Category: Blog

The Saddest Holiday Display

Last Sunday I took a walk through midtown to check out some of the big department store holiday displays. On my way up Park Avenue I came across the most pathetic holiday window display I’ve ever seen, at a Duane Reade pharmacy.

duanereadexmas

You’d wish that Frosty could have at least waited until after Christmas to die.

Winners!

The votes are in for the Mochimochi Photo Contest!

Each of the 10 finalists received a hefty number of votes, but we had three clear top photos.

But first, I would like to again thank everyone who participated in the contest, as well as everyone who voted. This was so much fun! We do plan on holding another contest sometime next year—perhaps one with a few categories—so don’t despair if you missed the boat this time.

And here, in ascending order, are the top three winners in the photo contest:

Third place goes to A cloud on the horizon by knitfaced!
rainycloud_knitfaced
Yay! You will receive a $10 gift certificate to Mochimochi Land.

Second place goes to Snake & Mouse Dia De Los Muertos Altar by knittygirlie!
snakemouse_knittygirlie
Whoopee! You will receive a box of mochi! Well, technically it’s called Kamakuranone, a sticky rice and sweet bean confection from Japan.

kamakuranone
Also, you’ll get a $15 gift certificate to Mochimochi Land.

And finally, with 238 votes, first place goes to Mochimochi Land Scene by jenifleur!

mochimochilandscene

Congratulations, jenifleur! You will receive the grand prize box of craft books, toys, and other cool miscellany from Japan.

grandprize
You’ll also get a $20 gift certificate to Mochimochi Land.

Thus concludes the first-ever Mochimochi Photo Contest. I hope everyone found it as fun and inspiring as I did!

Time to VOTE!

UPDATE: The polls have closed. Thank you for your votes—now, stay tuned for the winners!

UPDATE 12/14/07: I’ve taken the images in this post down to save bandwidth, but you can still click on the links to see the photos.

The polls are now officially open for the Mochimochi Land Photo Contest!!! Thanks to your help this week, we’ve narrowed the photos down to 10 outstanding finalists.

John was clever enough to rig it up so that you can vote for as many photos as you want! You only get one ballot (no ballot-box stuffing!), but you can vote for your 3 favorites, or 4 favorites, or even more if you’d like.

Just check the box next to each photo you’d like to cast a vote for, and then click the “Submit Your Votes!” button at the bottom of this post.

The photos are listed in random order. Also, we selected no more than one photo per person for the finalists, so if one of your favorite photos from the semifinals isn’t here, that’s maybe why.

Now let’s all be good citizens of Mochimochi Land and vote! Then, check back early next week to see the winners.

time to move on by giolou

A cloud on the horizon by knitfaced

How Ninjabun was Fooled by snuffykin

Colorful Woodins by staveitoff

Bob in the wild by lizzie j b

bff by sprytaen

roasting marshmallows… by britegreenstar

Mochimochi Land Scene by jenifleur

Snake and Mouse nature scene by neferstie

Snake & Mouse Dia De Los Muertos Altar by knittygirlie

Semifinalists, Round Two

Thank you to everyone who rooted for their favorite photos from yesterday’s first round of semifinalists! It’s really fun to read all the different perspectives on what makes a winning photo, and your input is certainly helping me narrow down the candidates.

Today I’m thrilled to present (again, in no particular order), the next 10 of 20 semifinalists for the Mochimochi Photo Contest. Please help out again by campaigning for your favorites!

After hearing your thoughts on the second batch, I’ll have the difficult job of selecting the 10 finalists. Then it’s up to you all again, when we’ll have the official vote at the end of the week.

And without further ado…

UPDATE 12/12/07: I’ve taken the images in this post down to save bandwidth, but you can still click on the links to see the photos!

Woodins Frolicking in Clover by evergreenknits
These little Woodins have found the perfect spot to play. How cute!

Bob Family by Knittygirlie
John pointed out to me how much this looks like a K-Mart family portrait. I can’t get over how funny and adorable it is.

Pepto the Elephant on a swing by mikkers!
Pepto is just waiting for someone to come and give him a big push! A great expression and nice colors.

Mochimochi Land Scene by jenifleur
This incredible landscape is how one knitter imagines Mochimochi Land to look. (And now it’s how I imagine it too!)

bff by sprytaen
A Heart and dog combo that couldn’t be sweeter. This pet is loved!

roasting marshmallows… by britegreenstar
Little did we know that after we go to bed, our Bobs while away the nighttime hours roasting Q-tip marshmallows and telling ghost stories…

Snake eating Mouse by Dknits
The annoyed look on Mouse’s face is just precious.

Good job Ninjabun! by Knittygirlie
Boy, this Ninjabun’s got more tricks up his sleeve than anyone suspected (least of all the unfortunate wrangled carrot)!

time to move on by giolou
An excellently framed scene in which Thurman the Evolving Punk reflects back on his slimy origins.

Festive Mochimochi Land Reindeer by tezzcan
This tiny reindeer couldn’t be more decked out for the holidays. (I bet he’s already got all of his Christmas shopping done too, the little brat!)

Let us know who your favorites are in the comments, and be sure to come back in a day or so for the final vote!

Semifinalists, Round One

I’m pleased to present (in no particular order) the first 10 of 20 semifinalists for the Mochimochi Photo Contest! John and I based our selections of the semifinalists on originality of scene, ingenuity of knitting, and quality of photo. These photos are all amazing, and very hard to choose among!

We need to narrow the 20 semifinalists down to 10, and you can help by campaigning for your favorites in the comments to this post. Tomorrow I’ll post the next 10 semifinalists, and then I’ll post the selected 10 finalists at the end of the week and voting will officially begin!

UPDATE 12/12/07: I’ve taken the images in this post down to save bandwidth, but you can still click on the links to see the photos!

Snake and Mouse nature scene by neferstie
We see the sleepy predator trying to swallow his mischievous prey in this nicely shot nature scene.

Cannibalism? by giolou
Is this Pepto-drinking-Pepto image funny or disturbing? Maybe both!

Rodent Roundup by muffychloe
Mischievous Mouse and a baby guinea pig. Need I say more? (Except maybe awwwww…)

Colorful Woodins by staveitoff
I love the color variation of these little guys! And it’s a beautiful photo.

Snake & Mouse Dia De Los Muertos Altar by knittygirlie
An awesome customized Snake and Mouse festively celebrating the life of the knitter’s grandmother.

A cloud on the horizon by knitfaced
What a gorgeous landscape! Rainycloud fits right in.

Mischievous Mouse smells a flower by mikkers!
Oh, Mischievous Mouse, you’re such a romantic!

How Ninjabun was Fooled by snuffykin
An altruistic Grass protects his carrot friend by dressing up as “the Great Carrot” to scare off a hungry Ninjabun. Click on the photo to read the whole story. (It has a happy ending!)

Bob in the wild by lizzie j b
I love the authentic flash-photography of this night scene, and the surprised look on Bob’s face! (Who knew that Bobs were nocturnal?)

One of these things is strangely like the others by mariannes stuff
Snake and Mouse go mini-golfing! Hilarity ensues.

Aren’t they all fantastic? Let us know which are your favorites in the comments, and come back tomorrow to see the remaining 10 semifinalists!