What is a monkeybox?

When I was a little girl, we had a pet monkey named Amanda. My Dad worked in the produce business, so each night he brought home that days culls in a big box - spotty cucumbers, pithy apples, limp celery, moldy oranges and the like. We called it a monkeybox. It was really just trash, but my Mom would take each piece of fruit and trim it, pare it and cut it up to make a beautiful fruit platter for Amanda. Even though it was deemed trash by one, it still had life left in it and was good for the purpose we needed it. That's how I live my life - thrifting, yard saling, looking for another's trash to be my treasure.

Monday, February 04, 2013

I Felt Like Making Something*


Back before Thanksgiving, when things were sort of normal around here, I needed a project to keep my hands busy.  I'm not the sort of person to just sit and watch TV - I have to have busy hands.  I'm usually pricing things for the booth, researching things on my phone, cutting coupons, culling my craft supplies, looking at magazines, etc.  I usually try to have some sort of felt pattern ready for the days when I want to actually make something.  I usually prefer things I can knock out in one sitting.

I had found this Matryoshka doll ornament pattern and "Pinned" it earlier.  I like to find ideas on the internet and them change them up a bit to make mine unique.  But, I am always grateful to the original creator!  making my own patterns is something I want to learn to do.

I have a collection of Nesting Dolls (which reminds me that I haven't done an "accidental Collection" post in awhile), so I thought making an ornament would be cute.  


Instead of making mine a flat ornament, I added strips to the sides to made it actually stand up.  I added beanbag beads to the bottom of it to give it weight for standing upright.  

I thought she was really cute!

But, she was a nesting doll, after all.

 So, I adjusted the pattern and made a smaller one.  And a smaller one and so on and so on.  I made each one a bit different.  But the same in many ways too.  Just like real Nesting Dolls.

They are a happy little family!  It took me about a week of TV watching in the evenings to make them all.  I took my time to make them just right.  

I think I might have to make another set in blue next time.  Or maybe make them holiday themed.  I like that idea!

 *That's the name of my Pinterest Boards full of Felt Patterns.

10 comments:

  1. What a cute set of little ladies!

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  2. You did a great job on those - they are darling!

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  3. Wow! You could totally sell those. Sooo cute!
    Great job,
    Erica :)

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  4. Super cute and a great way to occupy iddle hands!

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  5. I am super impressed that you actually made something that you had pinned! Mine just stay in pinland forever. They turned out very cute!

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  6. Awww.....how cute! I think the little head tilt on yours make them look just a tad sweeter than the original. I love the way you put the "monkeybox stamp" on the things you create.

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  7. So, so cute. I'm very impressed!

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  8. Very cute! I also have to have something in my hands most of the time. I get a whole bunch of crochet done when Hubby is watching something on tv that I'm not interested in.

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  9. That is so stinking cute! I love it!

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