Tag: t-shirt

cats

Are we a reality show for beings on another planet?

Lisa

Could we be the “Idiots of Planet Earth” show in some galaxy far far away? (amazon)
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Probably not. In a way though, my life is on display to superior beings. I live with 2 cats that observe my every move. They like to be near me, so they follow me around and watch what I do. When I settle in on the computer, the sofa, reading chair, etc., they settle into a nap. If I get up and move around, they get up and see what the fuss is about. I like to think it’s because of their intense interest in me, though it could be food related.

They are the perfect audience for me. They love me unconditionally. They don’t care how I look naked. They are happy when I come home. No matter how soundly they are sleeping when they hear the door open, they are there. Sometimes slowly waking up. Sometimes one will be waking even more slowly, and walking up to join the first one as I enter. I love coming home to them.

Recently I placed a blanket on the back of the sofa. The sofa has comfy cushions along the back, and the back is slightly tilted, so a gap widens as it hangs down the back. This has created a tunnel for patrolling, a hide and seek spot, and a place to hang out. Clearly I need to leave the blanket there now. This is also how the piece of canvas ended up remaining in a random spot on the floor. I have multiple cat trees and elevated cat beds, as well as several other lounging spots by windows and elsewhere for them. My house has been decorated by my cats.
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I think one of the reasons I love animals so much is that there is no malice in them. They wouldn’t do the kinds of cruel and destructive stuff I see people do.
They have emotions and my kitties have very expressive eyes. They are mostly about love and I love them more every day.

Who do you love?

cats

Caturday

Lisa

Once Zara & Safari began living with me, I started posting pics of them every day on Instagram. Lots of pics. That’s when I fully embraced #caturday.

Of course I had previously seen the hashtag all over social media and understood it was about posting cat pics. It’s just that before I started living with cats, I didn’t fully get how much I loved them. I thought it would be cool to have one when I was a kid and I loved other people’s cats. Then I met my two and bam! I fell so hard. I love them with all my heart.

Caturday is now a way of life for me. They are the center of my universe. I want them to have a great day, every day. My heart swells when I see them playing together, grooming each other and snuggling. If they are cuddled together with me, I’m in a state of bliss. The joy helps to compensate for the discomfort and pain in the body part(s) that are falling sleep or getting stiff because I don’t dare move.

I offer this pic as evidence. I’m cat-trapped. The struggle is real and so is the love.

T-shirt and long sleeve at Amazon.

Have a beautiful day!

growth

Do we need a sarcasm font?

Lisa

I was a very sarcastic young person. Especially in junior high. I think I was drawn to it for the humor and creativity. I prefer believing this versus thinking I was a jerk. It feels true to me, because I was also kind and compassionate. I didn’t understand then why I was so sarcastic, other than for humor. I believe I was vaguely aware of some mental stimulation, but otherwise I had no answer to the question, “why are you so sarcastic?

Though I meant no malice, I learned that it wasn’t always received as intended and year by year I toned it down. I improved my filters, didn’t always say what I was thinking, and became a bit more sensitive to timing. Decades later I still enjoy it though I feel I indulge with sensitivity.

I once read a summary of a study that showed people were more creative after giving and receiving sarcastic remarks. One of the explanations offered is because it requires decoding contradictions. That makes perfect sense. Sarcasm requires making quick connections. I got to thinking about my past and sent some love to my quick-thinking younger self. It helped me understand her a little better.

Sarcasm is fun, though sometimes tricky in a text or online communication. Comments can feel harsh without a smile or warm tone of voice. Adding an emoji doesn’t always help. I suppose a sarcasm font could make a difference, but wouldn’t that take some of the fun out of it? Having the moment of realization is part of the humor. Maybe instead people just need to trust each other more.

What do you think?

Setting: Sarcasm ON t- shirt available at Amazon

cats

Meow

Lisa

I’m feeling much better and have made headway on this site. If you check out the pages under shop, you’ll find product pictures that include t-shirts, cases & skins, wall art, home decor, bags, and stationary.

I posted this pic on my facebook page yesterday. It features two of my amazon shirts, Cool Vibes and Meow. I think meow is a pretty cool vibe.
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I’ve also posted a pic of my kitties, Zara and Safari under Cats. They are a bonded pair of siblings I adopted in August 2016. They are amazing and have become the center of my world. I love them with all my heart. More about them in future blog posts.
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Yesterday was the March For Our Lives event and I got this pic from my friend, Susan. Our friendship is one of the longest and most cherished in my life, and I was so happy see her wearing one of my love is better shirts.
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The snow that was supposed to come this weekend didn’t make it. I hope that means that spring is actually coming instead. I’m ready for it.

Have a beautiful day.

creativity

I’m falling in love with redbubble

Lisa

I recently started a t-shirt business on Amazon and then expanded to more products on redbubble.com. My head is spinning with thoughts of new listings, setting up another round of social media accounts, trying to decide which things that are finished to put up and getting distracted with wanting to make new stuff. I’m excited, dizzy, confused, feeling the urge to rush in full force believing this is going to be great and wanting to ignore everything else in life, and then falling back a little on some realism … putting myself out there may be a great experience, but no one may actually want my stuff.

That’s falling in love, right?

Fortunately my cats pull me from my computer via their cuteness, head bumps, and  pawing on me. Sometimes they want something, and other times I think they just know I need to be pulled away.  They have inspired many kitty themed items and images.  I love them so.

Love is the dominant theme for most of my designs. My first t-shirt is one I had wanted to make for a long time. Simply white text on a black shirt “love is better.” I got all jazzed when I first saw it for sale on amazon. Even more so when someone sent me a picture wearing it. I registered the domain HeartZenMinds.com years ago and decided that would be the name for this new website. For now it still points to my epicmeditations.com page. Once I decide if I will keep this blog or make a different kind of site, I’ll redirect.

I still need to fix up this blog space. Choice of template and links to stuff coming soon. I’ll post more later. Right now, I need to play with my cats.