A Monkey for Mary

Dan's mom is known in the family as "Busia" (pronounced "boo-sha") which is Grandma in Polish (her heritage). For Christmas this year Dan decided that Busia needed a monkey.

She got Mabel.

And she liked it:

Monkey-a-Rama

As always I have a monkey in every state of creation.

Here are a few of the ones I've been working on.

A visual representation of my greatest skill—starting projects without finishing them:

Jinger, Julie and I had a monkey making night! I think Jinger was inhaling the polyfill . . . Jinger?


Every year my place of work has a silent auction for the United Way. This time I donated "Stripey Striperson" and "Dottie McHottie." A co-worker won them both and gave them to his 2 kids. Fun!


My aunt commissioned me to make monkey finger puppets to go along with the story "Five Little Monkeys." Dan is modeling the first batch of monkeys. The second photo is of the doctor monkey who is crucial to the plot line of the book. :)

2008: A Frantic Finish

The holidays were without a doubt a very busy yet very fun few weeks. I am going to post some pictures of the holiday hubbub along with some pictures of projects I completed along the way.

Monkey Mania:





Shannon's fiancee Dave received a monkey and the little guy couldn't stop staring at Shan:


Isaac is another recipient of a monkey - I can tell this monkey will be loved:


Scarflettes for my Grandma (pink) and my future mother-in-law (blue):



A photo mosaic of my dad's cars:


A couple of birds to put on Etsy:



All the while making time for decorating the tree, participating in wedding shower silliness, and snowshoeing through the beautiful northwoods:




Now for a very productive 2009! More crafting, visiting family, and oh yes, a wedding!

Monkeys Part Deux

Monkey Line-up

A new batch of monkeys!

Project Progress

Just a few pictures showing the projects I've been working on the past week!

Birds for red-haired Shannon:


Monkeys for fun (the guy on the right needs some ears - oops!):


I gathered a bunch of rocks and bark at the Porcupine Mountains. I was inspired to make this little guy. I'm thinking a whole series of these "Creatures of Nature" would be fun! What do you think?

Baby Loves Monkey

My good friend Gina had a baby about a month ago. Little Will needed a monkey friend to hang out with. It looks like Will wasn't quite ready to play yet.

Will Make Monkeys for Money

A co-worker saw the monkeys I made for the silent art auction at work and asked if I would make one for her daughter. I said yes and then had to tell her what I charged.
Um, so far nothing.
Putting a dollar amount on crafty creations can be very tricky. I tend to low ball (read: free) because I am usually making them for a friend or relative. This sock monkey commission was a challenge because I didn't know this co-worker that well. I finally came up with a price and she said, "Are you sure?" Well, at that point I couldn't make the price higher. So, she ordered two! To prove that the monkeys were worth more than I charged, she tucked the money in a Starbucks gift card which was equal to the amount of one monkey. Now I know I can charge more—or just ask for gift cards in exchange!

So, as a result these 2 little creatures were created—too cute for words. Although her adorable daughters are giving these monkeys a run for their money!

Happy Birthday, Shan!

You're never too old to get a sock monkey for your birthday!

Another pretty face:


Ready to give Shannon a cupcake:


Looking forward to meeting Shannon!



Here we go!

Hoppy Easter!

Sock monkeys didn't seem right for Easter so I made sock bunnies. My friend Barbara actually asked me to make some for her. I played around with it and liked the outcome! Hippity Hoppity Easter's on its way (anyone remember that song?).

Bunnies for Barbara . . .
Pre-faces:


All finished:



Easter Bunny 2008

Monkey Time

Red-haired Shannon* came over tonight to learn how to make sock monkeys.
He's not quite sewn together yet, but how cute is he?


* I have 3 Shannon's in my life so it's necessary for me to give them specifying names. This particular Shannon was easy to name.

Meet My Monkey

This is the second sock monkey I made. He still needs a mouth.

He's begging for a name, isn't he?
He's feeling like a Harold or a Louis to me. What do you think?