Introducing: Item of the week
As a private educator, my day job at Leah4sci revolves around the schedule of my students. While this means a slow tutoring season in the summer, it also means a busy sculpting season for MagicByLeah
I have set a personal goal to increase my shop inventory to 300 items by September first in preparation for the upcoming holiday season and look forward to sculpting up a storm.
I also plan to sculpt a few more magical creatures in the process for all you fantasy lovers out there
So join me on this magical journey as I introduce at least one new item in my newest weekly blog feature:
MagicByLeah - Item of the week
And what better way to start an 'item of the week' feature, then my introducing yet another version of my favorite sculpted creature, the sock monkey. I just love this little guy and hope that you love him too.
My first item of the week set is the Rainbow Chunky Monkeys. These little guys are slightly larger than the sock monkey miniatures previously offered in my shop. They are chunkier, and sit approximately 1 inch tall.
(click on the monkey set to view it in my shop)
What's special about these monkeys, is that they not only resemble the beloved sock monkey doll; Their 'skin' even has a sock-like appearance. Peer closely and you will see the tiny embedded fibers in the granitex clay.
Actually, there was an ulterior motive behind sculpting these rainbow monkeys (other than the fact that I love sculpting monkeys)
Most of the monkeys offered in my shop are made to order upon request. Yet 'describing' the color is not enough as we are a visual generation and prefer to see things with our own eyes
And so I sculpted a set of monkeys in the 7 Granitex colors offered, allowing you to visualize, not only the color, but how it looks on a monkey.
(click on the rainbow set to purchase individual monkey miniatures in the color of your choice)
A chunky sock monkey will look great on your computer, desk, or in your dollhouse. And they also make a lovely gift for any sock monkey lover and collector.
View my full line of sock monkey gifts and treasures in my:
Artfire Shop and in my Etsy Shop
Sock Monkey Cake Topper - Candle Holder
It's that time of year again! The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and the students are Graduating
I am happy to introduce my newest sock monkey in honor of your upcoming Graduation Celebration
The sculpted Cake Topper - Candle Holder is my own invention
Dressed in his graduation cap and holding his newly earned diploma, the monkey topper sits proudly on the cake, holding your celebration candle on his fire-safe stack of books. He has promised to smile at your guests and keep your cake icing free of melted candle wax.
And his work doesn't stop when the party is over. Store him on your dresser, shelf, or display case. Perhaps next to a photo of your graduation, and he will bring back happy memories for years to come.
A 'Made-To-Order' item, your monkey topper will be sculpted to your specifications. Are you looking for a different color monkey, grad cap, or stack of books? No problem!
Do you want a personal inscription on the stack of books? I can do that too
Purchase your custom Graduation Monkey Topper HERE
Skipping the cake at your graduation celebration? Here are a few more Graduate monkeys for sale in my SHOP
(click on the photo to see it in my shop)
Skipping the cake? I have a few other sock monkey graduate gifts in my shop
And don't forget to browse my full line of Handmade Sock Monkey Gifts HERE
Sock Monkeys are making a comeback, but where are they coming back from?
I never knew or heard of sock monkeys as a kid. In fact, I didn’t know what they were prior to 2004 when an eBay customer requested a miniature sculpted sock monkey
A sock monkey is a stuffed toy puppet handmade from an old sock. The traditional monkey is made from a gray working sock with white heels and red stitching
The exact origin of the sock monkey is unknown; it is believed to have originated in the Victorian Era when the ‘stuffed animal’ craze swept the European nations.
The sock monkey settled itself into US history with the invention of Swedish immigrant John Nelson’s sock knitting machine. What started out as a gray knitted working sock soon became the foundation for the homemade sock monkey.
The Great Depression left many families unable to purchase new toys for their young children. And so came about the explosion of the sock monkey. The traditional working sock from Nelson Knitting Mills, Rockford, Illinois, became the primary starting material for the traditional sock monkey, and a comfort to young children in these trying times
In 1932 Nelson Knitting Mills added red stitching to the heel of their socks to set them apart from other sock companies. This red addition is the source of the iconic red mouthed gray monkey.
These monkeys became so popular, that in 1951 a sock monkey pattern and instructions were included with every package of Nelson Socks.
The sock monkey has come and gone many times since then, reappearing in children’s books, cartoons, and toys of many other forms
I love sculpting these little monkeys. What started out as simple gray miniatures soon grew into jewelry, trinkets, and collectibles of many sizes and colors.
I sculpt my ‘fabric’ monkeys from a mixture of Premo and Granitex Sculpey Polymer Clay. The Granitex clay with its special embedded fibers give my monkeys their realistic ‘sock-like’ effect
See additional Sock Monkey products in my Artfire Shop
But today's Sock Monkey goes even farther
Here are some additional sock monkey items sold by some of my friends on Etsy
