Launching the Two Cheeky Monkeys 2014 Autumn/Winter Range With a Special Offer

Some of you may remember that back in December, I gave you a sneak peek of my upcoming Autumn/Winter range for 2014.  Well, all items for the range have been completed and today I am officially launching both the Asymmetry and the Vintage Cufflinks ranges!!!

To celebrate the much-anticipated launch of my new ranges, I am offering 20% off all purchases which include an item from either of the new ranges.  That's right, 20% off your ENTIRE purchase (excluding shipping) if you purchase anything from the Asymmetry or Vintage Cufflinks ranges!  The launch discount is available in both my Etsy and Madeit stores when you use the coupon code LAUNCH.  The discount code is ONLY VALID for the next 24 hours, so get in quick before your favourite item heads to another new home.

Which One's My Cup?

I don't know if your family is as chaotic as the Two Cheeky Monkeys family, but one area of chaos which often causes angst is the confusion over whose cup or mug is whose.  Like most people, many of our drinking glasses and mugs came in matching or identical sets (even some of our plastic kiddie cups did too).  So if more than one person decided to grab say, the Ashdene seashell mugs, this can lead to heated discussions about which mug belongs to whom.

Mr Cheeky Monkeys really liked the idea of named coasters on the kitchen windowsill for each family member to place their drinking glasses, but I didn't want my windowsill clogged up with cups (or people reaching for their cups), I prefer the Little Cheeky Monkeys to leave their cups on the dining table to remind them to drink regularly (and for easy access) and, to be honest, the whole named/personalised coaster thing seemed a bit dorky to me.  Of course, I finally found a solution to the problem by crafting!

A quick trip to Spotlight yielded some lovely cotton/acrylic yarn (Moda Vera Beetle) which I turned into fun, crocheted drinks coasters.  Each member of the Two Cheeky Monkeys family was assigned a different colour and I used different patterns for each coaster.  My patterns came from various sources, including Simply Crochet and Mollie Makes magazines, but you should easily be able to find coaster or doily patterns on Ravelry or a crochet blog.  So what do you think, do you like my drinking glass solution?  Would you rather use crocheted coasters or the traditional cork-backed squares found in most homewares and department stores?

Key To My Heart

I have been sewing up a storm for Domum Vindemia in the last few weeks and today I am unveiling my latest creations - "key to my heart" ornaments.  Each heart-shaped ornament has been put together with a mix of beautiful vintage and contemporary fabrics and embellishments to create a shabby chic decoration for your home.  Attached to the fabric hearts with baker's twine is one of my most favourite items, a vintage skeleton key!

These sweet hearts can be hung either by the key or the twine on its own with the key dangling with the heart.  For those of you lucky enough to own vintage furniture with skeleton key locks, these hearts would make a cute adornment to your furniture!  And the fabric hearts aren't just limited to being used as ornaments - sewists could use them as beautiful pincushions too.  You can find these fun heart ornaments in both my Etsy and Madeit stores and keep your eye out for more colour combinations coming soon.  At the moment they come unscented, but I would like your input into whether you would like dried lavender or rose petals (or any other potpourri) added to these ornaments.

Happy Chinese New Year!

Today I am wishing you all a very happy Chinese new year!  It is the year of the horse, which means that for all those of you who turn a multiple of 12, it's your year.  I don't hold to all the superstitions attached to what each year's animal is meant to represent for one's personality, but being Chinese, I always have fun celebrating with my family and friends.  This year the Two Cheeky Monkeys family is holding a little dinner just for family members and a few friends who don't have family in Australia.  And our church is hosting what will hopefully be a large Chinese new year party for everyone, not just the Chinese church members!  The church dinner always gives everyone a bit of a giggle because there is always someone who brings along something like a "Chinese jelly slice" or "Chinese meat pies" because that is the food they can cook and there's no way they're going to try and cook Chinese food for Chinese people, he he he.  So let me ask you, what is your favourite Chinese meal to cook, eat out at a restaurant or order from your local takeaway?

(Image source: Laura Frisk)

Two Cheeky Monkeys Market Night

After one week of Christmas chaos with the various Cheeky Monkeys families, several weeks recovering from illness and many, many weeks of summer school holidays, the 2014 school year is about to begin!  It is actually a very hectic time of year for us as we make sure the little Cheeky Monkeys have everything they need for the new school year and there is usually Australia Day and Chinese New Year to celebrate as well.

Anyway, I have decided to add to the hustle and bustle of back to school time with a "Back To School" market night on my Facebook page.  I am selling off all old designs as well as some new ones too.  There is a preview album of items for sale and I am offering FREE SHIPPING on all purchases made from the special market album.  So when will the fun be on?  This Tuesday, 28th of January 2014, starting at 8pm AEDST.  It's first in, best dressed, and I don't often offer this kind of sale with free shipping included, so make sure to set a reminder for yourself to be there tomorrow night.  And who knows, maybe you will be able to find all the birthday presents and other gifts you will be needing for this coming year!

Make Your Own Pomting (AKA Pompom Bunting)

Summer school holidays continue here in Australia, and I've been working hard to keep the Two Cheeky Monkeys entertained while also trying to rest and recuperate (being sick is no fun, especially when it's nice and sunny outside).  So as you can imagine, I've been coming up with craft projects that the Monkeys can do with no or limited supervision.  A big hit this past week has been making "pomtings", or pompom buntings!

These whimsical garlands of pompoms were ridiculously easy to make, so I'm only going to share a very simple outline for you (plus I temporarily misplaced my camera charger and couldn't take any decent photos!!!).

To make your own pomtings, you will need:

- a bucket load of pompoms (store bought or homemade)

- baker's twine

- a darning or tapestry type needle with a large eye

Once you've gathered your supplies, all you have to do is tie a knot in one end of your twine (leaving about 5-10cm spare twine at the end for hanging your pomting) and start threading the pompoms on until you are happy with the length.  If you are using homemade pompoms, be very careful to make sure you are threading the twine through the centre of your pompoms, or you may find that they won't be properly secured.  Tie a knot at the other end of your twine (again leaving enough spare twine for hanging) and hang your new creation up in a spot that needs a bit of cheer!  The Cheeky Monkeys simply hung their pomtings over their beds with a few pieces of washi tape.

More Homespun Fun

 

Since finally acting on my desire to add more homespun fun and cheer to my home decor last week, I have been adding more touches of fun around the house of Two Cheeky Monkeys!  As you all know, I am very fond of buntings, so added an aqua and blue bunting to a small window in my lounge room.  Buntings are so easy to sew up and this one was made using fabric from the Pretty Little Things range of fabric by Dena Designs.  I still have a few half yards of this gorgeous range of fabric left in my stash, so the Cheeky Monkeys will be getting some simple gathered skirts for their wardrobe, just in time for the end of summer!!!