"Kitten" my workspace together (see what I did there?)

I finally picked up my sewing machine!  This bad boy belonged to my late grandma, then my mom, and now me.  I haven't sewn with a machine since middle school, so God bless Pinterest and free Craftsy tutorials.  

I have been playing more with the template I introduced in one of my earlier posts, and as my embroidery skills improve, I'm really getting into that aspect of designing.  That being said, despite the hand-sewn detail work needed for each piece, the machine will definitely come in handy for perimeters and later on when I start making cat collars.  

Mass cat loot production in full effect.

I've spent more time than necessary prepping my work room, but I'm actually fine with this, as it's finally turning into a legitimately inspiring space.  

I can't wait to start re-acquainting myself with a sewing machine, and am even thinking of vlogging as I do so.  What do you guys think?  Would you want to watch me swear like a sailor as I attempt to wind bobbins and thread the old machine???  Maybe I will even sew my fingers together in a freak accident and go viral.

A girl can dream, right?

Updates on the progress of my work room soon, plus more design details as they iron themselves out!  

For now, I'm going to snuggle Roland, who just got home from his neuter.

Xo*

Jess

Cat bath

Today I purchased this kitty shampoo, as Roland is due for his first bath experience.  In other words, he's stankin'.

The cat model on the shampoo bottle is wonderful.

So creepy and awesome.  That cat is making the same face I do when I smell a cake baking.

Tomorrow we bathe Mr. Ro.  I'm hoping his obsession with us taking showers means he won't have a meltdown when we try to give him his own scrubbing!  Wish us luck!!!

Xo*

Jess

#catladyproblems

I have had the busiest week, so I haven't been as productive as I've wanted to be with actual designing.  That being said, I also haven't been able to fall asleep over the past several nights, because I keep thinking of ideas related to Lady and the Cat.  Design ideas, blog ideas, to-do lists, questions about possible packaging, branding, research-related questions, and on and on.  I literally am that crazy person who talks out loud to themselves all day long.  Just rambling about my cat business, like you do...

#catladyproblems

My current obsession?  Debating whether or not I should start working on designing actual backdrops, displays, and other visual merchandising elements that I will need to have together for future craft shows.  On one hand, I haven't even BEGUN assembling a fraction of my actual pieces, so in that sense it seems crazy to focus on anything but production right now.  On the other hand, everything needs to tie in together and I think that working on the individual pieces and merchandising elements together may very well inspire ideas for the product line itself.  Plus, by having visuals like backdrops or "props," I can develop my brand cohesively.  Either way, I have tons to do and need to just dive in more before my poor little brain bursts!

For the record, my goal by Sunday is to have my craft room re-organized.  I've been wanting to do this for awhile, but I've been sick, had a few exhausting work weeks, and just want to hang out with Roland and my husband 24/7.  Plus, the task requires extra energy as my lovely cat thinks my craft room is his own personal playground, so I end up juggling between cleaning and getting Roland untangled from yarn or re-claiming faux florals that he's heisted.  And he follows me everywhere, so I mean, duh, of course I have to let him hang out and help me clean.

Again, more #catladyproblems.

So yeah...I have to get my workspace back and functioning, because I'm ready to just go cat crazy and get this ball of yarn rolling and that's hard to do on my couch.  I've had a pretty easy week at my day job, so I am not allowed to say I'm too tired :). Operation clean craft room is in full effect.

Okay.  'Tis past my bedtime.  Goodnight, fancy feline friends.

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Jess

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Cat-inspired prototype #1

Hey, feline fans!  I've started making my initial jewelry pieces for the first Lady and the Cat accessory line.  In order to incorporate something a bit unusual/unexpected into a necklace or a brooch, I'm working mainly with fabrics rather than beads or traditional charms.

Behold, my first experiment...

I was going for something bold and cartooney, which I think I kind of nailed to be honest!  I also decided to utilize more of the upcycled fabric and make this piece reversible.  Basically it's going to be the "charm" of a necklace that you can wear two ways...either with the cartoon cat face forward or a more simple silhouette with the upcycled print facing forward.

I have a lot of tweaking to do when it comes to hand-sewing skills and color palettes, and obviously this guy needs to be strung before it's complete, but I'm actually pretty psyched with my first cartoon cat necklace.  I'm naming this guy Proto, as in prototype.  Yep.  I went there.

Xoxo and kitty kisses,

Jess

Lady and the Cat product lines...

Okay, cat lovers...I'm super excited to finally announce the first set of details about my handmade product lines!!!

I'm currently working on two different product lines.  One will feature cat-inspired accessories for human cat lovers.  My initial run of products will include headbands, necklaces, and brooches.  These items are all handmade  by me and I am incorporating upcycled vintage fabrics in every single piece.

I'm absolutely still in the "rough draft stages," working on prototypes and designs.  The photo above is a fetus version of the kitties I eventually want to incorporate into jewelry and hairpieces.

I've been posting additional random "behind the scenes" photos of my creative process on Instagram, so if you're into spoilers, make sure you're following me @j_kittenberg!

But that's not it...besides cat-inspired human goodies, I'm creating a line of handmade products for cats!  Yes, you will be able to buy custom swag for the special feline in your life.  Handmade cat collars and toys will be available when Lady and the Cat officially launches, and like my accessory line, cat goods will be constructed using upcycled and/or vintage fabrics and textiles.  I'm also in the very early stages of playing with recipes for homemade organic cat treats.  I had a sort of epiphany when I realized that I love my Roland to the point of creative inspiration, and decided that the best way to show my love for the boy is to make items for him!  Which obviously led to the idea of handmade/homemade goodies for ALL cats.  Now if that isn't cat lady dedication, I don't know what is!

So that's the scoop.  As I've said, I still have TONS of development to do.  I'm just so happy to finally have a streamlined, inspired idea that caters to a specific audience.  Thank you so much to anyone who has been reading this blog thus far...I realize I'm a giant nerd and possibly this won't be taken seriously by some, but the fun I'm having creatively is so worth it!  Plus I have the perfect guinea pig!  

Anyway, that's all for tonight...I can't wait to continue sharing the process of launching Lady and the Cat original designs on this blog, so stick around for more updates!

Xoxo and kitty kisses,

Jess

Calling all cat ladies and lovers!

This Sunday, I will start releasing details about my first official handmade product line on this blog!  I am SO excited to start sharing some of my ideas and concepts, and really start getting to work on sample pieces.  

My goal is to have enough of each item line made by summer 2015 so I can start hitting up the Midwest craft fair circuit.

So antsy to share my cat-inspired lines here and explain more about how I decided to choose the products I will be debuting.

I hope that my fellow cat-lovers and cat ladies are equally excited for cat-inspired products that are made with love and legitimately one-of-a-kind.  One spoiler I will share here is that every single item will be made using some sort of upcycled or re-purposed fabric/textile, and while lines will be cohesive, no two items will be alike.

I would keep ranting, but I don't want to spill all the beans here!!!

Follow my Instagram @j_kittenberg if you don't already, and remember to re-visit this blog this Sunday (9/14/14) for my first big announcement!!!

Xoxo and kitty kisses,

Jess

Claws (kinda)

Last night, I stumbled across a pin that highlighted 40 different cat manicures.  Seeing as my own nails have had paint flaking off them like dandruff for weeks and a few digits legitimately resemble crack nails, I figured why not give one of these cat-inspired numbers a whirl.

So here is the finished product...

On the left is actually my right hand, and I basically replicated the cat and paw from one of the photos I found.  They turned out surprisingly well, and I may have gotten a little cocky, because I tried to get super elaborate on my other hand.  I wanted to freehand a little fish on my left pointer finger and a cartoon-style fishbone on the thumb.  

This was the result...

A whopper of a fail, ladies and gents.  I went on to "repair" the flaws in this design, just creating massive paint blobs more or less.  

I gave up on the fish design, started over and hence, the final cat's "meow."  

Sometimes you've just gotta stick to the hits.

What overall grade would I give myself?  Mmmmmm B+.

Meowmuse

The revelation that my five-month-old kitten Roland is the perfect muse has led to the birth of this blog and finally, a sober attempt to make a business out of a hobby.

I've wanted to get the ball rolling with some type of handmade business for years, but as great as sites like Etsy and Pinterest are, they have made crafting hugely trendy over the past decade--a fact that is both a blessing and a curse to a lifelong crafter as myself.  "Original" ideas are replicated en masse, which means that as a seller of handmade goods, you really better come up with something quirky and cool, something with a personal twist, and run with it before eighteen other handmade sellers launch their own versions of your great idea and take over your newsfeeds.

Until now, the items I've crafted have been pretty and get complimented, but that's about the extent of it.  I've owned failed Etsy shops, done commissioned projects for next to nothing just to try and get my name out there, and made half-assed attempts towards a couple of creative business opportunities only to realize they weren't for me.

I know this is going to automatically place me into crazy cat lady territory, but little Roland has become an unexpected catalyst for some really awesome creative ideas.  Finally.  Thanks to my kitty, I've started developing a few different top-secret product lines that I'm confident about and SO EXCITED to share, but will refrain for the time being, at least when it comes to specifics.

This blog will be used as a springboard for ideas, a portfolio of sorts, a journal, vision board, and personal workshop for me as I venture towards my first *legit* attempt to take my crafting hobby to a business level.