Funky Monsters

Easter Fun

2011-04-27T21:20:00.000+10:00

A Special Request

2011-04-26T21:03:00.011+10:00

Prior to announcing my break from sewing I had a special request from a lovely customer that I just couldn't refuse. Kylie enquired whether I could make a pair of booties for her daughter's christening to match her gown. I was honoured to be asked to do this! But there was a little twist ... would I be able to make a pair of booties that were reversible that would also match her after-party dress?? Hmmm ... had to put my thinking cap on for this one!

Kylie sent me through a description of the materials and colours as well as pictures of her baby's two dresses to help me. To be honest, it had me totally stumped. I had often thought of making some christening booties and introducing them to my range but hadn't quite gotten there. I always pictured plain booties made of white or off-white satin, most likely in the Mary Jane style with a matching satin flower to finish it off nicely. Quite a simple look but enough to really finish off a gorgeous christening outfit.

I spent quite a bit of time looking for exactly the right fabric, changing my mind numerous times. Kylie wanted a pair of reversible Mary Jane style booties but I just wasn't sure if I could pull it off. I experimented with a couple of ideas, cutting and throwing out some pieces, sewing then unpicking others, slipping and sliding as I was trying to sew lace over satin (!) but somehow it all came together in the end.

And here they are ......

The end product was nowhere near the vision I had started with at the beginning but I was more than happy with the outcome! The booties are now on their way to Kylie for her little bubba's big day. I can't wait to hear what Kylie thinks of them and am hoping she'll send me a photo to share of the complete outfit.

I'm not convinced I'll ever work with satin and lace again ... we'll have to see about that ;)

HAPPY EASTER

2011-04-21T17:38:00.004+10:00

Wishing all of our funky friends a safe and happy Easter!

Funky Friday Finds: Easter Gifts for little ones

2011-04-15T16:25:00.002+10:00

Although I love the idea of Easter, especially an Easter Egg Hunt on Sunday morning, I don't want my kids hyped up on too much chocolate. Here are some lovely alternatives for gifts for the little ones this Easter.

1. Bunny Rattles: from A Feathered Nest - $8 each

2. Baby's 1st Easter - Lily & George Rabbit Ring Rattle: from Little Lady Bird - $15 each

3. Easter Rabbit - Softie: By Red Stitch Designs on Made It - $34.95 each

4. Hoppy Easter Bunny Boy Onesie: from Cafe Press - $17.50 each

Wednesday Wish List

2011-04-13T11:41:00.004+10:00

I want me an iPad2!

Today's Funky Find

2011-04-12T13:39:00.008+10:00

I just discovered this gorgeous Knitted Girls Beret from Kawaii Kids! This is a must-have for my new little niece for winter!!

Melbourne Baby & Toddler Show

2011-04-11T17:22:00.016+10:00

One of my Funky Monsters and I took a trip together to check out The Baby & Toddler Show in Melbourne held over the weekend. It was a nice and rare outing just for the two of us. I figured there would be lots for me to see and check out as well as things to keep my little man occupied as well. It's so nice to spend the time one-on-one chatting together, sharing a little treat ... and me having to answer a million and one questions (the kid doesn't come up for air)!!

It was a great little afternoon outing. I met some friends, new and old, discovered lots of new products I didn't know existed, watched Shrek & Fiona dance (a little awkwardly!), learnt more about a few things I had heard of but didn't know a lot about and got some great gift ideas for newborns and upcoming birthdays for little ones. Here is a snap shot of our little trip:

Stopped by the EJ Kids stall to chat with my lovely friend Rose and met the lovely Michelle from Wholesale Baby as well!

The idea of Modern Cloth Nappies has been growing on me so I stopped by the Bambooty stall to ask a few questions and discovered they also make night nappies. Thinking of converting to MCN night nappies for the littlest monster. They feel so soft and comfy!

I didn't know they made little Ducati's to match the 'Big Kids' Ducati's!

All my little monster wanted was an umbrella, and we found one! What a bargain too - $3 from SparkleT.

I hadn't attended one of these shows before but I think it is well worth the visit if you are pregnant or already parents of babies and toddlers. There are so many great products that you can try & buy, and it's a great start to researching all of the funky things you need for your little ones.

2011 so far ...

2011-04-10T20:00:00.016+10:00

Apologies for the lack of blog posts so far in 2011, we have been busy little monsters! Here is a snapshot of the first 3 months of the year ...

January & February flew by at the speed of light! Never in my life have I had a busier social life than in those 2 months. Parties & weddings galore!

Feb also saw the birth of my new little niece, my brother's first child. Such a little treasure that I looooooove to spoil with girly goodness (mostly handmade too!)

Personally, I have achieved 2 goals that I set for myself to accomplish in 2011. The first and most important goal for was to start leading a healthier lifestyle and to get fit! I had ended the year feeling sluggish, carrying a little extra weight and not taking the time to look after myself properly. A friend of mine had completed a Boot Camp just before Christmas and was contemplating another in the New Year. It took me a little time to convince myself that I should give it a go and I finally built up the courage to say "Sign me up". Little did I know that this is one of the most gruelling Boot Camps you can attend, based on training for our SAS soldiers :-/ After the first gruelling running session, of which I crossed the finish line last (walking!) and only just within the time frame, I wondered what the hell I was doing to myself!! Did I need to put myself through this? Was it going to be worth it? By the 2nd running session I was fully motivated to do my best and get through the next 5 weeks and show what I was really made of. I started a healthy eating plan, completed my 3 sessions per week and ended up discovering I COULD RUN! And I ran and I ran and I ran and I ran ... (you get the picture!) Never have I run so far in my life!! I used to struggle running to the corner and now I'm running 5km 2-3 times a week. This is one of the best feelings I have had in a long time! I feel proud of myself for sticking it out and getting results and it feels great fitting back into my clothes again and not fitting into some that are now a little too big ;) The 2nd goal I set for myself was to grow my nails. I have been a nail biter all my life and tried numerous times to stop chewing away but always fell off the bandwagon fairly soon after. Well, I'm happy to say I am a nail biter no more! Just decided one day that I'd had enough and quit cold turkey, just like that! My dear mum also treated me to a manicure & pedicure as a little reward and I can tell you I enjoyed every minute. So nice to get pampered and I love getting my fingers and toe nails painted :)

During all of this, Funky Monsters took a bit of a back seat to my busy life but still found me creating lots of handmade goodness. Lots of orders for baby booties, hats and a few dresses along the way as well as a number of art smocks. After a request from a friend for a personalised art smock, I found these became quite popular and have made a number of these for my lovely customers. I have also made some lovely handmade gifts too. Here are just a few.

For those of you that follow my Facebook page, you will know that I am currently taking an indefinite break from the creative process. I just need a little time out for myself and my family. Time flies by and I don't want to blink and miss it! But during this time, although I may not be sewing, I still want to share with you the wonderful funky and mostly handmade things I find along the way and plan to do this via my blog.

So stay tuned ... and keep in touch. Who knows when my creative juices will start flowing again!

Deck the halls ...

2010-11-27T17:16:00.010+11:00

What an exciting time of year! It's almost time to put the Christmas tree up and decorate the house for the festive season. I love thinking about different ways to decorate, challenging as it is with two toddlers around!

Here are some great finds to deck your halls from Made It!

1. Christmas Tissue Paper Pom Poms - Tiddley Pom

2. Christmas Tree Wall Decal - Vinyl Design

3. Merry Christmas Bunting - The Earthly Creature

4. Christmas Rules - Vintage Bus Roll Poster - anroldesigns

5. Merry Christmas Banner - Banners and Bags

6. Raggy Christmas Wreath - bekahdu

Funky Friday Finds - Putting the Mo in Movember

2010-11-18T22:57:00.016+11:00

We are right in the middle of Mo-vember so to help celebrate a good cause, here are some Funky 'Mo' Friday Finds!

Can't grow a Mo for Movember but still want to be involved? Then you need a Mo Sista Brooch/Necklace available from LittleNikita on Made It

Joining Movember in their annual quest to raise awareness of depression and prostate cancer in 2010, is new Mr. Men character, Mr. Mo…! These tee's are now available at Target and 25% of the proceeds from their sales will be donated to Movember.

Felt black moustache on a stick by feltsogood on Made It

Set of 12 Moustache Crayons Complete Disguise Upcycled/Recycled from chasedreams on Etsy

A ‘Fruity Mustache’ blank greetings card featuring crunchy, fresh ALBERTO APPLE with a real hairy, 100% new wool mustache! Available from Kikichoo on Etsy

Funky Monsters Features

2010-11-15T21:05:00.008+11:00

Our Funky Monsters booties are getting around! We have been featured on two fabulous blogs over the last couple of days.

Jo from 'The Crafty Nomad' loves my booties. Having travelled to and lived in various parts of the world, she is currently living in outback WA and has a love of all things crafty especially sewing and papercraft. Our Reindeer Games Baby Booties were featured as part of her 'Made It Friday Focus: Rudolph the Reindeer' post.

Robyn from 'Robyn Lee Handmade' also loves my booties! She featured our gorgeous Space Invaders Baby Booties in her 'Christmas Time at Made It: Something for everyone, beautifully Australian made' post.

Thank you lovely ladies!

'Tis the season

2010-11-13T19:34:00.009+11:00

Christmas is creeping up on us, only 6 weeks until the bearded one visits bearing gifts galore!

To celebrate the festive season, I have released some Limited Edition Christmas Baby Booties, ideal for Baby's 1st (or 2nd!) Christmas. There are two different styles to choose from and both are reversible designs. These booties make great gifts for bubs and are the perfect finish to their little Christmas outfit.

These limited edition booties are available in sizes 0-6mths, 6-12mths & 12-18mths and are $20 a pair.

'Christmas Cheer' Baby Booties

'Reindeer Games' Baby Booties

You can order them now in my Made It store or via my Facebook page using my 'Contact Us' tab.

Funky Monsters Baby Bootie Collection

2010-09-21T20:02:00.017+10:00

Since our humble beginnings (all of 12mths ago!) Funky Monsters bootie range has grown and grown. Most of our designs are limited in quantity as most fabric prints become discontinued over time, but we also like to keep our range fresh and exciting. In saying that, we have some old favourites that have been with us from the start like our signature Coloured Skulls booties, these are definitely still my all time favourite!

Not only have we had many different designs, we now have different styles of booties for your funky bubbas. Thought I would share our latest and our greatest with you all.

Our popular 'All Stars' Reversible booties in our original style

Our new Baby Booties for boys with elastic strap in 'Space Invaders', 'All Stars (Green)' and 'Pirate Booty'

Our new Baby Booties for girls with elastic strap in our gorgeous 'Leopard Print'

Our ever-so-sweet Mary Jane style booties in 'Funky Floral', 'Zebra Print', 'Cherry-licious' and 'Sweet Butterflies'

Our new Non-Slip range made with suede soles which also come in a larger size 12-18mths

Check out our Facebook page for more details & prices of the current range we have available. There are a number of ways you can order: by emailing funkymonsters@live.com, via our 'Contact Us' tab on our Facebook page or through our Made It store.

Sugar & Spice .... and all things nice!

2010-09-21T13:09:00.012+10:00

Early on Sunday 12th September, Funky Monsters took a lovely drive down to Woodend. I was taking Funky Monsters to the Sugar & Spice Childrens Market. It was our very first market we were attending as a retailer!

The Sugar & Spice Childrens Market is a boutique childrens market held in Woodend every 3mths. Here you will find lovely unique items for your children, most of them handmade. The lovely Ali runs the market and once again put on a fantastic and well-organised day.

The crowds were lined up early ready to shop and came steadily through the doors throughout the day. Not only did Funky Monsters have a great time, we made quite a few sales and to top it off, met some lovely fellow stallholders. Funky Monsters new friends include:

OOAKLY - run by the lovely Jenny, who creates custom artwork for the precious little ones in your life
Milk & Honey - Cath & her sister came all the way from Echuca to showcase their precious goodies
Robin Street Market - Sharon has an online store and specialises is sourcing unique and handmade gifts from around the world. You never know what you might find in Sharon's store in the near future (wink wink) !!

Jenny from OOAKLY

Here are some other pics taken from our big day out (taken by me, Jenny from OOAKLY and Kim Selby Photography)

The next Sugar & Spice Childrens Market will be held in Woodend on 12th December (venue TBC) and Ali is also launching in Ballarat on 28th November at St Pat's Hall from 9am-1pm. We hope to see you there!

Funky Friday Finds - Crocodiles & Al E Gator!

2010-07-16T15:43:00.008+10:00

Here are some snappy Funky Friday Finds!

1. Kojo the Croc - Zoobies Pets (3-in-1 plush character, pillow & blanket)

2. Crocodile Magnet Clip - Kids Gift List (Bright & funky jungle animal magnet)

3. Al E Gator - sarahsewta.etsy.com (Minky dot boo boo rice heat bag)

4. Fabler Krokodil - Ikea (soft toy)

5. 'Snippy' the baby crocodile - Secret Gully (Interactive and educational soft stuffed Aust Wildlife toys for imaginative play)

6. Crocodile Isle - Jump City (Inflatable water park)

Funky Friday Finds - Spooky Scary Monsters

2010-07-09T22:38:00.005+10:00

Keeping with our Monster theme this week, here are some spooky scary Funky Friday Finds!

1. Monster Couture Captain Shaggy Red Bean Bag (Ten Little Indians)

2. Mono Tee by Cried Wolf (About A Boy)

3. Little Bird Decor Monsters Decal (Everything Boys)

4. Munster Baby Fight Night Pants (Ten Little Indians)

Wednesday Wish List

2010-07-06T19:51:00.012+10:00

Having a love of all things monsters, especially with two little monsters of my own, I couldn't resist sharing this absolutely gorgeous find from MiniStyle. What little boy wouldn't love a set of these Monster Lights lighting up in their room. These quirky felt puppet lights are cute & friendly by day, spooooky scary by night! There are 20 mini monster puppet lights hanging on a 6 metre light string and can be all yours (or mine!) for $49.95

MiniStyle is a chic online boutique who stock gorgeous designer kids clothing, beautiful gifts, unique toys and more. Check out their website at www.ministyle.com.au for a whole range of gorgeous items for your kids! You can also follow their blog at www.ministyle.com.au/blog. The Monster Lights are a Best Seller on their site and have just been restocked. They were even featured in the Shop 4 Kids 09 magazine. They are definitely being added to the boys birthday/christmas wish list this year!

I'm baaaaaaack!

2010-06-29T13:39:00.013+10:00

Wow, what a long time between posts and what a busy little bee I have been! But I'm excited to be back in the land of blogging!!

Let's see where I left off ...

April was a very busy month for Funky Monsters. It started with our support for the RCH Good Friday Appeal. $5 from every pair of booties sold until midnight on Good Friday was donated to the Appeal. We ended up raising a total of $35 from these sales. So I was a little busy making booties as a start! I also donated 3x Funky Monsters Gift Sets to the Tungamah Hotel to auction off in their annual fundraising event to support the Appeal as well. We were so pleased to have contributed to the record total of $14,462,000 raised in 2010.

The winners of the March MWWAH Mini Hunt competition and the MWAHH Online Easter Hunt were also announced and claimed their prizes. Winners were able to choose a pair of our baby booties & a Funky Onesie in their choice of design. I also supported another great cause Relay for Life - Team Tequila Slammers by donating one of my 'Aqua Polka Dot Gift Sets' for them to auction online via their Facebook Fan Page. The Relay for Life fundraising event is organised by The Cancer Council (Perth). It was a fun 24hr event to raise funds for the Cancer Council for education, research and supporting those & their families living with cancer.

So, between all of this, a number of Made It sales and a few custom orders, I had little time to spare!

During the month of April I also took the bulls by the horns and decided to start a fresh with a brand new Funky Monsters Faceb ook Fan page. I already had a fan page set up when I initially started out as 'mini monsters' which had grown to over 300 fans! But unfortunately Facebook does not allow you to change the name of your group and it was getting a little confusing running this page seeing our old name with our new name & logo. To encourage new fans to come across and existing fans to spread the word I ran a giveaway to help us reach the milestone of 150 fans. This was a great success and the lucky winner, which I'm pleased to say was Michael (a male!!), won himself a Pink Polka Dot Taggie and matching booties for his daughter. He was so pleased to have won and to be able to give his daughter a special gift from himself.

Funky Monsters now has 331 fans! If you are not a fan of our Facebook page already, why not head over and 'like' our page by clicking here.

Then the dreaded lurgey hit us in May :( May was a dreary old month in our house. The kids and I were pretty much out of action for the whole month. What started out as runny noses ended up as nasty coughs, colds and horrible gastro. Plenty of sleepless nights for us all. Need I say more.

But somehow during all of this, I still managed to find the time to start working on my new reversible style booties. It's taken a while but our reversible booties are finally here! My sewing skills are on the up and with a bit of practice my new booties now have a more professional finish. The new booties have no exposed seams, the elastic is all encased and they can be turned inside out and made reversible. So you can now get 2 great styles in

one shoe! There are currently 2 new reversible styles listed in my Made It store with more on the way! Check them out here. The picture below shows a pair of our new 'All Stars' Reversible Baby Booties. More on our new booties soon.

And now, half the year is almost gone!! Can you believe it! Where did it go?

Plenty of work has been happening behind-the-scenes here at Funky Monsters including more great designs for our funky baby booties, additions to our Toddler Range and our very first wholesale order! I can't wait to show you more of what's to come! Stay tuned ...

March MWWAH Mini Hunt Comp - WINNER!

2010-04-06T14:52:00.004+10:00

Congratulations Kirsty Shepherd! You are the lucky winner of the Funky Monsters prize in the MWWAH Mini Hunt Competition! Kirsty has won a pair of Funky Monsters Baby Booties of her choice. Thank you for entering our competition and well done on getting all the answers right!!

Enter the MWWAH Online Easter Egg Hunt Now!

2010-04-01T09:49:00.003+11:00

The MWWAH Online Easter Egg Hunt has started! Ends 7th April at 5pm. Enter now for your chance to win some great prizes

MWWAH Online Easter Egg Hunt

2010-03-31T15:19:00.010+11:00

Starting 9am 1st April MWWAH are running a fun Easter competition for the week. Such a fun & easy competition to be involved in and you could be in the running for many fantastic prizes ... including a Funky Monsters 'Army Patch' Funky Onesie in your choice of size!

All you need to do is find where the MWWAH Easter logo is hidden on the participating businesses site and answer one or two easy questions. That's it! All correct answers then go into the draw for the fabulous prize on offer. This is the logo you need to find (pictured right):

We are ever so grateful to Jess from MWWAH (again!) for running this Online Easter Egg Hunt. Promotions such as this help to introduce our mwwah/wahm businesses to a whole range of potential customers.

Some of the other businesses involved & the great prizes you could win include:

Seventh Heaven Creations: Heat Bag, Soothing Eye Pillow & Matching Carry Pouch
Swish Lily: $20 gift voucher to spend in store
WAHM Connect: 1 free year of advertsing on WAHM Connect
Backpacks 4 Aussie Kids: 2x Kids Camping Chairs
PurpleX Design & Print: $30 gift voucher that can be used towards the purchase of one of their canvas prints

There will also be daily spot prizes up for grabs too! For more details & how to enter check out the MWWAH site by clicking here. Competition runs from 9am 1st April until 5pm 7th April 2010. Good Luck!

Sneak Peak - Rock Chick Skulls & Dragonfly appliques

2010-03-25T17:41:00.005+11:00

Here is a little sneak peak of some applique designs I am working on for the little ladies. We have Rock Chick Skulls and Dragonflies which can be appliqued on singlets, onesies and tees. I can't wait to put the first sample together!

Here are our funky Rock Chick Skulls - they will have black or white felt eyes appliqued to them. How much do they rock! I will also be doing some for the boys.

And here are our gorgeous Dragonflies, so sweet!

I'm hoping these will be listed in my Made It store next week, stay tuned.

Pre-orders are welcome! If you like one of our designs, please contact me (funkymonsters@live.com) and let me know what image you would like, if you would like it applied to a singlet, onesie or tee and what colour as well as which size you require.

I Heart Baby

2010-03-23T15:20:00.012+11:00

As the winner of the I Heart Baby giveaway on the Little Sooti blog, my prize is a beanie and pair of leg warmers of choice. Thought I would share the goodies I have chosen for The Cheeky Monster. He is getting the Little Boy Blue beanie and Blue Stripe leg warmers. What a funky little monster he will be this winter!

I Heart Baby designs accessories for babies & toddlers. I Heart Baby was created by a proud mother of one baby boy and it all started with beanies. But beanies were only the beginning! Their range now also includes leg warmers and mesh trucker hats and they will continue to introduce new styles and products! I Heart Baby is determined to create the absolute most stylish and fabulous clothing and accessories for all babies. Take a look for yourself - here!

Royal Children's Hospital Good Friday Appeal

2010-03-21T22:48:00.010+11:00

The 2010 Royal Children's Hospital Good Friday Appeal will be held on Friday 2nd April. As well all know, the aim is to raise money for The Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne, and to ensure that all children with life threatening illnesses receive the best possible medical and clinical care.

Although we are fortunate enough that our children are not suffering serious or life threatening illnesses, we have spent time at the RCH and know many others that have done the same. If you have ever been to the RCH you will know the fantastic work they do and the wonderful people that make it happen. They treat more than 280,000 children each year. They really make it a place for children to feel like they have some sort of normal life and to keep entertained and have some fun. Just the way they set up the waiting rooms shows you how they feel about their little patients. They also make an enormous effort to look after the parents of sick children as well.

This year Funky Monsters will be supporting the RCH Good Friday Appeal in a number of ways:

From today until midnight on Good Friday, $5 from every pair of booties we sell will be donated to the appeal.
To encourage you to buy more booties, we also have a special offer -buy any 2 pair of booties for $25 (normally $32) and $10 will be donated.

So if you need booties for your little monster, a baby shower gift, a gift for a newborn or you just want to spoil your grand kids, nieces or nephews now is a better time than any to get your hands on a pair of our booties. There are many great styles to choose from with more to come throughout the week & custom orders are also welcome. To start shopping click here.

We will also be donating a number of booties and appliqued onesies & tees to be sold or auctioned off at a RCH Good Friday Appeal fundraiser at the Tungamah Hotel (held on Good Friday). Last year the pub raised $16,000 for the appeal, #16th in the Top Pubs & Clubs list. This appeal is close to the hearts of owners Peter & Helen Chisnall and many of the locals in the Tungamah and surrounding areas.

Please help us support this great cause and also help to spread the word! Be sure to check out the RCH Good Friday Appeal website for information on ways you can make a donation, events & activities leading up to and on the day, merchandise available and much more here.

If taking advantage of our special offer, please wait for an updated invoice to be sent with updated costs prior to making payment. Offer excludes postage costs.

Lucky Kinda Gal

2010-03-21T21:47:00.013+11:00

Well, aren't I just a lucky kinda gal! Over the last few months I have had a run of good luck, which is a nice change. My family and I live a moderate life, we certainly are luckier than some but are also paying a mortgage, budgeting and watching our pennies wisely like most of us have to. So it's nice to get a little something for nothing every now and again.

Since discovering the world of blogs, I have been a little trigger happy entering all the great giveaways there are. I love it! Although I must admit, there are times where I do find it hard to keep up! My first prize was a Piper+Lily fabric necklace from a Hip Little One giveaway. This went to my lucky niece (the only one so far in a family full of boys!) and was a great match for her brand new outfit. It is quite ironic that this was the first giveaway I won, having no girls of my own. I don't enter giveaways and competitions just for the sake of it and usually the prizes of choice are either goodies for my little monsters or myself, or those I can make use of for my Funky Monsters range such as gorgeous fabrics.

Then a couple of weeks ago, my husband called with some fantastic news. When he went to work on Monday a colleague asked him if he had watched The Garden Gurus on Channel 9 Sunday evening. My husband replied 'No' to which his colleague responded "So I guess you don't know that you won their competition then" And the prize .... $3000 worth of grass!! Now some of you might be reading this thinking that's a strange prize or wondering if it really is anything to be excited about ... but it is! We have recently moved into our first brand new home, newly built and the only thing we have a lot of, is dirt! My husband entered the competition before we moved and had forgotten all about it. No wonder, there have been so many competitions we have entered at all the home and garden shows we have been to over the last couple of years. So yes, this is a fantastic prize for us and will mean we can finish off our front and rear yards. I suppose I can't take all the credit for this prize but it definitely benefits me (and my bank balance!).

And finally, last night I received an email to advise that I was the lucky winner of the latest giveaway run on the Little Sooti blog. The prize: a beanie and pair of leg warmers of choice from I Heart Baby. This one is for The Cheeky Monkey!

But these are not the first prizes I have won. This time last year I won the Good Friday raffle at our local fish n chip shop, winning a hamper full of delicious chocolate goodies and I also won a signed James Blunt CD from Fox FM a few years before that. I think that makes up for the time I won a TV Hits magazine competition and never received my prize!! I was a devastated early teen that never received my Martika poster and CD!!

But even without winning these competitions, I do consider myself a lucky gal! I have a wonderful husband and 2 healthy beautiful children. What more could I really ask for!

Funky Friday

2010-03-19T13:52:00.006+11:00

Today is Funky Friday! If you purchase 1 item from our store today you will receive 10% off, if you purchase 2 items you will receive 20% off. Offer valid until midnight tonight and does not include postage costs. Once you have placed your order, please wait for me to send an updated invoice with correct costs prior to making payment. Happy Shopping!

Funky Finds

2010-03-15T16:28:00.006+11:00

I couldn't resist sharing these funky finds! A little bit of funk, a little bit of rock ... these Rockin Guitar Softies and Guitar Baby Rattles by The Grateful Thread are available from A Little Bit of Cheek. How cute and cool for your little rockstar in the making!

Available in 'Rebel', 'Classic' and 'Rockstar' designs, these guitar softies are 65cmX25cm. They are made with felt, cotton, denim or dogtooth fabric and each one comes with its own incredibly cool, designer cardboard guitar box. Our fav is definitely the Rockstar guitar! Available for $49.95 here.

The just-as-funky and super-cool baby rattles are the perfect accessory for your funky little monster! They are fun, colourful and made from eco-concious, organic fabric remnants and are 23cmX9cm in size. Available for $14.95 here.

KIA Monster Goodie Bag Giveaway

2010-03-15T15:25:00.008+11:00

To celebrate the convenience of online shopping, Kids in Australia along with their sponsors are having a MONSTER GOODIE BAG GIVEAWAY! They are giving away 50 goodie-bags this month filled with gift vouchers, discount vouchers, hair clips, tutus, photography gift certificates, samples and much, much more. This is one give-away you DO NOT want to miss!

For your chance to win 1 of 50 goodie bags valued at up to $500 each, all you need to do is simply fill in a 5 minute survey, telling KIA about your on-line shopping experiences (the good, the bad, and the ugly) Its that simple...click here for more details...goodluck!!

March MWWAH Mini Hunt Comp

2010-03-14T18:01:00.006+11:00

If you don't already know, this month MWWAH are a part of the GDUNH (Great Down Under Nappy Hunt). The GDUNH is not only fun but it is also great for traffic flow through sponsors sites. Run by Diaper Decisions and The Australian Nappy Network the GDUNH is an internet scavenger hunt run over a month. By visiting sponsors sites on the hunt, you have an opportunity to explore a myriad of excellent natural family sites as you qualifiy for random prize drawings! The concept behind the virtual scavenger hunt is to introduce consumers to the wonderful world of WAHMs and many new products!

Jess, who runs MWWAH, is also running a Mini Hunt Comp during March, to help businesses like Funky Monsters take advantage of the increased traffic flow through their site. Being a part of this comp is easy and only requires you to answer a couple of simple questions about each business to be in the running for some fabulous prizes! Funky Monsters are a part of the hunt and by answering our easy peasy questions you could win a pair of our booties of your choice in any size!

Some of the other businesses involved & the great prizes you could win include:

JungleBumz Modern Cloth Nappies - win a Modern Cloth Nappy from their AIO range and a pair of leg huggers of your choice
Cre8ted By Linda - win a handmade Brass Bracelet
Kreated by Kel - win a $30 gift voucher to spend in store
Family Travel Made Easy - win an 'Edward the Elephant' Kids Travel Buddy
Hekoky Creations - win a Giraffe or Dino softy

And there are so many more! Click here for more details and for your chance to win some great prizes!

Funky Monsters brand new logo

2010-02-18T11:22:00.005+11:00

TA DAAAAAA! Here it is, our funky-gorgeous brand new Funky Monsters logo!

A BIG BIG thank you to Sarah at Style Me Gorgeous for her design. I am so pleased with our funky new look.

I contacted Sarah late last year to enquire about getting a professional logo designed. I have seen so many fantastic logos she has designed and wanted one all of my own. Sarah has been a successful freelance designer for over 9 years. After specialising in Graphic Design for children, mummies and female related industries, she found her true calling and Style Me Gorgeous was born! Sarah booked me in for the new year and it wasn't long at all until I received the Logo Brief to complete. Considering the 'brief' Logo Brief I completed for Sarah she still managed to come up with 3 amazing concepts for our logo. I don't know how she does it but with the little information I gave her I am pretty sure she must have managed to read my mind!! With all 3 concepts looking funky & stylish it was so hard to choose one, I definitely had to sleep on it. After changing my mind numerous times I finally decided to go with concept #1 and after only a few minor changes, our official Funky Monsters logo was born! I am totally in love with it and now have our little monster posted everywhere!!

Our Little Monster

Text only logo for our labels

See Sarah's portfolio of designs here which includes logos, websites & banners. I'm sure you've seen a few of them around! Sarah also designs & creates an exclusive range of stylish canvas art, see her collection here.

So, what do you think?

And the winner is!

2010-02-18T11:14:00.003+11:00

Congratulations! The winner of our 'I Heart You' baby booties giveaway is ... LOUISE PICKETT. Louise is one of our Funky Monsters Facebook fans. Please contact me via Facebook or email funkymonsters@live.com to claim your prize. I will need to know what size booties you would like (0-3, 3-6 & 6-9mths) and where I can send them. If contact is not made by midnight Fri winner will be redrawn.

Love is in the air

2010-02-05T23:06:00.014+11:00

YY Valentine's Day is upon us and we want to share the Funky Monsters love. What better way than to celebrate with the launch of our new 'I Heart You' baby booties as well as a little givaway and fantastic offer to our lovely customers YY

Special Offer: order our new 'I Heart You' baby booties for the introductry price of only $12 PLUS free post! Our booties are normally $16 plus $3.50 postage - that's a saving of $7.50! This offer ends midnight on Valentine's Day (please wait for an updated invoice to be sent with our special offer price once checkout has been completed)

Giveaway: enter our giveaway for your chance to win a pair of our gorgeous new 'I Heart You' baby booties (your choice of size 0-3, 3-6 or 6-9mths)

It's so easy to enter! To be in the running do one or more of the following:

Become a follower of my blog here (1 entry)
Become a fan of our Funky Monsters Facebook page here (1 entry)
Blog, Tweet or mention this competition on Facebook (1 entry for each)
BONUS ENTRY: For a bonus entry, check out my MadeIt store and tell me what your favourite item in our shop is!

Giveaway is open until midnight Wed 17th Feb 2010 and winner will be chosen at random by random.org. Good Luck and help spread the love YY

What ... no Funky Friday?

2010-02-05T22:57:00.005+11:00

There will be no Funky Friday offer this week or next ... but that's because we've got a better offer! We will be having a special offer to celebrate Valentine's Day and we might just have a little giveaway as well. Stay tuned for details released in the coming week.
YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

A little more about us ...

2010-02-01T16:02:00.002+11:00

Here's how the Funky Monsters story started ...

I started Funky Monsters after the birth of my 2nd baby boy, The Little Monkey. My older son, The Monster, was 20mths at the time. I came up with the idea of making clothing & accessories for them when I wanted to buy The Monster a pair of ‘lounge pants’ – comfortable cotton pants to mostly wear around the house but that can also be worn out, a comfy feel like tracksuit pants but a little more dressy & not so plain. Well, I couldn’t find them anywhere. So I decided to try & make a pair myself - and I did!

I also received a pair of gorgeous little booties from my girlfriend when The Little Monkey was born. She said to me “Here is a small gift, it’s not much” but they were one of the best gifts I received. My idea of baby booties was grandma’s old crochet pair before I had seen these. So I thought maybe I could make these as well. It was such a great gift, so unique & stylish for my brand new bub, unlike covering baby’s feet with boring old socks. So many people commented on how cute they were and asked where I had got them from. So once again, I decided to try & make a pair myself – and I did!

My collection so far includes:
*Baby Booties (newborn–9mths)
*Toddler Lounge Pants (sizes 0-4)
*Funky Toddler Shorts (sizes 0-4)
*Baby Bloomers (newborn-18mths)
*Funky Onesies – appliquéd onesies (I will also be doing t-shirts & long sleeve tees)
*Pillowcase style dresses
*Newborn gift sets (such as booties with matching applique singlet/onesie)
*Toddler Lounge Sets (which include lounge pants teamed with a matching appliquéd singlet, t-shirt or long sleeve tee)

I mainly specialise in making things for boys but have a few items for little girls as well. I just can’t resist making some girly things, they are too cute not to! I only have one niece at the moment & I enjoy spoiling her.

I am selling my products online through my Made It store at the moment & would love to eventually have my own website & online store. I would also like to see my clothing in a few specialty children’s boutique stores.

Introducing Funky Fridays!

2010-01-29T09:50:00.003+11:00

Funky Fridays are here!

On selected Fridays throughout the month we will have a special offer for our customers who place an order on that day. Todays special offer is FREE POSTAGE. Place an order today from our Made It store and you save on postage costs (once order is made, please wait for me to send an updated invoice with correct costs prior to making payment).

Happy Shopping!

Welcome to twenty10

2010-01-14T21:42:00.015+11:00

Happy Belated New Year to one and all. I hope you enjoyed the festive season and rang in the New Year with a bang! We celebrated a wonderul Christmas & New Year with lots of excited little kiddies & fantastic family & friends. Not sure that The Little Monkey caught on to the idea of what Christmas is all about yet but he enjoyed playing with, and eating, the wrapping paper!

Now it's back to business for most of us. I know I have been a busy bee. Here are some new additions to the Funky Monsters range:

These Little Fish Big Pond dresses are proving to be popular. I made one for my niece for Christmas and now everybody wants one! Pre-cut material is supplied and then the dress is sewn by me. Available for $45 (includes postage)

The dress I made my niece for Christmas ... and my niece, what a cute little poser!

'Flutter By Butterfly' Newborn Gift Set

'Moon Dots' Tie Applique Onesie

'Funky Monsters' Funky Toddler Shorts

Visit our store to see more of our goodies!

Santa Claus is coming to town ... aarrgghh!

2009-12-18T23:20:00.008+11:00

You better watch out! The big fella in his bright red suit and long white beard is suiting up and getting ready to visit. I hope you're not on his 'naughty' list! Only 7 more sleeps - eeeekkk! I really don't feel ready for Christmas this year. Still a couple of presents left to buy and some orders to fill before the big guy graces us with his presence. I'm also hoping to add a few new things to the store as well!! Let's see how much I can get done before the year is out - Game On!

Just some of the orders to fill for Christmas

Coming soon ... Pretty Princess Lounge Pants for girls

Also coming soon ... Applique Onesies

Little Sooti Giveaway

2009-12-16T14:21:00.005+11:00

Funky Monsters are thrilled to be sponsoring Little Sooti's latest giveaway! The lovely Thetis from Little Sooti was our first follower. I enjoy reading her blog and checking out all things baby that she finds, from toys to nursery set ups, wall prints, party supplies and clothing . Little Sooti followers get great offers and discounts through the blog, not to mention the chance to win some fabulous prizes! Thetis has been a great support of ours and we are only too happy to offer her followers the chance to win a Funky Monsters prize.

Click here to check out Little Sooti's blog for your chance to win an item of your choice from our store. It's so easy and there are plenty of chances to win. Giveaway is open until midnight 27th Dec and winner will be drawn on 28th Dec. Good Luck :)

And The Winner Is .......

2009-12-14T11:31:00.003+11:00

Congratulations to KYM TEALE! You are the lucky winner of our Army Funky Toddler Shorts giveaway.

After little cooperation from both The Monster and The Little Monkey I had to draw the winner myself from the Paddington #8 building block. Not even a bribe for a packet of smarties worked this morning!

Kim, please email me at funkymonsters@live.com and let me know what size shorts you would like. Congratulations once again!

Last chance to enter our giveaway!

2009-12-09T15:46:00.002+11:00

Have you entered yet? Our giveaway ends tonight at midnight.

Don't miss out on you chance to win a pair of our Army Style Funky Toddler Shorts. Ths style is now sold out so this is your last chance to be in the running to win a pair. See 'Our First Givaway' post for further details.

More great styles coming soon

2009-12-05T23:03:00.012+11:00

I've been shopping online & in-store, locally as well as in the US, and have found some great new styles for my Toddler Pants & Shorts. It's so hard to stop at just a few! There are some funky fabrics around at the moment and I want them all! Here are some of the great new fabrics I have chosen that will be listed in store soon!

Kenziepoo Holiday Giveaway

2009-12-05T00:23:00.004+11:00

Well, this has to be the BEST giveaway so far! Kenziepoo have a great Holiday Gift Package that one lucky fan will win! Valued at $211, you have a chance to win 4 items, which include the Mutsy Easy Grow High Chair from All Modern Baby, Arabian Rocking Horse from Bloume Baby, Custom Doll from Rice Babies, and a Wordy Butterfly Mobile from Royal Buffet. It's simple to enter and there's more than one chance to win. See www.kenziepoo.blogspot.com for all the details.

SOLD OUT!

2009-12-04T14:46:00.003+11:00

WOW! What a week we are having. We have already sold out of our Army Style & Coloured Skulls pants & shorts. But never fear ... I will be shopping for more supplies this weekend!

New Styles in our Toddler Range

2009-12-03T22:28:00.010+11:00

Our Toddler Lounge Pants and Funky Toddler Shorts can also be made in these great fabrics

Our First Giveaway!

2009-12-03T11:33:00.007+11:00

How exciting, our very first Funky Monsters Giveaway!

We have just launched our new Toddler Range which includes Funky Toddler Shorts and Toddler Lounge Pants. They are currently available in our MadeIt store in the following cool designs: Army Style, Coloured Skulls, Firetrucks and of course Pirate's Treasure. To celebrate the launch of our Toddler Range and the beginning of summer, my favourite time of year, we are giving you the chance to win a pair of our new Funky Toddler Shorts - Army Style!

It's so easy to enter! To be in the running to win these cool shorts in your choice of size (0,1,2 or 3) do one or more of the following:

Become a follower of my blog and leave a comment to let me know (1 entry)

Become a fan of our new Funky Monsters Facebook page (1 entry)

Blog, Tweet or mention this competition on Facebook (1 entry for each - you must leave a comment & link on my blog or my Facebook page to let me know)

BONUS ENTRIES: For a bonus entry, check out my MadeIt store and tell me what your favourite item in our shop is!

Competition is open until midnight Wed 9th Dec 2009 and winner will be chosen at random by my little helper The Monster. Good Luck and help spread the word!

... and Toddler Lounge Pants!

2009-11-30T22:31:00.008+11:00

THEY'RE HERE! Our Toddler Lounge Pants are now listed in our online store.

These funky cotton wide-leg pants are great for your little one to lounge around the house in or you can dress them up and show them off. Paired with a singlet, t-shirt or long sleeve tee, these pants are versatile enough to be worn all year round. Our Toddler Lounge Pants are handmade by me using 100% lightweight cotton with a funky contrasting cuff. Your little monster will find them comfortable and easy to get in and out of with an elastic waist. They are made to order and are available in sizes 0, 1, 2, 3.

See my store for further details and to order yours now! More colours & styles will be available soon.

Introducing our new range of Funky Toddler Shorts ...

2009-11-30T19:34:00.010+11:00

How funky will your little monster look in these! Just listed in our store - Funky Toddler Shorts.

These long style toddler shorts are handmade by me using 100% lightweight cotton. Your little monster will find these shorts comfortable and easy to get in and out of with an elastic waist.
Shorts are made to order in 2-4 days and are available in sizes 0, 1, 2, 3. Our Toddler Lounge Pants will also be lised in our store today or tomorrow! Stay tuned ...

On The Go ...

2009-11-26T09:22:00.007+11:00

Here is a list of projects I have on the go at the moment and some of the new items you can expect to see in our store soon.

Toddler Lounge Pants - your toddler will find these funky cotton pants comfortable to lounge around the house in or dressed up and worn out to show off to all their friends! Paired with a singlet, t-shirt or long sleeve tee, these pants are versatile enough to be worn all year round.
Appliqued Onesies/Singlets - appliques to make your little man or little lady's outfit extra cute and funky (think frogs, elephants, giraffes, sail boats, aeroplanes & more)
Kimono Booties - these super-cute booties will add the finishing touch to your little princesses outfit
Funky Monkey Blankey - a funky cuddle blankey for your little monster
Dribble Bibs - funky little bibs to catch bubba's dribble without ruining the look of their cute little outfit
Burp Cloths - funky burp cloths to match any of our outfits
New Born Gift Sets - don't fight the crowds shopping trying to find ideal useful baby things for that gorgeous new baby. Let us put matching newborn packs together for you so all you have to do is 'click to buy'. Will be available in boy, girl & neutral packs.

So much to do, so little time! Keep an eye on our store for these new items

Little Sooti features Funky Monsters!

2009-11-25T21:55:00.005+11:00

Funky Monsters are so stoked to be today's featured product on Little Sooti's blog! This is our first ever write up and we are so excited. The lovely Thetis from Little Sooti has taken a liking to our baby booties and is helping us get our name and products out there. Take some time to see what Thetis has to say about Funky Monsters at http://www.littlesooti.blogspot.com/ and check out our range of booties for yourself at our Made It store.

Handmade Kids MEGA Christmas Giveaway

2009-11-25T20:59:00.004+11:00

Wow! What a fantastic giveaway! Handmade Kids is giving 2 lucky people a very special Christmas with their MEGA Christmas Giveaway. With the help of some fantastic businesses there is a Boys Giveaway and a Girls Giveaway and it's so easy to enter. To be in the running, check out their website http://www.handmadekids.com.au/. Entries close midnight Fri 27th Nov

Retro Mummy Giveway

2009-11-23T22:38:00.010+11:00

Retro Mummy is having a giveaway this week. The winner will receive 12 fat quarters of fabric from the lovely "Grandmother's Flower Garden" range . See http://www.retromummy.blogspot.com/ for entry details! I'm in the running to win and I'm going to check out their shop for some new fabric now ....

Little Sooti Giveaway: Little Bird Decor

2009-11-22T19:47:00.009+11:00

Little Sooti is having their first giveaway!

The giveaway is sponsored by Little Bird Decor who create beautiful handmade wall decals for nurseries, kids rooms and around the home as well as adorable hair clips, pins and girls button hair ties. Little Bird Decor is kind enough to be giving away their "Olive Branch Decal Set" valued at $47.00!! Check out their goodies at their online store www.madeit.com.au/littlebirddecor. Of course we like the Pirate wall decals!

See http://www.littlesooti.blogspot.com/ for entry details

Welcome!

2009-11-21T19:55:00.007+11:00

A very big welcome to the first official follower of our blog - Little Sooti!

I'm enjoying reading your blog and think it's fantastic that you have previewed so many 'boys toys' even though you have a daughter. Zoe's nursery is gorgeous, I especially love the wall prints and will be having a look at PrintSpace soon. We have recently moved house and I've been looking for some nice prints for the boys' rooms. I'll let you know if I find something I like! We hope you enjoy following our Funky Monster adventures!

Follow little sooti at http://www.littlesooti.blogspot.com/ or visit their Etsy store at http://www.littlesooti.com/ to find colourful handmade artwork for children.

Gorgeous New Booties Listed In My Store

2009-11-20T15:01:00.002+11:00

Check these out! Gorgeous new booties just listed in my madeit online store - Puppy Paws and Aqua Polka Dots.

I think Puppy Paws are my new favourites!! But I only have a small amount of this fabric so numbers will be limited. Get in quick if you want your funky little monster to be seen in these!

Don't forget to take advantage of our xmas special - one pair of booties for $12 or two for $20 (excludes Apple Owls)

Christmas Sale

2009-11-19T22:02:00.001+11:00

Funky Monsters has a special CHRISTMAS SALE on now!

Buy any pair of booties in our range - one for $12 or two for $20 (excludes Apple Owls).

These gorgeous booties make great gifts for new bubs. Visit our online store at www.madeit.com.au/funkymonsters and start shopping now.

Ahoy there, me hearties!

2009-11-16T13:19:00.004+11:00

Welcome to the Funky Monsters blog! Now that we are settled into our new home it's time to get things rolling again. Funky Monsters took a short hiatis but we are back! I have been busy cutting and sewing and thinking of all things funky to make.

As you are probably aware, Funky Monsters was inspired by my 2 gorgeous boys - The Monster (2yrs) and The Little Monkey (6mths) and our ideas started with our love of all things pirate. A little boys wardrobe is not complete without pirates! We have started out with our Baby Bootie collection and will begin to add other clothing and accessories in the near future. And even though we started out as a bit of a boys club but we have decided we simply can't leave out the little ladies - there are too many cute things to make for girls too! Check out our new Ballerina Booties, just for the girls. Keep posted for more great designs - if I could only decide which colours and patterns to choose!

Well, it's back to cutting and sewing for the rest of the afternoon ....