Punk Monkey: Giveaway!!

Hello everyone!  Please, don't forget that I am no longer posting on this blog.  I've moved!

I'm over here

And, I'm going to be doing a giveaway on this, adorable Punk MOnkey, soon.

Be sure to go to my new home and check out how to win her!

Mommy Hobbies on Etsy!

Yes, I finally did it.  Set my fear on the back burner and went for it.  I now have an etsy shop showcasing my cute little Punk Monkeys.  If you have the occasion, stop by and help a mother out.  Favorite me, share the link, post it on your blog.  I love making these little guys and hope to share the handmade goodness with more than just a few close friends and family folk.

Here it is!

Also, just a little bit of a teaser here... I will be hosting another giveaway soon.  More handmade yummies coming your way from a good friend of mine.  You really don't want to miss this one.  The giveaway will be in about two weeks time.  Spread the word!  Give yourself a head start and publicly follow my blog by clicking this button on the right side of my blog (if you don't already).

I just might do another Punk Monkey giveaway to celebrate the opening of my new shop, too!  Anyone in?? 

Punk Monkey: Peace, Love and Socks

This is Divine.

She is going to be a gift for a sweet young girl named, Serenity. 

How appropriate, peace signs and Serenity.  It's a perfect love match.

Hug her tight.

Snuggle and have fun, my dear...

Want one of your own?

Sewing: Punk Monkey Garbo

Finished this guy off last night.  He is the larger version of punk monkeys like Perry and Pinkerton but just as adorable.  Someone already has their eye on him. 

Tangy!

Give it up for the guy in stripes!

I sell these larger ones for $30.  They can be personalized for an additional $5.  A bow tie, pockets,  belt, hair, pendant...even the first letter of a name.

The smaller ones, like Perry, go for $25 and can be personalized for an additional $5.

Shipping & Handle is $6.

Send any inquiries to mommyhobbies(at)gmail(dot)com

Sewing: PUnk MonKey Perry

Didn't I just make one of these?

I honestly don't think I'll ever tire from making these guys, because they're SO cute!!

It's Perry.  And he's for a little boy who has not yet seen this earth.  He's still in the tummy baking up nice and good.  He'll be the perfect pal though.

Say hello and goodbye to these two.  They are on their way to their new homes.

Sewing: Punk Monkey Pinkerton

He is. SO. cute.

He was originally going to sport the name "Marvin" but I had to change the color of sock on the body and that totally threw me for a loop.  The name just wouldn't stick.  Erg.  So, I skipped through about 10 other "M" names before I found myself staring blankly at him.

Then, the name Pinkerton hit me and I knew that was it.  

Please say hi.  Isn't he adorable?  This one is also a special order for my librarian's grandson who happens to wear bow ties all the time.

Did the bow tie, but wanted to add a little more pizazz.  

Pockets! (my husband helped me come up with this one)

I really like you, Pinkerton.  I hope Owen does, too.

Sewing: Spring time for Petunia

don't forget about the Butterfly pendant giveaway!

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 I'm going a little nuts over here, but in the best of ways.  Orders are lining up for my punk monkeys.

A lady in our church saw Buster, and decided she had to have her own sock monkey.  I couldn't wait to get started.  It took me a couple of days in between the other sewing jobs I have, but I finally came up with the perfect little punk monkey for her.

Please meet:

Petunia

I'm falling in love with the process of making these little guys.  Every time I make one, I just smile.   I hope you enjoy her, Kathy!

Sewing: I am a red thumb

My grandmother was a green thumb.  She took such pride in her yard planting, picking, pruning and moving the plants just so.  

And now, I'm a red thumb.  My poor fingers have been pricked and poked just enough to make them sore and bleed.  Band-aid city.  But look at the reward!

This particular monkey is going to a good friend of mine.  Her daughter is pregnant with their first grandchild!  Such joy.  And now, one of my little punk monkeys will be nestled beside that fuzzy little head while he sleeps.  

Congrats Deb, and I hope your grandbaby Bean enjoys little Buster.

Sewing: Meet Binky, the hobo

My weekend was pretty much packed.   I had a slumber party for the young girls in my youth group and then the next day we went to a birthday party.  My goal was to make a hobo sack for the birthday girl and hoped that I could fill the sack with odds, ends and goodies.  But last minute I decided to whip up a sock monkey.  It couldn't have come together more nicely.  

I'm officially hooked on mid-calf length socks.  SO much easier and quicker to stuff and just the right size.

 Went and dug around in my stash of fabrics and found a nice happy color for the sack.  Green with polka-dots!

I needed a contrasting color for the tie, so I grabbed yet another happy color.  Orange.

(for some reason it looks red in this picture.)

And in a little over an hour I had a hobo sack!!

My little helper was so cute and very curious about all my sewings-on.

Luckily, I had a couple more helpers to lend a hand in the stuffing the monkey.  These last minute ideas can give you grey hairs...but these girls saved the day!

I finished stitching the monkey shut with five minutes left to spare and raced off to the party with the cutest monkey.  Binky.

And a hobo sack :)  Not bad for a last minute idea, eh?

But what really made my day was the birthday girl wearing Binky's color scheme.  TOTALLY worth the needle stabs and pin pricks.

And, don't forget to enter the spring giveaway!

Sewing: Sockty Rockty GIVEAWAY!!

My favorite part of the process.  Putting all of the body parts on.  They look quite ridiculous and gangly by themselves, but once everything is sewn up nicely it's perfect.  I decided to go with the sporty sockster first.  I'm thinking the plaid one next...either way, let's get this party started!

Who wants to be the proud owner of a handmade sock monkey?  I make them from knee high socks, so they are a bit larger than the original.

To enter: 

Be a follower!  If you already are, then just leave TWO separate comments letting me know.  This is your mandatory first entry.  Other ways to enter are:

• Follow me on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway.  I am an @mommyhobbies follower and I entered to win a Sock Monkey!  Two enteries (leave two separate comments letting me know you tweeted; there is a nify little "tweet" button at the bottom of this post please, click it and copy paste the shout I mentioned above)
• Facebook this giveaway.  Three entries (leave three separate comments and leave me a link showing me you did. there is a FB link at the bottom of this post, just click and let it do all the work!)
• Tell 5 friends about this blog.  Three entries (leave three separate comments letting me know)
• Blog about this giveaway and come back leaving me a link showing me you did!  Five entries (once again, leave five separate entries letting me know) 

This contest ends March 27th.  No entries will be accepted after 12am of the 27th.  Winner will be announced Monday morning the 28th 9am PST.  Winner will be chosen by random.org.

Sewing: Guess what I gott!

I just couldn't help myself.  They were all on sale and I couldn't settle on just one pair.  I'm going to be making that sock monkey this week and I need you all to tell me which colors you want me to use!

They were the last of the winter lot, hanging on the rack looking quite lonely.

*snag* Right into my waiting shopping cart.

To be honest...this last pair is my fav.  I would love to make a sporty little Sockster with these guys.

So which one??  Do tell :)  And do share with all your friends!

Sewing: Sock attack!!

Ok, so, I put out the suggestion...got a few replies and I figure that it will be enough to go off of.  I will be making yet another sock monkey, but this time for you all!! 

This past week has pretty much been a whirlwind.  My whole family was sick and then it hit me.  My house looks like it's growing hair because my kids got into the batting and now it's strewn all over the house in puffy little balls and tiny little hairs.  But I'm baaaccckkkk.  Tell your friends, spread the monkey sock love and smile this week :))

Cheers!

**I will be posting the official giveaway later this week.**

Sewing: If I were to make...

Another sock monkey...would anyone be interested in it?

They take a while to make but I really like doing it!  Not to mention, I really enjoy the fact you all are supporting my efforts in this world of Blog-dom.  I'll give it away if I have enough interest.  Just leave me a comment letting me know and I'll get to sewing.  Don't make me ask you twice, now!

Sewing: Sacrificial Socks

Have you ever had a favorite pair of socks?

Please, you would be lying if you said you didn't. 
It's not like these socks had magic powers or anything but putting them on did make me happier.

I'm a sucker for color.  It wasn't always this way, though.  I discovered that if you're going to wear color you need to be confident in the ones you pick!

(a recent photo of my dad and I at the Met.  That's a gorgeous Rodin piece behind us)

I'm not saying I'm the most confident person, but I am confidently colorful.  For sure.  

So that's why when I put on my favorite pair of stripey socks one day and within three steps they promptly slid down my leg, I got really sad.

And then I hid my socks from myself so I wouldn't have to think about throwing them away.

A couple days ago I was browsing the net looking at some of my favorite sites (their buttons are on the right hand side of my blog).  I saw this tutorial and I knew what I had to do.

No, I did not pull them out and walk around the house in them one last time, I simply started tracing and cutting.  You know, just to get it over with...like a band-aid.

I have to say that stuffing the body was fun.  Stuffing the arms, and tail, not so much.  And I thought that I would dread the hand sewing part, but oddly enough I felt organic as I sewed those little tubes onto the tadpole looking thing I had just stuffed.

Of course, in any sewing adventure, or ANY adventure, for that matter, there is bound to be a silly mistake.  *sigh*  So, I sewed BOTH my socks into monkeys instead only ONE like I was supposed to.  The other sock is meant to be used for the arms, ears, nose and tail.  Please don't make the same mistake I did.  You might not be so lucky to have an extra pair of old socks laying  around to save your bacon.

Blue arms, tail, nose and ears.

(poor lighting, I didn't want to use my flash...maybe I should have)

But it turned out so cute that I couldn't beat myself up too horribly.

I did have plans for this cute little monkey.  He was supposed to be a gift for someone, but Cylas was smitten and I just couldn't bear to take it away from him.

So, there is another sock monkey in my crafty future...

And I'm really excited about this one.

 

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Also!  Don't forget about the giveaway!  It ends tomorrow!!  Please enter and help a fellow stay at home mom with her business endeavour.  THanks everyone