Things that make me smile

Really awesome and unusual crafts!
That's right I said it, this is not a ghost, but a fantastic trick made with chicken wire. I want to make several of these and place them throughout the bit of woods on our property.

If you'd like to make a Hollow Man of your own, visit Vision02's site.

Many thanks to Mr. Neil Gaiman for pointing this out.

Lavinia's Monkey Pattern

I always want to make monkeys, because I'm a monkey year. Lavinia to the rescue!
Look at this cute darling! This monkey looks so cute.

If you've been wanting to make an amigurumi monkey, run over to Lavinia's blog for the free pattern. She has a music player, so don't be startled when it begins playing.

Blog Features

Moon Buns seem to be popping up everywhere. They have made appearanced in two blogs recently.

Metalicious Jewelry featured a Violet and Purple Forest Moon Bun!





And For the Love of Cute featured a Charcoal and Grey Forest Moon Bun!


Thank you for the wonderful features! ♥ ♥

Plush You

These 4 Moon Buns are headed to The Anne Bonny in Seattle to appear in the Plush You show this October.

Skeleton Moon Bun
This little guy has a fully removable mask!

Zombie Moon Bun
I love this piece. He has a little tattered shirt, splattered with "blood." And those eyes! So scary!

Vampire Moon Bun
This little blood sucker has tiny fangs and a cloak over his cravat.

Glow-in-the-Dark Ghost Moon Bun
I've had this yarn hidden away for month and just had to bring it out to make this special Ghost.

Kitty-gurumi Contest

Moon's Creations will be releasing a new Kitty design in September!
These new designs are created to look more like real kitties; mimicking their stripes and spot patterns.

To celebrate this new design, I'm holding a contest!
The winner of the contest will have their kitty recreated as an amigurumi design. They will receive a free amigurumi based on their kitty and their Kitty-gurumi will be offered as a regular item in the Moon's Creations Etsy store for purchase!

Anyone can enter the contest! To enter your kitty in the Kitty-gurumi contest, add a photo to the Kitty-gurumi Flickr pool. Please one kitty per person. You can upload more than one photo of your kitty, but please only one kitty. Entries must be in by August 21st.

The winner will be announced on September 1st!
Good Luck!

Sounds of Sunday

Nat "King" Cole - Stardust

Quote: Terry Pratchett

"In ancient times cats were worshipped as gods; they have not forgotten this."
-Terry Pratchett

Hey, It's Me!

The wonderfully talented Kelly of Egyptianruin on Etsy took this photo of me at my table in the Otakon Artist Alley! Look at all those Moon Buns! I was also selling pieces from SamariaProject.

If you've been to the shop, you may have noticed I'm sold out of cellphone charms. It's because the yarn I made them out of is discontinued. Well, I found a new yarn that I think may work. I'm currently testing this yarn out and if it cuts the mustard, I'll be releasing more charms in a variety of colors.

If you have a color you've been looking forward to seeing, now's the time to chime in!

Things that make me smile

I adore seeing people enjoy the items I make. While at the convention, I nabbed a photo of this cute cosplayer of Chihiro from Spirted Away. She's wearing soots from my pattern on her shoulder! Absolutely adorable!

I couldn't stop smiling after meeting her.

Reference photo. The only one I could find with Chihiro and soots. Sorry for the face. :(

Stich Wars Recap

The absolutely wonderful curators at Bear and Bird Boutique have posted photos from the opening night of Stitch Wars! Including this beauty of my Moon Buns with Spooky Daddy's fantastic Rancor Fink.

Visit their flickr account to see more great photos!

I'm still recovering from the show at Otakon and will upload photos once I get my head on straight. ♥

Moving right along (doog-a-doon doog-a-doon)

photo by @lvee

It begins!
The Moon Buns are packed! I'm ... not quite packed and absolutely sure I've forgotten something important, which I won't remember until I get there, but hey, what can you do, right? All part of the experience.

I've got my tunes picked out and ready to make the long drive from the Valley. Even Moons, my little traveling Moon Bun, is ready for the trip. She's waiting patiently for me to finish typing.

For those of you going to Otakon, please stop by the Artist Alley! My table is U10 very close to the entrance. I'll be offering over 500 items that will range in price from $1 buttons to $66 Moon Bun sets!

For my sad puppies who won't be at the convention, don't forget that Stitch Wars will be opening on July 18th at Bird & Bear Boutique Gallery! They will also be posting photos of the wonderful art inspired by Star Wars and offering them for sale on the internet!

Otakon Preview

Just a sneak preview of what I'll be carrying at Otakon in Baltimore, on July 17 - 19th, aside from Moon Buns

Elephants

Bears

Kittens

Piggies

Pandas

I'll be in the Otakon Artist Alley at table U10. I hope to see several of you there!

Sounds of Sunday

Acker Bilk - Stranger on the Shore

Shop Announcement!

The Moon Buns and I will be in Otakon's Artist Alley at table U-10, in Baltimore, MD through July 17 - 19. I will be next to the delightful artist, Pronounced You, who's art you can see here.

Because of this, Moon's Creations will cease shipping on July 15 and resume shipping on July 21st. All orders placed between July 15 - 20 will be shipped on the 21st.

Also, many limited pieces will be removed from the store during this time to take the trip to Baltimore with me.

Thank you!

Rachel of Crochet Spot's Stars

I love stars! Love them! There's just something wonderfully fun about making stars, from the moment I learned how to draw a star using a single line. (Sometimes I doodle stars on my sketchbooks when thinking out designs.)

This pattern isn't exactly an Amigurumi pattern, but it's too cute of a pattern not to share.
I ended up making two, stitching them together (front sides out) and adding a little fluff.
Result: Awesome pudgy little star friends!

For this wonderful free pattern, please visit Crochet Spot.
Rachel was also kind enough to offer help to anyone who gets stuck.

Working 9 to 5 and then some

You may have noticed a distinct lack of new designs in the shop.
I haven't stopped crocheting, but instead am working every spare hour to stock up for the Otakon Artist Alley. This is just one box of assorted Moon Buns I've made so far and believe me, there's still lots more to make.

One design that I'm especially happy to be releasing for Otakon are these Fua Fua Bunnies. It's the largest quantity I've made to date in such a wonderful variety of colors.

I hope to see you at the convention!

Sounds of Sunday

John Coltrane - Dear Lord

Happy Independence Day

O! say can you see by the dawn's early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
O! say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines in the stream:
'Tis the star-spangled banner! Oh long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion,
A home and a country should leave us no more!
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps' pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

O! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: 'In God is our trust.'
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

"Defence of Fort McHenry"
-Francis Scott Key

nonesuchgarden

Tancho the Red-Crowned Crane

Have you been to nonesuchgarden?
It's a magical place, tended by the talented artist, Megan Baehr. She started making little felt dolls in 2006 as a way to keep her hands busy. She loved every minute of creating them and soon people expressed interest in buying them. In 2008, she created the Nonesuch line and decided to take her little hobby to the next step! Since then, she has worked hard to perfect her techniques and invested in higher quality materials.

Last year, she introduced the Best Bears.
Why are Best Bears the best? Because their arms are always ready for a hug! They are excellent listeners and oh so squishable. They are large enough to not be easily lost, but small enough to tuck into your pocket or bag. Bring one along with you and it will be sure to brighten your day!

Megan is an enthusiastic storyteller and cartoonist with a love for crafts and all kinds of art. She has a BFA in Cartooning & Illustration from the School of Visual Arts in NYC. She currently lives in Southern Vermont with her family and a small menagerie of pets. She teach comics classes for kids independently and through the Great River Arts Institute in Bellows Falls, VT.

Her obsessions include pre-history (namely early modern humans and dinosaurs), cephalopods, and cryptozoology. You can see these in her beautiful artwork that's also available for sale.

To find out more about Megan, visit her website or shop!
Currently Megan is has opened up some slots for commissions!

Things that make me smile

Fireworks#1 by Camera_Slayer

A long time ago, when I was still living in Maryland, my husband, then fiance, and I decided to visit my sister and her family in the Shenandoah valley over the 4th of July weekend.

She told us there was a wonderful spot to watch the fireworks, so we packed up a dinner and picnicked by a field, waiting for the show to start. We waited and waited and waited.

Finally a man driving by said there would be no fireworks that day. We all packed up and went home.

The thing is, I didn't mind not seeing fireworks. Just enjoying family and making a memory of the time I went to watch a barren field was enough to make me a smile.

Happy Fourth of July!
I hope you make wonderful memories that will fill you with smiles in the future.

♥

Stitch's Amigurumi Doll Pattern

I love this doll. Absolutely love her. She has such great detail and looks like so much fun to hug, with her flopy arms. Stitch did a great job on the color too. (Green's my favorite color.)

If you'd like to make this doll, please go to Stitch's website for the pattern.