Behind The Scenes Writing Process Blog Tour with Katie, Waffles & Glogirly

We're honored to have been invited to participate in a fascinating series that's recently hit the blogosphere. The Writing Process Blog Tour is a way for bloggers to give friends and readers a glimpse into their behind-the-scenes creative process and current projects.

So how does this whole thing work?  It's easy as 1-2-3
1.  Introduce you to the blogger who invited us to participate.
2.  Answer 3 easy (well, sort of easy) questions.
3.  Tag a couple of our favorite bloggers whom we'd love to have participate too.



Meet Melissa's Mochas, Mysteries & Meows

We're especially thrilled to have been invited by Melissa, of Melissa's Mochas, Mysteries & Meows.  Her charming and informative blog showcases her two greatest loves - books and cats. We first met Melissa when she came to us for a blog makeover. At the time she was focusing on book reviews, but we could tell her love for all things feline was just dying to make it to the pages of her blog. And that it did.

We think you'll love Melissa and and Truffles the sweet tortie, just as much as we do.




Okay, are you ready???

WAFFLES:  I'M working on finding my next chicken drummie.

KATIE:  Waffles, no one cares about your chicken drumstick. They want to know what you, me and Glogirly are working on. You know, for our BLOG???

WAFFLES:  Oh yeah. Well I'm working on posing for pictures with cool stuff we're going to give away.  Even though I'm orange, Glogirly says I'm a regular Vanna White.

KATIE:  My focus continues to be time management and supervision.


But what's GLOGIRLY working on? 
1.  Cool products & giveaways.
She's partnering with a number of great brands and artisans to bring you some cool, new stuff we hope you LOVE!

2.  Looking for the next BIG (funny) thing.
We've all been loving our Saturday feature called TV Trips where we create parodies of classic TV shows. We're still working our way though a list of favorite shows, but it's not going to last forever!

3.  Say CHEESE!
Photos, photos, photos. Glogirly takes a LOT of photos... almost everyday. Some for fun and some for brands. Waffles is the primary product model. Katie steps in for the beauty shots.

4.  Furry Designs
Lately Glogirly's been working with a number of DOG bloggers (gasp!) on design projects like logos, headers, media kits & book covers. She's an equal opportunity designer.

5.  Bet you didn't know...
For a few months now Glogirly has been doing custom photography for brands and even a cool new writing project for Sleepypod's Pet Travel Experts.  We even have Sleepypod's REAL crash test dogs staying with us here in the Townhouse!

6.  Helping our shelter friends.
She's always on the lookout for contests and projects that will provide us an opportunity to help shelter cats. In particular, the shelter cats of Minnesota's Feline Rescue. Over the past few months we've been extremely fortunate to have won some contests that have made for some very nice food and cash donations. We're waiting on results of a couple right now  - The Petties and the mike's® HARDER can contest.

A Little Hiss-tory
Our blog started out as a hobby way back when waffles was just a tasty breakfast food. Glogirly thought blogging would be a fun way to learn about social media and practice her design and photography skills. The only problem was that she didn't know what to write for that very first blog post. Gloman told her she should have ME introduce the blog. And I've been the *voice* ever since.

One word. SMILE.
That's what it's all about for us. Both Glogirly and I share the same sense of humor. Sarcastic and dry...not that sophomoric *Waffles* kind of humor. Nothing brings us more joy than making people grin from ear to ear. And what better way to spread joy than through the love of cats.

Glogirly says our blog has helped her to walk in our paw steps and peek inside our hearts and minds. Both Waffles and I have a very special bond with her and she believes our blog has helped strengthen that bond.

a.k.a. What's the Method to our Madness?
Glogirly is VERY visual. Nearly all of the inspiration for our blog posts begin with photos. Whether we're writing about a brand and hosting a giveaway, creating a TV show parody or just having fun... for us, it all starts with pictures.

As Glogirly goes through the most recent images she's taken, she'll look at the best ones and imagine what me or Waffles might be thinking or saying to each other.

Most of our blog posts are written the night before they publish. So in addition to photos, a lot of inspiration comes from what's happened during the day. An abandoned chicken drumstick on the kitchen counter, a standoff at the Sleepypod... sometimes we even get ideas from comments friends leave us on Facebook!

Once she has a rough idea for a story line, she'll upload the photos to a new blog post draft and start writing the dialogue between me and Waffles.

Sometimes it takes a few minutes, sometimes a few hours. Sometimes she'll have to go back to the original photos to find just the right one for a funny line. And sometimes there's a photo that's so hilarious on it's own she creates the dialogue around it.

There's lots of reading out loud, back and forth editing, smiling and even giggling. Oh, and singing too. When she rewrites the lyrics to a TV Theme song, she's got to sing it over and over and OVER.
Did you see The Beverly Hillkitties???

Join the Pets Can Play Product Review Group!
This is BIG. One of our FAVORITE companies has an amazing opportunity for our readers and other bloggers!


For JUST $1, you'll get their fabulous Bird Catcher Pro wand toy with all of the accessories you see in the photo, valued at $29.95. We've featured the Bird Catcher Pro here on GLOGIRLY a number of times and we LOVE it. Super high quality and incredibly realistic "bird" action!

All you have to do is write an honest review that will appear on Amazon.com. Pets Can Play wants to get the word out on their products through reviews provided by people who actually own them and have used them.

In addition, there are several new products that will launch in the coming months and this is your chance to get them at impossibly low prices you'll not find anywhere else. Just click below for all the details. Space is limited... so you better hop to it!

Join the Pets Can Play Product Review Group HERE


*The Pets Can Play Product Review Group Is Only Open to USA Residents Only. Our Sincere Apologies.

Finding a Forever Home through the Power of a Feather

Hi everyone, Katie here.

It wasn't until after we clicked *publish* on our blog post announcing all of the winners in our giveaway gala last week that something really amazing and wonderful struck us. 

All the shelter names and logos, all the addresses we had compiled, prizes big and small... a wash of emotion overcame us as we thought about the significance of single toy. 

Glogirly was reminded of a Sunday afternoon in November, just a year and a half ago, when she drove out to the Animal Humane Society of Buffalo, Minnesota to meet the orange kitten she'd found on Petfinder.com just hours before.

L-R: Jackson (now Waffles) & Herbie

The shelter volunteers introduced to her to "Jackson" and "Herbie." They brought her to a quiet room with the tiny orange boys and handed her a wand toy. 

L-R: Herbie & Jackson (now Waffles)

She sat on the floor, playing with them for the longest time. They jumped and flipped and twirled...everything new and exciting, they each had wonder in their eyes. 

And yes, the thought of bringing them BOTH home was a serious consideration. There was another family visiting though ... a mom, dad, a little boy and girl, that really wanted to adopt one of the kittens.

After an hour or so, "Jackson" decided he'd had enough feather chasing. He hopped onto Glogirly's lap, curled into a little ball and stretched his neck up high, gazing right into her eyes. He purred with the sweetest of smiles. That was it. Glogirly had found Waffles and Waffles had found us.

That play session at the shelter with the wand toy...it was a bonding experience that Glogirly will never forget. 

It warms out hearts to think of all the shelter cats who will have an opportunity to play with one of the toys that was donated on behalf of our readers. It's one step closer to a human connection for those cats. And one step closer to a forever home. 

Thank you so much to our generous sponsors and to our loving readers for helping making a difference in the lives of shelter cats. One feather at a time.

Shelters Win BIG!!! GLOGIRLY Giveaway Gala Results

WAFFLES:  Hey Boss!  Is today the day?

KATIE:  Yes, Waffles. Today's the day.

WAFFLES:  Do I get to announce all the winners?

KATIE:  Well considering you can't even COUNT the winners, reading all the names might be a challenge. How about we tell everyone a little bit about this special giveaway first. 

WAFFLES:  Ok, but I want to roll the drums too. Can I roll the drums? And announce the winners?

KATIE:  Waffles, there's more to this event than just reading off a list of winners and banging on your drum. But yes, you can help. As long as you promise not to mess up anyone's name. 

WAFFLES:  Ok Boss. No messes.

KATIE:  The GLOGIRLY Giveaway Gala started as a little idea way back in late December between me and Glogirly. We wanted to do something really FUN and really BIG that would not only help Glogirly get to the BlogPaws Conference, but would be something really special for our friends, readers and their favorite shelters. So we put our idea to paper (virtual paper) and sent it to our most favorite brands. 

At first we didn't know if anyone would want to join in. But that was ok because even if just one brand liked our idea, we'd be able to have a really cool giveaway and maybe even give something nice to a shelter. 

So we all crossed our paws.

WAFFLES:  I remember that! I crossed ALL my paws just like you told me to.

KATIE:  Well we heard back from one brand, then another, then another.

WAFFLES:  And another and another and another too!

KATIE:  Seven of our favorite brands that we've featured here before, seven who make the wonderful products we use and enjoy every single day, said YES! And when they told us about the prizes they wanted to donate...well, I'm pretty sure Glogirly got all leaky-eyed.

WAFFLES:  Is this where I roll the drums around?

KATIE:  Go ahead, Waffles. Roll all you want.

SEVEN GENEROUS SPONSORS

OVER $8,000 IN PRIZES

12,792 ENTRIES

3,521 VIEWS

1,012 TWEETS

&

245 SHELTERS NAMED BY YOU

Congratulations to the winning shelters! Each of these wonderful organizations was chosen by our winning readers. We think giving is even more fun than winning!

...but winning is pretty fun too!

WINNERS 

Halo Purely for Pets $100 Gift Pack

Halo & Freekibble 10,000 Shelter Meals

Edie C.

Sweetpea Animal Shelter

Paxton, Massechusetts

Peach Industries Kitty Lounger

Elle

Ramapo-Bergen Animal Refuge

Oakland, New Jersey

Pets Can Play's Bird Catcher Pro

Pumpkinpuddy

Foothills Animal Shelter

Golden, Colorado

Amy O.

Charleston Animal Society

North Charleston, South Carolina

Kathy S.

Susffolk Animal Care

Suffold, Virginia

Teri T. & Coco

Brigid's Crossing Foundation

Bonita Springs, Florida

Carol & Quinn

Feline Rescue, Inc.

Saint Paul, Minnesota

Beth C.

The ANNA Shelter

Erie, Pennsylvania 

Sonia M.

Animal Protection League

Stockton, California

Carma Poodale

Owensboro Humane Society

Owensboro, Kentucky

Amy R. 

Paws Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

Dana G.

Siamese Rescue

Locust Dale, Virginia

Mark Poulin Jewelry Mother-Daughter Necklace Set

Amelia H & Wubbikins

Wolff Den Press Custom Pet Portraits

Marjorie D.

One by One Cat Rescue

Temple, Pennsylvania

Sleepypod Mobile Pet Bed & Yummy Travel Bowl

Gabby F.

Hollywood Psychics Pet Psychic Reading

Bonnie K. & Chey

Purrfect Pals

Arlington, Washington

And thank YOU!  Our wonderful friends, readers & fellow bloggers.
Thank you for giggling with us, making us smile and helping us be the best we can be.
We HEART you BIG!!!

Seven to Ten Days -- Plus Giveaway Winners!

Hi everyone, Katie here.

Seven to ten days. That's how long Glogirly's vet said it would take to get rid of her cold virus. That's WAY too long if you ask me. This whole *I don't feel good* excuse is really throwing a wrench into my schedule.

It's not complicated -
4:00am snack
8:00am breakfast
5:00pm dinner

But since Gloman is out of town, Waffles and I aren't getting our 4:00am snack. And as far as breakfast is concerned, we're forced to wait until Glogirly's cold medicine wears off before she wakes up from her stuffy-nose-stupor. We don't know if we'll get breakfast at 8:00, 9:00 or even (gasp!) 10:00am.

I don't know what's worse. The hunger or not knowing when my next meal will be.

This morning, do you know that she barely mixed my food up in my dish??? There were unsightly lumps of chicken pate. The presentation was sloppy and disappointing.

Dinner, at least I GOT it, was much the same.

I'm actually considering reaching out to the cat sitter. I think we need a Glogirly sitter.

I fear tomorrow I may be staring at an unopened can. With no thumbs and no hope.

On a much brighter spot...
We have WINNERS!!!

Miss Savvy-Do from Savannah's Paw Tracks

Ann and the cats of Cattywumpus

Kjelle Bus, a.k.a. Charile Rascal

Congratulations to our three lucky winners of the Bird Catcher Pro Wand Toy & Five-Pack of Feathers!
Thank you so much to everyone who entered...and stay tuned for more uber-cool giveaways!

Waffles Wednesday: Fifteen Inches

Um, hi everybuddy. Waffles here.

Did you hear about my fifteen inches??? Everybuddy's talking about it on Facebook. Glogirly says all the girlcats will be beating down my door. The Boss says I'm a freak of nature.

Why all the fuss? I've got an honest-to-goodness, genuine, 15 inch TAIL! Glogirly measured it and everything.

It's almost TWICE as long as the Boss' tail. And I'm pretty sure for every stripe I get extra cool points.

So we googled "significance of a cat's tail length" and look what came up first on the list! It's a Catster Article written by our friend JaneA from Paws and Effect!  She's really smart when it comes to cat stuff.

She wrote that the average tail length for a male cat is 11 inches and for a female it's 9.9 inches. So I'm WAY above average. Four whole inches above average. And like a million inches above the Boss. All this and I'm barely a year old.

Hey! I'm barely a year old? Does that mean I'm having a birthday soon???

Bird Catcher Pro MEGA Giveaway!

Three lucky GLOGIRLY readers will win the brand new Bird Catcher Pro Wand Toy and a 5-pack of Ultra Guinea Fowl Feathers from our friends at Pets Can Play! Deadline to enter is 11:59pm EST, Sunday, September 29.

ENTER HERE

Bird Catcher Pro MEGA Giveaway!

Hi everyone Katie here.

Only yesterday you were leaving condolences for my dearly departed feather.  Well the stars have aligned and I can now say with certainty, "there IS a feather-god!"

The wonderful people who make the brand new Bird Catcher Pro Wand Toy heard of my plight and sent me a brand new wand toy and a whole box of extra feathers!

The Bird Catcher Pro looks similar to some of the other feather toys you've probably seen or played with. But the similarities stop there. This glorious feather wand toy is paws down the best we've played with yet!

Hey Waffles!  Tell our nice friends why we love it so much.

WAFFLES:  Um, hi everybuddy. Waffles here. Isn't this cool?

KATIE:  Waffles! The top 7 reasons? Remember?

WAFFLES:  Um, sorry Boss.  Seven?  Really?  Ok #1,  it tastes good?

KATIE:  *sigh*


Oh Bird Catcher Pro, How we Love Thee...
Let us Count the Ways
1.  Super sturdy, super long, 2 piece wand with a comfy foam hand grip.
2.  Elastic cord makes for crazy-fast action.
3.  Some feathers have a tiny bell. We love bells.

4.  The feathers fly through the air, twirling and fluttering like a read bird.
5.  It's an awesome way for kitties to use their natural hunting instinct for play.
6.  Play sessions with this kind of toy enhance the human-kitty bond.
7.  We're having a GIVEAWAY!!!

KATIE:  The nice people at Pets Can Play are giving THREE lucky GLOGIRLY readers a Bird Catcher Pro of the very own.

WAFFLES:  But wait! There's more?  ...did I do that right, Boss?

KATIE:  That's right Waffles. Each winner will also receive a five-pack of extra Ultra Guinea Fowl feathers. Altogether, each prize is a $55 value!

WAFFLES:  We're in feather heaven. And YOU can be too!

The Giveaway

Three lucky winners will be randomly drawn. Each will receive a complete Bird Catcher Pro Wand Toy Set and a five-pack of extra feather attachments. At this time, prizes can only be sent to US addresses. But if you live outside the US, you can gift your prize to a friend or shelter. How cool would it be to send a newly adopted cat home with their very own Bird Catcher Pro?! 

How To Enter

Just leave us a comment telling us which kitty in your house is a feather-fanatic.

Earn Extra Entries

Leave a separate comment for each extra entry. (No need to provide links...we trust you!)

1. Like GLOGIRLY on Facebook. (if you already like us, just tell us.)

2. Like Pets Can Play on Facebook.

3. Share this giveaway on Facebook.

4. Follow GLOGIRLY on Twitter and tweet the giveaway.

5. Follow Pets Can Play on Twitter.

Five Bonus Entries

Share a photo of your pet playing with their favorite toy on our GLOGIRLY Facebook Page.

Can't Wait?

You can purchase your own Bird Catcher Pro HERE at Amazon.

You can purchase a five-pack of Ultra Guinea Fowl Feathers HERE at Amazon.

Deadline to enter is 11:59pm EST, Sunday September 29.

The Fine Print:

Prize can ship only to US addresses. Winner will be drawn randomly using Random.org. Winner will be notified via email and must respond within 48 hours with name, mailing address & phone number for delivery. Pets Can Play is sponsoring our giveaway...but trust me, we LOVE their new toy! 

FTC Disclosure: We received this product for review at no charge from Pets Can Play.  Receiving the free product did not influence our review. All reviews on GLOGIRLY will always reflect our honest and unbiased opinions.