It’s about a group of animals that investigate supernatural and non super natural events. The idea came about because I like to imagine what my three cats are doing when I’m not home or they’re hiding somewhere in the house for hours.

Now for the tricky part. Do I want C.A.T.S. to stand for Caring Animals That Are Super or Caring Animals That Are Special? Personally, I’m leaning towards Caring Animals That Are Super. My only concern is that people will think its about pets who are super heroes.

What do you think? Which do you prefer? (Let me know in the comments!)

Also if you’re looking for a gift for the young ones in your life, feel free to check out my other books!

Penguin Rock and Roll band is the result of a sock design challenge I started a few years ago. (For those of you who don’t know, when I was in a design rut, I decided to take pictures of my socks for the month of February. The idea was I would do a daily design based on the socks I wore that day. Only things didn’t work out that way and here I am a few years later trying to finish it. Oops.)

I wore these socks on Valentine’s Day. As much as I like the penguin hugging a heart idea, I didn’t want to just copy the design. I was working on something and caught a glimpse of Kitty Cat Kawaii Band file and thought to myself, “I have a cat band, a sloth band, a unicorn band and a cthulhu band, so why not a penguin band?”

Thus, Penguin Rock and Roll Band was born. Of course in order to have a penguin band, I had to create Penguin Playing Guitar, Penguin Playing Bass and Penguin Drummer.

The other bands also have art pieces of their individual members for sale.

Musical Penguins
by ValeriesGallery

Penguin Rock and Roll Band, Kitty Cat Kawaii Band, Sloth Rock Band, Unicorn Kawaii Punk Band and Cthulhu Kawai Music Band are available on Zazzle, Red Bubble and Imagekind.

Which band is your favorite? Penguins? Cat? Unicorn? Sloth? Cthulhu? Let us know in the comments!

  Cookie, from my children’s’ book series, Cookie and Olivia, is based on my cat, Oreo.

  Oreo and her sister, Olivia came into our lives in June 2009.  My husband and I were enjoying a walk around our neighborhood when one of our neighbors stopped and asked if we wanted to see some kittens.  She also asked if we would be interested or if we knew anybody that would be interested in adopting them.  She had found a momma cat and her kittens in a box.

  I said no because I never pictured myself as a cat owner.  (Don’t tell my cats, but I wanted dogs.  Ha, ha.  Jokes on me because the cat are now my very spoiled fur babies. ) We also had plans to travel to New York to see our families and then we were off to Europe to visit my brother in law.

  However, at the same time my husband enthusiastically said yes.  He was so excited, and he rarely gets excited about anything, that there was no way I could say no!

  So, we followed my neighbor to her house and out on her back porch was a long haired brown and black cat just relaxing.  In different areas of the porch, were four kittens playing.  Two black and white ones and two tabbies.  (I still remember Olivia playing with a sparkly ball when I first saw her.)

  Our neighbor had a ten year old son at the time who had already named the kittens.  Oreo was originally named Black and Whitey.  However, I had decided long ago if I ever had a black and white animal, I was going to name it Oreo.

  Olivia was originally named Hidey, because we were told, she liked to hide.  However, a few days before, my husband had joked that if we ever got a cat, they were going to give it a regal sounding name.  Olivia’s full name is Olivia Fluffybottom the III.

  Since we had been talking about getting pets, we decided to adopt two of them.  It’s a coincidence that we ended up with two girl cats.  Our neighbor asked us which ones we wanted.  I chose Olivia because she was adorable playing with her sparkly ball and Oreo got chosen because se was closest to us.

  Don’t worry though.  Their brothers and mom are living their best kitty life with a nice lady in South Florida.  It’s weird to think there is another Oreo and Olivia out there, but boys.

Some fun facts:

• Cookie and the Frowny Face Day came about from a time I was going through a bought of depression.  I decided instead of wallowing in my misery, I was going to make something positive come of it.
• Oreo’s name got changed to Cookie in the books because I didn’t want to worry about trademark issues with Oreo cookies.
• Oreo loves to cuddle!  She also enjoys lounging in boxes, paper piles and the sun.

• She loves soft food and tuna! (Which she only gets as a treat.)
• Oreo has several nicknames. They are: Cuddle kitty, the black and white one and Sunshine Kitty.
• Not only has Oreo been the inspiration for Cookie, she’s also been the inspiration for various art pieces such as Cat Rave Dance Party, Here’s Looking At You Cat and I Can See You Cat to name just a few!
• Cookie and Olivia also have their own store! You can check it out on Zazzle.

Do you have any pets?  How did they come into your life?

Craft stores are one of my favorite places!  They’re a great place for inspiration. One of my favorite things to do is mosey around them.  (And yes, I rarely leave a craft store without buying something.  Ha ha!)  I’m lucky enough to live in an area that has multiple craft stores to choose from.

One of these craft stores also has a huge home décor section.  Apparently, farm house décor is very trendy at the moment.  This place had a lot of items that said farm to table.  This particular craft store also had a lot of items featuring cows, pigs and horses.  For some reason, “farm to table” made me think of farm animals showing up at a farmer’s kitchen table.  This struck me as funny and thus, Farm at Table was born!

Did you know:

• If I was going to make this picture again, I think I’d make the pig a little smaller. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a pig as big as a cow!
• Farm at Table is available at Zazzle, Red Bubble and Imagekind
• This picture has hints of kawaii style. (ex. The thick black lines)
• I’m considering doing some more versions of this picture with different farm animals

Where do you go for inspiration?  Let us know in the comments!

The DJ black and white cat in Cat Rave Dance Party Paws Up is based on my cat Oreo. She is definitely the most nocturnal of my two cats.

Our cats are not allowed in the bedroom. The idea for this design came about because Oreo lately has gotten into the habit of meowing outside our bedroom door at about five o’clock in the morning. When she does this, either my husband or I will say, “Shushi, Oreo.” Or “Oreo too early. Go sleepy.” Being the good cat that she is, she usually obeys.

When we get up a little while later, the black and white cat will be all tuckered out and fast asleep in one of her favorite sleeping spots, while her sister, a tabby, is up and running around the house.

In reality, my cats are strictly indoor cats. I am too much of a worrier for them to be out door cats. Though, that didn’t stop me from joking with my husband that Oreo had a secret life as a club DJ or something and she was just letting us know when she was home. And thus, Cat Rave Dance Party Paws Up was born!

Did you know:

• The gray and white cat paws are based on Oreo’s sister, Olivia.

• Oreo is also the basis for Cookie the Cat in the Cookie and Olivia book series.

• Cookie and Olivia have their own store on Zazzle

• This is the second design I’ve made where an animal is DJing. The other one is DJ Piggy Pig.

• Oreo is also in a few of my other designs. These include Sleeping Black and White Cat, Here’s Looking at You Cat, and Cat Eyes (Black and White), to name just a few.

Cat Rave Dance Party Paws Up is available for sale on:

• Zazzle

• Red Bubble

• Imagekind

• Skreened

Do you have a pet? Do they have any interesting habits? Has your pet inspired you in any way? Let us know in the comments!

Rockin Panda Mug
by ValeriesGallery

However, unlike motorcycle biker cat, I did manage to sell at least three tshirts (granted two of them I bought myself for two of my nieces) and an ipad case.

Some fun facts about Rocking Panda:

• I came up with this design after seeing a drawing of a “club cat” (basically a cat at a dance club wearing novelty glasses) at the Vero Beach Museum of Art.

• This is one of my favorite designs

• I did a sketch for this piece while watching the TV show Clean House. That show combines two things I love, home shows and organization.

• The original title was Rockin’ Panda

• Since I haven’t sold as many of this design as I would like I’ve been testing out some other titles. Some of these are Cute Dancing Rocking Panda, Dancing Panda, Dancing Panda Bear and Rocking Panda Bear.

• Rocking Panda is available on Rocking Panda on Zazzle, Red Bubble and Skreened.

The good news is I have five nieces in total, so I know what three of them are now getting for Christmas. Ha ha. What do you think would be a good title for this art work?

Since art is subjective and Motorcycle Biker Cat may not be to your taste, as part of the Holiday Exchange on Zazzle, I’m going to introduce you to some other talented artist!  Don’t worry!  The following designs are ones that I really like and will have something to do with the topic of this blog post!

Please note:  All links in this post are affiliate links. Thanks in advance for your support of independent artist!

How adorable is this Smiling Bear Cub Thank You Card from Diamond W Photography? Like the cute bear cub, how can you not be smiling when you look at it?

Smiling Bear Cub Thank You Note Cards
by DiamondW_Photography

You're Invited To A Music Recital Postcard
by JustParties

Black Bear Autumn Earth Brown Pouf
by ForestWildlifeArt

Party Cats Card
by ValeriesGallery

Before we had left, my husband and I had made arrangements for people to watch our cats, Oreo and Olivia. During the drive, I started to wonder what they did when the pet sitters weren’t around and also thought about the cliché of parents going away for a weekend and the kids throwing a huge blow out party. For some reason the image of my cats throwing a huge party struck me as funny and did a quick sketch of it.

original sketch of Party Cats

Some fun facts:

• The sketch is very minimal because drawing, writing or reading in the car makes me nauseous. However, my sister in law can read a book in a moving vehicle with no problem.

• To be truthful, I had forgotten about this design until I recently started selling some cards from Greeting Card Universe with this design on it.

• Did you ever have a few occasions that all seemed to meld together until you saw evidence of the contrary? For some reason in my mind, I thought I had originally sketched this when we evacuated for Hurricane Frances in 2004. Imagine my surprise when I got out the original sketch and saw it was dated 3/27. (Luckily, there aren’t usually hurricanes in March! Plus we only visit my sister in law every few years.)

• It turns out I did the sketch for this picture in March 2010. I use to be a teacher and during one of my spring breaks, my husband and I visited his sister in Atlanta.

• The fact that there is a black and white cat and a gray cat in the design should have been a clue about when I originally sketched this. I got my cats in 2009.

• Recently, I’ve been into learning and doing kawaii and manga styles. I’m considering doing a kawaii version of this design. What do you think?

• This design is available on Zazzle and Greeting Card Universe

Since art is subjective and Party Cats may not be to your taste, as part of the Holiday Exchange on Zazzle, I’m going to introduce you to some other talented artist!  Don’t worry!  The following designs are ones that I really like and will have something to do with the topic of this blog post!

Please note:  All links in this post are affiliate links.

First up is this adorable cat notebook by Lasgalen Arts Not only do I have a couple of sketch books, I also use notebooks for my writing and other projects.  This would be a perfect notebook for outlining the next couple of Cookie and Olivia books.  Plus Cat Lover?  Yup that describes me!  Does it describe you?

Just a note, I do own one of these notebooks from Zazzle (a different cover design) so if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask!  The pages are lined.

Personalized Cat in a Window Notebook
by lasgalenarts

Okay, I’ll admit it!  I love this cat birthday card by Natural Design because the cat looks like a chubbier version of my tabby, Olivia.  Plus I love cake!

Funny Fat Cat in Purple Hat Happy Birthday Card
by artbyjocelyn

Okay, I’m convinced I need this mug by Art Inspired!  Books and cats?  Yes, please!  I would totally enjoy drinking a cup of tea from this mug while reading a book.  (Or writing a book.)

Book Club – Good Books – Good Friends With Cat Coffee Mug
by artinspired

Happy Holiday and Merry Christmas from all of us at Valerie’s Gallery and Beautiful Cuteness!

Animation by: Valerie Waters

Music by: “Jingle Bells” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

A photograph of the Meerkat Airstream at the Brevard Zoo

Fortunately, an interesting shooting location that lets you get pictures that you normally wouldn’t get is closer than you think! Have you tried your local zoo?

Zoos are not only great for snapping pics of animals, but also of plant life, architecture, elements for composite photography and many other things!

Just some words of warning though. Not all zoos allow any photographs that you take there to be used for commercial purposes, so be sure to check first. (The Atlanta Zoo is just one example.) You can always look for a sign that states the zoo’s photograph policy, check their website or ask a zoo worker if you’re unsure.

So maybe instead of dreaming about far off locales, we just need to explore more locations in our own backyards!

Is there a zoo you like to take pictures at? (If you’re ever in Central Florida, I definitely recommend checking out the Brevard Zoo in Melbourne.) What’s the most interesting shooting location you’ve found in your own backyard?

I’d like to say a huge thanks to the following:

• Abundance Love Trip for all the promotion she’s been doing for me and others!  Check out her shop Abundance Love Trip for abstracts and super cute artwork!
• And thanks to TNM Graphics for featuring my posters Cat Eyes Black and White, Foo Kitty and Sleeping Cat Olivia on the website Super Cute Critters.  You can check out my prints on the poster page.
• Also, a huge thanks to the Glitter, Sparkle and Shine Group on Red Bubble for featuring my photograph, Daytona Beach Sun.

Octopus Garden Bag by ValeriesGallery

One of the songs on The Beatles Rock Band is Octopus’s Garden. I think it is such a cute song and began to wonder what an Octopus’s Garden would look like. I didn’t put a lot of plant life in it for some reason, so maybe octopi like low maintenance gardens?

Some fun facts:

• I was introduced to the Beatles at young age because my mom would listen the oldies station in the car.
• I made the octopus pink, purple and blue because:
  • blue is currently my favorite color
  • purple use to be my favorite color growing up
  • pink is my sister’s favorite color
• When I was younger, I use to watch reruns of the Beatles Cartoon
• Currently, Octopus Garden is only available on Zazzle
• The first Beatles movie I saw was Yellow Submarine
• When my mom was younger, she had Beatles trading cards until my grandfather threw them out. Oops!

Have you ever been inspired by a musician or song? Tell us in the comments!

Here are some other artists’ works you may enjoy:

Happy Whale Baby Pacifiers by ingasi	Octopus Star Fish and More iPod Touch Case by Butterflysarebloomin	Flora the Pink Seahorse iPhone Cover Cases For iPhone 5 by beecute
Starfish Beach Wallet by lsarmentoart	Ringed Seal Tshirt by Bluestar48	Loch Ness Mousepad by FractalFire
Funny Mermaid Tile by FayeKilday	Vintage Ocean Animals and Seashells Pillows by VintageArtBazaar	Fun Water Theme Birthday Party Invitation by DizzyDebbie
2014 Calendar (Framed) Daring Scuba Diver Poster by TheArtOfPamela	Cartoon Dolphin and Mermaid Wristwatch by pogfrond	River Otter and Fish Coffee Mugs by funnaturephotography
Colorful Octopus Tshirts by Shirtsprint	Fish Pattern. Blue Fish Ghost Fish. Pillow by Animal_Art_By_Ali	reading octopus iPhone 5C cover by greendeer
TEE Better Mermaid by teepossible	Notepad – Seal silhouette with Name by bkmuir	Under Sea Life Submarines Blue Lamp by sharecolors
Crawfish Laptop Bags by Brandless	mermaid and octopus iPhone 5C covers by thatcrazyredhead	Happy Killer Whales Commuter Bag by fstasu58 .
Adorable Squishy Fish Tshirts by LittleDragonDesigns	Seahorse Beach Return Address Label by lsarmentoart	Sea Horses Swimming in Blue Water Custom Invitations by Flissitations