Tracy: An Etsy Artist & Her Tale from the Pound

I'd like to introduce you to Tracy of Artgirlx. She has opened her home and her heart to 3 beautiful rescue cats. In addition to being the "Patron Saint of Cats" - Tracy is also an extremely talented artist.

She has graciously allowed me to share her rescue story and some of her amazing artwork on this blog.


"All 3 of my cats were rescues. 2 of them (pretty, fluffy brothers that look like they are part Maine Coon) were from a litter that was thrown in a dumpster. The guy that found them didn't want to keep the remaining kittens any more and I was worried they wouldn't find good homes. The actual rescue was very convoluted and involved a covert meeting in a parking lot!


And our latest furry rescue was found at a campground we were visiting last winter. Apparently some people think it's ok to dispose of their pets out in the wilderness. This was also a very complicated rescue involving adoption and ferry rides and a final meeting in a parking lot to claim our latest fur baby! They are all very happy and healthy and the brothers accepted their new stripey brother without incident. I have long considered myself the Patron Saint of Abandoned Kitties and would love to have a rescue home some day in the future.


Anyway, since we have moved into this new house they love to hang with me in the studio as it has a great corner window for them to perch and see all the goings-on. That's great and all but what comes with this companionship are; hairs everywhere (landing in the paint), an errant tail knocking something over and constant jumping on and jumping off of my work area. Regardless, home wouldn't be home without one of these fur boys around and under foot.


And now, a Public Service Announcement: Please rescue strays, you can take them to a NO-KILL shelter until they are adopted out, or take one in yourself, you won't regret it. END PSA." - Tracy -

Please check out her wonderful blog at http://smashart.blogspot.com

Then enjoy a look at her online Etsy shop - Artgirlx The shop is filled with very unique handcrafted pendants, orginal artwork and more.

I've fallen in love with her "Home" series. Just click here to view her etsy shop - Artgirlx

"These paintings are part of a body of work that deals with 'Home' and what it means to others.For some, home is a sanctuary, for others home symbolizes something completely different. What does home mean to you?" - Artgirlx

Thanks Tracy -for sharing your love for animals and your amazing artwork.

Quote of the Week

"Thousands of years ago - cats were worshipped as gods.
Cats have never forgotten this!" - anonymous -



The title of this print is: "Are You Talking To Me!"
It's available now in our etsy shop - Paw Prints Project

Tomorrow - I will be posting new "tales from the pound" from an amazing etsy shop owner - will be featuring her beautiful shop as well.

Wow - What a Treasury!!!!

I was surprised this morning - one of our prints (The Things I Could Tell You)is included in a beautiful treasury on etsy. This treasury looks like a piece of artwork . It's an amazing collection and I'm really honored to be included.



My thanks to the etsy artist that put this together. Her shop is Cabbages and Kings Art and her work is delightful. Here are a couple of my favorites:





You can visit her Etsy shop by clicking on this link: Cabbages and Kings Art


and you can see our print that she selected at Paw Prints Project

An Etsy Treasure

I'd like to introduce to an extremely talented jewelry designer - Creative Treasures by Donna.Donna creates the most incredible pieces - I love looking on her site to see all the beautiful earrings, necklaces, bracelets....



I also love reading her descriptions of each piece - they always bring to mind tropical nights, desert sunsets, glistening winter forests.... Here's an example-

Gaze through the crystal
what do you see
Aquatic Creatures
swimming free
Amber, copper, teal and green
the colors of life
In a Sea Of Dreams...

I am delighted to own quite a few of her amazing pieces. So if it's time to treat yourself or someone special - visit Creative Treasures Shop on Etsy.

Quote of the Week

"He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion."
-- Unknown



"Looking for Love" 8x10 Limited Edition Print available at Paw Prints Project

Shop Update on Thursday

These new prints will be available in my etsy shop on Thursday.

Good Week - New Prints Available

It's been a busy, busy week - new prints in the shop, setting up a myspace page!! Come and check it out at my space
Here are a couple of the new little darlings available this week.
Come and check out the rest - my etsy shop

New Prints & New Sizes in the Shop

We're changing things up just a little bit! New sizes in the shop. These portraits just really called for a square format and I am really pleased with how they came out. These are open edition prints and are being offered by $15 each.

The little dog in "Can You Feel My Love" really tugged at our heart strings - she was shivering from head to toe - so frightened. We took her out of her kennel at the pound and spent 30 minutes playing with her in the hallway. She was adopted the next day - whoever took her home - received a jewel!

It's Been Awhile!!!

Although I haven't blogged in awhile - it's been on my mind. I guess blogging is going to be a lot like exercising for me. Once I get started - I'm off and running - the hard part is that getting started part!!!!

Matt & I have continued our volunteer work at the animal pound. It is kitten and puppy season and the pound is overflowing!! They are running a really wonderful and incredible promotion - because there are so many older cats & dogs available - they're on sale!!!! Can you imagine it - love truly is for sale!!! Cats older than six months - only $25 with shots, vet check, spay or neuter included, Dogs over 40 pounds - only $60

Last night, we were really happy to see so many of the older dogs & cats had on adoption collars.

So - You CAN buy love!!!

Something New to Learn

The last few months have been a whirlwind of activity - learning new things, juggling projects but it is finally all starting to come together. This new blog in another piece of the puzzle and I hope that it will be a good way to help spread the word about our project.

My husband, Matt & I have been volunteering at our local animal shelter - it is the second largest animal shelter in the country. They take in over 50,000 homeless dogs & cats each year. The work is endless, the need for help is tremendous and we applaud the employees there for their dedication and commitment to these animals.

We have been helping by taking pictures of the adoptable cats and dogs. The pictures are then posted on the county website http://maricopa.gov/pets in the hopes of finding homes for them. And yes, it is hard to not take them all home - some of them really touch your heart. Like the little yellow cat that stood up and wrapped his paws around my neck and didn't want to let go. Please take a look - you may just find a special friend there.

These animal portraits were amazing and I began to work with them to turn them into artwork. I use my digital paintbrush to create pop art prints of these shelter animals. In January, Matt & I opened up a shop on http://pawprintsproject.etsy.com/ offering limited edition prints. Etsy is a wonderful website offering artwork and handmade items from artists and craftspeople all over the world. Please take a look at all the incredible work at http://etsy.com/

We named our shop - The Paw Prints Project and are donating 10% of all sales to the Maricopa County Animal Shelter to help provide comfort and support to the homeless animals.

We'd like to share our tales from the pound and hope that you'll check back often. We'll be posting new stories and offering new artwork every week.