Monday, March 18, 2024
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Valentine Cards and Gifts, and Seasonal Discounts

linocuts of tortoiseshell cats
“Tortie Girls in Black and Red” Set of two framed prints.

Cards and gifts for cat lovers and lovers with cats 10% off in my Etsy shop now through Valentine’s Day! Use the coupon code VALENTINE10 when shopping in my Etsy shop.

A Special Couple…

Tortie Girls in Red and Black

A set of hand printed linoleum block prints featuring my tortoiseshell girls, matted and framed and ready to hang.

“The Goddess”
Well, everyone knows a fat cat who knows she’s beautiful, and Cookie would tell you that a woman with a round shape was once most desirable and an object of worship. That’s why I call her “The Goddess”.

“The Roundest Eyes”
Sometimes when I look at Kelly the only feature I can distinguish in all those tortie markings is her extremely round eyes.

Unlike other versions of this print in my Etsy shop and on my website which are usually hand-tinted with the orange and yellow of tortoiseshell cats, I have left this in black only for that lovely effective contrast of black ink on white rice paper. Image is 8″ x 12″, with my favorite rich red acid-free mat and a solid wood black matte-finish 12″ x 16″ frame. Read a little more about the print and the girls here on The Creative Cat or find it in my Etsy shop.


A Special Print

"Awakening" linoleum block print, matted in rich red and framed in a matte black frame.
“Awakening” linoleum block print, matted in rich red and framed in a matte black frame.

“Awakening”

“Awakening” is a linoleum block print, 16″ in diameter, printed in water-based ink on handmade white rice paper. For Valentine’s Day I’m offering a print matted with a rich red mat to encircle your feline loves.

Mat is an acid-free rich red, my favorite shade to coordinate with plain black and white block prints; not too bright, not too dull. I cut the circular mat myself in my studio; the narrowest portion of the mat is 1.5″. The frame is a 1″ wide plain black matte-finish wood. The final framed size is 21″ x 21″. You can read about this print here on The Creative Cat or in my Etsy shop .


Keepsake Boxes

maiche keepsake box with cat
“Peaches and Peonies” 8″ x 8″ keepsake box.

Peaches and Peonies Keepsake Box 8×8

A papier-mâché box hand-painted in rich vibrant violet with a print of my painting “Peaches and Peonies” decoupaged to the lid, measuring 8″ x 8″ x 4″.

Use to give a special gift, or as the gift itself for storage for small items, photos or special keepsakes.

I choose a color that coordinates with the artwork and paint each box, then print my artwork on acid-free matte-finish paper with archival waterproof inks and adhere the print to the lid and finish the bottom and lid of the box with matte-finish Modge Podge. Box insides are unfinished.

The boxes are handmade and may vary slightly in size and shape or have slight imperfections.

ABOUT THE ARTWORK

Peaches came to my home at age 15, and despite my efforts to place her in a new home, she ended up staying with me. She chose this spot to have her after-dinner bath every day for a few weeks when the sun was just right and inspired a classic still life—with cat.

handmade keepsake boxes, shabby chic, cats
“Victoriana Cats” keepsakes boxes, set of 3

Victoriana Cats Keepsake Box Set of Three

Papier-mâché boxes hand-painted in black and crackle-finish gold and cream with prints of three photos decoupaged to the lid from my “Victoriana Cats” set. Lid and bottom are finished with matte-finish Modge Podge. Boxes measure 5″ x 7″, 6″x4″ and 5″x3″ and the tallest is 3″ high. Use for storage for small items, photos or special keepsakes, or use as gift boxes.

Read about the artwork and the coordinating set of greeting cards in my Etsy shop.


Full set, smaller sets and individuals of hand-printed Valentines
Full set, smaller sets and individuals of hand-printed Valentines

Valentine Note Cards and Greeting Cards

This year I’m offering a limited number of these unique hand-printed Valentine note cards patterned on those familiar conversation hearts. Hand-printed linoleum block print cards printed in magenta on pink, violet, magenta and red card stock, embellished with magenta or purple stamp ink, are just saturated with color for Valentine’s Day!

This set of 4-1/4″ x 5-1/2″ note cards features two designs combining my hand-cut block prints with commercial rubber stamps on smooth uncoated 70 lb. cover stock. I offer them as singles and in sets of four, six or eight with matching or coordinating envelopes.

valentine greeting card with cats
“Heart Cats” Valentine Card

Valentine Greeting Cards

I also offer six 5″ x 7″ greeting card designs, several of which can also be used as everyday greeting cards for friendship, thinking of you, even sympathy. Each card comes with your choice of red or white 70 lb. acid-free laser-compatible envelope.

Purchase cards:

  • individually
  • in half dozen packages of the same design
  • an assortment including one each of all six
  • your own custom selection.

And don’t forget to ask about bulk wholesale purchases for resale or to veterinary professionals. Follow the links to read about each design on The Creative Cat, then you can find the cards you want in my Etsy shop.


2013 Calendars 25% Off

image of cat calendars
Desk and journal calendars for 2013, “In the Kitchen with Cookie” and “Compositions in Green and Black”

This discount applies only to purchases from The Creative Cat, details below.

Love black cats? Need a little more tortie in your life? I still have calendars available for 2013, and now they are 25% off!

One design features Cookie and the other features the Fantastic Five. I designed them using photos you’ve seen on The Creative Cat in a compact size that won’t take up too much space on your wall or your desk.

You can read about them, including a few reviews and comments from recipients, on The Creative Cat, flip through the pages in a virtual bookflip slideshow and purchase right on that page.

Discounted price

For the 25% discount, please purchase using the PayPal “buy now” button on my Calendars page which will automatically give you a 25% discounted price of $7.50 for each calendar. On Etsy the calendars are still $10.00. Etsy permits only one coupon code per purchase, and it applies to the entire purchase. You can use your VALENTINE10 code on Etsy to get a 10% discount on a calendar purchase there. Sorry—I know it’s confusing but each of these selling places has their rules…

Complimentary products to coordinate with your calendarsI’ve been working on decorative and useful items incorporating the images used in both calendars—these are the first of many as I find which images are most popular and test products like coasters, hotpads and trivets.

Cookie in the Kitchen

wood-mounted print of cat
“Cookie in the Pasta Bowl” 6″ x 6″ print mounted on wood.

Cookie in the Pasta Bowl 6×6 Wood Mount Photo

The 6″ x 6″ block, originally intended for painting, is a 1/8″ birch wood panel “cradled” with 1.5″ x 1.5″ pine wood added to the back for strength and stability and, incidentally, ease of hanging. And because they have wide sides the smaller ones can even stand up on a tabletop or shelf. I’ve painted the sides black and mounted a print edge to edge on the top surface, then covered it with acrylic finish.

ABOUT THE ARTWORK

Good thing I checked the bowl before I filled it with the mellowed fresh tomatoes and balsamic vinaigrette!

I warmed my big round pasta bowl in the over, then set it on the counter while I ran outside to get a couple branches of basil to finish off my dinner, maybe ten seconds, and when I returned Cookie was just settling into the bowl as if she’d been in it all day. I tossed the basil in with her and grabbed my camera for a straight-on shot (below) then stepped up Cookie’s footstool for the above shot. Amazing how cats can fit themselves comfortably into just about anything, but this is a natural.

You can see the original photo and read the rest of the story on The Creative Cat.

print of tortoiseshell cat with parsley
“Cookie Parsley Eyes” 6″ x 6″ Wood Mount Photo

Cookie Parsley Eyes 6×6 Wood Mount Photo

The 6″ x 6″ block, originally intended for painting, is a 1/8″ birch wood panel “cradled” with 1.5″ x 1.5″ pine wood added to the back for strength and stability and, incidentally, ease of hanging. And because they have wide sides the smaller ones can even stand up on a tabletop or shelf. I’ve painted the sides black and mounted a print edge to edge on the top surface, then covered it with acrylic finish.

Though this photo isn’t in the calendar, I always associate it with Cookie and me in the kitchen, and will be featured in the future.

ABOUT THE ARTWORK

You can see the original photo and read the rest of the story on The Creative Cat.

This photo won a Certificate of Excellence for Single Color Photograph in the 2012 Cat Writers’ Association Communications Contest.


Compositions in Black and Green

keepsake boxes with black cats
Compositions in Black and Green keepsake box set

Compositions in Black and Green Keepsake Box Set

Who knew that vintage mint green sink would photograph in such a rich tone, especially when filled with a black cat? From the time I installed the new bathroom, the black cats owned it and the contrast of their black fur with the mint green fixtures and white walls and floor has been stunning and created some of the most favorite photos in my cat collection.

Papier-mâché boxes hand-painted in black and mint green with prints of three photos decoupaged to the lid. Lid and bottom are finished with matte-finish Modge Podge. Boxes measure 5″ x 7″, 6″ x 4″ and 5″ x 3″ and the tallest is 3″ high. Only one is available!

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

Black was a natural trim color for “Compositions in Black and Green”, and while I avoid mixing colors because they are difficult to repeat later I mixed the shade of green to work coordinate with the famous mint green sink. I paint each box, then print my artwork on acid-free matte-finish paper with archival waterproof inks and adhere the print to the lid. I finish the bottom and lid of the box with matte-finish Modge Podge. Box insides are unfinished.

The boxes are handmade and may vary slightly in size and shape or have slight imperfections.

"Compositions in Black and Green" greeting card set.
“Compositions in Black and Green” greeting card set.

Compositions in Black and Green Greeting Cards

These tonal composition cards are 5″ x 7″, blank inside and printed on 12 pt. card stock with matching pure white envelopes and packed in a clear-top white cardboard greeting card box. Cards are blank inside but can be customized with your message with a minimum order of four dozen. On the back is the story of each photo.

The set includes two familiar images, but really focuses on one kitty—Jelly Bean! “God, I’m Cute” pictures Jelly Bean admiring himself in the mirror long offered as a greeting card, and “Drink Straight From the Tap” shows the Fantastic Four all drinking from the sink faucet at the same time. The new designs are “Composition in Green and Black”, offered by request but one of my favorite atmospheric images of Jelly Bean dozing in the sun on the edge of the sink, and “Toe Cleaning in Green and Black”, the Bean once again in a close-up capture of activity with the mint green sink reflecting on Bean’s black fur and paws.

"God, I'm Cute" 5" x 7" wood-mounted print
“God, I’m Cute” 5″ x 7″ wood-mounted print

“God, I’m Cute” Wood-mounted Print

The 5″ x 7″ block, originally intended for painting, is a 1/8″ birch wood panel “cradled” with a 1″ canvas stretcher added to the back for strength and stability and, incidentally, ease of hanging. I’ve painted the sides black and mounted a print edge to edge on the top surface, then covered it with acrylic finish.

ABOUT THE ARTWORK

That’s my Jelly Bean demonstrating his most absolute cuteness in the mirror.

“Mirror, mirror on the sink

I’m the handsomest kitty, I think!”

Perhaps instead he’s practicing his most seductive expression in the mirror.

Jelly Bean is about as cute as cute can be and he knows how to use it. Moreso than any of the other Big Four, Jelly Bean was always the cutest, it’s just part of his nature, and now that he’s maturing he’s also developing those feline-seductive “bedroom eyes”, the squinty, blinky look that makes them impossible to resist.


 

Select Christmas Cards by the Dozen 50% off until January 31!

"Unexpected Berries" set of 4 holiday cards.
“Unexpected Berries” set of 4 holiday cards.
"An Old Memory" Christmas Card
“An Old Memory” Christmas Card
"Winter Birds" paintings holiday cards
“Winter Birds” paintings holiday cards
"Star of Wonder" holiday card.
“Star of Wonder” holiday card.

Stock up now with these four and more—and give me less to store away for the next eight months! Order holiday cards at a discount for personal use or for your professional practice featuring not only my cats and feline-inspired images but also other pets, natural scenes, winter scenes and backyard birds; honestly, winter is my favorite season for art and photography. All cards are designed from my photographs and paintings. Browse the selection of Holiday cards in my Etsy shop.

Note on ordering discount holiday cards…

Please order holiday cards separately if you are going to use your 10% discount—they are already marked 50% off the original price. Customized messages inside the card are not available for this sale.


Thank you for purchasing

black cat in white box
Mimi finds the white box fit her just right.

Mimi keeps me in line to make sure I get the merchandise completed on time!

Inspired by cats you know!
Everything I make features the cats you read about each day on The Creative Cat.

It’s my pleasure to share my cats and my creative life with my readers, and to know that what I make is part of your home, or a gift for someone special.

Use your discount code “VALENTINE10” when shopping in my Etsy shop. If you have any questions, please send me an e-mail at [email protected].

And if you’d like to see what’s new before I post it here on The Creative Cat, don’t forget to sign up for my monthly (more or less) e-newsletter below.


Inspired by felines you know!

Click on the banner below to visit Portraits of Animals on Etsy for more of my designs inspired by the cats you read about each day.

Inspired by felines you know! Visit Portraits of Animals on Etsy!

 


 


All images used on this site are copyrighted to Bernadette E. Kazmarski unless otherwise noted and may not be used without my written permission. Please ask if you are interested in using one in a print or internet publication. If you are interested in purchasing a print of this image or a product including this image, check my Etsy shop or Fine Art America profile 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.

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.

2 thoughts on “Valentine Cards and Gifts, and Seasonal Discounts

  • Such beautiful pieces!!! You do wonderful work.

    …we’re still giggling over your comment on our Brady post today!
    : ) Katie & Glogirly

    Reply
    • I’m just sayin’, Katie…and thanks for the compliments!

      Reply

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