuff, and she has some awesome steampunk goodies, so if you're as much of a fan of steampunk as I am you should check her out :)

I love this Lock and Key necklace that's in her artfire shop especially.

Any other sewers out there?

2010-01-12T21:52:00.003-05:00

So my husband, much to my delight, got me a sewing machine for xmas. I am a very beginning sewer, but I'm not thrilled at the prospect of working my way through traditional intro sewing projects, like pillows or aprons. So I have a few questions for anyone out ther who might know a smidge about sewing:

1) Any interesting baby sewing projects you can recommend? Say for funky-but-simple plushies, or comfy-and-casual-fun dresses, or anything else suited to a not-too-traditionally-domestic woman who's just learning to sew?

2) Any good resources where you've found patterns or project inspiration that you just love and want to share?

3) Any general "you must try" or "don't ever do this" kinda general sewing tips to share?

Also, of course, feel free to share anythign else that come sot mind

Feature Friday: New Year dreams

2010-01-01T13:17:00.005-05:00

Since it's the new year, a time commonly spent dreaming big dreams for what we want for the year to come, I decided this Feature Friday should focus on some things I've recently favorited on etsy that are out of my price range but that I absolutely adore. Why not dream big, right?

The first is this lovely terrarium - JeffreyJamesModern has a bunch of cool terrariums, actually, but this is one of my favorites.

I'm also very much in love with this gorgeous jewelry box from Jim Jenkins.

Doesn't look like it would hold much - but who cares! Maybe I could sell most of my jewelry and get this instead? ;)

I also, on a less stlyishly modern note, really love this grizzly bear bean bag from ChicSinDesign. It would not "match" my home decor whatsoever, but I don't care--I'd still love it.

So how about you all? Have anything you've been dreaming over for a while?

The end of 2009: Thoughts & plans

2009-12-31T13:11:00.007-05:00

Wow. I can't believe this is the last day of both this year and this decade.

I know, I'm sure that sentiment is just so terribly original around this time. I still couldn't avoid starting my post with it though.

I don't have any New Year's resolutions as of yet - do you? I go back and forth on whether or not to make them every year. I'm also tempted to make a new decade resolution - you know, set some really big life goals, like finding a way to either balance my creative pursuits with my career ones or make my creative pursuits into my career. I'll finish my PhD in the Spring, if all goes as planned, and I don't want to follow the traditional professor route, but I'm not sure exactly what I want to do instead.

Anyway, just in a reflective mood I guess. Now I feel like I should be stretched out on a couch and you should be sitting with a pen and pad of paper in your han saying things like "so how does that make you feel?"

My plans for tonight include hanging out with friends, playing board games, snacking, and drinking a bit of wine. How about you all?

To make this tie into one of my more traditional topics, I'll throw in another link to my 2010 calendar (the first PurrPrints calendar ever - don't you feel special now? ;)

Ribbons are Essential to a Cat's Holidays!

2009-12-25T08:50:00.000-05:00

Happy Holidays!

Sunday Sketchbook: Fishing for waves

2009-12-20T12:50:00.000-05:00

I recommend clicking on it to see it slightly bigger - my blog layout doesn't handle panoramic style images like this too well ;)

I love the visual texture of grocery paper bags. I don't know why. Does this make me a total weirdo or what?

More new designs: Alette and George

2009-12-15T12:04:00.000-05:00

These are more of the new designs from my recent creative spurt. I actually have Alette (above) with a few different facial expressions and colorful backgrounds, and her brother George (below) has the same kinds of options (open-eyed or close-eyed, 6 different background colors).

Like last week's piece, this one was done using digital painting techniques. I'm really happy with the textures this can produce. Look at this close-up from George for a better view of the texture.

I liked the close-up of George so much I made it into it's own card and postage stamp in my zazzle store (look under "More PurrPrints designs").

Full prints of Alette and George are up in that same folder on zazzle--but if you'd like something smaller, like the 8x10s or 5x7s or art cards I do in my etsy shop, let me know and I'll create a listing just for you.

Sunday sketchbook: Star gazing

2009-12-13T12:58:00.001-05:00

I've been in a creative mood recently, so this is one of a few new designs - I'll post the others soon. This one is listed as a 15"x21" print and a 2"x3" pin in my zazzle store (look under "New Designs") but I'm also happy to make it into a listing for a smaller print in my etsy shop or put it on some other product on zazzle if you'd like--just say the word!

Feature Friday: TheClayShoppe

2009-12-04T15:07:00.000-05:00

So besides my obvious weakness for cats, I also have two less obvious weaknesses for adorable-ness from the animal world: owls and hedgehogs.

Don't ask me why, i don't get it either. But I do. I guess I just fall into some kind of weird indie stereotype, because I see cute owl and hedgehog stuff on etsy regularly, and it makes me whimper with joy.

Yes, I know, the idea of a 30 year old woman whimpering with joy over an embroidered hedgehog or polymer owl is pretty pitiful. Ah well. I'll take the little joys where I can get them.

Anyway, this month's featured EtsyBlogger is this hyperactive duo who have four (yes, four!) shops on etsy - and on one of them, TheClayShoppe, I found this adorable little owl mold. A mold that would allow one to make as many of these cute little owls as desired. I saw this, and a flash of a household strewn with little owls danging from the windows, the ceiling, the walls popped into my head.

And then the expression on my husband's face followed it, and I decided to shut that daydream down. But I still wanted to share this bit of adorable-ness with you all.

They also have a blog with a giveaway going on right now (for the next two days I think) for my fellow giveaway fanatics.

And the winners of the Thanks-Giveaway are...

2009-12-01T01:53:00.004-05:00

Whew - we had hundreds of entries - thanks so much to everyone who visited all our shops and left your lovely comments.

So now it's time for the fun part - announcing all 16 winners!

TwinStar winner:

Comment 373 - leftygirl said...
On Crocheted Little Things I adore the facial round scrubbers.

edited 12/12 to a new winner when leftygirl didn't respond - new winner: d said... 11/29/09 4:53 PM I love the Crocheted and beaded mini cupcake key chain in pink cotton - Strawberry at the Crocheted Little Things' shop! Thanks :-)

PurrPrints winner:

Comment 239 - Cindy said...
I really liked this print. I love the various circle colors and size.
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=29805580

EllaScottJewels winner:

Comment 222- windycindy said...
The "Something Blue Necklace" from
EllaScottJewel's is gorgeous!
Thanks for the fabulous prize giveaways!
Cindi

Imgenuity winner:

Comment 344 - Jenny O said...
Purr Prints - Catnip Carolers. Cat Christmas Cards in red, green, and white.

Audrey's Country Crafts winner:

Comment 181 - mogrill said...
I like the Cupcake pin cushion. Thanks for the chance.

Crocheted Little Things winner:

Comment 310 - Angela said...
I also love the Crocheted fingerless gloves in off white and sage green with flower applique from Crocheted Little Things 2

And the 10 winners of advertising spots:

Comment 220 - the monkey's mama said...
I would advertise "Festive Frills" (my twin's etsy shop). I love promoting my sister!!!!
contact via blog profile page with blog sites and email

Comment 193 - Surge said...
my favorite twinstars item is gingerbread ornament knitting pattern

Comment 122 - memoriesforlifescrapbooks said...
I like this: Crocheted ginger bread man Christmas tree ornament from CrochetedLittleThings.

Comment 321 - squidart said...
I would just kill for that advertising spot!
I would use it to promote my Etsy photography business: http://squidart.etsy.com
Katie

Comment 57 - Born to Dance said...
Love this!
And this is beautiful:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=13433556

Comment 361: Deb - Two Cheeky Monkeys said...
I'm a big fan of magnets so I would pick these from Purr Prints' shop:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=24746138

Comment 201 - Deb K said...
My favorite item from TwinStarGifts' shop is Blessed Are The Peacemakers - Wall Hanging

Comment 364 - Ladytink_534 said...
My favorite item from EllaScottJewel is the Midnight Earrings Black Friday - Cyber Monday Special

Comment 167 - Melanie said...
The Welcome Sign at Audrey'sCountryCrafts is adorable.

Comment 25 - Emily said...
I also like theFloppy Cat Women's Light T on cafepress!

Winners should keep an eye out for their messages from either me or the other shopkeepers so you can claim your prize! Don't hesitate to contact me via the form on my blog here if you run into any troubles.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T00:08:00.000-05:00

I'm thankful for all my wonderful blogging friends and fellow kitty lovers - how about you?

Holiday Cats

2009-11-15T20:16:00.005-05:00

I've brought my winter kitty cat designs back out of hiding since the holidays are just around the corner.

You can get cards (greeting cards and postcards) with your choice of background color and these designs at my zazzle shop (you can also find magnets, mugs, tees, stickers and other fun stuff with these designs on them there too--and you can change the colors on any of 'em).

My zazzle shop also has the caroling kitties design, "Deck the halls with boughs of catnip"

...or you can get note cards identical to the ones shown here from the card section of my etsy shop.

Great big thanks-giveaway (Ended 11/29)

2009-11-15T19:47:00.021-05:00

(Note: This giveaway is now over)

To celebrate EtsyGiveaways reaching 1000 followers (and the soon to be new sleeker and more efficient site redesign - it's going to be so cool!) we're having a great big giveaway of free ads and goodies from the volunteers on EtsyGiveaways--otherwise known as the Thanks-giveaway.

There will be 16 winners (10 of ads, and 1 each for the different shop prizes).

What you can win:

One of ten free week-long ads at the soon-to-be-released newly redesigned EtsyGiveaways site (the name will be changing slightly too - but I don't want to give away the surprise). EG currently averages around 200 visitors a day, so these ads will get lots of exposure!
A custom made bracelet with the name or other word of your choice woven in from TwinStarGifts
A keychain and magnet combo in the kitty designs of your choice from PurrPrints
A beautiful set of ornaments from AudreyCountryCrafts
A custom crocheted cupcake - you get to pick the colors - from CrochetedLittleThings
A ring of your choice from EllaScottJewels
A decorative belt buckle from Ingemnuity

How to enter (Note: you can do just one or all of these - but visiting all our wonderful volunteer's hops is definitely encouraged [grin] - just make sure you leave a way to contact you if you win! Also, please leave a separate comment for each entry or else all your comments will only count as one entry in the techie eyes of random.org!):

Leave a comment here about your favorite item from CrochetedLittleThings' shop (or from her other shop, PiccolaDonna)
Leave a comment here about your favorite item from EllaScottJewel's shop
Leave a comment here about your favorite item from AudreyCountryCrafts' shop
Leave a comment here about your favorite item from TwinStarGifts' shop
Leave a comment here about your favorite item from Ingemnuity's shop
Leave a comment here about your favorite item from the PurrPrints' etsy shop, zazzle shop, or cafepress shops
Visit AudreyCountryCraft's blog and then come back here and leave a comment about something on the blog you liked
Leave a comment about what you'd advertise on the new EtsyGiveaways once it goes live next month
Blog or Twitter about the giveaway with a link to the giveaway description on EtsyGiveaways and then post a comment with a link to your post/tweet here--a separate comment for each, if you do more than one (new note from 11/24: just found out that facebook's new terms of service prohibit promoting contests on there, so don't do that anymore).
Buy anything at any of the shops listed above and leave a comment about what you got here (note--if you win on one of these comments, you'll get more than one prize!).

The giveaway closes at midnight EST on Sunday November 29th. Winners will be chosen by random.org and will be contacted by the shop-keeper who is sending them their prize--or by me if it's for one of the free ad spots. Open worldwide!

Have fun, and happy entering!

Feature Friday: Crocheted Little Things

2009-11-13T13:52:00.001-05:00

Crocheting is one of my favorite hobbies--I make amigurumi (mostly cats--like the one in this post) and blankets mostly. I've had the good fortune to work with Lu, of CrochetedLittleThings and PiccolaDonna, through EtsyGiveaways though, and I just have to share the adorable-ness that is in her shops with you all.

She's big into cupcake crochet. It's impressive--I'm starting to think the woman can turn darn near anything into a cupcake! Like this bath mitt, this little clutch, or even these earrings. Impressive, right?

She has what she calls more traditional crochet (i.e. not so much with the cupcakes) in her PiccolaDonna shop, such as the gloves shown here

(it's hard to find people making fully fingered gloves on etsy, so I was doubly impressed by these).

Check her shop out--and her blogs, IndieDiscounts (a sister site to EtsyGiveaways that features sales being offered by crafters) and CrochetedLittleThings

Sunday sketchbook: Cat silhouette and sky

2009-11-08T15:52:00.002-05:00

I'm going to try to push myself to do a new sketch or design every week and post them on Sundays. Here's today's--too new to even have a title yet:

I'd love some feedback on this PurrPrints Calendar

2009-10-31T14:07:00.005-04:00

Hey--I've created a calendar for the first time this year, over in my zazzle store, and I'd love some feedback on it from any of you with a moment to spare for a not-so-random act of kindness :)

Mostly I'm just wondering if you like the cover, the choice of designs (would you have preferred to see different ones included than the ones that are there?), and the order of the designs. You'll see the thumbnail that links to it from the PurrPrints zazzle shop homepage.

If you have any feedback on my zazzle shop in general that's also welcome--I'm trying to establish more stuff over there because they (1) allow customers to customize things like colors, sizes, etc. and I'm all about customization and (2) offer large archival print options for people who want prints larger than what I sell in my etsy shop.

P.S. - Happy Halloween everyone! I'm planning on stealing Jim's costume (from The Office) for my own tonight--how about you all? Anyone else dressing up?

Moon Cat

2009-10-26T15:15:00.002-04:00

I can't recall if i showed you all this design a while back or not, but I finally have it up in my etsy shop, so here ya go...

Feedback/suggestions/etc., as always, are appreciated.

Tuesday's Trade Tips: Giveaway marketing

2009-10-20T15:25:00.000-04:00

As the founder of EtsyGiveaways, I'm (obviously) a big fan of the whole indie giveaway trend. My general take on them was that they were the most enjoyable way to advertise and get helpful feedback at the same time. Most of my giveaways have resulted in an increase in views and a better understanding of what items in my shop were most appealing, and I considered that a success, since I tend to have a pretty long-range view towards advertising and shop improvement.

The giveaway that just ended a few days ago on ModernCat, however, was a demonstration to me of the other potential of a well-placed giveaway: direct and immediate sales. This is the first time that's happened, and I'm very excited about it. I'm even more excited, however, about the fact that the giveaway got 406 individual respondents, the vast majority of whom were unfamiliar with my shop prior to encountering the giveaway. That's a lot of new potential customers being introduced to my work, and all of them are solid members of my target market since they're readers of moderncat.

Over the last year I've read a lot of debate over giveaways and whether they are a good marketing strategy. I don't think there's a one-size-fits-all response to that question. If you can't have fun doing a giveaway for the excitement of it, then maybe you shouldn't do them. If you love entering giveaways though (I know I do), then you might consider creating your own a way of keeping the fun alive even if they don't directly result in sales.

That said, if you are doing a giveaway, there are definitely things that help and things that hurt. Because I'm contrary, and in a sassy mood, I'm puttiong together a list of

Things to do to make sure your giveaway fails spectacularly:

Host it on a blog that has almost no readership or has a readership with no interest in what you sell. This is a great way to make sure your giveaway is like that proverbial tree in a forest that falls when no-one is around. Try posting your anti-gun t-shirt on a pro-NRA blog, your expensive and beautifully detailed pottery on a pro-Walmart blog, your "animals suck" poster on a pet lover's blog, and so on.
Provide pictures that are fuzzy, out of focus, or look dirty. This way, no-one will be certain just what they'd win, or if they'd even want to win it.
Give away an item that you don't want. After all, if you hate it, surely everyone else will too.
Keep quiet about your giveaway. Don't post about it on twitter, or in the forums, or on sites like EtsyGiveaways. Don't share it in your newsletter or with your previous customers. Don't mention it in emails. In fact, generally just try to pretend it doesn't exist.
Don't ask people to visit your shop and leave a comment about what they liked and why in order to enter the giveaway. This way, you'll learn nothing about what's most appealing in your shop and you won't get fresh eyes on your work. This is a particularly brilliant strategy if you want to have plenty to complain about later.
Expect your giveaways to generate instant and overwhelming sales every time. This one is particularly important to combine with number five, so that you are sure to have nothing to show for your giveaway if no-one buys anything immediately. If you decide to maintain this expectation, you can increase your frustration by also not thinking of the giveaway as an opportunity to expose new people to your work who may become customers weeks or months down the line.

Alright, I guess that's enough smart-@$$ery for one day. I realize it probably sounds like I'm picking on people, but I'm really not--I was just trying to make the suggestions more entertaining than a traditional list would be. Hope I didn't tick anyone off in the process :)

Oh - one real tip (I couldn't think of how to frame this in a contrary way). Consider giving away a gift certificate to your shop. I'm fond of the $15 gift certificate--it's large enough to get a 5x7 print plus shipping, so that people don't have to spend any money (which is very important--no-one will enter a giveaway if they think it's just to win the equivalent of a discount), but I've had people decide to spend beyond the gift amount, which can't happen as easily if they're just winning a particular item.

Monday's Miscellany: Energy Awareness Month

2009-10-19T13:41:00.000-04:00

Most people know October is Breast Cancer awareness month. This is a great cause, but since it's one most people are familiar with, I'm going to talk about a less common issue October is also an awareness month for: energy usage.

Now, if we're being totally honest, I find awareness month's kinda silly. I mean really, if it's important enough to be aware of for a month, isn't it worth talking about the whole year? Plus watching big burly football players running around in hot pink for a few weeks is just comical (the NFL is focusing on breast cancer awareness month this year, with some--imho--humorous results).

But as a self-proclaimed eco-nerd, I'll use any excuse to clamber up on my little soap box about environmental issues. Energy usage especially, since it saves so much money to pay attention to it--and I'm as frugal as I am eco-nerdy, so it's a fave combination :)

However, as a teacher I'm also aware lecturing does no good. So instead I figured I'd just talk in circles for a while, and hopefully leave you so confused that you find yourself accidentally buying compact flourescents (CFLs) or cold water laundry detergent the next time you're at the store without even realizing you're doing it ;)

And because I just love commenty goodness I'll leave off my ramblings with a question: what, if anything, do you do to try to keep your energy usage down in your home or office? I'm always looking for new ideas to try, so I'd love to hear yours.

(By the way, that pendant that provides the perfect illustration for this post comes from NoisyBirdStudio's shop and is on sale for 3.95 right now)

PurrPrints Giveaway: $15 gift certificate

2009-10-10T16:19:00.003-04:00

A while back, I sent an email to the author of the moderncat.net blog telling her that if she ever wanted to host a giveaway for my etsy shop I'd be happy to do it. I hadn't heard back from her, so I figured it was a no. Then suddenly my views to my etsy shop spiked, and I couldn't figure out why...until I opened my email and saw that the giveaway post went up yesterday. Woot!

Anyway, wanted to give all of you the chance to enter--she's drawing the name on Oct. the 14th. And you might just enjoy her blog in general too; even the ads have pretty cats in them...lol.

(p.s. the print shown here is the purplicious version of my Genie Cat, for those of you who haven't seen it before)

Fun Find Friday: Made by Melissa

2009-10-09T14:34:00.002-04:00

This month's featured Etsy Blogger is Made by Melissa, and I'm personally fond of this gorgeous recycled silk scarf she has in her etsy shop. Isn't it lovely? She also blogs here.

Zorro auditions to be my keyboard (plus a new PurrPrints kitty)

2009-10-07T11:20:00.000-04:00

Gosh, Mom, you're so lucky to have me to keep you company while you're on the computer.

Don't I make a great keyboard?

Yeah, yeah, so you designed a new cat for PurrPrints. Why should I share the spotlight?

Halloween memories (and a Halloween cat)

2009-09-29T14:50:00.002-04:00

I have rather unusual Halloween memories because my dad became a big health nut after finding out his cholesterol was really high when I was a kid. He wanted us to be healthy too, so he made a deal with us on Halloween--we could go out and trick or treat like everyone else, but we had to pick out our ten favorite treats and give the rest of the bag of candy to him when we got home--and in exchange we got to go to Toys R Us and pick out a board game or stuffed animal the next day.

Of course, my sister and I were kind of sneaky and we'd stuff our face with as many treats as we could snatch while trick or treating to break the ten treat rule... [chuckle].

What about you - what are your favorite Halloween memories?

(Also, a quick announcement - Dexter the Fat Black Cat is now finally available in my etsy shop. Since he's an all black cat I figured he fit the Halloween vibe, so I picked him to decorate this post :)

Fun find Friday: Designs by Vanessa

2009-09-25T14:38:00.000-04:00

Isn't that a gorgeous necklace? It's from this month's featured EtsyBlogger, DesignsbyVanessa. I've been coveting this necklace since I first saw it a while back. She also has a delightful blog (and is the type to comment back when you comment, which I always appreciate).

Zorro comes back from the vet

2009-09-18T16:52:00.006-04:00

Are we finally home? Oh thank goodness!

Ugh...I'm not feeling so well...What did they give me at that place anyway?

Will you hold me mom? I still can't walk straight...

(Zorro had to have a rotten tooth extracted, poor thing)

Monday's miscellany: Whizzer and his "lightsaber"

2009-09-14T12:55:00.003-04:00

I thought I'd post a little video of Whizzer, our African Gray parrot, since he only had a background role in the last video. He likes to wave pens around like he's fighting with them--to me it almost looks like a kid playing at Star Wars, except he's fighting himself. The funniest bit begins around the 40 second mark.

Stubborn Snacker

2009-09-12T15:12:00.002-04:00

We usually refer to our cat Snacker as a dog. He comes when you call him, begs, does tricks, like being pet like a dog (with those hard side-thwacking whaps, rather than light and smooth, like most cats), and is desperate for human affection while chasing the other cats around like prey. So we thought we'd get one of his favorite and most dog like tricks on camera, one I call meerkat manor because he stands up and balances on his hind legs.

But instead, as soon as the camera went on, he started acting like...well, a cat...generally refusing to follow directions, looking at me like he was perfectly innocent, investigating the camera, and rolling around on the floor. I guess there are some things genetics don't lie about, and refusing to be predictable--especially in front of a camera--is definitely a feline trait. (By the way, my parrot chimes in a couple times in the background calling out Snacker's name.)

Back on topic: Cute kitties

2009-09-08T15:20:00.003-04:00

A friend of mine who's been living in Japan the last few years teaching english sent me a link to a silly little cat video that features two cats and a stuffed animal version of a popular Japanese animated figure, Domo-Kun. If you're in the mood for a bit of kitty fun, you can check it out here.

Monday's miscellany: Anyone else like urban fantasy?

2009-09-07T22:00:00.006-04:00

Okay, so a while back I warned I might start hitting more of the "randomness" part of my blog subtitle ("art, cats and randomness") more frequently. This post falls under that category.

I've always been a voracious reader. You'd think, what with my pursuing a Ph.D. in English, that my reading tastes would turn to the uber-literary, right? Nope. While I can certainly appreciate some of the literary classics (I'm a big fan of Dostoevsky, for instance), most of the time I'd rather be curled up with a good fantasy novel. For the last ten months, my particular focus has been urban fantasy, especially anything with werewolves, vampires, and/or plenty of irony (for the fellow ironically minded, I suggest The Good Fairies of New York by Martin Millar, by the way). Patricia Briggs and Kim Harrison are currently my fave authors in this genre.

Anyway, earlier this summer I got the itch to write my own urban fantasy novel. So I did.

I say this like it was that matter of fact. Don't worry, it's an act. I paced, sweated, told myself I was being totally foolish to be writing about vampires when I had a perfectly serious dissertation I was being paid (albeit very poorly) to work on. I also ranted at myself about how unlikely it would be that I'd write anything publishable, find an agent, find readers, yadda yadda yadda. In other words, picture the stereotype of the neurotic writer, add curly hair, an ignored dissertation, a love of cats, a patient husband, and you'd come up with me. But last week, all mental self-inflicted torture aside, I managed to finish the final words of my first draft.

Whoo-hoo!

I danced an absurd jig of joy--you know, the one where you're glad it's only your cats watching your rhythm-less hopping and swinging-of-arms? Yeah, that one. Then my writing-instructor self jumped in to remind me that revision is often 9/10ths of writing, and my rhythm-less state faltered even further. (No, I've never been good at letting myself celebrate, in case you were wondering--fits in with that whole neurotic thing.)

Anyway, now I'm alternating my time between coding transcripts for my dissertation, doing PurrPrints things, and looking over my manuscript. I'm also combing through my friends to see if any of them also read urban fantasy--but so far, I haven't found a one. They either stick with the literary stuff, or they don't tend to read fiction at all. Some of them are still being extremely kind enough to read through it and give me feedback anyway--but I'm still hoping to find at least one fellow urban-fantasy reader to give me feedback.

Hence the question in my title--do any of you happen to be big-time urban-fantasy fanatics like me? And, if so, do you perhaps feel like reading a not-yet-published book in that genre and giving me some honest feedback about it? Unfortunately I can't offer any reward beyond a great big thank you (both immediately and, should it get published, in the acknowledgements page), so I completely understand if there are no takers. But I thought it wouldn't hurt to ask, right?

Alright, this excessively long off-topic rant is now officially over :)

(p.s. - in a search on allposters.com for interesting vampire posters, the above image came up--you can find it here if you want to know more about it. It seemed suited to my topic and mood, so I thought I'd share)

Why I'm a giveaway kinda gal (or, Thank you, you rock)

2009-09-03T17:00:00.004-04:00

I hadn't held a giveaway of my own stuff in a while--long enough to have forgotten that one of the major perks of doing them has nothing at all to do with marketing or sales and everything to do with being a far better (and significantly cheaper!) self-esteem booster than therapy or a bottle of wine.

I just went to check out the comments on the giveaway of my Kitty Love print on the Bluegrass Etsy Team blog (where there are, by the way, giveaways going on every month from different team members) in order to get an idea of what items are worth keeping in my shop and which may not be worth renewing. My practical purpose was quickly drowned by the butterflies that swarmed my insides when I read all the nice things y'all had to say about my art, however.

So I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who enjoys my work--half the joy, maybe even more, of making it comes from other people enjoying it, and I just wanted everyone to know that.

Plus, you all may have inspired me to pick up on doing giveaways more often again--like I said, way cheaper than therapy, and I'm a practical person ;)

My fave food, turned into a new fave find

2009-08-24T13:59:00.004-04:00

One of the possible topics for EtsyBloggers' blog carnival this month was to talk about your favorite food. Without a doubt, that food for me is sushi. Sushi ruined my budget and my vegetarianism, but I still can't help going back for more. (Especially for the Serendipity Roll at Maido, in case there are any fellow Louisvillians reading this post...mmm, just thinking of it makes me weak in the knees.)

Anyway, knowing it's always nice to have the pretty pictures to complement my posts, I went searching on etsy to find what's going on in the sushi-themed world of handmade super-cool-ness -- and I found this delightful card, from twinravenspress. It may have to come home with me, to pass onto a fellow-sushi-lover friend with whom I share an inside joke about this particular catch phrase.

Anyone else have any favorite sushi-inspired goodness to share? I found a lot of interesting things on that theme on etsy, including some unusual ones, like sushi slippers ;)

Two new shops on cafepress

2009-08-13T18:18:00.000-04:00

Talking about procrastination yesterday prompted me to get my you-know-what in gear and get up two more shops on CafePress--one for Syd and the Blueberry Tree and one for Ocean Cat. There's over a hundred items in each shop--everything from tees to wall clocks (or, as you can see from the pics, journals to notecards). My true love remains the handmade community, but with everything else I do I just don't have time to handmake everything, so I've found CafePress to be a good compromise.

Check out my Ocean cat shop here, my Syd and the Blueberry Tree shop here, and the page where you can find all my CafePress shops here.

Coming Soon (or, Why do today what you can put off 'til tomorrow?)

2009-08-12T13:10:00.003-04:00

Me, a fan of procrastination? Let me get back to you on that...

So a while back, the talented Sharon of HaberHeartwork contacted me about putting some of my designs on her awesome glass pendants. Since I used to make necklaces like this but stopped (I can't handle the smell of even the mildest of glues or sealants), I was delighted at the opportunity to partner up with her.

Of course, me being who I am, that delight transformed into sitting on my hands about the whole thing for a month. Finally today I sent her the necessary images.

If Sharon were like me, that would probably mean it would be another three months before anything actually got made. She doesn't strike me as that type, however, so hopefully sometime soon you'll see lovely necklaces like the one pictured here with my Kitty Love design on them.

Multi-item giveaway on EtsyBloggers

2009-08-09T17:06:00.002-04:00

Hey--for those of you who don't know already, there is a big giveaway going on at etsybloggers.blogspot.com this week--tons of cool stuff to win from a lot of etsy shops I really like.

Fun-find Friday: Star-shaped Scrapbook

2009-08-07T00:53:00.000-04:00

This month's featured EtsyBlogger is Memoriesforlifesb's, and I found this 3-d scrapbook in her etsy shop to be especially cute, so I thought I'd share. It seems like the perfect way to display those holiday-related photos that are so much fun to look at over the winter but that seem kind of out of place laying around in the summertime, right?

If you're looking for a new active blog to visit, or to pick up scrapbooking ideas, you might want to check out her blog too.

The Kitty Love Giveaway is now open

2009-08-04T22:42:00.003-04:00

The giveaway for a 5x5" signed print of my most popular peice, Kitty Love, is now up and running at the Bluegrass Etsy Street Team blog here. You can enter through August 31st.

If you're a fan of handmade giveaways generally, you might also enjoy my other blog, Etsy Giveaways--though etsy is in the name, it posts giveaways from anywhere in the handmade community, usually between 15-20 new ones a day.

Anybody else have some cool giveaways going on this month?

Fun-find Friday: Beat the heat with batik

2009-07-31T05:35:00.002-04:00

One of this month's EtsyBlogger's carnivals is about picking a shop on etsy that we think has especially "hot" items for summer. I was already planning to write about one of my new fave clothing shops on etsy, SolunaCR, and since this shop fits the carnival theme perfectly it bumped me off my procrastinatory tendencies so I could get in on the carnival deadline :)

Anyway, I ordered a pair of pants from SolunaCR earlier this summer and I'm absolutely in love with them. They're light, comfy, and fit me perfectly, thanks to Juan (the man behind SolunaCR) working with me to make a pair that fit my measurements. His English isn't perfect (he's based out of Costa Rica so it's not his native language), but his customer service is impeccable. In fact, I've just ordered two more pairs of pants from him since I liked this first pair so much.

All his stuff is batiked by hand, and most, if not all, is handsewn too. Highly recommended if you're looking for some last-minute additions to your summer wardrobe--or some early additions for next summer :)

Wordless Weds.: Zorro squared

2009-07-29T17:02:00.002-04:00

I think I've finally recovered...

2009-07-27T17:59:00.003-04:00

So, as expected, my sister's bachelorette party got a little crazy. Unfortunately for me, that included running-down-an-alley-while-slightly-intoxicated-crazy, which resulted in gravel embedded elbows, a knee that still looks more like a pear than a human joint, and a sprained neck (I didn't even know it was possible to sprain necks, so I guess it counts as a learning experience).

More amusing was the fellow-word-nerd I met at the booty-music-and-frat-boys dance club my sister and her friends decided was in order Saturday night. My favorite quote from my conversation with this gentleman was "yeah, I know I'm not likely to meet anyone I can really talk with at a club like this, but there are just so many honeys here."

Yes, that's right, a nerdy playwright from DePauw used the term "honeys." I think I would have fallen off my stool laughing if I hadn't 1) been trying to look sympathetic and 2) been too injured to move enough to fall anyway.

Now that you're all terribly sad at having missed out on that kinda fun (I know, I'm just so terribly cruel), I'll attempt to perk you up. In August I'll be having a giveaway over on my local team's blog of a 5x5 print of Kitty Love. I'll include details, links, etc. once it's actually up and running, but I wanted to give you all a heads-up now.

Fun Find Friday: Miesmama's fern clutch

2009-07-24T17:13:00.002-04:00

Miesmama is this month's featured EtsyBlogger, and she also happens to be the maker of an adorable clutch I spotted a while back and fell in love with. This is it here--cute, right?

She also has a really lovely blog filled with great pictures of handmade stuff and other fun things.

[WW] This is the girl I'll be spending the next few days with...

2009-07-15T15:17:00.003-04:00

...and she's my sister, and it will be for her weekend-long bacherlorette party. As you might guess from the pic, I'm sure it will turn out to be story-ful. (Okay, so it was an almost wordless weds.--what can I say, it's hard for word nerds to shut up completely )

Fun-find Friday: When in rain, do as the rain does?

2009-07-10T12:41:00.001-04:00

Due to some absolutely icky family drama that I will not drown anyone with here, I've been feeling fairly down the last few months. I'm not usually a big "retail therapy" kinda gal, but when I (re)discovered this necklace recently, I decided it was the perfect way to remind myself that if you're having a gray day you might as well flaunt it--or be pretty about it--or, I dunno, at least support handmade while indulging in your retail therapy? Anyway, I splurged, and got myself this lovely piece. It hasn't arrived yet, but I'm planning on slapping it on the first chance I get, and wearing it to every ridiculous drama-laden family outing for the next year. If nothing else, it will give my fingers something to fidget with when I'm feeling the overwhelming urge to slap someone for being horrid :)

A random tag seems in keeping with my mood these days...

2009-07-08T17:01:00.004-04:00

A few minutes ago I discovered I was tagged by The Pink Crab; since I'm newly recommited to eclectic blogging I figured I'd go for it--only I'm not going to tag 10 people because I don't want anyone to feel obligated who doesn't like this kind of thing. So, if you'd like to participate, just leave the blog name and url in a comment and I'll edit this post to add your blog for others to visit :)

Anyway, the tag is just to list ten random things about yourself, so here we go:

1) I have a food intolerance to wheat and any kind of dairy product, and the only meat I eat is seafood, so going out to eat with me is always, shall we say, "interesting" (thank god for asian food or I'd never be able to eat out).

2) Every time people find out I have 4 cats and 1 parrot they ask if the parrot is afraid of the cats--and are always surprised to find it's actually the other way around (Whizzer, the parrot, has bit all the cat's tails at least once, so they tend to leave him alone).

3) My undergrad is in the Humanities, my MA is in Literature, and I'm currently working on a PhD in Rhetoric and Composition--but I may not get a job that relies on any of these when I'm finished.

4) Yes, I teach writing. No, I'm not a grammar nazi. Go ahead and end sentences with prepositions or split infinitives all you want around me :)

5) Despite my lit degree, you're more likely to find me reading urban fantasy than literary classics (I'm actually working on writing one of my own).

6) I was deathly allergic to cats (and almost every other animal and environmental allergen) as a child. I almost died 3 times before the age of 5 because of my allergies.

7) I'm both a fan and practicioner of holistic medicine--massage, acupuncture, Reiki, supplements, homeopathy...you name it, I've probably tried it.

8) I first got involved in art when I was about 3, with my grandmother, who was a painter. Then my grandfather (on the other side) taught me to draw (he was an amateur cartoonist). Despite the family influence, no-one in my parents' or my generation (besides me) is really involved in art or crafting.

9) I actually do a lot more crafting and art that isn't cat-related--I just read stuff on etsy (and elsewhere) encouraging people to find a niche market, so I focused on my cat crafts for public consumption. But actually, my favorite piece of my art has no cats in it--it's this abstract black and white nude here. I also crochet, knit, embroider, and sew.

10) My husband is just as eclectic in his interests as I am (he's a teacher, research assistant, writer, photographer, wood-worker, antique-tool-restorer, and probably a few other things I'm forgetting right now), so our house is completely overfull with the byproducts of our various occupations (we don't have a garage, attic, or basement in our current home--but that's my main requirement for wherever we live next).

Sunday sneak-peek (& a few questions): PurrPrints Keychains

2009-07-05T13:00:00.003-04:00

The gal on etsy who has turned my designs into magnets in the past was having a big sale last month, so I added a new goodie to my order: keychains. I don't have them up in my shop yet because these pics aren't up to snuff, but I couldn't hold back my excitement at sharding them. They're 1.25" big (the roung part, that is) and just adorable (I know, there I go being modest again. Aren't I the charming one?)

What do you think? Should I sell these, or just give them out as promos? What price would you expect? (Between etsy's base 20 cent fee and PayPal's base 30 cent fee, plus the percentages each take, I'm trying to decide if a low price-point item like this is actually cost-effective to sell or not)

You've all gone and ruined my mascara now

2009-07-03T22:05:00.005-04:00

Actually, that would be impossible since I never wear the stuff, but if I did there would be the slight possibility of it being ruined by all the incredibly cool comments you all left on my last post. I feel like a twist on a Jack Handy mantra "I'm crafty enough, I'm catsy enough, and gosh darnit, people like (snarky, topic-schizo) me!"

Anyway, I just wanted to say thanks. Realizing I don't actually have to be completely thematic to keep y'all coming back (okay, so I'm going overkill on the folksiness, but I do live in Kentucky after all) seems to have broken my writer's block and given me a few new ideas to chatter on about.

Consider yourselves forewarned! I'll still keep to cats and crafts more often than most topics, but you may find a bit more about all my other distractions, like reading urban fantasy, being in a PhD program, and having a parrot (poor thing is getting a complex that I only ever talk about my cats). That, or maybe I'll open up different blogs for each of my themes...hmm, no, I don't think I'm there yet...but if I seem like I'm headed in that direction and need to create some other blogs, don't hesitate to let me know :)

How can I be at a loss for words when I teach writing?

2009-07-01T22:02:00.004-04:00

I feel silly admitting this, but I've been paralyzed by (I'm sure excessive) indecisiveness over what the heck to actually post about these last few months, leading to pitiful posting stats, I know.

Here's my dilemma--it seems like everything I read on building and maintaining a successful blog indicates you should have a theme--and that makes sense, because most people probably return to blogs for a reason, wanting to see more of whatever was there that first got their attention.

The thing is, I feel waaay too scattered to stick with a theme these days, and it's left me wondering whether to post on the stuff I'm really thinking about, which has absolutely nothing to do with cats, crafts, or even (my personal favorite) snarkiness, or whether to try to generate some cat and/or craft themed posts.

As a writing instructor, the biggest thing I tell my students is that they have to write a bridge between their purpose and their audience--but in order to take my own advice, I feel like I need to know a bit more about who my audience is. So...age, weight, height, mother's maiden name, social security number? You don't mind leaving that in public, right? ;)

Ha ha--yes, I know, I'm just so hilarious you can hardly hold your sides in. Actually, what I really want to know is: why are you here (not on the planet, on my blog--though if you can answer the first question, color me impressed!) and what do you like reading? Do you like it when I dig up photos from etsy or artfire to show off fun handmade finds? Do you like it when I post videos or photos of my cats? What about random cat info, like the last post? Or pictures of my cat designs? How about miscellaneous stories from my life (and, with those, do you prefer the funny ones, or is somber stuff interesting too)?

Don't worry about hurting my feelings here--I want the real, nitty gritty stuff. I didn't start this blog to pour out my feelings, after all (I have a honest-to-goodness paper and pen journal for that), but to connect with people. So what I'd really like to know is how best to do that. Lay it on me, full force.

Oh--and if you have any pointers on how you get yourself posting when you get stuck in a rut, I'd welcome those too

More reasons to love cats...

2009-06-17T16:44:00.003-04:00

On the radio today (my favorite local independent radio station, incidentally, wfpk.org - they stream online and have great music for anyone looking) I heard the DJ talking with someone from the local animal shelter about all the ways cats can help improve your health. I'd already heard about how they reduce your risk of heart attacks and stress in general, but I hadn't heard that the vibrational frequency of a cat's purr can apparently help heal and strengthen bones--both theirs and yours. How cool is that?

Of course, when I first heard it on the radio I thought they were saying that a cat's fur can help strengthen your bones, and I thought hurray, now I can finally justify the fur tumbleweeds that seem to collect in the corners on an hourly basis. I was all prepped to rub that one in my neat-freak sister's face. Alas, my fantasies were dashed when I realized they said purr, not fur, but I'm still pretty jazzed about it.

Anyone else know other wonderful science-y things about why cats rock so much?

The big three (uh-)oh

2009-06-07T17:16:00.005-04:00

So I've been dreading turning 30, which I just did this past week (June 1st), but a card someone sent me recently made some really good points that flipped me from dreading my 30s to having something to look forward to.

See, I was dreading 30 because I always thought of it as the time by which I should really know what I'm "doing" with my life--i.e. be on a career path that satisfied me. You'd think, given that I'm working on my dissertation, that fear would be baseless...but I guess I'm just difficult ;) Most people who get PhDs in Rhet Comp go on to be tenure-track professors, but I'm no longer very sure that's what I want to do--while also feeling like I'm too far into my program now to quit without that lovely P(iled) h(igher &) D(eeper) in my grubby little ink-stained hand. But once I finish, I'm not decided on what I'll do with it--and hence, dreading turning 30, with all my attendant imagined expectations of needing to be "mature" and "decisive" by then.

But then one of my uncle's gave me a funny card that said something like "aging is inevitable, but maturity is optional" as the tagline (hurray for optional maturity!). (I included the Einstein pic because it seemed to fit that sentiment perfectly). He also reminded me that, compared to my 20s (during which time both my parents died unexpectedly), my 30s had plenty of room for improvement.

So my new goal is to stop seeing my 30s as a cause for the dreaded side of growing up, and instead as an opportunity: to be as immature as I want (in that fun, dance on the table way, rather than the stupid teenage boy kind of way, that is). On that note, I went to Dave & Buster's to play lots of skee-ball and other ridiculous games on my 30th--and enjoyed myself more than I have in ages.

Has anyone else found stereotypical stiff-upper-lip maturity to be terribly over-rated?

Feature Fridays: Lazy T Crochet

2009-06-05T17:08:00.002-04:00

Lazy T Crochet is this month's featured EtsyBlogger, and I've fallen in love with this adorable green cloche hat in her shop.

This news would shock my younger fashionista sister, who is convinced that I'm scared ****less of color, since most of my wardrobe is grey, navy, black, or dark brown--but I'm trying to expand my palate, and this bright green beauty is awfully tempting.

LazyT also has a cute blog, through which I learned about Wordle--are you familiar with this lovely time waster yet? If not you might try paying it a visit :)

Ah, Summer, how I adore thee...

2009-05-26T15:43:00.003-04:00

...let me count the ways: late lit nights, strappy dresses and flip-flops, crickets and fireflies, outdoor events, water parks and, best of all, no school-stuff to attend.

Of course, right now I'm not so thrilled we're already being hit by full on summer heat because my a.c. is broken, has been for over a week, and (due to a very long and terribly dull story that I will not torture you all with) can't be fixed for at least another week. So maybe my list should be ah, summer, how I would adore thee if only I could get to sleep at night without feeling like an icky sticky sweaty mess.

How did people go so long before air conditioning? I think I now understand why southern accents are such a slow drawl...the heat sucks so much out of you it'd be impossible to talk at a fast clip :)

Still, sweaty nights and all, I'm still happy summer has begun--and I hope to be posting about some of my favorite summery items from etsy soon.

Another fun etsy find: Create a Thought

2009-05-25T15:54:00.002-04:00

Isn't this orange journal fun? It was one of the items that really caught my eye in CreateAThought's shop on etsy (she's this month's featured etsyblogger, and she has all kinds of nifty pins, journals, and other fun goodies--plus a blog).

I also love that she refers to her stuff as "Naughty Secretary Jewlery" and has this quote in her shop announcement: "There are thousands of thoughts lying within a man that he does not know till he takes up the pen and writes. ~William Makepeace Thackeray" As a writer, and writing instructor, I have to appreciate anyone who agrees with Thackeray about that :)

Isso(more)keety! (Part 2)

2009-05-15T21:41:00.005-04:00

Time for more kitty cuteness from etsy - this first one is vinyl wall art of two kitties who are obviously in love, from Subhuti. Sweet, right? I love the intertwining tails especially. It's available in a bunch of different colors too, though I'm always a fan of the black and white.

Next are the cute boo-boo kitties from kittybblove --

these especially intrigued me because they're not just sweet they're also functional -- you can heat them up or freeze them for headaches, muscle aches, etc. What a great idea, right? She also has tons of other cute kitty stuff; this shop is definitely a new fave.

Then there's these adorable little painted plaster kittiesfrom YacsPocket. Another person apparently determined to tempt my love of fat cats. These are called "tascanimalis," a term the artist coined that is "made up of two italian words 'tasca' (pocket) + 'animali' (animals)" (The artist is based out of Italy). Such cuteness!

Issokeety! (Part 1)

2009-05-13T16:10:00.007-04:00

That (issokeety) is my phonetic approximation of the cry that escapes me every time I see a cute kitty somewhere. It wouldn't matter if I was in the middle of teaching a class on the ever-boring comma-splice--if, somehow, a cat were to walk past the classroom all brain functions would cease, that cry would pop out, and I'd be forced to try to convince the cat to come over and be petted. (I never go to them--I know it would accomplish nothing).

Today, then, I decided to do a search for "cat" on etsy to see if any irresistible kitty cuteness came up. There was plenty to love, so I'm breaking my post into parts so as not to overload your brains with tooo much felinity.

First, there's this adorable fat cat glass bead. I figure this is the perfect way to adore my love of fat cats without ever having to actually allow one of my own cats to lurk in that unhealthy state. Teri Persing has a bunch of different fat cat beads too, in all different colors, but I just couldn't resist this adorable creamsicle-colored one.

Then there's this funky vintage lenticular necklace

from shixie (lenticular, apparently, is the technical term for one of those faux-animated wiggly plastic card thingies--though I think I might still prefer to call it that, just to annoy myself). The cat appears to jump through the 9 in the animation, and now I want it, and I don't even care if it is technically an old logo for a battery company and kind of creepy to boot. Yay for delightfully creepy! So if anyone is feeling the urge to buy $90 worth of goodies from my etsy shop so I can justify turning around and buying this necklace, please feel free ;)

And now for the one that inspired my afternoon etsy jaunt: Farley from justamoment (who, incidentally and unsurprisingly, has a lot of kick @$$ photos).

Isn't this a freakin' awesome photo? C'mon, you know you want to say it with me..."Issokeety!!!"

Alright, more cute etsykitties to come next time...

Good enough to drink?

2009-05-07T19:08:00.005-04:00

I was both excited and disappointed when I found out today that CafePress is now making it possible to put your own designs on Sigg water bottles--excited because I love these things, disappointed because I literally just bought a plain one for my husband yesterday--and to think he could have been sporting a PurrPrints design! Now I'm just trying to come up with an excuse as to why we'd need another one of these indestructible bottles when we already have 2 - suggestions, anyone?

Oh--and if you want one, right now I have them in 4 of my designs (Floppy Cat, Kitty Love, Hypnocat, and Sabrina and Friends), but I can put them up in any design you like (just let me know).

I'd also welcome suggestions as to what PurrPrints design should go up next in its very own CafePress shop (I know, I'd rather do it all handmade, but my dissertation will be putting some extreme limitations on what I can make over the next year, so Cafepress is my best bet for keeping PurrPrints still running in some shape or form).

Yay for awesome kitty moms

2009-04-17T00:42:00.003-04:00

A few days ago I received this awesome award from Duni of LovelyPurses and it's too sweet not to share.

Though there are many wonderful kitty moms out there in the blogosphere who deserve this award, I want to specifically give it to Luxor's kitty mom, who has been extra-especially wonderful for the ever-awesome Lux and all of his difficult v-e-t visits.

I also want to pas it along to the super-talented BeadedTail, the animal charity and art minded Mishkat, and the wonderful-at-story-telling (and photo-taking) mom of Anghus Mhor.

My apologies to all the awesome kitty moms I've missed--but I'm sure this award will be headed your way soon!

Yes, the stains came out

2009-04-13T14:57:00.003-04:00

So many of you were so kind in your comments on my grumpy tomato sauce post it made me feel bad--I was hoping to make you all laugh! Ah well, I guess it's fitting since I certainly wasn't laughing when it happened ;)

Anyway, thank you all for your kind concerns. All the stains came out, and I've had better luck with my meals (knock on wood) since.

Attack of the grumpy tomato sauce

2009-04-10T14:53:00.003-04:00

I got home from work/school yesterday around 7 p.m., tired and hungry. All I wanted to do was collapse on the couch with a nice bowl of pasta and watch some Seinfeld re-runs. So I shuffled into the kitchen and got the water boiling, pulled out my pasta, a bowl, some spices, and some pasta sauce.

We get our pasta sauce from CostCo, so it comes in these shrink-wrapped sets of three glass jars together. Usually it's a piece of cake to open, only last night I kept jabbing and ripping at the plastic and it wouldn't give. Finally I stabbed it with a pencil stub and it conceded my victory, yielding its three jars. Ha! I grabbed one, and went to open it...and then noticed it's pressure button was already popped, and there was mold along the side. Ick. Into the trash.

So I went back for another one--roasted garlic. Mm, my fave. My stomach grumbled. I twisted the lid. Nothing. Okay, no big deal, just whack it along the side of the lid a few times, that always does the trick.

Nope, nothing again. So I banged it on the floor, albeit gently. Still nothing. So I grabbed my heaviest kitchen tool, and tattooed every millimeter of the lid's rim. (I don't usually do this because it makes it hard to reclose it tightly, but my pasta had already cooked by this time and was cooling in its colander, so I decided to break my own rules. (I know, what a rebel. you can just imagine me in big reflective sunglasses now right?)

Not that it did any good. By this time, my hand was cramping up, and I was cursing. The cats took one look at my face, and all immediately found places to hide--far, far away. So, feeling embarrassed, I put on my jacket. The next door neighbor is super nice, and I knew he could help me.

Except he'd apparently just left. Sigh.

Back inside, I considered giving up. My stomach growled in protest. My tongue anticipated that yummy roasted garlicky goodness. I was determined--gender stereotypes be damned, I WOULD open this %$@#!& jar. I decided to give the floor tapping another try--and it worked! Hurray!

Only then I discovered that it had exploded a fine mist of tomato spray on my favorite dove-grey pants in the process. Knowing how tomato stains set, I put the jar aside for a moment to strip off my pants and rinse the stain, then hit it with some stain remover.

At this point, my stomach was about to stage a mutiny. I could hear it whispering to my liver and kidneys. I knew all hell would break loose if I didn't return to my food a.s.a.p. So, looking like a pants-less idiot (though fortunately not even the cats were around to see me, since they were still in hiding), I got back to the kitchen, dumped a fourth of the jar into a pot with some olive oil, added my favorite fake cheese (I'm allergic to dairy), and then poured it over my pasta as soon as it was faintly hot-ish.

I walked into the living room, set down my bowl, and turned on the T.V. At last. Seinfeld was on, my dinner was ready, I could finally relax. I sat down.

And my bowl flipped over, dumping half my lovely, warm, perfect-sauce-coated pasta onto my cat-fur covered backpack, favorite fuzzy blanket, couch, and floor.

Next time I think I'll go for a pb&j.

Going greener--anyone have tips?

2009-04-08T23:39:00.005-04:00

With Earth Day coming up, I'm betting a lot of people, like me, are musing about what they do that's green and what could maybe be a bit greener.

For example, the hubster and I have changed all the lightbulbs in our house (with the exception of two bathroom faxtures that simply can't be changed) to compact fluorescents, we recycle, and we drive a car with really good gas mileage (40 to the gallon), but I know we could do more. My next goal is to get a far larger percentage of the produce we eat from local farmers.

In my handmade shop I also try to be green by using all repurposed materials for shipping, but there I'm not as satisfied with my results. I haven't found any eco-friendly ways to make prints, for example, or any of the other stuff I make. I see so much cool eco-art on etsy and it makes me sad to realize that none of my actual materials are terribly green. So I was wondering if any of you all have any pointers on ways to make the kind of art/crafts I make any greener?

And if anyone wants tips on safe, effective, and professional ways to reuse shipping materials I'm happy to share--just say the word! (My biggest tip is to invest in a custom stamp with your logo on it that you can stamp on the outside of all your packages that says why you reuse materials--the stamp makes it clear you are a thoughtful professional and helps offset any thoughts that you're just being careless. For example, I came up with this little rhyme for my stamp:
"My packaging, unlike what's inside
May not look so pleasing to the eyes
But it's because I reuse all I can
To protect both your order and the land")

If I had any pregnant friends...

2009-04-05T15:08:00.003-04:00

...I'd probably buy them this pretty stroller blanket that's on sale at TwoZanyZebras (this month's featured EtsyBlogger).

She also has an amusing sense of humor on her blog--I think this entry is my fave.

The dissertation post

2009-04-04T12:17:00.001-04:00

Usually I don't volunteer much info about my dissertation project; I tend to view it kind of like an unpleasant health condition: not something you want to blather on about to people unless they really want (or need) to know. But since one of my readers expressed some curiosity about it, I decided to go ahead and post a brief description. So, if you're curious what I do when I'm not drawing/crafting, working on etsy giveaways, playing with my kitties or being snide on my blog, feel free to read on. If you're not curious, however, I absolutely totally and completely don't blame you--unless you're not curious and looking for a free sleep aid--in that case, this might be just what you need ;)

I'm doing my dissertation on a study of writing center practices (for those unfamiliar with writing centers: they are common in universities and colleges, and are usually staffed by students willing and able to help their peers revise their writing. They don't provide editing "services"--in other words, you can't drop off a paper to have it fixed--but rather peer tutoring with the goal of helping clients get the personalized attention that can help them continue to improve their writing skills, regardless of their current skill level. For example, at my writing center I work with everyone from first time college students who are very uncomfortable with writing to people writing their dissertations).

Specifically, I'm investigating the practice of reading aloud in writing center sessions--usually most sessions start with the client, or occasionally tutor, reading the client's paper (or letter, or poem, etc.) aloud. However, there hasn't been much discussion in the field as to just why this is done and what the effect is of doing this. Writing center directors argue over the effects, and preferred practices, and so on, but no-one has really done any specific investigations into what is actually going on as a result of the reading aloud.

That's where my study comes in: I'm recording tutoring sessions under three different conditions--one where clients reads their own writing aloud, one where tutors read clients' writing aloud, and one where tutors read clients' writing aloud while using a method called "interpretive reading" to (hopefully) help writers see where their intents are being clearly communicated and where they aren't.

By doing this, I hope to be able to discuss some of the questions writing center directors care about, like how we help writers increase their audience awareness, take control of their own writing, and generally continue to develop as writers.

Ok, that's it--no more dis talk, unless someone asks another direct question. And if you're still reading this far despite having no interest in education or writing, pleasant dreams ;)

Forgive me?

2009-04-01T22:02:00.004-04:00

I've been terribly neglectful of the PurrPrints blog lately, and all the people who have been kind enough to leave me comments. I didn't think I had anything to say because I haven't been doing much with my cat art recently--all my creativity has been going to two places: my dissertation (I've officially begun my study--blare of trumpets, please!), and the new content and design over at EtsyGiveaways. However, it suddenly dawned on me (about 5 minutes ago, actually) that there was no reason not to share those little tidbits though--especially the EtsyGiveaways one.

I'd be delighted to know what you all think of the new design and content--either in comparison to the old one, if you've already been there, or just first impressions if you haven't been there before.

Oh and for those of you with shops on ArtFire or other places outside Etsy you might be interested to know that we're now taking any independent handmade giveaways at EtsyGiveaways, which I'm also very excited about (there are so many beautiful ArtFire and Dawanda shops I've seen).

So anyway, sorry about my absence--I can't promise I'll be back to every-other-day posting again soon because my dissertation study is keeping me extremely busy right now, but I'm still reading and enjoying all of your blogs and I really appreciate your comments on mine!

Now my eyes are spinning

2009-03-22T14:24:00.003-04:00

I just discovered that "Hypnocat" was picked for a fun and lovely treasury themed around hypnotic swirls. Check out the pretties (clicking the image will take you to the treasury itself, where you can see the items in larger pictures--the pendant on the lower right is especially pretty up close).

Wait, I thought woot was my thing

2009-03-21T22:53:00.005-04:00

(A guest post from Snacker.)

Shortly after I was brought home, I noticed my parents using this strange word around me...and they used it all the time: woot. They'd call me a woot-hog, the woot usurper, woot desperado, and so on. Eventually I figured out that when they said woot they meant some weird combination of affection and cuteness (one day I heard mom tell a friend that it was based on the phrase "cuteness de wootness," which was apparently used by a kindergarten teacher mom knew).

Anyway, once I figured out what they meant, I got it. I mean, I'm always running around begging for affection and doing cute things to get it, like standing up on my hind legs, and rolling over onto my back, and mewling pitifully. So I was like, yeah, bring on the woot, I love me some woot!

So you can imagine my confusion when I discovered that woot has a totally different meaning online, and has nothing to do with cute affection, or anything like that. I'd found this woot widget on blogger that I was trying to get Mom to add to her blog, but she showed me the site it linked to. Dad snapped a picture of me reading up on woot.com--I was very disappointed to see that it apparently is a weird kind of electronics store. I was hoping I'd find some great deals on woot--not crazy computer stuff.

Sigh. So now I'm terribly disappointed. If anyone wants to send me some woot in the form of psychic pats, chin skritches, belly rubs and so on please do--this woot.com thing has me all depressed.

Spring is springing...cuz i said so

2009-03-05T13:51:00.003-05:00

It's in the 60s here today, and even though it's cloudy, and super-windy, and doesn't look spring like at all I've decided that this time it's officially the start of Spring.

Not that this is the first time it's gotten this warm here this year. Louisville is notorious for being Summer-like on Thanksgiving and getting freak cold flashes on Derby (first weekend of March, for the uninitiated). So we've already had several upper-60s warm fronts come through that turned to snow three days later. I didn't pull out my spring dresses for those.

But today, for some reason, I decided I'm done with winter, even if it's by sheer act of will. I pulled out my fave spring-y dress, the one with no sleeves that goes just past the knees, and went sock-less and sleeve-less for the first time this year. Sure, it was a bit chilly walking from the car, but...

So who's with me on willing an end to winter? I know all you folks way north of here probably can't even consider it, but for now at least I've decided Spring is a state of mind.

Of course, if we get another freak ice storm I may be recanting my declarations ;)

On another springy note, I should be able to get pics soon of my new screenprinted tees--Robin did an awesome job with them!

Good news and sad news

2009-02-26T23:04:00.003-05:00

Today, much to my relief, I completed my third and final comprehensive exam, which means (if I passed it--I'm feeling pretty good about it though) that I'm ABD (all but dissertation--a sort of mock degree us grad students give ourselves to somehow recognize the almost-there point of PhD pursuit).

Unfortunately, my celebratory plans for the weekend, the ones Zorro told you all about in the last post, will be postponed because of a death in the family (not someone i was close to, but I am close to the son of the man who passed away and I want to be there to support him) and I'm leaving tomorrow morning for the funeral (though the kitties may still party with their dad while I'm gone, who knows).

Thanks everyone for their patience while I've been away so much working on my studies--hopefully soon I'll be able to be back on more regularly :)

An open invitation to the kitty (and human) blogosphere

2009-02-24T00:43:00.002-05:00

Zorro here again. Mom is still studying for her 3rd and final big exam, which is now scheduled to occur this Thursday. That means that this weekend she will be feeling all relieved and happy (even if only for a few days before it dawns on her that now she has to start "dissertating," whatever that means. Crazy humans with their made up words) and thus more inclined to pick us up and dance around the house while we yowl in protest and then reward us with lots of yummy kitty treats for tolerating her craziness.

Thus we wanted to invite anyone else in the kitty and human blogosphere to join us on the fun this weekend in any way you feel like it. I'll be trying to get Mom to post funny pictures of us running around with catnip and treats and such.

Oh and Mom asked me to say thanks to everyone who has sent their well-wishes about her various exams--she says she needs all the help she can get!

Mom's studying again...

2009-02-15T13:06:00.003-05:00

...so I decided to take over her blog for a little bit, after I noticed how long it had been since her last post. Sheesh, you'd think humans having opposable thumbs would make them better at multi-tasking, but apparently not.

Sometimes when my mom has been studying for too long she flops over sideways onto the couch and gripes and moans about why on earth she is getting a Peeaitchdee. I have no idea what this Peeaitchdee thing is, but I know when she starts complaining about it I better run fast or else I get scooped up, like this, and forced to snuggle.

Don't worry, I'm not really enjoying it; that look of purring bliss on my face is, um, just, uh...me faking it. To make her feel better. Yeah, that's it.

--Zorro

Kitties!

2009-02-05T23:19:00.003-05:00

I discovered, much to my personal glee, that this month's featured EtsyBlogger is another kitty lover--and one with cute black and white shots of her kitties in her shop, like this one.

My husband immediately knew that something gleeful and cat related must have happened because he heard me exclaiming "Kitties!" after I opened the link to discover DonnaPool's etsy shop (she also has fun buttons and suchlike, but I am of course most smitten with the kittens).

(I know, I should have resisted the urge for the cheesy rhyme, but I couldn't. Seeing kitty pictures makes me too happy to be un-cheesy for at least a few minutes afterwards.)

She also has a nifty blog.

Oh, and in case you forgot: Kitties!

Sure, I'm juvenile, but(t)...

2009-02-03T23:23:00.002-05:00

This is just one example from my new favorite treasury on etsy--with a "butt" theme. Tee hee. Love it!

I'll be posting some cool shots the hubster got from the ice storm soon. Once we got power (and internet) back, we ran out and took pics--can't wait to share 'em.

Hope everyone else that's been affected by these storms is doing okay!

Not your typical editing job

2009-01-26T23:42:00.004-05:00

As a writing tutor, I have to say this is one of my all time favorite LOLCats. This definitely captures the thoughts that occasionally cross my mind when working with the more, shall we say, "challenging" clients--except this is actually probably nicer than some of the thoughts I occasionally have during really bad sessions.

That probably makes me sound like an awful tutor; actually, I love tutoring. It's really enjoyable helping people who want the help. I only get frustrated when people come in and then don't seem to want any help but still insist on occupying my time while ignoring everything i say. Hence, the occasional urge to edit a face or two ;)

Roseworks makes me want to bead

2009-01-26T02:17:00.005-05:00

I have no idea how to bead and (if I'm being totally honest with myself) probably will never learn--there are too many skills on my to-learn-list as it is. But when I see gorgeous necklaces like this one by Roseworks it makes me wish I could cram an extra hour or two into the day--or, alternately, win the lotto. (Of course, everything makes me wish I could win the lotto, including waking up and going to sleep, so I guess that isn't saying anything new ;)

Anyway (don't you dare call me distractable--it's merely, um, mental multi-tasking. Yeah. That's it), Roseworks has two cool etsy shops (RoseworksJewelry and kstreasures) plus a blog where she's been running a really useful series on all the different online venues where one can sell their handmade stuff--if you haven't visited that already and you're a craftisan, I strongly suggest checking it out.

Who can resist a fat black cat?

2009-01-24T20:17:00.006-05:00

This is my (as of now) newest design--and one of the ones that Robin will be turning into a cool screenprint on t-shirts and napkins and other fun stuff. In the meantime, however, it's also available as a print or magnet in my etsy shop--if you don't see it right away you can click on any print or magnet that is the size you want, order it, and just note that you want the fat black cat as your design in the "notes to seller.

Or you can find it on a whole bunch of goodies with your own customizable color background in my zazzle shop!

(EDIT NOTE: This post was edited to remove the PayPal buy direct button on 3/30/10 because I get notices more consistently from Etsy when a purchase is made an an issue came up when someone tried to buy direct via PayPal. Until I get that issue sorted I'm keeping everything going through Etsy for my handmade stuff).

Now this is funkalishous for sure

2009-01-21T23:02:00.005-05:00

I'm giveaway obsessed (as you might have already guessed, seeing as I founded EtsyGiveaways and all), and periodically I like to share my latest fave--and this one definitely counts.

Talk about funkalishous Valentine's fun--I sooo want to win this one! So I'm blogging about it to share the wonderfulness, but if you go and enter and win you'll give it to me, right? ;) It ends soon though, so you'll want to scoot over there quickly.

Happy happy happy dance

2009-01-19T00:41:00.003-05:00

Normally I struggle coming up with something to blog about, but tonight I actually had to choose between a few things (a video of my parrot waving my crochet hook around like a light saber, an image of a new design I've been working on, and the screenprinting related post that follows). Fortunately, my inherent laziness...err, efficiency won out (the first two would have required posting videos and images online that weren't already there, and this use of time was deemed inefficient by my late-night sleepy-head self) and ultimately made my decision process easier than anticipated.

Anyway, my happy happy happy dance (and yes, it is 3 happies--that's unsual for me, so take note, any would-be biographers of my ever-scintilating life) is about my having found the extremely wonderful local etsian Robin, who is a screenprinter (among other things). I've been wanting to screenprint my own apparel, pillow cases, etc. for a while now (I far prefer supporting another etsian to supporting cafepress and zazzle) and my crafty dreams have now been answered--yippee!

Keep an eye out for pictures soon of the screenprints we're collaborating on. In the meantime, I'm including an example of one of her current screenprinted items from her etsy shop, FacesAreFunny. I wish I was a small so I could fit into this bette davis skirt (she uses thrift store items to be more eco friendly, which I love--unfortunately it means cool items aren't always there in my size).

Puppy love is soooo passe

2009-01-16T02:54:00.001-05:00

...especially for Valentine's Day.

Okay, yes, so this is an obvious set-up for my new so-adorable-they'll-change-your-life [insert eye roll here] "Not just puppy love" card + magnet set that I conveniently made just in time for Valentine’s Day, but still: roses, Hallmark poems, and "every kiss begins with K, now-I'm-wearing-the-same-thing-as-half the-housewives-in-America" pendants all scream (to me at least) either uninspired puppy love or panicky significant others who know they're supposed to do something, right? Or else they're in trouble.

I've been known to be a bit, shall we say, dubious regarding V-Day: The Institution. If so, this attitude might be left over from the Valentine's Day 15 years ago when...ehn, but I'll skip that story. The point is, Valentine's Day used to be distasteful because I associated it with unoriginal and insincere sap. (Amazing, I know, to discover I’m actually including a point. I think I might be breaking some unofficial rules of my blog or something.)

I don't hate V-Day anymore, because of my new self-imposed decision to take it back from the same-old sap—or make it some fun sap, at least. I, as you may have guessed by now, made this magnet for my husband for V-Day with ironical sap in mind.

I think it would be fun if people got just a little funky for V-Day, whether it's by making, doing, or buying something unusual [hint, hint to the hubster--though he's been on a roll lately, so he may not need one (grin)].

Fortunately, I'm not the only one making fun V-Day goodies. One of my personal faves right now is this anatomically correct heart pendant, with a latin inscription that means "from the bottom of my heart" (placed literally at the bottom of the actual heart. Who can resist tongue-in-cheek, joking-with-sincerity sap, as opposed to just your run of the mill stuff? Certainly not me.)

So will you be my funky Valentine, and share your funkiest V-Day idea? Besides suggesting I get off my funktified soap box, that is ;)

(Gee, I'm a little obsessed with variations on "funk" huh? I wonder if there's a treatment for that...beyond soap and water, I mean.)

(Okay, I'm truly and for real shutting up now.)

To ArtFire or not to ArtFire?

2009-01-14T15:06:00.004-05:00

I'm thinking about making the switch to ArtFire, and I'm hoping for some etsy-artfire combo shopkeeper's advice. It seems like it could prove cheaper, fee-wise, if I started listing more items than I currently do on etsy. What I'm not sure of are the following, and I'm hoping those of you who are on ArtFire might have some ideas:

Do you seem to get as many (or more) views on new listings at ArtFire as you do on etsy?
Is the front page on ArtFire just listed items, or specially selected ones?
Does AF's search function seem to be any better than Etsy's?
Does AF's buying process seem to be less confusing for new buyer's than Etsy's is?
Do you find you need to keep both shops running with equal attention, or have you made one your primary shop and the other a secondary shop? (I don't think I'd have the time to be in both places equally, so it would definitely mean lessening my involvement at etsy if I move into AF)
Generally how have you found the two sites to compare?

Thanks in advance for the help--oh, and as an extra thank you for the assistance, I'll pick one of my advice givers randomly to sign up under if I decide to make the switch, so if you have some kind of referral code feel free to leave it in your comment.

Does this mean I'm a twit?

2009-01-13T01:05:00.005-05:00

I gave in. I tried to resist the Twittering craze, initially, but found my resistance slowly eroded after hearing etsian after etsian rave about how much they loved it.

Of course, my initial resistance was not entirely principled--unless you count "fear of another time sink addiction" as a principle, that is. But I could--and did, to some family members--make very highfalutin arguments against Twitter, revolving around the rapid disappearance of private life, our willingness to facilitate that, and blah blah blah.

Apparently, I am full of hot air. Then again, that's probably not news to any of you. It's definitely not news to my cats; that must be why they like to be so near me during the winter time--free heat ;)

So now I'm wondering--how many of you Twitter, and enjoy reading Tweets? What kind of tweets would you like to see from me? You can check out my twitter page here.

Feel free to leave your twitter id here in a comment if you're a regular reader of my blog. If you're not, sorry, tough cookies, no spam twitter promoting allowed because I'm a big mean bully. Or something like that. :p

p.s. (added a few hours after the initial post) I made my own Twitter widget to match my blog--it's on the left--let me know what you think of it (I used a portion of a new design I've been working on)

Catnip flashback(s): Which, if any, do you like?

2009-01-09T00:58:00.008-05:00

I'm on the fence about this one: which of the color combos is best & whether one's worth listing on etsy or if they're all a bit too...well, too something, anyway ;)

Thoughts?