Thursday, March 28, 2024
animal artworkblack catscat artworkmarketplaceSampler Box

Our October Sampler Box is Ready!

No felines, just the contents.
No felines, just the contents.

Because my October Feline Sampler Box is, of course, full of black cats and Halloween cards as well as autumn artwork, and I missed posting all of last week, I wanted to get this to you as soon as possible so you could receive the contents before Halloween! And if you’re reading this later, you can also sign up for my November 2016 Sampler Box, or whatever box is coming up next—either one will have just as many prints, cards and a gift item, and just as much variety of color, subject, medium and style. Details below!

PS: The black cats are not included, but I’m sure you can adopt your very own at your local shelter!

Contents

Click the photo to see an enlarged version.

I choose contents to give you the most variety in each item. I take into account not only item but style, medium, size, subject,—even a particular feline subject, color or coat pattern, or a particular anniversary with one of my feline family—as well as season, holiday, color palette and the message it sends, as with greeting cards. You’ll see a good sample of not only my work but also the beauty and inspiration of felines so that, whether you keep the contents for yourself or give them as gifts or donations, you’ll find something that fits nearly every occasion.

Below the list of contents you can read more about each of the items and why I chose them for this Sampler Box, and a link to the item on Portraits of Animals.

SELECTED PRINTS

Featured print: “Studio Window, Autumn”, watercolor, 5.5” x 8.5”, matted for 11” x 14” frame

Counter print: “Kennedy”, charcoal and pastel on toned paper, 5” x 7”

SELECTED GREETING CARDS

GIFT ITEM

Keepsake Box, “The Eye Model”, 4” x 4” round keepsake box

About the contents

Featured Print: “Studio Window, Autumn

watercolor of black cat on windowsill
“Studio Window, Autumn”, 5.5″ x 8.5″, watercolor © Bernadette E. Kazmarski

I’m so excited to offer an image that is so dear to me—one of my cats on my studio windowsill. All the years I’ve been here I’ve loved my time in my studio, which was also once my foster room. I often remark how my cats enjoy spending time with me in my studio because they sense my own enjoyment of what I’m doing, and for frightened fosters not only can they sense that but I’m also in a typically non-verbal space, something they and all cats find very comfortable. Sharing my non-verbal self with animals, especially cats, has been one of my lifelong joys, and often a great comfort. My memories of cats sharing my studio with my felines, especially seeing them enjoy the view out the window, are very special. So for all those reasons I’m so happy to share this painting for the month of October. Featured Print: “Studio Window, Autumn” to read more about this painting.

The art is 5.5” x 8.5” and I’ve matted it with a pure white mat to fit into an 8” x 10” frame.

You can also find “Autumn Afternoon Bed” in my gallery of feline artwork.

Counter print: “Kennedy

sketch of black cat
“Kennedy”, white and black charcoal on gray toned paper, 5″ x 8″ © Bernadette E. Kazmarski

October is the month we celebrate feral cats, and Feral Cat Day is October 16. I Chose Kennedy to represent the plight of homeless, stray, abandoned and feral cats. Kennedy was found dehydrated and malnourished, having seizures in the street on a hot summer afternoon. He showed signs of badly healed head and body trauma and lived with me for just six weeks, but made the best of every second of that time, befriending my household and becoming a permanent member in that short time. VisitKennedyto read more about this remarkable rescued cat.

Greeting and Note Cards

The sympathy card for this month, “Mr. Sunshine’s Eyes”, really because he’s a black cat, and even in sympathy cards this is the month for black cats.

The art card is “Happy Meow-lo-ween”, for obvious reasons, and I also included two more Halloween designs as the photo cards, “Enter: Three WITCHES” and “Madame Mewsette“.

I broke with tradition and added a couple of holiday cards just to get the season started: “Cookie’s Holiday Cheer” and “Can We Get That Thing?

This month’s non-feline card is a 4″ x 6″ notecard “The Bench” from the “My Home Town” collection, a small pastel painting of a bench in autumn on the hill leading up to the library.

GIFT ITEM: Keepsake Box, “The Eye Model”, 4” x 4” round keepsake box

This photo has long been one of my favorites, taken in my studio where the lighting was good and Giuseppe was getting drowsy supervising me, hence the bedroom eyes.

Use for storage for small items, photos or special keepsakes, or use as gift boxes.

I choose a variety of papier mâché boxes from the craft store, envisioning the art I’ll print and decoupage to it and the colors I’ll paint it, and spend a few days creating and embellishing, under feline supervision, of course.

I use soy-based acrylic paints and print my artwork on matte-finish sticker paper with archival waterproof inks and adhere the print to the box. I will occasionally add a varnish as a finish, Box insides are unpainted and unfinished.

Packaging the Sampler Box

Three Orange Cats wrapping paper.
Three Orange Cats wrapping paper.

The packaging is another portion of what comes in the box: wrapping paper, of a sort! Usually I use sheets of my art paper which are heavy enough to withstand a little taping, and that gives you two 11” x 17” sheets of cat-themed wrapping paper. This month it’s another test print overall pattern of “Three Orange Cats”, a marker sketch of just that because the color works for the season. Let me know what you think of this pattern and whether or not I should have it printed and offer it for sale.

FOR YOU, FOR GIFTS, OR FOR DONATIONS

Use the prints and cards for yourself, gifts or donations to help cats. Any of the prints, whether the main print or a framed note card, can be given as a gift to a family member or friend, or as a thank you to a veterinarian or veterinary technician, pet sitter, groomer or anyone else in your life who would enjoy a cat-themed gift. They can also help other cats by being donated to online auctions or shelter and rescue events to help raise much-needed funds.

A NOTE ABOUT PACKAGING

I use as many environmentally friendly and fully non-toxic materials as possible in my packaging so I use as much recyclable paper as possible, which includes the glassine bag holding your cards. However, on the chance that you may donate or give one of your prints as gift, they are packed in a clear print bag or cellophane wrap depending on their size, and this is not recyclable but you may be able to reuse it.. I both recycle any packaging I get that is clean and reusable, and use as many recyclable materials as possible. Read more here.

The day was too windy to photograph outside, and when we came in Mimi wasn’t interested in participating in an indoor photo. I’ll have to remember that. But her children and even our fosters were thrilled!

Mr. Sunshine and Jelly Bean present the October Feline Sampler Box.
Mr. Sunshine and Jelly Bean present the October Feline Sampler Box.

Here’s a gallery of how much they enjoyed participating! First, Mr. Sunshine thought he should be right in the middle and would not move. Then Jelly Bean joined him, then Hamlet, ultimately Bella and Giuseppe did as well as you see above, and even the gray kitty Ophelia crashed the black cat party!

Reviews

Read a review of my May Sampler Box from Melissa Lapierre of Melissa’s Mocha’s, Mysteries and Meows! Of course, my house panthers are all lying around here like, “of course!” http://www.mochasmysteriesmeows.com/2016/07/fun-feline-finds-creative-cat-sampler.html

Read a review of my May Sampler Box from Ingrid King of The Conscious Cat! Yes, they are still applauding themselves! http://portraitsofanimals.net/sampler-box-review-ingrid-king-conscious-cat/

Ophelia crashes the party.
Ophelia crashes the party.

Order your own Sampler Box

I’m offering a sampler box with a single box or a three month box subscription to each of the lists—visit this page to read about it and sign up for your box or sign up below. Each box will include the following items in a design appropriate to the audience, cats, nature, or specialty animal professionals or wholesale:

  • a 5″ x 7″ or 8” x 10” print matted and ready to frame OR a small framed print, either an existing piece of artwork or a new one
  • an alternate print of any size, unmatted, different from the main print in media, style, subject, etc.
  • several greeting cards: a sympathy card, feline art card, feline photo card, non-feline greeting card and two or more note cards, current designs and new designs
  • a handmade or other gift item—a small keepsake box or a little art sampler book, a polymer clay or ceramic item, screen-printed dishtowel, tote bag, crocheted item or rubber stamp, new art paper, for instance
  • the “boxes” are not boxes at all because they vary so much in content so they are carefully wrapped with wrapping paper made from my designs that you can reuse

As mentioned above, these can be things your use for yourself or give as gifts or donation items to shelter or rescue or other fundraisers. Sometimes they’ll be little experiments and I’ll be asking for feedback. I’ll be happy that you get to see art you may have never noticed, and little handmade goods that work so much better in your hands than a photo on your computer.

[ss_product id=’c101d8ee-df8b-11e5-ba6a-0cc47a075d76′ ]Sampler Boxes[/ss_product]

Find other Halloween merchandise.

Browse other Halloween cards.

Read about other Feline Sampler Boxes on Portraits of Animals.

See other feline artwork in My Cats gallery and in Feline Artwork gallery.


Marketplace

Sunshine says, "Don't believe what she says."
Sunshine says, “Don’t believe what she says.”

Mr. Sunshine says, “Don’t believe a word she says!”

Take a look at other new merchandise and featured artwork.

Marketplace is a feature on The Creative Cat to share the latest coming out of my studio with my readers. Once a week on Thursday I feature something new in my “shop” .

Read about creating custom items

Find out more about creating custom items for your own home using the images you see here. Visit the “Ordering Custom Art” page to see samples and read bout how to order.

Find out about events and festivals where you can find me and my work.

Sign up for my e-newsletter (below), check the widget on the sidebar on my home page, or sign up to receive posts on Portraits of Animals Marketplace. I plan on plenty of events this coming summer in the Pittsburgh area.

It’s all done under the close and careful supervision of my studio cats!

Subscribe to my e-newsletter

Subscribe to The Creative Cat Preview E-newsletter.


Browse some rescued cats and kittens!




Copyright

All images and text used on this site are copyrighted to Bernadette E. Kazmarski unless otherwise noted and may not be used without my written permission, although links to your site are more than welcome and are shared. Please ask if you are interested in using and image or story in a print or internet publication. If you are interested in purchasing a print of an image or a product including it, check my animal and nature website Portraits of Animals to see if I have it available already. If you don’t find it there, visit Ordering Custom Artwork for more information on a custom greeting card, print or other item.


Subscribe to my e-newsletter

Subscribe to The Creative Cat Preview E-newsletter.


© 2022 | www.TheCreativeCat.net | Published by Bernadette E. Kazmarski

Weekly schedule of features:

Sunday: Essays, Pet Loss, Poetry, The Artist’s Life

Monday: Adoptable Cats, TNR & Shelters

Tuesday: Rescue Stories

Wednesday: Commissioned Portrait or Featured Artwork

Thursday: New Merchandise

Friday: Book Review, Health and Welfare, Advocacy

Saturday: Your Backyard Wildlife Habitat, Living Green With Pets, Creating With Cats

And sometimes, I just throw my hands in the air and have fun!

 
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© 2016 | www.TheCreativeCat.net | Published by Bernadette E. Kazmarski

Weekly schedule of features:
Sunday: Essays, Pet Loss, Poetry, The Artist’s Life
Monday: Adoptable Cats, TNR & Shelters
Tuesday: Rescue Stories
Wednesday: Commissioned Portrait or Featured Artwork
Thursday: New Merchandise
Friday: Book Review, Health and Welfare, Advocacy
Saturday: Your Backyard Wildlife Habitat, Living Green With Pets, Creating With Cats
And sometimes, I just throw my hands in the air and have fun!

PORTRAITS OF ANIMALS WEBSITE
FACEBOOK | TWITTER | LINKEDIN | PINTEREST | TUMBLR | STUMBLEUPON | GOOGLE+ | EMAIL

HOME


Friendship Friday.
Friendship Friday.

Bernadette

From health and welfare to rescue and adoption stories, advocacy and art, factual articles and fictional stories, "The Creative Cat" offers both visual and verbal education and entertainment about cats for people who love cats, pets and animals of all species.

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