Shimshi's Bathtime Caturday Art and Sunday Selfie

Greetings, Effurrybuddies!

The Mighty Shimshon (aka Shimshi) here - The Little Purrince, The Baby Mancat, Master of the Queen's Mischiefs and Captain of the Guard. This week, I am leading my fursibs on the weekend blog hops - the Caturday Art blog hop, hosted by the Wise and Beautiful Athena and her HuMum, Marie, and the Sunday Selfies blog hop, hosted by the adorable, Predictably Unpredictable Kitties Blue and their HuMom, Janet.

Mind you - I am not saying I would have chosen this purrticular photo of my Undeniably Handsome Purrson for My Sunday Selfie:

I mean - I know it displays my Athleticism and Supurrb Sense of Balance (honed by months of Pole Dancing purractice), but really, a kitty's grooming routine is not necessarily for Public Consumption - certainly not without said kitty's Prior Purrmission!

Still, when one does not have Opposable Thumbs and access to a camera,  sometimes one is obliged to knuckle under (no pun intended) and accept what Fate Mummy decides, n'est-ce pas?

At any rate, I did get to decide how my pawtrait would be artified and, since I loved the Artist Collages Trixie and Caspurr got, I asked for one of My Own - and here it is:

This Quartet uses (clockwise from top left) Life, Grey, Yarn and Hunger, from the LunaPic palette.

How do you like it - and which of the four effects do you like best?

My Publishers, PhotoFunia Inc., were so impurressed they decided to feature Me in a New Book about Kitties in Art.

Isn't that Splendid News? What a Wonderful Gift this would make for Valentine's Day!

Now, before We Mummy forgets, here are the blog hop badges:

     

And now it's time to set off on Our blog hop Visits.

Till next week then.

Be well. Be safe. We love you all.

Caspurr's Contemplative Caturday Art and Sunday Selfie

Hallo there, Effurryone!

As you can see, it is MY turn to lead the J-Cats on this weekend's blog hops - the Caturday Art blog hop, hosted by the Wise and Beautiful Athena and her HuMum, Marie, and the Sunday Snoozies Selfies blog hop, hosted by Our Dear Furriends, the Predictably Unpredictable Kitties Blue and their HuMom, Janet.

I was furry impurressed with the Art Mummy created for Trixie last week, so I asked her if We could do something simiilar for Me and of course, She said "Yes" - and this is what We came up with:

This is an Artist Collage, courtesy of (who else?) LunaPic, using four different filters. Clockwise from upper left, We have Picasso, Escher, Candy and Beauty.

A collage is a great choice when you're having trouble making up your mind about which filter to use (mol). On the other hand, maybe you find it easier than We did to choose a favourite.

Mummy also thought these would look great hanging in an art gallery, so We headed over to PhotoFunia to arrange that:

And here are the blog hop badges:

        

In other news, Uncle D. has gone back to England again (he came for Grandpaw's funeral and stayed till after the stone-setting), so now the Guest Bedroom Kitty Room is vacant again and Mummy can make another attempt at bringing CalliCallou inside. Paws crossed it works out this time.

That's it for today, as Mummy needs to rest before Caterwauling Club this evening.

Take care of yourselves and of your Humans, effurryone.  We know some of you are having HORRIBLE weather conditions - and We also hear rumours the Evil Mutant Ninja Coronavirus is still LURKING.

Be well. Be safe. We love you all.

Trixie the Calendar Girl: Caturday Art and Sunday Selfies for New Year's Day 2023

Happy New Year, Effurrybody!

As is only right and fitting, it has fallen to ME, Queen Trixie, Furrst of My Name, Empurress of Jerusalem, Israel and the Entire Middle East, Queen of Hearts, Guardian of the Boudoir, Alpha-Kitty Extraordinaire, to lead my fellow J-Cats on the Furrst Sunday Selfies blog hop of the New Year - and the last Caturday Art blog hop of the Old.

As you all know, the Caturday Art blog hop is hosted by the Wise and Beautiful Athena and her HuMum, Marie, and the Sunday Selfies blog hop is hosted by those sweet and Predictably Unpredictable Kitties Blue and their HuMom, Janet. Many thanks and a Happy Mew Year to them all.

So here is My Selfie, with which I have embellished a 2023 Calendar (courtesy of PhotoFunia):

Now, for the artification, you are getting not one, but FOUR different versions of Me, thanks to LunaPic's Custom Collage effect:

The different filters We are using are (clockwise from top left) Courtisane, Grey, Psychedelic and Flash Gordon.  Tell Us below, in the Comments section, which one you like best.

And here are the blog hop badges:

           

Last week, Mummy had another one of her full day study trips, and abandoned Us from morning until evening, although it wasn't too bad, because Uncle D. is still here. She hasn't had the chance to write about it yet in her own bloggie, but She did write about the afternoon walkabout she had in the Old City of Jerusalem the week before, where she got to see all the menorahs lit for Hanukkah and the Chrissymouse decorations. If you haven't seen it yet, go and take a look.

Before We set off on Our blog hop visits, We want to tell you all how much We have enjoyed being able to be with you this past year, and how happy We are at the thought of enjoying your company in this New Year that We have just ushered in.

Be well. Be safe. We love you all.

Santa Shimshi's Caturday Art and Sunday Selfies

Hallo there, Effurrybuddies!

Once again it is My Turn (ME being The Mighty Shimshon, aka Shimshi, Furrst of My Name, the Little Purrince, the Baby Mancat, Master of the Queen's Mischiefs, and Captain of the Guard) to lead the J-Cats on the weekend blog hops - the Caturday Art blog hop, hosted by the Wise and Beautiful Athena and her HuMum, Marie,  and the Sunday Selfies blog hop, hosted by the Delightful and Predictably Unpredictable Kitties Blue and their HuMom, Janet.


Here is My Selfie. Mummy and I are both furry pleased with this shot:

We are sure many, possibly most of you, are busy today, pawsibly prepurring your Chrissymouse dinner, or even sitting down to it already, and won't have much time for blogging or for visiting today, so We shall keep this short.

Here are a couple of artifications We made of my Selfie. The furrst used LunaPic's Surreal Painting effect:

This next one also used a LunaPic filter - Stained Glass, at 75%:

However, for Our Official Caturday Art entry this week, in defurrence to the fact that today is Chrissymouse Day and also to the fact that tonight, We light the eighth and last Hanukkah candle, We have chosen to give due recognition to BOTH holidays, so I have donned a Santa Claws hat, and am guarding a Menorah. In addition, mindful of the fact that so many of you are enduring really freaky weather conditions, including mountains of snow, gale force winds and Uber Cold, Mummy helped Me to add a snowy border and snowflakes to the picture, which will serve as Our Chrissymouse and Hanukkah card as well:

Now, before We forget, here are the blog hop badges:

        

Take good care of yourselves now - and of your Humans too!
And if you feel like escaping from the cold and the snow and the wind for a couple of hours, do teleport over here (it has been raining but at least the temperature is well above zero) and join Us for tuna latkes, catnip punch and other goodies!

Meowy Chrissymouse! Happy Hanukkah!  Warmest Season's Greetings to all Our Anipals, Quadruped and Biped, Furry, Feathered and Scaly too (not sure if We know any Fishies, but anyway...) and to their pawrents.

Be Well. Be safe. We love you all.

Hanukkah Is Here: Caturday Art and Sunday Selfies

 Hallo there, Effurryone!

Caspurr the Snuggle Bug is here again, to lead My Fellow J-Cats on this weekend's blog hops - the Caturday Art blog hop, hosted by the Wise and Beautiful Athena and her HuMum, Marie, and the sweet, Predictably Unpredictable Kitties Blue and their HuMom, Janet. Poor Ms. Janet has caught the Evil Mutant Ninja Coronavirus, so don't forget to send her Get Well Purrs, effurryone!

Here is My Selfie:

And here is the artified version, which We created using Lunapic's Dreaming filter, at 45%:

As you can see, I was enjoying one of my Favourite Snuggle Spots, under the duvet. 

This evening, Mewish cats and their Humans will be lighting the furrst Hanukkah candle on the Menorah. Hanukkah is one of Our Favourite festivals, because We can look forward to treats EFFURRY DAY, for EIGHT WHOLE DAYS!

But Hanukkah does have some sad meowmories for Mummy also, because it was eleven years ago at Hanukkah that Angel Pixie flew away to the Rainbow Bridge. That was on December 23rd - and it was a Friday, just as it is this year too.

To honour Precious Pixie, here is a picture of her, taken on April 3rd 2011 - before she got so sick with kidney disease. 

Like Me, she was a beautiful Tigger-Tabby (although, in character, she was more like Trixie):

In her honour, We have created a lovely, artified pawtrait of her, using LunaPic's Beauty filter, which so becomes that sweet face, at 70%:

We wanted to include a picture of Our Woofie Uncle Messi, too - but he has no time for selfies this evening. He is glued to the TeeVee screen watching the World Cup Final between Argentina and France. No prizes for guessing which side he is supporting (mol)!

Mummy also wants to watch the rest of the match, so We shall cut this short now.  

Here are the blog hop badges:

         

In addition, We want to mention that We are also joining this year's Blessing Train, hosted by Our Good Furriends RaenaBelle, Zebby and their Mommy Audra:

Happy Hanukkah to Effurryone. And, in case some of you are too busy to post next Sunday, which happens to be Chrissymouse, We wish you all a Meowy Chrissymouse too!

Be well. Be safe. We love you all.

Still On The Subject Of Messi: Caturday Art and Sunday Selfies

Hallo again, Effurrybody!

Queen Trixie here, Furrst of My Name, etc. etc. etc.

We are (sort of) back to taking it in turn to lead the J-Cats on the weekend blog hops - the Caturday Art blog hop, hosted by the Wise and Beautiful Athena and her HuMum, Marie, and the Sunday Selfies blog hop, hosted by the Adorable, Predictably Unpredictable Kitties Blue and their HuMom, Janet.

So, without further ado, here is My Selfie:

However, Mummy could not resist sharing with you this twofur of my Pesky Brofurs as well (they are okay when they are sleeping):

But let there be no Misunderstanding here. It is I, the Queen-Empurress Trixie, who is Blog Hop Leader this week. And to emphasise that Fact, here is My Artified Pawtrait, using no less than THREE LunaPic filters: Splash at 40%, overlaid with Surreal Painting at 80% and finally, a dash of Tuscany at 20%:

However, (and although Mummy forgot My Gotcha Day on November 12th) We are, once again, including Uncle Messi, because yesterday, December 10th, was  his 6th Gotcha Day and he doesn't have a blog of his own and he is feeling so furry sad and lonely since Grandpaw was called to the Rainbow Bridge. So We have taken the picture of him We posted last week, and artified it with LunaPic's Beauty filter at 70% - to match the picture of him and Grandpaw that We shared the week before last:

Mummy also wants to say She is sorry She still hasn't written about Grandpaw in her own bloggie. Effurry time She tries, her eyes start to leak again and her vision gets so blurry, She can't see the keyboard. She thinks She might have to take a couple more weeks, till the pain is not so raw. In the meanwhile, She will post about another study trip she went on last month. So keep your eyes peeled.

Now, here are the blog hop badges:

     

That's all for now.

Be well. Be safe. We love you all.

Mournful Messi

Hallo again, Effurrybody!

Furrst of all, We want to thank all those who visited Us during this past week, and left kind words of comfort about Grandpaw, after he crossed his Rainbow Bridge.

The week of the shiva, immediately following the funeral, was especially hard for Our Woofie Uncle, Messi. Not only was the house full of strangers, people who, in his eyes, were not supposed to be there, but his Daddy, who was always there, was no longer there - and nobody could explain to him WHY. Mummy said you could see, by his drooping tail, that he was both unhappy and scared.

Messi loved Grandpaw furry much, and Grandpaw loved Messi. Mummy says that Grandpaw - her own beloved Daddy - always used to make up funny songs, in which he replaced the words of existing songs with new lyrics. She remembers him doing this since She was a little girl - and Grandpaw carried on doing it right up till the End.

One song, which he used to sing to the tune of the Paul Robeson favourite, Trees, started off with the line: "I think that I shall never see, A canine lovely as Messi".

This week, too, We are going to let Uncle Messi repurresent Our Extended Family in the weekend blog hops - the Caturday Art blog hop, hosted by the Wise and Beautiful Athena and her HuMum, Marie, and the Sunday Selfies blog hop, hosted by the Predictably Unpredictable Kitties Blue and their HuMom, Janet. He has no blog of his own, and although We all have the Sads, it is harder still for Messi, because he was Grandpaw's constant companion.

See those sad eyes:

The picture above, and the one following, were taken at the shiva. Mummy artified the second one with the help of LunaPic, using a mixture of filters and art effects, including Surreal Painting and Sadness and a few others, but She can't remember in which order - and, in any case, her own eyes were leaking so much that her vision was all blurry.

As you know, Mummy has her own blog (details in the sidebar), and She intends to write about Grandpaw later this week. In the meantime, if any of you or your Humans are interested, you can read Grandpaw's autobiography, which we mentioned last week. He had a furry long and eventful life.

Next week, We hope to return to regular posting, where We take turns in repurresenting the J-Cats in the blog hops. Meanwhile, here are the blog hop badges:

     

Till next time, then.

Be Well. Be safe. We love you all.