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

The October Feline Sampler Box is Ready!

 Just the merchandise, no cats.

Just the merchandise, no cats.

My October 2016 Feline Sampler Box is, of course, full of black cats and Halloween cards as well as autumn artwork. Black cats not included, but I’m sure you can adopt your very own at your local shelter!

Contents

Click the photo to see an enlarged version.

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

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

SELECTED PRINTS

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

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

SELECTED GREETING CARDS

GIFT ITEM

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

About the contents

Featured Print: “Studio Window, Autumn

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

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

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

Counter print: “Kennedy

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

Greeting and Note Cards

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Packaging the Sampler Box

Three Orange Cats wrapping paper.

Three Orange Cats wrapping paper.

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

FOR YOU, FOR GIFTS, OR FOR DONATIONS

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

A NOTE ABOUT PACKAGING

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

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

Five black cats join in the fun!

Five black cats join in the fun!

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

Reviews

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

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

Order your own Sampler Box

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

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

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

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

Ophelia crashes the black cat party!

Ophelia crashes the black cat party!

Find other Halloween merchandise.

Browse other Halloween cards.

Read about other Feline Sampler Boxes on Portraits of Animals.

Order a Previously Distributed Sampler Box

You can purchase any prior Feline Sampler Box. When I send them originally I only put together as many as were ordered, but unless I am completely out of a special handmade item I usually have all the contents here in my studio, though I do have to cut new mats for the artwork and print the wrapping paper. They cost a little more than the original because the extra time it takes to put one together, and when I ship several similar packages at once I get a discount.

Choose the sampler box by month.

[ss_product id=’f5799b54-2056-11e7-9321-002590785994′ ]Purchase a Prior Feline Sampler Box[/ss_product]

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

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

Flourish-darkgray-100

Don’t miss any new items or opportunities!

“Follow” the Portraits of Animals blog with the link in the upper left.
Sign up to receive posts in email, or in your favorite reader using the links in the right-hand column.

Sign up for e-newsletters

You can also sign up for my monthly e-newsletters to receive special discounts and find out where I’ll be with my artwork.

Click here for the Creative Cat Preview E-newsletter,
for feline and animal-specific products and information.

Click here for the Art & Merchandise E-newsletter,
for landscapes, nature, urban scenes and more.

Flourish-darkgray-100

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

All images used on this site are copyrighted to Bernadette E. Kazmarski unless otherwise noted and may not be used without my written permission. Please ask if you are interested in using one in a print or internet publication. If you are interested in purchasing a print of this image or a product including this image, check to see if I have it available already. If you don’t find it there, visit “purchasing” for availability and terms.

Friendship Friday

Friendship Friday

One thought on “The October Feline Sampler Box is Ready!

  1. Pingback: Sign Up For Your November Feline Sampler Box - Portraits of Animals

Leave a Reply