Crafty Monkey

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I found the sock monkey in a thrift store in a small New Mexico town. It was the Christmas season, and because the monkey was wearing a Santa hat, it was on a table with trees and lights and ornaments. I paid less than a dollar for it, not even sure why I wanted it.

I wish I had taken before and after photos.Unfortunately, my camera was no longer reliable, and I had pretty much stopped even trying to get photos.

The first thing I did was cut off most of the Santa hat. Then I folded the ends in and sewed them to make an entirely different looking hat. (Yes, it’s true, the hat is a bit lopsided.)

Imagine that the monkey in this photo was once wearing a Santa hat, which I then turned into the hat is now actually wearing. I took the photo of this monkey.

Imagine the monkey in this photo wearing a Santa hat. I turned that Santa hat into the hat the monkey is now actually wearing. I took the photo of this monkey.

The next thing I did was make a dress for the monkey. I went back to the thrift store and found two squares of red felt to use in the dress making. I cut out two (mostly) matching sides and sewed the monkey right into the dress. I also cut a hole in the back of the dress so the monkey’s tail could be free.

I cut a small circle from the felt to add a bit of decoration to the monkey’s hat. I sewed that right on.

The last thing I did was make earrings for the monkey. (Unfortunately, they are not so apparent in the photos.) I used tiny red beads for the earrings.

That’s how I turned a Santa monkey into a lady monkey.

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About Blaize Sun

My name is Blaize Sun. Maybe that's the name my family gave me; maybe it's not. In any case, that's the name I'm using here and now. I've been a rubber tramp for nearly a decade.I like to see places I've never seen before, and I like to visit the places I love again and again. For most of my years on the road, my primary residence was my van. For almost half of the time I was a van dweller, I was going it alone. Now I have a little travel trailer parked in a small RV park in a small desert town. I also have a minivan to travel in. When it gets too hot for me in my desert, I get in my minivan and move up in elevation to find cooler temperatures or I house sit in town in a place with air conditioning I was a work camper in a remote National Forest recreation area on a mountain for four seasons. I was a camp host and parking lot attendant for two seasons and wrote a book about my experiences called Confessions of a Work Camper: Tales from the Woods. During the last two seasons as a work camper on that mountain, I was a clerk in a campground store. I'm also a house and pet sitter, and I pick up odd jobs when I can. I'm primarily a writer, but I also create beautiful little collages; hand make hemp jewelry and warm, colorful winter hats; and use my creative and artistic skills to decorate my life and brighten the lives of others. My goal (for my writing and my life) is to be real. I don't like fake, and I don't want to share fake. I want to share my authentic thoughts and feelings. I want to give others space and permission to share their authentic selves. Sometimes I think the best way to support others is to leave them alone and allow them to be. I am more than just a rubber tramp artist. I'm fat. I'm funny. I'm flawed. I try to be kind. I'm often grouchy. I am awed by the stars in the dark desert night. I hope my writing moves people. If my writing makes someone laugh or cry or feel angry or happy or troubled or comforted, I have done my job. If my writing makes someone think and question and try a little harder, I've done my job. If my writing opens a door for someone, changes a life, I have done my job well. I hope you enjoy my blog posts, my word and pictures, the work I've done to express myself in a way others will understand. I hope you appreciate the time and energy I put into each post. I hope you will click the like button each time you like what you have read. I hope you will share posts with the people in your life. I hope you'll leave a comment and share your authentic self with me and this blog's other readers. Thank you for reading.  A writer without readers is very sad indeed.

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