MonkeyTree Creations

Checking In

2011-08-07T14:02:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! It's been a while, so I thought I would write a quick post about what's been going on... The full story is here A Heart to Hold. I'm starting a non-profit to help other families who have lost babies.
Several people have asked if I'm going to be sewing for my shop for the holidays this year and right now, I don't have a really good answer. Some days I feel inspired, and other days I don't. I have some fun girlie fabrics that I may turn into stockings later, but it's all sort of up in the air. I can say, for sure, that I will be doing a limited amount of custom work this year. If you would like a tree skirt or a table runner or placemats to match stockings, I have some figgy pudding left and would love to something along those lines. Please send me an email or convo me on Etsy.
Thank you for your continued support while I work on the things that are very close to my heart right now. Abi

A Short Break

2011-03-06T16:08:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone. I wanted to take a few moments to share some news~ Our beautiful son, Corbin David, was born still at 41.5 weeks on January 19th. He weighted 9 pounds, 13 ounces and was 21 inches long. We are absolutley devastated.
I'll be taking a break from creating for the shop for the next few months to work on some personal projects. I plan to be back in the late summer with some fun things in the MonkeyTree Creations shop and I'll be opening a second MonkeyTree shop for fabric (it's currently empty, but that will change in mid-summer).
Hope to see you when I return from my break, Abi

Tool Belt

2011-01-04T18:33:00.001-08:00

I hope that everyone had a lovely holiday season! Between shows, custom orders and growing the baby, I've been an awful blogger (find me on facebook, I'm better there, I swear). The baby is due any day now, and I'm filling my time with as much rest as I can get and some fun projects for my home and family. I wanted to share today's project.
Zilla loves a book called "Monkey With A Tool Belt" and while we were reading today I asked him if he wanted a tool belt like Chico Bon Bon (the monkey in the story). I ask this every time we read the book, which is about a billion times a day, and for the first time, he said yes. So off I went. I had some sock monkey fabric and coordinating banana fabric in my stash that I thought would be perfect. After a little trial and error, here's what I came up with;

There is a hammer loop on the right tie, but Zilla's too skinny to use it right now. The tools are from his Green Toys Tool Set, which I can't say enough good things about. Their toys are awesome! The back of the apron and the hammer loop are both made from banana fabric. I'll probably add a little bag for his bolts and things later. He loves the apron, I loved getting something done in an afternoon and Dave loved seeing my fabric stash shrink a little, so the project was a winner all around. : ) I enjoyed making this so much that I'm planning on turning it into a pattern that I'll be carrying in my Etsy shop later this year. If you are interested in being a pattern tester, please let me know!
Thanks for stopping by! Abi

Custom Work

2010-10-24T20:02:00.000-07:00

Today, as I sat sewing with my friend Mary, we had the best conversation about custom projects. Normally when I sew, I think about the project I'm working on or house things... it's normally pretty zen. There's white noise (the machine), regular noise (normally music or a video), the feel of the fabric. For me it's very relaxing. When I'm working on a special project, my mind frequently wanders to what will happen to the project when it's done. Where will it go? Will the family enjoy it? Will it brighten a mom or aunt's day when they open it? Will they use it and love it like I hope they will? From time to time, I get an answer to these questions...
This year, a customer contacted me about a set of stockings that I made for her last year. It was her first married Christmas and she wanted something fabulous and special. This year, she wanted a custom tree skirt to match them. I hunted far and wide for coordinating fabric and was able to come up with some! Woo-hoo! Quilting projects tend to be a little more intense than regular sewing projects because of the time, effort and love that they take, and this one was no different. I was very happy with the finished skirt and was thrilled to find out that she was too. What do you think? I sort of didn't want to send it, but knowing that it was going to someone who was going to love and cherish it sure made it easier to part with.
Have a great week! Abi

A Little Help

2010-10-06T09:18:00.001-07:00

Sometimes people ask how I do it... This time of year, crafting is a part time (or more) job which means a whole bunch of stuff that I usually do gets added to Dave's plate and that the house is a total and utter wreck until...oh... about February. Just how do we get it all done? I thought I'd share some behind the scenes MTC info...

Big MTC secret reveal here~ I am "outsourcing" the bulk of the handwork for stockings this year to my excellent friend Mary. She claims to like hand work (which is my nemesis), and so we've reached an arrangement. I couldn't be more pleased. And I honestly feel that her handwork is higher quality than mine, so it's a win-win for everyone! (THANK YOU MARY!!!)

Shows~ Since we downsized to one car, we are going to need some help getting tables and things to shows this year. Dates are already on the calendar with some friends who have a truck. They've also agreed to watch Wills so that Dave can build and break down my booth because I won't be able to do that this year. My fab new SIL has agreed to be my second chair sales person and I'm looking forward to hanging out with her during the slow spots.

Shipping and Photo taking~ Dave's taken on most of these responsibilities this fall so that I can better walk the line between too much work and not enough sleep. I think it's working out, and the look on his face when I brought home a real tape dispenser for the "shipping department" was awesome!

Zilla watching on the weekend~ as show dates rapidly approach, I recall the frenzy of last year, where Zilla was small enough that I could put him in the bouncer and work with him in the room. This year, not so much. That kid is a button pushing fiend. It's remarkable. He can figure out how to make anything turn on or do something within 45 seconds of getting his grubby little hands on it. With all the beeps and noises that my sewing machine makes along with all of the buttons, he has fits of delight when he sees it and sequels and jumps when he sees it turned on! He's been spending some quality time with the Grandmas during the weekend so that I can get a little more done. It's good times for everyone.

Have a great week, Abi

Stella's Project

2010-09-20T16:21:00.000-07:00

Creativity comes and goes in cycles for me. There are two primary mediums that I work with, and I can trace cycles with these mediums back to 5th grade. I love fabric and am heavy into one of my fabric cycles right now. My other medium is paper. I love making, sculpting, touching and collecting paper. A few years ago, before I got back into fabric, my mom gave me a Stampin' Up! Simply Sent Kit that included everything that I needed to make a bunch of cards, and I was totally hooked! I'd signed up to be a demonstrator within the month. I still stamp when I can (which isn't very often right now), and turn to SU for the bulk of my materials.
Things I love about Stampin' Up!~
their stamps are AMAZING! You cannot compare them to anything out there quality wise.
their paper is organized and sold by family, allowing me to coordinate without having to think too hard about it.
their catalog is FULL of great ideas and fun projects.
While I was involved in SU, I met the most wonderful lady, her name is Stella. She's local to me and has been in the top 100 demonstrators for the last 5 years. She loves being a part of the SU team and her passion for what she does totally shows! Aside from that, she's real, and funny and of Polish descent. I hope that says it all. : ) Stella and I have coordinated on several projects over the last few years and I always enjoy working with her, so when she contacted me about this project, there was no way that I could pass it up.
Two days after the Holiday mini came out, she sent me an email asking if I could use the new fabric to sew bags for team at a special SU meeting she was going to. I'd been salivating over the SU fabric since the mini arrived and could not pass up the invitation. She ordered the fabric and I got to work with it as soon as it hit the mail box! I made a set of coordinating bags for her gifts and am so pleased with the results.
These bags aren't available in my shop right now, but if you are interested in ordering a set, please let me know. I'm happy to make them!
As a side note, Stella has been undergoing chemo and radiation treatment for cancer. While her prognosis is excellent and she's hanging in there, she hasn't had a whole lot of time or extra energy to dedicate to her business. If you are thinking about checking out SU!, order from her!!! SU is still offering Simply Sent card kits, and I would encourage you to check them out! They really make it easy, and a hand stamped card is the perfect addition to any gift or special occasion!
Have a great week everyone!!! Abi
P.S. don't forget to find me on Facebook!

SU Demonstrators, some info about downline or customer gifts~
bags can be made in sets of three and can be lined with SU fabric or with coordinating solid fabric.
marker storage bags (like these guys but with SU fabric!) these would be great gifts or add ons for marker clubs.
do you have an idea about something that you would like done with the fabric? I'm happy to work with you to develop a custom item.

And I'm Back!

2010-09-06T20:07:00.000-07:00

Here's why I've been gone~The MTC family is expecting another little boy in January. We are so very excited. **big huge giant smiles**
A few things that are going on with the business;
Facebook- find me on Facebook! it's an easier medium to handle right now with gearing up for show season, incubating our new little one and holding down my day job. I'll still be posting here, but it will be less frequently and mostly to share projects and other special things that need more than a line or two.
Free Shipping- I'm offering free shipping on all orders to the US. No limited time, no codes, no refunds and no monkey business. Just free shipping.
Preorder special- I'm offering 15% off all orders for custom capes, stockings and chalk mats placed before 10-15. Orders placed between 10-16 and 10-31 will be discounted by 10%. Contact me via email or through etsy for more info or to arrange details. Free shipping to the US applies on these orders as well.
Show Schedule- As of today, I'm confirmed at the St. Mary show in Sacramento on 11-6 and the Holy Rosary show in Woodland on 11-19 and 11-20. If you are local (or want to make a special trip!), come by and say hello! I'm planning on adding one more show to my schedule in early December and will update as soon as I have info. All of the shows I'm confirmed at are currently set up as events on my Facebook page. If you want to add them to your calendar, head on over!
Custom Embroidery- I have the capability to do custom embroidery now. If you a name or monogram put on something, such as a table cloth, super cute trick or treat bag or onesie, let me know. My sewing schedule has a little give right now, and I'd by happy to try to accommodate you.
Whew, I'm so glad to have all that business out of the way. I have a super fun project to share with you a little later this week, as my fabric for the project should be arriving tomorrow. I can't wait to share. : ) Abi

Settling in

2010-06-02T19:55:00.000-07:00

That's pretty much what we are up to. Dave has been home with Kidzilla for almost 6 weeks with only one call to a plumber/service professional. There have been (knock on wood) no major injuries to or from either of the boys or the dogs and I found a great new place downtown to work during the day. Things are looking good right now.
Our garden is growing and I'm able to take a tour and pick some snacks every evening after I get home with Kidzilla, which is a much treasured tradition that we started last year. Our chicks all had to be rehomed after a startling incident while trying to introduce them to the big chickens, which was a turn of events that I'm not particularly happy with. We have found a new home for the 3 big chickens and are starting fresh with 4 babies in the garage. Our new flock is going to be pretty cool and the birds were selected for egg color and frequency of laying. Hey, colored eggs make any meal fun. : )
Over the last few weeks I've had some fantastic business meetings and am getting back to work very shortly. If you would like more frequent updates check MonkeyTree Creations out on Facebook. This week I'm having a mini craft show at the house to help clear out last season's goodies. To be fair to those of you who can't just swing by, I'm offering free shipping and a special gift with any purchase over $25. This offer ends on 6-6-10. Items that I'll be working on for summer are some luxe burp cloths and chalk cloth place mats. I've got two styles designed and they are pretty cool.
The next 3-4 months are going to be full of lots of cutting and sewing and harvesting and canning with room for growing and loving mixed in. Happy June everyone!

What's Growing On

2010-05-16T15:11:00.001-07:00

I thought I would share some photos of what's happening in the garden;Sunflowers! I grew these guys from seed and they are getting so big. The white powder around them is diatomaceous earth. We use it to keep slugs, cutworms and other bugs away from the plants.
This is the area that we call the "pumpkin patch". It's a handful of smallish mounds of manure that have been seeded with 2 types of pumpkins, mini spaghetti squash and acorn squash. I'm so excited by all of the sprouting that's going on here!
Here's a front view of the garden. Peas are on the trellis on the left, cucumber and lettuce are growing on the right. We replaced several of our tomatoes today because we had some major bug problems a few weeks ago. They are in the second set of beds along with lots of peppers.
Here are the beds from the side. Everything's getting so big! Have a great week! Abi

Checking In

2010-05-05T23:21:00.000-07:00

Hi folks! It's been a while. The last few weeks have been full of rearranging and shuffling and stress and learning. Things are more up in the air than usual around here. Dave and Kidzilla seem to be settling in nicely and Kidzilla's vocabulary is increasing at an alarming rate now that he is getting more one on one attention. He's also taken to sign language like nobody's business. I don't think that we've prepared a full dinner in the last two weeks, but we are settling down and developing new routines.
I spend a lot of my day job working from home, and as they guys have started spending more time here, I've had to find somewhere else to work, and it's been tough! I've tried coffee shops, libraries, cafes and in a moment of desperation, a pub down the street (which worked out better than I thought it would!). I've got a very promising appointment with a company that runs a co-office business on Friday. If things go well, I could be working in an office with other grownups with unlimited organic coffee! Keep your fingers crossed. Once I'm settled, I'll resume more regular updates. Abi

Growing

2010-04-15T15:52:00.000-07:00

Tuesday was Dave's first day at home with Kidzilla and everything so far has been going well. Kidzilla seems thrilled to be hanging out with Daddy and has stopped the endless tantrums that plagued us when we got him home from daycare. Things are looking up. : ) The promise of happy times and good memories is already blossoming.
Like this tiny asparagus plant (the brown thing next to the sprout is a 1/4 inch tube).Like this dinner plate Dahlia (which will grow to 4-5 feet tall)
Like these mangy looking chickens. : ) The large chicken on the right will look like this when she is fully grown.
Dave and I are celebrating this transition with a date night and me taking a 3 day weekend. We'll spend some time working in the garden and playing with our son and being thankful for growth and change and the good things that come with both. Abi

on the bittersweet realization of dreams

2010-04-06T08:56:00.000-07:00

Before I was pregnant with Kidzilla, I dreamed that I would keep my day job and that my husband would stay home with the kids. I'd be living the feminist dream; having it all, a job, a family, a marriage that had moved beyond gender roles and stereotypes. After I had Kidzilla, I realized that I didn't really want that, and my husband didn't really want that either. I wanted to stay at home and do arts and crafts with my kids and teach them about gardening and sleeping in until 11 and to help them love learning by discovering it through play. And Dave loved his job, he was happy and fulfilled by the work that he was doing. So we made a plan, in 5 years, I would quit my day job to stay home with the kids and focus more time and attention on my business. I settled tenuously back into my day job with a light at the end of the tunnel.
And then we found out that there would be no more work for Dave after he finishes the contract that he's currently working on.
The last few weeks have been a total and complete roller coaster. We gave notice to the daycare that Kidzilla would be leaving soon, and without the required 30 day notice, we took a very hard look at the bills and made some tough decisions; one of the cars has to go and we will have to scale back pretty severely every where else. After making lots of calls and looking at many different scenarios, we think we have it figured out. It's going to be a little tough at first, but it's going to be OK in the long run.
That we got water into the garden before this all happened has been a blessing. The chickens, and their seemingly endless supply of eggs have also been a blessing. The veggies that I've been canning after I pick them up on sale, also a blessing. Sustainability and having a stable food source were things that I was playing with, and they are going to pay off for us in a big way in the upcoming months as we shift from being a 2 income family to a one income family.
Dave is going to stay at home with our son. They are going to play in the dirt and learn about bugs and go to the park and take bike rides. My first dream is coming true, and it's bittersweet. For both of us.
Abi

Garden Update

2010-03-28T19:25:00.000-07:00

This weekend was a doozy! We got 10 yards of dirt, and with the help of a few friends, got it all moved on Saturday. All of my boxes are full! Yea! After we topped them off, I got to planting. Carrots, beets radishes, cucumbers, spinach and romain lettuce all went in yesterday. We also picked up some rebar grids that we are using in the front 2 beds instead of trellis. Today, we went to the nursery and got some sugar peas and tomatoes. I know... you aren't supposed to plant them for another few weeks, but I couldn't help myself! The bed in the front right corner of the photo is potatoes. Aren't they lovely?
And because I (still) couldn't help myself, here's the ladies. Petunia on the left, Belina in the middle and Nugget on the right. They just got 2 little sisters, who are still in the brooder in the garage. I'll have some photos to share later this week.
Abi

What's Growing in the Garden

2010-03-26T08:52:00.000-07:00

Here's what's up in the garden- Potatoes, and lots of them! The plants are really pretty and will be ready for harvest when they flower. I can't wait! I'm growing 4 plants per foot, and have 4 varieties in this bed; Red Noorland, Freedom Russet, Superior White and a red from the farmer's market that sprouted in the bag before we could eat them. In the far left corner are 5 arugula plants that the chickens put a pretty serious hurt on. The are finally coming back and they smell delicious! Check out the next photo for what else is growing.Beans! My bush beans are doing nothing, I think it might be a little cold for them. but the pole beans are sprouting and happy. I planted 2 seeds per hole and it looks like I'm going to have to do some thinning. The beans in the far end of this shot are provider pole beans, and the beans in the close end of this photo are a variety of yard long bean. They are supposed to be very tasty and are commonly used in Asian cooking.
My parents are avid gardeners who lean more towards flowers and annuals than I do, so we have had some cool information exchanges lately. "Abi, what is that beautifully flowering shrub?" "That's a blueberry!", or "Woah! Look at that giant flower, what is it called?" "It's a dinner plate Dahlia, isn't it cool?"
I'm thinking that next year, they might be growing some blueberry shrubs, and I couldn't wait any longer to plant some dinner plate Dahlias. And they are growing!!! Yea! (BTW, I picked a 3 pack up at Lowes about 3 weeks ago for 75% off, our store has some left, and maybe yours does too!)
Also in the ground this week, yellow onions and red onions. The purple potatoes are sprouting, as is some of the lettuce in my lettuce bed! We will be moving in the last 8 yards of dirt this weekend, so I'll be elbow deep in "superblend" dirt until Monday. Have a great weekend! Abi

Quick Quick

2010-03-22T08:36:00.000-07:00

As usual, it's been crazy around here. We've had quite a bit go on at home over the last week or so, including re-homing Sweet Cheeks, my sweet Americana chicken. Sad. I thought I'd share some of the blogs that I frequent in lieu of a more wordy post. So without further introduction, here is my online reading list;
Enjoying the Small Things I found this blog shortly after this post and have been hooked ever since.
From Stage Dives to Station Wagons
Girls Gone Child
Megan Wilkinson Photography
Parkside Harmony
Simplify
Stellar Stamps
T & Little S Designs
Have a lovely week! Abi

No Sew Applique Tutorial

2010-03-07T12:46:00.000-08:00

I hate cutting fabric with scissors. I just don't have the patience, so when I started to get into applique, I realized that I was going to have a problem. The resolution to this was to find a die cutting machine that was affordable and that I could store at home. After trying pretty much everything on the market, my buddy Stella let me try her Big Shot and it was exactly what I was looking for. It cuts fabric, batting or paper. It's so cool! My Big Shot arrived this week and I've been dying to try it out. I finally had a moment today and wanted to share what I made.

No Sew Applique Tutorial

Materials: Big Shot, cute die~ I used the Sizzix Cupcake Set~, Steam a Seam 2 (this fusible webbing bonds permanently, does not need to be sewn and can be washed... Awesome!), fabric and a onesie or T-Shirt.Cut your fabric into squares the same size as your die. Cut corresponding squares from the Steam-A-Seam 2 (SAS2). Peel one of the paper sides off of the SAS2 squares, place this side on the back of your fabric (so the remaining paper side faces up) and iron.
Place your SAS2/Fabric square into the Big Shot and roll it through. Repeat if you are using multiple dies or want different colors.
If your die does not cut all the way through the fabric, use some sharp scissors to finish the job.
Peel the remaining paper layer off the back of your SAS2/fabric shape and place on your shirt or onesie. The pieces will be sticky, which will allow you to move the onesie without worrying about all of the pieces falling off. Position the pieces where you want them and iron them down.
I wanted to add a little extra to this cute cupcake and didn't have any red fabric for a cherry, I did however have some buttons. I stitched the button on and here is my finished project;
Do you love it? I'm thrilled!! I think the coolest thing about this project is it's simplicity... it's quick, easy and people love custom clothes for their kids... and seriously, this took about 15 minutes from start to finish. Have a great week! Abi

What are you growing?

2010-02-26T10:07:00.000-08:00

Yesterday someone at work asked what we are growing this year... I had to stifle a giggle and a snappy response like "what aren't we growing". The list got so long that I had to start a spread sheet.
Once I got everything listed, I decided that I would include some info about how many items would grow per foot (we use the square foot gardening technique), and then I thought it would be helpful to have the planting temps, which grew into adding info about which plants the item liked and disliked (companion gardening). Once that was done, I thought I should add some info about what type of exposure the plants liked, and then I went back and added info about which seasons were good for growing the items and which months were good for planting. This took about 2 weeks to put together, and while it's an awesome testament to my compulsive nature, I think it's going to be a great tool that we will be able to use for a long time to come.
But to answer the question at hand... Here's what we are growing (which isn't to say that I'll have an out of control trip to a nursery/seed store and end up with more. I have a problem.)
Asparagus, 2 types. Beans, 2 type of pole beans, 1 type of bush bean 2 types of long beans. Peas. Beets, two types. Carrots, 5 types. Corn, pop and regular. Cucumber, 2 types. Spinach, 2 types. Lettuce. Mellon 3 types. Squash, winter- 5 types, summer- 1 type. Radishes, 4 types. Potatoes, 4 types. Bell peppers 1 type. Tomatoes, 6 types. Sunflowers. Assorted herbs and beneficial flowers.
If you would like to take a look a the spreadsheet, let me know, I'm happy to share. The info is pretty universal, with the exception of planting months. Those came from a local resource and are geared toward zones 8/9. Have a great weekend! Abi

What we've really been up to

2010-02-21T19:20:00.000-08:00

So, yes, I've been sick, and Dave's been sick, and Kidzilla's been sick. But while all of this illness has been going around, we have been doing a tremendous amount of work in the yard.
I started gardening just to see if I could actually grow things (how hard could it be?), and was delighted to find that I could. Shortly after, we tore the deck off of our new house and we had a whole lot of lumber that needed to be repurposed. The natural thing to do was to build some raised beds. That first summer was awesome! We had tomatoes for days... so many that I canned them and gave them as Christmas gifts. It was fun, and I found that I enjoyed putting up veggies.
The next few years were a little bit of a struggle, with Kidzilla's summer arrival, and adjusting to going back to work during seed starting season, we ended up being a little off with all of our planting for 2 seasons. Add to this having to hand water almost 200 square feet of beds and sun patterns that change yearly based on our neighbour's tree trimming whims, things were a little touch and go.
Last year Dave and I saw Food Inc and it totally changed the way that I look at the food that we eat. My interest in gardening is no longer strictly an offshoot of my how-hard-can-it-be philosophy. I want my family to eat good food produced with few chemicals and grown and managed in a sustainable way. Too much to ask? I don't think so. I have shifted my focus away from MonkeyTree Creations for a while to facilitate this, but it's a trade off that I'm glad to make.
Our garden last year. 3 beds on the right side of the yard and two in the back. They were not spaced very well and we wasted a lot of sun.
We found a local "edible landscaper" and worked with him to develop a water plan. He installed the hard lines for our water system a few weeks ago.
After the hard pipe went in, Dave and I filled the trenches and covered the back with a hard core ground cloth. This will protect our soil and compost from the crabgrass that totally infests the back half of the yard, eliminating the need for using herbicides for weeds. Dave and I pulled up all of the beds from around the yard and set them in the back, shifting them so that we can maximize the spaces that get full sun.

The white PVC structure toward the front of the garden area is left over sprinkler pipe that I turned into an arch that I will cover with trellis cloth. It's going to be perfect for growing cucumbers, and I think it's sort of a cool entry into the space.
We worked the bulk of the dirt from the old beds into our clay soil and will be direct planting the side of the yard near the lawn. We had enough dirt left over to fill one of our short beds (4X4) and I planted 4 varieties of potato along with some arugula, pole beans and bush beans. I'm employing companion planting techniques (check out Carrots Love Tomatoes or Great Garden Companions to learn more) to help reduce the need for insecticides and to naturally increase my yield, and apparently, beans and potatoes are buddies! I'm already pleasantly surprised by how the potatoes are growing.
Our final steps will be to cover the ground cloth and fill the beds. The dirt has been ordered and will arrive next weekend. We are planning a dirt moving party, we provide the pizza and beer, our "guests" will provide the man power and their own shovel/wheelbarrow. : ) I can't wait to post pictures of the finished product and of our crops as they grow.

New Quilt

2010-02-18T13:06:00.000-08:00

Sorry that it's been forever since my last post! Kidzilla brought a nasty bug home from daycare and while he recovered nicely, I've been sick, sick, sick for almost a week and a half. I'm finally starting to feel better and thought that I would share my most recent quilt! The top is done and I'm so happy with it! The colors are brighter than in the photo, and the prints have an Asian feel to them. I made this top with a kit from Connecting Threads that I purchased before Christmas. The pattern is called "piece of cake", by Camille at Thimble Blossoms, and it really was. The hardest thing about this guy was cutting the squares, and if you use a layer cake (Moda's precut 10 inch squares), it will go twice as fast.
As soon as this fabric collection goes back on sale, I'm picking up 4 yards for the backing and I'll get this guy wrapped up. I can't wait to have it finished so that I can snuggle up with it on the couch! Have a great week, Abi

Valentine's Day Projects

2010-01-28T23:00:00.000-08:00

When I started working at my current job, I decided that it was too much to gifts for work people for Christmas. It's a stressful time of year, financially and time wise, and I don't like to give just any gift, I want to give something fun that I think the recipient will enjoy too. So I started doing Halloween, and Valentine's Day, and it works out great! I have the time and money to do something fun and it's more unexpected and appreciated. So here's what I'm doing this year~
Valentine's Day gifts for Kidzilla's daycare teachers and the ladies at work.
Reversible coffee cozies made from designer cotton with hearts and pink swirls and pink chenille! The ladies at work are coffee/Starbucks fanatics, so I think that these are going to go over well. I'm going to tie these sweet tags onto them and they will be perfect! For the daycare ladies, I'm going to include a Starbucks gift card and will package them in a Starbucks cup with some candies. If you are interested in a tutorial for the coffee cozies, let me know. They were simple to make and I'd be happy to share.
For Kidzilla's class I have some sweet "red monster" finger puppets from Jenny at Wee Knit. In addition to them being totally adorable, Kidzilla's class is the Elmo class, which makes them just a little bit cuter.
I ordered some scallop and heart tags from my friend Tracy at T and Little S Designs with the intention of tying them onto the bags, but I decided to go another direction, so I cut a quick topper for the bags (3.5X4), stapled them onto the finger puppet bags and stuck the tag on the front. I'm going to put a little message on the back and they will be good to go! I'm so happy with how they came out!
What are you up to for Valentine's day? I'd love to hear! Abi

Please Vote!

2010-01-25T13:58:00.001-08:00

Hi folks! I've been working on some fun Valentine's Day goodies for Kidzilla's daycare and the ladies at work and will post them later this week. They are really fun and I can't wait to share. In the mean time, If you would be so kind as to head on over to Megan's blog and vote for Kidzilla, I'd appreciate it! He's number 5. : ) The winner of this contest gets a free session which means great photos and a good time hanging out Megan. Thanks, Abi

treasury!

2010-01-17T22:32:00.000-08:00

I was featured in a treasury tonight, check it out~ http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=106422

Indie Fixx

2010-01-14T22:53:00.000-08:00

I submitted to Indie Fixx a few weeks ago and was excited to get a speedy acceptance email back. The site went live tonight and I'm humbled to be included among some of these artists. Wow, is all I can say. Find MTC there tomorrow and have a great weekend! Abi

The Dictator

2010-01-11T09:22:00.000-08:00

I made Kidzilla a mustache from elastic and felt around Halloween and Dave promptly started calling it the dictator mustache. We put it on the dog, and the baby and each other and it was pretty funny for a while. I totally forgot about it until I came home and found it on my sewing machine one night in December. It took me a few moments to realize what it was, but when I did, I totally cracked up. I thought I'd share the photo.And with that, I'm excited to introduce the newest addition to the MonkeyTree line, Red, the Valentine's owl with chalk board belly and a chalk pocket on her back.I think she's cute! Abi

Green Eggs!

2009-12-29T16:00:00.000-08:00

Hey folks! I hope you all had a lovely Winter Holiday! : ) We had a blast with Kidzilla this year. He didn't really get the whole gift thing, but it was still fun to watch him get excited about removing paper from packages and bags. And I finished his stocking before Christmas! Yea for late nights!
Dave went out to check on the chickens today during lunch today and came back with a lovely surprise, Sweet Cheeks started laying, and her eggs are green! All of those pink eggs were from Belina, who is a very prolific layer! I'm super excited and will share a photo later.
In other news, I've started to get things together for my spring line of toys and dolls and will be placing my fabric order on Friday. Pigs, Chicks and Bunny dolls are on the way. I've also partnered with a company that makes soy crayons and will be offering eco friendly crayon rolls. I'm excited to start working with some new fabrics and textures, and am looking forward to unveiling some items made from organic cotton fabric.
In the middle of all of the holiday excitement, I managed to find a little time to start working on a new quilt, which I'm very excited about. The last quilt I pieced was a gift for Dave a looong time ago, and it's been fun cutting and matching up the squares and the pattern is a breeze.
Anyhow, I hope that everyone has a fab and safe new year! Abi

Chicken Update

2009-12-16T16:19:00.000-08:00

Isn't Nugget the meanest looking chicken? She's totally giving you the eye right now... Beside Nugget looking like a total cranky-pants, the chickens continue to thrive! Three of them are laying, Belina and Petunia are confirmed egg layers, and either Nugget or Sweet Cheeks are also laying, we just can't figure out which one. The eggs are pinkish, so I suspect that it's Sweet Cheeks, which is sort of a bummer, because I was looking forward to blue or green eggs. I guess this means we'll be adding to the flock come spring time! : )
Dave and I started buying ornaments while we were dating and it's since evolved into a tradition. We buy one ornament or one ornament set each year that reflects something that we did during the preceding months. We have a step stool with tools on it for the year we remodeled the kitchen, a flying pig for the year we got engaged and a tiny baby foot print from the year that Kidzilla joined us. I take a photo of our ornament and do a little scrap book page with the story of why we selected that particular ornament for the year. It's a fun tradition and it's neat to look back on what was important to us and why. This year, we were discussing ornaments and decided that we should get something chicken related.... and look at what I found!!!
Christy, of C Bar J Crafts , makes these. So I sent her a request to see if she could make some custom chicken ornaments, and she happily obliged. Even Dave is excited about them! Quick service, excellent communication and custom ornaments that were modeled after photos of my little flock! Awesome! Isn't Sweet Cheeks (on the left) cute? I just love the way her moustache and beard came out! No promotional consideration was given for this, they just came out so cute that I had to share!!! Anyhow, this might be my favorite holiday purchase this year, and I'll be back for some more for my chicken friends when things calm down after the holidays.
Have a great week everyone! Abi

Quick Quick!

2009-12-11T10:30:00.000-08:00

I feel like lately, many of my posts have been last minute and quick updates. : ) It's a sign of the season. Typically, November and the first half of December are crazy at the day job, and this year has been no exception. Add to that lots of great new customers and tons of custom orders and a handful of craft fairs and things have been non-stop!
I'm not complaining. I hit my first major business goal this month, and am really enjoying making things for people. I've also met some really nice people on Etsy; a hip mom in Tx, looking for stockings for her family, a fun gal in NE (!!) looking for a custom animal and a bee for her little ones for the holiday. I feel blessed to be sought out and asked to create something that will be a part of this year's festivities. It is a very humbling thing.
My husband has become official IT support for MonkeyTree Creations. He designed my new labels and did all of the graphic design work for both the penguin and owl patterns. He also has been spending lots of quality time with Kidzilla while I've been off at shows or out rounding up supplies. I say it all the time, but really, the man deserves an award. : ) Are there any award makers out there? Send me an email!
Kidzilla continues to grow and thrive despite the constant madness. He loves to sit on my lap and sew with me, so some of your creations may have been sewed by mama's big hands and baby's tiny ones. It makes me tear up a little when I think about it. I don't know if I've shared, but he's pretty consistently hated everything I've made until last week, when he picked up a finished owl and gave it a hug. When he noticed that I noticed, he promptly threw it off the couch! He's a little stinker!
Anyhow.... MTC was featured on the SproutzStore's blog today ~ you can find the post here. They are my favorite online fabric store and most of the designer fabric that I use comes from them. Their customer service is unbeatable, and they are super nice to boot! Check them out if you have a moment! Also, if you are in the area, come by and see me at my last show of the season tomorrow, 12-12, at Camellia Waldorf School in Sacramento! Have a great weekend! Abi

2009-12-04T21:39:00.001-08:00

The Photos are here!

2009-12-04T08:18:00.001-08:00

Here's a link to Megan's blog post with the photos from our shoot earlier this week. Aren't they lovely? If you are in the Sacramento area, she is fantastic and will be doing free mini-sessions in Woodland at Sweet Potatoe Pie tonight. Have a great weekend everyone!

snapshot

2009-12-03T00:19:00.000-08:00

Hey Folks! I'm having the most amazing week! I'm working on a handful of custom orders and am having so much fun! I took today off to catch up on some sewing and to head over to Megan Wilkinson Photography to take some shots of the owls and penguins for my patterns. She's so awesome! I'll be sure to share when the proofs come in. I had a blast playing with her little guys while she was working.
If you are looking for faster (and more frequent) updates on what's going on, I've started a facebook account for MonkeyTree Creations, so if you get a moment, head on over and find me there... Or you can also find me on Twitter.
I'm headed to bed in preparation for what is sure to be a crazy busy work day tomorrow. I'll have photos of the goodies I finished today up soon... and (hopefully) will have some news about a great collaboration I'm working on to share! : ) Abi

Gifts for Kidzilla

2009-11-27T09:06:00.001-08:00

When I was pregnant, Dave and I spent a lot of time talking about our values and how we wanted to raise our children. We were in agreement from the start wooden and handmade were our preference for toys. We started off pretty well with some funky stuffed animals, made by a small company, and picked up a few organic and reclaimed wood goodies.
In keeping with this tradition, we wanted to find Kidzilla something imagination driven for the holidays this year. I turned to Etsy to find something suitable, and found the fabulous LittleBirdsBoutique. She makes all sorts of fun kids stuff, including these awesome TeePees!
They are made to order with luxe designer fabric in contemporary designs and prints. The first two photos are samples of the fabrics that she can use to make your teepee. You can choose from specific collections, or she can help you choose. Aren't those fabrics amazing? And check out the swank finished result! I want this Amy Butler teepee for myself. : ) We got ours ordered last week, and I can't wait to see the finished result! Head on over and check LittleBirdsBoutique out!

back up and (mostly) running

2009-11-20T09:29:00.000-08:00

OK, so the computer is sort of fixed... meaning that Dave, my wonderful and amazing hubby, installed a new hard drive and has been working at reinstalling all sorts of things a little at a time. He's busy, you know, with a wife who compulsively crafts and sews, and a 15 month old who says "No" now. (seriously, WTH???) I'm thinking that I should have access to photos etc... by the end of the weekend, which is awesome, because I'm itching to wrap up the penguin pattern (yea!!).
Here's a snapshot of what I've been up to over the last 2 weeks-
Art Fair at Whitney High School,
Community Fair at Rosemont High School
and tomorrow, craft fair at Holy Rosary in Woodland (I'm hoping this one will be a good one, as it's a K-8 school).
The fairs have been interesting, and I'm planning a post on them in Dec, after I finish the final one.

My chickens started laying! We got our first egg on Tuesday, and there has been one a day since then! Very exciting. I'll post pictures of our delicious gems soon.

I found this... Crafters, this is a must view, go check it out. And bring tissue. Sometimes, I laugh until I cry reading it. It's awesome! If you follow them on twitter, they post links at the end of the day of reader submissions that didn't make the cut, but that are still... well... awesome?

My buddy, and Stampin Up hook up, Stella just joined Scentsy and I'll be hosting a party at work this week. Scentsy makes scented soy tarts and warmers. No lead, no flame, no fuss, no mess. Love it! If you are interested in placing an order, let me know (comments, email or convo through etsy). I'm going to be ordering one or two plug in warmers for hostess gifts and back up gifts, which will make me look all organized and fabulous! : )

Also, thanks to everyone who bid in the auction last week. This week, Slavetosave is hosting a $30 MonkeyTree Creations giveaway at her blog. Head on over and enter for your chance to win!
Hope everyone has a great weekend, Abi

computer crash!

2009-11-15T11:34:00.000-08:00

Hey Folks! A quick update... my hard drive crashed last week and had to be replaced. I'm able to check my etsy and my emails, but that's about it. The hubby replaced the drive yesterday and is working on getting everything going again today, so hopefully, I'll be able to post early this week. I hope that everyone is doing well! Abi

Benson and Claire Auction

2009-11-05T08:31:00.000-08:00

I'm participating in a silent auction for a family that I learned about over at one of my favorite quilt blogs. If you have a moment, please head over and place a bid. I contributed a $25 gift certificate. If you end up winning the auction, let me know that you are a blog reader, and I'll throw in a little something extra. Happy Bidding! Abi

No way!!!

2009-11-04T13:29:00.001-08:00

I'm super excited to share that MonkeyTree Creations is going to be available in my very very favorite scrapbook store over the holidays! I can hardly believe it. I'm in total shock. They have a digital studio, 12X12 printing capability, super fun kits and porject ideas and they carry super fresh and cutting edge brands. Every time I leave there I feel inspired to try something new. It's really a wonderful place.
I got an email in early October announcing that Green Tangerines would be having a "handmade headquarters" section in their store during the holidays and that they were accepting applications. I sent mine in and promptly forgot about the whole thing until last weekend. I wondered what happened with it and figured I would follow up later this week. They ended up following up with me! I got an email last night saying that I had been accepted and to come on down and pick up my bar codes! (Bar codes!?! I'm hyperventilating!) Here's a link to their official blog post about it.
The timing is going to be a little funky as they want to launch the Handmade Headquarters this weekend and I have a show on Saturday, but I'll make it work! I'm so excited! I'm headed off to rework my labels and see what I can part with before the show.
This is me, beaming from ear to ear! Happy Wed everyone!

Kidzilla on Halloween

2009-11-02T13:54:00.000-08:00

I had to share... We met Megan when I was pregnant. She did maternity photos (which I was TOTALLY opposed to initially) and then 2 week photos after the baby got here and his 6 month photos as well. She's super awesome, and her photos are beautiful. For Halloween she sets up at a street festival and does costume photos for a $5 donation to keep the festival going. Kidzilla is the turtle in the middle of the bunch (shocked that I didn't make his costume? When you see my festival schedule for the next 2 months you won't be!). I hope you all had a safe and happy Halloween! Abi

Pumpkin time

2009-10-26T12:49:00.000-07:00

Fall is my very favorite season and Halloween, of course, is my favorite holiday. I relish decorating the house, inside and out, taking trips to the pumpkin patch and heading up to apple hill, an area in a near by town that has over 100 apple orchards. We were able to take a trip to the pumpkin patch last weekend. Kidzilla was not a huge fan of the pumpkin patch. He didn't like the vines and was generally a cranky guy. I think he might be getting more teeth.

It was really nice to be able to step away from work work and home work and Christmas stuff (yikes!!) and spend the afternoon with my folks and the baby walking around and exploring.

When we got home, it was back to work! Rather than doing something for my coworkers for Christmas, I make something fun for everyone for Halloween, which gives me a reason to get crafty this time of year and frees up some resources (both time and $) around the holidays. Last year I did pumpkin bags filled with candy and a cute card. I brought the baby (in his pre-Kidzilla days) to work with me to meet everyone for the first time and we all went out to lunch. It was a fun day. This year I made these cute fabric bags, which I'll fill with candy and tonight I'll put together a card of some sort to go with them. The timing is perfect, as we have three days of "all hands" meetings coming up, and everyone will be in the office, which makes delivery easy!

With a week of meetings planned, Friday is going to be crazy! In addition to wrapping up the month at work and catching up on all sorts of other stuff, I'm chaperoning my very first field trip at daycare! I'll be escorting the little guys while they take a little trick or treat expedition across the street. Yea for Halloween!

Patterns and kits are up!

2009-10-21T07:44:00.000-07:00

After lots of revisions with (poor) Dave yesterday, the patterns and kits are up! Fat Quarter Owl is available as a PDF or Paper pattern or as a kit that includes super cute fabric, interfacing, stuffing and a paper pattern. All you need to supply is thread, an iron and a sewing machine of some sort! I'll be adding some kit upgrades later today or tonight. Woo-Hoo! Happy Owl Week indeed!

Happy Owl Week

2009-10-20T08:37:00.000-07:00

So here's the deal with Owl Week~ I'm celebrating! The owl doll was the first doll that I designed on my own, from scratch, in my living room. It's been so much fun to make that I wanted to share, so I wrote instructions, and scanned the pieces, and had a bunch of family and friends check it out and had my hubby (thanks babe!) turn it into a PDF and make endless tiny adjustments to page placement etc... I suppose that all that was a long way of saying that the Fat Quarter Owl Pattern will be available for sale in my etsy shop later this week!

In addition to the pattern, I will be offering kits so that you can make your very own owl without having lots of leftovers to store. If you are in the Sacramento area, I'll be teaching an owl class on Sunday, 10-25 at Tayo's Fabrics in old Fair Oaks. There's still room, so call and reserve your spot today! The class cost is $20 and you will get a fabulous printed owl pattern and an hour of instruction from me. : )

The final owl week component... All owls are on sale until midnight, Sunday 10-25. Photos of the kit and pattern to come! Yours in owlishness, Abi

new sewing machine!!!!

2009-10-19T16:59:00.001-07:00

How much does the new sewing machine rock? It. Came. With. A. Stylus.
That's how much.

The seedy underbelly of Etsy

2009-10-15T18:01:00.001-07:00

Oh crap... I just found out that people sell fabric, listed as supplies on etsy... and the prices are amazing... Please don't tell my husband.

Fair recap and lots of great news

2009-10-11T15:43:00.001-07:00

Hello! I've been a bad blogger this week, but it's been a crazy week that ended with lots of good things.
Here's my craft fair recap~ The craft fair last weekend was a great learning experience. I made enough to cover my booth and my pro-pay account, and some really nice friends with me neighbour booths. Everyone said that sales were WAY down this year, which made me feel a better. Here's what I learned~
1. people want unique seasonal items. The big seller of the day was a lady who does totally over the top witch hats (think zebra print with a big hairy spider on it, or black and gold with black glitter silk flowers). These hats were awesome, each was unique and the people wearing them looked so happy. It was fun to watch them come by. I wish I had a photo to share!
2. people don't want to talk to you unless they talk to you, so bring a chair and some hand work!
3. Have a focal or feature item. I had lots of apple barrels full of animals, but nothing big. I'll have something that draws people in next time.
4. Have something for all ages, or be more familiar with the fair demographic. I primarily make children's items and while lots of people stopped to check out the dolls, many commented that they didn't have a little one to give them to. Luckily, I had some card sets and scrapped recipe books. These were the big seller, which was a surprise to me.
I had so much fun hanging out with my friend Pam, who kindly agreed to work with me all day, and visiting with shoppers. My family stopped by to say hello and to chat, and it was fun hanging out with them for a little while too.
I'm signed up for 3 more events in November and then will (probably) be taking most of December off of fair duty. I've also had some fun things come up over the last week;

I met with the new owner of a local fabric store and will be teaching classes on the 25th of October. I'm doing and owl class and a monkey/bee class. Very exciting!

I have a deal in the works with a local children's boutique to carry my owls and chickens. More info to follow when we get the details worked out.

I've been having major problems with my sewing machine lately. After taking it in three times in the last 2 weeks and the repair shop not being able to replicate my problem. I found the machine a new home and ordered this shiny and beautiful machine...

Que yellow halo looking light and "whaaaa" music. Ladies, I'm in love, with a Bernina, and it will arrive on Saturday!
My final piece of exciting news; I wrote and am in the process of revising a pattern for my owl dolls. I hope to begin selling these in my Etsy store sometime before the end of the month. Yea!!!
Good times for MonkeyTree Creations! I'll be a better blogger this week, I promise. : ) Abi

This and That (and Owls)

2009-09-30T22:40:00.000-07:00

More Owls! I'm having so much fun making them! I'm done with sewing for this weekend's show. Now it's mostly working on getting paperwork together; wholesale kits, credit card postings, additional signs and a big paper banner. It's nice to be near the end. : )

I'll post pics of the final booth set up next week. If you are going to be in the Sacramento area this Saturday (10-3), stop by and say hello at the Bella Vista Craft Fair!

OWLS!

2009-09-21T15:27:00.000-07:00

It's been a stressful few weeks, and when I'm stressed, I don't sleep. Which means that I get LOTS done at night! I designed a pattern for owls this week while the family was sleeping and cut and sewed a few this weekend. I'm so happy with how they came out! They were fun to make and allowed me to further dip into my fabric stash and find a home for some more fat quarters.
Aren't they cute? These guys are brown and cream and are super soft and cuddly.
These guys are bright and festive. I did all of the applique and the accent stitching on the wings with glow in the dark thread. It looks like white thread, but in the dark, it glows a yellow/green color. Halloween is my favorite holiday to create for, and these guys have me off to a great start! Abi

Treasury!

2009-09-20T23:22:00.000-07:00

I got a treasury tonight! http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=83286 I hope you enjoy! Abi

Check them out!

2009-09-16T15:04:00.000-07:00

Whew! This is all of my completed butterflies, bees, birds and monkeys. They look so cuddly! I have 8 more birds that need eyes and a handfull of monkeys bees and butterflies cut and waiting to go. I'll post photos as I wrap them up! Abi

Treasury

2009-09-15T13:31:00.000-07:00

I was featured in an Etsy treasury today! Check it out here!

winner winner

2009-09-13T23:27:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! I'd like to thank those of you who commented, I really appreciate the helpful feedback! Nicole @bugaboos is my winner! Send me an email (abi at monkeytreecreations dot com) and I'll get your goodies out later this week.

Meanwhile... Here's a chicken/dog photo from late July. Clio, our female Boxer, LOVES the chickens.... and by loves, I mean, really wants to taste one. She recently started to understand that they aren't going any where and that we aren't going to share them with her, so she's less interested now. Have a great week everyone, Abi

Craft Fair setup and giveaway

2009-09-07T14:31:00.000-07:00

Hello again! It's (as usual) been busy around here! I had a very productive week, finishing 18 dolls, getting my labels designed and printed and designing and finishing my item identifiers. I'm slowly moving toward being ready for the first show of the season. I was able to do a partial trade for two darling aprons, and traded with Traci of T & Little S designs for more clothes pins (I'm ridiculously addicted to these things and use them for EVERYTHING!). It's been fun to watch everything come together. I was supposed to start working on another round of dolls today, but just couldn't bring myself to sit down and sew. Instead, the hubby and I set up a mock both.

What do you think? I'm so happy with the apple baskets and the tags! One of our family friends has floor length black table cloths that she has kindly agreed to let me borrow, which will make this setup a little fancier. One of my goals with this particular show is to clear out a whole lot of scrapped recipe books and Halloween photo magnets, so they are all featured on the left table. I need a low cost solution for displaying the magnets, but have not figured it out yet... which is where the giveaway comes in... I need your suggestions! (thanks to Picnic Basket Crafts for this great idea! Check out her blog if you have a minute.) Doll display A

Doll display B

I'm giving away 2 reusable cloth bags to the reader who posts the most helpful critique or suggestion. Contest is open to folks in North America only. Here's what I need you to address (one or all):
1. how can I improve this set up (remember I'm making more dolls, so the bird and butterfly baskets will be fuller, I have floor length table cloths on the way and my booth at this show will be inside).
2. which of the doll displays do you prefer (A or B) and why?
3. Thoughts on a low cost way to display magnets, which are 4X6?
4. How do you/would you handle bags and an email list sign up with this set up?
5. is there a better way to do this?
Comments will be open until Saturday 9-12, when the winner will be selected. Thanks in advance for your participation! Abi

Completed Creations

2009-08-27T12:47:00.000-07:00

Butterfiles~ I designed this pattern and think that these guys are so cute! These four are complete and 6 more are cut and waiting. :) I'm working on some doll Halloween costumes and I came up with a princess outfit for the butterflies. They are too cute in tutus!
Monkeys! I have a hard time photographing these guys because any way you hang them you are... well hanging them! These lovely monkeys are created from Bit of Whimsy's pattern. I altered it to make their arms and legs larger so that stuffing is easier.

Bees! Probably the cutest of all of the creatures I'm working on, and the most popular. The purple and scrappy ones have found new homes. These guys are also from a Bit of Whimsy Prims pattern.

Close up of a stitched label.

more fun that a barrel of...

2009-08-20T10:26:00.000-07:00

I've had these guys done for a few days now, but haven't uploaded because I got distracted by this, and this and um... this too. It's super fun to be a boy mom. And seriously, how cool does artbeast look? I called today and requested that they add classes for little guys at night because while my boss is understanding, I don't think she'd be happy about me showing up at the office at 11 with paint in my hair. : )

Cottage Industry

2009-08-13T08:45:00.000-07:00

So I live in a cottage... a really tiny cottage... like 800 square feet tiny. It's me, the hubby, the baby (who turns one on SUNDAY!!!) and our two Boxers. Even though it's tiny, I love our house. It's taught us a lot about not collecting for the sake of collecting, about using vertical space and about not holding on to things that we don't use (thank you Craigslist). But sometimes, I really wish we had space for a craft room.
It's tough to have to stash all of this stuff before dinner and then to have to drag it back out after dinner. If it's sitting on the table, I want to work on it, which makes the baby angry. He likes to help, but babies are not so good with helping with sewing.
Above are the fruits of yesterday's labor. 14 dolls. 6 monkies, 4 bees and 4 butterflies. All cut and prepped. Labels and faces have been added, wings have been sewn and antenna sewn and ready to add that final touch. Tonight I'll get the limbs stitched and will begin stuffing them. With a little luck, and by luck I mean a long nap for the baby on Saturday, these babies will be done by the end of the weekend. Putting me almost 2 weeks ahead on my production schedule! WOOT!

A few things

2009-08-10T17:55:00.000-07:00

Look for an actual post with photos later this week. things have been crazy crazy around here! In the mean time...
Check out (and vote for) Parkside Harmony~ She makes the most beautiful handmade books. You may remember them from a giveaway a few months back.
www.cafehandmade.com/index.php/2009/08/parkside-harmony/
I was featured in an Etsy treasury~
www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=75374.
More to follow later! Abi

Accepted!

2009-08-07T08:31:00.000-07:00

Hello! It has been a busy busy few weeks! I wanted to share some great news that I got last weekend. I applied for a spot in a large, local and juried craft show about three weeks ago. I've been on pins and needles waiting for word back.
As we pulled into the driveway arriving home from vacation, I noticed a big yellow envelope in the mail box. I ripped that baby open before I even got to the door, which was sort of a feat as our mail box is on the front of the house about 6 inches from the door. : ) The news was good! I was accepted! Yea!
I'll be vendor 206 at the Bella Vista Craft show on October 3rd. After the excitement wore off a little, the panic started setting in. With just 7 weeks to go, I have a lot of making to do! So I'm putting myself on a strict production schedule... because you know, how hard can following a production schedule be? Have a great weekend everyone, Abi

Winner!

2009-07-31T18:17:00.000-07:00

Whew! It was a whirlwind week for me... Off to FL on Monday for work, 2 and a half days of training and then home. I got in last night at 11:00 PM. After spending the day catching up on works stuff, I'm working on packing for vacation. Woo-Hoo! So without further delay, we have a winner!!! Congrats to # 16, Nicole @ BugaBoos said... I follow you!
Thanks for participating, and stay tunned for updates and new goodies in the shop over the next 2 weeks. I'm bringing the sewing machine on vacation with me. : )

Stocking Sale Gvieaway!

2009-07-24T12:19:00.000-07:00

To celebrate the ...erg... stocking of MonkeyTree Creations with my new sewn items, and Christmas in July, I thought I'd give away a stocking! Your choice of any that are currently listed in either my etsy shop or my artfire shop. Here's what you need to do to be entered~
Contest Closed.
Contest closed.

Monday Monday... da daaa da daaaa da

2009-07-20T15:05:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday everyone! It's been forever since I last posted. Last week was pretty busy at work, and it's looking like this week will be too, which is a nice change. : ) I pulled down my last post as I've made some additional changes to things. Here's the summary.

http://www.monkeytreecreations.etsy.com/ ~ stitched items and herbal items

http://www.monkeytreecreations.artfire.com/ ~ stitched and herbal items

The third shop just made things too confusing. My decision to go forward with it is pretty indicitive of what's happening in life in general right now. I've been caught in that trap where you look too far into the future and consider too many options. I had a great chance to settle down, focus and do some goal and priority setting last week and I'm feeling really good about it!

Here's one of my weekend projects~ Wills' first birthday party invites. After much deliberation, I decided to go with a pirate theme. It's a little grown up for a first b-day, but it should be a good time. : ) I'll be posting a giveaway a little later this week, so stay tuned. Abi

Treasury!

2009-07-08T12:16:00.000-07:00

Yea! I got a treasury! http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=69492

My First Quilt

2009-07-06T14:42:00.000-07:00

I've been all nostalgic lately. It might have something to do with my baby turning one (?!?!), or it could just be the itch I get every summer to move on to something new. In any event, I've been spending time going through old pictures and checking out projects that have long been completed. When I found this blog post this morning when I was doing my blog rounds, a light came on! So, here's a hint about the big MonkeyTree Creations (MTC) news that is upcoming, and (I think) a fun look at just how far my fabric craft has come.
I don't have any pictures of my finished first quilt. It was truly a labor of love. I didn't know anything about quilting, or fabric, or batting, or squares, or geometry, or well, you get the idea. Here are all of the photos that I have, please forgive the awful quality. They are photos of photos... taken when digital was crazy expensive.

Me, behind my mom's amazing Bernina, stitching my little heart out. My mom, helping me pin the edges. The quilt, folded in half with the front corner folded back so the front and back show.

I jumped into this project with my typical "how hard can it be?" attitude. I consulted my mom, who quilted in the 70's and she advised me to cut a cardboard template for my squares, to trace it on the fabric, to cut the shapes out and then to sew them together. The cardboard template was the first piece in this poor quilt's rocky foundation. The squares weren't really square... but I pushed on. I didn't want to do binding, so I insisted on sewing the quilt together like an inside out sandwich. It ended up working out all right, but did contribute to the overall rhomboid shape, as I couldn't square my edges. When I actually quilted the thing, it ended up being a lumpy mess. It should have been 6X6, but ended up being 5.75X5.33 or something like that. The photo of my mom sitting by the quilt is probably the last time the poor thing was flat. I don't have this quilt anymore, and while I thought it would break my heart not to have it, it doesn't.
This is the most recent quilt I have completed. I started this as a 35th B-day gift for the man who is now my husband. I wanted to make him a blanket for the floor of his apartment, because he always sat there when he was watching TV.

I designed the quilt to fit between his couches and pretty much cover the room. Because I wanted to get the quilt done quickly, I went with a large block pattern. I designed the blocks in the center to feature dragonflies, which symbolize victory in Japanese folklore, and used fabrics with an Eastern/Mid-Eastern feel. Sadly, I didn't get this finished until way after his 35th B-day, and when it was done, he had long since moved out of that apartment and married a lovely bride. The quilt is 7X7 and fits perfectly on the couch we have now.

Detail of the dragonfly blocks in the center of the quilt. Their simplicity made cutting and piecing them a breeze.

I wanted to share this quilt as well. It is my first show quilt, and, I feel, the best quilt I have made to date. I titled the quilt "Dreams". The entire quilt was stitched on a Janome Jem Gold, which I'm pretty proud of. This tiny, but capable, machine was a dream to work with, although it's size made quilting tough. Dreams ended up being 4.5X4.5. Close up of the quilted portion of the quilt. I did this all free hand on my machine. It took FOREVER! All of the orange and blue rows are quilted this way, as well as the adjacent blue and blue row.

Tune in Friday for the big announcement! Abi

Calendula!

2009-07-05T19:28:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted photos in a long time, so I wanted to share what's been happening with my organic Calendula plants. Above is the plant that's closest to blooming. Isn't it lovely? It looks like most of the plants have several buds on them and I can't wait to enjoy the explosion of color that is going to erupt any day now! I'll have some major MTC news coming later this week, so stay tuned! Abi

About the Chicks

2009-06-28T13:06:00.000-07:00

It seems like there is quite a bit of interest about the chicks, so I thought I would post some more about them and how they came to join us.
We have two giant plum trees in the back yard that saw no care or pruning until we moved in. The result of this neglect is tiny fruit that is too small to eat and trees that are too tall to pick fruit from. So when the fruit ripens and starts to fall off the trees, it litters the back yard. And it's not just one or two plums here or there... It's hundreds. The trees are probably 20 years old and one of them is 35 feet tall. We do our best to stay on top of keeping the fruit off the ground, buy it's an impossible task, and fruit on the ground means flies. Lots of flies. And flies are yuck.

This is the small plum tree. The fence is a regular 6 foot fence, the raised beds around it are each 8 feet long by about a foot tall. I spent a Saturday pruning this tree a few weeks ago, so it's dramatically better looking than it's brother across the lawn.
I have always been fascinated by chickens but never imagined actually having any REAL chickens. Until I found out that they eat flies... and ants... and pincher bugs... and moths... and slugs... and bad spiders. I was instantly sold. I went home and did some additional research about this and found that hens also lay eggs... without a rooster, and that their poop is great for the garden. I was ready to get started. It was simply a matter of convincing my lovely hubby.
He eventually relented under the pressure of several emails a day and questions like "which one do you like better? The black australorp or the speckled sussex?" and "Are you sure? The black australorp lays one more egg a week." And "would you prefer brown eggs or green eggs?" and even "Which would look better in the backyard; the eggloo or a tractor?"

We ended up going with a locally built tractor. The obnoxious orange cord is on the end because we needed to have a heat lamp in there when it was cool and the chicks were still tiny. We'll be taking the lamp out this week. You might have noticed that the tractor has wheels on it. That's so we can move it around, which allows the chickens to fertilize the yard a little bit at a time and allows us to move it to places where there is a lot of plums on the ground. Chickens like fruit!
We also ended up with chicks that will eventually (hopefully) lay brown and green eggs, and a flock that looks like... well, here are most of them.

Petunia, left, looking sassy, Nugget, center, trying to keep cool and Sweet Cheeks, right, wondering what's going on. Not pictured is Belina, the bossy one who is BFF with Nugget. I ended up bringing Sweet Cheeks home a week after all of the other chicks. I wanted an Americana, or Easter Egger, for blue or green eggs, and their reputed excellent disposition. So that's how we ended up with a flock of urban chickens. Eggs, fertilizer, bug catching skills, antics... what more could you want in a pet? We can't walk them like we do our dogs, but they are still pretty fun! If you are considering a flock of your own or have questions or anything, I'm not an expert, but I'd be happy to try to help or to share resources.

Shout Out to Sarah of For Keeps Graphic Arts

2009-06-25T21:07:00.000-07:00

I wanted to give a shout out to a fab Etsy seller I met last week; Sarah of For Keeps Graphic Arts. She designed this awesome logo for the Campaign for Legalizing Urban Chicken Keeping (CLUCK); a group that I'm pretty active in right now. Sarah was great to work with, super professional, very nice and understanding when I couldn't figure out how to unzip the files she sent me. : ) I had a wonderful experience with her and will (hopefully!) be working with her on some projects in the future. If you have any graphic design or blog design needs, check her out on etsy~ For Keeps Graphic Arts or Just Beecause custom blogs and blog accessories. Thanks again Sarah!

Chicks

2009-06-23T22:25:00.001-07:00

Here's a photo of my growing flock. Belina, is in the left front, Sweet Cheeks is behind her, Nugget is in the back and Petunia is in the right front. We believe that Nugget is not a Black Australorp, but a Jersey Giant. I'm a little concerned as Jersey Giants are the "world's largest chicken". Hens can weight over 10 lbs!
We are having a great time with them. They are easier to care for than the dogs and super entertaining to watch. I'm loving them and can't wait for those tasty eggs!

Veggies

2009-06-17T16:27:00.001-07:00

Today's Delivery, the inspiration for this post.

We have been doing our best to scale back on "extras" lately, but the one thing that I can't bear to cut is organic produce. We live in one of the most prolific farming regions in the United States and are surrounded by farmland and by local farmers. Several of them deliver. We signed up for service with a larger farm about this time last year and were really unhappy with the produce. This farm harvested on Monday and our delivery day was Friday. Fresh produce does not usually have a very long shelf life, so many of the items we got needed to be used... and quick! After searching a little deeper, I found a local farm called Buddah Belly Farms. The farmer, who is such a sweetie, delivers 6-8 pounds of produce every other week. She harvests our basket the day it's delivered and the food is so amazingly fresh and wonderful. I don't even like to eat co-op or grocery store veggies anymore because the don't taste as good. I have turned into a veggie snob. : ) In a few weeks, my backyard crops will be ready and we will take a break from the service.

We started a garden 3 years ago because I thought it would be fun, but the longer I do it, the more enchanted I become. I love touring the yard every day after work and checking the progress of our beets and green beans. I love being able to marvel at the pumpkin that was only three inches high when we planted it, but now has six foot vines! I love walking outside and pulling a ripe squash off the vine and enjoying it right there. I think that knowing where your food comes from is important, and am blessed to be in a place where I can take part in the process. Abi

and the winner is...

2009-06-12T17:33:00.000-07:00

Elephunk said...
"you are seriously going to make me choose just one favorite? Do you realize how hard that is? If I HAVE to, I choose this one:http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=25370450"

True Random Number Generator Min: Max: Result: 10 Powered by RANDOM.ORG
I'm sending you an email for you info! Thanks to everyone who played and thank you to Parksideharmony!

I got a treasury!

2009-06-11T16:12:00.000-07:00

I got a treasury today! Check it out~
http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=64258

New Additions

2009-06-08T22:58:00.000-07:00

I wanted to introduce some new additions to our family. I've secretly been into chickens for a long time. I collect chicken stuff, fabric, statues, you name it... On Easter, we visited one of my cousins who had 25 one week old chicks and the deal was sealed. I talked to the hubby on the way home about adding a few chicks to our family and he seemed pretty receptive to the idea. In mid May we started planning our coop and researching breeds. We are city folk and need a flock that would be friendly and quiet. We ended up with these guys~

Aren't they sweet? We got 4 chicks who are supposed to be girls (gender determination is only 90% accurate in chicks!) and should be enjoying lots of fresh eggs in a few short months.

On the left is Belina, in the front center is Nugget, on the right is Petunia and in the background is Sweet Cheeks. They are so funny~ each has their own personality. Belina, a Buff Orpington, is bold and a little snobby. Nugget, a Black Australorp, (named because she survived one of our dogs trying to taste her) is the largest chick in the flock and is the protector. We are a little worried that she might end up being a dude. Petunia, a Barred Rock, is a quick little chick. She zooms around like the roadrunner and has a lot of energy. Little Sweet Cheeks, an Ameraucana or Easter Egger, joined us on Saturday and is the youngest in the flock. She is the cutest little girl and will happily do her own thing and will cuddle up in your lap if you let her. We named her Sweet Cheeks because she has puffy cheeks.

Don't forget to enter the ParksideHarmony giveaway and have a great week! Abi

++this giveaway is now closed++

2009-06-05T12:01:00.000-07:00

I have met some very cool people through Sneak Attacks on Etsy. One of my very favorites is the lovely owner of ParksideHarmony. She makes the most amazing handmade books. They are a paper lover's dream, and are put together with such love and care that I can't help wanting to "collect" them all! Here is some more info about these lovelies and her creative process from her profile~

I am inspired to make books with great thought to sustainability. All crafting is done during the day to make the most of the natural Arizona sunshine that floods the studio through large windows and skylights. The studio overlooks an organic garden planted by my youngest son (7). Other friends that share the studio surroundings, an outdoor Red-eared slider garden turtle. She loves to bask in the center of the pond and send her calm energy into the books. There are also many butterflies, hummingbirds, and song birds that visit the garden daily. Last summer we had a beautiful orb spider and a praying mantis that lived in the flower garden most of the summer. All items come from a smoke-free, pet-friendly home.All these books are made with Stonehenge paper. I chose to use this paper because Stonehenge uses it's own water source to make their paper, the paper is chlorine free, the mill is ISO 14001 certified, and it's tree free made from cotton linters. Plus, it's a dream to write, draw, paint, and glue on.
Isn't that cool! See the rules below to get your hands on not one, but TWO of these marvelous works of art!

Sneak Attack!

2009-06-04T19:35:00.000-07:00

I'm hosting the Sneak Attack tomorrow! More info here. Join us for some chatting during the day on Etsy and be ready for the shops (yes, more than one) to be revealed at 7:00 PM EST. Hope to see you there!

giveaway!

2009-05-29T08:12:00.000-07:00

I recently met a very nice blogger named Melissa. She is hosting a bath tea giveaway and has a special discount code that will be good all week! Check it out if you have a moment! Abi

Infused Oil

2009-05-26T22:31:00.000-07:00

Isn't it lovely? As a follow up to my last post, I thought I'd share some photos of two batches of oils that I infused on the stove. The oil on the left is almond, the oil on the right is olive. They smelled so good when they were done!
You can make herbal infusions using the sun, but it works best with fresh herbs, which is why I was (am) so fired up about my organic herbs. Slow, sun infused oil is my favorite to work with. It's amazing!
After killing the first batch of herbs, I decided to start again, outside, rather than inside. Here is a photo of a few of my Calendula sprouts.
Woo hoo! Organic herb gardening take 2!

Who's feeling better?

2009-05-26T22:00:00.000-07:00

ME! I had a great weekend working in the yard and hanging out with my hubby and the little guy. Thank you so much for all the well wishes~ It meant a lot to hear from you all. : )
I wanted to share a fun project that I worked on a few weekends ago with one of my girl friends; we made sugar scrub! I LOVE sugar scrub, but normally am too... erg... frugal... yea... to shell out $16 or more for 13 oz! I was so happy with the result that I am considering carrying it in my shop. Here is the recipe;

Ingredients
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil or almond oil
scented essential oils (optional)

Directions
Mix the sugar and oil in a bowl.
If you are going to scent with essential oil, add and mix.
Put in a small plastic container. I used a small GladWare bowl. My impulse was to store in glass (more eco friendly, and I have like 500 baby food jars hanging around), but you don't want glass in the shower or bath with you. If you drop it and it breaks, it could be dangerous.
That's it... No really!

Extra steps
If you want to get crazy on this project, you can infuse your oil with herbs. To make an herbal infusion, add herbs to oil and cook on the stove at the lowest heat for an hour or two. I'm sorry that I can't be more precise with this, but for me, it's an imprecise process. I cook with my nose, and this is no exception. If you can smell the herbs, your oil is infusing, if you can smell the oil, it's time to take it off. If you can really smell the oil, it's probably gone to far and you may want to start again. Things I have learned: stir frequently and sniff frequently! When your oil is done, take it off the stove and strain the herbs. Let your oil cool and it will be ready to use. : )
My infusion was made with a half cup almond oil, a half ounce of lavender and a half ounce of chamomile. I scented my scrub with 5 drops of lavender essential oil.
If you try the recipe or have any thoughts/experience with this sort of thing, I would love to hear them! Thanks so much, Abi

rough week

2009-05-21T08:59:00.001-07:00

I'm having one of those weeks. I've had a few rough days at work, the hubby is having fun in Vegas with his work buddies and I got rejected by an Etsy team that I applied for a few months ago with some criticism that was just mean. I have the blahs in a big way! I think I'm going to see about taking tomorrow off work and staying home with the little guy~ that, combined with a 4 day weekend, might be just what I need! Abi

treasury

2009-05-15T21:42:00.001-07:00

One of my sneak attack buddies included me in a treasury today. take a look if you have a moment!
http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=58518&show_panel=true

Organic Herb Gardening #4, the tragic end

2009-05-15T08:34:00.000-07:00

Yea... I killed the plants. On Mother's Day (ironically), I thought they could use a little fresh air and put the tray outside on the porch in the shade. When I went outside to check on the dogs about an hour later, they were all wilted, yellow and stringy. I guess they weren't ready for fresh air... and I feel horrible about it! : (
I planted the rest of the calendula seeds directly into one of our beds in the back yard, so hopefully all won't be lost. On that note, hope you all have a great weekend! Abi

Featured in a Treasury

2009-05-12T22:50:00.000-07:00

I was featured in a treasury! One of my fellow Spotted Box participants put together this fun collection
http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=53706
Check it out!

Organic Herb Gardening #3

2009-05-07T22:53:00.000-07:00

Whew! It's been a crazy week, but here is my promised post on the herbs! I consolidated them all into one tray. The Chamomile is on the left, lavender in the center and the Calendula is on the right. They will be going outside this weekend as we have major yard work planed. More photos next week! Abi

we have a winner!

2009-05-03T14:06:00.000-07:00

True Random Number Generator Result: 5
Check your email~ The winner has 72 hours to get back to me! Thanks for playing, Abi

Featured in 2 Etsy Treasuries!

2009-05-02T11:00:00.000-07:00

I woke up this morning to two emails that said I was featured in an Etsy Treasury! How exciting! Here are the links
http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=55796
http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=52555
If you have a moment, please take a look! I'm honored to be featured among so many wonderful artisans!

Also, a big thank you to anyone who checked out the sneak attack yesterday. The shop I picked was Parkside Harmony, and we almost bought everything in the shop. Her reaction on the thread was priceless!
I'll be picking the winner of our giveaway contest tomorrow, and posting an update on my plants in the next few days. I hope everyone has a great weekend! Abi

Sneak Attack Chat Thread

2009-04-30T23:44:00.000-07:00

http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6136082
join us!

Sneak Attack!

2009-04-29T22:21:00.000-07:00

I learned about the Sneak Attack on Etsy in early March and love the idea! Basically, a sponsor picks a shop with only a few sales and at a given date and time, a group of people check out their shop and give them sales. The result is "a frenzy of surprise business"! After checking it out a little more over at The Handmade Movement, I signed up to be a sponsor and my host date is May 1st. That's Friday!!! I am SOOO excited! As part of the fun, I'll start a chat thread on Etsy tomorrow night and will be popping in with clues about the shop on Friday. The "attack"will begin at 7:00 PM eastern time when I announce the shop.
The shop I picked is very cool AND eco friendly (was that a hint?) and I would love to see the owner get a boost. It's so awesome to see people who make great things be successful, and I think that this owner has a really bright career ahead. I'm so honored to be in a position to help get things started and hope that you will join me. : ) More info to follow on Thursday night!

Another Giveaway!?!

2009-04-28T15:58:00.000-07:00

I didn't realize that this was happening this week! The Spotted Box is hosting a giveaway of 2 bags of loose leaf tea. Check it out! Abi

Ugh... Sick

2009-04-26T09:54:00.000-07:00

The hubby, the little guy and I trekked up to Seattle on Thursday and not more than an hour ater getting there, I realized that the little guy and I both had the sniffles. We are on the mend now, thanks to some herbal goodness and will remember to pack tea with us next time we go.

To celebrate our recovery~ I'm doing a give away! My new Organic Cold and Allergy Care Kit, which inlcudes winner's choice of 3 quart, or 5 single serving cold & allergy tea, 3 lavender & rosemary dryer bags and one herbal stress balm.

**CONTEST CLOSED**

Organic Herb Gardening #2

2009-04-19T23:27:00.000-07:00

My herbs are growing like crazy. The photo above was taken this weekend, about 2 weeks after the herbs were planted. I went a little overboard with the amount of seeds I used, but they were so small, and for some reason, I never really think they are going to grow! The herbs in the photo are Lavender on the left, Chamomile on the right and in the very back, Calendula. It looks like I'm going to have 4 nice calendula plants and a whole bunch of lavender and chamomile. In a few weeks, I'll need to start seperating and culling out the lavender and the chamomile, but for now, they are fine where they are and I'm enjoying the vibrant and wild tangle of tiny plants on my window sill.

April Spotted Box

2009-04-18T14:13:00.000-07:00

I got a Spotted Box this month and after going through the goodies, I would like to say that the Spotted Box rocks! Even the hubby thought it was cool! The variety of samples was excellent and they are things that I will actually use, or will be passing on to friends who I'm sure will use them. Without further ado, I'd like to share the contents of April's Spotted Box~

DMFI Designs~ a super cute card (that I'm mailing to my Aunt on Monday because she will LHAO when she reads it) and a lovely post card (is that a shout out to Carla from Top Chef?)
Seventeen Stone ~ awesome candy and a $10 gift certificate
Memories by Olenka ~ adorable box with a chick on it and some candies inside. It's easy to see why this was the best of the box. : )
Creative Thought~ Cute bag with 4 inspirational quotes. I love the idea behind this store and think her products are fantastic.
Clear Hills Honey Company~ two lip balm samples
Lollipop Boutique~ the cutest lady bug hair clippie that makes me wish I had a girl baby

Rustic Candles ~ soy tart in chocolate raspberry that smells delicious
Lollipop Boutique~ the cutest lady bug hair clippie that makes me wish I had a girl baby
Aunty Ann Designs~ cute sock monkey card
Renee's Paper and Yarn~ a soft finger tip wash cloth
T and Little S Designs ~ adorable cupcake decoration : )
Eilzabear ~ blue duckie crayon. The hubby thought this was so cool.
Royal Buns ~ bubblegum scented rice filled boo boo pack
Oh Snap ~ a bag of snaps
Jewelry by Desiree ~ lovely ear rings
BBB Boutique ~ Black Raspberry Vanilla sea salt bath soak.
Suds by Sarah ~ Lavender Vanilla soap cake. I love that the ingredients are listed and that I know what all of them are.
Paisley Baby~ super nice fabric coaster
Social Butterflies~ very cute hair clip. This seems like it would be "dad friendly" for hair styling.
Joyfull Rose ~iron on transfer
Baby O'Really! ~ Gift Certificate for a free set of nursing pads. I got 2 pair of her pads earlier this month and LOVE LOVE LOVE them!
The little Love Bug~ adorable felt cookie
Polkatot Boutique~ Adorable stripey bow
Beemer Knits ~$5 gift Certificate
Babus~ crinkley toy. The little guy is loving it!
Munkie's Goop/Accessories by Us~ I got a really nice gift bag that included angel food bath soak, orange peppermint sugar scrub, banana lip gloss, sugar cookie sugar scrub and vegan body butter in amber romance.
I hope you all have a fantastic rest of your weekend! Abi

Another Treasury!

2009-04-11T18:40:00.001-07:00

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=51970

Organic Herb Gardening #1

2009-04-10T16:27:00.001-07:00

I am a gardening fanatic. Every year just before Christmas, I get out my seed catalogues and start planning, with visions of fresh and delicious veggies and fruits that I can pick as needed from my back yard. I can't recall eating anything as delicious or satisfying as our tomatoes and zucchini from our first crop.

This year, my hubby says I've crossed the line from garden enthusiast to "farmer", with the addition of corn to my starter seeds. I let him know that if he keeps making fun of my corn, he won't be enjoying any of it. Sadly, my threat does not seem to be working!

In addition to corn, I decided to try some organic herb seeds. I planted french lavender, chamomile and calendula. Next year, I should have a nice harvest and will be able to make some wonderful infused oils and teas. I thought it would be neat to chronicle their growth from seeds, to seedlings, to plants and finally to products.

Here's step one.

I started the seeds mid March and will update on their progress next week. Have a great weekend, Abi

Cool giveaway

2009-04-09T23:49:00.000-07:00

I managed to get the little monkey down early tonight and found this awesome giveaway http://shrimpsaladcircus.blogspot.com/2009/04/giveaway.html while I was surfing. I think needle felted toys are so cool and Wishing Tree Creations has some cute stuff.
I have a cool series of posts coming up and hope to get the first one up this weekend. Have a great Friday! Abi

New Treasury

2009-04-08T18:17:00.001-07:00

I just got a treasury on Etsy!
http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=51144
Hope you enjoy!
Abi

We have a winner!

2009-04-06T11:50:00.001-07:00

True Random Number Generator Result: 3
I just sent our winner an email. If I don't hear back in 72 hours, a new winner will be selected. Thanks to Traci for offering the fab prize and to everyone who played! Abi

T and Little S Designs Giveaway!

2009-03-29T18:54:00.000-07:00

This week Traci, from T and Little S Designs has kindly offered to give any banner in her shop to one lucky winner! Here is some info about her (isn't she cool?) and her creations. Contest information is below. : )

Tell me about your craft (what you do, why you do it, how you got started).
Hmmm, I'll try and give you all the shortened version. I got started scrapbooking about 15 years ago but didn't really focus on it until after our wedding. I've made tons of scrapbooks since then. It gradually evolved into stamping and cardmaking before I discovered the wonderful art of decoupage! My list of altered items keeps growing from tins and clipboards, coasters and more. I've recently started making birthday supplies and party banners after I wasn't happy with the commercialized ones that I saw in stores. I wanted to give my daughter creative parties for her first and second birthdays that didn't revolve around a major character or standard store theme. T and Little S Designs was born in the fall of 2007 out of my love for creating and my need for a creative outlet for myself after the birth of our daughter in Feb. It's continued to grow, and I see bigger and better things in the future! I have more ideas in my head that I just need the time to create and list.

What is your most favorite thing to do?
My most favorite thing to do is curl up in a nice, quiet spot in the sun, and read a good book. That doesn't happen too often around here. I also enjoy scrapbooking my own pages and albums, going for walks, and spending time with my family. Vacationing in the Carribean is right up there, too!
When you were small, what did you think you were going to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be lots of things when I was younger, but I really wanted to be a writer. Of course, the normal astronaut, lawyer, and a few others were in there, too, but I remember having a subscription to Writer's Digest as a 10 year old. I wrote my first major story that year and entered several writing contests. Looking back on it, I'm so glad that I had a 5th grade Language Arts teacher that really encouraged me that year.Of course, I now have Psychology and Education degrees, and I'm a stay-at-home Mom. I insist that I use both of my degrees every day! LOL

What other shops or artists out there do you love?
I have several shops on Etsy that I love, but I do try to support my friends and other Moms when possible. Feel free to browse my favorites as these are just a few!--
CraftyMamaCreations and PoseyPatch for purses and bags--
TheLittleLOVEBug for felt play food/ toys for my daughter--
QuiltedMemories4u for clothing/ quilts (one of my sorority sisters!)--
houseoflulu for girls barrettes, clippies, and glove animals (another of my friends!)--picnicbasketcrafts and monkeytreecreations for organic items and cleaning supplies--mojocreations for reusable snack bags

To win your choice of banner from T and Little S Designs, visit Traci's etsy store and leave a comment here telling me your favorite item.
For additional entries (you will receive one additional entry for each of the following that you do):
- Heart T and Little S Designs' etsy store and comment that you did so. Include your etsy user name in your comment for verification purposes!
- Follow my blog and leave another comment.
- Blog about this giveaway and leave another comment letting me know.
That's 4 chances to win! : ) Entries will be accepted until 11:30 (pst) April 6th. The winner will be selected using Random.org and contacted via email (so be sure to include a valid email address). The winner will have 72 hours to respond before another winner is selected. Giveaway is open to US or Canadian residents only. Good luck! Abi

Monkey Business

2009-03-27T15:04:00.000-07:00

I've been on a total sewing kick for the last few weeks and it all started with a trip to Target. My hubby and I were walking through the seasonal section and looking at the Easter stuff. I asked him what he thought about doing an Easter basket for the Little Monkey. And then we got to the stuffed animals and it happened.

I found the cutest primitive bunny, long arms and legs, triangle body, floppy ears lined with satiny fabric... SO CUTE!!! But they only had purple and pink... and that wasn't going to work, especially since we had spent the preceding few days telling people that our "adorable little girl" was, in fact, a boy. So I turned to the hubby and uttered his least favorite works, "I could make that. How hard can it be?". His eye twitched a little and he hustled me over to the craft section, trying to distract me. It totally didn't work.

As soon as I got home I was on Etsy, looking for bunny dolls or patterns. I found bitofwhimsyprims. Her patterns are super cute and super easy to use. Yes, I did just use "pattern" and "super easy to use" in the same sentence. I acutally was able to use a pattern, and the product of my pattern using is adorable! My mom almost died of shock when I told her. The hubby was especially impressed, as the creation process didn't involve any swearing or angry direction shaking. : )

Now, I'm hooked. I've made 3 of these little guys . I am going to do a few more (they go so fast!), and plan to give them to the kids at the Little Monkey's daycare for Easter.
Here's a pic of the final product;
They aren't bunnies, but they are so cute! Have a fantastic weekend, Abi

Giveaway Winner!

2009-03-26T22:12:00.000-07:00

The Sleepy Sleepy tea giveaway winner was #19, Nathalie, who "hearted" my etsy store! Thanks Nathalie, your goodies are going out tomorrow! : )
I'll be hosting a new giveaway starting next Monday. It's going to be a good one, so stay tuned!

April Samples

2009-03-22T22:26:00.000-07:00

Next month I'll have samples in both the Spotted Box and the Little Black Box. I finished blending and bagging the tea last weekend, and will package the finished tea bags into clear bags with cards this week! This month, I'll be featuring Sleepy Sleepy single serving tea. Starting April 15th, all Sleepy Sleepy tea will be 15% off in my etsy shop.

Giveaway Winner

2009-03-21T17:51:00.001-07:00

I've selected our winner and am waiting to hear back! Thanks to all who participated. I'll be posting a giveaway from our friends at T and Little S Designs next weekend so stay tuned! Abi

Sleepy Sleepy Tea giveaway

2009-03-13T15:54:00.000-07:00

I posted a few days ago about the new goodies that I added to my etsy store, and some fab new tea that I blended. In honor of this lovely new tea, I decided to giveaway the winners choice of either a a 2oz loose leaf bag or 10 single serving bags! Woo-Hoo!

This lovely drinking tea is made with Chamomile, catnip, lemon balm, lavender and hops and is a great, gentle sleep aid. Enjoy a warm mug before bed, or use it in the tub!

Use instructions:Boil enough cold water to fill 1 cup, add tea bag to hot water, cover, steep for 10-15 minutes and enjoy!

About our herbs and supplies: All herbs in this blend are certified organic. Teabags have been whitened with hydrogen peroxide and oxygen, without the use of bleach or other chemicals. Loose leaf tea is packaged in lined bag that is made with recycled material. The glassine liner is paper based making it 100% recyclable!

To win your choice of either a 2 oz bag of loose leaf sleepy sleepy tea or 10 single serving tea bags, visit my etsy store and leave me a comment here telling me what your favorite item is.

For additional entries (you will receive one additional entry for each of the following that you do):

- Heart my etsy store and comment that you did so. Please include your etsy user name in your comment for verification purposes!

- Follow my blog and leave another comment.

- Blog about this giveaway and leave another comment letting me know.

That's 4 chances to win! : ) Entries will be accepted until 11:30 (pst) March 21st. The winner will be selected using Random.org and contacted via email (so be sure to include a valid email address). The winner will have 72 hours to respond before another winner is selected. Giveaway is open to US or Canadian residents only. Thank you and good luck! Abi

Etsy shop update

2009-03-08T00:35:00.000-08:00

My lovely hubby kindly watched the little monkey today so I would have a chance to work on some etsy stuff and belnd some new tea. He's so good to me. : ) If you get a chance to check out the store, I would love to hear what you think about the new photos! I'm especially happy with the blend photos. The photo above is my skin care tea. Isn't it beautiful? It feels like a shame to contain it in tea bags! I added some loose sleepy sleepy and skin care tea as well.

I'll be doing a give away of 2 oz loose sleepy sleepy tea next week, so keep your eyes peeled, and I have a very exciting giveaway for the last week of the month, I can't give details just yet, but it's going to be awesome! Have a great rest of the weekend~ Abi

T & Little S Designs Blog Feature and Giveaway

2009-02-26T20:13:00.001-08:00

Hello! MonkeyTree Creations is being featured on T & Little S Designs' Blog this week! She is doing a give away for one of my stress balms. Head on over and get entered if you have not already!
Abi

Bag Topper Tutorial

2009-02-26T19:28:00.000-08:00

Finally, the promised Bag topper tutorial! I love making these and use this design concept for multiple seasons. It's super versatile! The idea is to use a fun paper, a central image and two supporting images. I like to raise my center image to give it a little more pop. I made this particular topper as a Valentine goodie for the only guy on my work team, but you could really spice this up with a little ribbon, some ric-rac or even some stickles! Go Wild! For other seasons, I've used pumpkins (2 small pumpkins as my supporting image and 1 large pumpkin for my central image) and a snowman and snowflakes.
The first step to making a bag topper is to pick your bag and measure it. I've been using snack bags that I fold in half. So... step one, measure your bag. My bag is 4.25 inches across.
step 2~ cut your paper. Since my bag is 4.25 inches across, I'm going to cut a strip that is 4.5 inches wide, and 6 inches long. Fold this strip in half so that it measures 4.5 X 3.
step 3~ stamp your images. I used the birds from SU's Love you Much.
step 4~ color your images and cut them out. I used blue and yellow prisma color pencils to color the birds, but you could use copic markers or any other pencil/marker that you prefer.
step 5~ punch your supporting images. I used SU's heart to heart punch which is really cute and really easy to use! if you are using multiple stamped images, you won't need to do this step.
step 6~ Assemble the topper! I placed the birds first and used stampin dimensionals to give it a little lift. After that, I placed two of the hearts on the sides of the birds with glue dots. I added the heart over the birds with a dimensional.
step 7~ fill your bag with candy or your favorite treat and staple the bag in the center of your folded topper.
step 8~ distribute and enjoy!
Supplies
Stampin Up! (SU) Double Sided Paper Candy Lane
SU Love You Much
SU Heart to Heart Punch
SU Basic Black ink
Prisma Color pencils - blue and yellow
SU Stampin Dimensionals
Glue dots
Staples
Bags

Appearing in the Spotted Box

2009-02-13T23:48:00.001-08:00

I'm so excited! After getting in touch with the fab Tori of the Spotted Box, I've decided to contribute to the March Box! You can purchase boxes here. Check back next month and see if you end up with one of my herbal goodies!
I'm working on a paper craft tutorial that should be up in the next few days, keep your eyes out! Abi