365 Cat Ladies and Friends

Time To Hit The Road

2013-05-06T20:48:00.000-07:00

Buttonwillow just about fainted dead away when she heard the news...

I'm leaving on a road trip tomorrow!

My friend Anne and I are driving cross-country to visit her dad in Alabama.

I'll be gone for two weeks, but my Etsy shop will stay open. Wholesale listings will not be available, and special requests won't be available, but everything you see listed in my shop will be available. The shop will be in the capable hands of my son Chris who will be handling shipping in my absence and will try to answer any questions that come up. I'll be checking in periodically for anything that might stump him. Don't forget-- I'm having a Spring Cleaning Sale for the entire month of May, so check out all the bargains here: Susan Faye Pet Projects on Etsy.

KICKSTARTER SNAZZY RAT NEWS

For the past two days, Christopher and I have been busy sending out some of the first Snazzy Rat Kickstarter pledge packages... I had enough of my prototype fabric to make up about 10-12 of each rat, so we've been able to fill about 30 of the orders.

Here are the package labels that I designed to go on each glassine paper bag.

And I have ordered the rest of the fabric, more catnip, packaging, shipping supplies, and the tote bags, so that when I return from my trip, we will go into high production with the goal of finishing up the pledge packages and having them shipped out by early June.

I guess I'd better go finish packing. I'll post some photos from the road if I get a chance...

Spring Cleaning

2013-05-03T07:39:00.000-07:00

Buttonwillow says:

We've been working on lots of new goodies for summer and fall here at Susan Faye World Headquarters, including new jewelry, DIY fabric squares, and Snazzy Rat catnip toys. But first it's time for a little spring cleaning in my Etsy shop. Out with the old to make room for the new!

The sale starts today and dozens of items have been marked down, with savings 25% - 50% off. It's a great chance to stock up on gifts for your favorite crazy cat ladies and nature lovers, or treat yourself to a special little something. Click here to see what's on sale and get 'em while they're hot before they're going, going, gone:

SALE SALE SALE

Kickstarter Success!

2013-04-24T08:03:00.003-07:00

And now a word from my studio assistants:

Our "Oh Rats" Kickstarter campaign has successfully ended which means that Snazzy Rat catnip toys will soon be making their way into the homes of fabulous felines around the world!

It also means that the staff here at Susan Faye World Headquarters is deeply grateful to each and every one of the 100 Beautiful Backers of the project! Not only have you successfully launched a brand new line of handcrafted cat toys, you made it possible to expand the line from the original four designs to a total of NINE!

And not only are you ensuring that an independent artisan can continue to do what she loves to do, you are also supporting other small, independent, earth-friendly businesses like Spoonflower.com, who prints the fabric, and my organic catnip supplier.

I look forward to sending out the reward packages over the next two months. Thanks again for making this an exciting and rewarding Kickstarter campaign.

You guys are the SNAZZIEST!

Inka's Snazzy Giveaway

2013-04-20T06:52:00.002-07:00

As you probably know by now, Buttonwillow and Inka came to me several weeks ago and demanded a new and improved cat toy. They demanded that it be big and SNAZZY.

The only problem is, Inka still isn't sure what "snazzy" means.

That's where you come in. Tell her what you think snazzy means in 10 words or less in the comments section below, and you'll be entered to win one of four Snazzy Rat Junior prototype catnip toys.

What is a Snazzy Rat Junior? It's a slightly smaller version (at 5-1/2" long) of the current Snazzy Rat catnip toy. These were my very first prototypes, but once I got the fabric back from the printer and sewed them up, they just didn't seem quite big enough and I went back to the drawing board. But the four "juniors" are perfectly good catnip toys and here's your chance for Kitty Dearest to own one.

EXTRA ENTRIES: For extra entries to increase your odds of winning, please share my Kickstarter link on your Facebook page or Twitter, then come back and leave a comment saying that you did so for each share. Each comment will count as one entry. Here is the link to share: http://kck.st/Z05ibL

The giveaway will end Sunday night, April 21, at 5 p.m. PDT, at which time I will select 4 names at random from the entries. Entries will also be accepted on my Facebook page.

Please make sure that I have a way to contact you if you are the winner, such as a link to your blog or e-mail address included in the comment.

You may send the info directly to my email if you don't want to make your contact info public.

Also, if you encounter trouble with the Comments feature, please contact me by e-mail. If you visit www.susanfaye.net , you will find an email link.

Thanks for participating!

How To Get Your Tail In a Twist (In A Good Way)

2013-04-19T20:48:00.001-07:00

As the pledges continue to climb in my Kickstarter "Oh Rats!" campaign, we have already started working on production of the first large batch of Snazzy Rat catnip toys, plus other aspects of fulfilling rewards for my Beloved Backers. Here are some project pre-production notes:

TAIL TWISTING
As requested by Inka, each rat must have a squiggly, wiggly tail in snazzy colors.

To accomplish that, I start by wrapping the yarn around a board that is just the right width, then I cut the yarn at both ends.

For each tail I use two strands of yarn in different colors.

Then I tie two strands together and twist the whole length multiple times.

When I bring the two loose ends together, the pieces "re-wind" around each other into a pretty twist, and I secure it with a knot.

Okay, one down, about 200 more to go. :-)

There, now that's better. With help from the very patient man who lives here, we'll have our tails in a twist in no time!

If you'd like to learn how to make your own twisted cord for a project, just Google "twisted cord tutorial" and lots of great how-to's will pop up.

LAMINATION ELATION
I'm not a big fan of plastics, so I don't know what it is about sending a piece of paper through a lamination machine, and having it come out the other end perfectly preserved and impervious to the elements, but I confess-- I LOVE it! In an unselfish act of motherly love, I decided to let my son and studio assistant Christopher share in the joy. He spent last weekend making up the first batch of generic I.D cards for the project.

A COUPLE OF CUT-UPS
As many of my long-time readers know, Buttonwillow has an intense fascination with scissors and continues to try to master the art of using them.

When I ordered the fabric to make my Snazzy Rat prototypes, I made sure I had enough to make about 10 of each to give me a little head start on the project.

So Buttonwillow and I put our scissors to work and cranked out these puppies in no time at all.

SOME ASSEMBLY REQUIRED

Time to put my sewing machine to work. I love listening to TED talks and to Jango radio on my computer when I sew. Just look at this happy pile o' grinning rats!

Turning these babies inside-out and stuffing them are two more fun tasks that I am sharing with Chris, and he's doing a great job!

Funny story about the catnip. I've been making different catnip toys for several years now and I store these bags of 'nip in our garage where it is dark and cool. We moved into our new house about 18 months ago and soon had our first garage sale-- in the garage-- and met many of our new neighbors. About halfway through the sale, I noticed that my four large polybags of dried green herbs were prominently lined up on a back shelf in full view. I wonder just what might have been going through the minds of those neighbors, but no one had said a word. Just to be safe, during the rest of the sale I hid the bags inside the house, lest there be any confusion about just what kind of herbs were in those bags....

Next pre-production task: Packaging. I'll show you what I've come up with in the next post.

Thanks again for all of your support and enthusiasm as this project progresses! There is still time to procure your own Snazzy Rats by making a pledge at this link. The campaign ends Tuesday, April 23.

The Home Stretch Stretch

2013-04-18T16:31:00.001-07:00

We are on cloud nine around here because "Cloud Nine" finally made it into the Snazzy Rat catnip toy line-up in my Kickstarter project! Yep, thanks to all of my Kickstarter Beloved Backers and their generosity so far, we've reached one more "stretch goal" as of this afternoon. The additional $300 raised brings the total to $2100 which means I will be able to print up and produce NINE different Snazzy Rat designs instead of just the original four! Each backer will get to choose which rat design(s) they want to have included in their reward package. Here is the newest addition:

"Cloud Nine" art and design copyright Susan Faye 2013

And speaking of s-t-r-e-t-c-h-i-n-g, my Kickstarter campaign is now on the home stretch with only 5 days left to go. So how about a "Home Stretch Stretch Goal"?

Here it is. I'm setting my final stretch goal at $2500. If that goal is reached by the end of my campaign on Tuesday, April 23 at 5:00 p.m, I will add a bonus "thank-you-from-the-bottom-of-my-heart" gift to each and every backer's Reward Package:

It's a 5x7" mini print of our Snazzy Rat Cat logo, suitable for framing! It will be printed on high quality, matte photo paper with Dura-Brite inks and will be cheerful and, I believe, quite SNAZZY.

Help me reach this new goal by sharing my Kickstarter project with all of your favorite crazy cat ladies and cat guys on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc. Here is the link: http://kck.st/Z05ibL.

If you haven't already reserved your Snazzy Rats by making a pledge, please check out the project-- I have lots of fun rewards at every level. If you have already made a pledge (THANK YOU!), you may increase the level at any time, in case you like the new designs and want to increase the number of rats you'll receive.

I'm excited about fulfilling all of these rewards and my little staff is already busy on pre-production. More on that tomorrow...

Thank You SO MUCH!! Buttonwillow, Inka and I appreciate all of your help and support!

Endorsements Nos. 3, 4, and 5

2013-04-17T18:09:00.000-07:00

Market research continues to be one of the important responsibilities of my studio assistants Buttonwillow and Inka. With that in mind, they recently sent Snazzy Rat prototypes to a few of their friends to get some valuable feedback. Here is Jojo's testimonial on the newest addition to the Snazzy Rats line, "Mellow Yellow". Terrific Tortie Jojo is a "senior" cat (about 11 in human years) who resides in Portland, Oregon, with her Cat Lady Samantha.

Hello. You may think I'm just a sweet old gal, but that's not always the case. Yesterday I received a sample of the "Mellow Yellow" Snazzy Rat and was asked to give it a test run.

One sniff of that 'nip and I felt like a spring kitten and a wild jungle beast all rolled into one!

Look out everyone! I still have some ferocious bunny kick moves in me and I'm showing no mercy to my rodent prey. This sweet old gal means business.

My assistants also sent a "Happy Daze" Snazzy Rat prototype to some long-distance friends on the other side of the country. Fluffy (a dead ringer for our previous endorser Jinx, but no relation) and Midnight of Attleboro, MA, are staff assistants to Cat Lady Rose of Angelcat Haven. Recently they took some time out from planning a big "Cinco de Meow" fundraiser to give the Snazzy Rat a spin.

Hi, I'm Fluffy and I am a lucky rescue cat. I live with a bunch of other rescue cats, so I was lucky to get a turn with this really pretty Snazzy Rat prototype. I don't have to tell you how much I enjoyed it, because I'm sure you can see me smiling in this photo:

"I don't always play with rats, but when I do, it's a SNAZZY RAT!" ~Midnight Gates~ (in photo below)

Thank you, fabulous felines, for your endorsements and testimonials. Humanoids-- reserve your Snazzy Rats today by making a pledge at my Kickstarter Campaign, which ends SOON. I'm raising money to buy the materials to make a full line of Snazzy Rats catnip toys. Thanks for your support!

Another Stretch Goal Reached!... Please Vote For Your Favorite New Design

2013-04-16T07:34:00.000-07:00

(April 17 update: you voted and "Mellow Yellow" is the winner).

Once again Buttonwillow demonstrates her "doesn't-that-feel-great" stretching technique as we celebrate another landmark in our Snazzy Rat Kickstarter campaign!

Thanks once again to our growing number of Beloved Backers, we have arrived our FOURTH Kickstarter "stretch goal", having passed the $1800 mark late last night! And you know what that means...

ONE MORE NEW SNAZZY RAT DESIGN!

The additional $300 in pledges above our previous goal means that I will be able to print up one more brand new design to add to the current 7 rat designs, but I need your help to decide which one. Here are the prototypes:

Please vote for your favorite in the comments section of this blog post. Voting will end Wednesday night, April 17 at 5 p.m PDT. I will also be accepting votes on my Facebook page and Kickstarter page, but please, only one vote per person.

Now how about another stretch?! Our next Kickstarter goal is the $2100 mark. If we reach it before the campaign ends on April 23, I'll be able to add a ninth design for backers to choose from. We are in the home stretch now with less than a week left of the campaign. Help me reach this new goal by sharing my Kickstarter project with all of your favorite crazy cat ladies and cat guys on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc. Here is the link: http://kck.st/Z05ibL

Thank You SO MUCH!! Buttonwillow, Inka and I appreciate all of your help and support!

Catnip 101

2013-04-15T14:55:00.000-07:00

Catnip (Nepeta cataria), also known as catmint and catswort, is a member of the mint family and contains volatile oils, sterols, acids and tannins. It is native to Asia and Europe, and was brought to North America by settlers and used as a tea. Folk wisdom says that it can aid sleep, stress reduction, and relaxation when used by humans. In the garden, flowering catnip attracts butterflies, the plant is drought tolerant and deer resistant. It also seems to be a repellant for certain insects.

All that aside, what we really want to know is what is the deal with catnip and CATS?

For that we turn to Scientific American and Dr. Ramona Turner : "When cats smell catnip they exhibit several behaviors common to females in heat: They may rub their heads and body on the herb or jump, roll around, vocalize and salivate. This response lasts for about 10 minutes, after which the cat becomes temporarily immune to catnip's effects for roughly 30 minutes."

[Ms Turner omitted the part about them turning into crazed maniacs, bouncing off of walls. Apparently she hasn't met Inka.]

"Response to catnip is hereditary; about 70 to 80 percent of cats exhibit this behavior... In addition, catnip does not affect kittens until they are about six months old and begin to reach sexual maturity. Catnip is considered to be nonaddictive and completely harmless to cats. "

Well that's good to know! I'm glad that my catnip toys are not contributing to the delinquency of cats across the country. Thanks for visiting!

You say your cat is impervious, indifferent, or forbidden to use catnip?

It happens.

Luckily, there is a reward in my current Kickstarter campaign that is just for you : It includes a tote bag and a generic I.D. card, but no catnip rats (see the $22 reward). Click here for details.

The "Oh Rats" tote bag is an exclusive design available only until April 23 through my Kickstarter Campaign

Little Guy WhatsHisName... Snazzy Rat Endorsement #2

2013-04-14T10:48:00.000-07:00

Market research is one of the important responsibilities of my studio assistants Buttonwillow and Inka. With that in mind, they recently sent Snazzy Rat prototypes to a few of their friends to get some valuable feedback. Here is a consumer report from Little Guy on the "Flower Power" Snazzy Rat model. Formerly a California Cool Cat, Little Guy now resides in McMinnville, Oregon, with his human Cat Lady Mary.

Hi. I'm the kind of cat that everyone has a "pet" name for. My given name is Nickelodeon because of the beautiful silver "nickels" on my sides. You can see one here:

But I also respond to the names Belly Boy, Bubba, Big Fella and Hey You. My can opener lady calls me Little Guy.

Call me whatever you like, it's important to know that I've always been pretty indifferent to the various paltry catnip toys that have appeared in the manse over the years. That is, until my friends Buttonwillow and Inka sent over a "Flower Power" Snazzy Rat.

I'm in love with this thing! You can't believe the aroma. It's the kind of essence you want to rub behind your ears....

It's the kind of thing you want to hug and toss and roll on top of.

You can call me anything you want, but right now just call me Ecstatic.

You know you want one. Reserve one today by making a pledge at my Aunt Susan's Kickstarter Campaign, which is in full swing. She's raising money to buy the materials to make lots more of these Snazzy Rats. I hope there are lots more in my future.

A Cuddly Lap-Cat No More

2013-04-13T12:43:00.003-07:00

Illustration Friday

(theme: "wild")

Normally a mild-mannered lap-cat, Percival is sometimes inexplicably transformed into a wild jungle beast, helplessly lured by the intoxicating scent of his rodent prey which have been cleverly disguised as catnip toys.

Introducing...THE OH RATS! TOTE BAG

heavyweight natural canvas fabric
Full side and bottom gusset
Machine washable
Measures 15" x 18" x 6"

It's a great green way to bring kitty treats home from the store. According to Inka Kitten, it also makes a great lair for small, adorable cats who enjoy lurking inside of bags...

The Oh Rats! tote bag is available exclusively through my current Kickstarter campaign which ends April 23. To pre-order one, simply visit my Kickstarter project and make a pledge at the $22 level (you'll also receive a laminated Crazy Cat Lady I.D. card. If you'd like either four or eight Snazzy Rat Catnip toys included with your tote, select the $50 or $75 pledges.

By becoming a backer you will be helping me to raise the "seed money" to launch my new line of catnip toys. Click here to see all the rewards options available: Snazzy Rats Catnip Toys on Kickstarter . Thanks for your support!

Going Green with Snazzy Rats and My Newest Design

2013-04-12T07:56:00.000-07:00

With Earth Day fast approaching, I've been mindful of trying to keep my latest project earth-friendly. Although not perfect in their "footprints", my Snazzy Rat catnip toys are trying to do their part to have a small impact on the planet, while having a big impact on Kitty Dearest.

And in honor of April 22, here is a sneak peek at my newest Snazzy Rat design:

It's definitely "green" and called "Earth Day Every Day". I hope you like it! I'll be adding it to the line-up if we reach the next "stretch goal" in my Kickstarter campaign (details here).

Here are some of the other ways that I've tried to make this project as "green" as possible:

FABRIC: My catnip toys are made from 100% cotton fabric with no synthetic fibers. Spoonflower.com, who does my printing, uses digital textile printers, which are modified large-format inkjet printers. Unlike traditional textile methods, this process creates less textile waste, and uses less electricity, water, and ink. Spoonflower uses eco-friendly water-based pigment inks on natural fiber fabrics. No additional chemicals are used in the process. Read more about their operation here.

THE 'NIP: The catnip that I use is certified organic, grown both in Canada and the U.S.A.

Assistant Yarn Inspector Inka performs a quality assurance test

YARN: The tails are made from up-cycled yarn-- you know, those little leftover bits that knitters donate to Goodwill or sell at a yard sale in hopes that someone can use it up. I look for the SNAZZY remnants.

FIBERFILL: I use a tiny bit of fiberfill to fill out the rat's ears and nose and currently have been using bamboo fiberfill. However, I recently found out that it uses a lot of chemicals in the processing and is not so eco-friendly after all. Does anyone have any ideas for a fiberfill that would be "greener"?

PACKAGING: I've switched from plastic poly-bags to glassine paper bags. These almost transparent paper bags are recyclable and bio-degradable, yet will still keep the catnip toys fresh and clean until kitty is ready for them.

As you probably know by now, I'm currently raising the "seed money" necessary to launch this new line of catnip toys. By making a pledge, you will be pre-ordering your choice of Snazzy Rat designs If we reach my next "stretch goal" before the end of the campaign, I'll be able to add the "Earth Day Every Day" design to the line-up. As of this writing, we are just a few pledges away! Please help by making a pledge today, or by sharing my Kickstarter link with all of your crazy cat lady friends. Here it is: http://kck.st/Z05ibL.

And as Earth Day approaches, remember to always reduce, re-use and recycle EVERY day! It really makes a difference in the long-run. Your grandkids' grandkids will thank you.

Glass!

2013-04-11T10:13:00.000-07:00

My BFF Mary and I look forward to Tuesday every week now, because Tuesday is Glass Class! Each week we are let loose in the candy store as we learn new techniques in fused glass in a workshop-style setting at In Fused With Love, under the guidance of mother-daughter team Lynette and Alison Neeld.

Here is what I've been working on over the past weeks:

Some early experiments using silver foil, "liquid stringer" and frits (don't look too closely!)

On this one I used dichroic glass under clear and opal frit (frit is powdered glass) for some of the squares, glass "stringers" for the whiskers and glass chips for the daffodil petals:

"Daffodil Cat" before firing

Daffodil Cat after several firings. The dichroic squares came out looking like opals!

This was my most ambitious one so far, trying out lots of different techniques with frits, glass stringers. liquid "stringer", and something called "flexi-glass".

Calico Cat before firing

On the second firing I added some green enamel on top of the white squares to tone the bright white down a bit. I also forgot to add whiskers the first time around, so I painted some on with enamels before the last firing. I'm thinking about having this one "slumped" into a shallow dish.

"Calico Cat" after several firings

This is my latest experiment-- I wanted to see if I could "paint" with frits to get a watercolor effect. I used to do something similar with powdered enamels when I was learning cloisonne enamel techniques twenty years ago...

"Cactus Blossom" finished

It took an extra firing to do some touch-ups with enamels, but I was pleased with the final result and learned a lot in the process...

"Cactus Blossom" close-up

I have lots of ideas to try and can hardly wait until next Tuesday!

Jinx the Cat... Snazzy Rat Endorsement #1

2013-04-10T10:32:00.000-07:00

Market research is one of the important responsibilities of my studio assistants Buttonwillow and Inka. With that in mind, they recently sent Snazzy Rat prototypes to a few of their friends to get some valuable feedback. Here is a consumer report from Jinx the Cat on the "LaLa Land" Snazzy Rat model. Originally from Las Vegas, Nevada, Jinx now resides in Monmouth, Oregon, with his humans Tina and James.

Hi I'm Jinx.
I was once a mild-mannered feline who had never been exposed to the enticements of herbs. That is, until I received a LaLa land Snazzy Rat toy filled with something called organic catnip.

"LaLa Land"

I'm not sure what it did to my brain, but I went berserk trying to get that stuff out of the rat, even resorting to my very best bunny kicks. I was transformed into a wild jungle beast trying to rip apart my helpless prey.

photos courtesy of Tina W.

It was useless, but I had fun trying. Once I exhausted myself and turned back into a mild-mannered domestic cat, I found that the Snazzy Rat made a really great pillow, producing surprisingly sweet dreams.

You ought to get yourself one. You can reserve one by making a pledge at my Aunt Susan's Kickstarter Campaign, which is in full swing. She's raising money to buy the materials to make lots more of these Snazzy Rats. Trust me, this catnip stuff is the best!

Cat Lady Craftiness

2013-04-09T07:11:00.001-07:00

It's been lots of fun to watch my fabric squares fly off to different corners of the country. What's even more fun is to get reports about what some very Creative Crafty Cat Ladies are doing with them!

Take Cat Lady Rose, for example. Always looking for new ways to raise funds for her cat rescue organization Angelcat Haven, she recently received a lesson in applique technique from her neighbor, then stitched up these pretty towels. Here is product model Fluffy Gates showing off a favorite:

The first batch of towels already sold out, but Rose is busy stitching up some more that she will offer for sale at Cinco de Meow, A Fiesta 4 Felines on May 4th at Seven Arrows Farm on Oakhill Avenue, Attleboro, Massachusetts, from 11am-3 pm. The event will feature a chili contest, music, food, non-alcoholic drinks, raffles, crafts and a bake sale, all to benefit the rescued cats of Angelcat Haven.

Can't make it to the fiesta? You can contact Rose through her Etsy shop and purchase some of her cute jewelry which also benefits rescued cats.

Here's another great idea from Etsy artisan Genie of GenieCrafts-- she used the quilt blocks to stitch up a beautifully crafted wall or door organizer with four pockets:

Available at: GenieCrafts

Each pocket can hold coupons, recipe cards, glasses, appointment reminders, mail, anything that you need handy and it leaves more space on your desk or counter top.

The four hand covered button clothespins are included and are very useful for attaching items to each pocket such as mail, post cards, business cards, appt. cards, articles, notes. This organizer is available for sale in Genie's Etsy shop.

Finally, in case you missed it a couple weeks ago, here is a quilt-in-progress by Cat Lady Rosie:

The animal rescue that Rosie works with is called Charm City Animal Rescue (www.charmcityanimalrescue.com).

Have some crafty ideas of your own? You'll find both cat and bunny fabric squares here in my Etsy shop: Fabric Squares. Here are two new ones, just listed:

New Quilt Block!

Another new one!

Be sure to send photos if you have any works-in-progress. We'd love to see them!

Time to Stretch Again... Please Vote For Your Favorite New Design

2013-04-07T11:07:00.001-07:00

[UPDATE April 8: You voted and "Cheese Louise" was the winner. Thanks for your input!]

Once again Buttonwillow demonstrates a perfectly executed stretching technique as we celebrate another landmark in our Snazzy Rat Kickstarter campaign:

Thanks to our Beloved Backers, we have arrived our SECOND Kickstarter "stretch goal" and have passed the $1200 mark! And you know what that means...

ONE MORE NEW SNAZZY RAT DESIGN!

The additional $300 in pledges above our previous goal means that I will be able to print up one more brand new design to add to the current 5 rat designs, but I need your help to decide which one.

Buttonwillow suggested that the original "Cloud Nine" offered last time did not have enough of the "Snazz Factor".

DID NOT PASS THE SNAZZY TEST

So I went back to the drawing board to see if I could snazz it up a bit.
Here is the new and improved "Cloud Nine" and another new offering: "Cheese Louise."


CHEESE LOUISE artwork copyright 2013 Susan Faye

Please vote for your favorite in the comments section of this blog post. Voting will end Monday night, April 8 at 5 p.m PDT. I will also be accepting votes on my Facebook page and Kickstarter page, but please, only one vote per person.

Now how about another stretch? Our next Kickstarter goal is the $1500 mark. If we reach it before the campaign ends on april 23, I'll add a seventh design for backers to choose from. Help me reach this goal by sharing my Kickstarter project with all of your favorite crazy cat ladies and cat guys on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc. Here is the link: http://kck.st/Z05ibL

Thank You.. Buttonwillow, Inka and I appreciate all of your help and support!

New Snazzy Rat Joins the Line-up

2013-04-05T17:43:00.004-07:00

You voted and "Peace 'Nip" was the winner by a landslide. I've added this design to the original four Snazzy Rat designs in my Kickstarter Project thanks to all of my wonderful backers... Because we hit the $900 mark Wednesday night, I will have the "seed money" to print up and produce this new design.

If you haven't already, make your pledge today to pre-order the Snazzy Rats of your choice. You'll get to pick out the designs you'd like to own when the Kickstarter campaign ends on April 23.

Our next stretch goal = $1200 = 1 more new design to choose from! Help me reach this goal by sharing my Kickstarter project with all of your favorite crazy cat ladies and cat guys on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc. Here is the link: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/susanfaye/oh-rats-snazzy-artisanal-catnip-toys-to-drive-your

Thanks for supporting my creative endeavors... it means a lot to me!

It's Time for a Stretch... And Your Opinion, Please

2013-04-04T11:29:00.001-07:00

One.. two... three...

Ahhhh. Now didn't that feel great?

And here's another reason to feel great: We have already arrived our first Kickstarter "stretch goal" and have passed the $900 mark! And you know what that means...

A NEW SNAZZY RAT DESIGN!

The additional $300 in pledges above my original goal mean that I will be able to print up a brand new design to add to my original four rat designs, but I need your help to decide which one. Here are the two contenders, "Cloud Nine" and "Peace 'Nip."

Please vote for your favorite in the comments section of this blog post. Voting will end Friday night at 5 p.m PDT. I will also be accepting votes on my Facebook page and Kickstarter page, but please, only one vote per person.

Ahhh. Still feeling great? I know Buttonwillow is. Now how about another stretch? Our next Kickstarter goal is the $1200 mark. If we reach it, I'll add a sixth design for backers to choose from. Help me reach this goal by sharing my Kickstarter project with all of your favorite crazy cat ladies and cat guys on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc. Here is the link: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/susanfaye/oh-rats-snazzy-artisanal-catnip-toys-to-drive-your

Thanks for your help!
Okay, enough stretching. Buttonwillow is telling me that it's nap time.

Buttonwillow Wishes to Thank The Academy...

2013-04-03T16:06:00.000-07:00

Last night was the exciting launch of my Kickstarter catnip toy project, which featured the premiere of our "Oh Rats!" video starring Buttonwillow and her sidekick Inka.

And in response to your response we would like to say...

Wow Wow Wow!

You guys are the SNAZZIEST! Thanks to some really fantastic feline fanatics, we reached our initial Kickstarter funding goal in the first 5 hours of the campaign. I can't believe it and my head is still spinning. Thank you thank you thank you from the bottom of my heart!

But this campaign isn't over yet. Additional pledges = seed money for additional Snazzy Rat designs!

Pledging will continue for another 20 days, so it's time to introduce some incentives to keep the ball rolling! In Kickstarter Land they are called "stretch goals."

Sooo, here's the deal: Every time the pledge total goes up another $300, I will design one brand new Snazzy Rat design for backers to choose from, up to 6 new designs (in addition to the original four). Click here for details: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/susanfaye/oh-rats-snazzy-artisanal-catnip-toys-to-drive-your/pos...

Please help me reach these "stretch goals" by sharing my Kickstarter link with all of your cat-lovin' friends and family: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/susanfaye/oh-rats-snazzy-artisanal-catnip-toys-to-drive-your

As you can imagine, I am jumping for joy and truly appreciate your support of my creative endeavors! Thanks everybody!

Kickstarter Basics

2013-04-02T09:08:00.000-07:00

[Update: My Kickstarter project is now live! Check it out at this link: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/susanfaye/oh-rats-snazzy-artisanal-catnip-toys-to-drive-your]

I need your help!

My snazzy rat catnip toy prototypes are finished and ready to invade the world.

So.... to raise the seed money necessary to print large runs of fabric and to purchase all of the other necessary materials in large quantities at wholesale prices, I have created a Kickstarter campaign which will launch later today, Tuesday, April 2. I'll be posting the project link once it goes live this evening.

Not familiar with Kickstarter? It's a fantastic website for creative people that enables them to raise funds for their creative projects, including films, games, music, art, books, design, technology, not to mention handmade catnip rat toys!

Project creators like me set a funding goal and deadline. If people like you want to support a project, you can pledge money to make it happen. In return, each backer will receive rewards created by the project creator and based on the level of the pledge (in my case-- snazzy rat cat toys, Cat Lady or Cat Guy I.D. cards, and/or a limited edition tote bag). It's a little like a PBS pledge drive (except your TV program won't be interrupted!).

Funding on Kickstarter is all-or-nothing — projects must reach their funding goals to receive any money. Pledge money is collected through Amazon.com, but your credit card will only be charged if the project reaches its goal.

You can learn more about being a backer here:

BACKING A KICKSTARTER PROJECT

Click here for general info about Kickstarter:

KICKSTARTER.COM

Once my project goes live, you can help me over the next 21 days by

Making a pledge (essentially, you will be pre-ordering Snazzy Rats catnip toys), and...
Spreading the word by sharing my Kickstarter project with all of your favorite crazy cat ladies and cat guys through Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc...

I'll be posting my project link later today once it is launched. Thanks for your help!

Buttonwillow's New Starring Role... Exclusive Preview!

2013-04-01T07:44:00.000-07:00

It turns out that one of the key features of a Kickstarter campaign is the Project Video.

Having no skill or knowledge whatsoever about how to make a video, I turned to Buttonwillow.

"Stop-motion animation," she said, without blinking. "That's your answer. And I'll be happy to play the starring role."

So about 40 hours of intense movie-making madness later, I had produced a 2-1/2 minute video. And you, lucky readers, get to have an exclusive preview of the entire first minute! Hold on to your hats! Here it is!

The full-length version will have its premiere Tuesday evening when I launch my Kickstarter project. Watch here for a post with the link on Tuesday. Elbow-length gloves and tiaras are optional at the premiere.

As I mentioned in Saturday's post, I am going to be launching a Kickstarter campaign tomorrow, Tuesday evening, to introduce my new catnip toys. It will be an opportunity for cat lovers to pre-order the cat toys, and an opportunity for me to raise the seed money I need to buy my materials in bulk at wholesale prices.

Not familiar with Kickstarter? It's a fantastic website for creative people that enables them to raise funds for their creative projects. You can learn more here:

KICKSTARTER.COM

Happy Easter!

2013-03-31T07:06:00.000-07:00

What's Cookin' Part 3-- Snazzy Rat Prototypes!

2013-03-30T10:20:00.000-07:00

They're here!

I have finished the four prototypes of my new "Snazzy Rat" catnip toys. I used cotton denim for the backs and upcycled yarn for the tails. Then I filled them with organic catnip.

Here they are with their snazzy names:

FLOWER POWER

SPACE CADET

LaLa LAND

HAPPY DAZE

They are about 6" long (not counting the tail) and 2-1/2" high. They are filled with 1/4 cup of organic catnip and a small amount of fiberfill, and made to be durable. Tail colors may vary (but will always be snazzy).

Assistant Rat Inspector Inka puts the prototype rodents through their paces...

...Buttonwillow and Inka agree that the new and improved catnip toys pass muster and are ready to be introduced to their feline friends around the world!

This is where YOU come in.

In order to offer my Snazzy Rats catnip toys at an affordable price, I need to buy my materials in bulk in order to get wholesale prices. So.... to raise the seed money necessary to print large runs of fabric and to purchase all of the other necessary materials in large quantities at wholesale prices, I have created a Kickstarter campaign which will launch on Tuesday, April 2.

Not familiar with Kickstarter? It's a fantastic website for creative people that enables them to raise funds for their creative projects. You can learn more here:

KICKSTARTER.COM

You can help me on Tuesday by

Making a pledge (essentially, you will be pre-ordering Snazzy Rats catnip toys), and...
Spreading the word on Tuesday by sharing my Kickstarter project with all of your favorite crazy cat ladies and cat guys through Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc...

Thank you from me and the gang here at

World Headquarters!

What's Cookin' -- Part 2

2013-03-28T09:31:00.000-07:00

Last week I shared the black and white drawings for my new cat toys.

The next step was my favorite part:

COLOR!

Buttonwillow and Inka requested SNAZZY colors, so here is what I came up with:

How am I doing so far?" I asked my studio assistants.

"Not bad," said Buttonwillow.
"Snazzy!" said Inka. "Pssst- does anyone know what snazzy means?"

I sent the artwork to Spoonflower.com where they professionally printed my designs on one yard of durable cotton twill canvas, and here is what came back in the mail:

The anticipation is rising around here and so is the intoxicating scent of catnip as I take the bin of organic 'nip out of the closet and sit at my sewing machine.

Next: The prototypes!

It Has Sprung!

2013-03-20T19:02:00.000-07:00