Letterpress Love

Check out my latest Treasury West:























I just love letterpress stuff, don't you? I wish I could learn how to do letterpress! Now, go click on the items in the Treasury. Shop to your little letterpress-lovin' heart's content!

Another cuteness overload alert!

Here is Merino's cousin, Bridget, and her baby, Ellie, in a hat I made.

What is it with Texas having such talented photographers? All y'all in the greater Austin area should troop over to Andrea Foster Photography to have pictures taken!

Plainly, little Ellie has set the cuteness bar VERY high! I probably should have gone to the dentist after receiving this photo from the photographer, because I'm pretty sure the sweetness is about to cause a series of cavities! I should be used to it by now, having such adorable babies in our family. Hee hee. I'm hoping to finally meet Ellie in October!

Meet Kitten!

I hope you've enjoyed my cats-in-need profile series. You've met Fuzzy and Brad, then O.J. and Max. I would be completely remiss, however, if I didn't tell you a little more about my Sneaky pal Kitten, a.k.a. Jennifer of Kittredge Candles, the person behind all the wonderful photos and bios of the cats. Here's a little bit about her. You'll see why I was inspired to try and do my part to help these particular cats, when you read about her:

I've loved kitties all my life, so when a Petsmart opened nearby in 2004, I jumped at the chance to volunteer with its affiliate cat shelter, Feline Friends. I started out just cleaning and feeding but it quickly progressed to doing adoptions, taking cat photos, running our website and answering all the emails, which can range from 20 a day during quiet times up to 100 or more a day in kitten season. We are a no-kill shelter and don't have our own facility. We just use the Petsmart adoption center and a handful of foster homes. My husband and I have fostered 85 cats and kittens over the past 4 years, working primarily with bottle babies and semi-ferals. It is extremely rewarding and extremely time-consuming. We are fortunate that our own kitties are so accommodating, too.

Right now we are in the quiet period- the time BK (before kittens)! Kittens will soon be back, with the numbers gradually increasing through the summer and into fall. We seem to hit our peak in September and October and often still have a handful of kittens waiting to be adopted at the end of the year. Now is the time to try to find homes for our adult kitties, many of whom have been with us for months or even years.

For more about Kitten, including the extensive list of scents her candles come in (I can recommend her Granny Smith Apple and Tomato Plant jar candles from personal experience), please visit her Etsy shop's profile.

Even though this series is over, we still need your help to find these cats permanent homes! If you know anyone who wants to adopt a cat, and they live in New England, where Feline Friends is located, please encourage them to apply for adoption, which they cat do at www.felinefriendsnh.org/adoptions.html

Here are some other ways you can help:

• Send your friends and family a link to this blog post to help spread the word! Tweet it and/or facebook it, too!
• Purchase one of Kitten's handmade cat-shaped soaps (Honey the oatmeal soap cat and Coco the coconut soap cat are pictured here); proceeds are donated to Feline Friends.
  
• Make a purchase from my Etsy shop. I'm donating 50% of my Etsy shop's sales between now and March 31st to Feline Friends Rescue/Adoption League. In addition, I'm going to include a free little gift, handmade by me, with every order placed during this time. We've been over this before: do not argue with the birthday girl; I can give you presents if I want to! Please type "kitty" in your Message to me during the checkout process.

Thanks for reading these kitty profiles! I encourage each of you to volunteer at your own local rescue organization if you can, and for goodness' sake, spay/neuter your pets!

Meet OJ!

I saved the best for last. Truly I did. You're probably thinking to yourself, "Look at that cat; he's gorgeous! He's not in need!" Later in this post, I'm going to show you O.J.'s 'before' picture, so you can see the good work that Feline Friends does. The contrast between this (his 'after' photo) and the one below is so stark it'll blow you away. For real, though.

OJ is one of the most gorgeous long haired orange tabby boys you will ever see. He showed up in the yard of a Feline Friends volunteer. She tried for weeks to trap him but OJ was just too clever and wouldn't go in the trap. After using different traps and all sorts of food, one night OJ finally relented and walked into the trap. He was so terrified when he first got to us but was so weak and hungry and dirty and tired from his ordeal that he didn't even mind having most of his matted fur shaved off and medicine put down his throat to make him better. The before and after pictures of OJ are like night and day. He has turned into the most gorgeous boy you could ever imagine. The woman who found him is fostering him and hopes he will be adopted with a black-and-white eight-month-old kitten named Max, who he has been with now for months. OJ needs a quiet home without children who may scare him. He likes young kittens but has not been crazy about other cats so he either needs to be an only kitty or needs to be adopted with his buddy Max. He is a sweetheart with a heart of gold who is so lucky that he was found! If you know anyone looking for amazing cats like O.J. and Max, and they live in New England, please encourage them to apply for adoption, which they can do at www.felinefriendsnh.org/adoptions.html



















I know that not everyone can adopt cats, and that not everyone lives in New England, where Feline Friends is located. Me, neither! Here are some other ways you can help:

• Send your friends and family a link to this blog post to help spread the word! Tweet it, facebook it, whatever - the more people that know about him, the more O.J's (and Max’s) chances of finding a permanent home increase!
• Make a purchase from my Etsy shop. I'm donating 50% of my Etsy shop's sales between now and March 31st to Feline Friends Rescue/Adoption League. Why Feline Friends? They work hard, they are a no-kill organization, and they need that money! In addition, I'm going to include a free little gift, handmade by me, with every order placed during this time. Don't try to argue with the birthday girl; I can give you presents if I want to! Please type "Brad" in your Message to me during the checkout process.
• Purchase a handmade cat-shaped soap from Kittredge Candles; proceeds are donated to Feline Friends.
  
  Max says, "Stay tuned: I've got a surprise profile for you next week!"

Meet Brad!

This is the second in my series of three profiles of cats in need, in conjunction with my shop's Etsyversary hoopla (read about that in this post). First of all, I just have to say that I love that his name is Brad!

Brad is such a good boy - you can tell just by looking at his sweet face. Brad was found outside, wandering the streets trying to fend for himself. He was so shy and scared when he first came to Feline Friends.

His big double paws and beautiful green eyes are complimented by a fabulous personality. Brad now gets along great with people and loves other cats but he would be just as happy as an only kitty.

Brad is FIV positive (FIV+). FIV is feline immunodeficiency virus, also known as feline AIDS. It is not contagious to humans or other pets' species, and can only be transferred to another cat through a deep bite, so Brad hangs out fine with the FIV-negative shelter kitties. Many FIV+ kitties live long, healthy lives. However, those that do get sick tend to be less able to overcome serious illness and may succumb more easily.

I know that not everyone can adopt a cat, and that not everyone lives in New England, where Feline Friends is located. Me, neither! Here are some other ways you can help:

• Send your friends and family a link to this blog post to help spread the word about handsome Brad! Tweet it, facebook it, whatever - the more people that know about him, the more Brad's chances of finding a permanent home increase!

• Make a purchase from my Etsy shop. I'm donating 50% of my Etsy shop's sales between now and March 31st to Feline Friends Rescue/Adoption League. Why Feline Friends? They work hard, they are a no-kill organization, and they need that money! In addition, I'm going to include a free little gift, handmade by me, with every order placed during this time. Don't try to argue with the birthday girl; I can give you presents if I want to! Please type "Brad" in your Message to me during the checkout process.
  

• Purchase a handmade cat-shaped soap from Kittredge Candles (she took these photos and wrote the descriptions that are in italics, by the way); proceeds are donated to Feline Friends.

Stay tuned - I've got another amazing cat to introduce you to later this week!

Meet Fuzzy!

This is the first in a series of three profiles of cats in need, in conjunction with my shop's Etsyversary hoopla (read about that in this post). Look at Fuzzy! Don't you just want to scoop him up?!

Fuzzy was trapped outside in 2007 as a young adult and is probably about four years old. He was part of a colony of feral (wild) cats living in a town outside of Bangor, Maine. Unlike the others in the colony, Fuzzy has long fur. At first, Feline Friends thought Fuzzy was a completely wild kitty but over time he gradually became more and more friendly and started coming in the home of the lady who found him and even sitting on her lap. He now loves to be combed and patted but can still get a little testy if overstimulated, so he wouldn't be good with young children. Fuzzy does fine with other cats but would also be okay as an only kitty, as long as he can get constant attention and loving. Fuzzy is used to being able to go outside from time to time. Although he would probably be fine as an indoor kitty most of the time, once the warm weather comes he will probably insist on a brief trip out on the deck, so he would need a home on a very quiet, rural street. If you know anyone looking for a wonderful kitty like Fuzzy and they live in New England, please encourage them to apply for adoption, which they cat do at www.felinefriendsnh.org/adoptions.html

I know that not everyone can adopt a cat, and that not everyone lives in New England, where Feline Friends is located. Me, neither! Here are some other ways you can help:

• Send your friends and family a link to this blog post to help spread the word about the beautiful Fuzzy! Tweet it, facebook it, whatever - the more people that know about him, the more Fuzzy's chances of finding a permanent home increase!

• Make a purchase from my Etsy shop. I'm donating 50% of my Etsy shop's sales between now and March 31st to Feline Friends Rescue/Adoption League. Why Feline Friends? They work hard, they are a no-kill organization, and they need that money! In addition, I'm going to include a free little gift, handmade by me, with every order placed during this time. Don't try to argue with the birthday girl; I can give you presents if I want to! Please type "Fuzzy" in your Message to me during the checkout process.
  

• Purchase a handmade cat-shaped soap from Kittredge Candles; proceeds are donated to Feline Friends.

Stay tuned - I've got two more fabulous cats to introduce you to over the next week or so!

Treasuries!

I made one, and I'm in one (special thanks to Spice of Life Designs) ! P.S. Her birthday is coming up AND she's having a sale! Did you know that aquamarine is March's birthstone? See Spicy's lovely earrings, for example:

March!

March is kind of a big month for me: on March 16 my Etsy shop will have been open for a year (that's my Etsyversary, and no, I didn't make up the term); March 23 will mark the two year anniversary of the day I learned to knit (I call that my knitterversary) - oh, and then there's Merino's brother's birthday and mine toward the end of the month!

I've been wracking my brain to think of a way to celebrate all these things, and finally figured it one day last week when I was perusing the shop of my pal, Kitten (yes, I'm aware that it's spelled "Kittredge," but the first time I saw her name, I thought it said "KittenRidge" and that's what stuck). I saw Coco and Honey, and thought to myself, "What a wonderful thing she's doing, donating proceeds of these two soaps to the organization she volunteers for!" Then I asked Kitten to tell me more about her work with Feline Friends, and asked her to please send photos and info about some of the cats in need, so I could blog about them.

I know what you're thinking, darling readers: what does this have to do with your March/Etsyversary hubbub, Stockannette?! I'm getting to that.

I've decided that I'm donating 50 % of my Etsy shop's sales between now and March 31st to Feline Friends Rescue/Adoption League. Why Feline Friends? They work hard, they are a no-kill organization, and they need that money! Plus there's the Sneaker connection. Yay!

In addition, I'm going to include a free little gift, handmade by me, with every order placed between now and March 31st. Don't try to argue with the birthday girl; I can give you presents if I want to! Do me a favor and type "March" in your message to seller, so I know you know why there's free stuff in your envelope/box. I don't wanna confuse anyone!

Stay tuned; I will be introducing you to three cats from Feline Friends over the next week or so, so you'll be able to see who your dollars will be helping.

March 6

One of my favorite Etsy sellers, and a Sneaky pal, Manic Spider, is getting married today! I thought I'd feature her on my blog to celebrate. I have an 8x12 print of these tulips, and it's perfectly lovely. Maybe you should pick it up in card form, like the picture on the left.

Happy wedding day, J.!

Warning: cuteness overload imminent!

I'm not kididng.

You know I love to see photos of people wearing things I made, but you have no idea how absolutely thrilled I am to have one of my little hats be in this perfect portrait taken by Dallas-area's own Expressions by Wendy. Plus, how sweet of Wendy to send me a copy of it for use in my shop and blog and all!

Seriously, this is your last chance too look away before you will be compelled to either squeal with delight or say, "Awwwwwww!" for about 45 minutes. Yes, it's that cute.

I mean it.



Told you!

Texas people, hurry, oh hurry and call Expressions by Wendy to get photos taken! Hey, why limit this to people who are already in Texas? Everybody pack your kids in the car and head to my Mom's home state! You know you want to end up with beautiful photos like this.