2017 CAT LOVERS HOP --- GUIDELINES and FAQ

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The 2017 CAT LOVERS HOP is coming
Oct. 23 - 28, 2017
at Her Peaceful Garden

Last day to link up: Oct. 28
Last day to comment: Oct. 29
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Hi, Friends....

Welcome to the Guidelines and FAQ page for the 2017 Cat Lovers Hop.

WHAT:  A hop to celebrate cats of all sizes and shapes, since National Cat Day is October 29th.  Prizes will be awarded to randomly-drawn participants among those who link up a cat-themed project (see below for what "cat-themed" means)....and among those who visit the linked projects and leave a comment.  We might also have a few other daily games....we'll see!

WHEN:  This hop will run from 12:01 am Pacific, Monday Oct. 23, 2017 till 11:55 pm Pacific, Saturday, Oct. 28, 2017.  You can link up a project on the Main Hop Page any time during that time to be eligible for the project prize drawings.  (Please use #CatLoversHop2017 on social media.) No back-linking, please.  Comments on projects must be made by 11:59 pm Pacific, Sunday Oct. 29, 2017 to be eligible for the comment prize drawings.  

WHO:  The link up and prizes are open to anyone, world-wide.  

WHERE:  Find the link up for the 2017 Cat Lovers Hop Main Hop Page at Her Peaceful Garden.

******* Frequently Asked Questions*******

What does "cat-themed" mean?

Any project that features a cat or cats or is directly related to cats qualifies.  Please try to make cats part of the main focal image. 

Should I post your badge with my project? 

Yes, please put this badge on your posts so your readers will know which projects are part of the hop!  I understand that participants with Flickr accounts and the like won't be able to post the badge.  That's okay. 

How about a hashtag for social media posts?
Yes. For those on social media, please use #CatLoversHop2017.

Are Halloween projects acceptable?

Yes.  Even though this is the Halloween time of year, I am hoping that not all the projects will be Halloween-ish.  However, they still qualify as long as the cat is a main part of the card, and not just an incidental black cat arched up in the corner.  :)  Even I might have at least one Halloween card in the mix this week, so please don't think I am frowning on them.  I just hope to see more than a bunch of Halloween cats linked up.  :)

How about non-papercrafting projects?

ANY cat-themed project is fine.  Catnip mice in cute fabric prints?  

Quilts or wall hangings?  Cat jewelry?  3-D projects?  Cat Halloween costume (for your kid or for your cat!!)?    All are welcome and would be wonderful inspiration to someone like me who sticks to cards most of the time!!!  Feel free even to link up cat projects you have made in the past as long as you've never posted them on your blog before!  I'm easy.  :) 

How about big cats?

I love cats of all sizes, so I welcome the use of tigers, lions, etc. as a main part of your project.

How many entries may I link up?

There is no limit to the number of cat-themed entries you may link up to the Cat Lovers Hop.  You can be working on your projects before the hop begins, but please make sure your project post doesn't go live before my linky thingy rises up from the cyber-goo at 12:05 am Pacific Daylight Time, Oct. 23, 2017.  No back-linking.  Thanks!

May I enter my project in other challenges, too?

Yes, but I am going to ask that you please limit this to 3 other challenges besides this one, so 4 challenges all together.  The reason I am doing this is so most of the comments on your projects will be from this hop.  Ideally, I would like the cat-themed prizes from our amazing sponsors to go to people who actually like cats......not to people who were randomly drawn commenters from the other challenges, who may not care for cats at all.  (Are there such people???!!!) 

Does this make sense?  Thank you for understanding!

How about commenting on other projects?

I want to encourage everyone to comment on as many other projects as possible.  I am not going to be checking up on this, but let's be generous with our comments by leaving something more than just "cute cat" and then going on to the next one.  

The more projects you comment on, the better your chance of winning one of the prizes.  Also, if you leave your email address on your comments, it will be a lot easier for me to contact you if you are one of the lucky winners.  I hate for people to miss out because they didn't notice they had won and I couldn't figure out how to track them down!!  

Another important thing:  We have a ton of generous sponsors, but some of the prizes make international shipping prohibitive.  Some have had to limit posting their prizes to USA or USA/Canada/UK addresses only.  I am asking you to please identify the country where you live with your comments.  I already know where many of you live...but since some prizes can only be mailed to certain countries, it is important that you remind me when you leave comments!  Besides, it is fun for everyone to see how international our Cat Lovers Hop really is!!  

*******Questions I have asked myself*******

Shouldn't the Hop be called the "Cat Lover's Blog Hop" instead of just the "Cat Lovers Hop"????

Well, you are probably right.  The first year, I debated back and forth about where to put the apostrophe in the Hop name and finally just left it out.  As for putting the word "Blog" in the name....the first year it took me hours to figure out even how to make my badge and after all of that, I didn't have room to put the word "Blog" in that line.  Now I can make a badge pretty fast and I know how to make room for everything, but I want it to be like the other years!!!  lol...

Is this hop an annual event?

Well, this is the third one!  Does that mean I am finally committed....or just need to be committed?   Ha.  We'll see what happens between now and next October.  :)  

Let me know if you have other questions that need to be answered!!   Also, please let me know if you see typos and other mistakes.  I hate it when I let something like that slip through.  :(

I am looking forward to seeing your cat projects!!!

<3

Janis