Author: Anna

amineko no iru seikatsu

Posted on by Anna

I don’t buy so many craft books but I picked this one up earlier this year and it’s become a new favorite.

amigurumineko

Not sure if it’s been discussed much among Western crafters, but amineko no iru seikatsu (Life with Amugurumi Cat, I believe) deserves some love. The book contains only one amigurumi pattern, plus a few sewing patterns for small accessories for your amineko, but the highlight of the book are the wonderful photos of amigurumi cats doing various activities like eating, reading, and sleeping in various objects. In almost wordless, comic-strip-style vignettes, we see the simple crocheted cats come to life with distinct personalities and moods.

I got my copy at Kinokuniya, but you can also find it on Amazon Japan.

Giant Things Attacking Cities

Posted on by Anna

Luv-able and Hug-able, an encore of last year’s plush show, will open at gallery hanahou here in NYC in a little over two weeks! The show will feature strange and adorable creations by 30-plus artists and crafters, including a bunch of new recommendations from the Plush You and a selection of Japanese artists.

My own contribution includes these knitted scenes of giant things attacking cities.

Squirrels, Arggghh!

giantsquirrels

Snails, oh no!

giantsnails

And Mushrooms, run for your lives!

giantmushrooms

The opening party for Luv-able and Hug-able will be held on December 4th, 6-9 pm, so please save the date if you’re in the NY area! There will also be a special plush-making workshop lead by the amazing Jenny Harada on December 13. (Space is very limited, so email info@galleryhanahou.com if you’re interested.)

I’ll be posting more information and photos of the plushes in the show in the coming weeks.

Update: Thank you to Kristen for posting on the Plush You! blog !

Mattress Monday

Posted on by Anna

I spotted this mattress out by the service elevator of my apartment building the other day, seemingly waiting to be moved into someone’s apartment. It struck me as beautiful, in a kind of horrendous way.

colorfulmattress

If this were my mattress, I would be out looking for matching sheets right now.

Watermelons!!!

Posted on by Anna

watermelonsA lot of various strange smells have come and gone in the hallway of our apartment building (burnt dog food smell is a common occurrence, for some reason), but the strangest yet may be this morning’s extreme fake watermelon scent that reached me all the way into the far corner of our bedroom.

I just poked my head out the door, and it’s overwhelming. It’s like someone shampooed the carpet all the way down the hall with kids’ watermelon shampoo, or else Bubbleyum is holding a convention in the apartment next door. It’s insanely sweet and sickening and fake-watermelon-y. WHAT COULD BE CAUSING IT. This question will haunt me for the next few hours, or until the smell goes away.

Moooo

Posted on by Anna

Recently I have been enviously eyeing some friends’ beautiful cards made with Moo, so I finally gave the printing company a try with a set of new Mochimochi Land business cards. Nice results!

moocards

If you’re not familiar, Moo is a UK company that prints all kinds of business cards, stickers, greeting cards, etc. They’re a bit pricier than some printers, but their uploader system is very easy to use (and fun because you can upload up to 50 images for a different image on each card), and they also have great customer service. I know a lot of crafters and people with small businesses use them, and with good reason!

Braid

Posted on by Anna

Thanks to my better half, I’m hooked on a new video game: Braid, a platform game download for the Xbox.

braid1

Braid is a game of puzzles that uses time manipulation as both a tool and a philosophical theme. I love how the artwork, a wash of swirling watercolor skies, underscores the sad and mysterious narrative.

braid

Curious lion-like creatures that inhabit the game’s landscape are also a nice touch.

braid3

Sadly, I’m not too far from the end of this brief game right now. It’s like a good book that I wish wouldn’t be ending so soon.

John blogged about it on Geek Out New York last week, so I’ll direct anyone interested in reading more to his post.