inspiration now

more creepy than cute: antique carnival knock-down dolls (via antiquehelper.com). the one pictured below and a few others i saw on eBay today)

antique tobacco silk clown suit (via antiquehelper.com)

wood bead parrot toys- a wild mix of colors, shapes, textures. though i don't like idea of any creature born to fly (or otherwise) stuck inside a cage. i saw brilliant red macaws flying wild n' free in costa rica several years ago- it was amazing to see. but i'm getting off topic, well maybe not since animals inspire me the most :)

have fun today!

tears of a clown

what a week it's been! can't believe it's Friday already. all the sock monkeys ('cept for Kick, whose self-esteem is hanging in the balance) have been shipped and a few have already reached their new homes. as i was packing them up i discovered the sock monkey pinbacks look great on their hats! dunno why that took so long to dawn on me. maybe you've already figured that out ;)

if you'd like to give Kick a loving home, send me an email. trust me, a sobbing sock monkey is not a pleasant sight. i'm spoiling him with chocolate chip banana bread, that seems to help. hold on a sec- what's that Kick? alright... another slice coming up. did you want that toasted or is room temp okay?

gotta go! have a fun weekend :)

xoxo

bullfighting banned in catalonia spain, yay!

YES!!! champagne all around!

sock monkey party today!!!

whoa!! it was a whirlwind of orders just minutes after i posted the new monkeys. thank you, thank you, thank you (did i say thank you?) all for adopting them... as readers of my blog know, i've been working on this gang for quite a long while. eating, drinking, and sleeping monkeys, not to mention pom pom delirium! i'm so glad you loved them and that you appreciate my madness :)

as of this moment, there's 3 ONE monkey available. they are *all* special so please don't feel like you're getting the shakings of the bag, lol!

Zoe -tie dyed dolly, which happens to be one of my faves! am i the only one?? (sold)

our good pal Kick - i love his simple classic face. no embellishment necessary. he's got the antique shoe button eyes like the old mohair bears have. jumper made from amazing fabric i've held on to since the 70's (and this is the first time i've sewn with it).

and the funny little man with the stubby arms...Shrimp. you should've seen him trying to tie his tie last night. (sold)

email me if you'd like to adopt these guys! the party is still goin' on :)
peng[at]peng-peng[dot]com

(^___^)

43 freakin' pom poms (!!!)

peng peng was a pom pom making machine the other day! phew, that's a lot of pom poms! they turned out awesome, like wool flowers or weird life forms with tentacles. crazier the better i say! today is crunch time, so i'd best be tending to last minute *details (*that would be felt shoes folks).

tune in to tomorrow's *big sock monkey event* at 12 noon central at www.peng-peng.com!!! (3 exclamation points!!!)

TIP: see my order page for more info about how my updates work. :-) xoxo

flower power

you can expect to see lots of fabulous vintage fabrics in flower power prints + bright n' bold combos on the monkeys this tuesday! sort of a cross between the brady bunch and 1930's big band (which is what i've been listening to while sewing). now i gotta get pom pom making, pronto. the update is drawing ever so near!! have a great saturday :-)

you say potato, i say potata

from humble potato sack to spiffy ensemble:the sack is very old and soft, i reinforced it with a cotton lining. it was the only sack i had, so no room for errors! pom poms or buttons to be added next.

some fellas getting dressed and ready for the big update next week. oh, the clothing fittings, photo shoots... what a glamorous life, eh? (*regarding sneak peeks: no advanced orders being taken. thanks!)

sock monkey update announcement!

Fasten your seatbelts! The long-awaited Sock Monkey update is happening on my web site:
July 27 at 12 noon Central (10am Pacific/ 11am Mtn/ 1pm Eastern).

There will be 13 monkeys in a colorful variety of hand dyed and "classic" colored, all dressed up in funky outfits. The wildest bunch ever, and my biggest monkey update in quite a few years. A special event that's not to be missed!

* See my ORDER page for tips and more info.
* check back here on my blog for sneak peeks!

bloomies for little ladies

on the ironing board today, little bloomers for little lady monkeys. ain't they sweet? the girls are coming together very nicely. next, some overalls for the guys... this should be fun!

dig in!

that's my approach to selecting monkey eyes from hundreds (and i do mean hundreds) of vintage buttons. i scoop up handfuls, sort them on a tray and sift for 'gold'. it is the eyes after all that bring soul to a face, and in the case of the sock monkeys... some humor too :) they are looking pret-ty, pret-ty special! check back for more sneak peeks as things progress...

vintage red heel sock monkeys on ebay

from my personal collection- 6 vintage red heel sock monkeys needing loving homes. these are very dear to me...i only have a few of the true oldies and they're available today on eBay! "buy it now" options for lucky folks! my ebay id: pengpengbears

hats off to ya!

a tie dyed medley of sock hats. imagine what monkeys shall wear them! i can't believe it's the 14th already, time has flew by... now that i'm caught up with special orders, it's all about the monkeys now :) monkey, monkey, monkeys! once i get a handle on some of their outfits i can figure when the update will be. it will be this month for certain! excitement!

p.s. finally added february and october 2009 monkeys to the sock monkey gallery archive.

rings n' things in my ebay flea market

if you love vintage jewelry like i do, pop on over to my ebay listings -many auctions are ending today! i've got lots of wonderful pieces: sterling silver, vintage taxco mexico signed silver, turquoise, rings, pendants, necklaces, etc. all come from my mother's collection, and she has the best stuff. grab a cool drink and have fun shopping my ebay "flea market"! my seller id: pengpengbears.

PFATT Marketplace July Bear

today is the 10th and you know what that means: PFATT marketplace update! my offering for july PFATT is "blu bobbe", named after his larger cousin "blu bobo" who was the june PFATT bear... cos they're made from the same awesome blue/ yellow hand dyed mohair. i love it so much i should call that mohair color "bobo blue" :)

"blu bobbe" mini bear necklace is one of a kind. he is quite mini, just 4" tall... most of his size comes from his crazy dancin' legs. see his listing on PFATT today, to adopt just email me. SOLD, thank you!

what a fun way to begin the weekend!

rare 1930's Deans Minnie mouse on ebay

it's with a heavy heart that i'm rehoming my beloved antique 1930's minnie mouse doll! she's on ebay today with buy-it-now option. Update: she's SOLD!! I will miss you my dear minnie! you may recall my mohair "mini minnie" inspired the same antique doll:

i also have a nice selection of vintage sterling silver jewelry listed in my ebay sellers list, if you'd like to take a peek! have fun :)

pucker up!

get ready for some monkey kisses!

hope you had a fabulous fourth of july weekend. it was sweltering hot to do much of anything, but i managed to work on special orders and found myself re-doing a tiny bear ear over 4 times (the kind with the floral fabric on front). when that happens it's time to put the mohair down, have a tall cool drink, stretch the legs and work on some monkeys to switch things up. i'm juggling a lot of projects this month, everything seems to be due at the same time, lol! PFATT update is happening in a few days, so i gotta get that done too. don't get me wrong, it's a blessing to be busy doing what i love and july promises to be an exciting month! stay tuned...

todays thrift score

believe it or not, it's been a loooong time since i entered a thrift shop. a few years ago when i lived in a different neighborhood, i used to always trek up here for the thrifts...and now that i live close by my old favorite haunts, i seldom pop in. funny how that works, eh? well today i found myself in need of more cotton rag to stuff my sock monkeys (you'd be surprised how much i use for each one) so what better excuse than to hit the thrift! i found an amazing length of vanity house 'new old stock' muslin, the good stuff with the super high thread count~ crisply folded and still had the original label on it. almost too good to cut up, but i will put it to good use. also scored vintage cotton polka dots, raggedy ann sheet, funky red/white/blue florals and bright lime green leopard print. oh, and one batik wrap skirt for me :)

more oft than not, the thrifts here are very picked over nowadays, so it was nice to leave with a tidy little bundle of happiness to make more bundles of happiness (ie: that means sock monkeys for you!)

have a fabulous holiday weekend!!! (^___^)