I’m making good on my threat of cat photos.

Today I’m celebrating the fine collection of feline art at the Walker estate, which has been acquired over time, and with a highly discerning eye.

My new favorite thing in the whole world:

This was painted by my (obviously) talented friend Pat Arzillo. This was a gift from her that totally blew me away (it’s of our very naughty calico–just as I wrote that I heard a crash upstairs). Check out her other stuff–it’s all fantastic.

Howard Kron Siamese cat lamp with evil, glowing eyes, circa 1955. Perfect for luring you into the darkness. Chairish has one (on sale) for $125. I found this in a storage space of an estate sale company. Paid around $8, I think? I love it so.

Leopard needlepoint! Bought at a sale for $1, and the frame for about the same.

A lil advice for anyone who does estate sales like me: It pays to dig through the piles of linen that are always found in the bedrooms. Not everyone does it because it’s a pain, but I’ve found a ton of cool old stuff this way–needlepoints, fabrics, clothes, blankets, etc. Also, years ago, Peter taught me to go through old frames (every basement, attic and/or garage has them), because you can match them to whatever unframed art you own and then have a framer cut them down. It’s a MUCH cheaper way to frame things. Plus old frames are often more interesting, and better made. Most of the art in my house has been framed this way. Por ejemplo, framing Mr. Gorgeous Leopard (mounting the needlepoint, cutting down the bamboo frame and glass to fit) cost me about $20.

Here are two laminated placemats I found in the sale bin of some phancy Amagansett home goods store. I paired them with frames I bought at AC Moore (basic varnished wood–worked well with these, I thought). When I showed them to my friend Aaron, he said, clearly in awe, “They look so polite.”

I did this giant B&W cat head a few weeks ago. I was inspired by a very expensive peacock print I saw at the Architectural Digest show, and applied the technique to a kid’s poster Mom and Pete bought for me for $2. Once I was able to erase all the brat’s crayon marks, I bought frameless glass poster mounts from AC Moore (not much at all with my 50 percent off coupons!)… the hardest part was figuring out the measurements/configuration for each one, based on the size of the poster and the frames available. A total pain, in fact; I ultimately needed a big glass of wine to get me through it. But it turned out okay. This is now what you see when you go up our narrow stairway.

Vintage Steiff tiger. I often see these at sales, and some people want big bucks for them. For this guy, I bought him at the end of a sale, when it was either: Take my $10 or send him to the dumpster outside. He’s now very happy in my sunroom, on the 60s bamboo settee.

Amongst our family photos I have framed pics of my dear old babies. Herewith, the departed Lily Christine. I like this Christmas Tree Shop frame because it’s like a tiny marquee for a kitty burlesque show.

This old pen set was a gift from Peter. He refinished it–painstakingly, I’m sure. The pens are long gone, as is the nose/whisker piece, but now it just looks like a kitty who walked in on something untoward.

And last but not least: my living, breathing, purring, destroying cat specimens, and inspiration for all that I do, think, and feel: