OMG IT'S OGGY1

Well, the St. Agatha Holiday Bazaar is over and Momma Cat is taking a break from making things to sell.  She does not, however, stop working completely, at any time! 

So, immediately after the bazaar, she started making this cute little guy that was in a book that Daddy Cat bought her for Christmas last year.

He likes sitting on the back of the chair (better view, he says)

His name is Oggy.  Momma Cat thinks he may have some other sea friends out there that we'll be seeing soon. Oggy has mentioned something about a lobster buddy......

The funny thing too is that Momma has never seen Oggy even close to any kind of water, salt or otherwise!  Kinda makes you think, doesn't it?

- Momma Cat

ST. AGATHA HOLIDAY BAZAAR

I can't believe I almost forgot to post this on my blog!  This is the event that Baby Cat and I have been participating in for over 15 years!  I guess my only excuse is that I've been so busy at work, and getting ready for the bazaar that I haven't even been thinking about blogging at all!

Anyway, the St. Agatha Holiday Bazaar is this weekend!  That's right, the day after tomorrow!  I hope you will be able to stop by and see me.  Baby Cat is in California, so she won't be joining us this year, but she'll have some of her Dream Creations to sell there.  

Here's the Bazaar flyer with all the details.

I hope to be a better blogger in the future.  Until then, I hope to see all of you at the Bazaar!

- Momma Cat

GETTING READY FOR THE ST. AGATHA HOLIDAY BAZAAR 2015

Momma Cat has been up to her eyeballs in work since she got back from her vacation!  She is working on a number of items for the upcoming St. Agatha Holiday Bazaar.  This year it will be on November 7 and 8, so there is not much time to lose!!!

She's made all these bags

 

Quilted Cotton Bag

Quilted Cotton Bag

Faux Suede Bag

Lining Of Faux Suede Bag

Then she made this cute little Alien Cat out of some metallic yarn that a co-worker/friend gave her.

He's little, he's cute, he's out of this world!

Now she's working on another bag, and another cat at the same time!  
 

Fabric for the new bag

Parts for the new Alien Cat

Let's hope she doesn't get their parts mixed up!!!

- Momma Cat

THE CATS GO ON A HAWAIIAN VACATION!!!

That's right!  Momma Cat and Daddy Cat recently went on vacation to the big island of Hawaii!  It was our first vacation alone together since before Baby Cat, and Baby Brother Cat were born!!!!!

We went to visit Big Sister and Brother-In-Law Cat in Waikoloa for about 10 days.  Which, believe me, wasn't nearly long enough!!!  

Here's a picture of their house.

The front view from the pool

 Notice the beautiful swimming pool, in which Momma Cat learned how to snorkel, which is a minor miracle, since she doesn't swim a lick!

Here's a picture of Daddy Cat at Hapuna Beach, right after he went boogie-boarding in the Pacific Ocean.  That was a first for him too!  The water was warm and rough, and we had tons of fun!  We also both got pretty  sun-burnt even though we slathered ourselves with sunscreen!  It was worth it though.  So beautiful!

Daddy Cat at Hapuna Beach

Big Sister and Brother-In-Law Cats at Hapuna Beach

 Later on in the afternoon we had a tremendous storm!  It was amazing, but it stayed warm and humid for our entire trip.

One day we went up to Maunakea to see the Keck Observatory and the other telescopes.  It was beautiful and otherworldly.

At the visitor's center we stopped to get acclimated, and we got to see this endangered plant, called the Silver-sword.  Isn't it gorgeous?!

Silver Sword

Looks like you're on the moon up there at 14,000 ft.

Daddy Cat at the Keck Observatory

 Another day we drove to Volcanoes National Park and went to Kiluea to see the volcano.  It's very beautiful and serene up there even though it's alive!!

The caldera on Kilauea

This is not an exceptional picture, but it was overcast and I couldn't get any closer.  Maybe that's not such a bad idea, huh?

These picture were all taken at Pu'u honua o' honaunau, meaning Place Of Refuge where Hawaiians had to swim to, if they had broken any rules against King Kamehameha.

Pu'u honua o' honaunau  (place of refuge)

Brother-In-Law Cat, Big Sister Cat, and Daddy Cat

Three handsome guys

We had a wonderful lunch at the Kona Inn!  Momma Cat had a Squid-burger (calamari sandwich) which was so tasty, she almost couldn't stand it!

Squid Burgers are so delicious!!!!!!

We went to South Point which is the southernmost point of the United States and enjoyed beautiful scenery and gorgeous waves.  The surf was incredible down there because of all the hurricane activity in the Pacific at that time!  So we enjoyed the water from the land!!

We had many more adventures and really enjoyed ourselves a lot.  Maybe some day I'll get my act together and put all my photos and memories into an album!  Until then, I leave you with this short glimpse into a marvelous time that neither Daddy Cat or I will ever forget!

- Momma Cat

SASSAFRASSITY

There's a relatively new store in my neighborhood called Sassafrassity.  That's right!  It's very cute and has an assortment of items which are either vintage, re-purposed, or handmade.  I urge you to go there and check it out, if you haven't already.  The address is 8326 SE 17rh Avenue, in Portland, Oregon.  You'll be glad you did!

Here's a really cute vintage poster that I bought there this summer.  

Isn't it great?  I'm going to hang it in my sewing room, but I think I'd like to frame it first even though it came encased in plastic.  There are other WWII posters there as well, but this one spoke to me.  

I also picked up these wonderful ceramic garden markers.  They're sturdy, waterproof, and they'll never fade!  Don't you just love them? 

Sassafrassity also has a nice variety of houseplants, if you're looking for a new plant baby!

You should make your way there soon, then go back in a couple of weeks and see all the new things they have to offer!  You're gonna love it!!!

- Momma Cat

LACE WRAP, ETC.

For those of you who may have thought that Momma Cat's been idle as of late, you couldn't be farther from the truth!  

In addition to working five days a week, albeit part-time, at JoAnn's, Momma has been very busy keeping her gardens growing.

See the little dragon fly sculpture I got from an art sale?!!  Isn't it great?!

Making this lovely crochet wrap, with lace-weight yarn.

This shawl is narrow, long, and very lightweight

Close-up view

This shawl was made of baby alpaca, and silk hand dyed and spun yarn.  It's so nice to work with!

Making all these baby gifts to send to our niece in Pennsylvania!

Crocheted bear, changing pads, blankets, and burp cloths, all hand made

A cute door sign, Peter Rabbit book, and decorative box

Can you believe all that fit in one box?!

Making all these baby gifts to take to our niece in Woodburn
 

All this, plus one blanket and four more burp cloths fit in one box!

Now she's working on another crochet project.  This one is a DK weight lace shawl.

Partially finished shawl

This shawl is made using Bamboo Pop yarn.  A favorite of Momma Cat's!

What Momma Cat doesn't seem to have much time for is blogging!  I'm sorry that I've been out of it, but I plan to keep on plugging away, one day at a time! That is, as soon as I get back from vacation!!!

- Momma Cat  

THIS + THAT = WOW!!!

Since I work at a fabric store, I'm always seeing fabric that I "just have to have!"  Sometimes I actually have a plan for it before I buy it.  But, only sometimes.

In this particular case, I saw this fabric and immediately thought I could make myself some new bedroom curtains.  The problem was, there wasn't quite enough yardage to do the trick.  But, I bought it anyway and tried, to no avail, to find more fabric online, and in the other stores.  So I just bagged it for awhile.  Eventually I found another fabric I liked and made that into my bedroom curtains.

Well, then the next spring came, and the fabric reappeared on the shelf at work!  So, I bought some more yardage, this time thinking that I would use it in my sewing room.  I started working on the curtains last winter, but I wanted to get my sewing room straightened out and organized first before I finished and hung up curtains.  That seemed only logical to me!  

Recently, I sat myself down and gave myself a serious talking to.  Now, you know you're not an organized individual, I said to me.  So, if you wait until you have your room organized, you will NEVER get to hang up your pretty curtains!  You're right, I said!  Maybe finishing and hanging the curtains will actually make me want to do more cleaning and organizing too I said!

So, I sat down and finished my curtains.  Then I hung up my curtains.  Now my room looks pretty, and disorganized!

So this

Cute fabric

Plus that

 

Trusty Sewing Machine

Equals Wow!

Lovely Curtains

Notice that I'm not showing you the rest of my sewing room?!

Don't put off doing something you like because you're not organized. It'll just make you crazy!  You'll be happier if you finish your project and maybe you'll get inspired to make other changes in the process!

- Momma Cat

ANGELICAT

Okay, I realize that not everyone loves cats and thinks that they're angelic.  But............. when I saw this little cutie, I thought, now that's an Angelicat!  

My co-worker, who shall remain nameless, said that she looked more like a cat that died!  Well, since I totally disagreed, I bought her and brought her home.  She will eventually make it out into our garden.  But since I've worked the last nine days in a row, I haven't really had the time to choose the proper place for her to be.  

I wanted to share her with all of you first.  Meet Angelicat!

Angelicat, sent to watch over Momma Cat's garden

At first, I thought about spray painting Angelicat black, but now I'm thinking that she'd look better just the way she is.  What do you think?

- Momma Cat

READY FOR A MIDNIGHT CAT???

Not a midnight snack!  A Midnight Cat! This particular cat was inspired by my love of black cats, but most importantly my current cat, Midna (so named by Baby Brother Cat).  

Anyway, it's been so much fun making cats from the Bernat Pipsqueak yarn, I wanted to make one in black.  Alas, Bernat Pipsquak does not come in black! So I had to find a substitute.  I chose this black yarn called Beautiful by Purl Essence, which I got at JoAnn Fabrics and Crafts.  It's not quite the same weight as the Pipsqueak, and it's a little fuzzier, so my cat came out smaller and looking quite differently than her predecessors.  But, she's adorable and I love the way she turned out!  

Here's Midnight in all her glory with a sparkly red ribbon, so you can see her at night!  She's got her paw on my iPod, so I think she may be going to listen to some tunes!

Midnight in the daylight

Now. you know how hard it is to photograph black cats.  Midnight was no exception.  She looks a little freaked out in this photo, but I think it was because the camera flash might've frightened her a little bit.

- Momma Cat

SWEET LITTLE DOLL GETS A NEW DRESS!

A year or so ago, Momma Cat found a lovely little doll at a garage sale.  The doll was dressed in a pink and white dress that was way too big for her, and sock with red tennis shoes.  Needless to say, her look needed to be updated.  

A couple of weeks ago, Momma Cat purchased some fabric and went to work.  She ordered the shoes and socks from CR's Crafts, but everything else was made by Momma Cat.

Sweet Girl in her new dress

 So, drop me a line and let me know what you think of her new outfit.  She also doesn't have a name yet.  So, if you have a good one, let me know!

- Momma Cat

MOMMA CAT'S FAVORITE KIND OF HORSE!

Years ago, long before Momma Cat had Baby Cat or Baby Brother Cat, maybe even before she married Daddy Cat, she was on a little car trip with Big Sister Cat, and Brother-in-law Cat.  They were driving through the countryside, and Momma Cat spied a group of horses trotting across some open land.  Momma Cat said, "Oh wow!  There's my favorite kind of horse!"  Big Sister Cat said, "What is your favorite kind of horse?''  Momma Cat replied, "Brown with a black mane and tail!"  

Well, apparently this was not a "kind" of horse, but a color type.  Big Sister Cat had a good laugh at Momma Cat's expense!  This color type is called a Bay, and there are many variations it seems.

This is Momma Cat's favorite "kind of horse"

Recently Momma Cat decided to try making her "favorite kind of horse" out of yarn.  Here he is, he's just a foal, some day he'll be big enough to ride!

He tried sitting on the back of the couch, but he fell over!

Here he is showing off his beautiful mane and tail!

Poor little baby horse doesn't have a name yet, though!  If you can suggest a suitable name for such a fine animal, I would be glad to consider it. 

- Momma Cat

MAKING CATS WITH CAT YARN!

Yes, Cat Yarn!  I'm not making it up!  But, it's not yarn made from cat hair, it's yarn died to look like cat fur!  It's made by Ancient Arts Yarns.  It's 100% Superwash Merino Wool.  This particular yarn is the Calico Cat DK yarn, from the Meow Collection.  So cute!

I got my yarn at Yarntastic Fiber Arts, in Portland. Yarntastic is a little shop over in the Sellwood-Moreland business district.  It's just a couple of doors south of the Moreland Theatre on SE Milwaukie Avenue.

Anyway, this cat yarn is so cute, I decided to make some crocheted cats out of it! There's quite a bit of yardage in one skein (225 yards), so I was able to make both of these cats, and I still have yarn left over!
 

Momma Cat's cats made out of Cat Yarn! Whoa!!!!

These cats will be on display at Yarntastic along with the beautiful Cat Yarn.  So stop by and see them, the Cat Yarn, and all the other beautiful yarn that is for sale there.

While you're there, say hi to Leslie and Dave (the owners), and tell them that Momma Cat sent you!

- Momma  Cat

 

MOMMA CAT WINS BIG AT THE MULTNOMAH COUNTY FAIR!

Today Daddy Cat and I walked down to the fair with Maureen Cat and Tom Cat (yes, that's his name), to see all the exhibits.  Well, we were pleasantly surprised when we walked over to the Needle Craft department, and saw what Momma Cat won!

Momma's Foal and her bag w/accessories on the right

 First we saw that Momma had won two First Premium blue ribbons and two Best Of Show rosettes for her foal, and her bag with all the accessories!

Vanilla Cat with a First Premium ribbon

Then we walked around the other side and saw that Vanilla Cat won a First Premium blue ribbon too!  Boy, was Momma Cat happy!!!

There were a lot of really nice things in the exhibit hall!  If you haven't been to the Fair in a while, you should go.  There's needle craft, photography, painting, plants, vegetables, food, youth exhibit,  and other interesting things.

Besides the exhibits, there are the rides, and the animals, of course.  Then, there are many little booths with good things to eat and drink.  Last, but not least, were the Alaskan Pig Races!  We got to see little porkers running and jumping over hurdles!  If that's not entertainment, then I don't know what is!

The atmosphere there is a little old-fashioned, but it's still a lot of fun, and a great way to spend some time with family and friends!  Also, there are picnic areas so you can bring and prepare your own food, if that appeals to you, and don't forget to ride the sweet little train that circles around the fair grounds!

 Now, Momma Cat has to go home and watch "Picnic" (even though the movie is set on Labor Day).  It happens to her every time she goes to the fair!

Happy Memorial Day!

- Momma Cat

MOMMA CAT'S 2015 MULTNOMAH COUNTY FAIR ENTRIES

Well, this year Baby Cat is in Southern California, so she won't be entering anything in the Multnomah County Fair, but Momma Cat will! 

I am planning to enter my crocheted foal, and my crocheted cat.  I really had a lot of fun making them, and I think they turned out very well.

The foal attempting to sit up

Vanilla Cat relaxing in the chair

Last, I have this bag and matching accessories that I made.  I totally love this fabric!  I wish I had a lot more money to buy it all up and make a zillion more things with it.  But, perhaps this is enough.  

 

Bag with knitting needle case, cup cozy, tissue holder, crochet hook case, needle case, and scissors case

I really love having everybody see my creations, and winning prize ribbons is a great ego booster, I have to tell you!

The fair is coming up soon, on Memorial Day Weekend, so wish me luck!!!!!

- Momma Cat