Too Many Monkeys

Can a person have too many monkeys? I think I'm bordering on obsessed now. They have to be cute and small, but those are my only limits. I've picked up a few new ones lately..

I got this little dude at the Seattle Art Museum (which I love!) about a week ago. He's handmade by a fair trade women's cooperative in Nepal. I don't feel as guilty about this monkey because he's for a good cause.

What can you do when you're in a department store to exchange something and you walk past a really cute mug? What if that mug is 50% off? What if it's got really cute sock monkeys on both sides? Yep, you have to get it.

Oops, I bought some fabric too. This would make a great coupon organizer, don't you think?

The first step is admitting you have a problem. Some people just don't know when to stop. Not me, I'm done, really. I like pigs too, and kitties, and Snoopy! I've always wanted one of these. ;)

On My Desk - January 7, 2009

Hey! It's my first On My Desk post of the year...cool. Here's what's on my cutting table today...

I had a few bibs to make for orders. Too bad I can't sell the ones that are already made, haha. Perhaps if I get them listed in my shop, hmmm.


I made two new monkeys last night. Marsha and Sebastian. Marsha is monkey #550!!! Wow, and she's already been adopted. Goodbye Marsha.


(click this image to see how great the quilting is)
I've got some binding to do. Unfortunately, my shops are busy today so I'm going to have to get to this project tomorrow. The quilting was done at a shop with a long arm quilting machine. I wish I had one of those.

Aren't things supposed to be slow this time of year?

400 and Counting

I can't believe it myself. I have now officially passed the 400 mark on my list of monkeys. Crazy, eh? I'm so excited that they've done so well. Thanks so much to those of you've who've adopted one of my kooky little monkeys.

To celebrate this milestone I'm going to be having a little giveaway. Don't get too excited though, I'm not making it as easy as leaving a comment. Being the proper businesswoman I am, I'm going to make you buy lucky monkey #400 in order to win. Here's how it will work...

- I will be listing several new monkeys in my shop between now and Friday. One of these will be #400.

-Whoever happens to purchase this lucky monkey will also receive a custom monkey of their choice (Gadget Monkey, Nano Monkey, Monkey Pencil Cup or Monkey Cup Cozy)

-The winner will also get their monkey for free! Yep, not only will you win a free custom monkey, but I will refund the purchase price of lucky #400 (shipping too). If you're the winner and you've purchased more than one monkey, I'll just refund the price of the winning monkey. Sorry, I'm not that generous.

- I'm not going to give any hints as to which monkey it is, only that it will be listed some time between the time of this post and Friday, October 17th at 10:00pm PST. I will say that custom monkeys don't count. #400 is a finished monkey.

-Once the lucky monkey is purchased, the contest is over and I will make the announcement here.

Get out your Christmas list and decide who's gettin' a monkey this year, and Good Luck!

UPDATE: Great news! Mabel, monkey #400, has been adopted. Hooray! Congratulations to the winner.

On My Desk - August 20, 2008

Are you surprised to see monkeys on my table? Probably not. I'm working on a few custom orders right now, but I'm also trying to stock up a bit.


At the back of the table is a project for my cousin's son's 1st birthday this weekend. I plan to make a set of soft blocks to spell his name (Mark). You might remember him from this post. He's still super cute and doing quite well considering all of the medical drama he's been through. Nick and I are heading down to Orange County on Friday for the event so I better get sewing!

Monkey Coffee

A little while ago I received a request to use some of my Flickr photos in an article on nowpublic.com. I generally agree when I get these requests, I see it as free publicity. Anyway, I went on the site to check out the article and I had to point it out to you. Not only does it feature some great monkey photos (I love the monkey in the latte), but it's pretty interesting stuff.


I have to admit that what really struck me was the bit on top linking to an article about gourmet cat poo coffee on Wikipedia. Where have I been? Gourmet Cat Poo Coffee? ewwww

Sharing the Monkey Love

Just had to show you the super cool little monkey bag I purchased at the airport in Seattle. How could I not get this? Seriously.

And when I got home I found my new Monkey Travel Club business cards waiting for me on the front porch. This is the second set of cards I ordered from Vista Print and I must say, for the price they do a fine job.


A little while ago I got this baker's twine to wrap up my little monkey friends when they leave the nest. I don't want to take any business away from my fellow Etsians, but you can get this 2lb. spool for about $9 + shipping from this shop (their website is horrid, but hey, it's cheap), or get about 60' for the same price on Etsy. You decide. Just sayin', be sure to do a little research before you buy things like this.

Don't you think it looks like a sock monkey? hehe

Away Again

For those of you who've been dieing to know what I look like, here's a picture of Nick & I in the spot where our wedding will take place. It's been a very dry year here in California, so it's really brown right now. When April rolls around, though, these hills will be covered in tall grass & flowers. It should be beautiful. (Side note: I'm on my tippy toes & Nick's standing in a hole! HaHa)We spent the weekend out there with our friends & had a great time. I reserved a cake and might have found a caterer too. I guess that means the date is set. Nick's mom has booked a cool pub/restaurant in Britain for reception #2 as well. The ball is rolling fast now. It's very exciting.
As for my crafty news, I finally got some crochet time this week. I have a customer who requested four key chains. I had sent her one as a gift for buying lots of monkeys. I haven't added these guys to the shop yet.
They're a lot smaller than a regular Gadget Monkey, but the detail makes them slightly difficult to work on. I finished all four at the Farmer's Market on Thursday. Good thing too, I had one sale that day. It was my worst market at the Civic Center so far. Must have been the rain, it was really slow for everyone. No worries though. I also made four new Gadget Monkeys this weekend and I have a new bag to list today.
I don't want to go on all day, but I also need to show you the cool stuff I got in the mail last week. I don't buy a lot online, it's a money thing, but sometimes I can't resist. These folks do great work, check out their shops on Etsy.... My cousin & his wife just had their first baby in August, and I've been gathering cool baby stuff for months. This is not the only onesie (thanks to Jennifer and Lemon Cadet) little Mark will be getting from his Auntie Ginny this weekend, but it might get the most laughs. The shop is WeROnesieful, and they are truly onesieful. I love it!

My second fantastic find is from DogboneArt. We all know I'm a monkey fan, but have you seen these monkey muffins? Oh my gosh! I've been coveting them for a long time, but when I saw the Dorky Candy Cane Brothers I just had to give in. Mine is called Buck Toothed Bob and he's for a friend of mine. (We have this "candy corn thing"). Anyway, I'm keeping the monkey muffin for myself. He's going to look cool on my new sewing room shelf.
If you're jealous, and I know you are, go check out these fine shops and have a great week.