Miss Irene Tripper

Irene's August "Sock-off"...

This is a big deal contest!  We are declaring August Sock Monkey Appreciation Month!  Send us a photo of your favorite, most special of all sock monkey (you can be in the photo,too if you want) along with a short blurb about your monkey...what it means to you...the name...where or when you got it...who made it for you if that applies, etc.  We're going to recognize the joy of our sock friends...seems everyone had one at sometime in their life...many times a relative made them.  My Grandmother made my first one...I still have him of course...he even had a string in his tail so when you pull it, the tail curls up (my Grandmother always was an overachiever).  We will try to post as many of them on this blog as we can and at the end of the month Irene and her consultants will choose the "BIG TIME ULTIMATE SOCK MONKEY OF AUGUST"!  The winner will recieve a trophy of some sort and a special handmade sock monkey by Many Monkeys Later (examples on my Etsy site).  Please e-mail the photos and stories to gloria@manymonkeyslater.com  Good luck and eat lots of banannas!  PS:  Leave a comment on my blog and you will automatically be entered in another contest on my friend's blog...she is giving away a wonderful sock monkey related handmade bookcover (see it posted on her blog)  hop on over to pamelahuntington

Sometimes a cat just needs a soft place to land...

Elizabeth belongs to a friend of mine who goes away in the summer every year...so Elizabeth summers in my studio and has found a most pleasant place to sleep...amidst the clouds it seems to her...reality is a tub of wool for the santa beards!

New Work...

I recently finished 2 Santas for a client...they were made from her childhood dolls, etc. and the other of  family items that were saved through the years...this is a great way to take a drawer full of "stuff" that has special meaning to you and make it into something wonderful to pass on...check it out...

Stella

One of my very very favorite photos ( and subjects)...

Baby Dove

Well...finally I can finish the dove story...I am sure this baby has a family of its own by now...but better late than never!  One baby...one really big baby...it grew fast and flew to the tree with its Mother!

Sometimes a kiss is just a kiss...

The text for the last photos since I couldn't figure out how to get it put in with the photos!

Far be it from me to give advice, but never move a studio that is 1200 sq. ft. on the second floor to a room that is 12 ft. by 16 ft. on a different second floor...it won't be fun...it won't work and you and everyone around you will get very jittery!  I made this attempt...not too sucessfully I might add...two weeks ago with the "moving army" that is my family (the ones who still consider themselves family) and it was a huuuuuuuuuge task!  I am still attempting to finish myself and I am nearing the end.  I have either alienated or injured about everyone...so I am on my own now.  In the meantime Miss Irene Tripper has been under our feet all the time!  These photos, which aren't very good, but you can get the just of it, are an attempt to let you see the progress...enough said!

Advice on moving a studio...

Miss Irene's "head-shots"