Discounts For You, Clean Studio For Me
Part of what’s been keeping me preoccupied the past two months has been developing and building my new e-commerce website and working on my new products and programs to go along with the new site. When it’s done I’ll be selling everything in one place rather than on Etsy and pages on The Creative Cat and on my old website which is confusing for you and me and hard to track.
I’ll also be selling new and different merchandise in addition to what I already offer and that’s even more exciting than finally having the website I’ve been dreaming of for the past five years or so. I’d started out 2015 working out some new handmade products and planning to add screen printing and new block prints and tote bags and apparel and housewares a bigger variety of greeting cards and…I found I didn’t have enough space to follow through with any of those new plans. Just storing the materials for the projects—inks, papers, fabrics, printing presses and screens and other equipment—encroached so far into my work space in my studio that I can only work on one project at a time, and I’d never get anything done. In fact, I haven’t been getting a whole lot of things done. And I have very little space to store finished handmade items until they sell.
I also found I’ve got a heck of a lot of art here from daily sketches to big finished works, and while it’s all accounted for I need a better system for presenting, marketing and selling it along with just better physical space to store it here and be able to move it in and out more easily—for instance, all the art you’ve seen me post that’s at The Outlet Barn has to come home on Christmas Eve if it isn’t sold because they close between Christmas Eve and Easter. In other places I need to circulate items that haven’t sold with new items. I also need to be able to digitally archive all the work in one place so that I can make selections of what will appear on which products. And it’s really hard to make new artwork when what I already have on hand has taken up most of the storage space I have for original art.
It’s all been moving more slowly than I’d hoped, but at least it’s moving. Finally, in January, I’ll have two new things to be able to carry out my plans. First, I’ll have the new website to be able to display all my art and merchandise in one place in posts that won’t expire unexpectedly or be impossible to find. Second, I will have a portion of my tiny basement set up for activities that work better in that space such as block and screen printing, heat setting inks on fabrics for apparel and accessories, and a much safer place to be able to do things like batik or hand-dyeing. This will enable me to actually do these things, and at the same time work on portraits and framing and other projects in my studio upstairs.
YAAAYYYY!!!!! New website, new workspace, I’m moving up!
Discounts for you through the end of the year
So I’m hoping to sell a few more things through the end of the year to open up even more space so it’s easier to organize everything. And honestly, it doesn’t hurt to have as much cash on hand as possible while I’m spending hours working on this and purchasing new items for creating and for storage.
I have several discount codes that you can use on Etsy, here on The Creative Cat and in the Marketplace on my old website. You can only use one code in Etsy’s checkout, but you can combine codes in other places. However, while Etsy can deduct the amount at the checkout, discounts on my other sites will be refunds. These savings also applies to Portrait Certificates and Gift Certificates.
HOLIDAYCARDS50 = 50% off all holiday cards
Start stocking up on next year’s cards now! Some designs may have a limited quantity but most have at least two dozen in stock. And the way Etsy works, it applies to all cards in the shop.
ORIGINALART25 = 25% off all original art
If you’ve ever wanted to purchase an original, whether a daily sketch or one of my larger pieces, 25% off adds up much more quickly when it’s on a higher-priced item. Originals start at $50.00 each.
DECEMBER20 = 20% off your entire order
20% off everything in your cart. You can’t combine this one with others, If you want to use two discounts on Etsy, please message me.
FREESHIPPING = just that, no shipping, no matter what or where it goes
Yes, even overseas, though it might take a while. Typically I use Priority Mail when I ship, but I may use parcel post or first class for shipping, but everything gets there eventually.
Sites to visit
You’ll find most of what I have right now in my Etsy shop, but there is some art that’s not listed there, and here and there on this site I’ve posted items with Paypal buttons, mostly on my pages under “Animal-inspired Artwork & Merchandise”. The new site, before I change it over to the actual e-commerce site, has a few things on it too.
Etsy = www.etsy.com/shop/PortraitsOfAnimals
Marketplace = www.bernadette-k.com/marketplace/marketplace.html
Portraits of Animals = www.portraitsofanimals.net
Contact me with questions
You can use an Etsy conversation or an email to bernadette @ bernadette-k (dot) com if you have questions about a product or price, or can’t find something you’re looking for.
Things you’ll find in my Etsy shop
Above, CAT GIFT ITEMS: keepsake boxes, mouse pads, wood-mounted art, garden flags, hand-printed textiles and more that isn’t even pictured here.
Because most of the feline-themed things I make and sell are based on my own feline family through the years, I owe them quite a bit for all that inspiration and assistance. I do my best to keep them happy, healthy and entertained, and you see the rewards every day here on The Creative Cat.
Below, CAT ART AND PRINTS: My Etsy cat art and prints gallery contains everything from large original paintings, original daily sketches and a variety of prints on paper and canvas—check within each listing to see what is available for each image .
Over this weekend devoted to holiday bargains, choose from original art and prints, gift items, greeting cards and gift certificates.
Below, CAT GREETING CARDS: Feline Art Cards, Animal Sympathy Cards, Valentines, Halloween Cards, Christmas and Winter Holiday Cards, all-purpose greeting cards and small note cards, commercially printed or hand-printed, all sold individually or in sets.
Because one day just isn’t enough to enjoy a sale like this, the coupon code is good through midnight on Friday, October 31, so you can hand out your Halloween candy and still get a great deal on art or gift items you may have been considering for a while, or start your holiday shopping now and look for items you’d like to give as a gift.
Below, SHOP FRONT PAGE: I add and renew items each day, so things change frequently, and don’t forget to browse my other galleries of dogs, wildlife and landscapes, florals, waterscapes and more.
Browse my WILDLIFE ARTWORK. The same coupon code applies all through my shop.
If you’d like to look at more things than cats and other animals, I also have LANDSCAPES AND STILL LIFES. The same coupon code applies all through my shop.
And because Etsy coupons can’t be limited to a certain item or group of items, they apply to the entire shop, and you can purchase non-feline art and merchandise as well—though my fine felines don’t understand why you’d want to do that! I also have canine art, wildlife art, and landscape paintings and gift items.
Holiday Cheer for Rescued Cats
Take advantage of this holiday season’s “Holiday Cheer for Rescued Cats” opportunity where I’ll reward you with a gift certificate for your donation to the organizations listed, and local business owners who are friends of mine are also offering a chance at a gift certificate in their shop for a donation of food or goods all through the month of December.
Marketplace
Mimi sits on my lap to supervise me trimming her silhouette from a piece of black paper for Curving Silhouette.
Take a look at other new merchandise and featured artwork.
Once a week on Thursday I feature something new in my “shop”, whether that’s here on The Creative Cat, in my Etsy shop, on my main website or even at one of the bricks and mortar shops that carry my work.
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.
Donations
I designate four portrait certificates each year for donation to benefit animals, and also donate merchandise, prints of artwork and even originals to rescue and shelter benefits. If you are interested in a donation for your event, please email me with the details of your event and your organization.
