The Red Queen and a Smiling Frog!

Shoowee...just finished up 10 ornaments!! Several of them are for the next Spookytime Jingles update, so I will have to wait and share them later. I just put these two in my Etsy shop.

Thank all of you for your kind words about Garfield!!!! He sends you lots of purrs!

Off with their heads!!!!


Jumping for joy!!

TNR, Garfield update and WIPs

Last week was a bit cat crazy....a little more than usual, that is :)! Friday evening, my friend Jane and I headed out for a night of cat trapping at the stockyards and at a nearby warehouse area. After four hours of creeping around in the bushes and all sorts of trickery, we were covered in KFC and tuna and managed to get 5 cats!! It wasn't an easy night, but we met our goal and that is what counts. While we were out there, we also ran across a terrified puppy. Poor thing wouldn't let anyone near him, but he did get plenty of food. The next day, I happened to see a "Lost Dog" sign near my neighborhood which matched his description. I couldn't believe it! Thankfully, long story short, the owner and pup have been reunited!! I am soooo relieved.
As for the cats, they were spayed and neutered on Saturday and are back at their managed colony locations. There were 4 girls and 1 boy, so that's a whole lot of births prevented this spring! One of the girls had an infected uterus so it was especially great that we got her taken care of.

Now, for some really wonderful news!!!!!!! Precious ol' Garfield has a place to go!! I sent out pleas for help to all of my rescue contacts as well as a few no kill shelters that take in FIV+ cats. On Thursday, I heard back from Safe Haven for Cats in Raleigh, NC, and they are happy to make room for him! It is a fantastic shelter. My mom actually volunteers there, so i have had the opportunity to visit their facility a few times. They are always full and save a multitude of cats from death row in animal controls throughout NC, so I am beyond grateful that they are willing to fit Garfield in. I cried and cried with joy when I received their email.

Garfield came home from the vet on Saturday, and I cannot begin to express what an amazing boy he is! I love him to pieces. He was awfully grungy, so the vet techs bathed him on Saturday morning. They said that he just stretched out calmly and let them clean him and "furminate" him. I carried him up to our guest bedroom and put him on the bed. He has been luxuriating ever since. Garfield is so laid back and just wants affection. He has a funny little meow and sort of grunts at me. His life has been incredibly difficult for way too long, and yet he hasn't let it get him down one bit. I am doing my best to shower him with tons of love, kisses, chin scratches and tummy rubs! He appreciates his non-stop meals too...has gained a pound in just one week. Here are a few photos of this handsome, chipmunk cheeked boy! His wounds are healing, so hopefully, i will have some good "after" photos in the next few weeks. (He isn't going to NC until mid May.)





And as for my artwork... these are a few WIPs...ornaments and miscellaneous critters.

Garfield...a sweet ol' lug needing a home!

A dear friend of mine takes care of a large colony at a Wendy's in Lexington. There are about 20 cats there and she has worked tirelessly to get them all spayed and neutered. The Wendy's is near a large, low income apartment complex so there is a constant trickle of new abandoned cats coming into the colony. Garfield is one of those...totally tame and sweet...just down on his luck. He has been living in the colony for awhile, and she was finally able to get him into a carrier last night. She brought him to my house to spend the night, and I was heartbroken after I spent a little time with him. He has cuts and abscesses and old wounds all over his face. His ears are full of mites and his eyes are swollen. He just meowed sadly and wanted to be rubbed and loved. He is not aggressive toward other cats, but was picked on and beat up constantly by the territorial cats. My friend came to get him this morning and took him to our wonderful vet to be neutered and cared for. Unfortunately, he tested positive for FIV. Cats can live long, healthy lives with FIV as long as they are kept inside and properly cared for. So, we are now trying to figure out what to do and hope that we can find him the purrfect person to give him a special, forever home. My amazing friend is willing to sponsor him for the rest of his life by paying for any vet care he needs in the future...what an awesome gift!!!

Garfield is the poster child for what happens to unneutered cats when they are left outside to fend for themselves. It is so sad, unnecessary and just not right! They all deserve so much better. Let's hope that at least this guy gets a happy beginning!

Smiling Cats galore...

Last week was very strange for me. I was just so distracted and utterly unfocused. I have no idea what was going on, but hope that this week will be a little more productive. I have a zillion ideas brewing in my head which is wonderful, but sometimes when that happens I get paralyzed and don't know where to begin so I sort of spin around in place.

I want to start making jewelry with a few images of my dolls. I began researching supplies and ordered some fun materials on Etsy. The choices are neverending...i really felt like I'd fallen down the rabbit hole! I am also itching to write and illustrate a children's book. I finally have the main concept clear and specific illustration ideas are flowing, but I need to block out time to actually sit down and launch into it.

On Friday, I decided to get off of the computer and get out of my art room to remove any distractions. I went outside in my backyard to simply SKETCH for a few hours. It's amazing how the sun, the breeze, some fresh air and peace and quiet can clear the mind!! Two furry feral assistants were very helpful too :).

Here is a little peek at my doodles....lots and lots of silly kittysnips!



And just thought I'd share a photo of Magee and Meadow. Magee is one of our outdoor "ferals" who now comes inside for naps. He is such a sweet boy. Meadow has been with us for a year now. She was born with only 3 paws, so we took her out of the feral colony she was living in last summer. We wanted her to be safe inside forever. She is THE happiest, funniest girl! She chirps with glee constantly and LOVES life. Meadow lived behind a cafe and they feed the cats leftovers so she goes crazy for human food. We try not to give her any, but every once in awhile she will steal something right off your plate. One night she even took 2 of my brussel sprouts and ate them right up! Crazy girl!

FaBuLouS FriDaY Sale in my Etsy shop!

I almost forgot to hop over here and announce a one day sale that I am having!
10% off everything in my etsy shop (excluding custom orders/cake toppers)!! Just leave a comment here if you want a particular item and I will go in and reduce the price OR you can make your purchase and I will refund the 10%.

Hope you all are having a FaBuLouSLy fUn FriDaY!!! Ciao for now!

Lovely Lulu and Little Ellies

Saturday was definitely my lucky day!! First, we did our taxes and were thrilled to find out that we are getting a refund. Shoowee, what a relief since we need a new car AND a new computer (I am afraid this one is going to blow up in a cloud of smoke just like our car did :)!) And then, I found out that I won a fantastic giveaway by the uber talented and super sweet Lulu of My Pink Turtle!!!! Wowee!! Oh, how I LOVE and adore her artwork and blog. Lulu is one of those special people that oozes enchantment and magic. When I visit her blog it makes me want to live in her lovely world. She has such an amazing sense of creativity and style. I cannot wait to receive her beautiful giveaway!!!! THANKS bunches, Lulu!!! Many purrs to you :)!



I just finished up a custom elephant cake topper order. The bride wanted traditional Indian dress, so here they are complete with a mini gold and white sari, a kurta pajama and a tiny turban. I loved making them!

Mad Hatter Madness for the Spookytime Jingles Update!

When the clock strikes midnight tonight, new art will magically appear on the STJ website! Here are my offerings for this month.

Mad Hatter and Friends! This piece was the most fun I've had in awhile...especially creating that wild orange mohair wig! It seemed to take forever to finish because I was definitely caught up in the details and was nitpicking everything. And when I finally determined that it was completed, I realized that I had forgotten the Hatter's eyebrows!! Tee hee. I sort of felt like Alice getting my friends all spiffed up and ready for the tea party.







This is an ornament version of the Mad Hatter. I decided to change it up and give green hair. It seems to suit him well :).

Blue Cats

Two new blue kitties in my Etsy shop right now!

Blue Cat on a hot air balloon adventure.... Have fun crazy boy!



Blue Cat has joined the circus....his talent is simply grinning.

It's almost the 10th! Pfatt Time!

Just a quick post to remind you that the Pfatt Marketplace update is almost here! Puss in Boots is my offering for this month. I hope he gets adopted :)!

I finished up 4 new pieces today. I will get photos of them done tomorrow after we finish our taxes!!! Can't wait to get that over with!

I hope all of you have something fun on tap for the weekend! What are YOU up to??!
Purrs to all~~
Carrie and The SnipPets

The Evolution of a SnipPet: Sweet Tooth, Step 1 - Concept and Sketch

I thought it would be fun to take you through the steps of my design process. I will take photos of each phase and post them here along with a description of any supplies and techniques used. It will be sort of a SnipPet tutorial. I always say that I am a terrible teacher because I don't explain things well, so this will be beneficial to me as well.

In the past few months, I have started to sketch out my more complicated pieces. It is extremely helpful to map out the concept first and get the position and proportions correct so that I can build an armature based on the sketch. I used to let my designs evolve more organically, but I have seen a marked improvement in my work since I have begun to plan my ideas out a bit more strategically.

This particular piece has been brewing in my brain for awhile. I wanted to do another blue cheshire cat on his way to the Mad Hatter's tea party with sweet treats galore surrounding him. Have you seen the movie Chocolat? It's my all time favorite!!! Well, if you have, think of the scene where Comte de Reynaud (Alfred Molina's character) finally succumbs to Vianne's delectable chocolates and ends up in the display window rolling around in the chocolates devouring as many as he can shovel in. That was another part of my inspiration for this piece. Then, i decided that the cat needed to be carried along to his destination, but wasn't sure how that would work. After I saw the Alice movie, I fell in love with the Red Queen's frog butlers and thought they would be perfect attendants for the cat! So, here is the sketch that I will work with to build the armature. The two frogs will be at each end but I did a forward facing sketch to allow me to get the sizing and shape right once i start sculpting.



Stay tuned for Step 2. I am hoping to get going on the armature early next week.
In the meantime, here is a teeny sneak peek at the Mad Hatter piece that I am finishing up for the Spookytime Jingles update. This little friend will be sitting on his head.

Presenting Puss in Boots!

It seems like it has taken me forever to finish this gleeful kitty! I think I posted a photo of him unpainted weeks ago. Anyway, it's a happy Friday because he is live and in color now! I think that his ear to ear grin purrfectly illustrates my feeling about this warm, breezy spring weather.

So, without further adieu, meet Puss in Boots! (I was intending to save him for the Pfatt Marketplace update on the 10th, but haven't decided for sure yet...will keep you posted.)





And here is my REAL Puss in Boots. Rooney is our exquisitely handsome orange tabby boy. Love you, Rooney!!