The employees who accepted the sock monkeys from us were blown away. They had no idea that each one would be different and unique. And so darn cute!!

I wish I could have taken a picture of each and every monkey.  There were purses, and blankets, monkey outfits, hats, socks, shoes and earrings.  These sock monkeys were better accessorized than I am!   And they were literally from all over the world.  Amazing.  Most were from the United States, but we had contributions from Germany, Australia, UK, Canada… everyone coming together to make a difference.  Don’t ever be deceived into believing you can’t make a difference, because we have proven otherwise.  Coming together makes a big impact.

The Preschool Burn Camp has more sock monkeys than they could use.  I heard talk of having enough monkeys for next years camp and the camp for the older kids.  Who doesn’t love a sock monkey!?  I miss the monkeys and the excitement from every package that arrived (so does my three year old, Luke.)

I am amazed and blessed by each one of you who participated in project 4; the time and effort that you all put into doing something for someone else… it’s love.

Blessings and hope to you all.

A HUGE thank you to Marjorie for spearheading this project and taking care of all of the monkeys before they head to the children at the preschool burn camp. I’m sure the monkeys have been up to no good around her house. I’ve also enjoyed reading your blog posts and seeing the cute pictures of your monkeys causing mischief around your house and yard. I’m sorry I’m not always able to comment, but I do follow many of you.

There are currently 101 monkeys raising havoc playing nicely at Marjorie’s house! Thank you to all of you who have made monkeys for the children at the preschool burn camp. They are certain to put a smile on the kids faces.

I’ve also heard stories of groups getting together to make monkeys and I sincerely appreciate those of you who are spearheading these efforts.

Keep the monkeys coming in, the deadline is this Friday, September 18th! They will all find a great home.

The cutest firefighter helmet ever!  It’s exactly what I was hoping one of you crafty bloggers would figure out for this project.  It’s perfect.

I’m off to buy some red yarn today to give it a try.  I was so excited yesterday when I saw this – I can’t even tell you.  Also, my husband suggested that you could make yellow or black helmets (when he found out I needed to go out and purchase red yarn.)  hee, hee..

So check your stash and give it a try if you are so inclined.

Look what I got in the mail! Our first sock monkey. It made my day

I hope you’re having a great day, too!

With that said, let me introduce myself…  my name is Marjorie and I’ll be your Craft Hope contact for project number four.  I met Jade through this crazy world of Internet and we quickly became “bloggy friends.”  I’m very excited about this next project for Craft Hope and I’m looking forward to what this community of crafters can accomplish for our next chosen charity.

The next Craft Hope project is one that will take place right here in the United States and holds a dear place in my heart.  It will benefit the smallest of burn victims through the Firefighters Burn Institute in Sacramento, California.  Not only do we live in the area, my husband is a firefighter and is very excited about this next project, too.  September 25-27, the institute is holding a camp for the kids and their families called Little Heroes Preschool Burn Camp.

What are we making you ask?  Sock Monkeys!  The beloved sock monkey and maybe, just maybe… a firefighter sock monkey.  The firefighters are a big part of the camp and the Firefighters Burn Institute, so it would be great if we could figure out a way to make a sock monkey with a firefighters helmet.  You’re up for the challenge, aren’t you?  I thought so.

I have been continually amazed by the blessings that have been bestowed by this community here at Craft Hope.  It’s truly amazing what we can do if we work together.  Please leave a comment to join in this next exciting adventure of Craft Hope.

Many Blessings, Marjorie

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Update:  There have been a lot of questions/comments about what kind of sock monkey to make and if it needs to be a traditional sock monkey.  Any color sock monkey that you make will find a home with a child who will love it; I’m sure.  The wonderful thing about the creative women at Craft Hope is that you all have great ideas and it’s so fun to see what you come up with for every project.  If you can figure out a way to make your monkey a “firefighter” in some way, then great!  If not, then no worries – it will be loved all the same.

Craft Hope Nest is a great place to exchange ideas, post patterns and ideas for the sock monkeys.  Some have said they need a tutorial and others have said that they have one…  thank you in advance for any help you have in this area!  Also, we will have a tutorial posted on our site soon!

The deadline for the sock monkeys is September 18th.