Monkeys Always Blog | Monkeys Always Look

I'm really super excited to announce a new line of jewelry and housewares made exclusively from vintage silverware! We will launch at the end of February. Be the first to know about it by "liking" us on Facebook here and signing-up for our newsletter here.

My guy! Most mornings go like all my mornings. Coffee, shower, snuggles with the dogs, return a few emails and a quick kiss and hug from my husband goodbye and off to the studio I go. As I pull up to my studio I sometimes catch myself and realize this was all a dream not that long ago. Only a few years ago I was working for someone else, loving the work, but really unhappy with the environment and I needed to get out. And I had a plan! I was going to leave my job and be my own boss. And guess what? I did it! But, and this is a big but (heehee), I would have never been able to do it without the encouragement, support and best of all LOVE! from my husband, Mr. Monkeys Always Look (as we call him around here!). It is that time of year that we all become a little more reflective on what we are thankful for and what and who makes our lives so important and fulfilling. I know we all have those people in our lives. Who are those people for you?

Customers are always having difficulty figuring out their ring size. I always recommend going to any jewelry store and asking to have your finger sized. Any store will do it free of charge. But if you are anything like me, going to the mall seems like a horrible idea. Here are a couple reliable ways to size your finger for a ring that doesn't require a trip to the mall!

1. You can purchase a reusable ring sizer in my shop here. It ships free and within 24 hours of purchase.

2. If you are impatient like me and can't wait for the sizer to arrive you can use this downloadable sizer. Make sure you save it to your computer before you print it out. Printable ring sizer

Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions about sizing or need an awesome chocolate chip cookie recipe.

I first heard the term "happy accident" when I was in art school in my late twenties. I know, where was I that I had not heard that term before then? If you don't know what it is, it is when something unexpectedly awesome comes from what would otherwise be considered a mishap (Urban Dictionary). Some of my favorite work has come from these happy accidents. The most memorable to date is the design for my redwood tree ring. I was stamping a piece of copper with a tool that produces little lines and I intended to stamp horizontal lines all the way across the ring. I happy accidentally turned the tool vertically and stamped away. Before I realized what I had done there were about half a dozen vertical impressions in the copper. As I examined my "mistake" I realized that it looked like the texture of a redwood tree bark was forming. And that is how the Redwood Tree Bark Ring was born!

While generally considered outtakes, I feel like these photos take on their own beauty and interest and for me fall into the happy accident category. Photo at top of post is a blurry misplaced ring and below a stack of rings that toppled over while I was trying to photograph them.

Do you have any favorite happy accidents?

It has been a busy few weeks here in the studio making as many things as I possibly can because this weekend Mr. Monkeys Always Look and I are hopping in the car and heading up to the San Francisco Bay area to show at the Sunset Magazine Celebration Weekend. This would definitely be something we would attend even if we weren't vending. Food demonstrations (and eating!), home improvement ideas, an etsy pavilion full of some of my favorite sellers and WINE tasting, our kind of event for sure! I hope to see some of you there and don't be shy and say hi! I'm a bit of a hugger, so watch out if you introduce yourself! Hugs and discounts may ensue!

I have been so lucky to be hustling around like a little hamster on a tiny treadmill to wonderland. I feel so fortunate to wake up each day excited to get to work. Even when it gets crazy I always sneak in a little "me time". Which is so important for inspiration, motivation and happiness!

Some of those little excursions and diversions include:

Pinterest.com, (pronounced like interest but with a pin, took forever for this brainiac to figure it out) is a fun cyberspace pinboard for personal collections as varied as dog hair styles to raw vegan desserts to graphic design. It is a social site that allows you to "follow" other user's pin boards and collections (you can follow me here). If you would like an invitation let me know and I will gladly send you one. Some of my recent pins include this amazing cabinet I found on the Mr. and Mrs. Globe Trot blog:

I really loved this TED talk from Stefan Sagmeister about the power of time off. It is the standard 18 minute TED talk but really worth the time. I suggest you watch it, especially if you think that to grow your business you have to work 24/7 (hint: you don't, and you shouldn't). He has always been an inspiration to me, especially when I was a graphic designer in New York.

Mr. Monkeys Always Look and I snuck off to Southeast Arizona for a few days to relax and get outside. Here are some quick shots. Nothing like a few days outside hiking and biking to get inspired!

And the benefit and fun to all this inspiration is that out if it comes bounding energy to create new work in the shop!!

There's only a finite number of an item that will sell. Even your most popular item that can be flying off the shelves one month can be impossible to give away the next. It sucks, but it is the truth. Trends last only so long, acid wash jeans and rat tails anyone? It is important to be proud of your success, even relish in it. It is so satisfying to see all your hard work pay off and that brilliant idea rewarded. You need to give yourself a big pat on the back. But it is important not to be so satisfied with your own success that you make no effort to move ahead and "one-up" yourself with even better ideas and more super awesome products. You really do have to move your business ahead like a shark or it will die. Now go and make something new and one-up yourself!

Shark Water Bottle Cozy by Handamade. So cute right!

Lately I have really been inspired by organic shapes juxtaposed with common forms. A lot of it is showing up in my work and will inspire me though the spring as I create new designs based on all the fun things I find.

What is inspiring you?

Mushroom photo by Melanie Ford Wilson, Tubulars illustration from Vintage Collective, Vintage Buttons by oritdotan, Baking Tin by BarkingSandsVintage, Autumn I. by MilesOfLight and Vintage Paper Tags by NomadCraftsSupplies.