Yay!!!
The Very First craft fair that Monkeyville has ever done!
That would be Red Sox Ninja back there, she helped out *loads*, especially with the jewelry, because I didn't know how to display that at all. She was also kept me company when things went slower than expected.
Rudolph the Red Nosed Sock Monkey.
Rudolph took me until about 3am to complete, but he came out looking just like what I had in mind, so it was completely worth it.
The metal chair and the white tree* were holding the jewelry that Mumma made. It was all incredibly pretty, and I thought for sure that we were going to that before the monkeys.
Unfortunately, it was a slow fair, but fun. I talked to a lot of Very Nice people and gave out a bunch of business cards, but sadly, no monkeys went to new homes. Some snowballs did though. In fact, the snowballs were quite popular. I think everyone who stopped by had to give them a good squish.
The end result was a nice day out, talking to lots of people, eating really good noms (cupcakes with home-made frosting--yum!) and the monkeys got lots of attention. I think the only reason we didn't sell more than the snowballs was that the monkeys were priced from $20-35 and that was just a bit too steep for the setting. It was a craft fair at a local church, so I think that more people were expecting a $10-15 price range, so $35 for a sock monkey was sticker shock.
That's okay though, because now, I have plenty of monkeys to go in the Etsy shop! Working full time still has made it hard to get everything I wanted to done, so I'm glad that I have these guys to put online. The poor Etsy shop has been Very Neglected lately. There are Several more craft fairs in the area in the next month or so, so I'm sure I'll be going to at least one of those. I have my fingers crossed that I can get into the one at the Durfee High School in Fall River. I think the larger fair will be a better setting. However, I have a few dozen snowballs left, so some of those will be going up on Etsy for sure.
Today was Craftopia in Pawtucket too, and while I wasn't there selling my monkeys, I was definitely there (along with Michelle) to go have some Fantastic(!!!) food, and do some holiday shopping. I got myself a Very Cute Monkey Shine Studios sock monkey named Cosmo. He's now snuggling with Tobey on the bookcase next to my desk. Not only is the monkey adorable, but I got to meet the person that made Eli Monkey! Yay!!!
I will admit, I gushed and told her she's my idol. She was Very Nice, and we even did a bit of sock source discussion. Though many people suggest it, it just hasn't proven beneficial for me to buy them online. They're cheaper yes, but I'd rather spend a bit more and know that the socks feel nice and are monkey suitable.
One of the things that I really think is awesome about sock monkeys is that even if two people were to use the same exact socks, the monkeys always look different. Everyone has their own different style for the ears, or the eyes, or something just cute and special that makes the sock monkey *theirs*, and that's why even though I make sock monkeys, I have lots of monkeys I didn't make. Plus, Cosmo just looked at me and said "bring me home". He's got such a cute little monkey face, I just couldn't say no.
I also came home with some massive (and incredibly delicious) brownies, some s'mores made from home-made marshmallows (home-made marshmallows are one of the best foods ever), and I couldn't resist getting a treat for the kitties-- a little play pad for them complete with some catnip. It was an all around great weekend, though one that left everyone very sleepy.
Oh, I must share this:
The end result was a nice day out, talking to lots of people, eating really good noms (cupcakes with home-made frosting--yum!) and the monkeys got lots of attention. I think the only reason we didn't sell more than the snowballs was that the monkeys were priced from $20-35 and that was just a bit too steep for the setting. It was a craft fair at a local church, so I think that more people were expecting a $10-15 price range, so $35 for a sock monkey was sticker shock.
That's okay though, because now, I have plenty of monkeys to go in the Etsy shop! Working full time still has made it hard to get everything I wanted to done, so I'm glad that I have these guys to put online. The poor Etsy shop has been Very Neglected lately. There are Several more craft fairs in the area in the next month or so, so I'm sure I'll be going to at least one of those. I have my fingers crossed that I can get into the one at the Durfee High School in Fall River. I think the larger fair will be a better setting. However, I have a few dozen snowballs left, so some of those will be going up on Etsy for sure.
Today was Craftopia in Pawtucket too, and while I wasn't there selling my monkeys, I was definitely there (along with Michelle) to go have some Fantastic(!!!) food, and do some holiday shopping. I got myself a Very Cute Monkey Shine Studios sock monkey named Cosmo. He's now snuggling with Tobey on the bookcase next to my desk. Not only is the monkey adorable, but I got to meet the person that made Eli Monkey! Yay!!!
I will admit, I gushed and told her she's my idol. She was Very Nice, and we even did a bit of sock source discussion. Though many people suggest it, it just hasn't proven beneficial for me to buy them online. They're cheaper yes, but I'd rather spend a bit more and know that the socks feel nice and are monkey suitable.
One of the things that I really think is awesome about sock monkeys is that even if two people were to use the same exact socks, the monkeys always look different. Everyone has their own different style for the ears, or the eyes, or something just cute and special that makes the sock monkey *theirs*, and that's why even though I make sock monkeys, I have lots of monkeys I didn't make. Plus, Cosmo just looked at me and said "bring me home". He's got such a cute little monkey face, I just couldn't say no.
I also came home with some massive (and incredibly delicious) brownies, some s'mores made from home-made marshmallows (home-made marshmallows are one of the best foods ever), and I couldn't resist getting a treat for the kitties-- a little play pad for them complete with some catnip. It was an all around great weekend, though one that left everyone very sleepy.
Oh, I must share this:
Reindeer bum. Even cuter than a Monkey bum!
His antlers were hand stitched out of fleece, as were his ears (those were what took the most time). I attempted to make Rudolph's ears out of socks, but the fleece and felt just worked out much better. I couldn't give a reindeer monkey ears!
There are two more reindeer coming (though one is already sold)-- Max and Olive. Max is named after the dog from How the Grinch Stole Christmas (because I love Dr. Seuss) and Olive is a bit of a pun. There was a special a few years ago on TV about a little dog whose name was Olive. She thought the song went "Olive the other reindeer used to laugh and call him names..." Well, I'm notorious for getting song lyrics wrong, so I just had to name the girl reindeer Olive.
There are two more reindeer coming (though one is already sold)-- Max and Olive. Max is named after the dog from How the Grinch Stole Christmas (because I love Dr. Seuss) and Olive is a bit of a pun. There was a special a few years ago on TV about a little dog whose name was Olive. She thought the song went "Olive the other reindeer used to laugh and call him names..." Well, I'm notorious for getting song lyrics wrong, so I just had to name the girl reindeer Olive.
There is work to be done here in Monkeyville, so I best be going. I have a Zoidberg to finish!
Darling as ever...
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