Wordless Thursday

5 Years Coming Up!

I find it hard to believe that on April 15, 2012, I will have been on Etsy for four years and will be starting my fifth year! I joined in March but didn't listing anything until April 2008.

Where does the time go?

It has been quite a ride! I love Etsy!

2011 was banner year for Celtic Cat!

Etsy has given  me the chance to sell off season, which for Celtic Cat Photos and Thistle And Shamrock Publishing is Dec. 10th to the springtime. 2012 will be the first year we won't be doing outdoor summer shows. We are selling our tent, I will miss my summer vendor-friends, but I won't miss putting up that heavy KD tent, sitting in heat, the long summer hours and early mornings.


Cathy Feb. 18, 2012

Notes From The Road: Minnesota

Actually, we are still in Wisconsin, in Superior, our hotel is the last one before you cross to Minnesota. We go over the bridge to Minnesota every night so we can go down to the harbor in Duluth for dinner at Grandma's Saloon. The building right next to the Aerial Lift Bridge in the harbor is where the saloon is located. The bridge goes up when a Freighter needs to go back out to Lake Superior.

Tonight I walked down to the canal into Lake Superior and a big lake Freighter was coming through. It was a nice bonus, I was actually down there to get the two lighthouses on each side at sunset. Due to road work we had to give up going to Split Rock Lighthouse and did the Wisconsin Point instead.

Driving through Wisconsin and Minnesota going west is a wonderful trip for photographers. The weather is still unusually warm for this time of year. Unfortunately, for me, my 7D is having a battery problem. Time to switch to my back up camera body.

We hope it will continue with good weather and no snags in our trip.

Cathy 9 / 20 / 2011

Notes From The Road: Michigan

 I am on the road again. It has been a year since my last trip. Travel is fun and exciting, I love going to new places and seeing and photographing wonderful things.


My one problem with a trip is getting going. I have trouble getting out the door that first morning. I worry about my house, my cats and a million small things. We have a very competent house/cat sitter. So I really don't have anything to worry about.

We are taking I-75 up to the UP,  there we will pick up Hwy. 2 and head for Manistique. It was raining when we left home, it is a beautiful summer day now. I have spent many a gloomy day up here at this time of year.

Everything is picture perfect, warm and sunny.


I hope the rest of our trip is as nice.


Cathy 9/ 12 / 2011

The Fun Part Of Summer Art Shows

This is our last year to do out door summer Art Shows. Both my partner and I are tired of putting up a display tent. It was 100+ on Friday night when we set up. The heat didn't bring this change for us, we discussed it earlier in the year and decided to only do spring and autumn shows. Inside, with no wind storms, rain, or heat.

This weekend at Algonac Michigan on the St. Clair River, we had rain on Saturday about 5 PM. I went to get the van, and was just driving back when it started to rain, then it went to a full summer storm, a driving rain with wind blowing into our tent. You know it is a bad storm when the photos are blown off the peg boards. Couples shopping helped us. Also to hold us down at the height of the storm.

The next morning driving to Algonac we discovered that there were more and more trees down along Highway 29. Trees down, lines down, a mess on the highway and yards along the way. We didn't get much further, the road was closed. We had to go around the long way, get away from the water, go inland and come around.

I could imagine what we would find when we finally made it to the Art Show. Would our tent be smashed against the railing along the river, in the river or would it be in the post office parking lot across the way.

Fortunately for the many artists, Algonac had been spared, The park along the river was fine.

Everything went well. Unfortunately, it rained again at 4 PM. So the show was over!

I won't miss summer Art Shows. I will miss talking to people who visit our mobile shop.



Cathy 9 / 4 / 2011

Why Did I Wear Blue Today?

Normally, what color I wear to the Detroit Zoo wouldn't matter. But today it seemed important to a large blue butterfly. The blue only shows when they land with their wings open, which is very rare.

I was sitting in the butterfly house ( which is in what was once the old bird house), with my husband between trying to get some images of the hundreds of butterflies flitting around us.

When a huge blue butterfly started to flit from my husband to me. He or she finally settled on my hand and proceeded to check me out with his/ her proboscis. (tongue). I sat there for about 15 to 20 minutes while the butterfly checked me out. It didn't hurt, but when the legs moved I felt the barbs.

Cathy @ Celtic Cat Photos 

Spotlight On Claylady42 Of Etsy Michigan Trolls

For as long as I can remember I have enjoyed doing some sort of craft. I never seriously thought about making a business out of it until 6 years ago. My husband was looking for a hobby while I studied to get my realtor's license, so he bought 1500 ceramic molds. Yep, 1500! Needless to say the real estate market tanked and I got interested in learning about these molds and what I can make.

Once I got the hang of it, I started working with day cares and held parties to teach others this wonderful craft so they could make their own keepsake. Then I discovered hand-building and all the wonderful textures you could add and the infinite possibilities of what can be made. I discovered Etsy through my father- in-law who read an article about it, so I gave it a try.

I'm totally addicted to my clay and Etsy!

My favorite texture is a doily. While helping to clean out my parents' basement, we came across a suitcase of old linens and doilies. I just had to see what I could make with them! Not only do I feel I'm bringing back some sort of nostalgia using the doilies, but I feel like I'm keeping my family's memories alive. I love my ceramics and I always get a warm fuzzy feeling when someone thinks my items would make a nice addition to their home!

From Ireland With Love

I have visited many parts of our beautiful world, fun places that I would love to go back to. One of my favorites is traveling by car through Ireland. I haven't been there in several years. But I would go there in a minute if my partner said "Let's go!"

This photograph is of my favorite castles and pub! Bunratty Castle and Durty Nelly's.

Bunratty Castle & Durty Nelly's

Cathy - 8 / 6 / 10

Thank You 'The Briar Rose Gate'! I Won the Sunshine Award!

I want to Thank Linda of Artwolf and 'The Briar Rose Gate' for awarding me the Sunshine Award. I am pleased and honored to get this award.

Six thing you don't know about me!

1. I am very shy

2. I used to be a painter

3. I am Irish

4. I am an accountant by trade

5. I have 2 sisters, both older

6. I live with 3 cats and Macman.

The Six great artists I pass this award on to:

This could be a much longer list, but time and my problem with linking
limits me to 6 -

Kenna of ....Beholden To Nature

Julie of ......Julie Mager Soulen Photograpy

Judi of .......Judi FitzPatrick Studio

Anna of ..... Living Glass Art

Rhonda of . Rareimage Photography

Allie of ........Allieart: Photogarphy 4 Children


~And now, Sunshine Award Guidelines http://allieart4children.blogspot.com/

1) Please thank the person who gave the award to you.

2) Copy the logo and place it in your blog.

3) Link the person who nominated you.

4) Name 6 things that no one would really know,about yourself.

5) Nominate 6 bloggers, or a number 1,2,3, etc of your choosing

6) Post links to the blogs you nominate
.
7) Leave a comment on each of those blogs letting them know you have nominated them for the Sunshine award.


Have a Great Weekend - Cathy 3 / 19 / 10

Photo Card Contest

It was a slow day in my studio, started out learning more about adding text to an image and ended up with content. I have never understood content and I am not sure if learned anything
about it I can use in the future.

So I made up about a dozen ideas for cards. Kept 6 with my winter image and one for V-Day which I will use next year.

Here is the contest part, rather than add all 6 cards to my blog I posted them on Flickr. Please go to my Flickr Photostream and see which one you like the best. Post the one you like the best here on my blog, everyone who posts will be added to virtual hat and in two weeks the winner will be notified and I will send them one of the cards. I have not seen these cards printed yet so I don't have a favorite yet.

Sorry! My Bad! Pick the letter on one of the top 6 images, that you think would make the best card on my Flickr page.

Cathy 2/ 15 / 10

Snow Snow Go Away!

Here in southern Michigan we really can't complain. This is the first big snow fall for the the winter of 2009 & 2010. I just thought I would show my Apple tree on Monday, which was very spring like, more like late March than February. I took another photograph on Tuesday.

It snowed all night Tuesday into Wednesday. I was lucky my neighbor came over and shoveled my drive and sidewalk. So I went out again and took a few more photographs.

Those of you who live further east and have really been clobbered this winter, look at it this way, next winter we will probably get all the snow.

Royal Café and Birthday Cake Ice Cream

Another great find right in my own backyard!


No, not this lovely iceberg. This photograph was taken on a June trip to Newfoundland.


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Royal Café & Ice Cream, 770 Auburn Road, Downtown Utica, Michigan

You can't beat Hershey's ice cream. It is delicious, creamy and my idea of comfort food. I love the Birthday Cake and Road Runner Raspberry. If you live in the Utica or East Michigan area stop and try some. I think you will make it a regular stop.

Cathy 7 / 22/ 09

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Edelweiss, 34 East Ramona Avenue, Colorado Springs, Colorado

From the name you might have guessed that this is a German restaurant. The Triple Chocolate Tort will keep a chocoholic satisfied for a week. The food is good here too!

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Piesano's Pacchia, 3618 Canyon Lake Drive, Rapid City, South Dakota


Why go to a chain pizzaria, when you can go to Piesano's. As their card say, 'Good Friends, Good Food, Good Drink'! Not only are their pizzas awesome, even better you can also have a choice of several Baltika beers from Russia. They also serve local beers, wine and soft drinks.

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Hamlet Thanks You!

Thank You for voting for Hamlet my Birthday Cat. He took 5th place out of so many lovely cards.

Thank You!

Tuesday Morning Artist's Coffee Club

Welcome to the first Tuesday Morning Artist's Coffee Club. This is a spotlight for outstanding and very talented Etsy and 1 MK members. We will be spotlighting team members, friends, artists who understand their craft, in body the spirit of friendship, and help we share with each other here online.

San Diego Skiline














Come on in and take a seat, if you don't drink coffee we have tea too. Oh, just push the cat off the chair!

My first spotlight is on Rhonda in San Diego - Rareimage and Julie in Loveland - Julie Mager Soulen Photography, two very talented Photographers.

Please after seeing this sample of their work, check out each artist's shop.

Rareimage: Starfish In Color
























Julie Magers Soulen Photography

Rawah Columbine























Evening Fog

Lemonade Award!

I was nominated for a "Lemonade Award"!!!!! Awarded for great attitude, I guess it goes along with that whole "given lemons, make lemonade" saying. :) And Beholden to Nature graciously bestowed upon me a "Lemonade Award"!

Thank You!

The rules are quite simple...

1. Put the logo on your blog or post.
2. Nominate at least 5 - 10 blogs that show great Gratitude and/or Attitude.
3. Be sure to list and link your nominees within your post.
4. Tell them they have received this award by leaving a comment on their blog.
5. Nominate your favorites and link to your post.

Here are my lovely nominees:

365byjoanna

Gypsy Moon Designs

Amy Long Berry Photography

Judi FitzPatrick Studio

Rare Image Photos


Cathy @ Celtic Cat Photos

The Big Easy!

Born on the Buyou


Night Parade


At my age you would think I would have had enough of night parades! But it is Mardi Gra and the invitation was too good to pass up. DH's relative has a shop on the main street that we could park behind and use the bathroom. So off we went, we were the last car into the lot. We stayed in the shop until it was time for the parade to start.

It is getting dark, and feels like rain. A helicopter keeps flying over head with a spotlight on the crowd. It is beginning to drizzle. You wonder if it starts to rain, will they cancel the parade and reschedule it for a day we won't be in town. No, here come the police cars to make sure the street is clear. They are followed by tow trucks to collect anyone who disobeyed the law.

Here comes the first float!

It is raining now, who cares, this is fun. "Come on Mister, throw me something!"


Causeway across Lake Ponchartrain