Blue Moon Art

MEOOOW says the New Kitty

OK, so this one was actually half done when I put it aside about a month ago. I finally got around to finishing him today! As soon as I stitched in his mouth he said, MEOOOW! I'll translate. It means, "About time!!"

Salt & Pepper Shakers

We went to a local antique store last weekend and found these cool little salt and pepper shakers. They still had salt and pepper in them. I was very happy with my purchase but can't stop thinking of the old garden gnomes they had out in front of the store. One of them in particular caught my interest. It was pretty heavy and oh, so adorable. Tacky but sweet. . . I may have to go back now to rescue him.

New Quote for Today

Life is never fair, and perhaps it is a good thing for most of us that it is not.
—Oscar Wilde

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day to all!

Baby Blanket Completed—Finally!

I have been working on this baby blanket for my hair stylist for ages. She is probably having her baby as I type this post. It is a crocheted blanket and I got through making the bulk of it alright but when it came to adding the edging I froze up. I was clueless as I've never added an edging on anything before. Thanks to my friend Marci who is a whiz at all things crochet it is now complete. Marci weaved in all the loose ends for me and crocheted the entire edge in one night! Last night I added the ribbon and now it's ready to be shipped. I was very happy with the yarn—organic cotton, very soft and a pleasure to work with. I have one skein left to make a little toy perhaps.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS To All!

Wishing everyone a very Happy Holiday, peace and happiness in your hearts for 2008! If you look closely you'll see that's Maria already sleeping in her new bed in the foreground. Sweetie's new bed is under the tree. He's gotten so big I had to get a dog bed for him!

Three Little Kittens

Three little kittens made for three little girls, who are all the same but different.

Camels in New York

Every morning on my way to work I walk by Rockefeller Center and Radio City Music Hall. What a surprise to turn the corner one day and see 3 camels on 51st Street! I didn't have a camera with me so I took it with me on Monday and of course, no camels that day. Finally on Wednesday, there they were, waiting to enter the big doors on the side of Radio City. They are part of the Christmas Show. In the evening I walked by again and took this picture of the tree from the opposite side of the street. Next time I'll get closer!

Smiley's Manhattan Yarn Sale!!!

Well, it's that time of year again! This yarn sale goes on for 6 days in the ballroom of a Holiday Inn in Manhattan (walking distance from where I work) and the prices are incredible! I was able to control myself a little better this year because I still have a lot of yarn left from last year's sale that I haven't done anything with yet. I did end up making 2 trips to the sale and had fantasies of being locked in the room overnight and throwing myself over all the yarn—well, maybe just the cashmere and alpaca. Anyway, here is a photo of what I bought and a swatch of what I may do with some of it.

A True Story

We recently received a phone call from a woman who turned out to be my husband's younger sister—one he never knew before. He had an idea that there were other siblings out there but had no other information. This week we were fortunate enough to meet her for the first time and spend some time getting to know her better. She is a lovely person, inside and out, and the week was very emotional as well as joyous, as you could imagine. This meeting led them to get in touch with 3 older siblings from their father's first marriage and now he has more siblings than I do!
She lives in Belgium, land of the most exquisite lace and scrumptious chocolate!! And she came bearing generous gifts of each! I am still afraid to open this box of lace linens for the table. Not so afraid of the chocolate, though. We opened those immediately.

Quote of the Day

"No great artist ever sees things as they really are. If he did, he would cease to be an artist."
—Oscar Wilde

Glove Dog

My friend, Virginia went upstate last weekend and made a trip to the dollar store there for some toothpaste, and guess what she found!! The work gloves that are used in all the awesome Japanese craft books for making adorable critters!! Two pair for a dollar! You can't beat that. She's going again next week so I gave her money in advance to get more. Here is my first attempt at making a glove doggie.

Tweedy, The Little Brown Kitty

I made this kitty with ever so slightly heavier yarn on the same size needles. He turned out with a tighter knit making him more sturdy and solid. His ears are lined with a coordinating striped fabric. He's quite a handsome little guy and he's available on Etsy.
I ordered some pretty fat quarters from starlitnest on etsy so I would have something to play with when I use my new sewing machine. I'm just learning but I wanted to use nice fabric because you never know—something might come out right! I think Ill also be more careful if I'm using nice fabric. They arrived so fast! I think my first project will be a simple drawstring pouch.
I picked up this book yesterday on sock and glove toys. It's by a Japanese crafter and it's in ENGLISH! All the toys are adorable. I can't wait to make one. I have a magazine in Japanese that shows how to make some glove toys and I notice that they all use the same type of woven/knit work glove. I've never been able to find that type of glove anywhere. If anyone out there knows what I mean and can tell me where to find them, please let me know.

A Doll Who Will Listen to You

My what big ears she has! All the better for listening to you pour your heart out when no one else will. She's always there for you with a smile and adoring eyes. You can tell her anything and she'll never tell another living soul. She'll never disagree with you either! Now that's a true pal.

I made her with my new sewing machine and my own made up pattern, learning as I went along! There are things I'd do differently next time but that's how you learn.

Doggie Love

I've been neglecting all the doggie lovers out there for so long. The problem was, how to make a snout. Until just the other day, when a brilliant someone at work (she knows who she is) suggested a pug!! No snout!! BRILLIANT! So now, voila—meet Pug Doggie. Well, maybe he's not exactly a pug, but one of those other kinds of snoutless doggies. He's ready to give you a big doggie smooch and even has a curly tail that wags if you stare at it long enough after a few glasses of wine.
Seriously though, if you see the tail wagging, it may be time to stop drinking.

My New Singer 7468 Has Arrived!

It's finally here! I unpacked it, threaded it up and finished one part of my new kitchen curtains in no time! It's amazing how much easier it is to keep the seam straight. It's like it has a mind of its own. Which is a very good thing because my mind is not always there. Thank you, Crazy Fiber Lady for the recommendation! I love it!!