Designing Cat Toys For My Etsy Shop

It is rewarding to design my own cat toys, especially when I get the design to the point that I can start making and selling them.  Sometimes, however, the design process takes a long time. The problem that most often arises is trying to simplify something that usually has a lot of detail, like a witch for Halloween or a Santa for Christmas.  I haven't come up with a design for either one of these yet.  Each item I design needs to be simple without a lot of detail work so that I can make them fairly quickly and can sell them for a price potential customers would be willing to pay.

Dora The Duckling Organic Catnip Bell Cat Toy

A couple of months ago, I decided I wanted to design a duck.  This should have been easy, but each time I sat down with a piece of paper and pencil, I couldn't create a duck that I was happy with.  So, off and on, for two months, I've been thinking about how to make a duck. Then two days ago it just came to me.  I ran to get a piece of paper and pencil, and immediately drew up a duck.  A few minutes later I was cutting out the fabric, and then sewing the little duckling together.  Dora pictured above, is the result. Darwin, below, is the second duckling I've made.

Darwin The Duckling Organic Catnip Bell Cat Toy

Now I can challenge myself with figuring out how to make a cute, simple witch :-)  After that, I'll try to tackle Santa.  It may seem silly to be thinking about witches and Santa in March when spring is about to arrive, but  I just never know how long the process is going to take.

Friday Cat Finds: St Patrick's Day Green

Today, I've picked out some cute St Patrick's Day items for you.

Green and White Pincushion Cat Murray

By Fat Cat Crafts

Isn't Murray adorable?

St. Patrick's Day Cat Shamrock Pin

By Artsy Clay

Handmade from polymer clay.

A shamrock with cat-atude!

St. Patricks Day Emerald Green Kitty Ornament

By The Crimson Cat

All the embroidery is done by hand!

Beautifully detailed work.

Irish Stalker Magnet

By All Things Marna

This would look soooo cute on a fridge!

St. Patrick's Day Manx Cat with Shamrocks

By Puddy Tat Glass

This is a Handmade Lampwork Bead

Lucky Kitty St. Patrick's Day Card

By Fyrefly Hollow

May The Luck O' The Irish Be Yours - Adorable!

St. Patrick's Day Shamrock Organic Catnip Bell Cat Toy

By All About Cats

Give your kitty some Irish Luck on St. Patrick's Day.

New Item In My Shop Today

This is Polly the Purple Mouse Organic Catnip Bell Cat Toy.  I made her this morning and listed her this afternoon.

She is made from purple and pink fleece. Her eyes and nose are black felt. Her whiskers are made from black thread.

Polly is stuffed with potent organic catnip, two bells encased in fleece, and fiberfill.

She measures approximately 2" in diameter. Her tail measures approximately 7" long.

Here is Polly with her friend Marabell. Marabell found a home today!

Visit my All About Cats Etsy Shop for more handmade cats toys. There are cat themed items for humans as well.

Made In Vermont Etsy Street Team Giveaway # 4: Three Catnip Toys From All About Cats Etsy Shop

This giveaway is for the three catnip toys pictured below. These catnip toys are filled with potent organic catnip, two bells encased in fleece, and fiberfill. Each cat toy is designed, and lovingly hand crafted, by me, Linda, the owner of the All About Cats Etsy Shop. Every item is made in a "Smoke Free" "Cat Filled" home :-)

Fran is a happy-go-hoppy frog who is looking forward to entertaining your cat! Fran is made from green and yellow fleece. She has black felt, and yellow fleece, eyes. She measures approximately 3 1/2" tall and 5 1/2" from the end of one hind leg to the other. Her belly is approximately 2 1/2" wide.

Hohum the owl has been hooting for a cat to play with.  Hohum is made from brown and golden brown fleece. His eyes are white felt, brown fleece and black felt. He measures approximately 3" by 3".

Gibbles the Groogle can't wait to get to his new home.

Groogles are creatures that live in the Green Mountains of Vermont. They are rarely ever seen by humans, but the story goes that Groogles love cats and will come out of hiding to play with them. It is also said that if a human ever spots a Groogle in the wild, that person will have good luck for the rest of her/his life.

Gibbles is made from purple  fleece. His eyes are made from white and black felt, and green fleece. His lips are ligh pink fleece, and his nose is gray fleece. Gibbles measures approximately 5" from the top of his eyes to the bottom of his feet, and 4" across from hand to hand.

For a chance to win these three catnip toys, visit the Made In Vermont Etsy Street Team Blog and follow the guidelines in the "Giveaway # 4 Post."

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A True, Embarrassing Story

In my All About Cats Etsy Shop I sell organic catnip toys and non-catnip items like potholders, oven mitts, zipper pouches, plastic bag holders, etc.



Well.... in early December a woman bought a non-catnip item from me to give a friend as a Christmas present. After this item arrived at her home, she opened up the package and her cat immediately began going after it. After she gave the present to her friend, her friend's cats went after it, also :-0



The woman who bought the item convoed me to ask me if it had been near catnip. I replied that I put all my items in separate ziplock bags, but that yes, they were stored in the same bin. Yikes! Somehow the catnip smell was escaping the bags they were in and and permeating through the bags that non-catnip items were in. Now that is potent catnip!

I offered to replace the item, but the woman said she and her friend thought the whole thing was hilarious and didn't want it replaced. In fact one of them bought catnip toys from me after that.

Right after this all happened I began keeping all the catnip toys in two ziplock bags and in the refrigerator. Plus I aired out all the other items. I was sure the problem was solved.

So... I was shocked when another woman convoed me this week to say that her cats were going after the items she had just bought. I had just made them! I offered to make her new items, but she also thought it was funny and didn't want me to replace them. I did, however, send her cats some organic catnip Easter egg toys.

The only thing I can think of that would still be making things smell like catnip is that the catnip smell might have permeated into the bin from when I used to keep catnip toys in the bin. I threw the bin out and now have all non-catnip items stored in something else.



My family thinks this is funny, but I find it embarrassing, and I am worried that this might happen again and that the next customer might not be amused by it.

I've given thought to writing a warning at the bottom of my listings saying something like: "Warning, if you are purchasing non-catnip items, your cats may go after them. I make so many catnip toys that the catnip fragrance may be all over my house." How embarrassing!!!