1.What’s your story?
My name is Stacey. I was born in PA, and moved to CA when I was 3. I grew up in San Diego, CA. I'm kind of a computer nerd, with scissors and a glue gun. I come from a long line of crafty ladies, on both sides of my family, and a great uncle who's famous for his needlepoint.
2. When, how and why did you decide to make what you make?
I've always been into creating things. I grew up in a creative household. My mom used to make crochet dolls and take them to the swap meet to sell when I was a kid. I had been making and selling jewelry since I was 16, and in 2006 I was pregnant with my second child and I saw a sock monkey on the internet and decided to give it a try. At first I wasn't sure I was even going to sell them. But I made a few more. I had been on Etsy for a short time, and decided to upgrade to a seller account and see what happens. I listed a Monkey named Plunder, and it sold that same day. So I listed more, and those sold. I really never expected it to go as far as it did, but I was selling them left and right, and before I knew it, I was improving my techniques. Today I have my own sock monkey pattern, that I developed over the last 6 years.
Right: One of Stacey's first monkeys. Left a recent monkey
3. What inspires you?
Everything. I'm really into horror movies, even though I really haven't had time to sit down to watch one in a long time. It's my favorite genre, next to comedy. But monsters and creatures of that nature are my biggest inspirations. I'd stop making normal monkeys all together and just make nothing but monsters and crazy characters... if friends, family and customers weren't always telling me how much their little munchkins love their monkeys. And I'd miss that. That really inspires me. A lot of my friends children have my monkeys, and it's really inspiring to see how much they love them. I remember being a kid and having that kind of love for one particular toy. And it feels amazing to be the person that made that toy, for someone else.
Sometimes the right socks will inspire me. Or a photo someone will share with me. I'm really into recreating characters. I have a lot of behind the scenes things I do that I can't market because of copyright, but I love to make them. I made Gene Simmons Demon character for my mom for Mother's Day. Things like that.
4. Other than Etsy, where else on the web can we find you?
I can always be found through staceyjean.com. My main monkey shop is at Etsy, zparkleys.etsy.com. I have a shop on eCrater, at staceyjean.ecrater.com. that I store my other crafts. I just recently put everything on there and haven't advertised it much. I like to make other things, to keep myself inspired and to not burn out on the monkeys. I'm also on zazzle at www.zazzle.com/staceyjean. That's where I put my monkey graphics on shirts and things. I make a lot of graphics for my website, and product packages, and then I put them over there, too. I just started a G+ profile which will house my entire portfolio, monkeys and beyond. I'll have that announced on my .com sometime this month.
I also founded and am working on helping to grow a new street team of sock breeders, we can be found at madefromsocks.com and it's full of amazing fellow sock artist. I believe in encouraging each other in our craft. I think that forming a group and working as a team to spread our craft, and helping each other to be individually creative, really helps ourselves individually to embrace our own talents and to be individually great. It also helps us as a whole to spread knowledge that we exist. I was really frustrated with all the "sock monkeys" I was seeing on the internet that aren't actually made from socks. So we infiltrated tumblr, and now there's all sorts of sock animals and friends on there.
5: What is your creative process?
I also draw, sculpt, and my degree is in interactive multi-media. I've had my hand in so many crafts that have lent to my current craft. I use a lot of those skills when I'm making monkeys. You wouldn't think that having a jewelry making background would contribute to something like plush dolls, but It does. From time to time. A lot of my monkeys are color coordinated socks, but a good number are actually characters. More and more of them are my own. I plan to increase the number of characters I design in the future.
A monkey will usually start with an idea I see, or a character. It begins in my head, and then I get out my sketch book. If it's a character that's known, I will research it on the internet pretty extensively to make sure I don't miss any small details. If it's my own character, I draw it completely from my head. I sketch the monkey completely out, really roughly. Sometimes I scribble, if the ideas come too fast. I make a lot of notes. After I have the sketch down and the idea's on solid paper, I write a list of my materials, and then I shop. From there I kinda whinge it. I find that the more I allow myself the freedom to let it come to me, the better the monkey turns out. My zombies started as one idea that I let fly. And as I used techniques on new monkeys, I'd apply it to them. They have become my testing ground now, however... because no matter what I do to them, it works. It's a zombie, it can be as ugly as it wants.
6: What was your favorite toy as a child?
My Little Pony. I still collect some of them. I have my childhood ones, and I keep a stash of collector exclusives that can be found at Comic-con and the Pony Fair. I started playing with them in 1982, at the same time they were released. And other than my teenage years, when they spent their time in the attic, they're always with me. Now, they're knick-knacks, but, they absolutely inspire me. I see a lot of influence form their curves and bright colors in my work. Once I made a sock pony of the second pony I ever got.
7: If you were stuck on an island with 5 people for one year of your life, who would you choose (other than your family of course).
This is a hard one. I know you said 5, but if I could get away from life for a year, I'd just want my favorite guy there, I won't call him out and make it awkward, but he could use a vacation too, and we have a lot of fun together. If I had to let in 4 more people, I'd say... my best friend Khara, my gal pal Windy... and they can bring their significant others, because I like them, too. And they'd both be pretty bummed to be away from them for a year.
8: Are you a dog person or cat person?
I am totally a dog person. I have two really wonderful dogs that are Rott 'n Beagle mixes. But... my mom has a cat that is really trying to win me over. So, mostly I am a dog person, but this one particular cat, she's okay in my book. Not that I dislike cats. I had an amazing orange tabby named T'ang in my early 20s, and when he died, I decided he was completely irreplaceable. So, I got dogs.
Do you want to bring one or two of these awesome sock monkeys home? Good news! Stacey is offering a 20% discount with the coupon DTA2011 . Check out zparkleys.etsy.com to get your own sock buddy.
My name is Stacey. I was born in PA, and moved to CA when I was 3. I grew up in San Diego, CA. I'm kind of a computer nerd, with scissors and a glue gun. I come from a long line of crafty ladies, on both sides of my family, and a great uncle who's famous for his needlepoint.
2. When, how and why did you decide to make what you make?
I've always been into creating things. I grew up in a creative household. My mom used to make crochet dolls and take them to the swap meet to sell when I was a kid. I had been making and selling jewelry since I was 16, and in 2006 I was pregnant with my second child and I saw a sock monkey on the internet and decided to give it a try. At first I wasn't sure I was even going to sell them. But I made a few more. I had been on Etsy for a short time, and decided to upgrade to a seller account and see what happens. I listed a Monkey named Plunder, and it sold that same day. So I listed more, and those sold. I really never expected it to go as far as it did, but I was selling them left and right, and before I knew it, I was improving my techniques. Today I have my own sock monkey pattern, that I developed over the last 6 years.
Right: One of Stacey's first monkeys. Left a recent monkey
3. What inspires you?
Everything. I'm really into horror movies, even though I really haven't had time to sit down to watch one in a long time. It's my favorite genre, next to comedy. But monsters and creatures of that nature are my biggest inspirations. I'd stop making normal monkeys all together and just make nothing but monsters and crazy characters... if friends, family and customers weren't always telling me how much their little munchkins love their monkeys. And I'd miss that. That really inspires me. A lot of my friends children have my monkeys, and it's really inspiring to see how much they love them. I remember being a kid and having that kind of love for one particular toy. And it feels amazing to be the person that made that toy, for someone else.
Sometimes the right socks will inspire me. Or a photo someone will share with me. I'm really into recreating characters. I have a lot of behind the scenes things I do that I can't market because of copyright, but I love to make them. I made Gene Simmons Demon character for my mom for Mother's Day. Things like that.
4. Other than Etsy, where else on the web can we find you?
I can always be found through staceyjean.com. My main monkey shop is at Etsy, zparkleys.etsy.com. I have a shop on eCrater, at staceyjean.ecrater.com. that I store my other crafts. I just recently put everything on there and haven't advertised it much. I like to make other things, to keep myself inspired and to not burn out on the monkeys. I'm also on zazzle at www.zazzle.com/staceyjean. That's where I put my monkey graphics on shirts and things. I make a lot of graphics for my website, and product packages, and then I put them over there, too. I just started a G+ profile which will house my entire portfolio, monkeys and beyond. I'll have that announced on my .com sometime this month.
I also founded and am working on helping to grow a new street team of sock breeders, we can be found at madefromsocks.com and it's full of amazing fellow sock artist. I believe in encouraging each other in our craft. I think that forming a group and working as a team to spread our craft, and helping each other to be individually creative, really helps ourselves individually to embrace our own talents and to be individually great. It also helps us as a whole to spread knowledge that we exist. I was really frustrated with all the "sock monkeys" I was seeing on the internet that aren't actually made from socks. So we infiltrated tumblr, and now there's all sorts of sock animals and friends on there.
5: What is your creative process?
I also draw, sculpt, and my degree is in interactive multi-media. I've had my hand in so many crafts that have lent to my current craft. I use a lot of those skills when I'm making monkeys. You wouldn't think that having a jewelry making background would contribute to something like plush dolls, but It does. From time to time. A lot of my monkeys are color coordinated socks, but a good number are actually characters. More and more of them are my own. I plan to increase the number of characters I design in the future.
A monkey will usually start with an idea I see, or a character. It begins in my head, and then I get out my sketch book. If it's a character that's known, I will research it on the internet pretty extensively to make sure I don't miss any small details. If it's my own character, I draw it completely from my head. I sketch the monkey completely out, really roughly. Sometimes I scribble, if the ideas come too fast. I make a lot of notes. After I have the sketch down and the idea's on solid paper, I write a list of my materials, and then I shop. From there I kinda whinge it. I find that the more I allow myself the freedom to let it come to me, the better the monkey turns out. My zombies started as one idea that I let fly. And as I used techniques on new monkeys, I'd apply it to them. They have become my testing ground now, however... because no matter what I do to them, it works. It's a zombie, it can be as ugly as it wants.
6: What was your favorite toy as a child?
My Little Pony. I still collect some of them. I have my childhood ones, and I keep a stash of collector exclusives that can be found at Comic-con and the Pony Fair. I started playing with them in 1982, at the same time they were released. And other than my teenage years, when they spent their time in the attic, they're always with me. Now, they're knick-knacks, but, they absolutely inspire me. I see a lot of influence form their curves and bright colors in my work. Once I made a sock pony of the second pony I ever got.
7: If you were stuck on an island with 5 people for one year of your life, who would you choose (other than your family of course).
This is a hard one. I know you said 5, but if I could get away from life for a year, I'd just want my favorite guy there, I won't call him out and make it awkward, but he could use a vacation too, and we have a lot of fun together. If I had to let in 4 more people, I'd say... my best friend Khara, my gal pal Windy... and they can bring their significant others, because I like them, too. And they'd both be pretty bummed to be away from them for a year.
8: Are you a dog person or cat person?
I am totally a dog person. I have two really wonderful dogs that are Rott 'n Beagle mixes. But... my mom has a cat that is really trying to win me over. So, mostly I am a dog person, but this one particular cat, she's okay in my book. Not that I dislike cats. I had an amazing orange tabby named T'ang in my early 20s, and when he died, I decided he was completely irreplaceable. So, I got dogs.
Do you want to bring one or two of these awesome sock monkeys home? Good news! Stacey is offering a 20% discount with the coupon DTA2011 . Check out zparkleys.etsy.com to get your own sock buddy.
Horro films can indeed be very inspiring (=
ReplyDeleteHorror films straight up freak me out. Except all ones or goofy ones.
ReplyDelete