Charity Monkeys

Wow! Yesterday was soooooo busy running everywhere to get everything done. Well, I guess that's what I enjoy the most. Picked up some WONDERFUL tutus and bow-ties from my friend twomstutus.com who always comes through. Here is a picture of Mr. & Mrs. Monkey that are now ready for silent auction to help a young boy with major medical issues. Then off to the Ogden Animal Control to pick up the cutest little furry girl named Gypsy. She's supposed to be a affenpinscher, whatever that is......but, looks like a Schnauzer with a smushed face, longer, thicker, neck and legs. What a sweet girl! Put 123 miles on my car! Then, home to my sweet Bald-Headed Angel!! Today is voting day (early, anyway), so I'd better get outta my jammies and get going. Have a Marvy Day, all!!

Boy in Action

This is a picture I took through the fence at my neighbor's son. I was thrilled that I was able to catch him in an upside down flip!! I got my neighbor's permission to use this picture, and she loves it, too!! My son is going to be 24 and I think the best action shot I have of him recently would be at his wedding! Yaaaaay! So, this is my entry! Enjoy my little buddy Brayden.

Hugo Monkey

Well, it's been a while. Lots of things have changed in my fun and crazy and sometimes ultra-boring life.....many of which I will cover in another place at another time, perhaps. For now, back to Monkey Business!!!
Visited a really wonderful eatery in Salt Lake City last month. I was picking my VBF (Very Best Friend!) up from having her car serviced and she directed me and my car to The Oasis. It's on 100 S and 500 E (ish). What a zen and peaceful fun experience! We ate out on the hanging flower pot laden patio and managed to beat the hellacious rainstorm that day! Visited the Golden Braid Bookstore (and cool zen gift shop) afterwards (it's attached to the restuarant), and picked up a few used books and looked at lots and lots of cool stuff you don't need but really want to have!!
So, our waitress, this darling girl, walks up to our table and is rubbing her round pregnant belly! She's like 4 and 1/2 months along....anyway....so cute. In the spirit of I-always-enegage-and-get-in-the-business-of-perfect-strangers we all chatted and I ask, "what's up with this?" while mirroring her belly-rubbing motion. She says, "This is Hugo!" and we were off! She talked about her family, where she is from, where she's going, the love of little Hugo that just filled the patio was so refreshing!
So, I went home and got to work on the Hugo Monkey for my new favorite wait-person at The Oasis! My sewing is horrendous so the flannel shirt is misshapen beyond repair, and I hand embroidered 'Hugo' on the fabric before I fashioned the shirt.....what a dumas!! So, back to The Oasis me and vbf go. Darling wait-person's reaction was something to behold, and it made me so happy that I chose to give a monkey to her. Who knew that she is such a monkey-lover!! And she couldn't wait to get home and show her husband. She then sent me an email message with her 4-D photo of baby Hugo (which I admit was kind of a shock since I'd never seen one, but, how freakin' interesting!)
So, onward with my new experiences meeting new people and new places. I'm so happy that I get to share this with my Very Best Friend, too! She is such a great fan of mine, and I am also a fan of hers!! Works out well! hahahah.
Of course, my very best friend is always amused by my pouncing on strangers and their reactions to me. Most of the time it is a great time! Sometimes, not so much....but, that's for another post, too!
Here is a photo of Hugo Monkey in his ill-fitting flannel shirt. Rock On Hugo!!

Haaaay! Thought I'd better update on the Piper Monkey situation. Finally got him done and delivered (only like 2 years late!). Well, I thought he came out good and the recipiant seemed to appreciate getting him, being a real live human piper and all. And a darn good one at that! So, without further adue, here is Mr. Piper Monkey! (the clothing and hat are hand made (by me) and the leather pouch (I ALWAYS forget what it's called!) was a kit for something else that I just altered a bit, and the pipes are a mini magnet that plays Scotland the Brave...great fun!

Been Inspired

Well, found a few new awesome blogs and I still haven't started my new batch of monkeys for the season, but, bouy have I been inspired by some other really cool peeps!! I found some pictures of fun monkeys from last year, and got some great new ideas from blogs I've checked out. I have featured them here somewhere as I get the hang of this blogging thing, but, I am fighting over 50 onset A.D.D. really hard. Let's just see how that works out for me? You on board?
BTW, I mentioned that I had 10 naked monkeys I was working on when I started this blog. Well, they are completed and dressed and gone. Don't think I'll try to have one of my actual monkeys write a blog, seems it's been done and I don't want to be a total copy-cat, though it IS the purest form of flattery!! I did think of it some time last year, however, just didn't get to it : ) *lotsa smiling!* okay, off to the think-tank!!

More Sock Monkeys

Wanted to show you a couple sock monkeys that I've made over the last several months. As always, I've given some as gifts, one for a charity fund-raiser for bid, sold some, and here they are in all their glory. They seldom make it out the door without a little photo shoot. My big bald beautiful burley husband usually comments, "You're a dork!" while I'm doing that part.

I should tell you where I get all their cute clothing. Well, turns out I'm not so handy on the sewing machine (I have two! One for leather HA!). I made the cotton shirt and hat for the "Grateful Dead" Monkey. Made the outfit for the "hooker" monkey (that one was commissioned by a friend). That about sums up my home-made stuff.

I am currently working on a kilt for the "piper" monkey for my friend's 30th birthday that I missed, and whose expertise (along with his lovely wife) is seen herein on this blog. I'm not so good at creating sites, either, turns out, tee hee. (Anybody have an extra set of miniature bagpipes hanging around?)

Most of the clothing is, of course, you bright folks probably already figured it out, bear clothes. I find the best selection at Michael's Craft Store. I think there's one in every town these days. They carry the cute "Red Hat" outfit I blogged about for a minute once. That's from a company called (I think) Tweakie P. Sooooo cute!

I currently have 10 naked monkeys in the works. The curly jute hair is for the girls, unless you have a long-haired friend of any gender you'd like one for. I will surely donate at least one of them, but, let me know if you just have to have a monkey of your own. If you want to make one and have the socks, but not the instructions, I have paper instructions that came with all the socks I've stock-piled, out the waazzzooooo! And I'll mail them to you for free [the instructions, not the socks....but you ARE brighter than I thought!]. But, I think you can get them on the internet pretty easily.

Anything else you want to know about sock monkeys, just ask. If I don't know, I can sure find out. That's half the fun! Just finding out, dont' you think?

Obama Monkey

Really, did people really take offense to that? I hear that a couple from Sandy, Utah dressed a sock monkey to look like Obama. I dress my monkeys up in all different ways, whatever suits the fancy at the time. The good folks that enjoyed their monkeys and dressed one up like their favorite candidate should not be getting hate mail, and even death threats. I know very little about it, except that I heard they were supporters. People sure need to get on with the good stuff of life and stop looking for things that aren't there. Mean People do indeed suck! Love, Carol