Holiday Fair at Upper Cape Tech

I am churning out monstahs like nobody's business in preparation of the Holiday Fair @ Upper Cape Tech that will take place next weekend - Sat & Sun, 11/21-22 10am - 3pm.

I hope I get the spot I got last year (cafeteria). I do not want to be in the hallway because there's no space for people to stop and look at your items. I definately don't want to be in the gym, that's where Santa is and I can't handle screaming children for more than a few hours. However, I don't completely blame the children for being scared around an old creepy stranger, attempting to bribe them with presents and requesting the children sit on his lap and be good. Wow, I went some where dark on that one.


Anyway, come by and see awesome sockmonstahs and myself at Upper Cape next weekend!

Random Randomness #2

Well, things are pretty hectic here. Monstahs are still going strong at the Black Crow and things are starting to pick up on etsy. I guess it is the holiday season. It seems weird or early to me, but I am a bit of a curmudgeon and it comes with the territory. Speaking of holidays, The Upper Cape Tech. Handmade Holiday fair is less than a month away (Saturday and Sunday, November 21 and 22, 2009 - 10:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m). I can't believe it. I am very excited about returning to the fair because it reasonably priced to have a booth for 2 days, the fair includes over 50 vendors, but most of all it is very well run. They bring you lunch (which you pay for) and have volunteers to watch your booth while you browse or pee.

For more info on the Upper cape tech Holiday fair click here.



Myron and Thad were both sold on etsy.com this week.

Thad moved to Ohio and Myron is on his way to Canada. I 'm sure they are both going to homes where they will embrace Myron and Thad's monstah ways and will not take offense when they each burp loudly with reckless abandon.

Sorry Ladies, but Artie is Officially Off The Market!

That's right! Everybody's favorite ewok/ wookie looking yeti is making his way to his new home in Ohio. He is the first holiday Etsy sale of the year. Yep, Christmas will be here before you know it and I don't mass produce or manufacture these little guys; so, ordering early is your best chance for securing a sockmonstah in time for the holidays.

Speaking of holidays, I'm in full creation mode in preparation for the Upper Cape Tech Christmas Fair in November. Also, Josh and I are gonna scope out some potential fairs for next season in Boston, Providence, and western Mass. I LOVE scoping out crafts and meeting fellow crafters. Josh has learned tolerate it. (He's come a long way.)



Earl E. Bird is hanging out with his dahg Derf. He's chilling like a villain at the Black Crow Gallery in Sandwich, Mass. Derf is available for sale on Etsy @ WackyJacky.etsy.com

Saturday Shindig #2 at Osterville Village Library

This Saturday the monstahs traveled to Osterville again for fun in the sun at the September Saturday Shindig.

I made a new banner that is easier to read and we showed up supremely early to get a good spot. We got a great spot next to a nice lady named Trish who makes BEAUTIFUL jewelery. To see Trish's work at IDazz.com click here.


The monstahs love Osterville and look forward coming back to the shindig next August.



New this week on Etsy:

( from left to right) Derf McGillecutty, Arty Wozniak, & Smooth Operator

New monstahs on ETSY!

I just added 2 new monstahs to WackyJacky.etsy.com. I plan on adding a lot more as September unfolds.





The first monstahs is Silly Goose and he is a prankster. Don't waste your money on medication and therapy, Silly Goose is what doctors reccomend to treate depression! Myron is happy to finally have some company, and they have become good friends!





The second monstahs I added today on Etsy is Thad the fancy Lad. Thad is the apex of class and sophistication and always observes good manners when eating the world's finest garbage for dinner. He has handpainted safety eyes and a regally curly brow making him quite the dapper sockmonstah!

Saturday Shindig this weekend in Osterville, for more info click here.

Random Randomness #1

I am over joyed that the next craft fair isn't happening until September 5th. This will allow me some much needed time to build up inventory for the Black Crow and for Etsy. I orignally thought I would able to double list items on Etsy and the Black Crow, but in hindsight, I see it as too risky. If i double sold something it would create an unsolvable and unneccesary problem. Therefore, I will have seperate inventories, which makes even more work for myself, but it is worth it. I love Etsy and The Black Crow equally and will give them both the attention they deserve. Stay tuned for more Etsy items @ WackyJacky.etsy.com coming in September. Myron Blanc was newly listed to etsy this past week where he and Garbage Gut represent monstahkind.


I had a fun time making a couple custom orders. I welcome custom orders because they can give me a direction that I may not gone towards on my own.



The first custom order was a gift for a one year old which means safety eyes were used and installed, and the socks that will be used are washed in dreft ( baby detergent) before construction. The purchaser wanted an Irish theme, and Riley is what I came up with. Didn't want to make him blatantly Irish with shamrocks and a beer mug. Instead I used the colors of the flag of Ireland as inspiration. I hope Riley and his new little buddy will be friends for a life time.




The second custom was really fun because the customer supplied a pair of crazy socks for the monstah's construction. They were concerned that I couldn't use them because they had a hole in the heel. A hole in the heel is no match for my monstah making skills! Kaleidascope was born in pristine condition without evidence of any hole. The craziness of the colors and pattern of the socks made for endless possibilities. I chose to use indigo safety eyes which I handpainted to bring the whole colorscheme together.

Check out the facebook group page for recent photos of monstahs by clicking here.

Village Fest = 2 Thumbs Down

We took a chance on a unknown show and Saturday we went to Village Fest in West Barnstable. I thought it was an arts and crafts fair, but much to my shagrin, it was a rummage sale next to a car show. Down the street, from where we were, was the art section, but it was exclusive to paintings of Cape Cod seascapes. On the bright side, we met some really nice people acquired a couple of custom orders, which I will be completing this week.

Our next show is another Saturday Shindig in Osterville on September 5th from 9am - 3pm. For more info click here.



Olive Pitt was one of the few sockmonstahs sold at Village fest. She know lives with Anita, who is a sockmonstah connoisseur, they now live together in Buzzards Bay.

The Black Crow: A Trove of Awesomeness

As mentioned in the previous blog about the shindig, I met Wendy Kapp of the Black Crow Gallery in East sandwich, Ma. She is a jolly hippie type which means she's my kind of people! Wendy, a life-long resident of the Cape has transformed the old barn on route 6A into an energetic, inspirational outpost for up and coming Cape artists and craftspeople. She displays her own artwork - hand dyed and stenciled t-shirts, jewelry made from beach rocks and 'fair trade' beads, felted pieces, soul stones, herbal oils and lotions.


Wendy has many talents, but I like her paintings bestest. I love the technique, the loudness of the colors, their mood... I guess everything about them. "The Queen of Important Stuff" will be mine.. Oh yes, she will be mine!

Wendy's paintings don't take themselves serious and their creativity lasts far beyond their completion. That's what I drive for in my work. This is the start of a beautiful friendship and the Black Crow is the only store that sockmonstahs can be purchased.


The sockmonsthas have settled, nicely into their new home. Wendy made it easy to be able to sell the same monstah(s) online or at fairs that are at the shop. Most of the time, other vendors at the black Crow are looking to share booths at fairs which rules emmensely because some booth fees are ridiculous! Having someone to share the costs means i could possibly go to fairs that I couldn't otherwise afford. Also, getting to know area craftspeople and artist makes me feel like I'm "in the loop" and I am finding out which fairs aren't worth going to and which ones are.

The Black Crow is an old barn and has a rustic charm. I love the display ladder, and I'm sure the sockmonstahs do too. Come on now, they eat garbage, their not very picky. I add new monstahs every Tuesday and Thursdays. This will probably change to one day a week when I go back to school fulltime, but who knows. I'm always surprising myself with how OBSESSED about getting my craft on I actually am.

Stay tuned for Village Fest this Saturday! For info click here.



Look at these monstahs, they have it made! They get to hang out in the summer sun without a care in the world. Oh, the Life of a Sockmonstah, that's the life for me!

Saturday Shindig @ Osterville Village Library

The Sockmonstahs spent a beautiful Saturday on the cape. It was Toys in the Attic first summer show and it was our first time at the shindig. There were a ton of jewelery vendors ( big surprise) and no other toy makers. Although it wasn't our best show sales wise, we made an important contact and are nowing selling sockmonstahs at the Black Crow in East Sandwich.

There's another shindig on September 5th in which we plan to attend. However, to make it worth it we are showing up hours before the event for prime street side real estate. Because the shindigs are first come - first serve, we were squeeze out by huge 20ft x 20ft booths selling manufactured crafts and knock off purses. It's cool, we'll have an excuse to eat breakfast at the fabulous Earthly Delights up the street from the event.


Slater was one of the monstahs who found campanionship at the shindig & is happy to adopted by Aiden, who is a strong ally of the sockmonstahs, and together they are living on Cape Cod.