Fun Feline Finds: The Creative Cat Sampler Box

One of the most aesthetically beautiful websites in the cat blogosphere is The Creative Cat - with creative being the key word. An award-winning blog featuring the incredibly talented artist Bernadette Kazmarski's art, photography, writing, and poetry, all inspired by her lifelong love of the feline form.

Bernadette sells her work through her Portraits of Animals website, and has now jumped on the subscription box bandwagon with her new Sampler Box Program which sells for $25 per box, or $75 for a three box subscription (shipping included).

Each box contains:

• an 8” x 10” print matted to 11” x 14”, ready to frame OR a small framed print, either an existing piece of artwork or a new one

• two or more greeting or note cards, current designs and new designs

• a handmade or other gift item—a small keepsake box or a little art sampler book, a polymer clay or ceramic item, screen-printed dishtowel, tote bag, crocheted item or rubber stamp, new art paper, for instance

I was so excited to receive the May Sampler Box to review. Even the packaging itself is a work of art: cat-themed wrapping paper with minimal tape so it can be repurposed.

This enclosed letter made me smile. I did indeed find a few black hairs in my package...and that just made it all the more special! Handmade, hand-picked, and packaged with love...and cats!

“Peaches and Peonies” Pastel Print: As a huge fans of pastels, I can't even tell you how beautiful this is in person.

“A Tangle of Cats at the Door” Pencil Print: The best part of every day is coming home to a cat (or four). I think that's exactly what the kitties in this pencil drawing are doing...waiting for someone very special to come home.

6 Selected Greeting Cards: I actually collect cat-related greeting cards that I come across in my travels. I never send them to people though...they're for me!

• Sympathy Card: “Kelly Twice”, The sweetest memories often come in quiet moments.
• All-purpose Greeting Card: From the Feline Fine Art Cards collection, ” Buster Lookin’ at His Toes”
• Photo Cards: From the Victoriana Cats collection, “Don’t You Wonder What They’re Thinking?”
• Note cards: From My Cats in the Sun collection, “A Warm Bath”, From the Saturday Morning Cartoons collection, “Saturday Morning”
• All-purpose greeting card: In the Garden, “Columbines”

Gift Item - Creative Cat Coloring Book, with watercolor pencils and art sponge: Have you gotten back into coloring yet? As a little girl it was one of my favorite hobbies. Ah, such a simpler time. This little book was created in Bernadette's own unique style leaving so much room for the colorer to express their creativity. Spiral bound, thick paper, and the perfect size to slip into your purse for coloring on the go!

Any of the prints can be given as a gift to a family member or friend, or as a thank you to a veterinarian or veterinary technician, pet sitter, groomer or anyone else in your life who would enjoy a cat-themed gift. They can also help other cats by being donated to online auctions or shelter and rescue events to help raise much-needed funds. Will I be giving anything away? Most likely not. When something cat-related enters my home chances are good it'll be staying!

More information on the May box's contents can be found in this blog post, which also goes into detail the inspiration behind each piece. (And a sneak peek of the June box can be found here!)

Discount Codes

Each month The Creative Cat sends out a monthly e-newsletter that previews new items and offers special discounts to the list members. Here are the current discount codes:

• Get a 25% discount on all Tortie Girls things through July 31 with discount code TORTIEGIRLS25. Visit the Tortie Girls Linoleum Block Prints page on Portraits of Animals. Tortie stuff??? Take my money!!!
• Members of The Creative Cat Preview can purchase The Creative Cat Coloring Book set for only $20.00, shipping included, through July 31 with discount code COLORINGBOOK20. Click here to read more, see sample art or order!

Also, if you sign up for a free account on Portraits of Animals you receive a thank you gift from Bernadette (a matted digital print that usually sells for between $20.00 and $40.00), giving you a chance to see a sample of her work and the quality of her merchandise. You don’t need to purchase anything to get your thank you gift. When I signed up I chose the Snowy Morning watercolor, special to me because as a native Vermonter I love winter scenes. Snowy Morning also won a Muse Medallion from the Cat Writers' Association this year!

If you're looking for beautiful art to further "catify" your home, I can't recommend Bernadette Kazmarski's work highly enough...and with The Creative Cat Sampler Box you'll be receiving a selection of pieces hand chosen by the artist (and her cats!)

Disclaimer: We received product compensation in exchange for featuring this content. All opinions are our own and we never recommend a product we don’t fully believe in.