Gifts for Cat Lovers: Our Top 10 Picks of 2017

From Cat Chat With Caren and Cody: We were not compensated for this post.  Most of the products we are writing about today, we have blogged about in the past, three of them were items we received from fellow bloggers either by winning on their blog, or by being gifted an item. There are NO AFFILIATE LINKS IN THIS POST. With the holidays rapidly approaching, Cody and I wanted to share our faves from 2017. Enjoy!

ANIMAL HEARTED: 
We first featured Animal Hearted April 21st, 2017. They are are passionate about animals. Not only do they make fun and creative clothing and accessories for animal lovers, they are dedicated to saving the lives of shelter animals. They donate 25% of proceeds from every order to a non-profit animal shelter or rescue. They have helped save thousands of shelter pets. When YOU place an order, you will help save thousands more! Animal Hearted Apparel carries an extensive and ever-expanding collection of tee shirts, sweatshirts, tank tops, and hats/beanies in unisex, women’s, and youth sizes. We recently received the cutest cat socks, our favorite is the "Paws" design! 

BOOK: BLACK CATS TELL ALL
"The first collection to promote Black Cat adoption!" Black Cats Tell All (edited by Layla Morgan Wilde), is a  true labor of love that took months to come to fruition. Extolling the virtues of black cats is a calling that has completely consumed Layla.  Black Cats Tell all is a "celebration" of all that is positive about black cats, with the hope of once-and-for-all reversing negative stereotypes that to this day are still far too prevalent.  In most cases the stories are narrated by the cats themselves.   A portion of the proceeds from this book will help Shelter Cats.

BOOK: ROME AT HOME 
 The Spirit of la cucina romana in Your Own Kitchen by Suzanne Dunaway of Living With LouLou

A number of months ago I struck up a conversation with the oh-so beautiful and talented Suzanne Dunaway on her blog, celebrating our mutual love of cooking and FOOD! I was lucky enough to be gifted this book by Suzanne, which I have not yet made a recipe from, but hang in there, I am going to and hopefully you will see them on the blog in 2018!

"Suzanne Dunaway has been in love with Italy for thirty years, living in Rome off and on and absorbing as much as possible about the cuisine of the Eternal City. Now she has put the basics of la cucina romana into one seductive book. Rome, at Home will enable anyone to savor the irresistible, straightforward flavors of Rome’s best ristoranti, trattorie, pizzerie, and home kitchens."

"A culinary tour of one of the world’s most enchanting cities, Rome, at Home is equally a marvelous gift and a book to cook from every day."

Some of the recipes I am looking forward to making (listed by their American names for the purpose of this blog) are: Minestone Soup, Spaghetti with Garlic, Olive Oil and Hot Peppers,  Pasta With Meat Sauce,  Roast Lamb With Potatoes, and many, many more!

BLOGGING CATS CALENDAR
I don't know about you, but if  I didn't maintain an editorial calendar for each of my blogs I would be even more disorganized than I am now! That being said, you do NOT have to be a blogger to enjoy seeing some of your favorite kitties from the blogs you love featured in the 2018 Blogging Cats Calendar .  Kitties from all over the world submitted photos to Mom Paula from the adorable blog, Sweet Purrfections (starring Truffles and Brulee), who had the painstaking and rather daunting task of adding all of the kitties to this incredible "week-at-a-glance" planner! Once again, Mom Paula outdid herself. The calendar is exquisite!  And...this year there are special contributions to the calendar from a number of talented cat writers!

HONEYCAT COSMETICS
One of our HUGE favorites of 2017,  we blogged about them August 14, 2017. There are many things I love about Honeycat Cosmetics, from their scents that are "gourmet, NOT ordinary", to their branding, to the fact that there is no "junk" in their products. Honeycat products are natural, and never tested on animals, "especially sexy felines."  Their product descriptions are fun, sassy, sexy and tantalizing without being sleazy.  "Sexy, fun, clean and hip...that's Honeycat!"

Honeycat Cosmetics are the creation of Brooklyn native, Terri, a vegetarian and cat lover! (my parents and MUCH of my family is (or was) from Brooklyn, so anyone that comes from there has a special place in MY heart!). The name Honeycat came about by accident when Terri thought her fiance said "Honeycat" but he REALLY said "honey, that...."it was meant to be!! The collage below features items I received in August, visit their website to see all of the new items that have been added (and old favorites!) 

IMPURRFECT LIFE
I have featured Impurrfect Life twice because I was lucky enough to win two give-aways that were held!  From Impurrfect Life: "for animal lovers who are going through the grieving process and trying to find normalcy again. It’s about moving forward after life throws you a curveball. 

 "Impurrfectlife.com manifested out of my own journey as a pet parent experiencing loss looking to reclaim joy, motivation and comfort. Life’s not perfect, so we shouldn’t expect perfection. Really and truly I think more people can identify more with authenticity and imperfection as opposed to a false sense of perfection. We may not be flawless but what we can do is make the most of everyday for a better quality life experience. That’s what I intend to do. The world needs more positivity!"Pick a gift for a special friend to let them know you care. Choose one for yourself, and keep the memory of your pet alive."

MEMORIAL GLASS

 The necklaces at Memorial Glass Pendants are gorgeous "wearable art." Each piece is unique, no one else will ever have one exactly like mine or yours. They are handmade in a small Northern California studio.

The glass used is called "borosilicate", which is much more durable than standard glass, and all of the pendants are " kiln annealed". When you visit the Memorial Glass Pendant website, you will see a number of designs, each and every one are beautiful. Many of the necklaces are encased with the ash of someones  beloved pet, however my necklaces were made without ashes.

MY FLOWERS FOREVER AND BELLA BEADS

Our friends at  Flowers Forever, understand that pets are more than just animals. They become your companion, your friend and part of your family. They share your laughs, your tears and your love.

Having to say goodbye to a pet is one of the hardest things to do. It can feel like there's a hole in your heart that can never be filled. They believe that the only way to move forward is to reflect on the beauty of the life that you were able to share and memorialize this remembrance. 

That's why they create beautiful memorial and remembrance jewelry for you. Each piece is handcrafted with love by their team of artisan jewelers and is one-of-a-kind. They use hair or ashes from your dearly departed pet to create memorial beads and pendants that you can wear, give as gifts, or pass down as treasured heirlooms.

Photo Courtesy of  My Flowers Forever Jewelry

"Cat-Inspired Apparel" from Triple T Studios

We have featured items from Triple T Studios a number of times on our blog, and each and every item that I have featured I love and use frequently!  Cody and I love that Triple T Studios is passionate about supporting global conservation projects and that they love and support  the "BIG" Cats (Lions and Tigers!). Below are items that I received when we last blogged about Triple T Studios. 

Vaya Tyffyn Lunchbox

I saved my FAVORITE for last!!!! I follow A LOT of blogs, most are animal related, but not all of them! Another HUGE passion of mine is FOOD. In 2017 I had the pleasure of discovering one of the most hilarious, "in-your-face" blogs, GiGi Eats Celebrities, that is on my MUST READ LIST, EVERY SINGLE WEEK! About "GiGi Dubois Ashworth of GiGi Eats Celebrities: "GiGi, a former competitive snowboarder and horseback rider has since become a popular allergen-friendly cook and certified nutritionist with a master’s degree in Nutrition Communications. This blog/vlog is a place where people with diet concerns, can get advice (such as traveling with food intolerances) along with allergen-friendly recipes that everyone can enjoy. A self-proclaimed extreme eater (she can eat 6 pounds of salmon in one sitting) and foodie fanatic, GiGi is proof that you can educate and inform as well as entertain at the same time!"

GiGi is MY KIND OF PERSON, she is NOT for the faint of heart. (If I had given birth to a daughter of my own, I would have wanted her to BE GiGi!) GiGi is often raunchy, bawdy, and has an "in your face" personality that I appreciate and love. GiGi is REAL. There isn't an ounce of insincerity about her. Back on September 12, 2017 GiGi posted about the most innovative, modern, brilliant and attractive lunch boxes by Vaya Tyffyn.  She also had a give-away and I won!!!

 Featured above is the Vaya Tyffyn lunch box that I selected. It is the smaller version of their original. From the Vaya Tyffyn website: "Introducing Vaya Tyffyn 600 ml, a two container, vacuum-insulated lunch gear that keeps your meal warm for up to 4-5 hours, Perfect for a quick and fresh meal at school, college or work!"

It comes with the "Bag Mat" which can be used for picnics, work, etc. The mat wraps around the lunchbox, zips closed and becomes a carrying case for the lunchbox! It even has room for utensils and it has a handy strap to attach to make it easy to transport!! 

Now, I had told GiGi I hadn't had a chance to test this out, and asked if I could share HER video that is better than any testimonial that I could give! GiGi graciously gave me her permission to share it with all of you, not only will you get to see how fabulous the Vaya Tyffyn Lunch Box is, but you will get to see the adorable GiGi as well! The video IS on the longer side but is worth every moment! Enjoy!!

Once again we thank GiGi for this awesome prize that WILL be used soon! We also thank GiGi for allowing us to share her video!

Well friends,  Cody and I hope that you enjoyed our top picks of 2017 for Cat Lovers! Now...go out and do some shopping!