Brrr - Cat Lovers Christmas Challenge

Hello, everybody! Before I get started, I would like to welcome my newest follower - Barb Finnical - thank you so much for joining me!

All month I have been taking part in the Cat Lovers Christmas Challenge at Christmas Kickstart, and sadly the challenge will end on October 31.  You still have time to join the fun and inspiration, so head over and check it out!  You will remember that this challenge has been organized to honour Janis Woolbright from Her Peaceful Garden, who hosted the annual Cat Lovers Hop and who sadly passed away in January 2023.  RIP, Janis, I know you would have enjoyed this month so much!

Today's card was also inspired by Let's Play Tic-Tac-Toe with Gail, which is Day 8 of the challenge. Gail has put together a fun tic-tac-toe board featuring some of Janis's cards to inspire us.  For this card, I chose the diagonal line of Die-cut, Tag, and Stamp. Please scroll down to see Gail's inspirational game board.

This adorable kitten is from Newton's Nook (one of the challenge's generous sponsors), and this is my first time inking it up.  The set is called A Kitten Christmas.  I had fun colouring this kitty with markers, and then I added some sparkle to her hat with Star Dust Stickles.  I fussy-cut the kitten so I could pop her up on foam tape.  The Brrr sentiment is also from Newton's Nook, from the Snowflake Roundabout stamp set.

Nearly all items for this card were snippets/scraps/leftovers:  the patterned paper, the sparkly red bow, the torn white landscape, and the embossed blue tag.  Even the snowflake gems were left out on my desk as I had intended to use them on my previous card.  Sorry I didn't take a photo of the snippets before adhering everything, totally forgot.

Other products used:

Dies: Die-cuts were leftovers but I looked up the brands:  STAMPlorations Tags 1 Nesting Dies CUTplorations (tag), Paper Smooches Wise Dies - Bows (bow)  
Embossing folder: Tag was already embossed but it's Die'sire Embossalicious Let it Snow
Patterned paper:  Lawn Fawn scraps 
Snowflake gems:  My old Dollarama stash

Here's Gail's Tic-Tac-Toe board of Janis's inspiration cards. Hop over to Day 8 to get a closer look:

I would like to join the following challenges, for a total of 10:
ABC Christmas U for Use it Up (scraps and leftovers described above) UE

Allsorts 752 Embossing Heat or Dry 1/3

Cat Lovers Christmas Challenge - Christmas Kickstart October Cats 6/6 C10
Cat Lovers Challenge Day 8 Let's Play Tic-Tac-Toe with Gail (die-cut, tag, stamp) 3/3

Creative Fingers 264 AG 1/3
Die-Cut Divas Layering Die, or Layer a Die-cut on another Die-cut (bow on tag) 3/4
DL.ART October Linky AG UE
Pixie's Snippet Playground 466  Snippets as described above 1E C10
Show Us Your Pussycats October Furrything Goes UE
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday AG 1/5

Janis enjoyed making everyone smile by sharing cat memes/cartoons, so here are a few more for you. Enjoy!

Thank you for being here and for looking at everything I shared today. Wishing you a wonderful day with many blessings!

Whiskers in Wonderland - Cat Lovers Christmas Challenge

Hi, everyone!  Before I get started, I would like to welcome my two newest followers - Jeanne H and Glenda Rieck - thank you so much for joining me!

I continue to be inspired by all of the adorable kitty cards over at the Cat Lovers Christmas Challenge at Christmas Kickstart!  I hope you've had a chance to look at the gallery of kitties!  I think you'll be inspired too!   You will remember that this challenge has been organized to honour Janis Woolbright from Her Peaceful Garden, who hosted the annual Cat Lovers Hop and who sadly passed away in January 2023. 

Today's card was also inspired by Let's Play Tic-Tac-Toe with Gail, which is Day 8 of the challenge.  Gail has put together a fun tic-tac-toe board featuring some of Janis's cards to inspire us, and it worked because I have been inspired by Janis's cards and techniques!  Scroll down to see the game board!  This time I chose the diagonal line of  Die-cut, Tag, and Stamp.

This cute kitty is a stamp I don't own, but the stamped image was sent to me by a sweet friend (thank you so much - you know who you are!). The maker is AALL & Create, and from a Google search I found the name of the stamp is Whiskers in Wonderland, so cute! You can see I fussy-cut the stamped sentiment for my card!

I was excited to colour the image with markers and then fussy-cut so I could pop him up on foam tape. I added a few highlights with a white paint marker.  I tore a scrap of white paper for the snowy landscape and then again to fit the tag.  The tag die-cut was longer but I trimmed it to fit my card and embossed it with a snowflakd pattern.  I added a sparkly red die-cut bow to the tag, as well as a sparkly red scalloped die-cut  scrap that I found when I was looking for the bow.  A few punched snowflakes finished it off!

Other products used:

Dies: STAMPlorations Tags 1 Nesting Dies CUTplorations (tag), Alina Craft Designed by Alason Set of 7 Bows (bow)
Embossing folder: Die'sire Embossalicious Let it Snow

Patterned paper:  Whimsy Stamps Blurry Flurries

Punch: Small snowflake punch 

Here's Gail's Tic-Tac-Toe board of Janis's inspiration cards. Hop over to Day 8 to get a closer look:

I would like to join the following challenges, for a total of 10:

Christmas Kickstart - Cat Lovers Christmas Challenge October Christmas Cats 5/6 C10
Cat Lovers Challenge Day 8 Let's Play Tic-Tac-Toe with Gail (die-cut, tag, stamp) 2/3
Creative Moments 251 It's Alive 2/3
Die-Cut Divas Layering Die, or Layer a Die-cut on another Die-cut 2/4
Jan's Digi Stamps October AG 5/5
Pattie's Creations 211 AG 2/3
Polkadoodles 40 AG 2/4
Show Us Your Pussycats October Furrything Goes UE
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Christmas 2/5
Word Art Wednesday 617-618 AG w Uplifting Sentiment 2/5 wk 1

Janis enjoyed making everyone smile by sharing cat memes/cartoons, so here are a couple for you.  Enjoy!

By the way, yesterday was Day 10 of the Cat Lovers Christmas Challenge and it features a fun Christmas kitty word search.  Head over there to get a closer look, and have fun!  We love word searches at our house!  They are great for a brain workout!

Thank you for being here and for looking at everything I shared today. Wishing you a wonderful weekend with many blessings!

 

Cat Lovers Christmas Challenge - Let it Snow

Hello, everybody! Yesterday was Day 8 at the Cat Lovers Christmas Challenge!  Yes, Day 8 already!  Today is Day 9, and time is flying!  

You will remember that this challenge has been organized to honour Janis Woolbright from Her Peaceful Garden, who hosted the annual Cat Lovers Hop and who sadly passed away in January 2023.  Note this is not a time for sadness; it's time for fun!  Janis would have wanted it that way!  If you love cats and Christmas, then head over and check it out!  The challenge runs until October 31.

The theme for Day 8 is Let's Play Tic-Tac-Toe with Gail, and she has put together a fun tic-tac-toe board featuring some of Janis's cards to inspire us.  It's like a challenge within the challenge, and I am excited to play along!  Scroll down to see the game board!  I chose the left-hand column of Die-cut, Glitter, and Embossing.

Here is my card:

The cute kitty is a stamp I don't own, but the stamped image was sent to me by a sweet friend (thank you so much - you know who you are!).  The maker is AALL & Create, and from a Google search I found the name of the stamp is Whiskers in Wonderland, so cute!  

This sweater kitty is all ready for the snow!  I was excited to colour the image with markers and then fussy-cut so I could pop her up on foam tape. I also added Star Dust Stickles to the white parts of kitty's hat.

 
Other products used:

Die: STAMPlorations Let it Snow Phrase Die

Embossing folder: Apple Blossom Let it Snow

Punch:  Small snowflake punch

My neon green and red glitter cardstock were scraps (aka snippets), as shown here:

Here's Gail's Tic-Tac-Toe board of Janis's inspiration cards.  Hop over to Day 8 to get a closer look:

I would like to join the following challenges, for a total of 10:
Christmas Kickstart - Cat Lovers Christmas Challenge October Christmas Cats 4/6 C10
Cat Lovers Challenge Day 8 Let's Play Tic-Tac-Toe with Gail (die-cut, glitter, embossing) 1/3
Creative Moments 251 It's Alive 1/3
Jan's Digi Stamps October AG 4/5
Pattie's Creations 211 AG 1/3
Polkadoodles 40 AG 1/4
Show Us Your Pussycats October Furrything Goes UE
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Christmas 1/5
Snippets Playground 464 Use snippets (die-cuts, punch-outs, and layering) 1E
Word Art Wednesday 617-618 AG w Uplifting Sentiment 1/5 wk 1

Janis enjoyed making everyone smile with her cat memes, so here is a cute one for you:

Thank you for looking at my card!  Wishing you a pleasant day!   

Cat Lovers Christmas Challenge - Gerda Steiner Designs

Hello, everyone!  I'm back again today with another card for the Cat Lovers Christmas Challenge, and this one features another one of today's generous sponsors, Gerda Steiner Designs!   

As mentioned earlier today, we are also remembering our dear friend Janis Woolbright from Her Peaceful Garden, who hosted the annual Cat Lovers Hop for eight years and who sadly passed away in January 2023.  You can read about my memories of Janis here.  If you have some fond memories about Janis, please leave a comment here at the Cat Lovers Christmas Challenge. Rest in peace, Janis.  

Janis would have wanted us to have some fun, and I am excited to be one of Janis' Helpful Hoppers; thank you to Jo for inviting me!  

With much joy and love in my heart, I present another card for the challenge, this one featuring Gerda Steiner Designs - Carol Kitten:

Products:

Stamps:  Gerda Steiner Designs - Carol Kitten

Patterned paper:  Forever in Time Holiday Trendz 'Tis the Season

Other:  Star Dust Stickles

I coloured the three kitties with markers and fussy-cut so I could pop them up on foam tape. I added Stickles to their hats for some sparkle.  I've been a fan of Gerda Steiner's adorable stamps and digitals for nearly 10 years!  I purchased this stamp set last year (or perhaps the year before?), and this is the first time I've inked it up.  The kitties were so much fun to colour!

Just look at these adorable sweeties from Gerda Steiner Designs - Carol Kitten!  The sentiment is part of the set, and there is also a fourth kitty and some music notes which I will save for next time.  

Thanks to Gerda Steiner Designs for sponsoring the Cat Lovers Christmas Challenge!

I would also like to join the following challenges, for a total of 10:

Cat Lovers Christmas Challenge October Christmas Cats 3/6 C10

Crafts Galore Encore 116 October AG 3/3

Gem of a Challenge 19 AG 3/3

Gerda Steiner Share Your Designs October UE

Jan's Digi Stamps October AG 3/5

Pammie's Inky Pinkies 2339 AG 3/3 C10

Penny's Paper-crafty 556 AG 1/3

Polkadoodles 39 AG 3/4

Show Us Your Pussycats October Furrything Goes UE

Word Art Wednesday 615-616 AG w Uplifting Sentiment 2/5 wk 2

Thank you for looking at my card!  Wishing you a peaceful day!  

Please note:  Hurricane Philippe is heading our way, so we may lose our power, phone, and internet. If so, I will be back as soon as possible to look at your cards.  In the meantime, stay safe, everyone!

Cat Lovers Christmas Challenge - The Old Island Stamp Company

Hello, everybody!  Have you joined the Cat Lovers Christmas Challenge yet?  It runs until October 31 so you have time to dig out those Christmas kitty stamps and dies and make a card or two (or 6)!  Make sure you head over and follow the challenge blog so you won't miss any of the fun and games this month!  

During this challenge we are remembering our dear friend Janis Woolbright from Her Peaceful Garden, who hosted the annual Cat Lovers Hop for eight years and who sadly passed away in January 2023.  You can read about my memories of Janis here.  If you have some fond memories about Janis, please leave a comment here at the Cat Lovers Christmas Challenge.  Rest in peace, Janis.  

When Jo invited me to be one of Janis' Helpful Hoppers, I was excited to do so!

This is not to be a time of sadness but a time for fond remembrance of Janis and to celebrate the joy of cats and Christmas.  Let's have fun!  With much joy and love in my heart, I present today's card, and it's a shaker!  It features one of the challenge's generous sponsors, The Old Island Stamp Company.  You can find them on their web site or their Etsy shop. They have a gorgeous selection of cat stamps - I hope you'll go take a look!  My card showcases Tall Cat:

Products used:

Stamp:  The Old Island Stamp Company - Tall Cat

Dies:  Anna Griffin Shaker Window Set, Poppystamps Prim and Proper Bow

Punches:  Snowflakes

Embossing folder:  Die'sire Embossalicious Let it Snow

Other:  Glitter cardstock, sequins, snowflake sequins, tree sequins

I purchased my stamp over 15 years ago, when I first started stamping.  The red rubber still stamps beautifully, and it's so much fun to colour and will work for any occasion. In this case, I used markers with traditional Christmas colours and then fussy-cut.  

Did you know that wood-mounted rubber stamps are making a comeback? Not only do they stamp beautifully on the first impression, but they are also a wonderful way to decorate your craft space! Some crafters change their displays with the seasons.

Thanks to The Old Island Stamp Company for sponsoring the Cat Lovers Christmas Challenge!

I would also like to join the following challenges, for a total of 10:

Cat Lovers Christmas Challenge October Christmas Cats 2/6 C10
Crafts Galore Encore 116 October AG 2/3
Die-Cut Divas Layering Die, or Layer a Die-cut on another Die-cut 1/4
Gem of a Challenge 19 AG 2/3
Jan's Digi Stamps October AG 2/5
Pammie's Inky Pinkies 2339 AG 2/3 C10
Passion for Markers 710 Spots and/or Stripes (striped cat)
Penny's Paper-crafty 556 AG 2/3
Polkadoodles 39 AG 2/4
Show Us Your Pussycats October Furrything Goes UE

Thank you for looking at my card!  Wishing you a blessed day!

Please note:  Hurricane Philippe is heading our way, so we may lose our power, phone, and internet. If so, I will be back as soon as possible to look at your cards.  In the meantime, stay safe, everyone!

Say Hello to Sweet Pea

Hi, everyone!  I'm back again to give another report for Day 4 of the Cat Lovers Christmas Challenge.  For Game #1 Jo has asked us to do a Kitty Roll Call, and it's a space for us to share a little about the cats in our lives, past or present.  (Please scroll back for my earlier post today.) 

I am excited to share that we have a new kitty!  Yes!!!  In July, Brian and I welcomed a new furbaby into our home. Say hello to Sweet Pea!  She is a 3-year-old grey tabby, and we adopted her as an adult cat from the local animal shelter.  She has been a joy in our lives ever since!  

Sweet Pea has the softest fur, and she loves to be brushed.  She is a talkative girl and trills throughout the day.  It's so cute to hear her trilling!  Her other hobbies include eating, playing with her toy mice, and sitting on her scratch pad.  She also happens to love it when I sing to her!  Finally someone who appreciates my singing voice haha!  I sing a special song to her that I made up, and she relaxes immediately.  Sweet Pea was extremely nervous when she arrived here but has settled down considerably.  She is still on alert and likes to know where we are at all times.  We don't know anything about her past, but we love her so much!

Here are some more photos of our precious Sweet Pea:

Do you have any cats?  We would love to hear about them.  Head over to Day 4 of the Cat Lovers Christmas Challenge!

Thank you for being here!  Wishing you a joy-filled day!

Rest in Peace, Honeydew

Hello, everybody.  Today is Day 4 of the Cat Lovers Christmas Challenge, and Jo has asked us to do a Kitty Roll Call - Game #1.  This was an activity at Janis's annual Cat Lovers Hop that we all enjoyed, and I am so glad that Jo has continued it!  Please go over and tell us a little about the cats in your life. You may wish to share about any kitties that you've lost since the last Cat Lovers Hop. Some of you might not have any kitties at home anymore, so we would love to read about the cats you've had in the past.

I am late sharing this sad news, but we had to say good-bye to the last of our three kitties, our sweet boy Honeydew, on May 30.  He lived a long life, 18 years and 8 months, but we wish he could have lived forever.   He loved to be brushed, cuddled, carried around, and especially enjoyed belly-rubs.  He had an outgoing personality and would curiously greet all visitors, hoping for an extra head scratch!  In later years, he became a "couch potato" who loved watching TV, preferably shows about birds, mice, and squirrels.  Aside from being a good eater, he also enjoyed his catnip and Laxatone.

After losing his littermate Kiwi in 2020 and then his sister Snowie in 2021, Honeydew ruled the house and became even more spoiled and pampered than before.  We still talk about our departed kitties every day, as we have so many funny and fond memories.

Here are some photos of our precious boy Honeydew, who was a bright light in our lives for so many years.  We miss you, Honeydew; rest in peace.  You are now with your brother Kiwi and sister Snowie, but will be forever in our hearts.

Sept 2004 to May 2023
RIP Honeydew 

Our kitties definitely leave pawprints on our hearts.  Wishing you a peaceful day!

Remembering Janis - Cat Lovers Christmas Challenge

Good morning, everyone!  I have been absent from my blog for several months but decided to come back in October for the Cat Lovers Christmas Challenge to honour our dear friend Janis Woolbright, who passed away unexpectedly in January 2023.  When Jo at Christmas Kickstart Challenge invited me to help out, I thought it was the purrfect way to remember Janis.

Today is Day 2 of the Challenge entitled All About Janis.  Jo has invited us to share our memories of Janis in the comments of that blog post.  Please head over and share yours.

What do I remember about Janis?  My first thoughts are that Janis loved cats, her family, her church, making cards, blogging, and that she organized the annual Cat Lovers Hop.  As a cat lover myself, this was the highlight of my crafting year!  I joined every year for 8 years.  

The Cat Lovers Hop wasn't just a blog hop. Janis made it special.  It was a week-long event where Janis invited us to get together to share our cat stories, our cat cards, cat layouts, and other crafty cat projects.  

Janis wanted to read about the cats in our lives and also memories of our departed kitties.  Tears were shed each year as I read everyone's stories and as I remembered my own kitties of the past.  Janis provided a space for all of this during the Cat Lovers Hop.  She was compassionate, kind, and supportive.

Most of all, Janis made the Cat Lovers Hop fun!  It was great fun, with daily games and challenges that helped us all connect.  Janis even had us try our hand at poetry, and she inspired us to write poems about our cats. This was tough for me but I enjoyed it so much, and enjoyed reading everyone else's poems.

Another happy memory is that Janis would visit everyone's card or project in the link-up and would leave a thoughtful comment, not just a quick "cute card."   You knew that Janis took the time to actually look at the details of your card or project and remarked on what she liked about it.  In short, Janis cared.

Janis was also a pro at organizing.  Although she had helpers with the hop each year, Janis did most of it herself, and it was a lot of work.  As busy as she was, she was patient and took the time to answer everyone's questions with kindness.  I never met Janis personally, so we only connected through email or her blog, but I know Janis was a Christian and we shared our love of the Lord.  We would pray for each other as well.

One last memory is that Janis had a great sense of humour and she loved cat memes!  She would share cat memes on nearly every blog post, not just during the Cat Lovers Hop, but all the time!  Janis was a lot of fun!  So in memory of Janis, I would like to share a few cat memes that I collected.  Enjoy!

Rest in peace, Janis. 

The Cat Lovers Christmas Challenge Starts Today!

Hello, everyone!  If you like cats and Christmas, then October is your month!  The Cat Lovers Christmas Challenge starts today!  Woot, woot!  This is the purr-fect time to make Christmas cards for your cat-loving friends and relatives!  See my first card below!

This fun challenge has been organized by Jo at Christmas Kickstart Challenge and runs until October 31 - I hope you can join us!  There are lots of sponsors, prizes, and games so make sure you head over and follow the challenge blog so you won't miss any of the fun this month!  

We are also remembering our dear friend Janis Woolbright from Her Peaceful Garden, who hosted the annual Cat Lovers Hop for eight years and who sadly passed away in January 2023.  Rest in peace, Janis.  

Here's my first card for the challenge, featuring an adorable kitty from Your Next Stamp's Paws Love Joy (sorry, this stamp set is sold out).  

Sadly Your Next Stamp is closing this month, on October 15.  However, the prices are super low, so head on over and snag yourself a deal!  Although her inventory is getting low, I noticed there are still some cute cat stamps left, so please don't miss out!  Just look at this cutie:

Products:

Stamps:  Your Next Stamp's Paws Love Joy (image and sentiment) 

Dies:  My Favorite Things Stitched Traditional Tag Stax (tag), Lawn Fawn Stitched Hillside Borders (snowy landscape), Poppystamps Lovely Gift Bow (bow), Sunny Studio Stamps (snowflake - freebie with order)

Patterned paper:  Whimsy Stamps Blurry Flurries 6x6", Chantahlia Designs Lavender Snowflakes Digital Paper

 

I coloured the cute kitty with markers and fussy-cut so I could pop her up on foam tape.  I added some dots with a white paint marker on her hat and eyes. The green background was created with Distress Oxide Inks (Crushed Olive, Peeled Paint) using the ink-smooshing technique on watercolour paper.

Your Next Stamp is also one of the generous sponsors of the Cat Lovers Christmas Challenge!   

I would like to join the following challenges, for a total of 10:

Cat Lovers Christmas Challenge 79 October Christmas Cats 1/6 C10

Crafts Galore Encore 116 October AG 1/3

Creative Knockouts 504 2 or More Patterned Papers 1/3 C10

Gem of a Challenge 19 AG 1/3

Jan's Digi Stamps October AG 1/5

Pammie's Inky Pinkies 2339 AG 1/3 C10

Polkadoodles 39 AG 1/4

Show Us Your Pussycats October Furrything Goes UE

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday AG 1/5

Word Art Wednesday 615-616 AG w Uplifting Sentiment 1/5 wk 1

Thank you for looking at my card!  Wishing you a joy-filled day!