A Week of Goodbyes

Last week was filled with quite a few goodbyes.
No worries, they were all good (well, one was a bit bittersweet, but I'll get to that).

My most exciting news...I had my first etsy sale!

Persephone was so excited to find out she'd been adopted! She could hardly wait to get into her box!

(Forgive the sad cell phone pic...she refused to even give me time to pull out the big camera).

Chloe and Porridge were sad to say goodbye to their sister...until the next day when they discovered they had also been adopted!

This little monster never even gave me a chance to take a farewell picture. He couldn't wait to get out and start seeing the world!

It makes me so happy to see several of my little creations off to their new homes. I so hope they'll be loved.

My final goodbye of the week was my house. We'd been trying to sell it for a year now, and it finally sold.
We spent every day last week moving out. It was exhausting.
It was really hard saying goodbye to that house. I had a tough time doing the final walkthrough to make sure everything was gone.
It was mine and my husband's first home together, and the home our family began in.
It's a huge relief to have that burden off our shoulders, but it still makes me a bit sad.

Oh well, I know letting that house go only means that greater things are in store for us in the future.
It looks like 2013 is going to be all about letting go and starting with a clean slate. I'm excited to see what possibilities this will open up for me and my family.

(Side note: Thanks to the crazy long hours I had to work packing our stuff, my monster progress was slowed down a lot. Hopefully this week will be much calmer and I'll be able to actually get some things done in the studio!)

Glove Monsters!

Oh my, I knew a mini invasion was coming.
I think I said it before.

I managed to catch not one, but three new little glove monsters running around my studio.

I wanted to wear them out (they can be pretty hyper), so I took them outside to play.

We had a great time playing together! :)

All of these guys are looking for a new home in my shop.

I also have another creature to introduce to you, but I think he deserves his own post...so you'll meet him in a few days!
(If you want a hint, you can find his picture on my Facebook page!

A Newly Designed Glove Monster

I was determined to finish the last few dolls on my desk before letting the monsters wreak havoc, but this little guy somehow slipped out!

 

I've always loved the glove monsters.

They're cute and little (my favorite combo!)

This guy is about 6.5 inches tall and 5.5 inches wide (counting his arms).

 

I've been wanting to change the look of the glove monsters to reflect my style a little better.

I think I've finally figured out how to do it!

What do you guys think of the new look?

 

I have a feeling he's going to have many siblings in the near future...

 

This little guy is in the shop!

Work, work, work

Things have been a whirlwind since I wrote last.
I love being a mother to two, but it sure does keep me busy!

Look how big my babies are getting!

I had to spend one week sitting at our house while repairs were being done (so we can put it up for sale!) and then I had to spend the following week at my mom's house while she had repairs done. Those handymen were nice guys, but I was so sick of them after two weeks!

We took a nice mini vacation to St. Louis.
It was lots of fun!
It was the first vacation we've had since we became a family of four...and I'm discovering that it doesn't quite feel like a "vacation" when you're a mom!
I was relieved to get back home to normal days again.
I hated to see my husband go back to work, but it was nice to have quiet days at home with baby Summer again.

In all this, my camera gave up on me.
I took it to the repair shop only to learn that it wasn't worth putting the money into it to fix.
Sure, it was just a point and shoot, but it was one of the nicer models and it certainly wasn't cheap. I'm very disappointed it only lasted a year and a half.
I've picked out a camera to replace it with, but it looks like it'll be my birthday (in September) before I have any hope of buying it.
Luckily, my husband took pity on me and bought me a cheap little camera to get me by.
I simply can not survive without a camera at my side!
For the low price, it's really not a bad little camera. I think I can manage until September.

I have a few little monsters to photograph for you guys...hopefully I can make time for it tomorrow!

Until then, you get a couple of work in progress pictures (a.k.a. "look at Mandy's messy desk!")

This ugly pile are the glove monsters patiently waiting to come to life.

It amuses me to have body parts laying all over my desk!
This is a new doll I've been working on for awhile.
I'm pretty excited to see how she turns out.

What is everyone else up to?
Having a nice summer? Working on anything exciting?
I'd love to hear from you. :)

Heart Attack!

I wanted to give my dear husband a gift, but unfortunately money is short at the moment.

Lucky for me, I discovered the perfect little monster curled up under my art desk!

This little guy is quite the love bug

and was the perfect gift to show my hubby how much I love him. :)

My husband decided to name him Heart Attack,

although I'm pretty sure this little guy would never attack anyone!

Proto, the First of the Glove Monsters!

As I'm sure you all have figured out by now,

my house has been invaded by cute little monsters.

I caught this little guy sneaking around in the kitchen the other day.

He's actually quite friendly as long as you keep him away from candy.

I'm calling him Proto because he's the very first of the Glove Monsters.

I love these little guys...

they're the perfect pocket size monster at 6" tall.

I have a feeling that quite a few more are going to be discovered roaming around here...