Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Granddaughter

This is a Hallmark Christmas ornament that comes complete with its own poem:

Granddaughters Rule!

Granddaughters are awesome!

They’re clever and classy …

They’re sugar-and-spice-y …

They’re saucy and sassy!

They’re funny and sweet

And incredibly cool …

There’s no doubt about it –

Granddaughters rule!

Sunday, December 6, 2009

Hiya, C'mon Over!

This little ceramic monkey spends his day summoning people over to see him, waving his little furry paw in the air.

If you’ve been in a gift shop, you may have seen this particular design before amongst a veritable menagerie of little animals.

Although I’m not real sure where I got this one, I’ll hazard a guess and say I found it in Honolulu.

Friday, December 4, 2009

Gourdy Monkey

I picked this up recently at the San Jose Harvest Festival. It’s made from a small gourd and hand-painted by an artist named “Marko.”

Marko includes a card with a native legend: “If you give or receive a gourd, all the best in life will come to you … health, happiness, and good luck …”

He has a website: www.gourdtown.com

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Tree Sitter


Monkey, monkey in the tree,
Sitting there as cute can be.
Banana clutched in little hand,
Big ol' smile ... ain't life just grand?

Sunday, November 29, 2009

Ewok Eyes

Remember the second Star Wars movie – Return of the Jedi – and the little furry inhabitants of Endor?

This monkey must be related to them, because it looks as though his eyes are peering out from dark fur that encases his face and radiates outward. Just like the Ewoks’.

This character is nicely carved from wood.

Friday, November 27, 2009

Little Watermelony Egg

I found this little pottery monkey at a Japanese shop in Honolulu a few years ago.

The monkey is so simple, shaped like an egg. The facial features are simple little dots and lines, and the color reaches toward dark watermelon.

It’s got a cute double tail created from red thread.

Less … is more.

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

A Peachy Offering

Here’s another “monkey and peach” item that I found in a Chinese curio shop somewhere in downtown Honolulu’s Chinatown district.

The monkey is made of a hard material that’s been colored a deep red-brown. I especially like its pose, relaxing with one upright leg bent at the knee and the other stabilizing his posture on the ground.