The Creative Cat Preview E-newsletter, April 2017
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New Sampler Boxes, New Gift Inspirations

Happy Meow-lo-ween from The Creative Cat

A Sudden Inspiration

Things always take a little longer than I think they will, like reorganizing my studio. This  8' x 10' room where I create my paintings, make all my stuff, frame all my art, and store all the materials to do all that and even store many of the finished items has always been a little too small. In the summer I'll sometimes take projects outside but I can't do that in winter. Last holiday season when I was doing all of that at the same time and looked back over the previous quarter when I'd tried to step up production on my handmade goods, I found I had the time, the materials and the initiative, but not the space.

After Christmas I took a little time off and gave the studio a good sorting, moved things around, found appropriate storage and decided to replace one of my storage cabinets with a countertop with storage underneath and above so that I'd have another work surface. That means I can mat and frame art and make keepsake boxes at the same time.
I can hand print special note cards with multiple colors that have to dry between each coat and not tie up all the work space in my studio for a week. And that means that producing new items each month for Sampler Boxes, e-newsletters and for my online shop and for festivals and art shows really is possible, just as I thought it was.

This Month's Special
This is a "preview e-newsletter" so typically I have something new that you get to see and purchase before anyone else has a chance, but I'm still finishing the last part of my wondrous studio remake so instead I have a special discount for the month of April.
Buy One Print, Get One Free for April 2017
Now through the end of April, buy one art print or photo print get another print free.
You need to purchase at least two prints, or multiples of two, for the coupon to work.
Choose from any gallery, not only felines!
Use code BUYONEPRINTGETONE.
Feline Photos and Artwork, Landscapes, A Few Samples

Sampler Boxes, Order April's Box Now


August 2016 Sampler Box

Shipping
I typically ship the current month's sampler box during the second week of the month. Now that I have more space to make more handmade goods at the same time I can ship earlier. April's, however, will still ship in the second week.

May 2017 Sampler Box

Contents
I relied pretty heavily on cards to get my images to you last year, in part because I couldn't get enough variety and quantity of handmade goods done in time. This year I'll be cutting back on one or two cards and adding a small extra gift item or two along with the premium gift item that is always included only in sampler boxes when it's first introduced.

Sign up for your Sampler Box, or for a subscription to three boxes.

Each sampler box is only $25.00 or a three box subscription is $75.00. It's a great way to get things for yourself or to use as gifts or even donation items. Go to Sampler Box Program to read more about the my Sampler Boxes from 2016.

A Few Handmade Gift Items to Choose From
“Back to Front”, a Unique Handmade Clay Pendant
This small pendant is made of air-dry clay with a print of my sketch “Back to Front” impressed in the clay and finished with a gloss varnish. It comes in four different shapes with a little variation in size from 1″ to 1.5″, and comes with three choices of cord. Pendant style and cord style are interchangeable. Read more and order.
Cube-shaped Keepsake Boxes
"Winter Cats" and "Impressionist Cats" are 6" and 7" cubes, and each one has five paintings, one each on the top and four sides. There is only one of each box! They are great for general storage, for keepsakes of your cats, or to use to pack a special gift. Read more and order.
New Keepsake Boxes

I decided to make a few larger keepsakes this time and use a few special finishes like a crackle glaze. Peaches and Peonies always seems to call for some lace, and 22 Cats has you turning it around to see the next cats. Read more and order.

Always a Favorite Garden Flag
My “garden flags” are 11″ x 15″, digitally printed on both sides of a heavyweight, durable indoor/outdoor woven printable fabric, and I finish by adding the rod pocket. (Bracket is not included.)

Each flag has a design on both sides, in this case it’s the same on both sides, but mirrored. This art is the only one in my set of garden flags that is a photograph–and a very favorite photograph called “Sophie Keeps an Eye on Things”, taken in 2005. I also offer this image as a greeting card and as a print on paper, canvas and more. Read more and order here.
Little Gift Books
These two little books I've self-published are great gifts for yourself or as a stand-alone or part of a larger gift for someone else. The Creative Cat Coloring Book is pocket-sized and comes individually or in a set with colored pencils and a sponge for painting. If you like my artwork, my Feline Style Sampler includes 36 images to enjoy from minimalist to photorealistic in a pocket-sized booklet.
Not quite ready last autumn, but ready now
Last autumn I had just experimented with gift boxes and gift bags but hadn't had a chance to make any for the last newsletter. The first of these items I made have sold very well and I'm currently making more. I think they're a product I'll continue to carry too, especially the gift bags.
Gift Boxes
Several years ago I purchased a closeout on black gloss-coated cardboard gift boxes in three different sizes. I started with the smallest size, with an image only on the top. These boxes are 5″ wide x 7.25″ deep x 4″ high with a full lid that covers the base all the way to the bottom. Read more.
Gift Bags
I always wanted to see my art on a gift bag. These bags are medium-sized shopping bags, usually around 8″ x 10″ x 3″, but they vary slightly in size, color and finish, even in the same lot, and sometimes they even have colored handles. If you purchase more than one in the same design and color I will make sure they match. I adhere a high-quality print of my artwork or photo to one side of the bag. Read more.
Articles and Updates


I never thought she’d find someone who understood her fears, or even how she’d meet anyone since she vaporized when strangers were anywhere near. But she is so affectionate I knew all they had to do was get past her fears, and the perfect couple arrived. It's been almost two months but they've taken it slowly for formerly feral Ophelia who is now working on being the princess of the house. Read more.

Her brother, the handsome Hamlet, enjoys the sun on his fur and gets a look at the bird and squirrel activity from the second floor bathroom window. He is so handsome I almost can’t stand it. He did look for his sister at first, but he had already become friends with most of the other cats in the household where Ophelia had not. Now Hamlet plays with Bella, pals around with Hamlet, the two longhairs, and naps with Jelly Bean.

He is more social and friendly each day with me, no longer cringing when I reach to pet him, even when he's solicited it, and less uncertain all around. I still can't hold him for more than a few seconds, but he's gotten darned close to stepping on my lap a few times so I know it's only a matter of time.

For two cats who were outside the window of socialization, these two have done very well.

Jack and Diane

Meet Jack and Diane, two young kittens living in the, no, not like the song and not as wild and crazy, in the woods in North Park, but someone cared enough to bring them in from the cold and have them vetted and socialize them for loving forever homes so they wouldn’t have to endure the cold, snow and ice. I'd been helping their wonderful rescuer who had a pre-planned holiday trip so they spent their holidays in my bathroom. Just before Christmas when they arrived they'd been in for two weeks and Jack was kind of ready to be my friend but Diane was still glaring at me and hiding. By the time they left two weeks later it was all love and kisses and both have wonderful homes. Read more.

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From 2015, you can see what else makes my studio a little tight on space, but at least I can keep them neatly organized in boxes and baskets. Seven black cats keeping warm in winter while they supervise me working on a portrait.
Buy One Print, Get One Free for April 2017
Now through the end of April, buy one art print or photo print get another print free.
You need to purchase at least two prints, or multiples of two, for the coupon to work.
Choose from any gallery, not only felines!
Use code BUYONEPRINTGETONE.

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