Vote Catsparella For Best Use Of Social Media Blog To Win $1,000 For Sayreville Pet Adoption Center!

WOOHOO! Thanks to the support of cat lovers like you, Catsparella has been named as a finalist in the category of Best Use of Social Media Blog for the 2012 Petties Pet Blogging Awards!

The Petties are Dogtime Media's annual awards show to recognize the best of the pet blogging community.

Due to your tireless voting during last year's campaign, we were able to wrangle a $1,000 donation to Tabby's Place Cat Sanctuary in Ringoes, NJ. This year, we are hoping to defend our title in the Social Media category to win a $1,000 donation for Sayreville Pet Adoption Center, a deserving no-kill shelter located in Sayreville, NJ.

Voting for the finalists started TODAY, July 5, 2012 and will be remain open until Tuesday, July 31. You can access the ballot by clicking HERE, and will be asked to login with your Facebook account or enter in an email address to participate. Votes can be placed every day/once every 24 hours.

Sample ballot

Speaking of Sayreville Pet Adoption Center, they are having a Kitten Shower this coming Saturday, July 7th. You know I will be on the scene taking plenty of pics, and I hope to see you there!

From their website:

IT'S "KITTEN SHOWER" TIME! One of our favorite events at SPAC is back! We will host a "Kitten Shower" at SPAC on Saturday, July 7 from 12 Noon to 4 PM. Join us for cake, cookies, punch, shower favors, door prizes, a festive atmosphere, and fun! We will offer a "2 for 1" adoption special on all kittens - which means you can adopt TWO already-spayed /neutered and vaccinated kittens for only $95. In addition, adopt any adult cat during Kitten Shower for only $5 - now that's a great deal! Guests are kindly asked to bring a "gift" for the kittens in our care (after all, it IS a Kitten Shower!) Canned and dry kitten food, litter, KMR/Nurturall kitten formula, Nutrical, toys and blankets all would be greatly appreciated. MAKE PLANS TO COME AND JOIN THE FUN!

Once again, thank you to everyone who took the time to nominate Catsparella and helped make this honor possible! I know that voting every day can be a pain, but rest assured that just like in years past, your time will be compensated with cuteness!

Vote Catsparella For Best Use Of Social Media Blog To Win $1,000 For Sayreville Pet Adoption Center!

The Charlotte Olympia Cat Flat Knock-Offs You Asked For Are Here

From the first time I wrote about Charlotte Olympia's covet-worthy kitty flats, people have been wanting to know where they could find a cheaper version. The British footwear designer's original feline inspired footwear are gorgeous pieces of wearable art, made in Italy out of velvet and leather. A pair of the embroidered slippers retails for $595 at high-end department stores like Neiman Marcus, while the ankle-breaking platform wedge version clocks in at a cool $875.

Boohoo is currently selling a similar version of the flat, for those who want to get the kitty look without blowing a rent payment. $30 will score you a pair of the black or leopard print "Suedette Cat Face Ballet Shoes" that mimic the look of the real thing worn by stars such as Katy Perry, Kylie Minogue, and Beyoncé.

The Charlotte Olympia Cat Flat Knock-Offs You Asked For Are Here

Around the World In 80 Cats #17: Romania

(jostel)

I've been focusing more on specific travel destinations lately, so I thought it was time to go back to exploring some beautiful feline photography out of a foreign country. For some reason Romania randomly popped into my head, and I'm glad that it did because it led to a wealth of striking finds from throughout the Transylvanian nation.

(Florin Mogos)

(bortescristian)

(CameliaTWU)

(maywaskind)

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Know of any cat-themed travel destinations, or have any cool kitty vacation pics to share? Drop me a line at catsparella@gmail.com!

Around the World In 80 Cats #17: Romania

Floral Meets Feline In Custom Kitty Illustrations By Studio Legohead

Custom Pet Portrait

If I were to one day magically gain the ability to draw cats, I would hope for skills that rival those of Jo Chambers from Studio Legohead. While the UK-based illustrator and textile artist mainly focuses on dogs (Her bio reads: "A girl who has a passion for pooches"), all is forgiven when you take a glimpse at her kitty cat portraiture, that comes in the form of beautiful prints and illustrations (check out the awesome job she did of Milly and Poppet for our friend Cate at blanketID).

Andy Cat Print

Custom Portrait of your Cat - Cardboard Cut Out

In addition to her realistic pet portraits, Chambers experiments with modernist kitties, accentuated by floral prints and bursts of color. She also recently introduced custom cardboard kitty cutouts, which she draws to look just like your fashionable feline (the Moschino capelet wearing cat seen above is to die fur!).

To learn more about Jo, check out the Studio Legohead website and Etsy shop, where as a thank you to her fans during the week of July 4th, she is offering custom pet portraits for $110 each.

Red and White Siamese Cat Print

Cat Amongst the Flowers Print

Floral Meets Feline In Custom Kitty Illustrations By Studio Legohead

Cat Cupcake Tuesdays

Cat Cupcakes on Pinterest

This weeks noms are brought to us by Kate Pong, who created these yummy looking chocolate frosted cupcakes with big ol' fondant tuxedo cats on top!

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Have you created or spotted any kitty-themed baked goods (or other foods) lately? If so, please submit your sweet tips for Cat Cupcake Tuesdays to catsparella@gmail.com!

Cat Cupcake Tuesdays

The 2012 Itty Bitty Kitty Committee Fundraiser!

Purring for your pledges!

It's that time of year again! The Itty Bitty Kitty Committee, the web's premiere source of adorable kitten photographs, is holding their annual drive to raise funds for Dog-A-Thon, the Tacoma & Pierce County Humane Society's annual walk for homeless pets, taking place on July 21st!

As I wrote last year, long before I was blogging about cats, I was visiting the IBKC for my daily dose of cuteness. The blog follows the adventures of families of kittens from the Tacoma & Pierce County Humane Society, fostered by Laurie Cinotto and her husband, Craig Miller. Also part of the mix is the irrepressibly floofy Charlene Butterbean, their six-year-old cat who "lends a paw" in raising the fosters, all of which have sweet names to match their whimsical little personalities. Since beginning the blog in 2007, Laurie and her family have fostered over 100 150 kittens to date!

Charlene Butterbean

The IBKC is an extraordinary website, and as such, this isn't just your run-of-the-mill animal shelter fundraiser, either. Cinotto uses her creativity and enviable crafting skills to turn it into an epic show of adorableless, where her current batch of kittens man the "phones" for your pledges (check out the evolution of the set here). In each of the four years since its inception, Laurie and her kittens have managed to raise increasing number of cash, from an impressive $23,000 the first year, to a staggering $66,000 in 2011. This year, their goal is $75,000 (or squillion, in kitten-speak), and with 19 days left and counting, they are well on their way!

Last year's donations were used to build The Petunia Louise Community Cat Room, with remaining funds going to help fund foster programs, shelter improvements, reduce the cost of spay and neuter surgeries for pets of lower income families, and feed and provide medical care for kittens, adult and senior cats. They are also working on a new program this year to help elderly pet owners on fixed incomes, who can’t afford to feed their beloved companions.

Limited Edition IBKC Poster by Boo Davis

Laurie keeps the fundraiser exciting with lots of pictures and daily posts, so even if you can't make a financial donation, it's still fun to stop by (and share!). There are daily challenges (today's is "Donate $25 if your Facebook profile pic is your cat. $50 if it's your dog."), matching challenges, kitten naming auctions, and more. This year, she will also be selling a splendid limited edition IBKC poster by Boo Davis, that will be available for purchase shortly.

I am so amazed by Laurie's hard work and dedication (and let's be honest, her incredible kitten photography skills!), and see her as a role model in my own life. She is someone who has taken what she is passionate about, and admirably turned it into a vibrant community, and a real way to help homeless cats in need.

Please visit the Itty Bitty Kitty Committee for yourself to peep some cute kitten pics, and learn more!

Update: The posters are now on sale HERE!

The 2012 Itty Bitty Kitty Committee Fundraiser!

Kitty Cat Stickers By Janchristie Designer Nail Art

I've been itching to give kitty nail art a try, and recently came across some cool cat stickers from Janchristie Designer Nail Art, that I just couldn't resist!

I ordered three sheets last Tuesday (Black Cat, Tuxedo Cat, and Tabby Kitten), and they came on Saturday, which is awesome, especially since they were shipped from the UK! The price was pretty reasonable too - for three sheets of stickers plus shipping, I paid around $11 USD.

Each sheet has 24 stickers, and they also sent a small pack of practice designs to get me started. The stickers come on sheets of paper that don't look like will peel, but (to my relief!) they do. A small scissor is required to cut around each shape as closely as you can, making sure you leave enough of a border so you can lift it up from the backing. After cutting the design out, I used my nail to peel it up a tiny bit, before switching to a tweezer to remove the sticker from the backing. The tweezer is necessary because the stickers are extremely thin and very sticky, and if they curl up, or you place them in the wrong spot, it's likely you won't be able to get them off again in one piece.

Janchristie recommends applying a base coat or a pale nail polish color before getting started, so I opted for three coats of a pale pink (ULTA Baby Doll) before applying the decals. Once that was dry and the design was placed, I added a top coat to seal it on. They also suggest adding another coat every day or two to preserve the life of the sticker.

I've only had them on a day so far (they've been through one shower), and they are still looking good, but I see them more as a novelty item then as something I expect to last for a long time. I think they are really cute and unique, and come in a nice variety of styles. I went buck wild by putting a different cat on each finger, but I like the black cat and tabby kitten the best. I also think they would be nice to wear on just one nail as an accent.

Janchristie Designer Nail Art can be purchased here, and also check them out on Pinterest to see more examples of their designs.

Disclosure: I purchased the nail stickers on my own, and was not given any products or other form of compensation for this review.

Kitty Cat Stickers By Janchristie Designer Nail Art