the best products of catconla 2017

this post is sponsored by our wonderful friends at nutrish cat food. as always, the thoughts and opinions are our own.

if you follow us on instagram, you no doubt noticed the many pictures we shared from catconla. it is one of our favorite weekends of the year and we love seeing all the amazing people and the kitten and cat based products there. this year was no exception and we left with a new list of our favorite products that we can't wait to share with you. 

handbags by triple t studios

we loved the items at catconla that managed to be both cat-centric and also beautifully made and stylish. triple t studios makes really striking handbags with simple, clean lines and a feline flare. not only is their product worth noticing, but they are genuinely lovely people as well. we couldn't help but love them and their products. you can find your dream handbag at triple-t-studios.com.

necoichi japanese kimono collars 

heather is a huge fan of all things related to japanese culture. she has been to japan a few times, grew up with japanese exchange students and even studied abroad in japan herself. she loves the beautiful kimonos and fabric that japan has to offer. these collars were at catcon this year and they are beautiful. they are made from kimono fabric and are vibrant, beautiful and full of clean lines and graphic designs. we couldn't resist getting one for lola to wear at home. you can get yours at www.necoichi.com. 

be one breed stackable cubes

these things are really multifunctional in design and made with adorable fabrics. they are compact and can fit in any home space. they also come three to a package so if you don't need all three, it's a great product to share with a friend. the cubes come with scratching posts, a dangling toy and a padded pillow for cats to sleep on. they are stackable or can be used their own. we are sure our cats would adore them! they are available to purchase at www.katt3.com or beonebreed.com. 

shen & sam co. candles

we fell in love with shen and sam co. candles last year at catconla and we loved them again this year. we love their simplicity and the cat patterns combined with beautiful scents. the candles are all soy and hand poured...and they smell amazing. 

www.shenandsam.com

handmade catnip toys

we adore toys that are made by hand. we have found that, not only are they made to be more durable than mass produced products, but they also are full of clever designs and bright fun fabrics that are unique and give your cat a one-of-a-kind creation. these two vendors combined clever ideas with excellent workmanship to showcase really fun and beautiful cat toy designs. we couldn't decide between them so we had to include them both. 

these little adorable toys can be found at www.whimsilyeverafter.com.

these can be found at www.kittyjones.com

the groom ninja

oh my gosh, you guys. this product is amazing. we were actually searching the whole convention for something to help with our cats and their shedding and we just happened to stumble upon this product. we watched the videos the vendors were playing to show how the product worked and we were convinced we had to give it a try. it lived up to the hype and then some. we *love* it and so do our cats. this is the lola hair we collected in less than a minute. seriously. imagine all of this hair on our couches. so gross. we saw a shirt that said "cat hair is lonely people glitter." let's just say that cat hair is the only type of glitter we would rather do without. you can get yours here at www.groomninja.com.

sweet lola purred the whole time. she loved it!

nutrish cat food

okay, we know cat food isn't necessarily a product at catcon, but nutrish was giving out samples of their cat food for everyone who wanted them so we couldn't resist. we are loving the new indoor complete recipe for our indoor cats. overeater mr. darcy can't get enough of it. if you haven't tried it for yourself, check out what you are missing at www.nutrish.com.

you can also follow nutrish at:

www.facebook.com/nutrish

www.instagram.com/nutrish and 

www.twitter.com/nutrish

that's it! that's the best of the best and they are *all* worth trying. if you didn't make it to catcon, at least you can enjoy all that it had to offer!

our favorite things about catconla

this post is sponsored by our friend's at nutrish. as always, all opinions and thoughts are our own.

catconla. the very words bring a smile to our faces. the weekend of catcon is one we look forward to for an entire year. we look forward to the people watching, the friends we will see, the amazing products, the parties, the pet adoptions and everything in between. this year didn't disappoint. we drove into pasadena early saturday morning and prepared ourselves for two days of unbeatable fun. 

throughout our weekend, we wrote down a list of our very favorite things from our time there. while it was tough to narrow down our most loved things about the weekend, there were some moments that stood out above all the rest. if you didn't make it to catconla 2017, here is some of what you missed and the reasons why you should go next year. truly, it is a weekend you will not forget.

the costumes

it is impossible to imagine catconla without the amazing costumes. people go all out and we love browsing through the aisles and finding pictures of the best of the best. some of these people don't just love cats, they want to be cats and they strut their cat versions of themselves with pride. it's amazing and while these pictures give you a small glimpse of what we saw, there is nothing like seeing these people in person to put a smile on your face.

there was a male and female version of a crazy cat lady on the same day!

day one did not disappoint. there was so much costume goodness.

okay, this person was not only dressed in a full cat suit, but also wore a backpack that vibrated and "purred" when she was around people. you can't make this stuff up!

while we didn't wear costumes, we did rock some cat ears we were gifted from one of the booths!

and we represented in the cat pun department in spades. 

the nutrish 360 cam

this addition was new to catconla this year and it as the very best way to see all of the people in their amazing costumes. how could you not want to see everyone twirling around in their best cat wear? we couldn't resist and had to jump on for ourselves. 

we didn't hold a candle to this gem. she looked amazing from every angle!

the nutrish booth and caticatures

nutrish never disappoints and as the title sponsor this year, they went above and beyond to make the catcon experience one to be remembered. we love how they use design to make us feel like we are in their very cool, funky, cat-inspired living room. we felt so at home we wanted to camp out and stay for a while. their cat themed artwork covered the walls and each person who entered the space was met with a caricature artist that combined each person with their pet into a caticature. we laughed at ours for days...mostly because we are pretty sure they put heather's face on the face of the cat and my face on a cat's butt. i'm not sure what i did to the artist to make him draw me like that but our kids thought it was hilarious.

each part of the nutrish booth was carefully designed with thoughtful details.

two artists worked all day, each day drawing caticatures.

ummmm...

adoptions through the pasadena spca

we absolutely adore the fact that catconla works to find homes for dozens of shelter cats over the catcon weekend. we visited the adoption site on sunday morning and at that moment, seventy seven cats and kittens had already been adopted. we love visiting with the precious kittens up for adoption and, while we loved on the new kitties, we were reminded of last year and heather's adoption of sweet lola. catcon holds a special place in our hearts because it is where we met lola and she became a part of the third boob family.

sweet babies up for adoption

if i didn't already have two, i would have been so tempted buy this sweet one.

buzz feed's "party right meow"

buzz feed always brings their "a" game to catconla. this year they did it through an amazing party at "the rose" in pasadena and we were treated to cat photos, a human sized cat scratching post, cat themed cocktails, a kitten petting station and a place to make your own cat ears. we loved having an evening to play and enjoy the cat treats while visiting with friends and making new ones. each detail was carefully thought of and it was definitely a highlight of our weekend. 

seriously, where else would we ever be able to do this?

it was so much fun cuddling sweet kittens!

getting to see our wonderful friends 

we always cherish moments we get to spend together. we have been friends for over half of our lifetimes and it is a joy to get to spend time together. it's especially great when we get to spend time together doing things we both enjoy. catcon is a weekend full of laughter and friendship and, truly, the greatest thing about it is that we get to experience it together.

when we began working with nutrish several years ago, we anticipated working with great people but we are so thrilled with the friends we have made in that company. the nutrish team is full of amazing people with compassionate hearts and a passion for what they do. they make these conferences and all their events not only worth attending but worth remembering. we truly appreciate their friendship and support of us over the years and we are so very thankful for them. they truly are the very best part of catconla and the part we look forward to repeating year after year.

we couldn't love nutrish more. we love the company and we love how they give back. a portion of nutrish proceeds goes to rachael's rescue which was created to help animals in need. as of december, 2016, $17.5 million has been donated. this money has gone toward food, medical supplies and treatments for these unfortunate animals. we would love for you to love them too.

you can find nutrish at:

facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nutrish
instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nutrish/
twitter: https://twitter.com/nutrish
and at www.nutrish.com


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nuggets of wisdom from great wolf lodge

my friend is currently on a family vacation to great wolf lodge. this is her first great wolf experience and she quickly shared with me some tremendous nuggets of wisdom she had gleaned from her first day at the water park. these truths were too good not to share. please read and take these to heart before you head to a water park near you. 

1) extremely hairy men should really avoid speedos. 

let's be real. all men should really avoid speedos. no one wants to see all those franks and beans. still, excessive body hair takes the speedo wearing to another level. if you lay in the water and you can't distinguish your body hair flowing in the waves from the hair on your head...it may be time to cover up just a bit more of the body...and the hair. 

2) cute little triangle bikinis are for the beach...not the water slide. 

i'm all for a cute bikini while one is laying on the beach. if you love a bikini on the beach or at the pool...go for it! the water park, however, may call for leaving that bikini at home. the point of water parks is to shoot your body down slides and have water rushing at you from various directions. when water is pushed at you with that force, those bikinis don't stand a chance. there's a whole lot of accidental naked happening at the water parks, people...a whole lot of accidental naked. save the adorable bikini for a place where you will feel and be able to recover when it is pushed off of your private bits.

3) thongs are also probably not a good idea...especially on your teenage daughter. 

i don't want to start something controversial here, but i don't really want to see anyone's butt cheeks if i can help it. i'm all for girls being confident and feeling great about themselves, but let's be real. wearing a thong to a water park is not only impractical, but it also serves to gather particular attention. guess who is at water parks, you precious teen girls. dads. dads are at water parks...and very hairy men in speedos. if there are any cute teen boys there, they are with their families and will be eating pizza with their little brothers and then sharing a giant family suite where they will bunk up with several siblings. great wolf lodge isn't the place to flaunt what you've got. put on something sporty and go on the water slides. you will have so much more fun than you would strutting your half naked self for hairy speedo men to see. 

4) swimming suits that fit are always the most flattering. 

you guys, just find something that fits you well and that won't come off down a water slide. don't worry about the size or the style. just be comfortable and get out there. if you are popping out of your swimming suit at any location (under, over, on the side), it's not flattering. not on anyone. find a suit that fits. 

5) the most beautiful people are the parents who are enjoying their kids

seriously. the parents who are laughing and loving their kids are stunningly gorgeous. they are living the life of joy out there down those water slides. they aren't worried about their swimming suit falling off or their cellulite legs. they are out there building memories with their kids and that, my friends, is beautiful. just let loose and be a kid with your kids. my favorite memories as a parent are those that happened when i left the serious parent behind and rode the water slide, got under the water, splashed and played with my kiddos and just learned to let go. those moments build memories that will last a lifetime, both for your kiddos and for you. live it up, my friends, and you will be absolutely gorgeous in the process.