Best Buds- custom CARS inspired sock monkeys!

I  love  custom orders that challenge me to create something I've never done before. I have made all sorts of sock monkeys, but I've never had to use a car as inspiration! These monkeys are for a little boy turning two. He really likes the movie Cars, and his momma wanted sock monkeys styled after the two main characters, Lightening McQueen and Tow Mater!

 See the resemblance?

 Besides making their faces look like the characters, I wanted to add a fun patch on each one, just to add some more detail! Lightening got a lightening bolt and his number 95, and Mater got his towing logo.

 Best buds forever! I think they turned out really cute. I hope the birthday boy loves his cuddly new one-of-a-kind sock monkeys! 

Last five Sock Monkey Ornaments!

I am all out of this fabric now, and it's out of print. I'm hoping to find more somewhere, but until then, these are the last five sock monkey ornaments! These ornaments are perfectly puffy, bright and cheery, and are great for little kids too! They are in the shop. There's still time to order before Christmas! :)

New item in the shop!

(No pictures of the maternity tops I made yet, sorry! Soon!)

Lately, I have been rather obsessed with all things miniature. Maybe it's all the tiny newborn size clothes I've been washing, folding, and putting away... especially the socks!! Everything is cute when it's teeny tiny, don't you agree?

A few years ago, I made my sister a miniature owl with a tiny clear pocket on the back for a photo. It has a ribbon from the top and hangs from her rear view mirror in her car. I've been wanting to make more for a while, but I didn't want them to be more versatile, so I finally decided to add strong magnets in the back instead! Now they can stick onto anything metal!

All the pieces cut out and ready to be sewn:

14 mini owls! I like how they're all looking in different directions. Kade thinks it looks like they're wearing glasses. Spectacled Owls, how adorable!

This is how big they are. A mere 2 inches wide by about 2.5 inches high! And the magnets are inside them, so they can't fall off and become a hazard for little kiddos. They are super strong, too!

All packaged and ready to go spread some owl love around the world! :)
Check them out *here*!

A Herd of Snugglesauruses

I recently made some new dinos for the shop! They are similar to an item I used to make, but these are even better... they have an improved design, stand up by themselves, and have two rows of adorable ruffles down their back! Just the right size for babies, and super cute too! There are seven different fabrics I used for the ruffles, here is a sampling:




And here is the whole herd lined up for a group photo:


Fun stuff :)

New Mini Sock Monkeys...

Look what I started today!

These teeny little guys and gals will be perfect for an Easter basket, or just to celebrate Spring! There will be six, and I'm planning to have them done and listed on Etsy this week. If you'd like to reserve one, please let me know!

Hope you're all having a lovely weekend! :)

The One and Only TMNT Leonardo Sock Creature!

In the past, I have created a Spider Man Sock Monkey, a Star Wars Sock Monkey, and many other unique sock creatures. Last month, I received a request for one that I was really excited to create. Remember Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? I used to watch that all the time at my friend Rae's house, when we were about 10 years old. The TMNT I made is Leonardo. He's the one with the blue bandanna, and the swords. I did some research, to make sure he was detailed exactly after the 80's/90's cartoon, and went to work. Here is the result:



The best part- the swords can either be attached (by an elastic band) to the hands, or slid into the belt on the back of the shell!!


I hope the recipient enjoys his custom Leonardo Sock Creature! I'm considering making another TMNT... it was really fun... we'll see!

Why I have been so busy!

Here is the answer: Lots and Lots of custom orders! I currently caught up and just waiting for more. I'm sharing a few pictures with you today, but this isn't even all!








(This was a gift for a friend of mine. I don't know if it will fit her baby all at the same time, because I guessed on the sizes for everything, but I think it's cute! Love sock monkeys!)





Next, I'll be sharing pictures of the second ever Sock Chicken, a Sock Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, and an adorable plush horsie!

Open Heart Surgery

Performed by... ME!!! The patient came through just fine :) Here are a couple pics. I have to warn you though... if you're squeamish, look away!

Pre-Surgery:
Looks pretty good! But, the customer wanted the heart to say something different. I love to personalize things, and I can do so to pretty much any of my items for sale. So if you ever see anything in my shop but you wish it had a patch or said something else, don't hesitate to ask! Most of the time I even make little changes like these free of charge. If it takes longer than 20 minutes or so, I do charge a small fee of about $5.


(Hey- I just noticed in this picture that miss sock monkey here has a wild crazy pink string coming out of her ear! She should get something done about that.... not normal!)

Mid-Surgery:
The patient is comfortable and asleep and I begin the heart surgery. I have tiny little scissors especially for jobs like these! I go very gently and slowly... a mistake would be bad at this point!


Post-Surgery:
The heart is all sewn up! The stitches will never come out. Sock monkey now has a brand new pink heart for Leila. I hope she will be happy with it!

Play on Words

Literally! :)
This is something new I'm working on.
Here is the tag that will be tied on to the drawstring bag
(This one is for Banden, the son of a good friend of mine):

Comes with it's own carrying case to keep things organized and easily transportable. The little one also fits into the large bag.

Inside is a stack of hand cut, double layered felt letters, and a rolled up mat.

Unroll the mat, and now you can see that it is a matching game!


Now Banden has a fun new way to learn how to spell his name!

*These are not yet available in the shop. However, if any of you want one of these for a child in your life, I am offering them at a discounted rate, while I make more practice ones to figure out the best way to do things! Just let me know :)

and the winner is.............

Hmm, lets count up to thirty... OK.... HERE SHE IS!!!

WOOHOO!!!! Congratulations!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'll send an email your way and get your prize out to you! Here's what you won:

~*~*~*~

I just wanted to say a big *THANK YOU*

...to every person who entered!! You all are so great, thanks for visiting my blog, you are welcome back any time! I really loved doing this giveaway, and I am planning more for the future! Maybe even a sock monkey...
who knows?! :)

~*~*~*~

My ONE YEAR ETSY-VERSARY!!!!!!

*
*
***UPDATE***

click here to see who the winner is!!!


***GIVEAWAY CLOSED***
The winner will be announced tomorrow, August 11th! THANKS everybody!!! :)

July 27th marks ONE YEAR since I joined Etsy!

Since then, I have had almost 80 sales, almost 500 hearts, been on the front page at least 2 times, met some new friends, and had lots of fun!! I think this is something worth celebrating, don't you?? Here are a couple of my firsts I'd like to share with you-

My first sold item:

A custom order pair of sock monkeys!

The first shop I hearted:

dapperduds - cute stuff for babies, and lots more!

The first shop to heart me:
Mehran - a handbag should be as unique as you!

My first blog post:
Messenger Owls


My first sale:
(Only one item left!)
Little girl purses on sale!

And now, the FIRST (but definitely not last):
BLOG CONTEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

I am giving away a prize pack of *three items*
worth $35, to one lucky person!
One Plush Messenger Owl, one owl wallet,
and one girls and boys magnet set.



The rules are simple. There are TWO ways to win.

• Write about this contest in your own blog. Then, leave me a comment to this post with your link!

• If you don't have a blog, just leave me a comment telling me your favorite item from my etsy shop.

You must make sure to leave the comment in this post in order to win the prize! *NOTE* You can enter both ways, to double your chance of winning! Remember to leave one post for each entry. Please don't enter more than two times!

The contest will end 2 weeks from now,
on Sunday, August 10th.

I will pick the winner using the
Random Number Generator on August 11th.

The winner will be notified by email or by a comment on their blog, so make sure to leave me a way to get a hold of you! :)

Ready, set...... GO!!!

"And that's when I re-neckulized that hippomapotomases were vegimaterians."

It's funny sometimes, trying to decode a 4 year old's language! "Re-neckulize" is my son's new word. It's a mix between "remember" and "realize" and he uses it for both, quite frequently. Also, he's been adding "ma" into every word that has five syllables or over.

OK, it's time for a little thing I like to call...

FRIDAY FAVORITES!

Friday Favorites is a compilation of a few things I have found during the week that I think you should see too!

I will start out with this:



These Camp Out Invitations by skgpapers are the cutest things ever! They are really tiny... made out of matchboxes, and the mushroom bead comes off so the recipient can use it for something else! They are like a mini diorama. Love them!

This polka dot wallet by ZiaZia is so unique and fun... I love everything in her shop! I really like the "messy artistic" look that she has. I can't do messy on purpose like that, wish I could!



1) how to they get up in the tree like that?
2) this was me earlier this week... except I was on a chair, not up in a tree. And, the spider didn't leave, I caught it in a jar. I think it's a black widow. I tried to take pictures and send it to What's That Bug, but I don't think the pictures were clear enough... they didn't reply. Now I don't know what to do with the spider! I hate squishing things, but I have this silly irrational fear that if I let it go, it will find it's way back to me for REVENGE... da da da DAAAA....



The Story Matters is a brand new scrapbooking challenge blog that looks like it could be a lot of fun! I need to catch up on my scrapbooking. I love looking at all the challenge blogs and gleaning ideas for my own layouts, though I usually lurk instead of actively participating.


Mario Bros Theater... poorly filmed, but funny :)

Now I'm off to finish some new sock monkeys to put in the shop next week, work on a wholesale order, and complete bunches of BabyBuddies! Happy Friday to you all!