Monday, October 25, 2021

MAIN HOP PAGE - 2021 CAT LOVERS HOP



Handy List of 2021 Cat Lovers Hop Links
 
Upcoming Links for Daily Posts 
DAY 2 Post - 2021 Cat Lovers Hop (goes live 12:05 am Pacific, Tuesday, Oct. 26)
DAY 3 Post - 2021 Cat Lovers Hop (goes live 12:05 am Pacific, Wednesday, Oct. 27)
DAY 4 Post - 2021 Cat Lovers Hop (goes live 12:05 am Pacific, Thursday, Oct. 28)
DAY 5 Post - 2021 Cat Lovers Hop (goes live 12:05 am Pacific, Friday, Oct. 29)
DAY 6 Post - 2021 Cat Lovers Hop (goes live 12:05 am Pacific, Saturday, Oct. 30) 
Wrap-Up Day Post - 2021 Cat Lovers Hop (goes live 12:05 am Pacific, Wednesday, Nov. 3)
 


Welcome, Welcome, Welcome Friends and Cat Lovers!!!
 
I am so glad you are joining us for our 2021 Cat Lovers Hop....which will be going on all week right here Monday - Saturday, Oct. 25-30, 2021.  This is our 7th Year.....can you believe it???   This is the MAIN HOP PAGE where you can read the details of this year's Hop, get a sneak peek at our fabulous sponsors, and most importantly....LINK UP your projects.  Yay!!!

Before we go on........please take a moment to SIGN IN HERE.  I am asking everyone who wants to participate and be eligible to win prizes to please sign in to make my bookkeeping easier.  Thank you for helping me out this way!

Remember:  YOU MUST SIGN IN TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR PRIZES!!!


Also, before you get started, PLEASE read the 2021 Cat Lovers Hop Guidelines and FAQs HERE. This will answer many of your questions, particularly if you are new to our hop!

**************************************************
How to join in the 2021 CAT LOVERS HOP:
**************************************************

There are three ways to get a chance to win a randomly-drawn prize from our awesome sponsors:  linking up a cat project, commenting on linked-up projects, and participating in the Daily Games.

1. LINKING UP A CAT PROJECT: The Cat Lovers Hop is open world-wide....so please SIGN IN, and then link up a cat-themed project right here at the bottom of THIS post by 11:55 pm Pacific, Saturday, Oct. 30, 2021.
 
There is a limit of 5 projects for the week.
I hated to have to limit the number of entries, but it was getting a little bit unwieldy for us to get around to every entry to leave meaningful comments.  So last year I set a limit of 5 and it seemed to be well-received.  So we will continue that this year. Thank you for understanding! 

***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!***


You may enter your project in as many other challenges as you wish. See my 2021 Cat Lovers Hop Guidelines and FAQs HERE to see what qualifies as a cat-themed project, so you don't miss out on being eligible for the prizes!! Around half the prizes will be randomly drawn from projects linked on this page. Be sure to include my 2021 Cat Lovers Hop Badge in your post.
 
 


2. COMMENTING ON LINKED-UP PROJECTS:  Leave a comment on any or all of the cat projects from the link up. The more comments you leave, the better your chances of winning!
 
NEW THIS YEAR:  Extra days for commenting!!!
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 4 extra days for commenting, especially helpful for visiting those projects that come in on the last day of the link-up.)

Around half of the prizes will be randomly drawn from comments on the cat projects.  You must SIGN IN to be eligible for the comment prizes, even if you are not linking up a project.


And, yes....a PRIZE will be awarded to one randomly-drawn lucky hopper who comments on ALL the projects!!  I will have a special link-up on the final Wrap-Up Day next Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2021....which is the last day to leave comments.  If you manage to comment on all the projects in the hop by 11:59 pm Pacific that day, you can link your name up on that Wrap-Up Day to be in the super-commenter drawing.

3. PARTICIPATING IN THE DAILY GAMES:  There will be  Daily Games (usually consisting of icebreaker questions about you and your cats) at the bottom of each of my daily posts (Those posts will have titles such as: Day 1....Day 2...etc) There are prizes from our sponsor, Ike's Art!!  And no blog is required!!  :)
  You can link up your entry to the Daily Games throughout the duration of the Hop, including the extra days for commenting. 
You need to be SIGNED IN and have your entries in for the Daily Games by 11:59 pm Pacific, Wednesday Nov. 3,  2021 to be eligible for the prizes.
These prizes will be available world-wide! Yay!!   

NOTE:  Even if you do not use digital images and don't want to link up for the drawings, PLEASE PARTICIPATE IN THE DAILY GAMES so we can get better acquainted with you!!  This truly is what makes our Cat Hops so extra special!! 
 
 
*****************************************
OUR FABULOUS SPONSORS AND PRIZES
*****************************************
 
I keep talking about sponsors and prizes, so I bet you want to know who they are and what they have donated as prizes. Right???? Of course you do!!!  This year's line up is more exciting than ever with 44 Sponsors!!!  WOW!   
 
Did you know that we have three sponsors that have generously provided prizes 7 years in a row?  A special shout-out of thanks goes to:  Art Impressions, Newton's Nook, and Ike's Art.  They have stayed with us since the beginning.  Annelise, Jen, and Ike....you ladies are fabulous!!!  THANK YOU!
 
Returning Sponsors:
I am so excited and grateful to have the following returning sponsors. I think you will agree that their support and generosity have made each of our Cat Lovers Hops extra fun!!! A huge thank you to each one of them for sponsoring us in the past and coming back for more of the furry frenzy this year!!! Here they are with the prizes they are offering this year:


Altenew - $20 Gift Voucher
Art Impressions - Feline Set stamps
Gerda Steiner Designs - Buckets of Love stamp set
Heffy Doodle - Mewniverse stamp set PLUS Dies
Ike's Art - Kitty Digi Images including the entire Kitten Kristmas Digi set
Ink Blot Shop - 15% Discount Coupon to all Hoppers
Ink Road Stamps - TWO prizes:  #1 A Cat-Lovers Box of Goodies, #2 - $30 Gift Code (2 winners!!)
Jane's Doodles - $25 Gift Code
Kellie Stamps - 1 digital stamp set or card set of winner's choice
Lawn Fawn - Meow You Doin' stamp set PLUS Dies
Leigh SB Designs - Cats Galore Digital Image + 3 - $3.50 Gift Codes for her Boutique (4 winners!!)
Lost Coast Designs - $10 worth of stamps of winner's choice
Newton's Nook Designs - $25 Gift Code
Stamp On It - 3 Digital Images of the winner's choice
Sunny Studio - Meow & Fur-Ever stamp set
Taylored Expressions - Whiskers stamp set and Silhouettes - Cats dies
The Cat's Pajamas - $15 Gift Code
The Crafter's Workshop -TWO PRIZES each containing two 6"x6" stencils: Flying Cat and Wild Prints stencils (2 winners!!) 
Unity Stamp Co. - FOUR - $25 Gift Codes (4 winners!!)
Waffle Flower - $15 Gift Code
Whimsy Stamps - $20 Gift Code
Your Next Stamp - $15 Gift Code
 
New sponsors:
And here are our new sponsors for this year's Cat Lovers Hop. I know you will be thrilled to see who has come on board with us this year! Let's hear some welcoming purrs for each of them. (Purr...purr...purr...)

CAS-ual Fridays - TWO Prizes:  Rainbow Bridge stamp set and the Pawesome Stencil
Evelin T Designs - $10 Gift Certificate
Picket Fence Studios - Surprise bundle of Cat Stamps
Reverse Confetti - $15 Gift Certificate
Viva Las VegaStamps - Assortment of unmounted Cat Stamps

Okay, now......just how incredibly fantastic is that line-up????? Are you excited yet? I am, too!!! I am so humbled and appreciative that each of these wonderful sponsors has agreed to support our Cat Lovers Hop. Thank you, thank you, thank you to all these new and returning fabulous companies!!! I will be introducing them in more detail on my daily posts, so be sure to come back each day!!

As I was listing all these amazing kitty stamp sets, it occurred to me that many of you cat lovers might already own some of these sets. If you would like to tell me in the comments of this post which (if any) of them you already have, I will try to make sure that if you happen to be a lucky winner you will get a set you don't have yet!  No guarantees, though. :)

All cat-themed projects must be linked up right here at the bottom of THIS POST to be eligible for prizes. (Please use #2021CatLoversHop on social media!!) Each day of the hop, I will have DAILY games with a link-up on that day's post....specifically for THAT game. PLEASE do not link your cat project up in the daily posts......only right here on THIS POST. Thank you!

So.....Are you ready????

On your claws. Get set. Gooooooooooooooooooo!!! Have fun with this and let me know if you have any questions.  Let's make this 7th Cat Lovers Hop the best one yet!!



Janis
 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Tuesday, October 19, 2021

Butterfly - Double Embossed Hello

 Coming soon.................




2021 CAT LOVERS HOP
coming October 25-30, 2021
right here at

Her Peaceful Garden

Don't forget to participate in the following...it's NOT TOO EARLY.
You can do these right now!!:

1. SIGN IN for the 2021 Cat Lovers Hop  (REQUIRED to be eligible for prizes!!)
2. GIVEAWAY - Post my 2021 Cat Lovers Hop Badge (closes Oct. 24th)
3. Please look at the 2021 CAT LOVERS HOP - GUIDELINES and FAQs
4.
Get started making your cat projects for the hop!!!

 

Hi, Friends.....

I'm taking another little time out from my Cat Hop prep to share an entry for the Let's Squash It! Challenge which is always all about dry embossing with a twist.  This time Jo and Gail, the dynamic duo of dry embossing, are asking for Double Embossing.  

Well....well....well....like a dragon 🐲🐲🐲 lured away from her cave filled with gold 💰💰💰 at the prospect of accumulating a little bit more, I couldn't resist!!   I happen to LOVE double embossing. I think of it as one of my signature techniques and use it often with my usual clean and layered style.  

Things are way too crazy this week to make anything new, but I do have a couple of cards that I made a while back using this technique on the background.  LOVE!!   

I started with a layered background made with scraps of several different coordinated patterned papers.  I dry embossed it and then applied Versamark ink with a brayer over the raised parts.  I sprinkled on embossing powder and zapped it with my heat gun.  I repeated the Versamark ink and embossing powder 2-3 times to get really nice definition on my pattern.  I LOVE it!!   Then I added my other card elements as desired.
Bonus:  This technique of double embossing is a fabulous way to use up some of that ancient embossing powder that we all have sitting around in our caves, er, I mean our stashes!!!  ❤






Products used include:
Winnie & Walter - Essentials: Katharine Cutaways die set 
Taylored Expressions - Twirls and Swirls embossing folder (retired)\
Ranger - Embossing Powder in Silver
Uptown Accessories - Embossing Powder in Antique Gold  (very ancient and retired)
Great Impressions - Hello! stamp 
PaperTrey Ink - Fillable Frames #5 mini stamp set 
Chipboard funky flowers
Patterned Paper scraps from stash
 

Thank you so much for stopping by today.  I hope you enjoyed seeing my cards.  I also hope you will join us for the 2021 Cat Lovers Hop coming up all next week right here on my blog.  It's going to be great!!!


Janis
 

Thank you for the honor of entering these cards in the following challenges:
1.  Let's Squash It! Challenge #13 - Double Embossing



 

 

 

 

 


2.  Butterfly Challenge #162 - T is for.... (I chose just the Two Patterned Papers option this time.)


 

 

 

 

 


3. Pixie's Snippets Playground Challenge #414 - Use Snippets
4. CARDZ - AG Challenge #151
5. DL.ART October Linky Challenge - AG
6. Pammie's Inky Pinkies Challenge #2142 - AG
7. Word Art Wednesday Weeks 513-514 - AG
8. Ally's Angels Challenge #51 - AG 

Tuesday, October 12, 2021

Friends Like You....

 



2021 CAT LOVERS HOP
coming October 25-30, 2021
right here at

Her Peaceful Garden

Don't forget to participate in the following...it's NOT TOO EARLY.
You can do these right now!!:

1. SIGN IN  for the 2021 Cat Lovers Hop  (REQUIRED to be eligible for prizes!!)
2. GIVEAWAY - Post my 2021 Cat Lovers Hop Badge (closes Oct. 24th)
3. Please look at the 2021 CAT LOVERS HOP - GUIDELINES and FAQs
4.
Get started making your cat projects for the hop!!!

 

Hi, Friends.....

I rarely have time in October to post cards I've made because I am so busy with Cat Lovers Hop preparations.   I noticed, though, that Mrs. A had a lovely color palette on her current Butterfly Challenge post and I happened to have a card that fit that I made several months ago and never got blogged.  (I am soooooooo bad about not getting my cards blogged.  I have a zillion of them in drafts and never quite have the energy to actually get them posted.  Am I the only one like that???)

Take a look at the Butterfly Wheel that Mrs. A has for us this time.  So much pretty lavender and pink!!  ❤

She also mentions two patterned papers as one of the element options. I have a scrap background framing my card that might have two patterned papers in it, but it is mostly covered up and I can only see one patterned paper in it for sure, so I won't play with that element this time....just the colors.

My card features a super-fun Laurel Burch cat image stamped on a watercolor background I made.  I have stacks of these backgrounds and this is one of my favorite things to do lately.  Love how you can see a bit of the background showing through the images. 
 

 

Supplies used include:
Stampendous - Laurel Burch Feline Friends Like You stamp
Versafine ink in Smokey Gray
W&W Katharine
Scrap background
Mixed Media paper
Spectrum Noir markers
Wink of Stella pen
Thank you for stopping by today to take a look at my card.  I hope you will join in my Cat Lovers Hop festivities that I mention at the top of this post.  It's not too early to get started on your projects!!  


Janis

Thank you for the honor of entering this card in the following challenges:
1. Butterfly Challenge #162 - T is for.... (I chose the three colors: Twilight Lavender, Tea Rose, and Thistle...I think all of those are in my card!)
2. SUYP Challenge #71 - AG Cats
3. CARDZ - AG Challenge #151
4.
Word Art Wednesday - Weeks #511-512
5. DL.ART October Linky Challenge - AG
6. Pixie's Snippets Playground - Challenge #413 - Use Snippets
7. Ally's Angels Challenge #51 - AG
8. TTCRD - Week Oct. 12 - AG

Monday, October 4, 2021

GIVEAWAY: Post my 2021 Cat Lovers Hop Badge

 



2021 CAT LOVERS HOP
coming October 25-30, 2021
right here at

Her Peaceful Garden


Don't forget to participate in the following...it's NOT TOO EARLY.
You can do these right now!!:
1.
SIGN IN for the 2021 Cat Lovers Hop  (REQUIRED to be eligible for prizes!!)
2. GIVEAWAY -
(YOU ARE HERE!) Post my 2021 Cat Lovers Hop Badge (closes Oct. 24th)
3. Please look at the 2021 CAT LOVERS HOP - GUIDELINES and FAQs
4.
Get started making your cat projects for the hop!!!


Hi, Friends......

It's already October and time to get ready for the 2021 Cat Lovers Hop!!  Can you believe it is our SEVENTH YEAR????  WOW!!!  To help spread the word, I am asking you to post my badge on your blog sidebar (and/or FB, IG, or any other of your fave social media outlets!).  

Please say hello to Mistopheles, our 2021 Badge Kitty.  (All my other younger cats who haven't been a badge kitty yet are so jealous!!)



Once you have posted the badge, please link up below and tell me in the comments where I can go to find it.  Naturally, there is a prize for one random participant.

Rubber Dance, one of our awesome returning sponsors, has generously donated this fabulous Curious Cat Stamp.  Don't you love the arty look of this fabulous cat image??  So fun!




PLEASE take a moment to thank Rubber Dance for donating this fabulous prize by visiting them at these social media spots: Blog, Facebook, and Instagram and saying "Thank you for sponsoring the upcoming 2021 Cat Lovers Hop at Her Peaceful Garden!!!" Be sure to follow and like while you are there!



GIVEAWAY DETAILS:
1. SIGN IN for the 2021 Cat Lovers Hop to be eligible for prizes in any part of the Hop, including this giveaway.

2.  POST the 2021 Cat Lovers Hop badge on your sidebar (or on FB, IG, etc, if you don't have a blog. #2021CatLoversHop)
3.  LINK up below with your name.  YOU MUST LINK UP below to be eligible for this prize drawing.
4.  COMMENT below telling me where you posted my badge. Please include a link if it is different than the one you entered in the Linky tool.
5.  Open world-wide!!  Yay!!
6.  Link-up for this badge giveaway closes Sunday, 11:59 pm Pacific October 24, 2021.....just before the hop begins!
7.  Winner will be announced with all the other winners from the 2021 Cat Lovers Hop a few days after the hop ends.

Thank you for helping spread the word!  Please remember to hop over and do an early SIGN IN for the 2021 Cat Lovers Hop.
(Sign-in is REQUIRED to be eligible for the prizes!!)

🖤
Janis 

Misater Linky's Magical Widgets -- Auto-Linky widget will appear right here!
This preview will disappear when the widget is displayed on your site.
If this widget does not appear, click here to display it.


SIGN IN HERE for the 2021 Cat Lovers Hop

 








2021 CAT LOVERS HOP
October 25-30, 2021

now underway right here at

Her Peaceful Garden

Handy List of 2021 Cat Lovers Hop Links
SIGN IN for the 2021 Cat Lovers Hop (REQUIRED to be eligible for PRIZES)


Hi, Friends and Cat Lovers.....

Are you all excited for the 2021 Cat Lovers Hop????  I sure am!  This is our 7th year together....AMAZING!!!  A few years ago, I introduced this SIGN IN to make my bookkeeping easier when I am randomly drawing the names for prizes for the Cat Lovers Hop. It helped me a lot and so I am continuing it this year.  


Since I want half of the prizes to go to commenters and half to project entry participants, I am asking everyone who wants to participate and be eligible for prizes to please sign in here. That way when people comment on your projects who are just followers of your blog and not really intending to be part of the hop they won't end up with a wonderful cat stamp set that they might not even want!!

Remember: YOU MUST SIGN IN HERE TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR PRIZES!!!!!

Also, some of our sponsors are only able to mail their prizes to USA addresses, so I need to know what country you live in. Besides, it's fun to see where everyone lives. :) Also, please leave me your email address (in code is fine) so I can easily get a hold of you if you are a lucky winner.  In the past, I've had to track one or two people down each year and sometimes they didn't even know they were part of a Cat Lovers Hop!! I want these prizes going to people who really are a part of our hop.

One other thing, some of our sponsors are offering digital images as prizes. I realize that not everyone uses digis or has a working printer and so might not really want one of them as a prize. This is your opportunity to let me know..."no digis please!", if you do not want to be considered for those prizes.

Included in the sign-in are a couple of prize opportunities from our fabulous sponsors that I think you are going to love. If this is your first year ever participating in the Cat Lovers Hop, please mention that in the comments, too. One of the prizes will go to a lucky randomly drawn first-time participant. Have you participated EACH year of the hop (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and this year 2021)??? One of the prizes will go to a lucky participant that has been with us from the beginning and not missed a year! 
(You long-haulers deserve a medal for putting up with me this many years!!!  ❤ )


 Also.....in the past I have sometimes been confused by alternate usernames on different platforms for posting, linking, commenting, etc.  Many of us (including myself!) use two or more different monikers and most of the time I know who you are.  There are a few of you, though, who confound me each year!  (Hahaha....not too difficult to do!!)  Could you please list all your common usernames in the comments, too, to assist me when I am cross-eyed from running Random.org and making sure I have the right person from the right country getting the right prize?  THANKS!!

One more thing......I forgot to put this in when I first made this post, but Leigh S-B Designs, one of our wonderful sponsors, would like me to ask how many of you have an electronic die-cutting machine.  So if you would also answer that question, it would be very helpful for her.  Thank you.


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

TO SIGN IN (now through 11:59 pm Pacific, Wednesday Nov. 3, 2021, which is the last day for comments.).... Please leave comment below with the following info:
1. What country you live in.
2. Your email address (in code is fine).
3. "Digis okay" or "No digis, please".
4. Tell me if this is your FIRST YEAR participating or if you have PARTICIPATED EACH YEAR without missing. (Commenting and/or linking up a project counts as participating!! So even if you were not able to make a project, but did hop around and leave some comments here or on the projects EACH YEAR...that counts!!)
5. Alternate usernames on different platforms so I know who you are if you are a random winner there.(e.g. Janis, Janis in ID, J.Woolbright)
6.  Do you have an electronic die-cutting machine?

      

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
Remember: YOU MUST SIGN IN HERE TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR PRIZES!!!!!

Thank you for helping out with this sign-in procedure. I appreciate your patience and understanding.  Let's make this 7th Cat Lovers Hop the best ever!!

🖤
Janis

Thursday, September 30, 2021

September Rudolph Days - Vellum Monochrome Happy Holidays

 


Hi, Friends.....

Ugh....I have missed the entire month of September due to Covid!!  I am feeling so much better...not sick anymore, but still taking a nap or two each day.  Hubby probably brought it home from work and our family all got it (except baby) but thankfully none of us ended up in the hospital, even with our underlying heart and lung conditions.  I am finally getting a little bit of my sense of smell back...so I am hopeful that will return completely sometime!  :)

So I am squeaking in here, as usual, on the last day of the month with my September Rudolph Days card.  Sadly, last month dear Maureen was ailing and there was no Rudolph Days.  I hope she is feeling better now!

Do you have a box with odds and ends of Christmas supplies in your stash?  I know what you are saying....what do you mean "a" box...like a single box???   Ha....I have several of them, also.  Each Rudolph Days I try to use something from that box and this time it was a couple of  vellum strips that I had dry embossed with Christmas borders.  

This card had been on my mind for some time, but I couldn't decide what paper to use with the embossed vellum.  So I put the pieces over some black cardstock and fastened them down with washi tape.  Fastest card ever!  lol..  A couple of snowflakes gives it a little bit of dimension.  It's not a fabulous card, but I used something from my stash and I really like how this turned out.

Supplies used include:
Darice - Seasonal Border 3-pack
Vellum
Snowflake and Scripty Washi Tape
Foam Snowflakes
Black cardstock

Hope you like this quickie card.  I think Black and White always look great for Christmas!  Thank you for stopping by today!!


Janis

Thank you for the honor of entering this card in the following challenges:
1. September Rudolph Days
2. CARDZ-TV - AG Challenge #150
3. Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge #561
4. Word Art Wednesday - Weeks #511-512
5. All Sorts - Week 643 - AG w/ option of Nature
6.
DL.Art's September Linky
7.
Ally's Angels - Challenge #50 - AG

Thursday, September 2, 2021

August Card Chain Challenge Reveal - Happiness Blooms From Within

 

 
Hi, Friends......
 
I am here with my August CCC Card Reveal.  This card went to Dee in Kenya last month.  
 
The options last month were:

Colour Palette Option

(Exact matching is not required.)



Sketch Option



(Orient as desired.)

Theme Options: Movie Magic / The Sea / Friendship
Product / Technique Options: Vellum / Stamping
 
I chose the Color Palette, Friendship, and Stamping.  
 
Sadly, the beautiful pastel colors and silver embossing proved impossible to photograph!!!  Arrrgh..... The sentiment says:  Happiness Blooms from Within.

   

Supplies used include:
Versamark embossing ink
Silver embossing powder
Watercolor background
Spectrum Noir markers
Pretty Pink Posh - Sparkling Clear Mix sequins
 
Hope you enjoyed my card. You can still sign up for the September Card Chain HERE.  We would love for you to join us!!!
 
Janis
 
Thank you for the honor of entering this card in the following challenges: