2021 CAT LOVERS HOP - GUIDELINES AND FAQs

 

**********************************

The 2021 CAT LOVERS HOP is coming

Oct. 25-30, 2021

at Her Peaceful Garden

Last day to link up: Oct. 30, 2021

Last day to comment: Nov. 3, 2021

**********************************

Hi, Friends and Cat Lovers....

Welcome to the Guidelines and FAQs page for the 2021 Cat Lovers Hop.  I am so excited that you are joining us this year for our 7th Cat Lovers Hop, a wild and crazy week of crafting, commenting, and celebrating cats together.  Did I mention fabulous sponsors and awesome prizes?  LOTS of those, too!!

WHAT: A hop to celebrate cats of all sizes and shapes during the last full week in October, chosen because National Cat Day is October 29. (Hey....that actually falls DURING the hop this year!!  lol...) Prizes will be awarded to randomly-drawn participants who have SIGNED IN and who link up a cat-themed project (see below for what "cat-themed" means)....and/or who visit the linked projects and leave a comment. We also have our Daily Game feature to play in each day of the hop!

WHEN: This hop will run from 12:00 am Pacific, Monday Oct. 25, 2021 till 11:59 pm Pacific, Saturday, Oct. 30, 2021. After signing in HERE, you can link up a project on the Main Hop Page during that time to be eligible for the project prize drawings.  

***Please use #2021CatLoversHop on social media platforms (e.g. FB, IG, etc.) and allow PUBLIC (or UNLIMITED or ALL) permissions to view...not just FRIENDS...or most of us won't be able to see or to comment on your project!***

No back-linking, please. 

 

NEW THIS YEAR:  Comments on projects must be made by 11:59 pm Pacific, Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2021 to be eligible for the comment prize drawings.
 

Notice that you have FOUR EXTRA DAYS for CATching up on commenting after the link-up closes.  Many of you mentioned that it was difficult to get around to all the projects to leave meaningful comments in the time allotted.  I hope this extra time encourages us all to do more blog visiting and commenting!  ❤

As in past Hops, there will be a special prize for one lucky commenter who comments on every single one of the projects!! 
 
IMPORTANT RULE TO REMEMBER: YOU MUST SIGN IN HERE TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR PROJECT OR COMMENT PRIZES.

WHO: The link up and prizes are open to anyone, ALL AGES, world-wide, who has SIGNED IN HERE.

WHERE: Find the SIGN-IN HERE (required to be eligible for prizes!!) and the LINK UP for the 2021 Cat Lovers Hop (will go live on Oct. 25) on the 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.

What if I don't have a blog?
You can post your project on FB, IG, Flickr, Split Coast Stampers, YouTube, etc. if you do not have a blog....as long as you can link up to the actual page where your project appears.  We don't want to have to go hunting!  (That's just for cats!)  :)  Keep in mind that many participants are not members of those other platforms and will be unable to comment on your project.  Please use this hashtag for your posts:   #2021CatLoversHop.

Are Halloween projects acceptable?
Yes, of course!  I am hoping that not all the projects will be Halloween-ish, but I welcome your kitty Halloween creations.  Just make sure that the cat is a main part of the project, and not just an incidental black cat arched up in the corner. :)

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?

You may link up to a total of 5 entries for the entire week. 

Last year, in response to your suggestions, I introduced the 5 entry limit.  I got a lot of very positive feedback over that change so I will continue with that limit this year.  We were all getting a bit overwhelmed with the sheer number of entries.  It was becoming very difficult to visit everyone's project and leave the kind of meaningful comment that we value so highly.  This limit made it more manageable for us all.

 

Remember that 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 12:00 am Pacific, Oct. 25, 2021. No back-linking. Thanks!

May I enter my project in other challenges, too?
Yes! There still is no limit to the number of other challenges you can enter your projects in. Yay! I took care of the confusion of whether commenters were from our hop or not by adding the SIGN IN. I think it has streamlined things.

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.

Is there a special incentive for commenting on all the projects?
Yes! One of the lovely prizes will be awarded to a lucky randomly-drawn hopper who comments on every single linked up project!! Yay!! Please comment on the last day to let me know you commented on all the projects!!  Special allowances will be made for projects posted on platforms like FB or Flickr, etc. that are unavailable to you. Make a note of it in the comments on the last day and it will not count against you.  

*******Questions I am still asking 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 seventh one! Even though our world and my family situation is still crazy, I was determined to give this Hop my best shot again this year.  Covid hit me and I lost the entire month of September, but fortunately I had done a lot of prep work in August so I wasn't set back too far.  (Glad it didn't hit in October or the Hop surely would have been postponed or cancelled altogether!!)  So we shall see what happens between now and next October and hope for the best!

Why do I even do the Cat Lovers Hops??????  
It is sooooooo much fun!!! Your kind words and enthusiastic participation during our Hops bring me so much joy.  This is my way of saying THANK YOU to all of you who visit my blog throughout the year with your encouraging comments and inspire me with projects on your own blogs. 

Our Cat Hop Family truly has become a warm fuzzy community, laughing (and sometimes crying) with each other as we share the stories of our cats.  We might not visit each others' blogs regularly throughout the year, but it is like a reunion each October when we are all back together again.  For this, I am so very grateful to each of you!!  These events are a way I can show my appreciation to you, my papercrafting, cat-loving friends all over the world.  I hope you enjoy the Hops as much as I do!

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

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.  Did I forget to change a date to 2021?  Is a link broken or taking you to last year's hop pages?  I hate it when I let something like that slip through. :(

Thank you so much for helping us celebrate seven years together by joining us this year for the 2021 Cat Lovers Hop.  I am looking forward to getting better acquainted and seeing your cat projects!!!

🖤
Janis