Year: 2009

Semifinalists 09, Round One

Here it is, the first round of semifinalists in the 2009 Mochimochi Photo Contest! John and I selected 20 photos from the more than 500 entries, and today we’re posting the first 10 (in no particular order, of course).

Starting now we need your help! We need to narrow down the 20 semifinalists to 10 finalists, and you can help us by telling us which of these are your favorites in the comments to this post.

For your consideration:

Slug and Snail Mobile by courtiala

Incredible idea and execution!

When there is no Yahtzee to play… by WyoLibrarian

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Oh, Boos love Monopoly. They just add the word “cave” or “belfry” after all the real estate property names!

Disaster strikes the garden patch by wakegu4

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I’m glad I’m not that carrot getting attacked by Hansigurumi’s crab. Super action shot!

Top Dog by kathrynivy.com

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Better the top dog than the bottom dog, right? An unbelievably beautiful photo. (Anybody else want ice cream now?)

Circle of Bobs by Purple_Heather

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Hmm, looks like the Bobs are conspiring…to do something cute!

Bear, Cat, Panda by -claudine-

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Turns out all sorts of animals can come in stacking form. Nice mods!

On the Fence by Bitter-Sweet-

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The baby colors are perfect for the Pundit Babies. These guys also appear to be moderates.

Snails Want to be Bullets Too by mariannes_stuff

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Faster than a speeding snail! (And how in the world did she take this photo??)

Chicken Gang Leader by teekayknits

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How I wish I could have been there for this photo shoot! Too fun.

Batty Bats by DutchMoeder

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Next time you’re leaf peeping, maybe some of the leaves are peeping at you!

Congratulations to the photographers of these wonderful images!

Which of these photos do you LOVE? Don’t be shy—tell us in the comments! You can name as many of the photos in this post as you want. Soon we’ll post the next 10 semifinalists for you to comment on, then we’ll have the big final vote!

Honorable Mentions 09, Round Two

Ready for the continuation of honorable mentions? Of course you are!

These photos were all so great, we just had to give them special recognition. In no particular order:

Rainbow Boos by DutchMoeder

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What a perfect set! Makes you want to collect them all. (Or make them all!)

Woodins Riding Dragon by tessy b

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We love the juxtaposition of the fierce dragon and the innocent-looking Woodins.

Knitting Pepto by bononers

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Any guesses as to what this green Pepto is knitting? Let’s hope it’s another Pepto!

Snails and Slugs on Moss by Paula knits

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Love their snail-y colors! Looks like they found a good hangout too.

Boo on Yarn Winder by sweaterpoorly5

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This little blue Boo thinks he’s found a pretty cool tree.

Baldee as Milton by fortune_32

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Excellent use of Photoshop. And now I have to watch Office Space again!

Frozen in Fear by giolou

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Not only does giolou take awesome photos, but she also always has the best captions! “Godfrey the Groundhog wonders who will make the first move.”

Red Boos by godfreykate

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The color of these guys, plus the leaves, plus their funny eyes, equals awesome!

Baldees in Storm by tessy_b

Oh no! Something tells me those cocktail umbrellas don’t stand a chance against Rainycloud’s drops.

Sleepy Snake and Mischievous Mice by mayumillinn

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Three mice against one snake. I think I can guess who will be the win the day: cuteness!

Congratulations to these honorable mentions!

Honorable Mentions 09, Round One

We just finished going through each and every one of the over 500 entries in this year’s photo contest. Whew! The hard part wasn’t looking at all the amazing photos (that part was just fun), but narrowing them down to 20 honorable mentions and 20 semifinalists. There were so many that we wanted to include but couldn’t! So we encourage you to check out the Mochimochi Friends Flickr Group to see all the entries.

Let’s get started on the contest results, shall we? Here are the first ten of 20 honorable mentions from this year’s contest, in no particular order.

Boos on a Bed by EvenVenus

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I love the complementary colors of this one.

Elf Helper by Dknits

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This guy is ready to decorate for the holidays!

Ethan and The Bob by lizzybelle826

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You can tell these two are best buds.

Playing at Favorites by PersiaRose

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I so want this necklace!

Snail Mail!! by estarts100

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Should we tell him he’s going nowhere without a stamp?

Resistor Love by flissy666

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Resisty is ready to power up in this powerful pic.

playful puppies by libby_gail

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The one on the top looks like he’s having loads of fun! The one on the bottom, not so much…

Pink Boo with Flowers by bresnaclan

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Boo totally thinks he’s completely invisible next to those flowers.

Bunch o’ Hearts? Yes. by littlemintsattack

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Don’t you hate it when people read over your shoulder?

Rainycloud rains on Grass, Weeed, and Snail by tropicalknitting

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Everyone here wants the rain to stay!

Congratulations to the people responsible for these great photos! We’ll announce the rest of the honorable mentions here very soon.

500+ Photos!

The 2009 Mochimochi Photo Contest is now closed for entries. Thank you so much to all who entered! As the subject of this post gives away, we had more than 500 photos entered in the contest this year—amazing!

John and I will sort through them all over the next couple days, then we will post honorable mentions, followed by semifinalists, from whom everyone will get to choose the finalists! Then we’ll have one last vote to determine the winners of this year’s contest. Stay tuned for the voting fun!

Last Day to Submit Your Photos!

The deadline for the 2009 Mochimochi Photo Contest is today! Upload your photos to the Mochimochi Friends Flickr Group by midnight tonight (New York time) for them to be considered. If you don’t make it in time, though, no worries—photos uploaded after midnight will be automatically entered into next year’s contest.

Whether or not you entered, check back here later this week, when everyone will get to vote on semifinalists!

Announcements make for boring posts, so here are some cute kitty photos.

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Saffron in Brooklyn

My friend Kana recently opened the loveliest store in Fort Greene, Brooklyn!

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Saffron is a little gem at 31 Hanson Place where you can find fresh flowers, vintage clothing, and items made by local artists. It’s the kind of shop that you dream about opening with a best friend. In Kana’s case, she opened Saffron with her mother, and along with Kana’s brother and her boyfriend, they completely renovated a space and made their dream come true.

Here is Kana in her store that she has worked so hard to realize.

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I visited Saffron on Sunday, and I was happy to see it quite busy, with visiting friends and plenty of drop-ins. The store has been getting a lot of press, and it seems that people in the neighborhood are very excited about it. If you’re in Brooklyn, please check it out! (If you’re not in Brooklyn, it looks like they will open an online shop at some point.)

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Oh, and I almost forgot to say that Saffron will start carrying some Tiny Things handmade by me very soon. I’m so excited about that!