Three little monkeys

Posted on June 22, 2011 by mauistamper

Three little monkeys, all lined up so nicely…how long can this last?

Sock Monkey stamp set
Whisper White, Basic Black, Pear Pizazz, Poppy Parade and Tempting Turquoise card stock
Chocolate Chip and Tempting Turquoise Classic ink pads
Pear Pizazz, Poppy Parade and Tempting Turquoise Stampin’ Write markers
Aquapainter
Small and medium oval punches; Spiral border punch
1 1/4 inch and 1 3/8 inch square punches
Certainly Celery 1/8 inch taffeta ribbon
Big Shot and Lattice Textured Impressions Embossing folder

Well, it’s not going to last much longer because Sock Monkey is on the Last Chance List. Poor Sock Monkey…and I think Sock Monkey is a he, he just has that look about him. But being Sock Monkey means always having that goofy grin on his face, and so he puts on a brave front and waves that sock arm and lines up to have his photo taken.

Back to the Last Chance List: I can’t imagine the process it takes to determine which stamp sets stay and which ones go. How long does it take? Is it agonizing? Do personal opinions count, or is it strictly by the numbers? For example, Lovely as a Tree has been in the catalog since the first catalog I saw (that would be 7 or 8 years). It’s a nice enough stamp set, but that’s a long time in Stampin’ Up! years. There are a lot of trends in stamping, and stamp sets that I knew I would always love suddenly start looking dated – I get that. I would just like to sit in on that process and watch it unfold.

Then again, I would probably start shouting and get thrown out. It’s best the way it is.

Monkey-shines

Posted on May 28, 2010 by mauistamper

Some people are born with fun running through their veins. I have a friend who is all about fun, and her daughter has inherited that delightful character. It wouldn’t do to have a stuffy, grown-up graduation card for her. Sock Monkey was the Man for the Job:

Sock Monkey, Sock Monkey Accessories and Hugs and Wishes (retired) stamp sets
Very Vanilla, Crushed Curry, Brocade Blue and Night of Navy card stock
Close to Cocoa and Night of Navy Classic ink pads
Close to Cocoa, Night of Navy, Brocade Blue and Crushed Curry Classic ink refill
Aquapainter, Scallop oval punch and Crushed Curry polka dot ribbon
Crop-a-dile and White gel pen
Big Shot and Polka Dot Impressions folder

School colors are blue and gold – can you tell? Sock Monkey got tired of sitting in all of those boring graduation practices, stuck in the back row because he was the tallest. Who ever heard of lining up the graduates by height?? He sat down and started picking flowers to make a bouquet for his mommy who is just a little stressed out with all the relatives in town. What a sweet monkey.

Monkey Be Mine

Posted on January 12, 2010 by mauistamper

The Late Night Stampers issue a challenge every Monday, and yesterday’s challenge was to create a Valentine. How easy is that? If we wanted an extra challenge, we could make it a masculine Valentine. And what could be more masculine than Sock Monkey? (oooh, I’m gonna pay for that! I’m talking BOY masculine, not MAN masculine, OK??)

Sock Monkey and Contempo Alphabet stamp sets
Whisper White, Ruby Red, Regal Rose, Pretty in Pink and Close to Cocoa card stock
Ruby Red, Chocolate Chip, Regal Rose, and Pretty in Pink Class Ink pads
Aquapainter, Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint, Paper Snips and the Heart to Heart punch
On Board Essentials chipboard, Sponge Daubers, and the Stamp-a-ma-jig
Pretty in Pink 1/4″ grosgrain, Mini Glue Dots, Stampin’ Dimensionals, and Tombo adhesive

This was Round 2 for the Monkey in the Frame. Round 1 was so busy it gave me a headache to look at, so I pulled it apart and started over. I really hate it when I sit and stare at a project and can’t decide what to do with it. Sometimes that happens early in the project, sometimes it happens late in the project, and sometimes the whole project, well, it shoulda stayed on the back burner a while longer.

By the way…do you have a pair of Stampin’ Up! Paper Snips (#103579, $9.95)? If you don’t, you really should consider investing in a pair. Yes, it’s an investment, not a glamorous sparkly kind of purchase, but every time you pick them up you’ll say “Wow! Why did I wait so long to buy these things?? They’re AMAZING!!” Tools make the project. If you don’t have a good pair of Snips, you won’t want to cut out the Monkey (or the flower spray, or the heart, or whatever.) And you’ll miss out on that satisfied feeling you get when you look at something and realize it’s Just Right because you trimmed it out so well.

Same colors, same sketch, new look

Posted on January 4, 2010 by mauistamper

Different stamps and a quarter turn from yesterday yield a completely different card:

Sock Monkey and Itty Bitty Backgrounds stamp sets
Barely Banana, Basic Gray, and Very Vanilla Cardstock; Dusty Durango Designer Series Paper (level I hostess)
Barely Banana and Dusty Durango Classic Ink Refills and the Aquapainter
Basic Gray Classic ink pad and Stampin’ Write markers; Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint
Trio Flower punch; Stamp-a-ma-jig; Stampin’ Dimensionals

Watercolor is an on-again, off-again technique for me and in my opinion it’s a little off right now. Doesn’t stop me, but makes me a little bit crazy. Or perhaps I’m just crazier than usual.

I wanted to see what happened when I used the same colors (even papers) and sketch for two cards. Looking at today’s card compared with yesterday’s, I like the difference and enjoy the stretch. Challenges really make me work, and even when I’m not thrilled with the results I always learn something new.