hello kitty everything!!

I saw this for sale in an ebay store out of China, they're selling it as a ceramic coin bank. But if you've ever seen this type of sculpture before, you know what it is.













Haniwa are clay figures made in Japan around the Kofun period. They were used for burial rituals and later as part of the retaining wall of the burial mound.
I actually made one in a college sculpture class as a culture project, so I was excited to see this. It's $25 including shipping, and I've never seen another like it. I love HK and her pals and I would model my house after Hello Kitty Castle, but that would cost a pretty penny. This quaint mix of new and old is too unique to pass up. I have to have it.
Here's my neko haniwa:Also, Piku-Zuwari!!Suko-zuwari is when a cat, after or during grooming, sits like a person. This new craze is, of course, from Japan. The phrase comes from the word for scottish fold (the breed of cat who does this a lot apparently): sukotishu and zuwari (sitting). This is Pickle having a sit, hence, Piku-zuwari. And here's Qing being naughty:

mini projects, part two

A friend donated this Thai spirit house to the mini cause and I couldn't stop thinking about the forest it needed to be in, so, I made one.I wanted a terraced garden box with legs and realized I was going to have to build it myself.It took some geometry to get the top diamond to stand perfectly on the bottom rectangle, and about a hundo in wood for the 4' x 2'10" planter.
I put it all together in about 4 hours, and spent another two planting it.

Now the back porch needs to be organized and cleaned so I can enjoy it fully.The fountain works (the wire is buried and sticks out the side) but I don't want to leave it running because that would be a waste of electricity, and I don't want to leave standing water in it or mosquitoes will take over. Maybe I'll replace it with a zen rock garden. I still need some more of that tiny palm (for a lower bamboo forest around back), more juniper, some sheet moss to imitate grassy hills, and a couple more bonsai. Benches, bridges and fencing will add detail.

Also, the spirit house itself needs some repair, sanding and maybe painting.I need to clean out the inside and make a banquet table with an elaborate satin or brocade runner and give the house a treasure, maybe that "jade" (glow in the dark) buddha. I need to find some tiny vases for flowers and incense, and maybe some tiny worshipers.

If the sanding doesn't go well, I might try to go with traditional colors: white, green, gold.
Still so much work to do...

mini projects, part one

making new tables for the bed room,

































and a shelf for the kitchen



new room layout with new loving family deluxe bed, and the two balsa wood tables I made..






























also, i made some sailor moon tv screens for my sylvanian tv





























cuteness

Kitty Time!

Recently I was organizing our photos and realized we have a lot of cat pics.. So many that they are divided up into folders by cat names. I thought I'd see who gets the most camera time, who the real favorite is.. Whose likeness will reign supreme?
Wimpy: 6 (No surprise here, he's only been with us for a month or two; also, we didn't name him..)
Pickle: 16 (Big upset here! I need to get out the camera! Pix isn't #5 in my heart! Also, we didn't name him, either!)
Thomas: 25
Qing: 27 (pronounced Ching)
Peanut: 35 (Almost the best, you'll always be mommy's fav, pean! Yes, I named him peanut.)
Guy: 73 (Daddy's Golden Boy wins with more than double the runner-up's pics! Pssh!)
Well, the results are in... By virtue of being in more photos than any other cat, Guy must be the favorite. Here he is in all his glory. The pic behind him is when he was an ugly duckling kitten.So going through group photos, I've found the pics we took every time we thought we had all the cats in one pic. Of course, one by one, the clowder grew from 2 to 6.

Inspirational Kimono Chocolates

These cuties make me want to throw a tea party. A kimono, matcha, and fresh cut flowers tea party. Their beauty almost makes them inedible, but alas, they are chocolate. Mmm kawaii shokora. Chocolat Moderne $36 for 6 oz.. yikes. Oh, but they'd be too cute on my sushi plates!
They remind me of this kimono inspired house coat/ short evening dress I've been wanting to make for a long time. More loose and ornate for a house coat- think of 40's/ 50's "brunch coat" only shorter, not a bath robe. I have this vision of sea foam green silk layers under golden brocade with long draping sleeves and a cute short skirt (not to skanky with some leggings..) For around the house, not really to go out in.. Or single layered light fabric with regular 3/4 sleeves for a simple evening dress. This sketch isn't quite what I have in mind. I'm having a hard time putting it down on paper, so I'll probably have a harder time putting it together...
Also inspiring some more sketches: the Vietnamese AoDai
Neither have the traditional pants underneath, I've opted to give them more western hip curves with skirts that billow out of the front and back panels of the dress. The red and gray one really only borrows the collar and sleeves that resemble early styles of ao dai. The collarless design of the white one was actually popular in the late 50's, and the short bunched sleeves keep the whole thing light and summery. I'm going to need to go do some studying at JoAnn's to learn some fabric names.. I think I need one of their classes on sewing machines, too. I love my Husqvarna Viking but I have to get out the manual just to thread it.

New Stuff..

2 new bodies and 3 new heads..


Volks 27 Teen has delicate features and flexible joints, giving her the most natural silhouette. Most Re-Ment clothes fit her perfectly, BUT she's definitely to tall for their furniture.
Obitsu 25 cm is perfect scale to Re-Ment objects and furniture. I thought she was pretty flexible, until I got the Volks Teen, but I will say she is the most stable. She stands well on her bare feet, something the Teen can't do.
Volks EB Mini is the least stable and may be flexible but I feel like I'm going to break a joint if I twist too hard. Also, Her wri sts, shoulders and ankles are all placed a little to o high so she looks wierd when her limbs are bent. So why have her at all? No visible joints! Goo d for shorts and bikinis. But her proportions are a little cartoon-y and her feet are crazy. They're like flimsy Barbie feet. These Re-Ment Converse are the only shoes that keep her on her feet.

I hurried the blue one so her eyes are blurry.. so she needs a touch up and the old brunette gets a total re-do. The new Obitsu heads (blonde and black) have super silky hair and very natural faces. I use markers, art pens and white out.

"Forest Walk"

Another sunny spring day in Florida...