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!

For those of you that don’t know, you can use water color pencils just like colored pencils or dip them in water.  When they’re dipped in water, the material acts like water color paint. Since, I was eager to try them out and wanted to see how they performed in pencil form and watercolor form, I made the following picture:

Since I liked how the picture came out, I thought it would be fun to make a digital version! Here’s how it turned out:

Fun Facts

• The original has black flowers, the digital version does not.
• The flowers in the original version, have different color centers. In the digital version, they all have yellow centers.
• The original was done in a 5X7 sketch pad which my husband also bought me for my birthday.
• Colorful Flowers Red Blue Green Orange is available on a variety of products on Zazzle, RedBubble, Imagekind, Society6 and Skreened

Have you used water colors before?  Any tips?

Since I went to college in New England, I ended up driving past this church quite a bit during those four years. I always thought it was a beautiful building. My husband and I occasionally visit my parents in the fall and take some trips to Vermont. After one of our last autumn trip a few years ago and seeing how gorgeous this church looked among the autumn landscape, I was bound and determine to get a photograph! Even if it wasn’t in the fall!

Old First Church in Snow Bennington Vermont Poster

by ValeriesGallery

Some fun facts:

• Although I use to drive by this church on my way to and from college, I had no idea how much history was associate with it! It’s the oldest church in Vermont. You can read about it on their website.

• Robert Frost is buried at this church.

• The Bennington Museum is located right behind the church. I’d recommend a visit, it’s awesome. They have a large selection of work by Grandma Moses among other things.

• Speaking of Grandma Moses, one of my great aunts use to be friends with one of her sisters.

• I had actually planned on getting a photograph of this church in the fall after a trip to Woodstock, Vermont a few years ago. My husband and I drove past it, (since we had visited my parents first) and saw how beautiful it was with the fall scenery! However, we really wanted to get to where we were going and decide to stop on the way back. Sadly, it poured the day we were going back to my parents’ house. Opportunity lost.

• For sale on Zazzle, RedBubble, Imagekind and Skreened.

Was there something you wanted to take a picture of for a while? Were you finally able to capture it?

These deals were accurate when I pressed the publish.  Some may contain affiliate links.

Valerie’s Gallery at Zazzle

• 60% off pillows and 30% off everything else with the code: ZAZCYBERSALE
  • Good until November 28, 2016 11:59PM PT

Cookie and Olivia at Zazzle

• 30% off everything else with the code: ZAZCYBERSALE
  • Good until November 28, 2016 11:59PM PT

Valerie’s Gallery at RedBubble

• 20% off with code: CYBERMON
  • Good until November 28, 2016 at 11:59pm PT

Valerie’s Gallery at Skreened

• 30% off sitewide!  No code needed!
  • Good until November 28, 2016 at Midnight

Valerie’s Gallery at Imagekind

• 50% off with code: CYBMON50
  • Good until November 28, 2016 at Midnight

Beautiful Cuteness on Society6

• 20% Off + Free Shipping on Everything
  • Good until November 28, 2016 at 11:59pm PT

One of the first 3D things I learned to make was an apple. The simplified explanation is you make a shape, fill it with a color and then use the 3D effect in Illustrator.

Out of curiosity, I wondered what would happen if you added an outline color to the shape? The answer is your 3D object would be striped!

Different Apple Plate
by ValeriesGallery

 
A few fun facts:

• Some of the other 3D digital artwork that I’ve done in Illustrator are 3D Hearts in Pink, Purple and Blue, 3D Cappuccino and Tea Time
• Blender is a free open source 3D program
• Apples are my favorite fruit
• Green Apple on Tree Branch is another of my apple themed work
• When I lived in upstate New York, I really enjoyed apple picking and really miss it (and autumn) since moving to Florida.
• Different Apple is available on Zazzle, Red Bubble, Imagekind and Skreened

 
Have you ever made anything 3D using the computer?

Since art is subjective and Different Apple 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!

Besides, apples, pineapples are also one of my favorite fruits!  Plus living in Florida, I see a lot of tropical themed decor.  This pineapple pillow by Heartlocked is definitely one of the cooler tropical motifs I’ve seen.  It’s so pretty and fun!

Rainbow Pineapples Lumbar Pillow
by heartlocked

Crab Apple Blossoms Wedding Paper Napkins
by loraseverson

How fun is this serving platter Splendid Supply Home?  You can get the word yum in a variety of colors, but silver is my favorite!

YUM Silver Calligraphed Modern Serving Platter Porcelain Serving Platter
by SplendidSupplyHome

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

As you can see from the picture, the socks I wore on February 3, 2013 were an argyle pattern in black and various shades of grays with a hint of white. Now, I didn’t want to just copy the argyle design. I’ve been wanting to try and make my own plaid patterns for a while and thought this would be the perfect opportunity.

Stripes in Gray Folio Planners by ValeriesGallery

But wait, you say! This pattern obviously isn’t plaid! What happened?

After researching how to make plaids in Illustrator, I decided to give it a go. I made the vertical lines and liked how it looked. So, I decided to continue on and added the horizontal lines which I learned is called the weft. (And who says design can’t be educational?) Unfortunately ,it looked horrible! Although, I can’t quite put my finger on it, I think it’s because there ended up being too much gray for my taste.

However, since I liked how the vertical lines looked before hand, I decided to keep them and have a striped design instead.

Although the plaid didn’t work out this time, I definitely intend to try again in the future. Do you have any tips for making plaids? Feel free to leave it in the comments!

Stripes in Gray is available at Valerie’s Gallery at Zazzle, RedBubble, Skreened and Imagekind.

Gray stripes not your thing?  Then check out these other striped, sock and black and white designs from other talented artist!

<!–Monogram Phone

Chess Tees by Brandless	Happy Birthday Blue Stripes card by Mariana Musa	iPhone 5c Case Pop Art Giant Pandas Black & White by SocolikCardShop
Black and White Pawprint Flip Flops by AugieDoggyStore	Fleur de Lis Thank You Groomsman card by Penny Cork	Emergence – Dramatic Black & White Abstract Design Flask by elfinart
Bold Striped Mosaic by ObservationCreations	Fourth of July, with Fireworks, Stars and Stripes card by Teri Nelson Kuster	Simple Black White Personalized Monogram Initial Flasks by alleyshirts
Monkey with a Sock. Shirt by Animal_Art_By_Ali	A Perfect Match card by Ivy M. Brown	Scarf – Ship Anchor and Helm (black) by bkmuir
Where Is The Zebra? Fridge Magnet by worldofnature	Missing Sock Funny Father’s Day Card by NobleWorks Funny Cards	Black White and Gray Argyle iPhone 5 Case by tjustleft
Pattern zigzags (pink, green, yellow and brown) iPhone 5 covers by Astriddesign	Socks and Sandals Birthday Card by Lisa Crisafi	Moo Cow iPad Cases by Mewmew34
Harlequin Op-Art (Stickers) by IconDoIt	white satin be my bridesmaid card by eugenia bacon	American Flag Freedom Drinking Bottle by HoMeArts
Thank You Socks Card by funnylife	Hands Holding Baby Feet Please be my Godmother Request card by Cherie Haines	Space Cowboy Pillow by geo_barr
As Time goes by… Original Drawing – Watch by PBworks	Mom – Happy Mother’s Day – Alphabet Art card by ABC by Sue	Pink Monogram Chevron Stripe | Apple iPhone 5 Case by Plush_Paper

Well, I began to wonder, what would a dancing pig look like? For some reason, a pig doing ballet stuck in my mind. And that’s how the ballerina pig of When Pigs Dance was born! Isn’t she cute?

When Pigs Dance Magnet by ValeriesGallery

Did You Know:

• The title came about because for one reason or another I had a mind blurp and temporarily thought the saying was When Pigs Dance instead of When Pigs Fly. I liked the title, so I kept it.

• Ballerina Pig is also the basis for Christmas Ballet Pig

• When Pigs Dance is available on Valerie’s Gallery at Zazzle, Red Bubble, and Skreened

• Christmas Ballet Pig is also available on Valerie’s Gallery at Zazzle, Red Bubble, and Skreened

• A Christmas Ballet Pig Christmas Card is also available at Valerie’s Gallery at Greeting Card Universe

• I’m not sure why I put sunglasses on her. It just seemed like the thing to do. Maybe because she thinks she’s a star!

Has a book, television show or interview ever inspired your artwork? Tell us about it in the comments!

If ballet pigs aren’t your thing, here are some artwork by other talented artist:

amazing grace mousepad by greendeer	Thanks Mom of Groom card by Sandra Rose Designs	Mens breakdance T Shirt by Evart_production
Funny Pig Annual Family BBQ Cookout Party Custom Tee Shirt by alleyshirts	Miss you, Hogs & Kisses, Cute Pig Cardby Kerri Joseph	Cute Funny Grumpy Pink Pig Character Small Bottle Water Bottle by tashatzazzle
Keep Calm Ballet Dancer’s T-Shirt by Hannahscloset	Ballet, Dancing Bears card by Lori DeLeonardis-Aman	TOP Dance Tshirt by teepossible
Little Pink Pigs Pattern Wall Clock by Clockette Browse Cute Wall Clocks	Funny Birthday Animals – Rudy Pig & Moody Cow – Dalai Llama card by Catherine Roberts	Cute Pig – Blue & Pink Swirls Cover For iPhone 5/5S by SweetnSourGrits

Now, my brain tends to lean more towards the creative side rather than the scientific. However, I feel very lucky to have the Kennedy Space Center near by. Not only is it a fun place to visit and truly has a little something for everyone, I’ve been able to see shuttles and rockets go off while sitting on my own front lawn!

Final flight of Discovery February 2011
Photo Credits: ©Valerie Waters

In addition, I was lucky enough to be selected for the GRAIL tweetup at KSC. (If you ever have a chance to attend a NASA tweetup, do it!) At the tweetup I got a behind the scenes tour, to see a shuttle up close, to see old friends and meet new people and got to hear talks by people like Nichelle Nichols and Neil deGrasse Tyson! Plus, I also got to see the Grail launch.

Sign welcoming fellow tweetupers to the Grail Tweet Up
Photo credit: ©Valerie Waters

Also, for those of you that don’t know, I have two cats. One is a black and white one named Oreo and the other is a gray tabby named Olivia. For one reason or another, they tend to inspire a lot of my art work.

Astronaut Kitty Cat Jelly Belly Tins by ValeriesGallery

• Astronaut Kitty is available at Valerie’s Gallery on Zazzle, Skreened, Red Bubble and Cafe Press

• I wore my Astronaut Kitty shirt to the Grail Tweetup

• The cat part of Astronaut Cat is based on my gray tabby cat, Olivia

Olivia the tabby peers down from her perch
Photo Credits: ©Valerie Waters

Have you ever been inspired by space, animals or current events? Let us know in the comments!

A huge thanks to Abundance Love Trip for giving my Five Orange Birds in a Tree Poster an awesome art award! Check out her blog Val Creates!

Another huge thanks to Bebops for featuring my Better in the Morning Tote Bag on the blog, The Daily Rainbow.

Astronaut Kitty Cat not your thing? That’s okay! Here’s some other space and cat art to inspire you:

Unexpected Visitors Canvas Prints by FractalFire	Astronaut 5th Birthday card by Lori DeLeonardis-Aman	Colorful Planets Custom iPad Sleeve by DizzyDebbie
Sarcasm Cat Button by WestCreek	We’ve Adopted, Photo Card, Announcement, Pet, Cat card by Sharon Fernleaf	Scruffy Cats Quadrille Gift Wrap Paper by IconDoIt
TEE The Wayfarer Poster by teepossible	Take Me To Your Birthday Cake Alien Spaceship card by Tamara Dawn Adams	Dog & Cat Rocket Ship Pillow by DoloresDesigns
Kitten on top of the world mug by samupress	It’s your birthday, cute Persian kitten illustration with red balloon. card by Micklyn Le Feuvre	Alien Kitty Wallet by geo_barr
Zombie Cheerleaders From Space T Shirts by AbundanceLoveTrip	Birthday Party Invitation with alien and rocket for boys custom text card by © Cheryl M Hall	Dreaming of Space Cat iPad Mini Cover by ValeriesGallery

For those of you that don’t know, The Gherkin is the nickname for 30 St. Mary Axe located in London, England.  From my understanding, the nickname came about because of the building’s unique shape.

The Gherkin T-shirt by ValeriesGallery
Check out other The gerkin T-Shirts at zazzle.com

This photograph was taken when my husband and I visited London a few years ago.  My brother in law was transferred there for a little while and we went to visit him. (This was also the start of my obsession with all things British!) We noticed this building while walking around the Southwark district.  (The building itself is located in the district known as The City of London.)

I’ve also been told that there is a building somewhere else in England called The Dalek.  As a Dr. Who fan, I totally want to see it!

Do you know of any other unique buildings?  Where?  Share in the comment section!

My Gherkin photograph can be found on a variety of products in Valerie’s Gallery on Zazzle, RedBubble, Skreened and Imagekind.

Here’s some London, travel and architecture from various other artist you may enjoy!

I Love London England Fridge Magnet by cdandc	Love under the rainy sky of London. card by Silvina De Vita	Big Ben London Tote Bags by VintagePosterDesigns
Walrus vacations, [on vacation …] postcards by greendeer	Bon Voyage! Funny French Painter Squirrel card by ©Doreen Erhardt	Got The World At My Feet (Fine Art Print) by HoMeArts
Vector Cityscape & Sky Blue Background Cases For iPhone 4 by designsfromscratch	Retirement – Relax – Alphabet Art card by ABC by Sue	Grunge Union Jack – classic – vintage look Tee Shirts by hutsul