Sounds of Sunday

Eva Cassidy - Songbird
(February 2, 1963 – November 2, 1996)
Cassidy was virtually unknown outside her native Washington, DC Metro area when she died of melanoma in 1996.

Today, she has gained the worldwide recognition she deserves.
Enjoy.

Vote! Vote! Vote!

After carefully sifting through all the wonderful names everyone submitted, Mr. Moons and I have narrowed down the list to six names.

Now it's your turn. The poll is on the left of this entry. Voting ends on March 31 at midnight. The winner will be announced on April 1st and receive a Moon Bun prize pack!

Vote! Vote! Vote!

Discontinued Moon Buns

Good-bye Toffee Moon Buns!
The Toffee Moon Buns will be leaving us, due to the yarn company discontinuing this specific color. The last little bunny in the store is the last one that will be available.

Good-bye Chocolate Moon Buns?
Well not entirely. Chocolate Moon Buns will only be available as special order items. They will no longer be listed as stock items at Moon's Creations.

It's a Moon Bun Reunion!

All of these little Moon Buns and their friends have found loving homes.
Please click any of these images to see a larger version.

Melanie A.

chocoangl


Rabbittut

pandari

DarkMoonlight666

Carlton W.

Melanie A.

Melanie A.

Stephen P.

R. Akutagawa

Katie R.


Caitlin M

ranapoo

Jennifer H.

khanhfat

Marrrlow

RaggyRat

ranapoo

ranapoo

Pocket_Pumpkin

If you've got a Moon Bun or another critter from Moon's Creations, send a photo to moons_creations (at) yahoo.com. I'd love to show it off for you!


Some photos were found on flickr. If you'd like your photo removed, please let me know and I'll gladly take it down.

Happy Anniversary Moon Buns!

Happy Anniversary little Moon Buns!
Here's a delicious Carrot Cake Recipe from Mary Spotswood Box of Cottage Living.

The Moon Buns love sweets, especially Carrot Cake!

Orange-Carrot Cake with Classic Cream Cheese Frosting

Yield

Makes 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients

• 2 cups pecans, chopped
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened
• 2 1/2 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1/4 cup milk
• Zest of 1 orange (1 tablespoon)
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups finely grated carrot (about 6 carrots)
• Cream Cheese Frosting

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 375°. Spread chopped pecans on a sheet pan, and toast at 375° for 5 minutes; set aside to cool. Line 2 greased 9-inch round cake pans with wax paper, and set aside.

2. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Sift together flour and next 4 ingredients. Cream butter and sugar together in a large bowl using an electric mixer on medium speed. Reduce speed to medium-low, and add eggs 1 at a time, blending well after each addition. Add milk and half of flour mixture; blend well. Add remaining flour mixture gradually for a smoother batter.

3. Stir in orange zest and juice, vanilla, grated carrot, and toasted nuts. Divide batter evenly into prepared cake pans, and bake at 375° for 40 minutes or until a knife inserted into center of cake comes out clean. (Layers may sink a bit in the middle.)

4. Let layers cool in pans 10 minutes; transfer to a cooling rack. Let cool completely. Top 1 layer with Cream Cheese Frosting; add second layer; frost top and sides of cake.

Mary Spotswood Box, Cottage Living, MARCH 2005

Emil's Pea Babe

There are no other words to describe this pattern, but CUTE!
Is there anything cutter than that little hat/necklace combo.

This is another of those patterns that I can't wait to get out of the bunny mines and make one of my own... one day. When the bunnies stop being so demanding of my time.

For a translation of this pattern, please visit The Tattered Pickle.

Things that make me smile

Happy Spring everyone!
This movie is made by the amazingly talented Absolutely Small.
It makes me want to run outside and start my garden.
Too bad it's still too cold. Brrrr
Hurry up warm weather.

Name that Moon Bun!

For 2 years, this little Moon Bun has graced Moon's Creations but never had a name.

Now I'm turning to you for a name. If the name you suggest is chosen, you will win a Moon Bun prize pack full of a variety of Moon Buns and cute items from Japan.

How to Play:
Simply leave a comment to this entry with the name you suggest
and a method of contact, like your email address.

The names will then be narrowed down by myself and Mr. Moons on March 27th.

Finally a poll will be placed on this blog allowing you to select your favorite.

The final name will be announced on March 31st!

Happy 2 Years of Moon Buns!

Yay! March 25th is the 2nd anniversary of Moon Buns.

This is the very special and very limited celebration piece. She's designed to look like the store's mascot with a pink and white bow over her ear.

Get yours before they're all gone!

Resplendent Creations

Many times I'm asked what my favorite crochet hooks are and the answer is always Larry's from Resplendent Creations.

Resplendent Creations is a joint effort between Larry and his daughter. While Larry hand carves the hooks, she crochets beautiful one of a kind bears.

Working with a wooden crochet hook is a pure joy. Larry is a true craftsman woodworker. Each crochet hooks he designs can take upwards of 8 hours to craft. When holding one of his beautifully turned hooks, it's striking how much attention he pays to the natural beauty of the wood. I love that he uses a wax polish rather than covering up the wood. He offers a variety of beautiful wood, such as Maple, Walnut, Cherry, Bloodwood and Zebra wood.

Wooden crochet hooks are much thicker than a metal crochet hook, so there is plenty of handle to hold onto, which help to avoid fatigue and cramping. The handles are also beautifully carved, invoking the look of a magic wand, and sometimes even featuring wooden spinners carved into the wood.

The above photo is only 3 of the hooks in my collection and I hope to add more.

Click here to see what's currently offered at Resplendent Creations.

It's a Spring Plushapalooza!

The Etsy Plush Street Team is showing off the newest softies for spring in the Gallery room in Etsy Virtual Labs on Tuesday, March 24th, 3 to 4 p.m. EST! The Virtual Labs can be found here.

The Plushapalooza is just like a trunk show in the real world. Plush Team has come to you to show off the latest and greatest we have to offer. We’ll put up three listings from three different Plush Team artists at a time and everyone in the room can click, browse, and ask questions. Many of the Plush Team artists will be right there in the lab to answer!

Here’s a list of just a few of the Plush Team members sharing their work in the Plushapalooza:

• area thrifty one
• weirdbuglady
• patti haskins
• SLC Studio
• Emily ♥ Follow The White Rabbit
• PterodactylPants
• Needlings
• abbydid
• Phil Barbato
• RaggyRat
• Squirrel Momma
• absolutely small
• LittleCritters
• Melissa Stanley
• Yummy Pancake
• Diane Koss
• Christina Ward
• samariaproject
• fuzfrenzy
• and me, I just haven't submitted the forms yet. *procrastinator*
  



“But the Virtual Labs scare me!” you say? It’s ok, it’s our first time too, but it’s easy and fun. Learn all about Virtual Labs in this Storque article.



The Etsy Plush Street Team is a group of Etsy artists supporting and furthering the ideas behind plush dolls, toys and all the soft areas in between.

The Etsy Plush Street Team Spring Plushapalooza is in the Gallery room in Etsy Virtual Labs on Tuesday, March 24th, 3 to 4 p.m. EST! If EST is not your time zone, here’s a link to help you figure out what your local time is.

See you there!

CraftyShanna's Earl Lenmeyer the Flask Pattern

Looking for a good Wednesday pattern, I stumbled across CraftyShanna's darling flask pattern named Earl Lenmeyer. This is a perfect pattern for any mad scientist or lab geek.

I just love the simple styling and how the small details really make this design.
Hopefully I'll have some down time to make my own set of flasks.

To see this pattern, please check it out on CraftyShanna's blog.

Things that make me smile

photograph of my backyard

I love the foggy days.

New and Redesigned!

Finally available!
100% Wool Moon Buns.
These little Moon Buns (3.5" tall) are crafted from environmentally friendly wool in 5 colors.
(L to R: Dusk, Peanut, Fog, Nutmeg and Marshmallow)

Expect to see them joining the shop soon!

New! Moon Buns to Raise Funds
The Moon Buns to Raise Funds have been switched to White Moon Buns wearing designated ribbon colors to match their charity.

Because I want my art to make a difference, I have several "Moon Buns to Raise Funds." These are higher priced bunnies where 100% of the purchased price is donated to a specific charity.


Please check out the wonderful charities you can donate to by purchasing one of these Moon Buns.

I accept donations of yarn to make Moon Buns to Raise Funds. If you'd like to donate yarn, please contact me. I accept white worsted yarns and any variety of ribbon.

If you'd like me to add a charity, please contact me.

Sounds of Sunday

Rimini by Les Wampas

Sorry for being a little M.I.A. for the past few days. I'll be back on Monday with lots of new sparkly things. xo

Fishing in the Dark: Deep Sea Creatures

I've never been so excited about the release of an art book.
Fishing in the Dark: Deep Sea Creatures by Katie Ryan is an amazing collection of inky creatures from the abyss.

I've always been a big fan of Katie's work, so when I saw she was offering preorders, I had to grab a copy.

(click this image to see a larger version)

Not only is her artwork beautiful, but educational as well. Each two page spread includes the animal's name, details, size, range and random facts.

If the beauty of these strange creatures doesn't grab you, their weird nature will. It's hard to believe these fish swim through our oceans.

(click this image to see a larger version)

To preorder a copy of Fishing in the Dark: Deep Sea Creatures, please visit here.
To see more of Katie Ryan's artwork, please visit here.

Things that make me smile

What makes me smile all day is having a filling breakfast, especially one with bunnies.
This morning, I had Annie's Homegrown Bunny Love. It's a delicious, organic breakfast cereal with x's, o's and bunny-shaped pieces.

What a perfect breakfast. Today will be a good day.

For more information on Annie's Homegrown, visit here.

Quote: Victor Hugo

"Inspiration and genius--one and the same."
-Victor Hugo

What has inspired you today?
What is your genius?

Leprechaun Moon Buns

I recreated my leprechaun design from last year, except this year, they are a wee 3" tall. They also have a hidden shamrock inside of their hats, for an extra bit of luck.
(L to R: Seamus, Liam, Aiden)

Sounds of Sunday

Watchbuns

To celebrate the release of the movie, and one of my favorite comic books, here are The Watchmen. I recreated three of my favorite characters, plus The Comedian, since a few friends threatened me if I didn't.

From Left to Right: Dr. Manhattan, Nite Owl, Rorschach and The Comedian

Available here!

Pepperberry Crochet's Amigurumi Alien Pattern

As a new Wednesday feature, I'd like to highlight some of my favorite Amigurumi pattern from some seriously talented artists who are kind enough to offer free patterns.

The first is this darling Amigurumi Alien by Pepperberry Crochet. Alison is perhaps the kindest, most talented, person I've ever known. I have several of her pieces in my amigurumi collection and I can't wait to buy more.

I just love that big ol' wooby eye. The pattern can be found here.

Things that make me smile

A New Zombie in Town

While yarn shopping, I found three wonderfully hideous yarns. They had a base color of either Fawn, White or Sage Green, but had all sorts of wormy bits of black, brown and grey. I couldn't say no. They were begging to be turned into zombies.

I call these guys Zomie Rot Moon Buns. From left to right is Pestilence, Decay and Gangrene.

Sounds of Sunday

Please enjoy some Ben "The Brute" Webster.

Fancy up those eyes!

Sometimes you need to make those soulless eyes for certain designs. Maybe for Robot Eyes or Blood-Red Demon Eyes.

If you're looking for a solid eye color, but it's not available, it's easy to modify a pair of black eyes with a few simple household items.

Here's what you'll need: Eyes and a color. You can use Model Paint (not pictured), Metallic Sharpies (My favorite) or Nail Polish, fine sand paper.
Also a bit of scrap paper helps to avoid messes.

Before beginning work, prep the eyes by sanding them with a fine grit sandpaper. You aren't sanding to reshape the eye, but rather to buff up the surface and give the paint something to adhere to. This will help keep paint from chipping or flaking after drying.

My favorite coloring tool is the Metallic Sharpie markers. They give good coverage, aren't very messy and are easy to control. However you may need to double coat the eye to ensure a thick enough color layer.

Ta-da! A new silver eye. You don't need to paint the post, since that will be in the doll. I like to color a bit on the back for full coverage.

If you use nail polish or model paint you'll want to make a little paper structure to hold the eyes, since you won't be able to put them down until they dry.

Fold a piece of paper three times.

You will make the paper into a triangle with a little overlapping flap to help keep the triangle sturdy.


Then push the eyes through the paper. The paper will hold the eyes stable while you paint and keep them out of the way while they dry. (Be careful, it's only paper, so use a delicate hand while painting.)

Here's a pair of metallic green eyes I painted with nail polish. Like your nails, they will need a double coat. See where I went over with the paint? That's why the paper holder is so helpful.

Here's a Moon Bun I'm working on with soulless silver eyes.

What I love about amigurumi is being able to look at life differently.
Simple and inexpensive tricks can make your design a knock out.
I highly encourage you to step out of the lines and try new ways of using items to enhance your crafting.