Building a Community

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The Chairman's letterhead complete with his photo and pawprint.

It all started Sunday morning when I told the Kreatrix I wanted to watch a program on TV named Meet The Press.

The Chairman cat doll and his pet cat perched on his head.

I thought it would be good for me to learn how to...well...meet the press for when I’m big and famous. Kreatrix says

“I think you’d have more fun watching the grass grow.”

Grass? Ok. I’m up for a good time. So I asked to grow some grass instead and Kreatrix gives me some seeds to plant.

The Chairman cat doll posing with a bag of seeds.

“ It’s magic grass made especially for cats,” she tells me.

My cat could use some magic grass! Grass watching is going to be fabo!

I found this cool watering can to use. It has a Catberry Tails design on it and I will use it for my project.

The Chairman poses with an adorable watering can with cute cats and sunflowers on it.

Dirt goes into the pot first.

The Chairman and his cat sit with a dirt-filled pot.

Then seeds. Then water. Then...

“WOAH, WOAH, WOAH NELLIE!”

Melvin and  Rudy started circling us like sharks in treat infested waters!

CatberryTails_SeedsInDirt

I tried to protect the precious magic seeds but Rudy made off with a couple.

The seeds are exposed and Rudy, the real life cat is moving in!

There was a lot of chasing and hollering and finally the Prof (the Kreatrix mate) snatched up the pot of seeds and that pot must’ve been pretty scared cause it peed pot water everywhere INCLUDING ON MY LEG!

Breaking News banner from TV.

“I DO NOT LIKE WATER!!!! Especially not POT PEE. I don’t care how magic it is.”

Kreatrix dried my leg and made sure I was ok.  Now I’m going to go have a chat with Eve 2.0 seeing as she’s been sat on and has kept it all together just fine. If I'd just been allowed to watch Meet The Press I might have known how to handle this!

 

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Fancy lettering that reads "sorry Chairman for betraying you by designing products for dogs!

A very well made box/package containing Doggie Waste bags.

This little booger of a box had to be designed and built from the ground up using very sturdy cardboard. Lots of fun when it comes to using an Xacto blade to cut it out, score it and fold it! Wheeeee! But, sweet Chairman, you should be happy because I had to load up the curse jar with lots o' cash!!

I promised a booty shot of Eve. Well hold your horses.

Extreme closeup of a very colorful and cure cat doll.

We spent some quality time together...just the two of us.

A human hand is reaching in and holding Eve's, the cat doll, paw.

Once I explained that a huge part of the fun of her community is being able to pose them, she said

"Like this?" and she struck a dainty pose indeed.

Eve turns and looks into the camera with her paws at her sides and her legs tucked femininely off to one side.

And here is the reason she's soooo easy to pose.

A photo showing the revised bottom for the cats so that the sit better. Colorful lettering states that this is Eve's New Booty!

Booyah! Ta Da! Mission accomplished!

 

 

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A dear chaiman note saying this post will provide evidence as to why I couldn't help him with his community building. The dreaded clients are to blame.

Beautiful bird artwork for fancy bar soap packaging.

These attached exhibits are for, well, one of those who shall not be named. They look odd here because they are on their dielines (these are the guides that allow the printer to cut and mount the artwork on a bar soap box).

Very colorful damask designs for bar soap packaging.

Abstract and fun, colorful flora patterns for bar soap boxes.

And here is how the above designs had to be translated to liquid soap labels for a pretty glass bottle.

The pretty bird, floral and damask patterns as applied to a liquid soap glass jar.

BUT WAIT! There's more!

SOHO DOG shampoo labels made for the holiday 2014 market.

That's right...I'm sorry Chairman but the dogs have kept me busy AGAIN.

SOHO Dog Subway Tough hang tag for a dog toy to be displayed on a peg.

And this isn't even everything! There's the matter of the Walgreen's dieline I'm not even going to get into but is filled to the brim with high intrigue involving a cast of tens spanning from China to California to Illinois.

The closing statement saying further evidence will be presented in several days along with a better photo of Eve 2.0's booty.

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Our Newest Cat Doll Model, The Eve 2.0

An adorable cat doll sits on a chair with its legs dangling over the edge of the chair.

Adorable cat doll sits on a white sheet. One leg is bent at the knee and she rests her paw on her knee.

Yowza! Check out the new and improved feet!!

Adorable cat doll sits on a white sheet with both legs bent at the knee. Her arms rest comfortably at her sides.

Closeup of adorable cat dolls paws resting on her thighs.

Hi Everyone! It’s me, The Chairman. Eve is very lovely and M.O.D.E.S.T. Seriously. She wouldn’t let me photo her new, improved, beautiful booty that makes it soooo much easier to sit. Kreatrix will submit photos whenever she manages to STOP WORKING FOR THOSE WHO SHALL NOT BE NAMED.

Day after day after day.

NONSTOP.

Even though said people pay her money, I would like to tell them to

“Back off buckos, I have a car that needs finishing and a community that needs building and…”

Uh-oh. Here she comes. Gotta go! Toodles.

Kreatrix here.  The Chairman’s got a point. He sits patiently watching me, IMPLORING me with his gaze while I work. His presence reminds me I have dreams and goals to pursue! And massive deadlines to meet from THOSE WHO SHALL NOT BE NAMED. (hint: clients)

The Chairman just hollered from down the hall

“For heaven’s sake! At lease take a photo of Eve’s new booty. Ya worked hard enough on it!”

Point taken.

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The Chairman's letterhead complete with his photo and pawprint.

All the whimsical cat dolls are gathered for an official portrait in front of a giant hand painted mural.

We are heading into an important weekend! The entire gang has gathered for 5 days of meetings, classes, meals and work! But first we met for our official portrait.

Look at this background the Kreatrix painted for a show in New York City.

Colorful, huge hand painted canvas of whimsical houses surrounded by trees and grass and birdhouses.

This canvas mural is about 10 feet by 12 feet. HUGE!

Wally, Melvin and Rudy helped run the tech end of our photo shoot. Wally was the director of the shoot and constantly glared at Rudy and Melvin because they kept arguing.

Wally, a real life cat, lays on the canvas near the cat dolls.

Rudy and Melvin, real life cats, give each other the stink eye.

In the above photo you can see some of the tensions flaring with our tech crew.

Melvin, a real life cat, raises up on his hind legs to inspect one of the lights mounted for the photo shoot.

Melvin and Rudy did a great job hanging the lights.

Rudy inspects another light.

Meet our newest member! A brand new MAGNIFICAT!

A new Magnificat doll is introduced. It is gray and has an embroidered flower around its neck.

 

Our hand painted fabric rocks!

Closeup of a tweed heart patch on the chest of the Opie Doll Magnificat.

The heart patch on Opie the Magnificat's chest is made from a man's old suit. It had moth holes in it but the Kreatrix cut it apart and is making stuff with it!

Wally, the real life cat, inspects the dolls as they pose for their group photo.

As much as I get irritated with Wally. Kreatrix is making me tell the truth here. So let me rephrase that first sentence:  As much as I am jealous of the attention Wally gets from her and I shouldn't be because she loves us all...whatever. He did a good job directing our photo shoot.

Wish us luck! We get to take a workshop this weekend from the CEO on using something called Bondo. I signed up for the class hoping I'd learn how to be like James Bond. Ginger said Bondo is something that will help repair the World Dominationmobile. Either way, I win!

The CEO cat doll made from a mans suit coat.

And yes, Dude has a "thing" for the denim beauty sitting next to him. So far she's playing coy. Stay tuned.

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The Chairman's letterhead complete with his photo and pawprint.

The Things I Do For the Sake of My Cat Doll Community

Don't get upset but I helped the Kreatrix gut a stuffed bird to see how it was put together. I was mortified but she promised to sew it back together, which is what she's doing right now!

The Chairman helps pull stuffing out of an owl doll.

The Chairman wears white doll stuffing on his head and as a beard.

Kreatrix said I looked like George Washington. He must be one dapper dude!

Get a load of this new fangled foot we worked on this last weekend! My cat doll community is gonna rock!

The Kreatrix shows The Chairman a redesign on the feet for the new dolls.

The feet will bend up!

The Chairman shows how the foot bends at a right angle to the leg.

Rudy stared at us a whole lot and Kreatrix took way too many photos of the "pretty kitty". Hmmm. Whatever.

Long haired, beautiful ginger colored cat named Rudy sitting in a patch of sunshine watching the proceedings.

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The Chairman's letterhead complete with his photo and pawprint. So This Is What Stress Feels Like

I sorta had a little snapping point and hollered to the gang

"I'm just a little guy. I'm afraid I won't figure it all out."

Of course the Kreatrix heard me and said

"Please don't say 'just a little guy.' It diminishes you."

Oh, boy. And we all know I'm not that big to start with.

She tells me

"Don't think so much. Use your intuition. You know: "Use the Force, Luke!"

Then she goes on to tell me that Homer began The Illiad and The Odyssey with an invocation to the Muses.

A picture of Homer Simpson with his tongue hanging out.

Homer Simpson writes stuff? No offense, but I didn't think he had it in him.

So apparently fear is some kind of evil force that artists and dudes like me have to slay everyday.

So The Kreatrix shows me these idols of hers:

"The man who is largely responsible for these Pixar characters having a chance at life on the big screen advised us to: Stay hungry. Stay foolish. His name was Steve Jobs."

So I'm not supposed to worry about knowing everything. Sometimes it's okay to go a bit Homer Simpson and not know what I'm doing. It might just create something no one else thought of.

So I sucked it up and got to work without knowing a darn thing other than my name and look!

The Chairman sitting on his car seat covered in beautiful sheepskin fabric.

BOOOOOYAH! One seat for my car is covered! BUT IT TOOK ALLLLLL DAY. With Dude's help.

So I went off to bed after a hard days work and walked out to the studio the next day and saw BOTH SEATS COVERED! I cried tears of happiness like a little kitten and The CEO comforted me.

The CEO comforts The Chairman as he cries.

We sat on the new squishy seats for my car and talked about life.

The Chairman and CEO sit on the sheepskin auto seats and look at each other.

"The Kreatrix and I want you to understand something. It's best summed up by a quote from the writings of W.H. Murray. It was recited at the ceremony where The Kreatrix married The Professor."

Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and material assistance which no man or cat could have dreamed would have come his way. I have learned a deep respect for one of Goethe's couplets:

"Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it."

Woah. Now I really feel like Homer Simpson. I'm off to chew on those words.

The Kreatrix wants you to know about Steven Pressfield's books: The War of Art and Do The Work. Apparently they are like Luke using the Force.

 

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The Chairman's letterhead complete with his photo and pawprint.WARNING: GPS REQUIRED FOR FOR THE KREATRIX

Kreatrix and I are going insane. She has been swallowed up by her computer. See:

Catberry_KreatrixInComputer

She's spending massive hours on marketing courses and social networking lectures and spending NO time, zippo, nada on my minions for World Domination.

The only way I can talk to her is by calling her on the phone.

The Chairman Soft Sculptured Cat Doll uses a cell phone while seated at a desk.

I've been planning out our upcoming posts. And now my competition, CLIENTS, are calling begging for her attention.

And then I find her reading this:

Michael Hyatt's best selling book Platform: Get Noticed In A Noisy World.

 

We have dual pane windows, people! What could possibly be so noisy in our world?

So then she tells me it's a metaphor for how crowded the internet is and how distracted people are nowadays.

"We've got to be able to find our tribe so that we can have fun together here at Catberry Tails."

Huh? Seriously. Huh? Talking cat dolls and Magnificats aren't a big enough draw?

Extreme closeup of the Chairman's face.

"No. We've got a lot more work to do so we can build an online community."

So then she tells me she may only be able to blog twice a week for a short time. She is going on a very brave journey inside the internet to personally find our tribe and bring them back here!

My reaction?

The Chairman's smile has been replaced with a displeased look.

Then she gave me an assignment.

"We need business cards and revisions to our blog. Plus we need to make a lot of dolls and learn how to do Ecards."

I'm making a large donation to the curse jar in anticipation of rough times ahead.