Where's the Ark?

We're on day 3 of rain here in Central NC. It's left over from Tropical Storm Fay which drenched Florida last week. Today, we had tornadoes added to the fun! We were under a watch for a while this afternoon, but fortunately had nothing happen here. Nothing except rain, that is!

We have a creek in our back yard, about 50 yards from the house and 5 feet down in a ravine. It usually moves along at a slow trickle. But when we get rain like this, it runs down our street (we're at the bottom of a hill) and overflows the banks of the creek. I would say at least 60% of our back yard was underwater... and that's pretty significant because we have an acre and a half of land back there! I let my two older boys put on their boots and walk out there with me, but the water was WAY over the top of their boots! Here are some of our funny pictures from tromping through the flood:








And this one was really insane... this is in front of our neighbors fence:

They really were standing on their feet- I promise!- in about 30 inches of water!

Boo! on etsy

I just listed this set (size 5/6) on etsy. I love the fun & vibrant colors :o) Find it here.

There's lots of sewing going on in my studio right now; it's a wonder I can keep it all straight. I am working on 3 Vida dresses for one customer, a new Studio Tantrum/Fledge Feliz dress just because I want to :o), a halloween dress inspired by this summer's Narnia movie, and I have an alchemy order waiting on construction! It's nice to have a different project to move on to if the current one isn't going so well! New pictures when (if!) I finish something :o)

What a cool surprise! I woke up this morning to find that I was one of the top ten designers this week on Designer Roundup. It was a great way to start my Friday... hope yours is awesome, too!

This is what I do in my other life

So about 2 months ago (wow, has it been that long?), I told you about my summer job. I have really had such a good time with it. Most of my work has been behind-the-scenes, in the office duties. Every now and then, I'll get to go out to the course and facilitate a low ropes group. But this Friday was the big day... the unveiling of our high ropes course!

I never asked exactly how high, because truth be told, I'd rather not know! But this picture might put things into perspective; I'm 5'3".

On a high ropes course, you wear a seat harness and are tied into safety cables at all times. The things you do 40 feet up in the air are the same type of things you'd do down on the ground on a low ropes course... except they are 40 feet in the air! Therein lies the challenge! At the end, you take a giant zipline down to the field where you can set your feet on solid ground again.

I have been facilitating high ropes courses for 14 years (whoa, that sounds like a LONG time; I am not that old. To be fair, I was only 18 when I started!), so even though heights terrify me, I feel 98% comfortable doing this type of thing because I know all the safety features of how it works. Friday was just a "playday" for our staff; several of them were new to this, and with the course being new, too, we had to give it a test run. Unfortunately, we got off to a late start and I didn't get to go up :o( Luckily, though, we have our first group coming out next Friday, so maybe I'll get my chance to play then!

Mailing List CONTEST!

Starting on Sunday night, I will be listing a handful of Disney resells, and that will be my last hurrah on Ebay, I think. Things are going very well for me over on etsy, and I am happy in my new home over there.

In honor of my big move, I am sponsoring a mailing list contest! Go over there on the right and sign up if you haven't already, because one lucky winner will receive a FREE custom lounge set for a boy or a girl! The drawing will be September 1, so you have plenty of time! Tell all your friends, and cross your fingers... your kiddo could be sporting a FREE Monkey Doodle Designs lounge set as they head back to school this year!

2 more for etsy

I've decided to make etsy my headquarters from now on. Life on eBay just ain't as grand as it used to be :o( I'm enjoying learning all the ins & outs of etsy, and am adding new things to my store on a daily basis. My new obsession is reading the alchemy page where people request to have items made for them. I've already put in 3 bids for projects... wish me luck!

So, newly listed in my etsy shop are these ready-to-ship Halloween cuties. The first one is a sample skirt that I made 2 years ago. It's size 24 months/2T and priced to MOVE! No bidding & waiting... just go over & buy it!


This one is a 3 piece set full of yummy appliques, size 5

Halloween is coming to esty!

I have decided to list my Halloween items on etsy this year. No bidding, no waiting... you want it, you buy it! There is a link to my store over there on the right.

Here are my 2 newest additions:
Ready-to-ship spider guy set, size 3T. This one is so cool; the black fabric has glow-in-the dark spiders printed on it, and I have topstitched the pants and shirt with glow in the dark thread. Your little man will endlessly be rushing into dark closets to see himself glow!

Two years ago, my kids decided they wanted the whole family to dress up as Disney characters. Mickey was easy enough to find for my little guy, and I bought Goofy for my husband (how appropriate!)at the Disney store. I, the boys insisted, HAD to be Minnie Mouse (if you insist, boys...) so I made that costume for myself. My oldest wanted to be Pluto, but a Pluto costume was nowhere to be found, so I had to invent that pattern. My middle guy, always the one to choose a complicated costume) insisted on being Donald Duck. I found an out-of-print pattern, and this is what I accomplished!

It was intimidating at first, but I love how it turned out! This one is listed on etsy as a custom- you pick size 3-10, and I'll have it in the mail to you within 3 weeks! Daisy Duck listing and more Halloween clothing coming soon!

What all the well-dressed dogs are wearing...

Webkinz dogs, that is! My boys are crazy about their Webkinz... and dressing them up online is not always good enough for them, they want their REAL animals dressed up, too.

For a while, I got away with simple grosgrain ribbon collars with snap closures. Then the clothing requests came rolling in. "Can you make Shoeshine a pair of jeans and a black shirt?" I developed a prototype pants pattern a few months ago, which I have since lost in the chaos that is my sewing room. And the clothing rage was forgotten (hey, it's too hot right now for them to be wearing lots of clothes, anyway. They've got fur!)


Then yesterday, as I was cleaning the house, I suddenly felt the NEED to crochet a sweater for a Webkinz animal. Don't ask... it doesn't take much to distract me from housework! So I grabbed some yarn and the nearest available model and spent about an hour creating my own pattern. I think it turned out pretty well, don't you? This is Annie and Little Sunshine, modeling their new sweaters.

Now all the other dogs are jealous and want them, too!