With Jane In Catland

Update about my cat, my computer, my shop and more...

2009-07-17T01:43:00.000-07:00

Hello friends & fellow Catlanders -

I wanted to write to update and catch up on things with everyone about why I haven't been around lately as it's been a long time since I've been active here and other sites I frequent.

Reason being .... my computer died - again - and it was dead for quite awhile.
This is the 2nd time my computer has died this year. Really annoying to say the least!

But fortunately - and finally - I got it back up and working the other day. A-freakin'-MEN!

Also - my cat, Ms. Abbey, was very sick last weekend and had to go to the animal ER, so I've been spending most of my time taking care of her since she was released from the hospital. Though I'm very happy to report that she seems to be doing better so far. Thank goodiness :)

But I'd like to ask of my close friends - please keep Abbey in your thoughts and/or prayers, and to send her positive vibes, so that she will recover quickly and that she won't have to go back to the animal ER again as she's not 100% better just yet. Thanks sooooo much everyone!

Below is a sweet and funny photo I took of Ms. Abbey about a week before she got sick. I caught her on top of my art desk again. She likes to check out all my supplies and watch the neighbors two cute pups (as they do with her - I call Abbey and my neighbor's dogs - "window friends") but Abbey especially enjoys scenting the tops of my paint brushes and colored pencils. I liked this photo and thought she looked adorable - so I wanted to share it here for you to all see...

Abbey feeling crafty and looking so cute and happy on top of my art desk

(As much as Abbey likes to check out my art and craft supplies - I always keep anything that could be dangerous - such as paint, varnishes, razors, etc... safely away from her in the desk drawers!)

In better news .... I've also been a bit extra busy these days because my brother is getting married soon, so I've been attending lots of pre-wedding events (and birthday parties too for family members and friends) It's been a very happy and exciting time - but a busy time too.
I'm sure in the future I'll post photos from these events, and of course, of "The Big Day" too!!

Also.... I wanted to post about the latest news regarding my Etsy shop,
"Jane Diamond Designs"
For those who may not already know - I have temporarily closed down my shop since the economy has been hitting me really hard personally (as it is with most people I know to some degree or another) and my money is so tight right now. All my listings and re-listings at Etsy were adding up, along with buying materials for new items for my shop. Combined that with my finances being in a crunch outside of Etsy, everything was just getting really difficult to get by in general money wise. So I took time off of Etsy to get my finances in better order.

But - as soon as I do re-open my shop, I will be sure to announce it here!
As of now - I'm thinking I'll probably re-open my shop in August or September. And I'm thinking of possibly opening a whole new shop altogether because I'm wanting to expand the types of items I create and sell. As of now - my idea for a new shop would be to continue to sell all of the feline themed items that I'm known for - like my cat painting prints, ACEO's, handmade catnip toys, pendant necklaces, etc... but then also adding new items with more variety of different animals, themes and styles. But whether I re-open my shop - or open up a brand new one - I will let you all know here as soon as I do. I'm really looking forward to getting back to work at Etsy since I miss it so much! I already have some Victorian style Halloween Cat themed items I will be listing - like this festive feline ACEO that I made:

"Happy Halloween" - black cat ACEO
by Jane Diamond Designs

so definitely keep an eye out for that and more fun Halloween feline goodies from yours truly!

Lastly - since my computer died - I have a lot of catching up to do.
Like with the Etsy forums, the Etsy street teams blogs and message boards for
"Etsy For Animals" (aka EFA) and "Vegan Etsy", Flickr, Myspace and replying back to all your comments here at my blog. Thanks so much for your comments that you have posted here - I have read them all - just haven't had a chance to reply back yet. I also need to catch up with my convos, PM's, emails and more... so I hope you all understand why it will take me a bit longer than usual to reply back.

It's been soooo frustrating having all these problems with my computer, in part because I fall so behind with everything going on - but I will reply back to everyone soon and am looking very forward to catching up with all my friends, and your furry families, too :)

Til later...

Many cheers and best wishes from Catland,

- Jane

Farm Sanctuary needs your help!

2009-05-30T22:24:00.001-07:00

** Double Your Gift
& a Member will Match your Donations until July 1st **

As most people know, one of my favorite animal sanctuaries is "Farm Sanctuary".
I have much love, respect, support and admiration for them - for their endless dedication in helping our precious and beautiful farm animals friends by rescuing them and providing them with a care-free, happy, loving and safe home!

I received the following info from Farm Sanctuary, and wanted to add it to my blog in hopes of bringing more attention to the help that they need!

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"Farm Sanctuary’s New York Shelter is in need of urgent repairs and infrastructure upgrades to ensure the safety of the animals who call it home. For several years, we have done everything possible to get by with minor repairs and maintenance—even as the number of rescued animals has continued to climb.

But we cannot go another season without significant repairs. To keep the animals safe we must address these maintenance issues and protect these sweet beings in need of our care. We have received estimates that it will cost upwards of $200,000 to complete these urgent projects. So, on behalf of the sanctuary residents, we ask for your help.

Thankfully, a dedicated, longtime Farm Sanctuary supporter has generously agreed to MATCH all contributions made by July 1 up to $25,000. That means you have a unique opportunity to make your gift go twice as far for the animals who call the sanctuary home! For every $1 you donate online, Farm Sanctuary receives $2.

For more info please visit our blog or click here:
http: / / action. farmsanctuary. org/ site/ MessageViewer? em_id=10761.0

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

While my money is really tight right now due to the poor economy, I will be donating what I can to this cause. And for those of you who may be in a similar financial situation, yet still want to help, if you can't donate a lot of money (as cliche' as it sounds) I truly believe that every little bit counts! And with your donations being doubled by a Farm Sanctuary member, that will be even more helpful to the repairs and maintenance needed there, and in turn, to the animals that reside there too!!

For more info about Farm Sanctuary, go to:
http://www.farmsanctuary.org/

I hope you can help me help Farm Sanctuary in any way you are able to!

And ...
look for my upcoming posts here regarding updates about my Etsy shop, precious little lambs, view some new fun fotos, and much more...

Til later...

Cheers from Catland,

- Jane

My Etsy shop update & Video of the Week

2009-05-03T16:33:00.000-07:00

Hello friends -

I wanted to post that I'm on vacation until May 10th, but decided to keep my shop open. As it's stated in my shop info:
"Any items purchased prior to April 25th have already been shipped out. And any items purchased from now until may 10th, will be shipped out after May 10th upon my return."

I am very happy to say that since my last post here, I sold my pendant necklace of "Cinci the Cow" (see more info and the photo of it in my post below this one - thanks :) Proceeds from that sale will benefit the animals at Farm Sanctuary - my very favorite farm sanctuary that I hold in high regards and respect for all they do to help animals. And an additional 10% will to towards the "Etsy For Animals" (aka EFA) charity of the month too!!

While everyone knows that cats are my favorite animals (in case you haven't noticed by now ;)

I love all animals and have always adored farm animals, especially goats, so it always makes me feel good that I can help Farm Sanctuary through my handmade goodies I create and sell - as well as for "Harmony House", a no-kill cagless Cat Shelter that I do commissioned cat artwork for, and the EFA charities through my work at Etsy!

And speaking of Farm Sanctuary - my video of the week features two of Farm Sanctuary's newest residents at their New York location - Fiona the pig and Jack the goat. I saw this video the other day and these two cuties just melted my heart. So I wanted to share this video here. It's wonderful and makes me smile to see just how happy Fiona and Jack are at their new home. And how adorable is Jack's sweater? This video is soooo precious - I hope you all enjoy it as much as I do ....

For more info on Farm Sanctuary, please go to:

www.farmsanctuary.org

Til later...

Cheers from Catland,

- Jane

Another Update, New Etsy Items & Video of the Week

2009-04-18T09:02:00.000-07:00

'Ello Everyone -

Again, it's been quite awhile since I've updated my blog. I'm sorry I've been so behind with replying back your comments here, but I wanted to let you guys know that the main reason is because my computer is having a lot of major problems! I actually started writing this post several days ago and it's taken me that time just to complete it.

Lately, my computer keeps booting me off and freezing up on me. I wish I had a dime for every time this has happened cause I could probably retire off of that - seriously! There's been soooo many times I've had to re-boot my computer around 4 or 5 times just to access the internet - and then times I do get on the internet, it boots me off or freezes up, often as fast as within just 30 seconds. It's also running really slow. Basically - it doesn't work about 98% of the time.

This is the same exact problem I had with my old computer before it eventually crashed and died - and now the same thing is happening with my new computer.

Suffice to say it's been very annoying and frustrating, especially since my job at my Etsy shop is solely done on-line, including the photos for the items I sell at my shop.

And it's also why I've been behind with my feedback and convos there - as well as other places I frequent on the net - like my e-mails, this blog, Flickr, myspace, the Etsy forums and several of the Etsy message boards and blogs of teams that I'm a member of, animal charities, shelters and sanctuaries that I work for and/or donate to - plus much more......

Hopefully I will get my computer fixed soon so that I can reply back to all my friends here, at Etsy, and catch up with all my other favorite on-line activities.

I'm actually very surprised I've gotten this far in my post here without getting booted off

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Though fortunately yesterday I was able to complete a listing at my Etsy shop. It's of a new necklace I made in honor and memory to "Cincinnati Freedom" - aka "Cinci". I had completed the necklace and posted it on Flickr awhile ago, but it wasn't until yesterday that i was finally able to list it.

I was very touched by Cinci's story and made a necklace featuring a beautiful photo of her. 20% of the proceeds from the sale of the necklace will go towards Farm Sanctuary - my very favorite farm sanctuary that I support through my work and donations.

Cinci was a very courageous cow who escaped a slaughterhouse by jumping a 6 foot fence! She was fortunately rescued 11 days later and from there, resided at farm Sanctuary where she finally had the safety, love and freedom that she sought and fought for! The amazing and compassionate people at Farm Sanctuary made Cinci feel right at home and she also bonded with the other cows there, forming close and tender friendships with them.

But tragically, 6 years later, Cinci was diagnosed with spinal cancer which spreads fast in cattle. While her passing was very sad and heartbreaking, Cinci's fellow cow friends kept close by her, watching over her, licking her and keeping her calm until she passed away.

So when I heard of her recent passing, I wanted to make this necklace in her honor and to also remind people of the importance of the will to live, courage, strength, freedom and love - something that all humans can relate to and strive for.

Below is a photo of the necklace featuring sweet "Cinci"

Handmade "Cincinnati Freedom" pendant necklace
proceeds go to Farm Sanctuary

I also have a couple new items in my shop as well that I hadn't posted in my blog here yet...

"Le Chat" - handmade and handsewn lavender sachet

Handmade and handsewn "Koi Fish" catnip toy!

To see these items above and much more in my shop, please go to:

http:///www.janediamond.etsy.com

Thank You!

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Anyway - I hope you all understand why I haven't been as active on-line as I normally am - and I want to thank all of you for being so patient with me while my computer is being bipolar.

Lastly....

below is my video of the week - "It's No Good" by Depeche Mode

I've been in a Mode mood lately, loving their new single, "Wrong", and looking forward to the release of their new album, "Songs of the Universe", and tour too!

I love this song by Mode and the I think the video is really campy, cheeky and fun - enjoy!

Til later...

Cheers from Catland,

- Jane

Brief update

2009-03-12T19:57:00.000-07:00

It's been quite awhile since I last posted here in my blog. Normally, I don't post or write too much about my personal life, but wanted to let my friends and fellow Catland readers know why I haven't been on-line as much lately.

As some of you already know, I had a concussion a few weeks ago, and since then, I've been really busy since going back and forth to my regular doctor and my new Neurologist to manage the pain since I was initially seen in the ER.

I have been getting better and better as everyday goes by, and for the most part, I feel pretty much recovered. But my doctors are keeping a closer eye on me since I had a concussion back in 1999 after a 2x4 fell off a building and landed on the right side of my head. That concussion was a lot worse than my recent one, but because the blow to my head from the 2x4 was so severe, it gave me a post concussion nerve disorder that I still deal with to this day. So I was afraid I'd get that nerve disorder on the left side now, but so far, it doesn't appear that's happened, thank goodness since that nerve condition is often debilitating since it's soooo painful.

Also... an old friend of mine, Rachel, recently passed away. So I've been trying to process and digest that. It came as a big shock since it seemed like one minute she was here and fine, and the next minute, gone. Obviously, I've been very very sad and heart broken about this, and miss Rachel already so much! I just can't make sense or understand it right now. I guess part of me is still in shock. She was a lovely person, inside and out, so caring and loving, and a very good friend to me, and I feel so sad that I'll never see her again.

The only thing that is of some comfort to me about her passing is I believe that she is now with our mutual and close friend, Tim, who passed away many years ago. I truly hope they are together in heaven, cause Rachel and I often talked about our memories of Tim and how much we missed him, so I'd like to think they are with each other again. In Rachel's memory (and Tim's too) here is of cute and fun photo of us around the time when we all first met - and a pretty photo of Rachel from last year.

From left to right - Rachel (RIP) Tim (aka Timmm - RIP) me, and Randy
during happier and care-free times!

Rachel in 2008 - RIP always my sweet dear friend

So due to those reasons, I've sort of been keeping to myself, taking it easy per doctors orders, and trying to deal with these issues the best I can. During this time, I've also been working on some new items for my shop that I hope to list soon. I've been working on some new catnip toys, and all my catnip toys (and sachets) are not only handmade, but also handsewn, and sewing has always been relaxing to me, so it's been helping me to relax and get my mind off things for awhile.

I feel bad that I'm sooo behind in my e-mails, feedback and convos at Etsy, but I've just been so emotionally and physically drained right now. But I'm sure once I feel better, I'll get back on track and have more time to reply back to everyone and also be more active with the groups, teams, message boards, websites, blogs and more, that I'm a member of.

In the meantime, I'm wishing all my friends well, with much love to you all!

Til later...

Cheers from Catland,

- Jane

Video of the Week - She Sells Sanctuary

2009-02-19T21:08:00.000-08:00

Lots of catching up to do here at my blog, with new updates about my Etsy shop and my art in general, but I'm tired tonight and have a busy day ahead of me tomorrow, so I thought I'd post my video pick of the week -
"She Sells Sanctuary" by The Cult
off their album, "Love".

I'm choosing this because I've been listening it to more frequently these days, and it's one of my favorite songs to hula-hoop to as well.
"the world turns around"...

I also have fond memories of this song from back in the 80's when this first came out. There were two clubs that I hung out at back then, "McGreevy's" and "Medusa's", that had teen nights which catered to punk rock and new wave kids. Both clubs played this song a lot, it was a big hit with the kids in the underground music scene at the time. And I remember my friends and I (and everyone else for that matter) hitting the dance floor whenever they played this song. So it still has that nice warm nostalgic feeling for me when I play it. This song just never gets old to me. I still have it on vinyl when it first came out, and now in 2009 I have it on my iPod too!

Enjoy.....

Til later...

Cheers from Catland,

- Jane

Cat Tats

2009-02-08T00:00:00.000-08:00

Even to my own surprise - after all the years of being a huge cat lover (since I was a young girl) and all the years I've had tattoos (since I was 19 years old) it still surprises me that I don't have a tattoo of a cat!

I've always wanted one of course, but with all the beautiful cat designs out there, it's hard to know where to start and which design to pick.

Lately, I've been itching to get another tattoo - and obviously I want one of a cat. A cat tat is looooong over-due.

Some people get tattoos on a whim, but I think about mine for a long time before getting them. And I'm glad that I've always done it that way, since in retrospect, I can recall tattoos that I wanted in the past, that I'm really glad I don't have now.

Anyway, I've been looking for some designs of cats that appeal to me and wanted everyone's opinions on which one(s) you like, and which one(s) you think would look best on me. Keeping in mind though that the tattoos I already have are black and grey. Personally, I'm just not into colored tattoos, so keep in mind which one(s) do you feel would look best in black and grey.

I have narrowed my choices down to three cat designs, and I look forward to hearing your thoughts and opinions - thanks everyone!!!

1.) a cute Art Nouveau style cat

2.) another Art Nouveau style cat - taken from the magazine, "The Black Cat", which was published during the 1800's to 1900's.

3.) If I were to get the Louis Wain design pictured above, I would not have the text in it - just the cat, vases with flowers, and mice.

Til later...

Cheers from Catland,

- Jane

2009-01-31T18:03:00.000-08:00

CALLING ALL KITTIES...

Do your cat(s) have "Jane Diamond Designs" catnip toys from my shop?

And do your cat(s) like to model?

If so - your cat could be a model by having their photo featured in a future listing at my Etsy shop! Their photo would be included the next time I re-list the same catnip toy like the one that your own cats have! Also, your cat's name will be credited (as well as your name if you like) in the information provided for the listing.

My cat, Ms. Abbey, posing with one of my handmade catnip toys!

She's such a fabulous feline model :)

you can find this image in my listings for my catnip toys

and your cat could be next!

So if you're interested in having your cat as a model for my shop, please send me your feline fotos via a convo at Etsy at:

http://www.janediamond.etsy.com

or at my e-mail address, which if you don't have, feel free to leave a comment here for it.

Thank you!

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*** More of my Etsy shop updates and other posts about various things in my life coming soon! ***

Til later...

Cheers from Catland!

- Jane

Video of the Week - Pride (in the name of love)

2009-01-22T01:13:00.000-08:00

This is my pick for the video of the week -"Pride (in the name of love)" by u2

I've always loved this song and it's also meant a lot to me since it's about one of my biggest heros, Martin Luther King Jr.

He has been a hero of mine since I was about 12 years old, and has remained one of my biggest heros to this day!

Plus I thought it fitting as my video for the week since this past monday (the 19th) was Martin Luther King Jr. day.

Til later...

Cheers from Catland!

- Jane

Delayed Update.....

2008-12-26T18:20:00.000-08:00

I wanted to update my blog real quick to let all my friends know why I haven't been as active here, or the many other sites I frequent.

As some of you know, my dad was very sick for quite awhile and was in hospital - it was very serious, and also a scary and stressful time for my family, and for my dad too, obviously. But he's out of the hospital now, and is doing much better - thank goodness!

But then my precious 19 year old cat, Ms. Abbey, got very sick too and I had to take her to the ER. Since then, Abbey is also doing better, but still recovering - so I've been staying at home a lot, taking care of my sweet 'golden girl' ;)

And then my bi-polar computer started spazzing on out me - it didn't work half the time, and when it did - it would boot me off at random times - until it finally died. so annoying! So I've been without my computer for awhile now, adding to yet another reason why I haven't been on-line much (I'm currently writing this from a computer cafe) but I should get my computer fixed and back at home early next week. xx. So, thanks everyone for your understanding and patience regarding my current circumstances :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

However, with all the stress over the past few months - not all was lost. I had a fuckin' fabulous, amazing, and crazy fun time at the ohGr show late last month!

See the very beginning of the post below for what I wrote prior to the show regarding the new ohGr album, "Devils in my Details" and more......
http://janediamond.blogspot.com/2008/09/world-farm-animals-day-other-random.html

Anyway, in the near future, I really want to make a separate post all about it, accompanied by the photos and videos I shot that night, cause it really was soooo amazinG - seriously. that show blew my freakin' mind!

But suffice to say for now, it was truly one of the best shows I've ever seen (which says a lot considering just how many shows I've seen in my life) and I was sooo happy that night that my face actually hurt from smiling so much. I also took tons of photos and videos before, during and after the show which I'm still hoping to post soon here and my Flickr page. But in the meantime, here's a photo that my friend Miche took of me with my Dlovely friend Ogre after the show.

<3>

Ogre + I - huGsville - 2008

Til later....

Cheers from Catland!

- Jane

<3 Thanksgiving Thoughts 3>

2008-11-23T17:35:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone! It's been quite awhile since I last wrote here in my blog. Mostly due to personal reasons and being so busy in many aspects of my life.

But now that things are starting to feel a little less overwhelming, I wanted to post my thoughts about animal rights relating to Thanksgiving....

With Thanksgiving approaching, I find myself thinking about what I am thankful and grateful for. And I'm looking forward to a home cooked meal and being with my family and friends.

However, I can't help but also think of the millions of turkeys that will be tortured, abused and eventually slaughtered at the hands of cold hearted "humans". I think of it every year. And sadly, the slaughter of turkeys does not just happen at Thanksgiving, it happens everyday, all around the world. Suffice to say I am thankful that I am a vegan and do not support the horrific and inhumane treatment that turkeys go through to ultimately become part of the traditional feast for Thanksgiving.

I recently came across this undercover video which documents the harsh realities of what goes on to turkeys behind the closed doors of factory farms (the video is posted below) Farms are often depicted as places where animals roam free in the sunshine and live happy carefree lives. Well, this couldn't be further from the truth! The video below shows "The Truth". The truth of what these factory farms do not want you to know about and do not want you to see!

This video is from PETA, a controversial organization which many people do not support. However, if you watch any other footage similar to this one, from any other animal rights organizations, sadly - you won't see anything different. The same type of abuse and slaughter happens at factory farms, regardless of what organization is documenting it.

I want to warn you that this footage is very hard to watch. It is highly disturbing and truly heartbreaking. But "The Truth" needs to be seen and heard. Without it, you'd never see the struggles these birds have no choice but to put up with - no matter how hard they struggle - the brutal and horrific treatment they have to endure everyday - and you'd never hear their screams of pain, confusion and fright these animals go through as they are slaughtered without watching the video.

While I am adamant regarding my beliefs and support of animal rights, I am not a vegan who tries to convert other people into vegetarians or vegans. I don't force my personal beliefs and life style choices onto other people, but I am very open to talking about it if other people want to talk about it and/or have questions about it. And I'm also very open about it here since this is my personal blog that I use to express my feelings, thoughts and more, about a variety of things in my life...which is in part of why I'm writing about this here.

I do realize and respect that everyone has their own life, have their own feelings about animal rights, and have their own personal choices regarding what they eat. I also realize that even some people who love animals, eat meat or dairy due to medical or religious reasons.

But, I hope that whatever your stance is about animal rights, that you will watch this video, take it into consideration and give thought about what you see in this footage. Because I think it's safe to assume that whether you're vegan or not, most of us would agree that NO animals should be treated like this - ever!

I want to wish everyone a blessed and very Happy upcoming Thanksgiving!

And to my friends who are fellow vegans or vegetarians, keep up the fight for the love of our precious animal friends!

Til later...

Cheers from Catland!

- Jane

World Farm Animals Day & other random updates

2008-09-27T02:51:00.000-07:00

How ironic (in a cool way) that in my last post here, I had featured the video "Testure" by Skinny Puppy - ironic cause I just found out yesterday that Nivek Ogre, who is the lead singer of Skinny Puppy, is touring soon for "ohGr"!

For those who may not know, "ohGr" is the group name for Ogre's solo music, a twist on his stage name. I'm soooo very excited about this, cause I've been a huge fan of Skinny Puppy since high school, as well as a huge fan of Ogre's solo music since he released his first solo album, "Welt", about 7 years ago. I love his solo music so much and am anxious to hear the new ohGr album, "Devils in my Details", as well as see him in concert in support of the new album. He will playing in Chicago on November 30th. I'm getting tickets today and am really looking forward to seeing ohGr live again - he always puts on the most amazing and visually stunning shows. So the news of the tour, has of course, made me into a very happy and giddy girl ;)

Nivek Ogre - beautiful!

Me and Ogre in Chicago - Puppy Love and Hugs ;)

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In other news...

*** October 2nd is WORLD FARM ANIMALS DAY ***

A time dedicated to exposing, mourning, and memorializing the needless suffering and slaughter of the more than 55 billion cows, pigs, turkeys, chickens, and other sentient land animals in the world's factory farms and slaughterhouses. It is a time for all to speak out against the atrocities and brutalization of animals raised for meat, eggs, and dairy.
The annual occasion is observed with activities in all 50 U.S. states and two dozen other countries. The date marks the birthday of ethical vegetarian Mahatma Gandhi.

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So with "World Farm Animals Day" coming up soon, me and many of the other talented, creative and compassionate members of the "Vegan Etsy" team will be supporting this day through our own Etsy shops!

Since I'm a huge animal lover, vegan and long-time supporter of animal rights, especially with a soft spot for farm animals (I love goats and llamas the most :) I really wanted to help out. So I will be having a special promotion at my Etsy shop.

"Cash" - a cute little lamb at Farm Sanctuary

Between October 1st and October 7th, I will be donating 20% from sales from all of my items (save for the commissioned items that I did exclusively for "Harmony House Cat Shelter") to Farm Sanctuary, my favorite farm animal organization. You can learn more about them at:
www.farmsancturay.org

I've been so busy working on new items for my shop lately, especially with Halloween coming up, but I'm going to try to squeeze in some other items that will feature the animals that are saved by, and are now living in happiness and freedom, at Farm Sanctuary. And from the items I make featuring the Farm Sanctuary animals, I will be donating 40% of those proceeds to Farm Sanctuary as well.

"Missy Elliott" - a very happy and hip (hop;) looking goat at Farm Sanctuary

So I will continue to be very busy with work, but it is well worth it to help the animals in need through the process!I hope you will stop by my shop, "Jane Diamond Designs", to help the farm animals of the world in need, and also to shop for cool cat handmade items that I created for you and your feline friends at:
www.janediamond.etsy.com

And to learn more about and/or join the "Vegan Etsy" team, founded by my sweet friend Molly, please go to:
http://www.veganetsy.etsy.com

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Also, I've been putting the finishing touches on my first "Cool Cat Customer of the Month" feature, and it will be posted within the first week of October. So for that month, the feature will be about my good friend Katie (aka "mishkat" at Etsy) and her cute kitties, so definitely keep an eye out for that! It's going to be a very fun and frisky feline feature :)

Well, gotta go back to work now to finish my items for my Etsy shop (I *finally* found my battery charger for my camera - YAY! - I had been looking for it for over 2 weeks now and was starting to think I had just lost it) so I'll be very busy not only finishing my new items, but also taking lots of pics to uploaded to my shop sooooon! So be sure to check out my shop at:
www.janediamond.etsy.com
in the next couple days to see all my new and cool items, thanks!

Til later...

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Cheers from Catland,

- Jane

Video of the Week - Testure

2008-09-20T20:18:00.000-07:00

My video for the week is a concert clip and music video for the song "Testure" by Skinny Puppy.

It's a very poignant and amazing anti-vivisection song - the lyrics are intense, raw and moving. And I personally find this song inspiring to me since I'm very against vivisection and all other forms of animal abuse.

This song had a strong impact on my life, prior to becoming a vegetarian (and now a vegan) when I saw this song performed live in 1989, it opened by eyes to the harsh realities of the abuse animals endure by the hands of "humans". During the performance of the song, Skinny Puppy used backing footage of various clips of animal abuse. I was shocked - it was very hard to watch, yet I couldn't turn away from it - cause I felt by watching the abuse that happens behind closed doors - in turn, a door opened in my heart for these animals, and it changed something deep down inside of me.

After that show, I became a strict vegetarian, immersed myself in education about animal rights, joined a local animal rights group and became very pro-active for the cause. And I never looked back, it changed my life to this very day, and I continue doing whatever I can to help end the inhumane and horrifying abuse our animals friends go through everyday!

Below the videos of "Testure", I included the lyrics to the song - very powerful, raw and moving, and I highly suggest to read them. I also added a photo that have the lyrics on it, and a picture of cEvin key and Nivek Ogre of Skinny Puppy!

"Testure" music video by Skinny Puppy

"Testure" concert footage - great quality!

*** Testure Lyrics ***

in nervous convulsion
crouches infant ape, trembling in mothers shit

cage eyes tear less, filled with contempt
clinic mask experiment with life and death

smell lingering noxious, mixed scent anxiety

omnipotent doctor grinds the cage door revealing

loves primal instinct taken away

the tiny face terrified

rant and rave, smash your head against the cage

vacuum clicks on high

conscious of the pain, pass off as humane

white coat seems so clean

most dirt bleached out of greed

force the point of habit, eyes burn in a rabbit

push the pain test button

spines cut!

trip mucous inflection, more die. pills each day

what goes around, comes back stronger

tap into the brain, break the skull again

smash price research rat, lab rent paid in flesh

more ill drug store sales sharpen the knife

emphasis on money, new disease everyday

end is seen and coming, research turns it's back to gain

crush the spine, genocide kitten drags its dead limb

continuing all suffering, it will come back and win

shock paralyse, turn trauma burns

out the will to live the lying

message 5 year genocide

1945 suicide vivisect VI

Skinny Puppy makes me smile :)
even while drenched in mud and fake blood

Til later...

Cheers from Catland!

- Jane

Etsy Shop & Abbey Updates

2008-09-16T11:39:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in my last post, I've been working on some Halloween themed items and other kitty crafts for my Etsy shop - but I lost the battery charger for my camera, and even if I find it or buy a new one, now my photo shop program isn't working! Grrr. So I can't crop, resize and adjust colors to the photos even when I do get my camera working, so it may take me longer to list all my new items. I hope to get that resolved soon, cause I'm so frustrated right now about that, and am anxious to list my new items soon!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Before my camera died, I took come very cute pictures of my cat, Ms. Abbey, that I thought I'd share here. My cat Abbey is 18 years old (she will be 19 next month!) and is my 'mews' (muse ;) for most of my cat paintings. We've been together for a long time and I feel so blessed to have her in my life for so long. She is the sweetest cat ever, I know everyone says that about their cats, but she really is a fur angel. Abbey has even turned friends of mine who didn't like cats, into cat lovers who now have cats of their own. Abbey is so special and sweet, and I love her so very much!

Abbey sitting on my art desk

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Action shots - Abbey jumping from my art desk (right) to the couch

Cheers from Catland!

- Jane

Viva La Vegan and other updates...

2008-08-29T02:47:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since I've posted here at my blog. My computer monitor was dying a slow death. It would take me about 3 to 4 hours just to get on-line...if I was lucky - really annoying! But fortunately I got a new monitor, and all is working as it should. Now I'm busy trying to catch up on all my e-mails, convos, and my work that I do on-line.

So I've been behind in my updates and posts that I had mentioned here before. But still keep an eye out for my new "Cool Cat Customer of the Month" feature. The first feature will be about Katie (aka "Mishkat" at Etsy) and her beautiful cats that have lots of purrrrsonality and are also very cute photogenic kitties!

I've also been in the middle of working on some new items for my Etsy shop - some I have already posted, so be sure to check out the new catnip toys I have available now for your feline friends at:

http://www.janediamond.etsy.com

And I have more new items coming also coming to my shop soon - such a magnets, sachets, and Halloween themed items. Halloween has always been my favorite holiday and time of the year, so I feel very inspired by the upcoming autumn spooky season!

~~~~~~~~~~~~

In the meantime, I lucked out by getting a treasury at Etsy that I did for the Vegan Etsy team. Below is a direct link of the treasury I did, which I named "Viva La Vegan"!
http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=4243

If the link doesn't work, below is a screen-shot of the treasury I did

I was really happy to get that treasury to help promote a team I'm so proud to be a member of, and pleased with how the actual treasury turned out - I liked all the variety of items I chose and the color scheme too, I thought it looked pretty :)

Til later...

Cheers from Catland!

- Jane

Video of the Week - Viva la Revolution

2008-08-11T11:36:00.000-07:00

"Viva la Revolution" by the Adicts is my pick for the video of the week cause I've been playing this song *a lot* lately.

The Adicts

And I'm sure it's been done, but if I was in a band, I'd love to do a cover of this song.

VIVA!!!

Til later...

Cheers from Catland,

- Jane

I made the front page of Etsy!

2008-08-08T18:22:00.000-07:00

While taking time off of work, several of my close friends at Etsy...Cyn, Katie, and Michele, informed me that my "October" cat ACEO made it to the front page of Etsy! This was the first time an item of mine was featured on the front page, so I was really excited about it. Unfortunately since I was taking time off, I didn't get to actually see it when it was up, but my friends took some screen shots of it, so I was happy to finally see it for myself, and it made for a nice early birthday surprise too. Check it out below...

Vegan Etsy theme front page!

My "October" cat ACEO is in the bottom right hand corner

Close up of my "October" cat ACEO

The theme of the front page featured items from members of the "Vegan Etsy" team, which I'm a proud member of! And along with the front page, was an article in the Etsy Storque, where Vegan Etsy was chosen as a featured team! You can learn more about this amazing and compassionate team by reading the article here: http://www.etsy.com/storque/section/spotlight/article/featured-etsy-team-vegan-etsy/2264/

And special thanks to Molly of "Emma's K9 Kitchen" for starting the Vegan Etsy team and bringing all the vegan artists and crafters of Etsy together! :)

Til later...

Cheers from Catland,

- Jane

An overdue update

2008-08-07T18:48:00.000-07:00

So, as some of you may know, I took a vacation from my Etsy shop for awhile. I've had a lot of things going on here. I typically don't like to talk too much about my personal life in my blog, so I'll just say that the past couple of months have been really hard and challenging, mostly in emotional and physical aspects.

But the good news is I have re-opened my Etsy shop, and will be listing some new items soon I had been working on during my time off. I was planning on listing them earlier this month, but then I started having lots of problem with my computer, and then I was out of power for awhile due to the crazy storms and tornado activity that happened just a couple days ago in Chicago and the surrounding suburbs. So that's why I haven't been on-line as much these days.

The storms have now passed, and I'm hoping the same applies to the personal problems I've been having too.

In the meantime, look for some great kitty goodies coming soon to my Etsy shop, including more catnip toys for your feline friends and cat themed sachets for yourself!

Below are two samples of new items to come...

El Pajaro - Mexican Bingo Card - Handmade Catnip Toy

Savory Sushi - Handmade Catnip Toy

Also coming here soon will be a new feature in my blog called "Cool Cat Customer of the Month"! I wanted to feature the cats that own my handmade catnip toys from my shop. My friend Katie (aka 'Mishkat' at Etsy) will be the first to be featured, including stories and photos of her beautiful cats, along with the toys I made that they now enjoy playing with! Also in the feature will be information about Katie and the wonderful and hard work she does for Etsy For Animals!

If you would like your cat(s) to be featured in the future for the "Cool Cat Customer of the Month", contact me at Etsy at: http://www.janediamond.etsy.com Thanks!

Til later...

Cheers from Catland,

- Jane

My "Frankenstein" Foto Featured!

2008-06-20T14:15:00.000-07:00

Earlier this year, I was approached by schmap.com (an on-line tour guide website) about my "Frankenstein" photo that I took at the Jewish section of Graceland Cemetery in Chicago. Schmap.com wanted to use my photo for their website, and I was flattered and happy that they asked and were interested in using my photo. I gave them permission to use it and it was published on their website!

"Frankenstein Grave" - photo © Jane Diamond

I've always loved this grave since I'm such a huge fan of the early black and white horror films of the 1920's and 30's, like "Frankenstein" (obviously) "Bride of Frankenstein", "Dracula" and other original horror films of those eras. Plus this particular graveyard is very interesting in itself. It's very old and very run down - but also quite historical, with some rather intriguing and spooky stories behind it too. Not to mention, one of my all time favorite groups, Skinny Puppy, did a photo-shoot in front of this exact grave back in the early 90's, which of course, makes it that much more cooler!

Skinny Puppy (from left to right) Cevin Key, Dwayne Goettel (RIP) and Nivek Ogre

... Anyway, today I received a message from one of the Schmap one-line editors, saying their guides have now been released for iPhone and iPod touch. And that my photo of the Frankenstein grave is on the iPhone version! Very cool news! :) You can check it out here if you like to see what it looks like on the phone: at: www.schmap.com/?m=iphone#uid=chicago&sid=sights_attractions&p=10850&i=10850_21

*** My photo can be found via that link on the upper left hand side of the phone ***

~~~~~~~~~~

And speaking of "spooky" related things - one of my closest friend and I are bummed out that the "Alien Sex Fiend" and "Specimen" show was cancelled. I don't really listen to much 'goth' and 'batcave' type music anymore, but I still really love Specimen. I saw Alien Sex Fiend at Medusa's nightclub in Chicago in 1989, which was a lot of fun, but I never saw Specimen, so I'm disappointed I won't be able to see them live. But we're still definitely looking very forward to seeing "Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds" this September! I'm sure it will be an amazing show! And add to the fact that Nick Cave is also a fellow fan of Louis Wain! Nick even owns some original Wain paintings! Gah - *envvvvy*
Anyway, check out this short video clip, and music video, for the new Nick Cave album
"DIG, LAZARUS, DIG!!!".

I think this is such a brilliant, funny and very clever concept to promote a new album.

And below is the official video for their new hit single, "DIG, LAZARUS, DIG!!!"
I think it's such a great and fun song! Catchy too - enjoy!...

Til later...

I hope you all have a great weekend!

Cheers from Catland,

- Jane

Artist Feature on Heidi Shaulis

2008-06-14T18:27:00.000-07:00

Recently in my Flickr group, "Etsy Cat Crafts and Art", I held a contest called "Spring Time Cats". Members submitted photos of various cat arts and crafts with a spring time look and feel. There were many cute and creative entries! The prize for the winner was a feature of their winning photo and a direct link to their Etsy shop here in my blog.

And the winner of the "Spring Time Cats" contest was Heidi Shaulis. Many congrats to Heidi! Below is the photo she entered for the contest

"Follow the Leader" by Heidi Shaulis

In addition to featuring the photo of Heidi's winning creation and a link to her Etsy shop - I interviewed Heidi, asking her about her arts and crafts, her life, her pets, and what inspires her artistically. Heidi is a lovely and very talented artist. Please read below about this very interesting, fun and informative interview I did with Heidi to get to know more about her, and her artwork, her pets, and her very own new "Catland"......

"Puss 'n Boots"

Jane: How long have you been an artist, and who and/or what inspires you?

Heidi: I have been painting since I was 22...that was 22 years ago. Wow, I just realized that is half my life! When I started painting I was an archaeologist and art was my hobby. Gradually it became my focus and I went full-time 9 years ago. From the very beginning I painted my cats, as they are one of the loves of my life and I think they are beautiful. Among my favorite artists from the past are Franz Marc, Alice Neel and Marc Chagall, but I am head over heels for the Catland art, especially Louis Wain.

"How to Train your Human"

Jane: What mediums do you use, and are there any particular colors you like to work with the most for your paintings?

Heidi: I almost always use Winsor & Newton alkyd oils because I like the glazing qualities of oils, but like that they dry quickly. I am looking into walnut oil paints though, as they are "green" and free of toxic solvents. I hope to eventually move to those but am not sure if I'll have the patience for them to dry. My palette is ultramarine blue, pthalo blue, titanium white, cadmium red, cadmium yellow, raw sienna, alizaran crimson, lamp black, ivory black, sap green and geranium pink.

Jane: And what are your favorite subjects to paint?

Heidi: Cats, of course! I like to do them in both realistic poses and also in an anthropomorphic fashion; I call these New Catland. My big soft tuxedo cat Charlie is my favorite subject in both styles. I also paint other animals from time to time; usually animals that I see around us here in VT.

Charlie - one of Heidi's cats and artistic inspirations

Jane: I know you enjoy painting cats, and as a fellow cat artist and cat lover myself, I'm interested in learning more about your cat art. How long have you been painting cats?

Heidi: Since I started painting at 22...I painted my best cat Oliver (he passed away 6 years ago at the age of 19) over and over. My paintings weren't too great then, but I loved painting and you have to start somewhere!

"Chagall on Chagall"

Jane: How would you describe your own cat art?

Heidi: I am self-taught, so I call my paintings folk art. This lets me not worry about rules and just do whatever I feel like doing! Some of my cat paintings are whimsical, and with some I like to convey a feeling of peace and contentment; cats seem to master these things that we humans have such a hard time with.

"Paws"

Jane: Which cats inspire your cat art? And do you have any favorite cat artists that you like and/or inspire your own cat artwork?

Heidi: Right now my favorite subject is my chubby tuxedo cat Charlie, but I'm also working on a series with my 3 boys, Charlie, Harry and Will having adventures together (as in the Rescue...my next will be The Treasure). I also do quite a few commissions of other people's cats. My favorite of all time is Louis Wain, but I also admire the paintings of Henriette Ronner-Knip and also vintage postcards with the fun cat scenes from Catland.

"Thrifty Charlie"

(I own a print of this - it's soooo cute, colorful and charming! - Jane)

Jane: And do you have a particular favorite cat painting of you own creation that is your personal favorite?

Heidi: I think The Rescue is my best cat painting so far.

"The Rescue"

Jane: How many pets do you have? If you like, please share their names, ages, and also any interesting stories about them

Heidi: Currently I have 6 cats and my best friend, my Norwegian elkhound/chow mix dog Bea. My cats are Hattie (age 18), Matilda (15), Thistle (8), Charlie(7), Harry (3) and Willy (2; he's the baby). They all either just showed up at the door (Hattie), were "free kittens" (Matilda, Harry and Willy) or were from an animal shelter (Thistle and Charlie). I'm not a pure-bred kind of girl. Bea was a rescue too; she was raised by the cats so she has a lot of respect for them!

Some of Heidi's cats - from left to right - Willy, Charlie and Harry

Jane: Aside from your art, what other interests do you have, what hobbies do you enjoy, and what do you like to do in your spare time?

Heidi: Since we live off of our artwork, it is our life and takes up most of our time, but we also have 2 sons (10 and 14) who need us quite a bit. I also like to work with Isaac gardening. I am also a thrift store addict and can't pass up vintage housewares and linens from the 1920's through the 1960's, cashmere sweaters and anything else that I find charming. Our house had been lived in by the same family since 1945, so it has been difficult to make it feel like our place, but slowly I've been incorporating bright colors, vintage finds and artwork to make the place ours. Hopefully we'll be here as long as the last family.

Our big project this summer is building my painting studio. I currently work in a tiny room in our tiny vintage farmhouse, so it's going to be such a pleasure to have a real workspace. We are trying to build it as "green" as possible; the stones for the foundation and the logs for the timber frame were pulled from the woods by our draft pony Noki a few years ago (sadly he passed away last year from Cushing's disease). We're also going to be using recycled materials and local wood for the construction, and placing windows to maximize passive solar heat. It doesn't look like much yet in the photo, but it should be mostly complete by the end of summer! You can see though, that the setting is peaceful and pastoral.

Heidi's Studio Timber Frame

Jane: Where can we find your Etsy shop?

Heidi: My husband Isaac (he's a woodworker) and I share our Etsy shop; it is http://westcorinthstudio.etsy.com/

Jane: Last but not least, aside from Etsy, do you have any other sites you belong to that also showcases your arts and crafts?

Heidi: We also share a website: http://www.westcorinthstudio.com/

My old website shows a lot of my paintings from 2003 to 2007 (I was selling mostly on ebay during this period); that web address is http://www.heidishaulis.com/

My seller name on ebay is heidi_shaulis, (I have over 1300 feedback there!) but I'm selling very little there now, ever since I discovered Etsy! I love Etsy and felt at home the minute we signed up.

~~~~~~~~~~

Thank you very much to Heidi for this wonderful interview and insight to your art, life, pets, and more! It has been great getting to know you better, and I appreciate you taking the time to answer all my questions for this interview. And again, congrats on winning the "Spring Time Cats" contest! :)

Til later...

Cheers from Catland,

- Jane

Celebrating Your Love for Cats and other updates

2008-06-07T13:20:00.000-07:00

So, I'm still recovering from my back injury from when I tore a muscle in my lower back, and haven't had much time to be as active on-line - like updating my blog, keeping up with the forums and sites I frequent, including my Etsy shop. This is due to dealing with the pain, being so busy with my physical therapy and all the meds I've been taking lately. But I am starting to get better, and fortunately I am towards the end of my recovery - finally!

Anyway, in better news, I'm working on updating my Etsy shop and blog. I recently posted two new items at my Etsy shop.

Below is a commissioned painting I did called "Share Your Love For Cats". I did it for Harmony House - a wonderful, cageless and no-kill cat shelter in Chicago. This painting I did was designed to promote their Valentine's Day events, but Kitty Love is an everyday celebration - it's fitting all through the year. It features a sweet faced Russian Blue style cat inside a heart, surrounded by roses and leaves and has a lush red border.

"Share Your Love For Cats" painting print by Jane Diamond

Detail of "Share Your Love For Cats" painting print

I also now have in store this original ACEO cat collage design I did. I had posted about it before, but it wasn't listed in my shop yet. Now it's finally available to all you ACEO collectors and cat lovers! This cat collage ACEO I call, "Catch Your Dreams" as I thought it fitting for the design

"Catch Your Dreams" original cat collage ACEO by Jane Diamond

Both the "Share Your Love For Cats" painting print and the "Catch Your Dreams" ACEO print can be found now at my Etsy shop at: www.janediamond.etsy.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~
In other Etsy related news - I have currently begun to expand my items to other animals aside from cats. Cats are by far my favorite animal (in case you haven't noticed yet;) but I love all animals, and wanted to express that through my arts and crafts. I am happy to say I recently sold an adorable pendant necklace featuring "Georgia", a lovely little lamb rescued by Farm Sanctuary! I actually posted a photo of Georgia, along with some info about Farm Sanctuary in my last post here. Georgia and some other baby lambs were abandoned, unable to care for and fend for themselves (especially at such a young age) and were left to die! But fortunately, the amazing and compassionate people at Farm Sanctuary rescued the lambs, and they all are now living safe, free and happy lives!

Below are two photos of the pendant necklace I made with sweet little Georgia on it

And via the purchase by the very nice and lovely customer who bought this pendant necklace, I will be donating 20% from the sale to the Farm Sanctuary and also an additional 10% to the Etsy For Animals charity of the month!

Til later......

Look for my newest Etsy artist feature on Heidi Shaulis - coming to my blog soon!

Cheers from Catland,

- Jane

Very Vegan! :)

2008-05-16T07:52:00.001-07:00

I have been strict vegetarian for 18 years, and also a borderline vegan - I never bought or wore anything made from animals (like fur, leather, wool, etc.) and also don't buy from companies that test on animals or have animal by-products in their ingredients. It's still hard for me to imagine that in today's society, animal testing still goes on, especially in this day and age with so many other alternatives to test products, rather than on defenseless animals!

But recently, after being a vegetarian for 18 years, I decided to become a vegan! And I feel great ever since. My body feels more pure in a spiritual and physical sense from being 100% vegan now! And through my decision to go totally vegan, I felt that this was my next step in helping to prevent the horrifying conditions that our animal friends live in, as well as the painful, senseless and inhumane slaughter of these beautiful and innocent animals, such as in the photos below...

A baby calf, chained at the neck in a stall in a factory farm- unable to move, walk, and barely lay down

Chickens on their way to being slaughtered in a factory farm

I know these photos are very graphic and disturbing, but sadly, this is the truth and reality of what happens behind closed doors to animals in factory farms all over the world!

As the saying goes, I believe that animals are *not* ours to eat, wear, or test on. These beautiful animals should be able to live their lives with happiness, dignity, and freedom! And who are we to deprive them of those rights?

I know not everyone may agree with my standpoint on this issue - people have their own beliefs and need to make their own choices in life. But in my personal experience of becoming a vegan, I feel it sends out the message that I strongly believe in - that the cruelty, torture, and ultimately death that these animals have to endure, should not be tolerated or accepted. And I will not support in any way, shape or form, the abuse these animals go through! But I believe there is hope in that, as well as through other people who are passionate about the welfare of animals, like in the photos below...

A rescued sweet baby chick, now living a peaceful and happy life at the Farm Sanctuary

Another rescued animal from Farm Sanctuary. This is Georgia, a lovely lamb, also now living a life of joy and freedom at the Farm Sanctuary

As an Etsy shop owner, in addition to being a member of the wonderful street team "Etsy for Animals" (EFA), I have also recently joined another street team, "Vegan Etsy"! I am a proud member of both of these groups now!

In the blog, "Vegan Flower", they wrote a small post about my Etsy shop, which I was happy to come across. You can read about it here: http://veganflower.blogspot.com/2008/05/jane-diamond-designs.html

I'm very excited about my new vegan diet and lifestyle, as well as getting to know other vegans and animal lovers through the "Vegan Etsy" team! A very special thanks to Molly (a fellow Etsy For Animals member too) for having me be a part of your wonderful vegan team! I'm so glad to be part of your group! :) To learn more about the "Vegan Etsy", please visit their blog at: www.veganetsy.blogspot.com

Power By Ringsurf

And you can visit Molly's Etsy shop at: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5537231

where she makes and sells vegan mini muffins for dogs! She has a very unique shop, with healthy and delicious treats for your pups!

Also, to learn more about the amazing and wonderful work that Farm Sanctuary does, like rescuing the beautiful baby chick and lamb in the photos above, as well as all the other work they do for animals like them, to please go to their site at: www.farmsanctuary.org

~~~~~~~~~~

In other Etsy related news, I will be adding a new ACEO cat collage that I recently designed. I already have a couple ACEO prints in my shop, but will be adding more asap. I'm still going through recovery from my back injury, so I haven't been as active at Etsy and my other favorite sites and blogs, but am slowly getting a bit better everyday, and am hoping to have my new handmade ACEO's available in my shop soon!

Here is a photo of my most recent cat collage ACEO...

"Catch Your Dreams" - handmade cat collage ACEO by Jane Diamond

I sent one of these ACEO's to my friend Katie (known as mishkat at Etsy) for her birthday and I was really happy to know that she liked them so much!

I hope all you cat lovers out there will check back at my shop to see when the "Catch Your Dreams" ACEO is listed, as well as my other crafty kitty goodies that I have in store now, and also coming soon, thanks!

www.janediamond.etsy.com

Til later...

Cheers from Catland!

- Jane

Etsy For Animals Article!

2008-05-06T11:41:00.001-07:00

I haven't been as active here, (or at Etsy, Flickr, and my other favorite sites) as I recently tore a muscle in my lower back, so it's been difficult to sit for long periods of time, so that's why I haven't been on the computer as much.

But in better news, two of my "Etsy For Animals" friends, WHSKR and Mishkat, wrote a wonderful article about Etsy For Animals (also known as EFA), and I wanted to share it here in my blog since they did such an amazing job on it, and also because Etsy For Animals is an Etsy street team that I am very proud to be a member of!

Here is a direct link to the article: http://www.etsy.com/storque/section/craftivism/article/etsy-pets-worldwide-animals-with-efa/1715/

I hope you will take some time to read this article and learn more about EFA (accompanied by some super cute pictures of EFA members pets and art). In the article, I am the "cool cat artist" mentioned in the first line, and also included is a photo of my ACEO of my "October" cat painting! It's so nice to be featured amongst so many talented and compassionate EFA artists there. Each EFA artist has their own unique style of art, we live all over the world, and yet we are all bonded by our passion for helping animals!

Many thanks to WHSKR (Marjorie) and Mishkat (Katie) for writing the EFA article, which helps spread information and exposure on how EFA members are committed to helping improve the welfare of our animal friends through our arts and crafts.

And a special thanks also to another one of my EFA friends, Michele (mvegan5) who started and created the Etsy For Animals team! Thank you Michele for all your hard and loving work that you do for EFA, and for bringing Etsy artists together through your group so that we can all be a part of making positive changes to animals in need!

~~~~~~

For more info on Etsy For Animals, please visit the EFA shop at: www.etsyforanimals.etsy.com

or at the EFA blog at: www.etsyforanimals.blogspot.com

All items at the Etsy For Animals shop have been donated by EFA members, and 100% of the proceeds (less S&H) go towards the EFA charity of the month. You can also type in 'efa" or 'teamefa" in the main search box at Etsy.com to find members shop who donate percentages of their sales to Etsy for Animals.

To me, shopping at the Etsy For Animals shop and/or from artists' shop who are EFA members is a win-win situation. You get lovely and creative handmade arts and crafts, and get to help animals in the process too!

Til later,

Cheers from Catland!

- Jane

New interview feature on me by NanjoDogz!

2008-04-23T22:02:00.000-07:00

I was very honored and flattered that Nancy, from "NanjoDogz" at Etsy.com, recently interviewed me for her personal blog. Nancy is a fellow member of "Etsy For Animals; Artists Helping Animals" and she does monthly features on various EFA members in her blog. For this month, her feature was about me and my shop. To read the interview she did with me, please click on this link: http://nanjodogz.blogspot.com/2008/04/efa-interview-jane-diamond-designs.html

~~~~~~~~~~

Nancy is a huge dog lover, and adores her own dog, as much as I do with my own cat, Ms. Abbey. Nancy creates gorgeous and darling dog themed items such as beads, pendants, note cards, magnets and much more! Here are some of my favorite items from her shop...

"Greyhound Art Pendant"

"Pomeranian Crystal Flower Pendant"

"Greyhound Summer Sunshine Distressed Pendant"

I really enjoy Nancy's work, but I like her greyhounds the best since they are one of my favorite breeds of dogs, and Nancy really captures the striking and beautiful elegance of greyhounds in her work as you can see!

To check out more of Nancy's work, please visit her Etsy shop at:

www.NanjoDogz.etsy.com

And thank you so much Nancy for the 'Etsy For Animals' member feature you did on me for your blog! I really enjoyed the interview and also answering all your questions! :)

Til later...

Cheers from Catland,

- Jane

Ode to Louis Wain - The Cat Artist King!

2008-04-01T00:22:00.001-07:00

After about 13 years of being a huge fan of Louis Wain, I finally own something original of his cat artwork!

I bid on this original Wain illustration on E-Bay and was so happy and excited that I won. It's a cute and mischievous page from one of Louis Wain's Annuals from 1910.

The "Louis Wain Annuals" were like little magazines featuring Wain's art, which were very popular during the height of his career, and they ran without a break from 1905 to around 1925.

The page from the annual that I won is not only adorable, but also in excellent condition, especially considering how old it is. It even smells old, but I love the smell of old books and magazines. Which reminds me that I should post my list of my favorite smells in an upcoming post.

Below is the page from the Louis Wain Annual that I won

This page reads...

1. "Hark!!!"

2. "What is it? I can hear it"

3. "Where is it?"

4. "Oh, I can feel it!"

Very clever and cute, and a wonderful illustration capturing the curiosity of cats!

And here is a photo of it hanging up in my apartment by my art desk for some cat creativity inspiration. It is in the upper left hand corner of this photo.

~~~~~~~~

More about Louis Wain...

This Louis Wain cat painting above is one of my favorites by him. I do not own the original of it, but I still love it so very much, I'm even considering getting a tattoo of it! I have a lot of favorite cats by Louis, as I adore all his work, but this one really grabbed me, and I also like the vividness in the colors and patterns within the painting.

These types of paintings Louis Wain did with the very detailed and wild patterns in the backgrounds of the paintings are most commonly known as his "Wallpaper Cats" or "Kaleidoscope Cats".

These types of paintings were done during the time Louis was diagnosed with schizophrenia. Most people view these wallpaper or kaleidoscope-esque backgrounds a direct affect of his mental illness, which I believe did play a factor to his change in his cat paintings.

However, I personally do not believe these changes were solely due to his mental illness. I think part of it was because Louis' mother worked in the textile business, in particular, working with Eastern Indian textiles. Even long before Louis became schizophrenic, it is said that Louis saw cats and other things in his mothers textiles. So I feel this also effected the change in his cat art, and the memories of these vivid and detailed textiles perhaps came back to him as he got older, and in turn, he incorporated these patterns into his work.

Louis Wain was also very interested and well studied in the sciences, and as he became mentally ill, he believed that cats gave off magnetic energy, and that his own body was charged with electricity, like the photo below, which could have also had an effect on the change of his cat art.

While I do find these cat paintings during Louis' illness with schizophrenia quite interesting from a psychology and artistic aspect, it saddens me that in today's society, Louis is mostly known for these types of works, his "crazy cats" as some people refer to them. It saddens for various reasons. Louis wasn't even diagnosed with schizophrenia until he was in his late 50's (which is not common, as the typical onset of schizophrenia is around the teen years and early 20's). And Louis wasn't "crazy" or "nuts", he was mentally ill. Even during the peak of his schizophrenia, he remained a very gentle and docile man, with very few violent outbursts. Also, prior to Louis becoming mentally ill, he did so much for the welfare of cats! People during the Victorian era only kept cats to rid of vermin, but once Louis Wain's cat art became all the rage, people started keeping cats as household pets, rather than just vermin killers, and welcomed cats into their homes and treated them with dignity, love and respect.

Louis often gave lectures on the welfare of cats and encouraged people to take in stray cats, not just purebred cats. Louis Wain was elected as President and Chairman of the National Cat Club, which he served for many years, and the logo he designed for the National Cat Club is still used to this very day! He was also involved in many other animal (mainly cat) charities and groups. Louis was on the committee for the Society for the Protection of Cats, and was an honorary member of the Anti Vivisection Society - talk about being ahead of his time! Louis was often interviewed on the subject of cats, and judged cat shows all over the country, like in the photo below.

And because of the popularity of Louis Wain's cat art, adored by children and adults alike, and his eccentric but gentle and charming personality, he was held in very high regards, and people followed in his footsteps to improve the welfare for cats. So this is some of the reasons why it saddens me that in today's society, people seem to focus too much on his schizophrenic artwork, when considering that Louis created many wonderful cat paintings prior to becoming mentally ill, and also all he did for cats with such passion, dedication, respect and admiration! Personally, this is how I feel Louis should be more known, remembered and appreciated for, in these times!

Because I have been so touched and moved by Louis' life story and his art, he has had a great influence over my own personal cat art. My style is very different than his, but the intention is the same - to spread the happiness cats give us, to other people through out art.

Below is a painting I did in ode to Louis Wain. It is a painting based on Louis' very first cat, Peter, (otherwise lovingly known as Peter the Great) whom he shared with his wife, Emily.

High quality gorgeous prints of this painting of mine are available at my Etsy shop. If you are interested in purchasing this print, please go to: http://www.janediamond.etsy.com

~~~~~~~~

To learn more about Louis Wain, please check out these links below...

I wrote a bio about Mr. Wain for the website FindAGrave.com It was hard to write because Louis led a very interesting and a very long life, and there was a limit as to how much room you had to write a bio, so it reads a bit choppy, but I wanted to personally submit my bio in ode to him, since Louis is such an inspiration to me, as well as to many other artists and cat lovers alike. If you are interested in reading my bio about Louis, view photos other members there posted of Louis and his grave, and even adding your own virtual flowers and/or note to Louis there, go to: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=8212267&pt=Louis%20Wain

In addition, I also recently started a group at Flickr called Louis Wain's Catland. It is somewhat similar to my Wain group at Yahoo (but not as much info about him, like in the articles) but members there post photos of Louis' art, and their own Wain inspired art and photos, as well as participate in the discussions. If you're interested in joining my group at Flickr, please go to: http://www.flickr.com/groups/556845@N23/

Hope to see you at my Wain groups!

And if you're a Louis Wain fan too, feel free to post your own comments of your thoughts and views about Louis Wain and his artwork here. I'd love to hear from other Wain fans!

Til later...

Cheers from Catland!

- Jane

Extra Extra! Read all about it!

2008-03-25T11:31:00.000-07:00

It's been a little while since I've updated my blog. This past month, I haven't been feeling too well physically, which in turn has been effecting me emotionally as well. Everyone I know here in Chicago has been sick. Everyone! There's been something going around that just won't seem to go away. The weather here doesn't help. One day it's 50 degrees, warm and sunny out, and yet the next day, it will drop down to 20 degrees, snowy, cold and grey. An old friend of mine once said there are only two seasons in Chicago - summer and winter. It's so true, it seems there's just no in between.

Anyway, I'm starting to get back on my feet, and wanted to update my blog. I have a lot of catching up to do about various things going on with my arts, crafts, and my life. Mostly good stuff, and some sad, but for now, I wanted to post about this......

Recently, I have been making some new catnip toys from this fabulous fabric I bought. The fabric is a cat themed 'mews'paper, with various cat related articles accompanied with cute kitty photos. I cut out the articles, and hand sew them together using a black backing fabric with white paw prints all over it, which I completely fill with 100% organic catnip!

I have sold two of these mewspaper toys already at my Etsy shop, which I'm very happy about. And in addition to that, I recently was on Etsy, browsing through their "Gift Guide" section and was happy to see that one of my mewspaper catnip toys was featured in the gift guide, under the "Pets and Pet Lovers" section! All items listed there are picked and curated by the Etsy staff, so I was really flattered and excited my catnip toy was selected and featured there! Thanks Etsy Staff :)

To see this catnip toy of mine at Etsy's gift guide, click here: http://www.etsy.com/gift-guides/pets-and-pet-lovers/30

Below is a photo of one of these catnip toys I have already sold

"Chilly Calico, the meteorologist cat" - handmade mewspaper catnip toy!

And here is a photo of the catnip toy in the "Pets and Pet Lovers" gift guide section at Etsy

"Astronaut Cat" - handmade mewspaper catnip toy

If you're interested in purchasing this cute and clever catnip toy above, please visit my Etsy shop at: www.janediamond.etsy.com

I'll be listing more of these mewspaper themed catnip toys in my shop in the future, and I have other goodies that I'm planning on making, so check back at my shop soon to see my latest crafty creations! And also, 10% of my sales from my items tagged with "efa" (Etsy For Animals) goes to the Etsy For Animals charity of the month. So it's a great way of not only buying something for your cat that they will really enjoy and love, but also to benefit animals in need at the same time!

Til later...

Cheers from Catland!

- Jane

Kitty Love Cat Creations!

2008-03-04T10:56:00.000-08:00

In my group "Etsy Cat Crafts and Art" that I started at Flickr, I held a "Kitty Love" contest in the spirit of Valentine's Day! Members of the group were encouraged to post their own handmade cat creations that had a Valentine's Day/Kitty Love theme to it. The entries were all very cute and embraced Valentine's Day with our feline friends in mind!

I wanted to feature all the entries that the members had entered in the contest. I am happy to showcase all of these lovely cat creations! So please take a look below at these wonderful, beautiful and creative kitty creations, along with links to each members Etsy shop where you can see more of their wonderful work!

"Bombay Cat Brooch" felted cat brooch by KaysK9s

to visit KaysK9s's shop, please go to: www.KaysK9s.etsy.com

~~~

"Purple Heart Catnap" cat sculpture by Endless Whimsy

to visit Endless Whimsy's shop, please go to: www.endlesswhimsy.etsy.com

~~~

"Mau Mau in Love" cat button by MAUstudio

to visit MAUstudio's shop, please go to: www.maustudio.etsy.com

~~~

"Skittles" felted cat sculpture by bjmaiee

to visit bjmaiee's shop, please go to: www.intimateforest.etsy.com

~~~

"Dobby loves Sophia" mixed media ACEO by mishkat

to visit mishkat at Etsy, please go to: www.etsy.com/profile.php?user_id=41710

~~~

Thank you to all the members of the "Etsy Cat Crafts and Art" group for submitting your entries for the "Kitty Love" contest! All the entries were fantastic and you are all winners!

Since I started the "Etsy Cat Crafts and Art" group, one thing I noticed that I really enjoy about the group, is while everyone there loves cats and creates cat themed items, every member has their own very distinctive style! It's so interesting to see how different people portray and illustrate cats in their own special and unique way!

If you are an Etsy shop owner, and create cat themed items (either for people and/or cats) please come join my group at: http://www.flickr.com/groups/etsy-cat-crafts-and-art/

Hope to see you there!

Til later...

Cheers from Catland,

- Jane

My Entry for Etsy For Animals February Challenge

2008-02-17T14:02:00.000-08:00

Click on the link below to see my entry for the "Etsy For Animals" February Challenge, "For the Love of Animals". As a member of EFA, I like to participate in their challenges. My entry for this challenge is especially close to my heart...

http://etsyforanimals.blogspot.com/2008/02/my-entry-for-february-challenge-for.html

Cheers from Catland

- Jane

List and Video of the week

2008-02-05T17:19:00.000-08:00

I have a confession to make

I am a list-a-holic.

I LOVE to make lists. I make them about anything, but usually about favorite things of mine.

My list addiction started years ago when I was working at a toy shop. It was a really cool shop, not your typical chain toy store, but rather one that catered towards old skool toys like metal wind up toys, smurfs, silly putty, and some very cool and unique puppets. They also carried various instruments from around the world, like african drums, pan flutes, etc. Never a dull day working there. And I've always been a kid at heart, so while I wasn't working, I was playing with all the fun things in the shop.

Unfortunately, things took a turn for the worse when the couple who owned the store of ten years, decided to retire and move. It was sad to see them go, they were so wonderful to work for and put so much heart and pride into the shop, and they gave the shop a sort of mom and pop feel to it, very welcoming. But after 10 years in the business, they wanted a change.

Enter the new owner, a young guy who completely lacked any and all business skills, couldn't seem to care less about the customers, or the actual store for that matter, and ran the store into the ground within about a years time. So while he was off getting stoned, avoiding all the angry companies that were after him for all the money he owned them that I got stuck having to deal with, I was basically left in the store with nothing to do. The new owner got rid of the majority of items in the shop, and the little amount of items he carried in the shop, was more to what he liked (mostly hippy stuff) rather than what the store was known for, so the regulars started shopping elsewhere, and the new customers didn't stick around for long.

So this was around the time I really started to get addicted to making lists. I would work 8 to 9 hour shifts with a small handful of customers all day long, so I killed a lot of time making lists about various things. It's been years since I've worked at the toy store, but I still love to make lists to this day. So I thought I'd start posting some lists of mine to share here in my blog.

This list is my top 31 favorite 1 hit wonders of the 80's.

Some (er, okay most) of these songs fall into the 'so bad they're good' category, some are more club type hits rather than radio hits, cover songs, or from bands that maybe had more hits in other countries, but you get the idea.

Top 31 one Hit Wonders of the 80's (in random order) by Jane Diamond

31. "Love and Pride" by King

30."Cars" Gary Numan

29. "Tenderness" by Genereal Public

28. "Space Age Love Song" by A Flock of Seagulls"

(this one was more of a 2 hit wonder, but I think this song is so much better than "I Ran")

27. "Heat of the Moment" by Asia

26. "Birds Fly - Whisper to a Scream" by The Icicle Works

25. "Obsession" By Animotion

24. "Dominatrix Sleeps Tonight" by Dominatrix

23. "Come on Eileen" by Dexy's Midnight Runners

22. "Inside Out" by The Mighty Lemon Drops

21. "State of Shock" By Michael Jackson and Mick Jagger

20. "People Who Died" by Jim Carroll

19. "Politics of Dancing" by Re-Flex

18. "Too Shy" by Kajagoogoo

17. "Red Red Wine" UB40

16. "Pop Musik" by M

15. "Video Killed the Radio Star" by The Buggles (first video ever aired on MTV)

14. "Wot?" by Captain Sensible

13. "Let's Go All The Way" by Sly Fox

12. "In A Big Country" by Big Country

11. "99 Luft Balloons" by Nena

10. "Something About You" by Level 42

9. "Go!" by Tones On Tail

8. "Can't You See" by Vicious Pink

7. "Relax" by Frankie Goes To Hollywood

6. "Turning Japanese" by The Vapors

5. "Der Kommisar" by After The Fire

4. "Close to the Edit" by Art of Noise

3. "Pass the Dutchie" by Musical Youth

2. "World Destruction" by Time Zone

1. "Shiny Shiny" by Haysi Fantayzee

What are your favorite one hit wonders of the 80's?

Comment me back and let me know!

Cheers from Catland!

- Jane

Current Cozy Cat Creations!

2008-01-20T19:35:00.000-08:00

Greetings everyone! I wanted to upload some photos tonight of my latest kitty items that I have available right now in my Etsy shop!

It's getting very cold outside, so why not warm your heart with these handmade greeting cards of mine? The design on the cards is from a commissioned cat painting I did for Harmony House Cat Shelter's annual Valentine's Day open house. The painting is called "Share Your Love For Cats". This painting is used in Harmony House's newsletters and their website, and now it can be seen on these lovely greeting cards I made!

Each card is 5x7 inches, printed on card stock, and comes with a bright red envelope. The inside of the cards are blank to write your own personal message. The back of the cards are white and has my Etsy information, as well as information about Harmony House.

Also, 20% of all sales from these cards goes directly to help the cats and kittens at Harmony House! A great way to share your love for cats! :)

These cards make for a purrrfect way to send a Valentine greeting to someone special, or keep it for yourself to hang it up in your house! The cards look great in a 5x7 frame to add some cute kitty decor to your home.

~~~~~~

I have also listed this gorgeous painting print called "Peter the Great". This painting I did in ode to my favorite Victorian artist, Louis Wain! Louis was inspired to create cat art from the very first cat he had, Peter - otherwise lovingly known as "Peter the Great"! And since Louis Wain's cat art and life story have greatly influenced my very own cat art, I painted a portrait of Peter in ode to Louis. This painting print is ideal for fans of black and white cats (or "tuxedo cats" as some people call them), fans of Louis Wain, or just fans of cute kitty art!

Both the greeting cards and the Peter Cat print are available in my shop now. I already sold one of the greeting cards, but have more in my shop. To check them out for yourself, please visit my shop at: http://www.janediamond.etsy.com/

The pictures there of these items are much more in focus at my shop, and I have also additional photos of the greeting cards at my shop too, to give you more perspective on what they look like.

Til later...

Cheers from Catland!

- Jane

Video of the week- Etsy For Animals!

2008-01-14T04:55:00.000-08:00

My video pick of the week is an "Etsy For Animals" video created by Diane of: www.woodnvisions.etsy.com

This video that Diane created showcases many of Etsy For Animals members, featuring their arts and crafts, and photos of their pets too! I was honored to be one of the artists selected for the video, and my "Calico Queen" painting along with a photo of my cat Abbey can be seen in this video, along with many other wonderful and talented work by EFA members, and their adorable pets too! Many thanks to Diane for all her hard work and supporting Etsy For Animals in this unique and creative way! Check out her video here!...

Blog feature on me and other recent 'mews'

2008-01-04T16:53:00.000-08:00

Recently I was featured in woodnvisions blog for my "Calico Queen" painting. The woman behind "woodnvisions" is Diane, who is also a fellow Etsy seller and Etsy For Animals member too! She creates very unique, beautiful and well crafted sculptures and clocks out of wood. I especially love her Poodle Clock

"Poodle Clock" by woodnvisions
So cute! :)

Diane is a wonderful supporter of Etsy For Animals! She is currently in the midst of creating an Etsy For Animals video featuring the work of EFA artists and their pets too, and I'm very excited and honored that I was selected to be one of the artists featured for the video! Thanks Diane for your feature on me in your blog, and also for all the hard work you are putting into this video to showcase and support the art and artists of EFA! I can't wait to see it!

To check out Diane's wonderful wood creations, go to her Etsy shop at: www.woodnvisions.etsy.com/

To see Diane's feature about me in her blog, go to: http://woodnvisions.blogspot.com/2007/12/featured-seller.html

~~~~~~

In other news, I have begun some "Kitty Love" style work for my Etsy shop, since Valentine's Day is fast approaching. I already have this catnip toy available in my shop right now!

This is a super cute catnip toy that I sewed by hand and is completely filled with 100% organic catnip! I have made these retro style catnip toys for my own cat, Abbey, and she loves them! She assures that your cat will love their very own retro style catnip toy too! I love the fun and flirty look and style to this toy, and all the pink flowers and hearts is very festive and purrrfect for celebrating Valentine's Day with your cat(s)!

Also available in my shop is this adorable and sweet painting print

"Gretchen - Kitty Angel"

This is a high quality print of my original painting based on the second cat I ever had, Gretchen. She was a very pretty long haired white cat with very long whiskers, and two different colored eyes, one green - one blue. Gretchen also had the cutest high pitched mews, and had a very girly purrrsonality. This print is ideal for fans of white cats and also the color pink!

~~~~~~

I also recently picked up some new cat themed fabric, as well as some new ACEO cards and other craft supplies that I look forward to working with to come up with some new creative cat designs. I only wish there was more than 24 hours in a day! I always have so many ideas for new arts and crafts, but never seem to have enough time to complete them all in the time frame I would like. But I will still have some new items in my shop soon, so keep an eye out to see what's in store! Valentine's Day is an especially fun time of the year for me to come up with "Kitty Love" items!

You can visit my Etsy shop by clicking here: www.janediamond.etsy.com

And speaking of "Kitty Love", on February 3rd, "Harmony House Cat Shelter" in Chicago is holding their annual Valentine's Day open house! If you live in the area, you should stop by. There will be lots of cute and crafty items that you can buy that helps support Harmony House, yummy cupcakes and other sweets, a raffle, and of course, you can visit and share your love with all the lovely cats and kitties there too!

To find out more about Harmony House, as well as this event, go to: hhforcats.org

Here is my commissioned painting that I did for their Valentine's Day open house

"Share Your Love For Cats"

Me with my cat Ms. Abbey - Kitty Kisses!

Til later......
Cheers from Catland!

- Jane

Video of the week - Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

2008-01-03T17:02:00.000-08:00

Specimen

Long before there was "goth" there was "Batcave", and bands like Specimen and Alien Sex Fiend epitomized this movement in music. Unlike "goth" music today, Batcave wasn't as serious and all 'gloom and doom' - there was a dark undertone to it, but it was more fun, glam and had almost a campy element to it. I loved the song "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" when I first heard it back in the 80's, but have been playing it a lot lately on my Ipod, though I still have their albums on vinyl! This song is still very popular in the clubs today

Take a trip back in time to the old "Batcave" days with the classic song by Specimen

Etsy For Animals - New Craft Challenge

2008-01-02T10:59:00.000-08:00

As a member of Etsy For Animals, I like to partake in their monthly challenges in their blog. For this month, the theme was "New Craft" for the New Year. To view my entry for this challenge, please click on this link: http://etsyforanimals.blogspot.com/2008/01/my-entry-for-new-craft-challenge_04.html

Cheers from Catland!
- Jane

Featured Artist - Patti Haskins

2008-01-02T08:51:00.000-08:00

Recently in my new Flickr group, "Etsy Cat Crafts and Art", I held a contest called "Cat Christmas Creations". Members submitted photos of various Cat arts and crafts with a Christmas theme to it. There were many adorable and creative entries!
On December 22nd, the voting began, and on Christmas Day, the winner was announced. The prize for the winner was a feature of their winning photo and a direct link to their Etsy shop here in my blog.

And the winner of the Cat Christmas Creation contest was Patti Haskins!

Here is Patti's photo of her winning entry

This is Patti's cute crocheted cat ornament!

In addition to featuring the photo of Patti's winning creation and a link to her Etsy shop - I asked Patti to tell me more about her work with art and crafts, her life, her pets, and what inspires her artistically. Read below to learn more about this sweet, talented and creative woman, as well as to meet Patti's super cute pets too...

"I’m a middle-aged artist with a graphic design day job. I live in Dallas, TX. My husband Mike and I live with two terrier mix dogs and six formerly alley cats, all rescues. Everything I make is inspired by living with these critters. A day doesn't go by that they don't make me smile.

Veronica

Therefore, I have a hard time making "serious" art. When you're surrounded by goofy creatures, goofiness seems to rule your creative output. . . or at least its that way for me. I hope that my work will make people smile the way my critters make me smile: the world needs more smiles.

Mickey

Betty and Ben

These days I have been creating critters using crochet and sewing fabric into stuffed critters or collaged wall hangings. I also manipulate the photos I shoot of these creations and turn them into digital collages. My day job entails computer graphics and I hate to waste all that knowledge on work alone.

Monty

June

I occasionally feel the need to paint. Someday I will return to sculpting critters from paper mache. I am as goofy as my critters and as easily distracted. You never know what will show up next in my shop."

Rose

Marci

For more of me, visit my blog: pattihaskins.wordpress.com

I'm a member of three street teams:

Etsy Plush Street Team: www.plushteam.com/

Etsy Dallas Street Team: www.etsydallas.blogspot.com/

Etsy Texas Crafters: www.etsytx.org/

To visit and shop at Patti's Etsy shop, go to: www.pattihaskins.etsy.com

Congrats again to Patti for winning the "Cat Christmas" contest, and thank you for all the info you provided for this feature about you! :)

Also, I want to wish everyone a very happy, healthy, and creative 2008!

Til later...

Cheers from Catland!

- Jane

Etsy Cat Crafts and Arts - my new Flickr group!

2007-12-27T20:04:00.000-08:00

I recently started a new group at Flickr called

"Etsy Cat Crafts And Art".

As an Etsy shop owner and Flickr member, as well as an avid cat lover, I thought I'd start a group for other Etsy shop owners who create cat related items such as I do!

If you are interested in viewing and/or joining this group, click on this link:

http://flickr.com/groups/etsy-cat-crafts-and-art/

So far, I have 33 members in the group, and what I find so interesting about the group is while all the members there create cat related arts and crafts, everyone has their very own unique and distinctive style. There are a lot of talented and creative people in the group, with a wonderful and vast variety of cat crafts and arts!

Hope to see you in the group soon!

Til later...

Cheers from Catland,

- Jane

Charmed, I'm Sure...

2007-12-23T18:21:00.000-08:00

I've finally begun working on some pendants that I bought and have been in the process of making some cat charm pendant necklaces out of them. I'm quite happy with how they've been turning out considering the little amount of experience I've had working with jewelry.

Below are some photos of my latest cat charm pendant featuring two cats by my favorite Victorian cat artist, Louis Wain! The pendant has a cat on each side - one happy cat, and one grumpy cat. This necklace would make for a cool way to display the mood you're in. Wear the Happy cat side when you're feeling happy, and the other side when you're feeling grumpy. Or you can just wear it to show off your love for cats!

Happy smiling orange tabby cat

Black and white grumpy cat

Side view of the pendant

Grumpy cat side displayed on an Egyptian cat statue

This was made on a 1 inch silver pendant with a glass insert that magnifies the images.

The pendant comes with a silver ball chain necklace that can be worn at any length of your preference. This pendant is purrrfect for cat lovers, as well as fans of Louis Wain alike!

This pendant can be found at my Etsy shop at:

www.janediamond.etsy.com

And check back at my shop for more cute cat charm pendants in the future! These are a lot of fun to make, so I'm sure I'll be listing some other ones soon!

Happy Holidays to everyone!

Til later...

Cheers from Catland!

- Jane

Happy Holidays!

2007-12-21T21:20:00.001-08:00

My cat Ms. Abigail and I want to wish everyone a healthy and happy holiday

and a wonderful new year too!

Cheers from Catland!

- Jane

My Latest Crafty Cat Creations!

2007-12-21T16:24:00.000-08:00

Greetings from Catland!

I've been enjoying making my latest crafty cat creations!

Below are some photos of my newest catnip toys, enjoy!

"Pretty Kitties" Catnip Toy
Handmade and handsewn catnip toy completely filled with 100% organic catnip!

My beautiful 18 year old cat Ms. Abbey modeling with one of her very own "Pretty Kitties" catnip toy!

My Art Noveau inspired Catnip Toy!

These catnip toys have been a big hit with my cat customers! They are sure to make you cat play and purr with delight!

These catnip toys and other cat creations of mine can be found at my Etsy shop at:

http://www.janediamond.etsy.com

~
I've also begun working on some cute cat pendants! I haven't worked with jewelry much, but I've been having fun making these pendants and they have turned out great so far! I can't wait to add them to my shop.

In other news, aside from work, just getting ready for the holidays! As much as I'm looking forward to Christmas, I can't wait 'til it's over as all the stores have been soooo busy and swamped and I don't do well with big crowds, or the sappy Christmas music! Although there is one Christmas song that I have always liked, "Do they know it's Christmas"? by Band-Aid. I still have the 12 inch and 45 of the song on vinyl too!

Til later...

Cheers from Catland!

- Jane

The Latest 'Mews'

2007-12-12T00:33:00.001-08:00

Today I received the latest newsletter from Harmony House Cat Shelter and was happy to find that the photo below of my friend Melissa and I was used in the newsletter! The photo was taken at Harmony House's annual Halloween event.

Also a photo I took of three of the animal communicators at the event was used in the newsletter as well, and both Melissa and I received 'Furry Thanks' for taking photos at this event. It was a nice surprise to see out photos and names mentioned in the newsletter!

Melissa (left) and I at Harmony House Cat Shelter - 07

And below are a couple photos I took of some of the sweet kitties at Harmony House

Sambuca - my favorite cat at Harmony House!

Kitty Love!

A very cute and friendly orange tabby cat

~

In other news...tonight I'm working on a custom lavender sachet for a buyer at my Etsy shop. I make all my sachets and catnip toys by hand. I love to sew by hand, I find it very relaxing.

Update...here is the completed custom sachet. The front of the sachet (as in the photo below) features an original painting by me called "October". The sachet is completely filled with organic lavender and the backing fabric is purple with white stars. I was very pleased with how it turned out and hope the buyer who ordered it loves it and enjoys it!

I have the film "Grand Hotel" playing in the background. I usually work on my arts and crafts with a movie or some music playing in the background. Grand Hotel is one of my favorite movies from the 1930's. It's an excellent film with an all star cast. I love old hollywood, especially the fashions from that time period. The woman were so beautiful and elegant, and the men were very dashing and handsome. If you like old films, you should check out Grand Hotel! Lionel Barrymore is especially good in this film.

Cheers from Catland,

- Jane

The Latest 'Mews'

2007-12-01T21:10:00.000-08:00

I'm in the December issue of Chicagoland Tails Magazine!

I had attended the 4th annual 'Pet Psychic Fair and Halloween Boo-tique' at Harmony House Cat Shelter. I do promotional art-work for Harmony House - a cageless no-kill cat shelter in Chicago.

My art-work for them helps promote their special events, such as this one. My art for Harmony House has been used in their newsletters, website and T-shirts. I attended the Halloween event with my friend Melissa, and we had a wonderful time catching up with all the Harmony House cats, kittens, and staff. The photo below was taken at the event, and is now published in this months issue of Chicagoland Tails Magazine!

I'm the one in the middle, along with Patricia Clancy (left) and Alicia Halloran (right) two of the animal communicators at the event.

This is sweet sweet little "Sambuca"! She's my favorite cat at Harmony House!

She's shy but very precious, I adore her so much. She only has one eye - but I like to think of it as her perpetual wink ;)

Me (right) with my good friend Melissa at Harmony House

This lovely long haired orange cat kept staring at me with those big 'take me home' eyes. This cat really took a liking to me, perhaps because we both have orange hair ;) This cat later gave me a kiss, and was more than happy to let me takes lots of pictures. What a great kitty model!

My friend Melissa with one of the cats she fell in love with, and this cat fell in love with her right back. Total Kitty Love!
~
Last week, I got a package in the mail. I didn't know who the sender was, and was confused as to what was in the package. But once I opened it, I realized that I had won a very nice photo bracelet cuff from Chicagoland Tails magazine. The have contests every month in the magazine, and I had entered to win this bracelet, and I didn't even know I won 'til I opened the package, it was quite a nice and unexpected surprise! Chicagoland Tails has been good to me this month :)

In other 'mews', I'm still working on some items for my Etsy shop that I will be adding soon in the weeks to come. I'm working on several different projects at once, been very busy, so it takes me awhile to complete all my new items, but they all will be worth it once I finish them. In the meantime, come check out what I have available now at:

http://www.janediamond.etsy.com/

And check back soon for my latest cat related crafts and arts

Cheers from Catland,

- Jane

Latest Cat Creation!

2007-11-30T16:42:00.001-08:00

Here is my latest handmade catnip toy, "Puss at Home"

It features a charming and heart warming Victorian design of a beautiful brown

Mama tabby cat, with her sweet faced kitten all cozy and close at her side.

This toy measure approx. 2x3 inches in size

Ideal for kittens of for grown cats that prefer smaller sized toys

This catnip toy would make for the purrrfect stocking stuffer this holiday

for your feline friend!

This toy is available now at my Etsy shop at:

http://www.janediamond.etsy.com/

Cheers from Catland,

Jane

Cat Video of the Week!

2007-11-25T01:45:00.001-08:00

Nora - The piano playing cat
and yes, it's real
Nora looks like my Abbey too :)

All Things Handmade

2007-11-21T19:51:00.001-08:00

My Etsy shop is now featured in a wonderful new blog called "All Things Handmade"!

Thanks to my friend Michele ('mvegan5' at Etsy) for letting me know about this blog
To check out my shop listed there, just click on this link: http://etsymini.blogspot.com/2004/08/art-and-illustrations-page-4.html

Also, I wanted to thank my other Etsy friend Katie ('mishkat') for taking screen shots of two of my treasuries at Etsy. The first one I did recently featured donated items in the "Etsy For Animals" shop, and my theme was EFA Harvest, in the spirit of Thanksgiving. Check out the screen shot of it that Katie took for me, it has some wonderful Thanksgiving and autumn themed items...

The second recent treasury I did was an ode to Victorian cats! Obviously I'm a huge cat lover, (just in case you haven't noticed ;) and I love the charm, warmth, and elegance of Victorian art. Below is the screen shot of my "Fine Victorian Felines" treasury!

Cheers from Catland,

- Jane

'Tis the Season to be Frisky!

2007-11-20T21:18:00.001-08:00

It's that time of the year for some frisky and fun feline festivities!

Here is my latest crafty creation - A beautiful Victorian inspired Cat Christmas Ornament!

I worked really hard on it, but enjoyed creating it, and was happy with how it came out.

Below are various photos of the front and the back of the ornament, as well as some close-up shots of the gorgeous designs.

UPDATE - This item has been sold!

This Cat Christmas Ornament is available now in my Etsy shop at:
http://www.janediamond.etsy.com

And check back at my shop for more Christmas creations and other goodies coming soon!

Cheers from Catland,

- Jane Diamond

Cat Video of the Week!

2007-11-19T05:34:00.000-08:00

"Delilah" By Queen

Freddie wrote this song for his favorite cat, Delilah!
She is the black and white cat in the first half of the video

Give Thanks to your Cats this Thanksgiving holiday!

2007-11-18T00:19:00.000-08:00

Let your cats in on the Thanksgiving festivities!

Any cat owner would agree to being thankful for having their cats in their lives. For this Thanksgiving, why not show your gratitude for your cats by giving them this adorable Thanksgiving themed catnip toy! Your cat will thank you in return!

The front of this catnip toy features a vintage design of a darling and playful little mouse wearing a pilgrim hat surrounded by fall leaves with a grey background - a very fun and festive design!

The front of the catnip toy says "Happy" at the top, and at the bottom it says "Thanksgiving". The "Thanksgiving" part is much more visible on the actual toy than it is in the photo.

This catnip toy measures approx. 2x3 inches (this smaller sized toy is ideal for kittens, or grown cats that prefer to bat around smaller toys) and it is completely filled with 100% organic catnip - sure to make your cat(s) purr and play with delight!

Each catnip toy I sew by hand - a lot of time, work, and love goes into these toys, but it's well worth it, I've had many happy cat customers :)

I have made these catnip toys for my own cat, Ms. Abbey, and she gives them two paws up!!

Abbey assures your cats that they will love their very own vintage inspired catnip toy!

I also sell my unique and charming handmade catnip toys at "Wigglyille Pet Boutique"

in Chicago and they are very popular there, they fly off the shelves!

However, if you don't live in Chicago, you can purchase this catnip toy, or other ones I have available now at my Etsy shop: http://www.janediamond.etsy.com

Cheers from Catland,
- Jane

My Latest Crafty Cat Creation!

2007-11-17T18:13:00.000-08:00

Here is my latest cat crafty creation! This is a cute and colorful handmade magnet called "Kittens Dream". It has a collage design I created with a Victorian inspired look and style to it.

The magnet is 3x3 inches in size, made on wood, but lightweight with a very strong and durable magnetic backing. (the copyright watermark is not on the actual magnet, only on the photo here)

These magnets make for a fun and easy way to display cute kitty art! This cat magnet and other goodies of mine are available now at my Etsy shop at: http://www.janediamond.etsy.com

In other news, it's been awhile since I updated my blog, I was sick with the flu, but am now getting back on my feet, and have been busy creating new items for my Etsy shop! And with the holidays fast approaching, I've also begun to make some Christmas themed creations that will be listed in my shop soon!

In the meantime, take a look at the items I have available now - my shop is purrrfect for cat lovers, and I have fun and fabulous items for you and your feline friends too!

Cheers from Catland,

- Jane

Cat Video of the Week!

2007-11-05T22:00:00.000-08:00

Cat Head Theatre!

EFA challenge of the month - Harvest Colors

2007-11-03T14:14:00.000-07:00

My latest Thanksgiving themed handmade catnip toy is featured now in the Etsy For Animals (efa) blog! I submitted it for their November challenge, which was "Harvest Colors".

Too see and read about my latest catnip toy, as well as a bit more about the charity I support and do art work for, and more info on my Etsy shop, please go to this link: http://etsyforanimals.blogspot.com/2007/11/for-november-challenge-harvest-colors.html

I'm very happy to see this very sweet and special catnip toy featured in the efa blog, hope you check it out for yourself! This catnip toy would make for the purrrfect way to show you thanks to your cat and have them join in on the festivities this Thanksgiving!

Cheers from Catland,

- Jane

Cat Video of the Week!

2007-10-29T20:38:00.001-07:00

"Lovecats" by The Cure

Helping animals through art!

2007-10-20T08:00:00.000-07:00

I am a proud member of Etsy For Animals; Artists helping Animals, otherwise known as efa. It is a wonderful group of talented and compassionate artists who donate proceeds from their items in their Etsy shops to help a selected charity each month.
This month, the charity is Town Cats of Ocean City, which is based in Maryland, providing feral cats with services such as food, a no-kill shelter, spay/neuter, vaccinations and adoptions. I have donated my print "The Sleeping Cat" to the Etsy For Animals shop, and it was featured in the efa blog! Check it out!
http://etsyforanimals.blogspot.com/2007/10/sleeping-cat-printserene-and-beautiful.html
100% of the proceeds of that print (minus S&H costs) goes towards helping the animals! *purrr*

Also, all items in my personal Etsy shop tagged with 'efa' goes towards helping the animals too!
You can visit my Etsy shop at: http://www.janediamond.etsy.com/

To learn more about Etsy For Animals, please visit them at: http://www.etsyforanimals.com/

Til later...
Cheers from Catland
- Jane

Welcome To Catland

2007-10-19T06:57:00.000-07:00

..."And Catland, sometimes called Pussydom, opens for you instantly, it's the inmost light, it's the inmost light!".... Current 93

Welcome to my Catland. A place where all cats are free, colorful and happy! I incorporate my love for our feline friends into my cat art and hope that in turn, it makes other people happy and appreciate the gifts that cats, and all animals give us. I believe many human beings can learn from animals - the way animals love unconditionally - they don't care what color we are, what race we are, what religion we believe in, or don't believe in, what mood we're in, what color are hair is - animals do not judge, they love us unconditionally, and sadly, I can not say the same for all human beings.

I love all animals, but cats have an extra special place in my heart. And with my love of cats, I create many cat related arts and crafts, such as cat paintings, handmade catnip toys, and other items with cats featured on them such as magnets, tag bookmarks, decorative boxes, and more!

To the right is one of my most popular paintings, "The Sleeping Cat". It is based on my own cat of almost 18 years, Ms. Abigail, otherwise known as Abbey. I fondly refer to her as my 'mews' (muse;) for most of my cat paintings. Cats greatly inspire me, and just like my favorite artist Louis Wain, through my own cat art, I'm creating my own Catland. This blog is about my cat art, my Etsy shop, cat and other animal charities I belong to and support, and other random things about my life. I hope you enjoy your visit at my Catland!

You can view more of my art work via my website or my Etsy shop. Check the links below...

Web: http://www.geocities.com/janediamondsart/

Etsy: http://www.janediamond.etsy.com/

Til later...

Cheers from Catland

- Jane