Get Your Daily Snips....Snippet Girl talks Art and Animals

It should be illegal to be this cute!

2012-01-26T07:18:00.000-08:00

My Punkamunk in her favorite tummy washing position on the couch pillow....CUTE overload. Happy Thursday everyone!

Cat adventures in Atlanta and a little artistic inspiration....

2012-01-23T11:28:00.000-08:00

Audrey, Charlene and I made it to Atlanta last week safe and sound. The drive down there always stresses me out a little bit because I worry about my precious cargo. But they did great....napped most of the way and settled in well at Good Mews. I visited with all of the GM kitties and caught up with one of the wonderful volunteers. As I've said many times before, I LOVE that place and wish that every city had a no kill shelter like Good Mews!!

Christopher...a totally adorable 3-legged Good Mews kitty.

Freddie...cutest boy ever and a GM volunteer favorite!

After I left there, I went to my dear friend's apartment to spend the night AND help her trap some feral cats she has been feeding since she moved in there in June. She has been a bit terrified of the whole trapping process, so I knew that I had to get her started and help ease her fears. We easily trapped one of the girls and two of the boys and got them all spayed/neutered and vaccinated the next day. She was very afraid that they would be mad at her, but I told her that once feral cats are back in familiar territory they are so happy and quickly forget about their "snipping" :)! Sure enough, one of the boys even escorted her back to her apartment the next day after feeding time and gave her extra leg rubs. She has 2 more females and 3 more males left to TNR, so paws crossed that she will get them all taken care of before spring arrives. (I totally forgot to take photos of her colony...darn!! Sorry!)

In between all of the cat transporting/trapping/transporting, etc., we did manage to hit a few fun Atlanta shops! I went craaaazy over the new Johnathan Adler store that has opened up in Midtown near my old loft apartment. (oh to think if we still lived there, I could walk there every day!!!) It was amaaaazing...so vibrant and whimsical...a jolt of decorating joy! And, of course, we had to check out the new Anthropologie as well. As always, I could spend hours in there. They had the coolest display that has put me on the hunt for clear plastic spoons (I want to try to find recycled ones).

This quote should be my mantra. LOVE it.

A very expensive lounge and ottoman that I will be dreaming about....

Endless wonderfully whimsical ceramics...

Fantastically fun kid's room...

Flower/snowflake pendants made from spoons at Anthro. I WILL be making a few of these to hang from our celing.

Uncle Cracker

2012-01-14T12:13:00.000-08:00

Some of you are probably wondering if I am ever going to show you any artwork again. It may be awhile, but I promise it is on the horizon. I will explain later. In the meantime, thank you for checking in for the non-stop cat chat :).

It is time to introduce the beloved Uncle Cracker! I trapped this handsome boy at the Kroger parking lot back in late October for the TNR clinic. He went through the program and had already been neutered. In fact, the doctor said that he had been neutered so young that she thought he was a female. Uncle stayed with us for a few days and then we had to put him back out with the Kroger colony. I can't express how much I HATED to do that knowing how tame he was once he got indoors and felt safe. I cried my eyes out the whole way to Kroger that night. I just had zero adoption prospects at the time and Good Mews was not taking in any new cats.

We continued to feed him and the others, and then last week, when some changes occurred at the Kroger lot, I knew I had to get him out of there for good. People had been dumping trash...tires, mattresses, all kinds of mess...behind the empty Kroger and the owner of the property finally put an end to it by cleaning it up and posting "No Dumping" and "No Trespassing" signs along with surveillance cameras. They also threw away our covered feeding stations and bowls. I was extremely worried about Uncle, so we tried to trap him the following night with no luck. There wasn't a sign of him anywhere. When I returned the next day, a policeman was camped out behind the building. I snuck some food into an inconspicuous spot and decided to return the next day with a fellow cat rescuer/trapper friend of mine. Long story short, we managed to trap dear Uncle Cracker! He was meowing like crazy and seemed incredibly happy to be in the backseat of my car. When I got home, he practically leaped out of the trap and into my arms. He has been snoozing comfortably in our "foster" bathroom for the past few days.

I took him to the vet to be combo tested (negative, thank goodness!) and asked them to also check for a microchip since he had clearly been neutered at such a young age. I had the suspicion that he could have been adopted from Lexington Humane. Sure enough, he had a microchip. That has NEVER happened in my 6 years of rescuing cats. We have called the owner's number several times and left messages, but he hasn't returned our calls which honestly doesn't surprise me. The address of his owner's home is about 2.5 miles from the Kroger, so who knows how he ended up there. Doesn't matter now because he is safe and sound with me and hopefully we will find him a loving home soon or he can go to Good Mews in Atlanta eventually.

I am actually driving to Atlanta on Monday to take Audrey Hepburn and Charlene Gingerbean to Good Mews. As always, I am thrilled and incredibly grateful that GM is willing to take them in! I know they will get wonderful homes quickly once they are there. For those of you who are new to my blog, Good Mews is an AMAZING no kill, cage free cat shelter. I can't say enough good things about them. Check out their website if you get a chance. www.goodmews.org

So, here is the huggable and ever so loveable Uncle Cracker! Can you believe those eyes???? He may have the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen.

Sushi settles in....

2012-01-09T07:20:00.000-08:00

I wanted to share a few photos of Sushi settling into her wonderful, forever home! I LOVED seeing these...brought happy tears to my eyes.

Sushi kitten...a very happy tail!

2012-01-05T08:42:00.001-08:00

At the end of November, a tiny and amazing little soul came into our life. Meet Sushi, the most loving kitten I have met in a very long time. This sweet girl was living in a trailer park where a friend of mine had been TNRing. Sushi was trapped and spayed in late October along with her feral siblings and many other cats. But when my friend went back to check on them a month later, Sushi was very sick and had not grown a bit. All of other kittens were twice her size. Fortunately, Sushi was the only one who decided to be tame :) and came running to my friend for help. She ended up with me shortly after that. After a few weeks of antibiotics, deworming and TLC, Sushi doubled her weight and became a perfectly healthy little lady! Her unbelievably loving and friendly temperament stole my heart. There was NO way that I could put her back outside at the trailer park, so I posted her story on Facebook and one of my animal loving friends decided to adopt her! Sushi is now living with 4 other cats, 3 dogs and a family that adores her!!! She will enjoy a safe, happy, indoor only life from here on out.

In the sink with her favorite toy...

Playing peek-a-boo...

Chubby Tail needs a home and a REAL name :)!

2012-01-03T06:16:00.001-08:00

I have a new foster girl in addition to the lovely Audrey Hepburn. Right before Christmas, we trapped another kitty at the empty Kroger lot for TNR. As suspected, she is totally tame, so I could not bear to put her back out. She is now spayed, vaccinated, dewormed, combo tested and ready for a loving home! This little girl is A-dorable!!!! She has the cutest markings, is petite and has a short, chubby tail. She is full of purrsonality! She slept in the sink for a few days, but now that she is well rested she flies around the house stalking and chasing our cats and playing with any toy in sight. She is very affectionate too. I can hold her like a baby and she will rub her face against mine. "Chubby Tail" is definitely a character! And she desperately needs a name that suits her. I had lots of suggestions when I posted her on Facebook, but nothing seems exactly perfect. Any suggestions from you all would be greatly appreciated :)!

And of course, she needs a wonderful home with people who would never abandon her again!

Rooney and Boogie in their beds....

2012-01-02T06:54:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!!! Cheers and purrs to all of you!!! Just thought I'd kick off the year with a few fun photos.

Rooney is wishing you a purrrrrrrfectly wonderful 2012!

Grandma and Grandpa gave the cats this fantastic bed made from an antique chair. Roon had to try it out as soon as it was unwrapped. We are ALL in love with it!!

All of the kitties are enjoying the goose sled by the fire...

Boogie girl sharing the tuffet with a mouse....such a considerate lady :).

Poor thing now has to share her bed with two mice!!!

In memory of our precious Teeny....

2011-12-28T10:12:00.000-08:00

I can't believe I haven't posted a thing since December 1!!! Yikes! Well, December was a rough month in many ways for us, so I wasn't quite myself. I promise to get back on track very soon. I have lots of cat stories to share and some great photos to brighten your days.

I just wanted to dedicate this post to our beloved Teeny girl. We adopted Teeny from the Atlanta Humane Society when she was 6 weeks old. That was almost 15 years ago. She was our very first kitty....the one who started all of this cat craziness. We loved her so very much. We found out right after Thanksgiving that she was dying of cancer. On December 20, we knew it was time to let her go. It was an extremely sad day, and we miss her terribly. Here are a few photos of her over the years....

Audrey Hepburn...a furry brunette beauty in need of a home!

2011-12-01T10:57:00.000-08:00

Meet Audrey (as in Hepburn). She is a PRECIOUS girl who was living under some bushes in an empty Kroger parking lot. A friend of mine and I were feeding her and are still feeding several other sweet, stray cats there. We are DYING to get them all out of there and find homes for them!! Audrey finally hopped in my car last weekend and rode home on my lap making biscuits and purring the whole way. She is a purrfectly wonderful cat. She loves to sit right on your chest and sleep. PLEASE let me know if anyone can give her a good home!!!! I will drive many hours to get her to a truly loving place. She is approximately 5 years old and has already gotten basic vet care (physical exam, combo testing, deworming and flea treatment), and I will take care of her vaccinations and confirmation that she has been spayed soon. The doctor shaved her tummy and there appears to be a spay scar.

Audrey in her bed ON the bed in her own private suite :).

Here she is after exploring downstairs and meeting our other cats. She got in bed with my husband and crawled onto his chest to help him read research papers. What a loving AND intelligent girl!

Finally an update on the SOS mobile home TNR project!

2011-11-07T05:21:00.001-08:00

I think it has taken me this long to recover from the huge SOS (Spay our Strays) mobile home feral cat TNR project! So sorry for the delay in reporting on what transpired. First and foremost, our efforts were a huge success!! We TNRed 79 cats in 3 mobile home parks in Lexington. That was a major effort for one weekend. I was in charge of one park and trapped 21 cats and kittens. The only bad part was that I could have trapped 100 more. These mobile home parks are literally FILLED with ferals and strays needing to be spayed and neutered. They are often local animal control facilities' largest source of homeless and unwanted kittens and cats. I learned quickly how important it is to for TNR volunteers in every city to tackle these areas in order to bring down the number of cats killed in shelters every year. One woman had taken 5 litters of kittens to our local animal control just this summer. Homeless cats are EVERYWHERE, but mobile home parks are the most fertile breeding grounds in every community. The people there can't afford proper vet care or spaying/neutering and many leave them behind when they move away. Then, there are always kind hearted souls who feed the abandoned kitties and the next thing they know, they've got 50 cats and kittens on their hands. It is a terribly vicious cycle. It is what has kept me preaching about spay/neuter since 2005 when I happened upon my first feral colony.

I can't discuss this project without giving a shout out to Dr. Liz Ubelhor, the amazing veterinarian, who performed all 79 surgeries last weekend!!! Yep, 79 cats in 13 hours. Her skill, tireless dedication and unbelievable generosity is nothing short of phenomenal!! I honestly can't properly describe the awe and gratitude I feel for her. She works as the main vet at the humane society five days a week and then volunteers her time most weekends at various low cost feral cat s/n clinics in our area. She is truly the spay/neuter queen and an angel to animals.

Ok, here are a few photos of my TNR adventure....

I didn't get any action shots during the trapping because it was raining and cold, but here are all the of the cats lined up in their traps in my garage once I got them all home.

This is Marlon aka "Fathead" after being released. He totally stole my heart! He is a HUGE, gorgeous cat with a the chubbiest cheeks you've ever seen (male cats often develop those large cheeks when they are unneutered). His caretaker has been feeding him for 5 years and he has fathered countless litter of kittens. NO MORE of that!!!!

Here he is sniffing out familiar territory...

This is one of Marlon's children, Pegleg. Apparently, Pegleg terrorizes his dad and drives the other kitties crazy, but he is such a sweet boy with people. He lost his back leg at some point...the stories on how it happened vary. He is a heartbreaker...so affectionate and funny. His caretakers are going to try to keep him inside now that he is neutered, but I am not sure how well that will go. He is one of those boys that will probably not like being confined in a small space, but my paws are crossed that it works.

And here is Pegleg with Regina. Regina is WONDERFUL! She is such a lovely person and was very grateful to have lots of kitties on her street TNRed. She is one of the four caretakers I worked with.

One of 5 kitties trapped at Tammy's trailer. She was thrilled to have her mama cats finally spayed.

And here is "Preggo" after I released her. Her caretaker said that she is ALWAYS pregnant hence the obvious name. I trapped several of her boyfriends as well.

So, that pretty much sums up the mobile home project. While we won't be able to do a mass trapping like this for awhile, we will continue to trap a few at a time. It is definitely going to be an ongoing endeavor.

The Auto Body Shop Kitty Crew...

2011-11-01T14:00:00.001-07:00

I will post an update about the big mobile home TNR weekend soon! It was a huge success! In the meantime, I just wanted to share a fun photo I took on Sunday while I was feeding the auto body shop colony. They now know my car and all come running when I pull up. Two of them climb up into my lap and the others circle around my door anxiously awaiting their canned food buffet. They are the BEST greeters ever!

The adorable dilute torti is Wendy. She used to never let me near her and now she is one of the boldest! The darker orange one is Speedy. He is a lovebug...purrs and climbs right up onto my legs.

Huge TNR trailer park project!

2011-10-27T14:10:00.000-07:00

The TNR group I volunteer with is doing a massive feral cat spay/neuter round up at 3 trailer parks in Lexington. It has been in the works for awhile and tomorrow is the big day! I am in charge of one trailer park...will be the largest trapping project for me yet....daunting but exciting! I just finished prepping our garage. 18 traps, 6 carriers and a whole lotta towels, blankets and tuna. When I visited the park today, one of the kitties was curled up in a baby stroller...he was quite a friendly little greeter. It was rainy so most of the cats were hiding under the trailers. I hope to get some good action shots tomorrow if the weather is nice and sunny...paws crossed for that!

This project is so important not only for the cats but also for the people feeding and caring for them. They have a hard enough time making ends meet, yet they still manage to feed many cats. That is true compassion, kindness and generosity.

The goal is to get 20+ cats at each location. Stay tuned for an update this weekend!

All ready to go...

The recovery area...

Purring among the pumpkins....

2011-10-26T15:01:00.000-07:00

Here is Chumbawumba aka the Rumba Ball enjoying the straw nest under the pumpkins in my antique wheelbarrow. Can you believe this precious girl survived on dumpster scraps for years while transporting kittens up and down the streets of our neighborhood? That is what one of my neighbors told me. When we moved in 3 years ago, we put food out on the front porch for her and her 2 little orange sons and the rest is history. We TNRed them all and now she spends lots of time in our bed though she still insists on going on outside adventures. I worry about her, but she refuses to be a full time indoor kitty. Who could resist a sunny, 70 degree fall day among the pumpkins???

Halloween Owl Nesting Dolls for the Pfatt Update!

2011-10-09T15:45:00.000-07:00

Time seems to keep escaping me lately!! Almost forgot to post these little fellas before tomorrow's Pfatt Marketplace October update! I am offering a set of six hand painted Halloween owl nesting dolls. Hoot hoot! Hope you like them :)!

Home Makeover for the Auto Body Shop Cat Colony

2011-10-03T06:21:00.001-07:00

I wanted to update you on my progress with winterizing the auto body shop's cat colony. Many thanks to Susan who purchased two of my Halloween circus animals which helped fund this project!! The kitties and I are so very grateful. I ordered feeding stations and feral villas a few weeks ago. I assembled them last weekend and was able to get the colony "makeover" underway this past Saturday. Most of the kitties were not sure what to think, but as you will see, my buddy, Jimmy, was a wonderful assistant through the whole process. When I arrived on Sunday to feed the crew, I could tell that they had been exploring their new shelter and had been nesting under the tree in their new straw bedding.

Assembling the insulated villas and feeding stations on my back patio.

Hugging Jimmy as we unload everything.

Raking out the trash from under the tree to prepare for the straw bedding.

Adding straw to an existing shelter. They guys at the body shop put this out for them. It's one of those luggage carriers you attach to the top of your car with a cat door cut out...very clever and purrfect for a large, multi-cat shelter!

Jimmy testing out the straw. I think he approves!

Spreading straw under the tree.

Feral villas tucked under the tree on top of the straw....should be lots of cozy, dry places to snuggle this winter!

Diesel enjoying the view from one of the villa's rooftops.

Feeding stations in use...the larger raised one will be great when it snows.

Tip for all you feral cat caretakers...straw is the cheapest, BEST way to keep kitties warm and dry! It reflects their body heat and will not mold, mildew or freeze when wet like blankets and fabric beds. One bale of straw cost me $8 and it goes a long way.

Kitten and Cherries...

2011-09-21T09:15:00.000-07:00

Yay!!! Just finished up the last one (for now). I'll be delivering these to Cradle Will Rock tomorrow...paws crossed that the owner likes them and that the customers like them even more :)!
This one is my personal favorite. Never would have guessed that the kitten one would be my top pick, right??!

Circus Elephant Painting

2011-09-20T13:21:00.000-07:00

...and here is no. 2! I put the finishing touches on this one this morning and had hoped to get the kitten painting done, but I had to take 3 cats to the vet and went on a wild goose chase tracking down heart medicine for another one of my furkids. They keep me busy that is for sure! So, it's back to painting momentarily. Happy Tuesday!

Henry Hedgehog and Apples Painting

2011-09-19T14:52:00.000-07:00

I have been working on a series of paintings for a local children's boutique called Cradle Will Rock that I just LOVE! The decor and clothing is whimsical, colorful, fun, retro, vintage and funky....my perfect combo! I just wish I could shrink into the adorable clothes. The owner designs and sews the majority of the clothing, and she uses a wonderful mix of patterns and prints. I wanted to complement her aesthetic and come up with a concept that would fit right into her style. So, I decided to paint backgrounds and borders that look like fabric prints with painted animal "patches" in the middle. I just finished the Henry Hedgehog and Apples painting and am now working on completing a Kitten and Cherries and a Circus Elephant.

STJ update tonight!

2011-09-12T08:17:00.000-07:00

The other two pieces in my Halloween Circus animal trio will be available tonight at midnight for the Spookytime Jingles update. I am thrilled that the giraffe and owl piece sold this weekend, so that is great news for the auto body shop cats! 100% of the sales of the pig and elephant will also go toward feral villas and feeding stations for them. (See previous post for more details.)

Halloween SnipPets to help cats in need!

2011-09-08T10:40:00.001-07:00

Last January, some friends of mine and I started TNRing a colony of feral cats at an auto body shop nearby. This colony has really captured my heart (as they always do!), and I am now feeding them on the weekends since the shop is closed and the weekday caretakers aren't there. As winter approaches, I am already feeling anxiety about keeping them as warm and comfortable as possible. Right now, they only have one small shelter and that just isn't adequate for 11 cats. They also don't have a covered area for food and water. So, I want to purchase 2 insulated feral cat villas and 2 feeding stations from www.feralvilla.com. I have two of their villas at my house for our stray crew and they really love them. I also want to get several bales of straw and a few more small shelters to put under a big pine tree that the body shop kitties stay under. Once I get everything purchased, I will spend a day over there cleaning up and creating the coziest, driest environment possible. These kitties are most likely FIV+ (3 have sadly died over the past few months and one tested positive), so it is imperative that they get as much care and comfort as possible. The group of 11 is doing well right now (no sniffling noses or runny eyes) and they have huge appetites.

The sales (100%) of my newest Halloween circus dolls will fund this project. I have completed the giraffe and owl piece and it will be available during the Pfatt Marketplace update this Saturday. I am finishing up the other two and they will be up for grabs for the Spookytime Jingles update at midnight on the 12th.

Jimmy, Calvin, Diesel, Webster, Sarah, Emily, Jenny, Wendy, Speedy, Pete and Lisa thank you for reading about their needs :).

Halloween Giraffe and Owl

Diesel

Speedy

Calvin

Eating in the snow last winter....they now have bowls but they REALLY need the covered feeding stations.

Once I get this project underway, I will post lots of "before" and "after" photos!

Cozy photo on a dreary day....

2011-09-07T10:45:00.000-07:00

Some of you may have already seen this photo on Facebook, but I had to share it here too. When I walked by the front door yesterday, I saw my front porch crew all lined up snug as bugs in their beds. Mr. Tubbs, Natasha, Rudy and Ramsey are all strays who have bonded together over the past few years. I love them so much and have always told them that they are welcome to come inside, but they prefer their freedom, I guess. Mr. Tubbs runs in every once in awhile, but he gets nervous after awhile and heads out with his buddies.

As a FB friend commented, they looks like rump roasts! That totally cracked me up.

More progress on the Halloween circus....

2011-09-05T06:45:00.001-07:00

It is the perfect day to stay in and create....chilly and rainy here in Lexington! This weather is so wacky. It was in the high 90s on Thursday, Friday and Saturday breaking records for September and today a high of 68 is predicted...not exactly a smooth transition to fall. Oh well, I am going to turn on my space heater and speed up the clay drying process so that I can hopefully sand and prime my Halloween circus trio later today.

Happy Labor Day to all of you!

A simple yet poignant quote for Sunday....

2011-09-04T06:10:00.000-07:00

I just saw this quote and believe that it speaks volumes about our world today. No need to expound....this sums things up perfectly.

When all the trees have been cut down,
when all the animals have been hunted,
when all the waters are polluted,
when all the air is unsafe to breathe,
only then will you discover you cannot eat money.
~ Cree Prophecy ~

Halloween WIPs

2011-09-02T05:14:00.000-07:00

It hit me this week that Halloween is only 2 months away!!! Where the heck did summer go?!! I think it flew by faster than ever before. It's time to get crackin' on some Halloween creations, so here is what I have in the works....

A few circus inspired Halloween animals! Envision an orange giraffe with black spots....and still deciding on the exact color scheme for the ellie. I also have a spooky cute pig clown sketched and will be making the armature shortly.

Love that Tubbs

2011-08-30T08:29:00.000-07:00

I was flipping through my photos of our Mr. Tubbs and realized that without a doubt, he provides us with the funniest photo opps. I think he is the main reason that people frequently drive by our house and point and laugh! Mr. Tubbs aka Grubbs aka Rub-a-Dub showed up here over a year ago. He was quite plump then and has retained his full figure.....lots of kitty to love! He is such a character....a real live Puss in Boots.

Me, "I love you so so much, Mr. Tubbs!" Mr Tubbs, "Put me down, you crazy lady!"

Airing out on a summer day....

With his girlfriend, Natasha and best buddy, Rudy...

A familiar scene in the evening....bathing after dinner on the front steps.

Not very modest....

And my favorite, "The Rubber Chicken"....

Mixed Media Owl on canvas...

2011-08-29T09:22:00.000-07:00

I have sculpted many owls, but this is my first owl painting. I was in the mood to mix lots of mediums, so this one was created with paint, pen, colored pencil, a bit of pastel, and paper cut outs. I like the juxtaposition of different textures, soft and hard, details and blocks of color. The sides of the canvas are an orangey red which really makes it pop. It is 18" x 24". I think it would be a whimsical addition to any bedroom or living room (it will hang in mine if it doesn't sell :)!) OR a fun accent in a child's room or nursery....owls seem to be all the rage right now. This is now available in my Etsy shop.

Stay tuned for some cat chat this week! I have a very special new foster boy. He is quite a heartbreaker.

Custom paintings

2011-08-24T06:53:00.000-07:00

I have been taking a break from the clay for a little while to work on more paintings. I am almost finished with a custom sugar skull rabbit for a wonderful customer who LOVES rabbits! I really enjoy painting the details of the sugar skulls...fun to get lost in the patterns and vibrant colors. I completed the second painting last week and delivered it to a customer in Raleigh. She is redecorating her little boy's room with a cars/trucks/planes theme and wanted his favorite animal, a turtle, driving a car down a winding road with a bible quote she had chosen. I added in a little flag with his name and put his birthdate on the license plate. She said that Tyler giggles whenever he looks at the painting which is now hanging over his bed. I think that is the perfect stamp of approval :)!

18" x 24" Sugar Skull Rabbit

24" x 30" Tyler's Turtle

A Special Milestone....

2011-08-23T06:15:00.000-07:00

Last week we traveled to Raleigh, NC for my parents' 50th wedding anniversary. What a HUGE milestone! They are such amazing parents, and we had a GREAT time celebrating their big day. Mom and Dad met at school in Chapel Hill over 50 years ago, so we spent the day there eating lunch, walking around and visiting the new Carolina Basketball Museum. Brian and I also met there almost 18 years ago, so we are a Tarheel family through and through! That night we had a special dinner at the Hayes Barton Cafe in Raleigh. It was a fantastic meal that ended with a mouthwatering wedding cake adorned with some SnipPet cake toppers. It was fun to finally make a pair for family members :).

At Mama Dip's for lunch...

Brian, full of Carolina pride :)...

Dinner at Hayes Barton...

Rooster Bride and Boston Terrier groom....

Silver screen kittens....

2011-08-14T07:16:00.000-07:00

I have been temporarily fostering 3 absolutely beautiful kittens. Their original foster mom rescued them out of her trailer park where they were in danger of being killed by neighborhood dogs. They came to me for temperament testing. I was supposed to test their feralness and give my assessment on their adoptability. She had them for a month and their brothers came around quickly, but the girls were more scared and shy. When they first arrived here, Ava Gardner and Jean Harlow, would not even stand up at first because they were so frightened. They had zero confidence and stayed curled up in tight balls. Grace Kelly, the boldest of the group, came around quickly. She was playing and purring and waving her tail around within minutes. And now, after 2 weeks, the other two have completely blossomed. Gracie went back to the original foster mom, and it really helped the other two feel more secure since she was pretty dominant. Last week, I noticed that little Ava appeared to have a limp and after a visit to the vet and an x-ray, I found out that she had broken her leg at some point weeks ago and it had healed so that the leg is slightly shorter than the other. Poor girl! No wonder she wasn't feeling comfortable in her original foster home with the other rowdy kittens jumping all over her. Ugh. Thank goodness she is ok now! Ava and Jean(ie) are going to yet another foster home today. They will be with an absolutely wonderful family who will work to them adopted at the Caring Hearts' Petsmart weekend adoptions. I am going to miss them terribly, but my job is done and the next step must be taken. Paws are crossed that they will be in a loving, forever home before long!!

Grace Kelly

Ava Gardner

Jean Harlow

Summer studio makeover....

2011-08-13T06:56:00.000-07:00

I desperately needed to reorganize my art room and give it a summer fluffing! I can't concentrate after it gets to a certain messy point. I am much happier now that everything is cleaned out and cleaned up. Punkamunk was an excellent little helper during the process. She is enjoying the redo too!

Getting back on track....

2011-08-12T05:58:00.000-07:00

Shoowee! Haven't visited blogland in way too long! July was a bit busy for us with a family reunion in New York and a week at the beach in North Carolina. And I have had some cat "stuff" going on too. It seems like I haven't been able to get myself back to the art table for any significant amount of time for quite awhile. But I did just finish a fun mixed media children's painting, a very gleeful purple kitty! I am taking a teeny break from sculpting to work on more paintings. I also thought I'd share a few new home decorating projects. Check 'em out below!

I had been wanting to spruce up our staircase, so I finally decided to wallpaper the fronts of the steps. I really love how it turned out.

My friend, Jennifer Higgins, makes wonderful wooden swings. I have wanted one for awhile, but we don't have any large trees in our yard. Well, why not have one in the house? I wanted a polka dotted one with a circus-y feel and an inspirational word lettered on it. "Curiouser" from Alice in Wonderland seemed like the perfect word for our house :). I LOVE it!! If you'd like to see more of Jennifer's work, check out her Etsy shop: Metamorphosis

...and I've been dying to hang a branch from the ceiling, so we did that too! I still need to add butterflies, birds and a nest. I may decorate it seasonally. It' getting curiouser and curiouser....and thank goodness my husband is tolerant and supportive of my decorating craziness!!

Sugar Skullcat painting for STJ update!

2011-07-12T06:29:00.000-07:00

I have been wanting to create a painting in honor of the millions of cats killed in shelters every year. I didn't want it to be morbid or dark, so I decided to use the bright, colorful style of the Mexican Day of the Dead celebration. Those precious lives are lost, but they are not forgotten by me or any of the rescuers who do their best every day to change the reality of pet overpopulation and abandonment. Our hearts ache for each and every kitty, and we will continue to give them voices and fight for change.

This painting will be available tonight at midnight for the Spookytime Jingles update! It was done on a 16 x 20 gallery wrap canvas with mixed media accents...i.e. glittery cardstock leaves and hearts. 15% will be donated to spaying/neutering/vaccinating 2 feral cats through the TNR program in Lexington. Preventing unwanted births is the only way to end pet overpopulation and the deaths of so many adoptable, loving animals.

The White Rabbit takes flight...

2011-07-07T07:35:00.000-07:00

...if the Cheshire Cat's mischief doesn't bring him down!!! This hot air balloon piece will be up for grabs during the Pfatt Marketplace update on the 10th.

I have been AWFUL, AWFUL, AWFUL about blogging lately!!! My apologies to all of you. I need to get myself on a blogging schedule. I have had lots of cat chat and art updates to share, and I really want to write about my vegan lifestyle (has been going on for a few months). Sooo, I need to get myself organized and re-commit to creative, informative and consistent blogging!

Hope you all are having a wonderful summer!
Up, up and awaaaaaaaay!

New Art and New Kittens

2011-06-22T06:17:00.000-07:00

I still have the five foster kittens from Woodford Humane, and they are doing great. The little "Ds" were a bit sneezy last week so they have been on antibiotics, but their energy has been full throttle the whole time :)! They are WILD and crazy!

Last Friday afternoon, two more kittens came to me via a fellow cat lady friend. She had been called out to help a man who cares for quite a few feral cats. He had found a sick stray mama cat and five 4-week old kittens at his church (yet another sad story of waht happens when people don't spay/neuter!!!!). He did his best to nurse them all to health but sadly, three kittens didn't make it and my friend could see that the last two needed immediate vet care in order to survive. She took them to our wonderful vet and then brought them to me. Poor tiny babies were terribly anemic from fleas and barely moving. I bathed them, started them on antibiotics and a vitamin solution and syringe fed them off and on all night. By Saturday morning, they were already much improved! And now, they are eating on their own, using their litter box and trotting around happily. In fact, I can't get a good "after" photo of them because they won't sit still. Here is the "before" photo of Bugs and Bunny....

And what is on the table this week? A new hot air balloon! The White Rabbit is about to get POPPED by the Cheshire Cat. Bad kitty!

Spookytime Jingles update tonight!

2011-06-12T10:49:00.000-07:00

This month STJ is celebrating a trio of holidays...Halloween, Christmas and July 4th! So, I created a little trio of critters for the update. These ornaments will be up for grabs tonight at midnight.

The "D" family moves into our guestroom....

2011-06-09T06:01:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I moved my foster kitty crew from the bathroom into our guest bedroom. I always put foster cats in my bathroom first so that they will feel safe and get to know me in an area where they can't run and hide. When they have acclimated, I move them to our guest bedroom. The kittens were SO excited to be in a new place to adventure around in! They haven't yet figured out how to climb up on the bed, so I put their fuzzy kitty beds on the floor for them. They wore themselves out quickly and all piled in for a long nap. How cute is this scene???

Proud Americats!

2011-06-08T07:12:00.000-07:00

These purr-fectly proud Americats will be up for grabs at the Pfatt Marketplace update on Friday. My patriotic kitties say, MEOW! It's ALWAYS a good time to celebrate our red, white and blue!

Newest Foster Kitties...Darcy and the Little D's!

2011-06-01T14:40:00.001-07:00

I was starting to feel a bit strange about having my foster kitty room empty after Jimmy Choo left us for his forever home. And then I got an email from the Woodford Humane Society requesting foster parents for some mama cats and kittens that needed a quiet place to go until they are ready for adoption. I couldn't resist, so last week I picked up Mama Darcy and her 5 kittens: Daria, Delta, Diamond, Daisy and Dudley. Darcy is SO sweet and such a good mother. She is patient and loving and just wants to be rubbed and loved when I am in the room. The kittens are WILD! They are five weeks old now and full of spunk. When I open the door, they bolt awake and charge toward me in a little herd meowing like crazy. They immediately attach themselves to my socks! It is quite interesting trying to clean litter boxes and get food and water dispersed. I have taken a few photos but it is hard to get them to sit still right now. I am hoping to get better ones soon.

So, without further adieu, here is the furry gang!

The Lion and the Lamb

2011-05-24T12:22:00.000-07:00

The Lion and the Lamb....FUNDRAISER for CATS in NEED.
I am selling this piece in my Etsy shop at a very reduced price as a cat rescue fundraiser. 100% of the sale will be donated toward spay/neuter/vet care for cats and kittens this spring. This labor intensive piece (40+ hours, was $600) has a special place in my heart. I made it in a fantastic dollmaking class years ago...was my first attempt at sculpting human hands. I put it up for sale for awhile and then I decided to keep it for myself, but I am now ready to let it go to help the kitties :)! I am getting so many sad, desperate email pleas for cats and kittens in need right now (especially in GA). Every single dollar makes a huge difference in saving lives.
Purrs to all~~

Double good news for Choo!

2011-05-17T08:22:00.000-07:00

I almost forgot to tell you that Jimmy Choo's Leukemia re-test came back negative (!!!) AND he went to his forever home last week!!! We were beyond thrilled and relieved about his test results. His adopter was very excited too. She and her family wanted him no matter what, but we all wanted to be assured that he would live a long, healthy life from here on out. So, he is now in St. Louis with his wonderful family and his new best buddy, Milo. Thankfully, Milo was ok to let go of his "only cat" status and welcome Choochoo into his life with open paws :). They eat together, sleep together and play all night together. Joy joy!

Ready for Summer!

2011-05-16T08:37:00.000-07:00

I had been counting the days until it was time to decorate our porch for the summer. The time finally arrived this weekend!!! The weather cooperated for a few hours on Saturday so I took full advantage of it. I scrubbed the concrete, hosed down the furniture, planted flowers in my pots and pulled out the pillows and fun accents. My stray babies were very helpful. They were truly excited to have some activity and entertainment going on. And they are quite pleased with their fluffed up, summery home :).

Mr. Tubbs surveying his view...

"I am king of the porch, hear me roar!!!"

Ramsey napping on his perch...

Spookytime Jingles Sneak Peek!

2011-05-12T06:34:00.000-07:00

When the clock strikes midnight tonight, new spooky and sweet holiday treasures will magically appear on the STJ website! I am anxious to see what everyone has to offer this month. Two of my hot air balloon sculptures will be up for grabs....

A frog witch hitches a moonlit ride with a jolly jack o' lantern!

and a little cat 'n' mouse for the holidays....

A little twist on The Owl and the Pussycat...

2011-05-09T05:52:00.000-07:00

First of all, I hope each of you had a wonderful weekend and a lovely Mother's Day. I got started on spring cleaning and was finally able to get outside yesterday to work on the patio and backyard. The weather was perfection! I scrubbed the patio floor, cleaned the grill, pulled out the furniture and did some planting and "decorating" in my flower beds. Then I turned up my tunes and took a nice, long run. It was a GREAT day.

As for my artwork...finished up this piece on Friday afternoon....

The owl and the pussycat have decided to trade in their boat for a hot air balloon and take their romance from the sea to the sky! This piece is sort of The Owl and the Pussycat meets Alice in Wonderland meets The SnipPets :). It will be available tomorrow for the Pfatt Marketplace update.

WIPs for the week....

2011-05-04T14:59:00.000-07:00

I am trying to get these up, up and away!!! The logistics of creating these has been a bit more difficult than I had anticipated. I think I have it all figured out finally...just hoping I can pull it off. One will be ready for the Pfatt update and the other two for the STJ update. Better get back to sculpting and painting....

Mr. and Mrs. "Wuf"

2011-05-02T13:25:00.001-07:00

Just wanted to share my most recent custom cake topper for an NC State bride and groom.
This was a fun little pair to create! I am a Tarheel girl but I love the Wolfpack too :).

BIG SnipPet Spring Cleaning SALE!!!!

2011-04-29T06:14:00.000-07:00

I am gearing up for spring cleaning in my house and yard....and now in my shop too! Everything in my Etsy shop is over 25% OFF!! ENJOY!!!

Jimmy Choo update

2011-04-28T11:39:00.000-07:00

A Jimmy Choo (aka Choochoo) update for all of his fans :)! This precious boy has been with us for almost 3 weeks now and he is doing so great....wounds are healed, eyes are clear, appetite is good AND he is sweeter and funnier than ever if that is possible! He is very chatty, very playful and very snuggly....purrfectly wonderful. BUT ...there is some potentially bad news...he tested "light positive" for Leukemia :(. I am refusing to be upset yet. We have our paws crossed that his system was able to fight it off and that he will test negative next week. And since he has 7 toes on each front paw, that HAS to bring him some good luck!! No matter what the outcome of his test, we will make sure he is loved and safe from here on out. We have a potential adopter already, so that is excellent news.

In the works...

2011-04-26T09:50:00.001-07:00

I am trying to get a few wedding cake toppers completed and also get going on some fun new pieces. Here is what is on the table today....

Tune in for more cat chat and cupcake updates soon :)!

Week at the John Campbell Folk School....

2011-04-18T06:33:00.000-07:00

My mom and I headed to the John Campbell Folk School last week. It was our 6th mother/daughter trip at the folk school over the past 10 years. This time we took a fantasy painting class where we dabbled in many mediums and experimented with several creative projects.

This piece was a self portrait inspired by a list of attributes we jotted down about ourselves.

The beautiful scenery....

The amazing renovated blacksmith studio...might need to take some blacksmithing classes next time :).

The pigs at "Serenpiggity" pig rescue. We happened upon this wonderful sanctuary for potbellied pigs.

Mouse town....

More cupcakes....

2011-04-09T05:41:00.000-07:00

My continual adventure in cupcake baking.....

Cookies 'n' Cream

Lemon with Lemon Buttercream and shortbread cookie hearts

Cat Chat: Meet Jimmy Choo!

2011-04-07T09:09:00.000-07:00

This absolutely precious stray boy was wandering around my dear friend's neighborhood. He was crying and dying to come inside...poor boy. She was able to get him into a carrier last night and brought him here for a sleepover :). He is being neutered and vaccinated right now. He was SO happy to be inside and fed and loved on! He is a little beat up and very thin. I am not sure what is cuter, his polydactyl paws or his sweet personality! His name was easy because of those special "shoes"...Jimmy Choo. Perfect.

Our paws are all crossed that Good Mews will be able to take him sometime soon. In the meantime, we will certainly enjoy fattening him up, hugging him and watching him make huge biscuits with those huge paws!

Pink Party!

2011-04-04T08:09:00.000-07:00

My second set of parents (my in laws) came to visit this weekend and we had a wonderful time, as always! My sweet mama-in-law helped me decorate cupcakes and put together our new composter while Brian and his dad watched sports and did all that guy stuff. We had a little birthday celebration for his dad yesterday...a scenic horse farm ride out to Windy Corner, a charming restaurant that literally sits on a very blustery corner. Then we had pink strawberry cupcakes and played Scrabble...simple pleasures are the best!

Hope you all had a lovely weekend! Now time to snap back to reality and get to work...

Sailor Sam has come to life....

2011-03-30T09:37:00.000-07:00

Smiling Sailor Sam SnipPet is finished and has packed his bags to head to the UK! Paws crossed that he has a safe trip to his wonderful home.

Cupcakes and bunnies du jour :)

2011-03-28T09:29:00.000-07:00

I cannot begin to tell you how happy I am right now. I battled severe back pain for about 12 days and yesterday, I was finally pain free and functioning normally. So, first I cleaned the house and then made some cupcakes :)! I also went cat trapping to try to finish TNRing a nearby colony but had no luck...won't even go into the wild goose chase debacle that occurred :(. And today, I am thrilled to be back at the art table. Thank goodness!

Here are the cupcakes of the day...chocolate mint!

and two custom rabbits completed and ready to go to their new home.

Next project on the table....

2011-03-20T06:39:00.000-07:00

First of all, Happy First day of spring!!!!!!! I have been counting the seconds for warm weather, flowers and chirping birds to arrive and it is finally here. I am BEYOND thrilled that the snow and ice are over for now. It is so nice to see my feral kitties rolling around in the sunshine and napping comfortably in the grass. I can't wait to join them in the yard and clean up the flower beds and get some new lovelies planted. But for now, I have lots of work waiting at the art table.

I am working on a few custom rabbits and this very special "Sailor Sam" doll. I am creating this by request for a wonderful children's book writer and illustrator. I will give more details about her and the significance of Sam soon. Here is my sketch of him and the armature I built last week.

Alice has stepped off the pages...

2011-03-14T09:05:00.000-07:00

...and come to life! I just finished this custom order Alice doll. She is 8" tall and will live in her very own "Alice's Palace" in Atlanta.

I have never done a sculpted piece in black and white, so this was a challenge and also very fun. You know I LOVE color, but it was nice to not have to worry about picking the perfect colors. I used black paint, ink and pastels to get desired illustrative effect.

Spring forward with the STJ update!

2011-03-12T05:27:00.000-08:00

Devil Cat and Spring Bunny will be making their debut during the Spookytime Jingles' update tonight!

It's all about cake lately...

2011-03-11T13:23:00.000-08:00

Cake toppers, cake decorating, cupcake baking.....my life seems to be all about C-A-K-E!! After cats, it is my favorite thing :). I started my second session of cake decorating at Hobby Lobby last week. It is the "Flowers and Cake Design" class. So far we have dabbled in making fondant and royal icing flowers. In addition, I am starting to make cupcakes weekly from my new vegan cupcake book, Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. My husband, his professor colleagues, my cat lady friends, my art buddy and her daughter are all my taste testers. So far, so good...getting stellar reviews! And I just finished up another cake topper. One of my Cheshire Cat on the Mad Hatter's hat pieces for an Alice themed baby shower.

Here is a little peek at everything "cake"!

S'mores cupcakes in leopard print holders...

Chocolate with peanut butter icing....

Final cake from first decorating class...

A little magic for the Pfatt Update!

2011-03-10T05:15:00.000-08:00

Ta Daaaaaaa! I pulled a rabbit out of my hat for the Pfatt Update today...ha ha, please excuse that terribly obvious pun!! The Pfatt Marketplace opens up today at a new time: 10 a.m. Pacific (11 Mountain, noon Central, 1 p.m. Eastern).

TNR Update...Body Shop Cats

2011-03-09T05:55:00.000-08:00

I realized that I never reported on our second round of trapping at the body shop down the road. We TNRed 7 cats awhile back and then returned 2 weeks ago to try to get the rest taken care of. We headed out on a Friday afternoon and within an hour, we had 4 cats trapped. After that, went to a second location...an apartment several exits over, and managed to quickly trap a female that desperately needed to be spayed. We returned to the body shop and trapped a new little guy that had been hiding in a drain. Unfortunately, we were unable to get the final adults (the torti queen mama and a wary black male kitty). My car battery died while we were sitting back there in the pitch dark so we thought that was our cue to head on out. Never a dull moment during our cat trapping adventures!

I checked in on the cats last weekend and noticed another new cat....a thin, scared brown tabby who appeared out of nowhere when she smelled the canned food I put out. So, 3 more kitties to fix before we can move on to another crew. We will probably be heading out there this weekend with our trusty drop trap....a MUST for those hard to catch kitties!

The release! Run free, sweeties....

Cute little guy at the top of the drain...

Alice Madness on the table...

2011-03-08T09:41:00.001-08:00

I finished up my Pfatt and STJ update pieces, but it is too early for a sneak peek, so I thought I'd share my other works in progress today. I have been working on a miniature 8" Alice doll for a very special customer. She requested this Alice to look like the original long necked Alice illustration, so she will be painted in black and white. This piece has been a good challenge for me! Paws crossed that it will turn out well in the end. I am also working on one of my custom Cat on the Mad Hatter's Hat cake toppers. It is for an Alice themed baby shower. Love that!

Hope everyone is having a happy, creative week :)!

A Happy Ending/Beginning....

2011-03-02T09:07:00.000-08:00

Brian and I delivered our precious foster kitty, Marmalade, to Good Mews in Atlanta last Friday. We left Lexington at 4:30 am and hit the road with a very scared little boy, but he calmed down quickly and was an absolutely excellent traveler!!! He sat quietly the whole trip and enjoyed chin scratches every few minutes :).

We checked him into Good Mews later that morning and sadly said our goodbyes. It is always awfully hard to let go of a foster especially one as adorably handsome and sweet as Marm! BUT we knew that he would have MANY kind volunteers showering him with love and that he would find a forever home very soon. How soon???! Well, I got notification last Saturday that he was going to be adopted by a very nice man. Amazing! He is supposed to go home with him tomorrow so I am anxious to hear how it goes. I hope Marm's new dad will contact me.

Nothing better than a happy beginning for a frightened stray kitty who will no longer suffer on the streets.....

Today's WIPs....

2011-03-01T14:21:00.000-08:00

Devil Cat, Magic Rabbit and Spring Bunny are all in the works....

Wedding season is approaching....

2011-02-28T15:24:00.000-08:00

I have lots of fun stuff to blog about...a cat adoption, a TNR adventure, cake baking and decorating....but those tales will have to wait for another day. I need to wrap up my day and get my workout done (am in week 6 of the P90X series...no pain, no gain :)!!). I just wanted to share what has been on my table for awhile. I finally finished a batch of custom wedding cake toppers today.

Ellies, Penguins, Boston College Baldwin Eagles and Kansas Jayhawks with a tiny pup named Minnie...

Learning some sweet new skills....

2011-02-17T07:58:00.000-08:00

I have been taking the Wilton Basics Cake Decorating class at Hobby Lobby this month. Ever since I got hooked on the Cake Boss show, I have been dying to learn how to decorate cakes!! I have always loved to bake, so I figured it was time to acquire the skills to make my treats look colorful and whimsical.

Last night, we finally got to the fun stuff...experimenting with different types of icing flowers. Next month, I will be taking the fondant and gum paste class which should be even more exciting. I am really anxious to start sculpting SnipPet-y critters with sugar!

Here are my "shaggy mum" cupcakes...

My BFF...Miss Munks

2011-02-16T06:42:00.000-08:00

Punkamunk has been with us for 8 months this week and she is truly my best little friend. She lives in my big art room because she hates other cats and due to her heart condition she needs to remain stress free. The perk of this for both of us is that we spend all day together. When I am on the computer, she sits right in front of the keyboard and washes my hands while I type...how helpful! When I am sculpting and painting, she sits on my table and supervises. When I need a power nap in my big chaise chair, she lays her head next to mine on the pillow. When I exercise with my workout DVDs, she chases her balls or lies down next to me while I do crunches and push ups. She even rubs my face while I am doing downward dog....the purrfect encouragement during a hard yoga session!

Punkamunk, you are the best friend that a girl could ever hope for. Someone else's loss was certainly my gain! I love you, little butterball lady.

Love, Hugs and Purrs....

2011-02-14T10:30:00.001-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day to each and every one of you! May your day be filled with romance, friendship, chocolate, hugs, purrs and LOTS of love! xoxo

I have the best mom in the world. She sent us Trader Joe's chocolates, lemon heart cookies and THIS....an itsy bitsy teeny weeny kitty painting! It's on a 2" x 2" canvas. SO cute and just purr-fect! I just had to share...

Farm Critters for the Spookytime Jingles Update tonight!

2011-02-12T07:10:00.000-08:00

It's time for the Spookytime Jingles' Easter Holiday Hootenanny!! So exciting to think that spring is just around the corner. I am anxious to see all the yummy spring creations from my fellow STJers!

My offering is my third and final pull toy (for awhile). Here is my happy stack of farm critters all decked out in their pastel stripes and dots!

February Featured Pfatt Artist....

2011-02-10T06:38:00.000-08:00

...is me! I am extremely honored and excited to be the featured artist this month on the Pfatt Marketplace website. It has been so wonderful to be part of such a amazing and talented group of artists. Pure fun and inspiration!

And here is my second Pfatt offering for February. Meet the Sweet Tooth Kitty...a very happy boy!

Rooney and I are wishing you a great, creative day :)!

Bunnycat for Pfatt!

2011-02-08T09:24:00.000-08:00

...a little sneak peek at one of my offerings for the February Pfatt Marketplace update! This Bunnycat Ornament will be available at midnight tomorrow night.

He is such a bad boy! Can't kitty let the Easter bunny be the star of the show for a few months??!

Bunny just hopped into my shop and a few fun photos....

2011-02-07T11:22:00.001-08:00

I am loving the new "hipstamatic" camera application I just put on my iPhone! It is waaaay cool! Here are a few of my kitties looking like retro beauties.

Punkamunk, Kookoo and Marmalade...

And FYI, my Bunny and Ellie pull toy just hopped into my Etsy shop!

A very small post :)....

2011-02-03T15:36:00.000-08:00

I have been working on my sweet tooth kitty pull toy all day and am still not finished, but wanted to share one little detail...a teeny weeny itsy bitsy cotton candy made especially for a smiling purple feline.

Happy February SnipPet SALE!

2011-02-01T06:37:00.001-08:00

I am so excited that February has arrived because that means spring is getting closer!!!!! Ya-hooooooooo!!!!! February is full of big dates for me. My dad's birthday, the anniversary of the day I met my husband, Valentine's Day (my favorite!), and my birthday....i'll be 29 again this year :)!! So, I thought I'd kick off the month with a 15% OFF SALE in my Etsy shop for my fabulous facebook friends and beautiful blog buddies! Just use coupon code SNIPPETLUV15 when you checkout.

Happy February and lots of love and purrs to all!

(I always love flipping to a new page in my Mary Engelbreit calendar!)

B is for Bunny! Finally finished a pull toy.....

2011-01-29T06:02:00.000-08:00

This week got a little crazy and I was a bit scattered, but I super glued myself to the art table all day yesterday and managed to complete this piece. There are so many parts to these pull toys which means lots of color decisions. I do quite a bit of staring and thinking and pondering colors. The only thing I was sure of was that I wanted a turquoise blue spotted ellie! Still trying to come up with a name for this one...

I haven't decided when or where this will be available for purchase. I want to live with it for a little bit and finish the other two. I'll keep you posted!

I had a horrible time with photographing this piece. I spent an hour changing backgrounds and lighting and am still not happy with the outcome. The rabbit's head looked washed out against a brown background yet the white is not great either. I'll keep trying, but here is the best I could do for now....

Happy weekend, everyone!!

Smiling SnipPet Bunnies are in the works....

2011-01-27T08:44:00.000-08:00

I know I am supposed to be painting my pull toys, but I had to get a few more spring sculpts mapped out first! So, here are some gleefully happy rabbits that will be coming to life shortly.

The most handsome boy EVER....

2011-01-26T07:02:00.000-08:00

Meet our newest foster boy! I am still trying to decide on a name for him. I posted him on Facebook and had lots of great suggestions, but I am leaning toward Ferris, Sullivan or Sherman. We were calling him Marmalade but it doesn't quite suit him even thought it describes his coloring perfectly.

I spied this gorgeous boy on our front porch last summer. He would eat quickly and head off into the dark. I trapped him and had him neutered and vaccinated and released him (hated to put him back out, but it was the most I could do at the time). He continued to come for meals for a few weeks and then disappeared. I was heartbroken and felt horrible about it all fall. I didn't know if our other porch strays/ferals had run him off or what. Amazingly, he reappeared at our back patio food bowls right before Christmas!! I almost fell over when I saw him. I was so relieved to know that he was ok. For the past few weeks, he has come nightly for dinner. If I even cracked the door open, he would take off, so I stopped trying. Well, on Saturday night I looked out and he started meowing at me like crazy. Long story short after about an hour outside working to gain his trust, I was able to pet him and eventually get him in a carrier. It truly seemed like he was telling me that he was tired of braving the cold and snow and wanted some help. He was very scared and out of sorts at first, but he is now one HAPPY boy!!! I have him in our upstairs bathroom until I can get him combo tested. He is a total sweet pea....headbonks my face and hugs me when I pick him up. He is SO clearly thrilled to be warm and spend his days napping comfortably.

I am telling you this boy is irresistible!!! So, paws crossed that we can find a wonderful home for him or get him into Good Mews eventually.

Can you hear him purring??

sanding and priming are done!

2011-01-24T20:52:00.000-08:00

Today was all about sanding, sanding, sanding and priming, priming, priming. Not the most exciting part of the process but crucial to making the final product shine! I cannot wait to bring this little crew to life with lots of color!!

I won't be able to get started on painting until later this week. Tomorrow is going to be full of kitty rescue "stuff" so stay tuned for more cat chat shortly. I already have a new foster on my hands and he is one unbelievably handsome and loving lad!

farm animal stack sculpted...

2011-01-23T06:56:00.001-08:00

...quick peek at my third pull toy sculpted. I have completed the sculpting step on all three pull toys so now I am just waiting for everything to dry. Hopefully, I will be able to sand and prime on Monday (tedious, but oh so important!) and then the BEST part can begin...painting!!!! I am ready for COLOR!

and the sculpting begins....

2011-01-21T06:26:00.001-08:00

Now things are getting fun! First, I covered my armatures with a rough layer of paperclay and allowed them to dry. Then I began building up layers and adding details. Today I will be adding more details and refining everything.

Happy creative Friday!

...and the pull toy armatures are built!

2011-01-20T06:37:00.000-08:00

I decided to document the steps of the process involved in creating my pull toys. So, here is step #2...armatures! I laid the illustrations down on my desk and cut pieces of computer packing foam to match the shapes and sizes of the animals. I then glued everything together with epoxy. I used dowels and wire for legs and tails. The wire then has to be wrapped with floral tape to help the clay stick to it.

I added a rough layer of clay to all of the armature yesterday afternoon (not shown in photo), so hopefully today I will make some headway on the detailed sculpting. This part takes awhile because I have to let certain parts dry before adding more clay.

More soon....

Silly Sketches...pull toys are on the way!

2011-01-19T06:33:00.000-08:00

I realized that it has been almost a year since I have made an animal pull toy! I love creating them, but they require lots of uninterrupted and focused sculpting time. So, I decided to dedicate the next few weeks to making 3 fun little critter carts. I have my work cut out for me, and I am excited to get rolling on them!

Here are the sketches that I will be working from. I usually do very VERY rough sketches for my dolls, but for the pull toys, I really need to plan them out and illustrate the animals in a more detailed, accurate way. And I am also trying to work on my illustration skills for a future project that is brewing in my brain.

A grinning kitty with a major sweet tooth...

A blissful bunny acrobat on a dotted ellie...

...and a stack of farm friends in fun colors.

Cozy Kitties....

2011-01-17T09:37:00.000-08:00

I am always posting cat photos straight from my phone to Facebook and realized that I rarely share them here! I will start doing that more often because I sure do have some precious furbabies if I do say so myself :)!

My lovebug, Punkamunk, sunning herself...pure and purr-fect contentment.

Invasion of bedbugs all (almost) on my side of the bed. Thank goodness they let me sleep there too!

The view after I put my book down for a minute...

Body Shop Cats Update

2011-01-14T07:52:00.000-08:00

My dear cat lady friends, Jane and Carla, and I headed out to the body shop on Tuesday for a big trapping. It was quite an afternoon. The snow was swirling and temps were in the 20s. We would set the traps and put hot roasted chicken in them and within 15 minutes, the chicken was frozen. Not the best conditions for trapping, but we we really wanted to get these kitties not only spayed and neutered but also treated with antibiotics and steroids because many of them were clearly suffering from upper respiratiory infections. AND we had hoped to get the queen mama but she was nowhere to be found. Not surprisingly, she is going to be a challenge! We toughed it out for 2 hours and managed to get 7 kitties so it was a successful day.

They were fully vetted on Wednesday and we found out that 5 were boys and 2 were girls. Jeff, one of the fluffy orange ones, had some major mouth issues, so the vet pulled some of his teeth. I am sure he is going to feel so much better now. Our vet is an ANGEL...she always thoroughly examines each cat and does whatever needs to be done ($15 for spay/neuter, vaccinations, flea and ear mite treatment, antibiotics, etc etc.!!).

We tried to trap again on Wed morning but it was a futile attempt...waaay too cold. Also, we found out from the business next to the body shop that there are 20+ cats instead of the 12-15 like we had thought. So, this will be a long term project. We are hoping to pick up where we left off later next week.

We released the boys yesterday afternoon and they were SOOOO happy to be back in their territory and their "dad", the caretaker, was thrilled to have them home safe and sound. The females will be released this weekend when the weather is a little warmer.

I wanted to get more photos but it was hard to juggle everything. I hope to get more good ones next week!

Jane setting traps....

The kitties all warm and cozy in the car with us....

Sneak Peek for Spookytime Jingles update

2011-01-12T13:09:00.000-08:00

It's ALL about the frogs for this month's STJ update tonight at midnight! These little guys are all around 5" tall. Their hands are the tiniest ones I have ever sculpted before. I hope you like these happy itty bitty cuties!

Meet Otto the Wizard....

and the Frog Princes, Jean-Claude and Jean-Paul. Doesn't everyone need a French Frog??!! Oui Oui!

TNR 2011: The Body Shop Cats

2011-01-11T05:54:00.000-08:00

Our first TNR project for the year is supposed to start today. It is snowing, so I am not sure if we will postpone until tomorrow....but the plan is to begin trapping this afternoon. I was informed about a colony of cats living at a body shop a few miles from our house. I have been going there on Saturdays for about a month to assess the situation and then my cat lady friends and I finally went to meet the owner yesterday. Thankfully, he was extremely receptive to the idea of TNR and was really grateful to know they will FINALLY be spayed/neutered and fully vetted. You could tell he was exhausted from worrying about them and trying to rescue and find homes for all of the kittens. It all started with one stray torti girl 4 years ago. There are currently at least 12 adults. They are very well fed and have shelters but several of them are quite matted and a few are very sniffly and congested. It is certainly time for them to get proper vet care. I love seeing TNRed kitties blossom into healthy, hearty cats once they are snipped! Our main target is the torti queen mama...she is obviously already pregnant so we gotta work fast!

Paws crossed that we can get them all taken care of this week!

Smiling Valentine Cats for Pfatt!

2011-01-09T06:58:00.001-08:00

Two of my grinning Valentine kitties will be making their debut tonight during the first Pfatt Marketplace update of the year! Presenting Cleo Clown Kitty and Tuxedo Tomcat....

...and here is a new Valentine owl, Pierre, who has already flown out of my Etsy shop.

Back to Cat Chat! Chanel and Versace....

2011-01-08T08:27:00.001-08:00

Last September, these two beauties were abandoned at the back of our neighborhood. They were living in the storm drains for weeks :(. A kind neighbor alerted me about them, so I asked her to start putting food out nightly for them by one of the drain openings so that they wouldn't starve but also to keep them coming back to one place. They were terrified and would only appear after dark. We were able to trap Chanel on our first try, but Versace wasn't ready to fall for our tricks. Fortunately, a week later, he couldn't resist the temptation of McDonald's Chicken McNuggets. THANK goodness! I was so happy to have them both safe and sound in our house.

I took them to our vet to be snipped, vaccinated and combo tested. They had already been spayed and neutered (at least their former owner had done that!!). Then I contacted Good Mews in Atlanta to see if they had room for them. They were willing to take them, but they had a rough fall with numerous door dumps and returns and slow adoptions, so we fostered Chanel and Versace until this week. Adoptions picked up at Good Mews so they were able to take them on Thursday. My husband had meetings in Atlanta so he was able to transport them. We were both SO sad about saying goodbye and we felt awful for them since we know they thought they were staying with us. It would be so much easier if we could explain things to them!

Well, this story already has a WONDERFUL ending! One of the volunteers who was there when my husband was checking Chanel and Versace in, fell in love with them and is adopting them both tomorrow!!!! I spoke with her on the phone last night and she is fantastic! They are going to be SO loved and well cared for. I can't believe how quickly this happened and how lucky they are! It makes all the tears and worry WELL worth it!

First SnipPets for 2011!

2011-01-07T12:39:00.000-08:00

As I wrote the title for this post, I realized that I have still been writing "2010" on everything for the past 7 days! Oops!

I want all of you to know that one of my New Year's Resolutions is to improve my blogging frequency and substance immensely this year. I have lots of big plans both personally and professionally and want to make sure I put a lot of love and effort into my blog. I want to share fun and inspiring topics, tips and stories instead of just notifications about my group and shop updates. So please stay tuned and thank you for continuing to visit me :)!

I just finished up a few happy little Valentine critters. I added these two to my shop today. Meet Olivia Bunny and a very sneaky, smiling Cupid Cat!

BIG, HUGE SnipPet SALE in my Etsy shop!

2010-12-27T09:27:00.000-08:00

I am having a sale this week, so head on over to my shop for some real SnipPet steals :)! Quite a few cuties are marked down 50%!!!! It's time to clear out and make some room for new creations.

Presenting the last SnipPets for 2010!

2010-12-16T11:01:00.000-08:00

A pair of Tweedle elves! Tweedledee and Tweedledum decided to come up out of the rabbit hole and head to the North Pole to help Santa this year. They are grumbling a little about all the work but they are thoroughly enjoying the adundance of cookies and milk.

So, this wraps up SnipPet art for 2010! I am off to wrap gifts to get shipped out tomorrow and then the REALLY fun part of Christmas can begin...holiday baking!! Stay tuned for festive photos of the holiday decor around my house and lots furry felines among the decorations.

Happy Holidays to you!

Little Red Bird for the STJ update tonight!

2010-12-12T07:45:00.001-08:00

Here is my one offering for the Spookytime Jingles update tonight! One lone little red bird. She is ushering in Christmas in her own quiet way. I sculpted her with paperclay, wood and wire and attached to 4 vintage wooden blocks. She is about 6" tall.

Pfatt Marketplace update tonight!

2010-12-09T13:57:00.001-08:00

Two more sugarplum ornaments will be dancing onto the Pfatt website for the December 10th update! I can't wait to see everyone's holiday treasures this month. I may be doing some shopping myself! I am in the midst of decorating the house and am having a little itch to buy some new Christmas art.

Paulina and Poppy Penguin

2010-12-08T16:12:00.000-08:00

This a super quickie post! I gotta go decorate our tree...finally!!!!

Paulina and Poppy just landed in my Etsy shop. Happy Wednesday to all! Hope you are warm and cozy like this little penguin pair.

Etsy shop update with visions of sugarplums!

2010-12-06T13:07:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays everyone! I just finished 5 sugarplum ornaments (3 are now in my Etsy shop and 2 others will be available for the Pfatt update) and 3 wee little critters on vintage wooden blocks. I was so excited to finally come up with a use for the big box of vintage tin jello molds that I have had for years. They make perfect skirts for these animal confections! I also have a box of crepe paper that is on its way to being vintage so I sewed strips of it by hand into little fluffy ruffles for their skirts. These sugarplums are definitely ready to dance and delight on a lovely Christmas tree!

I wanted these wee ones to look like tiny antique stuffed animals propped up on wooden blocks.

Celebrating Cyber Monday! 30% off SnipPets!

2010-11-29T08:47:00.000-08:00

Stay home and shop handmade...that's definitely more my speed than Black Friday :)! For those of you who braved the shopping madness this weekend, I hope you survived and found some great deals!! For those who are doing a little cyber shopping today, head over to my Etsy shop and enter coupon code SNIPSALE30 when you checkout. 30% OFF any item!

Hodges the Holiday Hedgehog

2010-11-17T14:09:00.000-08:00

Hodges has been dreaming of sugarplums and lots of holiday treats. It looks like he has already filled his tummy with plenty of yummy!

This cutie pie guy just headed into my Etsy shop.

Last minute addition...Snowmice SnipPets!

2010-11-12T14:33:00.000-08:00

Shoowee...I just finished up a few more goodies for the STJ update in the nick of time....a little crew of snowmice!

Meet Basil, Holly, Ruby and Clover....
I scored a box of vintage wooden blocks this summer and have been waiting for the perfect use for them. They make perfect little pedestals for these Christmas critters.

STJ Update at midnight tonight!

2010-11-12T06:58:00.000-08:00

I hope all of you have a beautiful weekend! We have had a wonderful stretch of 70 degree weather, so I plan on taking care of any outdoor house/yard chores tomorrow before the normal November temps kick back in on Sunday. I'll be inside that day working on painting little snow mice and a holiday hedeghog.

Here are my offerings for the Spookytime Jingles update tonight! Make sure to visit the site and check out all of the fun and fabulous artists' treasures.

The Cat's Pajamas ornament....a grinning kitty who is clearly up to no good this Christmas!

Up, Up and Away....a frog witch headed on a moonlit adventure sure to be full of tricks and treats!

Pfatt update sneak peek!

2010-11-09T05:54:00.000-08:00

I feel like I have been totally out of the blog loop over the past few weeks. I have had some challenges lately, but hopefully things will be back to normal soon. I have LOTS of ideas for fun Christmas SnipPets and am anxious to get rolling on them!!!

I just finished up a holiday owl for the Pfatt update tomorrow. This one is a bit larger and more detailed/realistic than my Halloween owls. I think he has sort of a Scandinavian look. He is quite dapper with his golden acorn cap, diamond dust encrusted star wand and red and green collar.

Fall SnipPet SALE!!

2010-10-20T13:44:00.000-07:00

It hit me that I haven't had a sale in quite awhile, so I just marked everything in my shop at least 20% OFF (except custom cake toppers)!!! It's never too early to do a little Christmas shopping, so please stop by if you get a chance! A gazillion thanks to all of my wonderful customers for your amazing support over the past few years. You have allowed me to live my dream of creating whimsy and fun every day :).

Click HERE to visit The SnipPets....