Grumpy Cat
I love the internet, and I love cats. When Grumpy Cat came along, I fell in love with her little sour face.
My cat, Bastet, the Duchess of Mean is grumpy for sure, but doesn’t have the permanent scowl. As part of my internet cats mini quilts, I give to you, Grumpy Cat.
Click here to see Keyboard Cat and Nyan Cat.
Star Wars Quiltlet 2- Light Up Jawa
This weekly quilt is actually being given away to a lucky friend who likes Star Wars, specifically R2D2 and Jawas. As I was making light up projects, said friend was encouraging and I thought this would make a great birthday present, which is next week. Happy Birthday!
Japanese New Year traditions
Akemashite omedetou gozaimasu! (Happy New Year!)
I’m very into Japanese traditions and culture, and New Year is a special time that the Japanese celebrate in a special way.
These are my mini kadomatsu (the bamboo pieces that hold the ancestral spirits) and the New Year animal, which is the usagi (rabbit). I also have my shimenawa, which is a twisted rope wreath.
We have a great Japanese grocery store but it’s not exactly nearby. I wanted to get over there to buy some kagami mochi this year but didn’t get a chance to. Instead I made this little version and put it on a display stand. It’s made out of craft felt cut in decending circles and stuffed.
Zansho Omimai moushi agemasu!
So, How are you in this lingering heat? This phrase comes from a Japanese tradition of sending a little postcard in summer that inquires how your friends and family are doing in the heat of summer. I particularly love Japanese traditions like this. They make me feel happy. So please consider this my little postcard to you!
When I was a kid I loved “Little Twin Stars” by Sanrio so much that I bypassed all of the Hello Kitty stuff just to buy this stuff instead. I remember someone in my family had a small collection on a dresser that was only up to my nose in height, and I stood in front of that dresser for hours staring at the Little Twin Star things that she had collected. Now when I see cute things from Japan I snap them up quick!
Hina Matsuri!
It’s Hina Matsuri, and here is my display! I have a few more things in my Hina collection for this year, including a solar bobble doll set, a beautiful cotton scarf that is hanging as the background, candy from a trip to Mitsuwa in Arlington Heights, and my weekly quilt from my Japanese Doll series. The center item on the platform is sugar candy.
Click here to see my display from last year!
I still have my kimono Hello Kitty doll, but she’s not in the picture. I bought some hina-arare but I ate it already. There some more hina snacks in the plastic bag on the left of the picture I saved to the actual day. My DH has become quite enamored with the mochi cakes in the fridge I bought, so let’s hope they last until tonight!
The next festival is Hanami, or cherry blossom viewing. It’s far too cold here yet for that, we still have snow. But it would be a welcome to spring!