Creating handmade, homemade, Earth-friendly products for you and your family...all designed and crafted by Kiza!
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Now let's discover Kiza and her creative story behind Frog Loves Monkey
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| Orange and Pink Kitty Meow Skirt for Girls |
I suppose that my absolute first creative memory would be playing with my sister when we were little. I don’t remember the specifics of the game, but I do remember enjoying the fun. My first “artistic” memory would be drawing in early elementary school. I loved to draw. I didn’t think I had much talent, but someone did, so I was culled for some special art classes. They were awesome. I remember learning about different painting techniques and working with ceramics and sketching. I loved it all.
What or whom began your creative journey on Etsy?
My son. I’d heard of Etsy and poked around on it and I think I’d even set up a shop (in name, not product) for my costume design stuff. But it wasn’t until I was pregnant with my son that I really thought about doing anything with my Etsy shop, and after he was born, frog loves monkey became my natural focus.
How did you come up with your shop name?
I have a thing for frogs. When my nephew, now six, was little, he signed a lot and, for whatever reason, he always signed “frog” for me instead of my name. (We lived in different states at the time and he had no idea of my frog fascination, so it was kind of funny.) So I was Auntie Frog for a little while. Then, when my son was born, we always seemed to call him Monkey when he was little. So… frog loves monkey. Because nothing has ever been more true.
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| Rooster and Chicken Zipper Pouch |
Describe what creations you have in your shop
My initial tagline for frog loves monkey was “natural, organic, homemade, hand made, fair trade”, with the thought that I would carry a selection of my items and those handmade by others, with all-natural or organic bases. I knew that I wanted to focus on items useful to families - so things for children, parents and their homes. And my past in costume design and construction pretty much guaranteed that we’d be doing clothing. Setting up shop on Etsy meant that I would *not* be selling items made by other people - at least not on that venue - and setting up shop with my mom (which we made official in February of this year) has helped to expand our line more into non-clothing areas. So, we do clothing, primarily for children but for adults as well, all-natural junk-free soaps and body scrubs, baby items like car seat covers and mei tai carriers, Waldorf and Montessori inspired toys like bean bags and play food, quilts and blankets…pretty much anything that we think is cool or useful and fits with the other things that we make. On our dedicated website, we have a little more room to carry things like amber teething necklaces, etc.
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| Ladybugs & Polka Dots Car Seat Cover |
Everything! Seriously. Sometimes Mom and I get ideas when we’re sitting around playing with the kids. Or a fabric seems to scream out what it wants to become. Or a color combination is really intriguing and I can’t let it rest until I make something that incorporates that color scheme.
What do you listen to or watch while creating?
My kids. I work at home, with a four year old and an almost-two year old. So, while I’m sitting at the sewing machine or cutting table, I’m often called on to play a little bit of Lightening McQueen or find myself singing the theme song to “Phinias & Ferb”. On the odd days that my husband takes the kids off and I get to work all by myself, I’m often tempted to put on some really loud music (and occasionally do), but I generally just sit here in the quiet, listening to the birds and the sewing machine.
Please share a favorite recipe
Banana bread! I’ve been using this one for years and it’s never failed me.
2 cups flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 cup sugar
1 egg
5 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup butter
3 soft bananas
Mash bananas. In large bowl, combine dry ingredients. Add milk, softened butter and bananas. Still until well mixed.
Pour into greased and floured bread pan and cook at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until done.
Simple, and *super* yummy. And easy to adjust for allergies or preferences. We’ve done different things with flour and it’s always turned out well.
Where else can we find you?
Etsy: www.froglovesmonkey.etsy.com
Dedicated website: www.froglovesmonkey.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/froglovesmonkey
Twitter: twitter.com/#!/froglovesmonkey
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