Blog Feature at Henny & Ev!

Hey, check it out! frog loves monkey girl's skirts have been featured over on the Henny & Ev blog!

If you're in the Phoenix area and looking for a truly awesome kid's store, be sure to stop by and check out Henny & Ev in Glendale. Kendall offers both gently used kid's clothing, books and toys, as well as new items from local crafters and artisans. She even does a weekly story time and periodically offers classes on some really cool subjects!

Dedicated Site On Hold

Just a head's up that, for the time being, froglovesmonkey.com has been put on hold.

I haven't been able to flesh it out quite the way I wanted, and I'd rather not have a subpar website out there. ;) You can still find all the goodies over at the Etsy store, and for folks near Phoenix, at Henny & Ev in Glendale! Also, be sure to "like" our Facebook page for information on items before they're listed elsewhere.

Check us out on The Elephant Nest

frog loves monkey is getting it's very first blog feature today! Yay!



Check us out on The Elephant Nest, and make sure to take advantage of our celebratory coupon code. Check out with "elephant15" at either the Etsy shop or froglovesmonkey.com and you'll get 15% off of your entire purchase - including those sale prices amber necklaces! The coupon code is valid through Saturday, July 16th.

And, while visiting The Elephant Nest, make sure to check out some of Casey's tutorials - the cupcakes she put together for Valentine's Day are particularly lovely!

Two Treasuries!

Check this out...widgets for Etsy treasuries! And there are TWO currently up with frog loves monkey items. Sweet. :)


(That's the Meow Skirt up there.)


(And the yummy hemp soap.)

"Submit Query" vs "Add to Cart"

For some reason, the "Add to Cart" button at froglovesmonkey.com is now reading as "Submit Query". Honestly, I'm not entirely certain why this is. But it works to add items to your shopping cart so long as the item is in stock, so don't worry that the site is unshoppable.

Amber Necklaces and a Sale!

Amber necklaces have finally been posted on froglovesmonkey.com



The necklaces that we carry are made from certified Baltic amber, long considered to have the strongest healing properties of any amber. When worn against the skin, body heat causes the amber to release trace amounts of oil. Succinic acid, which works as a natural analgesic, is absorbed through the skin, offering some relief for teething pain, headaches, joint pain and miscellaneous aches.



We LOVE amber necklaces at our house. Our 3.5 year old still wears his daily.



One of the coolest things about having the amber necklaces finally posted on the website? They're all ON SALE.



Our supplier makes absolutely wonderful necklaces. The necklaces we have in stock are supposed to be among the last that she hand-tied herself, and the handiwork is beautiful. Unfortunately, the cost of reordering has become a bit prohibitive. At least, if we want to offer them at a low price to frog loves monkey customers...which we do.



SO.

After quite a bit of research into making the necklaces in-house and study of other suppliers, we'll be ordering amber necklaces from a different source in the future. (The necklaces themselves will still be hand-tied from certified Baltic amber. They're actually crafted by local, home-based artisans.)



This means that all amber necklaces currently in stock have been placed on sale. Prices have been set at $18.00, regardless of size or style. In some instances this is a discount of 50% from the regular retail price.



If you've been thinking of ordering an amber necklace, either for yourself or as a gift, now is a great time!

A Very Quick Update

I wish I had some pictures to show of things that are in the works...but I'm afraid that it would just look like a bunch of clutter!

It's been a busy, busy day here. Giveaway goodies went to the post office, I did a whole bunch of research into some possible new items, made two batches of soap, have some supplies ordered, some on-hold projects gathered together again, and a whole load of new items ready to be listed in the store tomorrow (or as quickly as time allows - there's a lot!).

I've been looking over and loving all of the comments from the Giveaway Day entries. And moving forward on some really great ideas! I'm so very excited about taking these next steps with frog loves monkey, and hope you all will be, too. :)

And the Winners are...

Thank you all SO much to everyone who visited the blog (and the shops and the facebook page!) and entered to win the giveaway! 116 entries! Wow!

I especially appreciate the feedback on both the Etsy store and the dedicated webpage. There were some fantastic suggestions made, and some of them will be acted on immediately. ;) It's going to take me a little while to work through all of the comments that were made, but I'll be spending some time blogging and emailing today. :)

Now, on the part you've been waiting for... Winners!

I used Random.org to choose the winners, but I can't figure out how to post the screen shot. So I hope that you can all trust me on this.

Our first winner is #34...Cass, who will be receiving the hippo skirt of her choice. Cass, I'll be email you for specifics. :)

Our second winner is #57...Mama Gone Green, who will be receiving a selection of soaps. I'll email a listing of all available soap flavors and to get your address.

Congratulations to both of you and, again, thank you to everyone who entered the drawing!

Entires Closed

Thank you SO much to everyone who entered the giveaway! Entries are now closed and winners will be announced later today. Good luck!

It's Giveaway Day!

If you're here as part of the Sew, Mama, Sew Giveaway Day - welcome!

Please have a look around, and sign up for the giveaway!

frog loves monkey is drawing for TWO winners. That's right, two winners!

Item #1 up for grabs: one of our popular hippo skirts, made to your size specifications. You can choose between green or red hippo fabric, and the skirt can be made for either a child or an adult.

Item #2: a selection of handmade soaps from the frog loves monkey shop. Pick three in your favorite flavors - you won't be disappointed!

So, what do you have to do to enter the drawing?

#1 - Be a follower of the frog loves monkey blog. Just post saying that you're a follower, and if you're hoping to win the skirt or the soaps.

Want more than one entry? You've got it! For additional entries, one more per extra thing you've done (please post for each letting me know what you've done, so there's an extra entry logged), you can...

#2 - Check out our brand new dedicated website at froglovesmonkey.com and poke around. Tell me your favorite item or what you'd hope to see in a store of this type.

#3 - "Like" the frog loves monkey facebook page.

#4, 5 and 6 - Blog, tweet or facebook about this giveaway.

Bonus #7 entry - Check out the frog loves monkey Etsy page (sad though it is at the moment) and comment on it here.

Please make sure that I have some way of contacting you! It's no good to win if I can't find you!

The legal bits... This giveaway is open from right now on May 23rd through May 25th. (I'll post here to shut it down in the wee hours of May 26th.) Two winners will be selected randomly from all entries and the winners announced on the blog. Winnings will be in the mail on or before May 30th so that you can start enjoying your goodies.

Thanks for stopping by, and good luck! (And be sure to check out the giveaway at Searching for the Good, too!)

Wooden Toys

Woo hoo! *Finally*, wooden toys have made it to the web site!

With the dedicated site back up, I was able to add some really exciting toys to inventory today. Our resident toy tester (my three year old), has been in heaven. We have blocks! And wooden eggs! And bowls with scoops! And acorns! He's absolutely beside himself. :)

Are you a Facebook friend?

Have you "liked" the frog loves monkey Facebook page? If not, be sure to drop by and click that button. From time-to-time there will be information there that doesn't make it to the blog. ;)

froglovesmonkey.com

froglovesmonkey.com is back!

The dedicated web site is VERY much under construction at the moment, but is back in play. I'll be adjusting content - making it look nicer, getting items listed and rolling out some new products over the next couple of days.

Keep an eye out, tell me what you think and what you'd like to see!

Prepping for a giveaway

frog loves monkey will be taking part in Sew, Mama, Sew's May Giveaway Day! The fun begins on May 23rd, with over 300 blogs and shops giving away handmade goodies. Be sure to check back and sign up to win something fun!

Another Treasury!

frog loves monkey has been included in another Etsy treasury - yay!

Thanks to StacyLeighDesigns for including our Meow Skirt in your "A Cat and Mouse Game"!

Beanbags

The decision to add beanbags to the Etsy store offerings was a fairly simple one. My son loves them and, truth be told, so do I. How can you not like a toy that's made to be thrown?

Quality materials were a given. Quilting cottons, so they'd be nice and sturdy and available in awesome patterns. Deciding on a filling was trickier than I'd expected it to be. I wanted something that felt nice when you held it, had a nice weight but wasn't too heavy, and wouldn't hurt so much if someone accidentally got beaned in the head. (Because, at the time, my son was two and his aim wasn't quit on par with his enthusiasm.)

I tried rice. And pinto beans (ouch). And split peas. And, finally, lentils. LOVED the lentils. They feel just a little slippy, but the bag doesn't creep out of your hand. It stays put where it lands, more or less. The beanbags are light enough for little kids to toss them, and don't turn when you catch one with your temple.

We have one Etsy listing (or available via email or Facebook, if you'd rather), with other fabric options in the works.

Sweet Girl's Skirts

When it comes to clothing, I have to admit that skirts are probably my favorite things to sew. There are just so many options. And skirts for little girls are really fun, because there's room to do some really super cute things and so many fun fabrics to work with.

In the Etsy shop, we've currently got a few classicly styled girl's skirts in some really cute fabrics. All cotton, so they're easy to wear and easy to clean in addition to being super comfortable, just spinney enough and versatile for varying weather conditions. They work great as-is in summer, and look great with tights on cooler days.



This green hippo skirt is available and ready to ship in a wide range of sizes. In stock from an infant's 12 month to a girl's size 5. (Larger and smaller skirts or to specific measurements available on request.) The cotton is a nice heavy weight, but not so stiff or heavy as to impede spinney-ness.



This awesome skirt is ready to ship in a girl's size 5 and can be created in additional sizes by request. The fabric weight is similar to the hippo skirt.



This sweet little floral skirt is currently available in sizes 18 months and girl's size 4.



This pretty little turquoise and chocolate skirt is ready to go in a toddler size 3. The fabric is nice and lightweight, heavy enough to keep the shape of the skirt but light enough to make a really fabulous skirt on those hot summer days.

Etsy Treasury!

Well, THIS is exciting! A frog loves monkey item has been featured in an Etsy treasury for the first time ever! Woo!

Thanks to Mariel for including our Hemp with White Tea and Lemongrass in her "HEMP the magical plant" treasury!

ChicoBag Original

When it comes to reusable bags, it's hard to beat the original ChicoBag.



These bags are amazing. They're made from a really lightweight (a mere 1.5 ounces), really durable woven polyester. They take a LOT of abuse. (Trust me on that one. Our son and our cats think they're toys. Ours have been put through their paces and still look amazing!) They easily hold up to 25 pounds of groceries, toys, laundry or whatever else you can think of to stuff into them. They're washable and the colors don't bleed on the rest of your laundry. (ChicoBeg recommends washing in cold and hanging to dry. Ours go in the dryer and have suffered no ill effects, though treating them kindly will obviously lengthen their lifespan.) They're big enough to hold a LOT of stuff, but stuff into a small, attached pocket quickly so that you can tuck them into a purse or the glove box of your car for when you need them.

When open, the bags are roughly 18"x14.5" and they close up to a neat little 3"x4". There's even a little carabiner attached so you can clip the pouch to whatever else you're carrying.

Amazing, I tell you.

And if you're worried about the recent news of lead in reusable shopping bags, worry no more. ChicoBag bags were NOT affected. To quote ChicoBag directly:

"ChicoBag is a leader in upholding rigorous lead testing standards, exceeding government regulations, to ensure consumer safety. ChicoBag™ utilizes third party testing on every single order. In fact, our products are lead tested three different times before they ever enter your home or business. We adhere to testing standards even more stringent than those set forth by the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) for children's toys. In addition to the CPSIA standards, we go one step further to ensure our products also adhere to the more stringent lead standards for children's toys set forth in ASTM F963-07. "

These bags come in some really great colors. Unfortunately, frog loves monkey doesn't carry the entire range of colors - they've added some since we got ours - but we have a nice selection to choose from!

Green



Pale green



Red



Purple



Pink



Mango



Brown



Blue



Black



These bags are $5 each, and currently available via email or our Facebook page.

Hemp Oil Soaps

Keeping on the subject of soap, I'd like to talk about the soaps that I make myself for frog loves monkey.

Years ago, on a whim, I tried making soap. The glycerin-based melt-and-pour kind that you can pick up at pretty much any craft store. It was kind of fun and we ended up with a small stash of neat shaped and brightly colored soaps. Eventually, we used them up and went back to buying "regular" soap from the grocery store. I didn't really think much about it again until after our son was born. I'd been researching what was actually IN the soaps we were using and the ingredients lists were pretty horrifying. My husband suggested that I try making soap again. (I had no idea that he'd actually really liked the soaps I'd made that first time. That was a cool discovery!) Off to the craft store I went...and came home empty handed. Turns out the glycerin stuff that you can pick up at the craft store is pretty much garbage and just as full of scary stuff as the mainstream, chemical-laden soaps that we were trying to avoid.

Thus began an exhaustive search for GOOD glycerin-based soap ingredients.

Eventually, I stumbled across what we were looking for. (Yay!) Plant-based glycerin that wasn't stripped of all the good stuff. In fact, the company that I found added MORE glycerin to their soap base. This makes the finished soaps feel fabulous. Really luxurious. (Yay!) Everything was all-natural, vegan (with the exception of honey and goat's milk), hypo-allergenic, biodegradable, non-comedogenic, detergent free, surfactant free, sulfate free, and there was no SLS in sight. (YAY!)

I put in a small order to test out some soap just for us...and fell completely in love. After much testing, I've found a few soaps that I really, really enjoy - and enjoy making.

Across the board, the hemp soaps tend to be my favorite. The hemp oil soaps have a really nice amber color, a very light, naturally clean smell and lather beautifully. And every combination seems to make a finished soap that I (and my skin!) like. Of the hemp-based soaps, the Hemp with White Tea and Lemongrass are my favorite. After some friend and customer feedback, frog loves monkey carries two versions.



The exfoliating version has rather large chunks of dried white tea and lemongrass suspended in it as an exfoliant. I love this, but some people can find it a little off-putting. The dried leaves are somewhat large, so the soap will shed a little bit with use. It can also be a shade rough the first use. I like it. But I understand wanting the benefits of the ingredients without the exfoliants.



The non-exfoliant version tends to be somewhat lighter in color, and offers the same yummy, natural scent and rich lather without being the least bit scratchy.

These soaps are shaped to fit very nicely into the hand and weigh in between 2.6 and 3 ounces each. You can find them in the Etsy store, or order via email or our Facebook page. $3 each, or less if several soaps are ordered at once.

Ingredients: Grade A extra virgin olive oil, palm oil, coconut oil, safflower oil, kosher glycerine of vegetable origin,hemp seed oil, purified water, sodium hydroxide, sorbitol (from berries), sorbitan oleate, soybean protein, dried white tea leaves, dried lemongrass, lemon oil. This is a vegan, all natural soap.

Cold Process Soaps

I love handmade soaps. And I love to make soap, but cold process soaps are something that I'm not quite ready to tackle in my house right now. With a baby and a three year old who likes to be very hands-on with whatever I'm doing, messing around with lye just seemed like a bad idea.

Luckily, there are some very talented people out there who make some really fabulous all-natural CP soaps! Our supplier uses organic and vegan ingredients when possible (noted per type of soap) and essential oils instead of chemical alternatives. I love, love, love these soaps and had a really difficult time deciding which flavors to carry. In the end, I chose five that I felt offered a nice balance to the soaps made in-house. I'm looking forward to expanding our offerings at some point.



Unscented oatmeal goat's milk soap - Exfoliating ground oats blended with, our rich three milk soap recipe make this bar perfect for scent-sensitive skin. Ingredients: Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, Water, Sodium Hydroxide, Organic Palm Oil, Soy Oil, Fresh Goat Milk, Sunflower Oil, Shea Butter, Oats. May Also Contain Tocopherols (natural vitamin e) and Stearic Acid (vegetable source). This is an all natural soap.



Chamomile neroli aloe - Sweet, floral chamomile and soft neroli essential oils will uplift you to sweet dreams of blooming hills. Sweet and complex. Ingredients: Organic Palm Oil, Water, Organic Coconut Oil, Organic Shea Butter, Sodium Hydroxide, Organic Sunflower oil, (Natural) Fragrance, Chamomile Powder. This is a vegan, all natural soap.



Citrus cedar sage - This essential oil blend will have your mind racing through fields of lemongrass and oranges, with sweet petitgrain, cedar and sage in the passing wind. Made with organic vegetable based oils, this natural handmade soap contains 85% organic ingredients. Ingredients: Organic Palm Oil, Water, Organic Sunflower Oil, Organic Coconut Oil, Sodium Hydroxide, Organic Olive Oil, Lemongrass Essential Oil, (Natural) Fragrance, Cedarwood Essential Oil, Clary Sage Essential Oil, Orange Essential Oil, Rosehip Powder. This is a vegan, all natural soap.



Honey almond - Rich bitter almond and sweet honey and citrus notes make this natural Essential Oil Blend a treasured classic. Natural almond blends tend to fade over time, so please expect a more mild almond scent than synthetic fragrances. Ingredients: Olive Oil, Water, Coconut Oil, Sodium Hydroxide, Organic Palm Oil, Soy Oil, Sunflower Oil, Shea Butter, (Natural) Fragrance, Turmeric Powder. May Also Contain Tocopherols (natural vitamin e) and Stearic Acid (vegetable source). This is a vegan, all natural soap. (Note: This is a vegan soap despite the title. There is no honey in this product, this is just the "title" because it smells like honey and almond.)



Sandalwood - This all natural eo blend is earthy, mildly sweet and aromatic, with rich woody notes of sandalwood and frankincense with mildly exfoliating rosehip powder. Ingredients: Olive Oil, Water, Coconut Oil, Sodium Hydroxide, Organic Palm Oil, Soy Oil, Sunflower Oil, Shea Butter, Fragrance. May Also Contain Tocopherols (natural vitamin e) and Stearic Acid (vegetable source). This is a vegan soap.

Currently, these soaps are available from frog loves monkey via email or message to the Facebook page. Each soap is $5 per bar, or discounted if multiple soaps are purchased at the same time.

Hello, Hello!

It's time, I think, for frog loves monkey to have a blog. I love Etsy and Facebook, but this just seems a little more personal for some of the stuff that seems a little more...chatty?

I'll be writing up some posts as time (and the kids) allow, sharing some stuff that's in the works. Your feedback is always welcome!

If you haven't checked out the shop yet, the dedicated website is down for the time being but the Etsy store is currently open on a limited basis. You can see it here. And for items that aren't appropriate for the Etsy store, there are pictures and descriptions on Facebook. Be sure to "like" the page while you're there!