Building a Community

It’s All in the Details • 7 Comments

The Kreatrix • October 19, 2016

Who Knew Details Could Be So Demanding?

Allow me to present Rudy demonstrating how I, the Chairman, feel right now.

Yes. I am filled to the brim with a sense of pious disgruntlement for our dear Kreatrix. Delays are the name of the game with her royal highness because

It's all in the details, people, and details take time.

Or so she says. Sheesh.

I'm supposed to post some detail shots of some of my gang because Kreatrix is so excited about them.

Notice how the noses are raised from the face? Ok, so I'm envious. Mine isn't. Perhaps I'll request a nose job for Christmas.

And behold the lush lashes. Again, jealous.

Personally hand-dyed fabric by the Kreatrix. Eve 2.0 is shown with a few samples. Oh she's envious but at least she was the first one to get the new improved booty. She can actually sit up whilst checking out the envy-inducing fabric.

Look at this gang! Look at their paws! Notice how they're perpendicular to the ground? Guess whose aren't.

And each member gets a cool little pom-pom thingy attached to its paw! Made by the Kreatrix for all but me.

So let's tally up the qualities Kreatrix is bestowing on my current community members that I PERSONALLY DON'T HAVE because she was

just finding my way...

Again. Her words. So, here we go:

A new and improved booty (Hey Kreatrix: I could actually sit without falling over).
A soft sculpted nose that rises so gently away from the face.
Fluffy, sexy lower eye lashes.
Adorable little paws that are actually perpendicular to the ground...very cool. I am not worthy.
Fancy, soft hand-dyed fabric for the body
A fluffy, colorful pom-pom for each cat to wear

Due to said details being ladled upon the creation of my community I am only now posting photos for the initiation ceremonies of my newest members...which took place in July. JULY. Ahem.

Behold Dr. Rascal teaching the newest members the fine art of posing for maximum cuteness.

And the greatest news of all? I present Toni and Sami posing in a gallery gift shop in North Carolina! Woo-hoo!

And so world domination begins.

Yowza! New Soft Sculpture Cats! • 6 Comments

The Kreatrix • August 11, 2016

They're Here! Our New Soft Sculpture Cats!

At looooong last, the Kreatrix wants me to introduce you to our newest Happiness Minions!

Meet Chester

Chester was created by the Kreatrix using a mysterious ancient technique of fabric dying called Arashi Shibori. Remember the whole pole dancing bit from the previous post? Welp...Chester wrapped himself around a pole and Kreatrix did her magic.

Meet Cooper

If Cooper looks reminiscent of a man's suit, then you're smarter than you think. Kreatrix calls this technique upcycled. I call it Uptown Funk.

Meet Chloe

Chloe is created from hand dyed raw silk using a magic method called Itajime Shibori. Kreatrix says it involves folding fabric and using special clamps. (Chloe makes me purr but don't tell Ginger.)

Meet Sami

Sami is one of the upcycle gang and began life as a stretchy man's shirt. Nowadays Sami is lookin' pretty smokin' and has a very cool belly patch!

Meet Sweetpea

Sweetpea is another one of our pole dancers (Kreatrix doesn't think I should describe it this way). Sweetpea is 100% Raw Silk and hand dyed in the Arashi Shibori style. Hubba hubba.

Meet Toni

Toni is quite the orange tabby tiger! Made from silk velvet and also a pole dancer using the Arashi Shibori technique, Toni is quite soft and very easy on the eyes!

There's more folks but these are the 6 happiness minions that are making the rounds with the Kreatrix. A gallery back East is already starting to carry some of my gang! More details and photos coming soon.

And now for a very rare and illusive photo of the Kreatrix. I'm told this is called a PR Shot. Whatever. Kreatrix doesn't like her photo taken. EVER. So she may or may not have been blotto when she actually let the Professor take this picture.

Stay tuned!

The Horse, The Pole Dancer and The Meaning of Death • 3 Comments

The Kreatrix • July 18, 2016

A Lesson in "Things Are Not As They Seem"

Kreatrix likes horses, so I asked her if I could have one.

Voila!

There's one problem. I can't make it move. Where's the button? I mean, I look cool and all but shouldn't this thing move forward?

So Kreatrix is taking this photo and, not wanting to give away my complete ignorance when it comes to horses, I quietly remarked

He's a bit lazy...doesn't seem up to going for a ride today.

Kreatrix gets this sweet look on her face like she feels just a little sorry for me. She says

Aww. Here, let me help.

She comes up behind me, wraps her hands under the horses belly, makes him levitate inches above the ground, and says in my ear

cloppity clop, clop, cloppity clop, clop...

She sets me down six feet further and takes this picture.

I exclaimed loudly

I wasn't born yesterday, ya know!!

Her sweet reply?

I know exactly when you were born. I made you.

But wait, there's more! She told me several weeks ago she was taking classes with someone named Shibori and is learning to Pole Dance and is going to die!

Well, well, well...I Googled Pole Dance and I was furious with her when she returned home. Not nice, Kreatrix. Very uncool.

Wait for it.

She gets that same darn sweet "so-sorry-for-you" expression and shows me this photograph.

I did NOT calm down because I thought she was showing me what she wore while - you know - doing her dancey routine.

I. Am. So. Lame.

This is fabric she is learning to dye (not die) in a technique called Shibori that involves pole wrapping NOT pole dancing.

Here is what her "costume" looked like once she dyed it.

The good news is, she's making my community out of this fabric!!! WOOT! Stay tuned for photos! That's silk velvet up there, folks. Very soft and cuddly.

Here's another style made by folding fabric and dying it.

AND this, too!

While nursing my wounded ego in the back yard with my lazy horse, I found this dude.

Whatcha think?

The very nice lady who teaches Kreatrix how to do pole wrapping and dying (not die and not pole dance) can be found here and here. I am told she is a very wise and talented woman who has lived all over the world and imparts wisdom to students of all ages!

Leaky Eye Syndrome • 5 Comments

The Kreatrix • February 3, 2015

At Least It's Not Contagious

Kreatrix had a bad case of Leaky Eye Syndrome. Apparently you humans can get upset and your eyes squirt water and sometimes it's accompanied by words that make you feed my curse jar. Just sayin'. WOOT for me, BOOHOO for your wallet.

We did kinda gang up on her last week (see here).

Good news!

It worked! Kind of. She got so upset at not being able to find any of her supplies (and everything being such a mess) that she gutted her magic lair and redesigned it. And since this is where I live with the World Domination Gang we got more room!!!

HANG ON! Look what we found while helping her clean out a closet:

She gasped and says all dreamy-like:

I'd forgotten I ever made this doll and I just asked for a sign if I should continue pursuing making the dolls.....

WHAT?!! So I sez to her:

NOW WAIT JUST A DARN SECOND! GET THE CURSE JAR 'CAUSE I AM NOT HAPPY! You are wondering if you should make more of MY COMMUNITY? Explain, please!!!

I even threw in a few words I haven't repeated here. She tells me:

It's very hard to build a business alone, especially when you already have a very demanding job.

I had a great comeback:

Well, little missy, maybe you should have made me with opposable thumbs and I could have helped!

I dragged the strange little dude over to see Dr. Rascal, who did some ancient woo-woo energy healing work on him.

The adorable cat doll named Dr. Rascal, sits in his chair with his paws on the old doll as The Chairman cradles him in his arms. — Notice Dr. Rascal's steely concentration...

Doc explained to me that he senses very good energy from this doll and that I should convince Kreatrix to finish sewing him up and keep him as a reminder she is on the right path.

Well. I ,for one, am a bit disturbed by his inner head gear falling out the side.

After I cooled off I asked the Kreatrix why she didn't finish him.

Well, I made him about 8 years ago out of an old suit belonging to the Prof. When I showed him the doll he told me his nose looked like a man's #$%&* so I tossed him to one side and didn't finish him. BUT the fact I was trying to make dolls back then tells me how passionate I must be about doing this.

Well, well, well. So "We" got all frustrated over a little joke!

OK. So it does look like a #$%&* but SO WHAT!

I'm just gonna hang with the weird little guy until she finishes him.

Stop looking at his nose and get your mind out of the gutter.

Oh, Dear… • 6 Comments

The Kreatrix • January 19, 2015

The Chairman is Very, Very Needy Right Now

Well, friends, times are tough here at Catberry Tails headquarters. The Kreatrix is very hard at work making everybody but Catberry Tails look good (hellloooo dastardly clients!).

My dear sweet Chairman has gone a bit off the deep end. Apparently, it started when he woke the Kreatrix up one morning after a late night of work. He peeled open her eye lid and asked:

"s'up? I need to get a jump on my tasks for the day!"

And she mumbles:

"..m'kay. Find out if birds fart and do we need to whiten our cats teeth."

Now. You and I can clearly see she was not yet fully awake. HOWEVER. Chairman took it to heart and started googling the whole bird poot thing. Oy vey.

I'd post a few youtube things he found but I'd rather just instruct you to go to Youtube and search "do birds fart". Humanity is doomed.

Chairman needed to decompress and so he sought out the services of Dr. Rascal, shrink extraordinaire.

Rascal is a very good listener BUT Chairman had a TREMENDOUS amount on his little mind.

The Chairman, a soft sculpture cat doll, lays on a sofa with his hand over his forhead. He is not smiling. — The Chairman tells of his woes...

He told of Kreatrix' strange requests and how he still doesn't have his driver's license and now the lines are sooooo long at the DMV because a lot of new people are getting drivers' licenses and he can't find anyone to pay to stand in line for him. He went into great detail about MY (Ginger) "demands" and how he didn't understand them (MEN!) and did we mention his driver's license?

Dr. Rascal, good as he is, apparently couldn't keep up and ...well, the Chairman noticed it was very quiet...so he sat up.

And saw this:

That's right. Dr. Rascal fell asleep!

At first, the Chairman was most upset and had to feed the curse jar. He went a bit off the deep end and sort of, kind of, maniacally started putting stuff on Dr. Rascal's head:

We ALLLLL heard the evil laughter and came to see what was happening.

Of course, we HAD to help.

Kreatrix came to see what the commotion was about and she, also, had to help.

Eve wanted to get a selfie since she is practicing extending her arm and getting the sweet spot:

And so, we have discovered that not only is Rascal a good listener but he is a very sound sleeper.

Chairman laughed so much he became happy and I told him he had an endorphin high. Currently, he's searching our house for the dolphin because he wants to swim with one. Dorphin. Dolphin. We're just happy he's got something to do while the Kreatrix is busy with other boring stuff.

Toodles! Mwah! More later!

Love Ginger,

Feline Reporter Extraordinaire!

Further Evidence She’s From Another Planet • 6 Comments

The Kreatrix • December 8, 2014

m'kay, people...this thing appeared in our front yard IN THE MIDDLE of a plant that has done nothing but sit there as long as I've been alive.

It's at least TEN FEET TALL!

What? Did the Kreatrix plant some magic beans and now some big hairy giant dude is gonna come down and get me?

Seriously...this is some interplanetary species the Kreatrix has imported from her home planet.

She came inside from photographing her alien plant and left these on her desk.

ALIEN EGG PODS!

I let out a little scream which paled in comparison to the scream that came from down the hallway at the same time.

We all went running and found Bandit with some body parts.

Kreatrix looks at me and hisses

Didn't you tell him?

I whimpered back

I didn't tell him, I thought you did. And you shouldn't leave body parts lying around!

Well, well, well...seems somebody slipped up and neglected to explain to Bandit how we "come to be". Ya know, how we get hatched/stitched/birthed.

First we had to pry the limb from his grasp.

And then Kreatrix had an idea to get him to let go. She left the room while I talked softly to him.

I gasped when she entered the room with the alien egg pods!! Nooooooo.

She explained to him he needed to watch over these until they were "ready".

READY!!! Ready FOR WHAT?????!!!! Hey Kreatrix, you left that part out!

And now Bandit is filled with purpose.

Last I checked he had Ginger sitting on them to keep them warm.

I had to get some air, so I went out on the back patio and found this.

Is this what hatches out of the pods? I...I...

I needed to lay down, so I came indoors and this appeared:

What the...

Apparently, I passed out and am now resting comfortably far away from the alien egg pods and that bad Santa dude.

A Rockstar Has Joined Catberry Tails • 6 Comments

The Kreatrix • November 25, 2014

Dear Rascal,

You are quite the character! A little rough around the edges and with eyes that are making the Catberry Tails girls swoon.

And you are the first to break in our new bench! What a flea market find this was! And so beautifully reupholstered by Rosa Renae Martel of Heart & Soul Antiques On The Go here in Southern California. Yay Rosa!

I tried something different with you, Rascal...heavier fringe around the eyes, more hand sewn detail and a padded nose. I felt you needed to look more like a rascally tom cat.

However, you ended up looking a bit more like a rockstar.

Bandit and Penny have really bonded with you. Especially Penny! We all noticed the hand holding.

You have a frayed belly patch and the cutest little nipples.

And those feet!!

The Chairman is very pleased with your confidence and "hotness" (his word, not mine).

The Chairman sits on the bench with Rascal. — The Chairman and Rascal

I loved bringing you to life! You will also be going for a ride in the World Dominationmobile along with Penny and Bandit!

With Love,

The Kreatrix

Clearly She’s Off Her Rocker • 5 Comments

The Kreatrix • November 18, 2014

Oh Look! It's a...It's a...

Colorful, explosive thingy.

Kreatrix blew in the door over the weekend all excited over treasures she found for me from what appears to be her home planet. This time she said her planet is named planet Estate Sale.

Seriously. Does this not look like otherworldly terrain? Kreatrix was hyperventilating while taking photos saying things like

"...fall into a giant vat of colors...what a way to go...look at the explosion of the color wheel..."

Ewwwkay.

As if one wasn't enough, there are two.

Bandit liked this one and hauled it off to his room.

She swore you all would enjoy these photos so don't blame me.

HOWEVER. It is my job to figure out what to do with them.

Kreatrix suggested

"You all are a little uptight. You might want to try meditating on them."

Fine.

Bandit kept saying

"om, ooooommmm, auuummmm"

Which really annoyed me and got in the way of quieting my monkey mind.

Kreatrix looked at us and said

"Soft eyes, gentlemen! Don't stare so hard."

After 60 very long seconds of hearing Bandit's hum song and my eyes burning like heck I gave up.

And then the final straw snapped my little back when the Kreatrix handed me this.

Are those reindeer? And if so, what the heck is the dude on the left doing to the one on the right?

The thing on top is kinda nice.

Okay. So I rather like this. I think I'll keep it. Kreatrix really loves it.

There is a certain familiarity to the crazy rug-type yarn things. They remind me of Kreatrix' hair and how it is never calm and sometimes she has to feed my curse jar when she looks in the mirror.

See what I mean?

Penny Has Entered The Building! • 5 Comments

The Kreatrix • November 11, 2014

Dear Penny!

Welcome to the Catberry Tails gang! You are a very close cousin of Eve 2.0! In fact you're cut from the same cloth...very soft paisley fabric from an old tablecloth.

You were created during 90 degree weather in the month of November! Thank heavens I had you to keep me occupied inside with the air conditioning!

I apologize for accidentally sewing your legs on backwards. The Chairman was more than happy to give me his curse jar to feed while I performed surgery to correct my mistake.