A special Mother's Day sale

Mr Cheeky Monkeys and I love our mums, and I know the little Cheeky Monkeys love me, so Mother's Day is a fun time of year for us to make an extra effort to celebrate motherly love (which, I hasten to add, we should be doing all year round anyway).  Anyway, to celebrate beloved mothers, in-laws and mother figures, I am holding a ONE DAY ONLY sale day in both my Domum Vindemia and Two Cheeky Monkeys stores.

The sale day has been booked in for April 6 to give everyone time to order gifts and receive them BEFORE Mother's Day, which this year falls on May 8 in many countries, including Australia and the US.  Because there's nothing worse than realising you haven't got a present for your special maternal figure when it's too late to order that gift you know she'll love!

To find out the coupon codes required for our special sale day, and to receive a reminder on sale day itself, SIGN UP for either Two Cheeky Monkeys' or Domum Vindemia's (or BOTH!) special sale day newsletter.  Don't worry, you will only be receiving emails relating to this special once off sale day.

Chim Chiminy. Chim Chiminy. Chim Chim Cheree.

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I was on the hunt for new quotes for Domum Vindemia's bookmark range.  Well, you asked for it, and now you've got it, a Mary Poppins bookmark!  It features the quote, "Practically perfect in every way...just as I suspected", which has been very popular as a locket necklace over at my Two Cheeky Monkeys store.  What do you think?  To whom would you give this cheeky bookmark?

Happy Easter - Amazing Grace

As we all take an I'm sure much-deserved long, long weekend for the Easter weekend break, I want to wish you all a relaxing weekend as we remember Jesus' death for us and his resurrection from the dead.

Amazing Grace - Chris Tomlin

"Christ died once for our sins.
An innocent person died
    for those who are guilty.
Christ did this
    to bring you to God,
when his body
    was put to death
and his spirit
    was made alive."

 1 Peter 3:18 (CEV)

Green, the colour of the month

Although my favourite colours are red and purple, I realise that not everyone else has the same preferences as I do.  (But how, how can anyone dislike red or purple???)  Which is why I offer customers a choice of bead colour for many of my literature jewellery pieces.

This month, green seems to be the "in" colour, with a larger number than usual of green beaded items heading to new homes.  The two pieces I'm showing off today not only include the customer's choice of bead, but also a little extra personalisation with alphabet charms too.  What colour would you choose?

Themed hair accessories

The Cheeky Monkeys have been oohing and ahhing so much over some of the themed fabrics I bought for my sewing projects that I finally decided to make them hair accessories with scraps of their favourites.  They are both big fans of hair ties, especially ones which feature bows or large embellishments, so I made two hair bows attached to elastic.

 

Unfortunately, the patterns on the fabrics I used were a little large, so you don't really get a full appreciation of the design, but the Monkeys are pretty happy anyway.  Maybe I'll have a go at making wide fabric headbands which should better show off the patterns.  What do you think?

Something Blue...A Special Order

Something old,
something new,
something borrowed,
something blue,
and a silver sixpence in her shoe.

So goes the old rhyme detailing what a bride should wear "for luck" on her wedding day.  Although most people would say they don't believe in luck, I still have a large number of brides requesting blue-hued creations for their big day (any of my readers wear something blue for their wedding?)

This week I have been busily working on just such an order from a bride-to-be, a light blue and unadorned version of my literature bridal garter (seen above).  The garter is light blue to fit the wedding rhyme (as well as not show through the wedding dress) and will not be adorned with my usual literature charm or ribbon bows so that it will sit nicely under a form-fitting wedding gown.  And, as usual, I was totally thrilled to be involved in creating something special for such a special occasion.

DIY Polymer Clay Friendship Bracelets

My Cheeky Monkeys are HUGE fans of creating with polymer clay (I can't blame them, really!) so we are constantly thinking of new things to create with our stash.  Our latest project involved making simple "friendship bracelets" with polymer clay feature beads and gorgeous rainbow-coloured rattail cord.  Here's how you can make your own for all of your friends!

Supplies

- polymer clay (whichever brand you prefer) in a range of colours

- 2mm or 3mm wide rainbow rattail cord (we used 12-15cm per bracelet)

- foldover cord end crimps (2 per bracelet)

- 6-7mm jump rings (2 per bracelet)

- lobster claw clasp (1 per bracelet)

- wooden skewer or toothpick

- jewellery pliers

Method

1. Make a feature bead for each bracelet using 2-3 favourite or matching colours of polymer clay.  Mix the colours together till you are happy with the marbled effect (but be careful not to mix too thoroughly or your colours will meld together into a new colour rather than giving a marbled or swirled pattern).

Form the bead into your preferred shape, anything goes really, as long as the bead can bake evenly.  Poke a hole through the middle of your bead with a wooden skewer or toothpick, then carefully reshape your bead if it has become a little lopsided.

When you have enough beads, bake them as per the manufacturer's instructions.  Leave them to cool once fully baked.

2. Cut the rattail cord to your required length.  Attach a crimp to one end of the cord, adding a little glue to the end of the cord if desired.  Open a jump ring and attach the clasp to the cord crimp.

3. Thread a bead onto the free end of rattail cord.  Attach a crimp to the free end of the cord, as in step 2.  Open the last jump ring and attach it to this second cord crimp.

And there you have it, delightfully bright and colourful bracelets for you and all of your friends!

Moby Dick

For those of you who have read Herman Melville's Moby Dick, you will know that this novel has a host of quotes and phrases which have become iconic for fans of the story.  So much so, that I have decided to add a few quotes from the novel to my men's cufflink range (not that they can't be worn by ladies too)!

I have picked the two quotes which I believe to be inspirational, regardless of whether you are a Moby Dick fan or not, and even if you have not read Melville's story.  In fact, I am loving these quotes so much that you may find them gracing Domum Vindemia's bookmark range soon too.  Do you have a favourite Moby Dick quote?

Recipe Roundup: Easter Treats

As you'll all know by now, Easter is a significant time of year for me as a Christian.  A time of year when we especially remember Jesus' death and resurrection.  Aside from the special Easter church services we usually attend, we also love to cook and share meals with our friends and family at this time of year (much like Christmas).  So today, I'm sharing a roundup of some fun, meaningful or downright droolworthy Easter-inspired treats.  Let me know if you make any of them!

Clockwise from top left:

1. Mini egg cake

2. Cross cupcakes

3. Easter Oreo bark

4. Hot cross bun cupcakes

5. Rainbow jelly eggs

6. Apple and cinnamon hot cross buns

Quotes, quotes, quotes

When I first introduced the literary quote bookmark range to Domum Vindemia back in October last year, I picked a handful of my favourite literary quotes and hoped that the rest of the world loved them too.  Fast forward about five months and I have been astounded and humbled to see that these bookmarks have been very popular, with the Wuthering Heights and Pride and Prejudice bookmarks almost flying out the door.

So as I begin my search for other famous quotes in literature which have captured readers' hearts, let me ask you for your favourite quotes.  Are you a fan of the classics and their sage and often iconic quotes?  Or are you a fan of modern literature and its quotes?

A few of my favourite things: tea and art

I was recently introduced to the beautiful artwork of visual artist and graphic designer Ruby Silvious and I was completely blown away by her gorgeous teabag artworks!  Her "363 days of tea" and "52 weeks of tea" collections are miniature paintings and drawings created on recycled teabags, how could I not love every piece???  Head on over to Ms Silvious' site and check out all of her amazing creations (and maybe even make a purchase or two).

Recipe Roundup: Chilli Sauces

As Mr Cheeky Monkeys' love of growing chilli plants continues unabated (I think it has officially become an OBSESSION), we have been coming up with various ways to use our haul of chillies in our meals.  So today I am sharing a roundup of chilli sauce and preserved chilli recipes for all the other chilli-growing (and eating) fanatics out there.  But be warned, some of these chilli sauces are HOT as the Mr is currently growing four of the top ten hottest chillies currently available...

Clockwise from top left:

1. Pickled jalapenos

2. Sambal oelek

3. Belizean-style habanero sauce

4. Strawberry reaper hot sauce

5. Sweet chilli ginger sauce

6. Ghost pepper hot sauce

Win a set of Domum Vindemia's literature wine glass charms

It has been far too long between giveaways here at the Two Cheeky Monkeys blog.  So, to celebrate the official launch of Domum Vindemia's new wine glass charm range, I am offering one person the chance to win their choice of a Pride and Prejudice, Anne of Green Gables, Jane Eyre or music-themed set of wine glass charms.  Head over to the Domum Vindemia Instagram feed for entry details!