Totoro!!!

A couple of weeks ago I got an insatiable craving for Disney's animated version Alice in Wonderland. My friend Caroline came to the rescue: she had Alice on VHS and a television with a built in VCR, a true rarity in our new, DVD age. So we made a movie and crafting date. After watching Alice in Wonderland, I perused her impressive collection of classic Disney and late 80s movies--all on VHS. I had a hard time deciding what to watch next, until...Caroline recommended My Neighbor Totoro. Despite the fact that I knew about Totoro and the large fan following that he had, I hated to admit that I had never actually watched the movie.

We popped the tape into the VCR and embarked upon a fabulous journey. I thoroughly enjoyed watching--and commenting on--Totoro gallivanting around with Mei and Satsuki, and his cat bus buddy.

A few days after our Alice and Totoro date Molly invited me to Caroline's birthday party. I didn't know what to get Caroline and had pretty much decided that it would be handmade. Then Totoro appeared and offered his rotund figure for my creative needs. I did a quick Google image search for Totoro, copied a result to my desktop and printed it onto card stock. I then cut him out and used him as a template for his felt counterparts. A few hours, some careful cutting and stitching later, and I had this:

A plushy, Totoro pin.

Perfect for a lapel, a hat, or... a bag!

Thrift Store Haul

Apparently there is a new "journalistic" phenomenon on the Internets: hauls, videos of mostly (young) girls and women who show off their latest purchases, usually clothing, makeup and the like. Well, maybe its not entirely new--i.e. was born within the last few months--but it is kinda new to me. I recently watched one, and my brain (and ovaries) just about exploded from vapid consumerism sensory overload. I have no intention of performing any further research on this particular niche of video documentation, but I would like to offer my own version: Thrift Store Haul! I hope it catches on.

That being said...

I love--and I mean LOVE--thrifting. I've found some amazing things at thrift stores and flea markets like vintage dishware, bohemian scarves and vases. I particularly keep my eye out for Pyrex and enamel bake ware from the 60s and 70s and any dishware that has any indication that it is old and/or was made in Japan. My theory is that you can't beat good quality, classic dishware, especially when it rarely costs more than $5 a piece.

These mixing bowls are my favorite! I have such fond memories of using bowls just like these (except yellow) to make cookies and other comfort foods with my mom. (I definitely inherited a love for all things old from her, and that gene is definitely kicking in!)



I have two small Pyrex mixing bowls that my mom gave me and recently picked up a divided, oval casserole dish from this set from a thrift store.

I also frequent particular thrift stores. My favorite spots include: the Goodwill store on San Pablo in Oakland, Thrift Town in Hawyard and the Laney Flea Market, also in Oakland, all of which are great for old dishware, t-shirts and vintage--sometimes real, but mostly costume-- jewelry.

On my way home from work this past Monday, I stopped by the Goodwill on San Pablo in search of some t-shirts for my sewing projects. I couldn't resist looking through their kitchen ware section and left with some amazing finds.

The green, lily pad plate and dark glass flower petal shaped bowl both caught my eye for the entertaining possibilities that they hold. We have a (nearly) complete dinner ware set (Thanks Mom!) but very few platters or appetizer-type plates or bowls. So I'm constantly on the look out for little dishes and bowls that will eventually give me an eclectic collection of dishware.

And I absolutely fell in love with the silver rimmed, white lace motifed plate (made in Japan). Ever since I watched this video and read this blog post on DIY serving trays, I've wanted to make my own. I figured that with the right vase or cup, this plate would make a lovely cake, or cupcake, stand. Now I just need to find said glassware. I smell another thrift haul...

Cheeseburgers and Ravioli

I have more catnip buddies! Take a look and tell me what you think.

Cheeseburger Buddy

I had a lot of fun doing this one. I was just sitting on the couch watching a television show that was probably turning my brain to mush and trying to think of a new design that would appeal to kitties and humans alike. And then it hit me: CHEESEBURGERS! How is that I hadn't thought of this before? At any rate, I quickly got to work and two hours later I was holding a Cheeseburger catnip buddy.

Each ingredient is hand cut (freehand, too) and sewn in place with matching embroidery thread. And it even has sesame seeds!

Catnip Buddy Ravioli

These little catnip filled "raviolis" are the product of procrastination and sheer panic. About two weeks ago I committed to a craft fair at the last minute. I set a catnip buddy production schedule that I promptly slacked off on, which left me with only three catnip toys by the morning of the event. After getting my things together and frosting the cupcakes that I had made for the Craft Market, I sat down and took out my catnip buddy making supplies. I wanted a pattern that I could complete quickly so I turned to my first cat toy design.

I dropped the tether and focused on the pillow. Sticking to one color of embroidery thread for all the stitches saved me some time and I found myself with just enough time to make one more. Except I didn't just want to make another rectangular one. Then a little light bulb went off in my head and I skipped into the kitchen to grad a jar lid. I used this as a stencil for the second pillow and chose a star motif because I wanted something classic, sporty and cute.

The circular shape of the blue buddy inspired me to name them both as raviolis, which I decided was much more interesting than calling them just plain catnip toys.

Catnip and Philosophy

Freddy, our friends' cat, who stays with us occasionally.
He REALLY like the nip and was one of my feline inspirations for making these little buddies.

The wet weather and an unplanned, minor knitting injury have prompted me to start making catnip buddies again. I stopped by a pet store on my way home from work last week and picked up some more catnip. And I have to admit that I've developed a discerning nose for this kitty treat. I never thought that the odor of catnip would vary between different brands, but apparently it does. I had been using Cosmic Catnip but I didn't like that it contained a lot of twigs and although fragrant, was not particularly potent. (But it was free, so I can't really complain.) So this time around I went back to the VIP Premium Catnip that I've used before: its made up of small leaves and has a super strong, almost spicy catnip scent.

Wow...I didn't think that I'd ever wind up developing a preference for catnip, not to mention discuss it on a blog post. Enough catnip talk, lets get to the buddies.

Yellow Canary

Same design as my Cardinal Birdie, but in yellow.

Goldfish

Hanging out with his cracker snack counterparts.

Two Tone Heart

Too late for Valentine's Day, but any day can be a
good day to give your kitten a heart full of catnip.

All will be on my Etsy soon, or if sold out, will be available through special order.

Seduced by Succulents

Boy do I love succulents! I wish I had a garden like this. (Original photo here.) There's just one problem: I don't have a very good track record with keeping them alive for very long.

Earlier this week I finally laid my little succulent plant to rest. I bought him about six months ago as a replacement for another succulent that I had while still in college. (Wow...that sounds really weird considering that I graduated last May.) Anyways...my mother purchased Succulent #1-- whom I promptly named Howard (I think)--when she helped me move into my dorm room in the Fall of 2008. Howard did quite well for a good amount of time.



I was careful not to over water him and even had to re-pot him due to the fact that he grew out of his first plot of earth. This activity of re-potting Howard because he had grown too big for his first pot brought me a great amount of joy: I was convinced that the green thumb gene that my grandmother possessed had been passed down to me and was finally kicking in. Then things went down hill really quick; I think that a combination of poor soil and over watering lead to Howard developing a terrible condition where part of him was rotting away while the other was drying up. Regardless of my efforts to save him I finally had to cut my losses and wound up depositing him in a flowerbed close to the dorm.

Howard looked a lot like this guy on the right, but more blue-ish.

Fast forward a few months and upon moving into our new apartment I found myself missing my succulent and the companionship that he afforded me. I was really craving the presence and decoration that a small plant can provide. So I went to a local nursery (East Bay Nursery, to be exact) and picked up a succulent that was very similar to Howard. Succulent #2--who I never actually named--was quite smaller and of a slightly more purple hue than Howard.

Glamour shot of Succulent #2, or Echeveria "Metallica" (I think).

As I was quite intent on making it happy I bought a small bag of cactus soil and replanted it into a small pot when I got home. Succulent #2 lasted quite a while, but never thrived as Howard did. Instead it stayed more or less the same size as when I had bought it, and although I watered it sparingly and set it in my kitchen window so it could soak up sunlight, it began to wither. I think that perhaps a combination of poor light exposure and the cold weather lead to its failing health. Things really took a turn for the worse in the past two weeks: I noticed that the roots were really shallow and that the leaves were shriveling. It was very sad and I hated watching it slowly die. I finally retired Succulent #2 to the compost bin this week.

Succulent #2 the day I brought it home form East Bay Nursery. It looked so happy.
I couldn't bear to photograph it in its last stages of life.

The next day, on my trip to Home Depot to purchase a roll of painter's tape, I was seduced by their succulents. I was walking past the garden section when I spied a whole shelf full of succulents. I tried to resist the urge to take a closer look but I soon found myself standing in front of hundreds of succulents, examining each one. I felt awful even thinking about picking out a new plant right after I had killed off my last one, but I couldn't help it. On one level I wanted a replacement and on another I wanted to try my hand at cultivating a more successful green thumb. I had a hard time choosing just one succulent; I really wanted one similar to my last ones but I was also very intrigued by the others.

So I bought three. At under $2 each they where a good deal and I justified my purchase by telling myself that companionship would help with keeping them alive more than 6 months. I have yet to name them but I did re-plant them in larger pots. I also placed them in our closet, which may sound counter intuitive. However, our closet--for some odd reason--has a window that is conveniently located right above my dresser. It is also the only window in the entire apartment that gets direct sunlight. Under the circumstances this spot is the best location of my new succulent friends and I hope that they soon make themselves right at home.

The green succulent at the top is a Sedum burrito, or Burro's Tail, and the lilac one at the bottom is a either an Anacampseros gigantea, or an Echeveria or Aeonium hybrid of some sort...I think. I'm not sure; I recycled the plastic pots they came in and am having trouble identifying it via the Internet.

And this striped fellow is a Haworthia attenuata. Reminds me of an aloe plant with zebra stripes. He gets his own pot because I didn't think that all three would fit into one pot, especially if they were to grow (I know, I'm being optimistic). But he has a little sea shell to keep him happy.

Rainy Days and Small Frys

This past Sunday I participated in the monthly Craft Market at Royal NoneSuch Gallery, an awesome little local artist and community geared gallery in Oakland. I whipped up a couple of batches of cupcakes and some catnip buddies for the event. My hopes and aspirations of selling out of cupcakes and the dreaded magnets that I've had for years were quickly dashed by the nasty, rainy weather. For some reason, without fail, the heavens decide to open up and drop buckets of rain during these Craft Markets; while the days before and after each of the past three craft markets have enjoyed perfect, sunny California weather, the actual event itself has suffered from cold, rainy conditions.

Exactly how we felt. Image is from here.

Although the icky weather kept shoppers indoors and drove sales into the ground, it did provide for some quality bonding time with my fellow Craft Market entrepreneurs (...and my knitting!). Which brings me to my point: I am pleased to announce an addition to my plushy animal collection. One of the aforementioned Craft Market entrepreneurs is the creative genius behind Small Fry, a line of plushy, felt animal creatures. Each small fry is an original design that is handmade by the "Mysterious R" with the help from her vintage Singer sewing machine, which she taught herself how to use. She also sells her goods on Etsy, although with not nearly as much success as she deserves.



After lusting after one of her Small Fry creatures for months, I couldn't hold out any longer. I thought long and hard and after nearly four hours of oscillating between resisting temptation and trying to decide between her many Small Frys, I finally ponied up $4 for this Wee Fry:

If you could feel him, then you'd fall in love with him too. He's just so voluminous!

...and I couldn't be happier with my decision.

Even as I plucked him from amongst all the other Wee Frys, I knew that he was "the one." I even knew where he would reside inside my lovely abode: on my nightstand and right next to my Ikea globe lamp. I think that he fits in perfectly with my other plushy buddies, one of whom is particularly voluptuous.

From left to right: Clarence (the shark), Sir Edward and Mango.

In case you were interested: Clarence and Sir Edward are Squishables, and they have tons of giant plushy friends, and Mango is a Build-A-Bear.

Creepy Amigurumi means "I Love You"

Meet Amigurumi Cthulhu. Although his forest green complexion and creature-from-the-deep face tentacles may strike fear into your human heart, this rose says it all: love, sweet, love.

He even has wings and at times can be a little bashful.

I made him in complete secrecy for Evan for Valentine's Day. The pattern for this adorable rendition of H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu is from Creepy Cute, which has patterns for zombies, day of the dead figures, skeletons, and other creepy, mythological and questionable characters that you wouldn't want to meet in a dark alley late at night--except in Amigurumi form, that is. I chose the Cthulhu pattern because Evan has been reading the complete works of Lovecraft book that I got for him for Christmas.

Last year I made him the Creepy Cute Corporate Zombie; an amigurumi that I thought was particularly fitting considering the fact that he had just begun working a somewhat corporate job and was sporting a hairdo that was roughly the same style. The hair was the hardest part to make: the instructions in the book were hard to follow, and an internet search yielded few results. But I figured it out and was quite pleased with the result.

I'm not sure what the next one will be...Nosferatu seems like the most likely choice, especially considering his request for his Christmas stocking. But we'll see.