I've been tagged.

I was tagged on flickr by the lovely silvia. So I had to post a photo of myself and list 16 things about me. For all you curious kitties out there, here they are:

1. I'm a summer baby, but am not a fan of hot weather. Fall is my favorite season.
2. I am the youngest of two. My sister is 2 years older, a doctor and a blessing to me.
3. When I was younger, I had to wear a headgear to straighten my teeth. Luckily I only wore it at night or when I was at home.
4. I started wearing glasses when I was in grade 7. As soon as I could wear contact lenses - I think I was 16 - I got them. You will rarely see me out in public wearing glasses.
5. I used to think cats were mean and never liked them. Dogs were my first choice of pet. We had a few growing up. But after I met my husband, I changed my mind about them because one of his roommates had a very sweet cat. I am now a huge cat lover (if you hadn't noticed).
6. Although I like tomato-flavoured foods like ketchup, tomato sauce, tomato soup, I do not like fresh tomatoes. Something about the taste and texture grosses me out.
7. Born in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and lived there till I was almost 11, then moved to Saskatoon where my family still resides. I moved east (Canada) for university and college and have pretty much been here ever since. Toronto since 2002.
8. Met my husband at work and have been together since the day we met.
9. I love Coldplay.
10. I know how to play the piano and the flute but am not as good as I used to be.
11. I knew I wanted to be an artist since I was little.
12. My favourite colour is red, followed by pink.
13. I am not a big swimmer and am a bit afraid of the water. I prefer activities on the ground, like walking, running and biking.
14. Some of my favourite foods are lasagna, pizza and ice cream. I have a sweet tooth so always have something sweet every day.
15. I am a homebody, especially in winter. I enjoy working from home (and am very lucky to be able to do so) and don't leave the house sometimes for days.
16. I like flickr and being able to "meet" people through it.

I won't tag anyone but if you feel like doing this, please feel free to share.

The week went by too quickly. I've got a lot of things on the go but not quite finished. Oh well, TGIF and have a great weekend!

Keep Calm and Carry On!

That's my new motto for this year. At least, a little mantra that I hope I can remember in more stressful moments. I've seen many versions of that great phrase online and while I would love to own one of those, I'm on a limited budget after the holidays. So instead I made my own thrifty and quick version this morning. The chalkboard hangs on the wall across from my work desk, so all I have to do is look up if needed.

It's been freezing lately and sales in my shop are not so hot either, but I was warmed by some of the sweetest feedback left by one of my recent buyers the other day:

Cathy is amazing. She keeps up with her clients at all times, being very professional, and always letting them know if a package may be a day or two late. I received my package in a timely manner, seven days from the original ship-date, which came to California all the way from Canada! She is also an honest seller, who offered to refund the extra shipping cost that was unnecessary, as it cost less than expected to ship, or to send a few trinkets in place of it. I chose the latter, and on top of my original two purchases, received some adorable stickers of a kitty and of the love doves, as well as a matching pin for this shirt! I've added a picture of myself in the shirt, which was just as wonderful as I would have expected. Thank you, Cathy! (read more @ feedback for bookmark)...

This bookmark was just as cute as I would have hoped it to be. It was shipped fully laminated, and even had a piece of cardboard behind it so it wouldn't bend! Very clever. Every piece of the shipment was in wonderful detail, and Cathy even sent me a personalized thank-you note, which I have attached for your viewing pleasure. She is a total sweetheart, and her items are one-of-a-kind. You've nothing to lose, kitty lovers, now shop, shop, shop!

Here she is wearing her new tee from my shop.


Thanks for making me smile, Danielle! Now in her wise words:
"You've nothing to lose, kitty lovers, now shop, shop, shop!"

Hello readers!

Are you out there?

After some trial and error with other blogs, I'm sticking with blogger for now, just under a new name. If you've followed me here from Cathy's Sweet Shop, thank you for making the trip. I've got some good things planned for the new blog, so stay tuned.

This stationery set (pictured above) is back in my shop just in time for Valentine's Day. It'd make a great gift for a friend. Or a gift to yourself that you use to write love notes to that special someone. The gift that keeps on giving!

And stickers are back too in a new format.


I've seen a lot of round stickers on etsy and have wanted to try printing some of my own up for a while. Beats cutting each one out by hand, or running paper through my Xyron. I'm not sure where other sellers have gotten their sticker paper from, but I found these at my local Staples. Not exactly what I was looking for, but they'll do for the moment. I've got more sets that I'll be adding to the shop in the next little while. Keep checking back.

That's all for now. Have a great weekend and Happy Chinese New Year (Monday)!