The Birth of Minni Mia

Minni Mia

To get out of my creative box, I eagerly accepted a sock monkey challenge from When Creativity Knocks. Well, now, everybody who knows me KNOWS I can’t sew on a sewing machine worth a lick…..but I was determined to take this journey and create my very OWN little sock monkey. After all, surely I can make something out of a pair of socks sent to us by FoxRiver. Come to think of it, I can’t believe I’ve ever seen this kind of sock, NOT in a monkey form that is. These socks from The Original Rockford Red Heel® company, come in other colors such as blue and pink just in case one wanted to make baby girl or boy monkeys. Be calm my beating heart, I gotta make the first one!

To begin with I opened the WCK VideoBook: Sock Monkey Goes BanAnas. My husband had the misfortune to be up in the wee hours of the morning when I wanted to view the DVD so he joined in by putting the DVD in the player and sat down to watch it right along with me. Any artist knows that’s not the way it always works…….Haha

I’m not one to use a sewing machine but after I viewed the VideoBook DVD, I thought to myself, YES, I CAN DO IT. Yes, we can even fool ourselves at times. J

Two days later after getting the Sock Monkey assembled (yes, she bit me and yes, I bled), I was feeling mighty proud of myself. I used the sewing machine, often having to stop and take out the crooked stitches and re-stitch, but I knew they were crooked and I couldn’t have crooked stitches forming my little Mia. After sewing, I carefully cut out all her body parts. Rolled batting for the arms and legs, stuffed the body, snout and head, she began to take form. As I sewed on the arms, ears, snout, and tail…..you could TELL what she was! But the “she” wasn’t official yet. Next the details: I stitched her smile, a little nose and gave her some eyes with the prettiest eyelashes. I must be part Italian because I don’t know how many times I put my hand to my cheek and said, MAMA MIA! Thus, Minni Mia was born!

While working on my sock monkey……my husband commented: “you know Ana put hers together in just 30 minutes”……　Yes, I wanted to really HURT him at that moment. But I digressed and let him have his fun. After all, this was my first EVER sock monkey and it had to be right. Yes, I am somewhat a perfectionist when it comes to my designs, so I’ll take some ribbing if need be.

Later while at supper with my son, brother, and yes the husband had to be there……I suddenly SLAPPED him. “What do you mean 30 minutes? Did you not notice Ana had the monkeys completed in stages? It took her a lot longer than 30 minutes!”

He looked at me and laughed……”so it’s just now hitting you heh?”
Hey, a girl has to have time to think ya know. J

Yes, I slapped him again.

Now after using that dang sewing machine again with making the dress (can’t have a nekkid monkey) he has the audacity to say I kind of got the dress short—put it in his words, a mini monkey dress……..　No slap that time…..gotta admit it, it is kind of short. Ah, it looks fine for her very first dress. White medium rick rack trim, totally not flowing with the colors in the dress. Out of my stash of RIT Dyes, came the Sunshine Orange. Perfect! Following the directions on the package, the white rick rack became the loveliest shade of orange. Matched the colors in Minni Mia’s dress perfectly!

Hair, yes, hair! Since it’s my creation, she can have hair. Of course to keep her hair in shape, she needed a scarf to keep her hair from getting wind blown. Never know when she’ll go for a ride on my motorcycle. J

Minni Mia wasn’t through yet. She needed accessories! Judikins sent the cutest ever SOCK MONKEY rubber stamp! My mind went suddenly into jewelry mode. But now how to incorporate this cute rubber stamp into jewelry? Why with shrink art, of course! Stamp the shrink art sheet with Stazon permanent ink, color it with colored pencils, cut out, bake to shrink…..then I designed a bracelet with matching earrings for little Minni Mia with the little Sock Monkey pieces! The beginning of her own line jewelry line? But of course!

I must admit, Minni Mia has made me a little on the SLAP happy side!

No Sock Monkey post is complete without a CONTEST! Enter to win a sock monkey prize valued at over $40.00 from When Creativity Knocks. Giveaway ends December 19, 2011.

1. Go to When Creativity Knocks http://www.whencreativityknocks.com/
2. While in the Member Log inbox, click on “Create An Account”
3. Make sure to enter the code: Sock Monkey

NOTE: There is also a discount coupon to purchase the WCK VideoBook: Sock Monkey Goes BanAnas

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