It was an incredibly busy weekend here in Monkeyville, and I have lots and lots of good stuff to share. So much so in fact, that I have to split it up otherwise I may make the internets go squish from all of the awesomeness.
I realize that last week, Sock Monkey Monday was late... oops. My apologies on that, see, I was working on some incredibly special monkeys that absolutely had to be done and in the mail, along with a bunch of orders. In fact, I can't believe how many orders I've received recently, for all sorts of cool monkeys! Scientists, characters from one of my all time favorite shows-- Futurama (so good, Fox brought it back), Ninjas, frogs, and moose (oh my!). I have to say, that when I first started making monkeys I kind of wondered if I'd run out of ideas or if I would get bored of making the same basic thing... it hasn't been that way at all though! How could I get bored when I get asked to make such cool things?
Since I missed a Sock Monkey Monday a couple weeks ago, I never managed to put an entry here with the details of the Very Special Monkeys I was making. I was so busy working on the monkeys themselves that I never actually got to put anything about them here.
I used to live on Martha's Vineyard, and ever year there's a completely awesome fair, the Martha's Vineyard Agricultural Fair. There's the usual carnival type of stuff there-- rides, cotton candy, lots of deep fried foods on sticks, but the real reason that this fair is so great is that it's mostly a Very Traditional,
agricultural fair... with an Island twist. There's a huge barn with all sorts of farm animals, draft horse pulls, antique tractor shows, oyster shucking contests, a woodsman's contest*, skillet throw competition**, and then there's the Hall Exhibitions.
The Hall is filled with all sorts of awesome handmade things, everything from pottery to jelly, bread to dolls. For whatever reason, the Islands (Nantucket too, though I don't know if they have a fair like ours) are like little concentrated pools of talent, and there are amazing artists there of
all ages. Yep, kids get to compete too in almost everything. In fact, most of the two-ton draft horses were shown by 11 year olds.
I've
always wanted to enter something in the Hall. I don't have a horse, don't have any goats, chickens, or other farm animals, but I've always wanted to have something
I made in the Hall. Well, this year was my year. I made two Very Special Monkeys just for the MV Ag fair-- a steampunk one that I've been dying to make since I very first started making sock monkeys, and a winged monkEmo, a bit like Voltaire. I named the steampunk one Ezra (after a character in a novel) and Ninja Muse suggested Phrixus for the winged monkey.
The monkeys were mailed last Friday and Saturday, then it was just sitting and waiting until I could get to the Island Thursday afternoon to see if they placed. That was a Very nerve wracking wait! I was pretty certain that there would be someone else who would enter a handmade toy and blow me out of the water. Not only that, but because I sell my monkeys, I had to enter as professional/commercial. Knowing how talented people are there, I was hoping that my monkeys would at least place, and maybe win something for originality.
This was so important to me, that I took both Thursday and Friday off from work for the sole purpose of traveling to Martha's Vineyard and going to the fair (well, I also wanted to have a mini-vacation and have some fun too). Thursday everything was packed into the car, arrangements for kitty-care were made, and I was a bundle of nerves as we made our way to the Island.
The very first stop after dropping suitcases off at Mumma's house was the fair. Mumma had entered three pieces of jewelry she had made, so she was eager to see how she did as well. Once at the fair, the very first stop was the Hall. I was thinking that the monkeys would be harder to find, but when we walked in, Ezra was immediately to the left:
He was very hard to photograph because he was right in a pool of sunshine.
I was so thankful that his little hat didn't get crushed in the mail. He was seated right between to sculptures, and all three items in that area had First Place Ribbons!!! I think I scared someone next to me when I yelled "he won! he won! Ezra won first place!"
The jewelry case was in that same area too, and Mumma found all three of her pieces with ribbons too!
Mumma got two first places and a second for her jewelry!
Phrixus wasn't anywhere near Ezra (they were different categories), but after a minute, we found him too.
Not only did Ezra win first place, but Phrixus did too!!! I chalk it up to beginner's luck. This is the first time I've ever been able to enter anything in the fair, and both monkeys did amazing!!! Mumma is old hat at entering things and winning. She's won first and second for her jellies before.
I was dying to tell someone, but Mumma's house doesn't have internet, and my cellphone didn't have any signal there, it was torture! I'm still in shock that my Monkeyville Monkeys actually won first place. Ezra won first in the Dolls and Stuffed Figures (because he's NOT child safe at all) and Phrixus won first in Stuffed Toys, both were entered as commercial, and that's why they have yellow tags on them.
A better photo of Ezra:
You can't see it, but he has a metal plate on his stomach and under that clock gears and a red felt heart.
I can't explain how much this means to a small time sock monkey maker. I do sell a lot of monkeys, but there's just something about having won
there that's very, very special to me. I lived there for a very, very long time, and no matter how much I love it here in North Attleboro, no matter how much time I spend away from the Island, that Island will always be a huge part of whoI am. It took me
years to stop saying that things were "off island" for example.
Not only that, but even the kids who enter things in the fair there are amazingly talented. You can spend hours in the hall looking at everything that people made. There's walls and walls of paintings, photos, and everything else that could possibly be made by someone. The sculptures are truly amazing. The one to the left of Ezra was a granite fish, it won a Special Award (thus the Really Big ribbon). The one to the right was of an osprey (type of bird) holding a fish, and it had won a Special Award as well.
All of that super concentrated talent, and
my monkeys both won first place... I'm still in shock.
There will probably be a Sock Monkey Bonus Day this week, because I have loads of photos from the fair, and some photos of Sebastian, and of Eli and Sirus Monkey's honeymoon. The bits that they allowed the humans to tag along for. Not only that, but there will be lots and lots of typically Island stuff too. Because I have lots of non-sock monkey photos that are cool too.
*Though completely open to both genders, not just the guys.
**Open only to women.
