A Mostly Original Sock Monkey :)

In 2009 for Christmas, I was so excited about my new found sewing skill,

I went a little overboard trying to make things for everyone. I was quite exhausted.

(When you only sew by hand and you're lucky to have an hour a day to do it, it takes a long time to complete a project!)

This past Christmas I decided to give myself a break.

I only made a gift for one person...and that was only because she'd been casually mentioning wanting this for six months or so.

My brother's girlfriend was just dying for me to make her a sock monkey...

but not just any sock monkey, she wanted the original.

I searched for those stinking socks and only came up with a pair at Hobby Lobby for $12. Yikes!

(I had a problem with spending that much on a pair of socks when I could go to Target and buy a completed monkey for the same price!)

Luckily, I did come up with a pair that I deemed to be close enough for much less at Marshall's.

Somehow, eventhough I only made one gift this year,

I still didn't finish it until the day before Christmas Eve!

All you get is a sad cell phone picture and a messy background...

he got boxed up as soon as I completed him!

I sewed his button eyes on and sat back to look at him...and I hated him!

I pulled out my paints, added a few lines here and there and was so much happier.

I think it's funny how much a few tiny details can change something so drastically.

By the way, if you ever want to make a sock monkey, I love this tutorial.