New Sock Monkeys Today at PFATT Marketplace!

Please meet new kids on the block, Maxwell (L) and Francesca (R)!

And though he needs no introduction, let me re-introduce thee one, thee only... (trumpets please) Fancy Clancy! You may recall his press splash in Stampington's STUFFED! premier issue. He is quite special and I've loved having him in my personal collection..but it's time for Clancy to spread the love to y'all :) As a bonus, the STUFFED! magazine Clancy appeared in will accompany him!

These 3 one-of-a-kind monkeys are looking for forever homes today! You may find a banana peel here and there, but they assured me there will be no mash potato flinging or swinging from the Christmas lights ;oP

See these creations at PFATT Marketplace! To order send me an e-mail: peng@peng-peng.com.

P.S. I know I said there'd be 3 hand dyed monkeys listed today.. the mysterious 3rd monkey is still in the nude! Will get him dressed and decent soon as I can! Fostering Frankie the cat (see previous posts) has taken some time and energy away from my sewing. Thanks for your patience!

Luck be a Lady...

I think Frankie Sinatra Junior Lovebug is part raccoon, part teddy bear, part snugglebug all balled up into a large mocha cappuccino topped off with whipped cream, dusted with nutmeg and cinnamon sugar. And a generous square of dense fudge brownie on the side. Yes, he is that sweet!

Here he is this morning, just so you can see his yummy coloring. Back of ears are deep chocolate blending into cream, then light brown to dark brown tabby stripes. My neighbor who first spotted him thought he was a raccoon, but then saw those baby blue eyes. His belly is marshmallow white and he loves to have it rubbed!

Frankie has got it all: personality, good looks, gentle disposition. The only thing he's missing is a loving forever home :( Fingers and paws crossed that by Thanksgiving he's settling into a cozy warm home for the holidays. Frankie hopes that "luck be a lady" and will make his dreams come true!

*If you are in Chicago area, and would like to give Frankie a home, send me an e-mail for details.

Frankie Sinatra Junior Lovebug Needs a Loving Home

CHICAGOLAND AREA: Fabulous Cat for adoption!

Frankie: a husky, healthy 11 pound neutered male, Siamese/ Tabby short hair mix, Approx age 1+ year.

We first saw poor Frankie wandering around the alley nibbling on an old piece of bread off a garbage can. We knew this guy deserved better, so we took him to Tree House cat clinic for neutering and now he's being fostered by us. (Unlike feral Miss Una, Frankie is a socialized stray). He's ready for a loving home today!

Frankie is a STUNNING unique mix of Siamese cream/mocha and brown tabby stripes. He has gorgeous BLUE eyes (hence the name), ever so slightly crossed that gives him loads of character! He's understandably a bit frightened from the recent changes in his life, yet remains a VERY tame, gentle, curious and affectionate boy. Frankie loves to flop over for belly rubs, enjoys being pet just about anywhere, even let me hold his paws while spooning :) He will make a fabulous companion when he can relax in a permanent forever home.

Vaccines: 1 yr rabies/ FVRCP (feline distemper)/ microchipped.

Frankie just needs a place to snuggle with you, good food and a warm bed. Maybe there's enough room in your heart for this loving devoted fella?

Please contact me by e-mail: pengbears@yahoo.com, to schedule a time to meet Frankie. Hurry! Frankie is waiting for you!

Monkeying Around November 10th!

I faintly recall my bedroom door creaking in the middle of the night, then the barely audible tip toe of small soft feet. And as I drifted off into slumber I remember a voice, a small giggly voice, whispering "bananaaaaas, ba-na-naaaaas". Then I had dreamed about baking delicious banana bread, the kind with chocolate chips in the batter. When I awoke, a curious little sock hat was laying on the floor next to my bed, and my Moosewood cookbook opened to page 193: recipe for banana bread! Hmmmm... I suspect a little monkey high jinx is going on here!

Well, before I head off to the store to procure ingredients for banana bread, I wanted to announce that 3 NEW hand-dyed Sock Monkeys will be marking my debut on PFATT Marketplace November 10th! I'm excited and honored to have a virtual "sales booth" on PFATT Marketplace, in the good company of so many talented artists. What does this mean exactly for you? It means NEW creations on the 10th of every month, in addition to my own web site updates! How fun is that? And ordering is simple, just send me an e-mail as usual.

FYI, there are 2 PFATT's but both are (sorta) unrelated and separate entities. There's the eBay PFATT group (Primitive Folk Art Tea and Talk) and PFATT Marketplace (Primitive Folk Art Trinkets and Treasures Marketplace). I'm a new member of both :)

So get ready for One of a kind, loved and worn Antiqued Sock Monkeys next Tuesday!

Have a fabulous day ^_^

Leave the Leaves

(Rake vs. Leaf Blower)
How I've seen many an individual chasing a few blades of grass or stray leaves with this gas-powered monster. Drives me nuts! 4 Reasons Not to Use a Leaf Blower

If you've been following my Facebook posts (and I hope you are!), you know I've been advocating SAVING YER LEAVES!! Let 'em sit in a pile for 2 years to decompose into leaf mold, a valuable soil builder, use them as a rich fertilizer for your gardens and plants, layer dried leaves with food clippings in your compost bin (especially in winter, when there aren't any more leaves!), use them as a fine & fragrant dark mulch around your flower bed. Leaves contain the most nutrients from the tree, so why waste 'em? Pass this info along to a friend or neighbor, next year they won't have to buy fertilizer :O)

Beard and Tea

What better way to begin the first day of November than with beards and tea? Dear Mr. Gray likes his tea black, and Uncle Bluey likes his with a splash of rice milk. Two orders of cinnamon toast, comin' up!

New projects are already underfoot on this sunny morning. Packing orders, sewing, and a bit of detoxifying after all that chocolate from last night. Did I really need a(nother) Reese's cup at 9:30pm? What the hey, Halloween happens only once a year after all :)

Hope you had a sweet Halloween and enjoyed the extra hour of sleep. Have a relaxing Sunday!

Happy All Hallow's Eve!

The kiddies will soon be parading the neighborhood in their colorful costumes, eagerly filling their sacks with chocolates and candies! Last night we picked up a few bags of Hershey's miniatures, and I'm restraining myself from eating any more Krackel bars (2 so far, maybe 3 by the end of this post). I just want these darn chocolates out of my sight already! On a side note, I had no luck trapping feral cats last night, with the crazy wind/post-rain storm. Will try again next week, hopefully we'll have milder weather.

Halloween Hugs to everyone, and an extra squeeze to those who adopted bears and necklaces from yesterdays update! Thank you so much! There are still some wonderful bears needing homes, so do take a look :)

And to close this last post of October-is-Cat-Month:

"You will always be lucky if you know how to make friends with strange cats." - Colonial proverb

p.s. Remember to set your clocks back an hour tonight :)