Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Tabby Tuesday, A Prize I will cherish forever!

Some months ago I entered a contest that was on one of the 100s of blogs that I follow. The contest was called the:


and it was on the blog


That day CindyLu was featuring an artist, whose creations have a gentle quality that touched my soul. The artist is Becky Sorrentino, and she has an Etsy shop called:  BecArt.

Please take a a few minutes to visit her shop, her work is incredible!

The prize I won was a gift certificate for a personalized  mini-pet portrait.

My dilemma was which pet should I choose to appear on the painting? The answer came rather quickly, it was a no-brainer. My Angel Bobo. Bobo allowed me to share his life  long before I had started blogging, after-all, he is the main reason that Cat Chat exists, (Cat Chat was begun as a living testament to Bobo and the joy that cats bring to our lives),  it had to be Bobo.


This is the photo that I submitted (along with a couple of others).  The photo I sent couldn't have been worse. I had to take a photo OF a photo. This is the photo that is on Bobo's urn.



I submitted a few photos to Becky via email (the process couldn't have been easier) and throughout the process Becky sent me photos of her progress on the painting.

Step One



Painting I approved
Rebecca made a slight change
to improve eye color

When the Personalized Mini Pet Portrait arrived, I was first blown away by how beautifully wrapped the package was. (This photo does NOT do it justice!) The gift box is HAND MADE!



When I removed my painting from the box, I was overcome with sadness (that was NOT a bad thing!), it is a glowing endorsement of  the superb work that Becky does. It was as if my beloved Angel Bobo had literally come to life through the magic of Becky's  talent. Every detail was so perfect, from the color of his eyes, to the EXPRESSION on his face, it was a replica of a most cherished face that I spent 18 glorious years kissing over and over again.

Here is the finished product (I keep mine hanging on my kitchen cupboard where I may see it numerous times throughout the day). My Bobo was my "Kitchen Assistant". Whenever I cooked, he was at my side eagerly tasting my latest culinary creations. Now he is again.






Here are some details about  the Personalized Mini Pet Portraits . This verbage was taken from Becky's Etsy Shop.

Miniature Pet Portrait 
Watercolor and Mixed Media
Approx. 3"x3" 


Customized Pet Portrait 
Send me a photo of your furry friend and I will create an original hand painted portait! These adorable little decorative ornaments feature a small square (approx. 3"x3") watercolor painting of your friend on one side and a wire-shaped word or two about them on the back! 

The back of Bobo's ornament
isn't it just fabulous?




(their name, the year, best friend, meow! woof!) The watercolor paintings are always hand painted by me, based on photos of your furry friend. The word (or words) you wish to have attached to the back of the ornament are made of 24 gauge metal wire and, once again, shaped by yours truly! All ornaments come with ribbon attached to the top for easy hanging around the house year-round or even on your Christmas tree for the holidays *Great decorative little piece of art!*

*Handmade gift box (shown above)included! Color will be same as ornament choice.




My personalized pet portrait is clearly one of the most cherished pieces of art that I own.  It is something that I will never tire of looking at, just as I never tired of gazing at my precious Bobo's face, for every second of the 18 years I was blessed that he allowed me to share his life.

Thank you  Becky for bringing my "boy" back to me!

38 comments:

  1. I remember seeing these portraits and that you had one. It looks awesome! And I love the back of it too!

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  2. HAPPY FOR YOU CAREN

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  3. That is an amazing portrait! Becky is a truly inspired artist.

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  4. Aww !!! That's lovely painting of Bobo : )
    Cody, I'm sure this painting will keep your mom smile at all time
    xoxo

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  5. We love it too. It's so well done and absolutely lovely! Purrs!

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  6. That is beautiful, and it must be hard to do a portrait on such a small space, so clever xx00xx

    Mollie and Alfie

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  7. That's so beautiful! How nice to be able to see and feel Bobo present each day. Beautiful work by the artist.

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  8. What a amazing talent....she captured a look of love in Bobo's eyes as he looked back at you and your camera that day. It's a beautiful little work of art - it's very difficult to incorporate a personality into a drawing...I've never been able to do it all the years I've been painting - that's why I SO admire someone who can. What a wonderful treasure.

    Pam

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  9. Woof! Woof! Precious and Beautiful. Mom also recently won a personalized pet portrait prize, she's having difficulty what photo to use. Love it that Bobo is your kitchen assistant. Lots of Golden Woofs, Sugar

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  10. Oh how sweet Caren; Bobo is back:)

    Happy Passover.

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  11. Just beautiful! I find it amazing how strokes of paint and brush can capture the very essence of a subject. What a talent!

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  12. That's truly lovely, Caren, just beautiful. Congratulations on winning this!

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  13. Such a wonderful prize and such a wonderful forever memory!!!

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  14. Awwwwww what a beautiful portrait of angel Bobo!! Take care
    x

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  15. Looks great! We like the size
    Snorts,
    Benny & Lily

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  16. Such a sweet and beautiful painting of your dear Bobo. Concats on winning it. Know you will treasure it always.

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  17. Awww what a sweetie. She does amazing work. What a lovely prize to win.

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  18. What a wonderful way to keep Bobo, your kitchen buddy, there with you always, Caren. Knowing how very much a part of your heart he is, was, and ever will be, truly makes this the most precious of tokens... a world of beautiful, happy memories, whenever you look upon it. :)
    xoxo

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  19. Oh Wow! me is totally blown away! What a great artist she is! Wes went and looked and loves her work!
    Kisses
    Nellie

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  20. Oh this is a fabulous idea and Angel Bobo never looked better!

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  21. That is so beautiful painting of Bobo. Becky does wonderful work. :)

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  22. What a lovely painting of Bobo - she did so well with the pic. Not easy to do. Wonderful way to remember him.

    cats of wildcat woods

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  23. It's absolutely beautiful....and no surprise that you will cherish it forever. She obviously puts a lot of care and love into her work.
    xo

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  24. I think you were meant to win such a beautiful portrait. Congratulations!

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  25. That is beautiful! And what a wonderful memory of a cherished friend xx

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  26. That is fabulous and we think that is so sweet you have BoBo back in the kitchen with you.

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  27. What a lovely piece of art of your beloved!! What a treasure!

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  28. Wow, that is so great! And what a wonderful way to remember your sweet Bobo. :)

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  29. I checked out her store and her work is so very special. Mom might wanna get that lovely ornament...maybe with each of her Sibes...hmm...runs to tell Dad about a good anniversary pressie for Mom

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  30. oh my CAT! What a pawesome, amazing gift! We know this will be something you will love forever...!

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  31. That is just wonderful! What a great job she did, and such a lovely momento of Bobo. We'll check out her site.

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  32. Hi Caren and Cody,

    I know, where have I been? Sorry, but I'm here now. Yes, it's me, Penny the Jack Russell dog and modest internet superstar! :)

    Wow and congratulations. Becky is a special artist and we're very familiar with her work. And this all ties in nicely with CindyLu and her lovely human, Kim.

    Pawsitive wishes and doggy kisses,

    Penny xx

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  33. That is one gorgeous drawing! Wow!

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  34. It is very nice and beautifully done!
    (((purrs)))

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  35. Wow, congratulations on winning such a wonderful prize. Bobo's portrait is beautiful!

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  36. OMD you've got me all teary-eyed here! I'm so sorry I'm just now reading this, but I've been sick the last few days.

    Wow! Can I tell you how happy I am that you won? It seems you're truly enjoying and relishing the portrait. Caren, when you talk about Bobo, the love you shared with him comes through so strong. What a beautiful thought that you have him with you in your kitchen again.

    You're awesome, and this is an amazing testimony for Becky's work.

    Congrats again!

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  37. What a beautiful painting of your Bobo, Caren. And what a sweet post.

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