Premature Birth Awareness Week

Oooooh, tiny tiny feet!!

Kangaroo Care with Daddy

Grandma Chuckles finally gets her first cuddle!!

Hi again, just wanted to provide the link for the Mercy Breast Milk Bank so you can read about all the amazing things that are happening. Check it out here. Milk Donations will not be accepted until 2010, so right now financial donations are of high priority. The bank will be run completely on donations so drop by their site or our market stalls to find out how you can donate some cash to this great cause.

I am extending the markets for which we will contribute some of our profits. We have decided to include the second Kris Kringle Market also. So please send us an email to order your stuff online or visit us at the Kris Kringle Markets, Northcote Town Hall, 5.30-10pm, Thurs 26 and Dec 3, or at the Northside Makers Market, Unting Church, High St, Northcote, 10.30am-3.30pm.

National Premature Birth Awareness Week

Charlie at 2 days old, weighing just over a kilo

Holding Daddy’s ring

Day 2, My first ever cuddle!!

Hi everyone, most of you are aware that the wonderful Chuckles scared us all half to death by arriving very suddenly at 28 weeks gestation. November 24-30 is National Premature Birth Awareness Week and obviously is very important to us. Chuckles designs will be donating $2 from every sale during that week to the new Mercy Breast Milk Bank to help all of those amazing little miracles in the NICU and SCN that can’t get enough milk from their very tired and stressed and sometimes sick mummies. This is an amazing cause and the first of its kind in Melbourne. The difference Breast milk makes in all babies, but in particular our special little prems is incredible. So if you are after a chuckles monkey, spider or a funky little outfit for your own little ones order on line between Nov 24-30, or visit us at the Kris Kringle Night Market on November 26 or the Northside Makers on November 28. Thanks, Jen.

Micro Monkeys Launch

Hangin’ in the Hall

Well I have been toying with the idea of micro monkeys for quite some time, but even the normal baby monkeys can be fiddly. Today I finally gave in and made my first micro monkey. I love, love, love him but it must be said that Chuckles herself is quite besotted with new mini monkey. They are very fiddly and socks are harder to come by in baby size but I will ensure I have a reasonable range of Micro Monkeys available at the first market in the ‘6 markets in 3 weeks’ Marathon.

Come meet the micro monkeys at;
Kris Kringle Night Markets,
Northcote Town Hall,
Thursdays from November 26, 5.30-10pm

Northside Makers Market
Uniting Church, High St, Northcote,
Sat, November 28, 10.30-3.30pm

Market 3031
Kensington Station, Bellair St
Kensington
Sat, December 12

So many monkeys, so little time…

Thanks to all of you who came by to doo some early chrissy shopping at the Teeny Tiny Sisters Market yesterday. It was a great day, and I think my decision to only go through the rest of the market twice means I may have even retained some of my profits! Scored some great clothes for chuckles from our neighbour, Knuffle Kid. So lovely, she’ll be the funkiest kid on the block with her new rags.

Grnadma Chuckles received an overwhelmingly good response to her new clothing range and we promise to have more sizes and patterns ready for the upcoming Kris Kringle Markets, and the next Northside Makers Market.

Now, I really should stop procrastinating. In 17 days, we start our crazy cluster of six markets in three weeks. I have to churn out two monkeys a day to make sure you can all get your favourite sock creatures in time for Santa’s big run. See you all then…

Teeny Tiny Sisters Market

Looking for a weekend filler??? Get out in the Melbourne sunshine and visit Chuckles at the Teeny Tiny Sisters Market at Brunswick Town Hall, Sydney Rd, Brunswick. 10am-4pm. We’re out the front this time so come and say hi to us and check out the other fantastic locally made goodies at this wonderful market.

New stuff, yay!

Hi everyone, I was going to hold off publishing the new stock so I was ready to go at the markets but many of you have been asking about new monkeys and our soon to be launched clothing range. So I have posted new sock toys in the ’sock toys’ section in the right hand menu. Here is a sneak peek of Grandma Chuckles new clothing for littlies…

See you all at the Teeny Tiny Sisters Market this saturday, Brunswick Town Hall.

Another day, another monkey…

I have been playing around with numbers and it seems I need to make sure at least one monkey (or other sock toy) goes in the monkey barrel each day. With so many markets in November and December I don’t want to run out of stock. So whilst there are no new monkeys shown on the blog, please be assured that there a many a monkey being made!!! If you are after something in particular email us on chucklesdesigns@gmail.com, otherwise we’ll see you at our next markets. Teeny Tiny Sisters Market, Brunswick Town Hall, Sat, Nov 7. Kris Kringle Night Markets starting Thurs Nov 26, Northcote Town Hall. Northside Makers Market, Nov 28, Uniting Church, Northcote.

Teeny Tiny Sisters Market

Just a reminder to mark the next Sisters’ Market in your diaries for November 7. It’s an extra special, teeny-tiny sisters market to allow you yet another opportunity to spoil your little people silly! I am happy to say that I have finally made some more Socktopi for those of you asking about them – including a sparkly orange one which happens to be my new all-time favourite! Grandma Chuckles is playing around with some beautiful wrap-around reversible tops for beautiful little girls. I’m pulling first grandchild rights for Charlie and demanding the first one, but we hope to have a small number available at the Sisters Market and many more at the first Kris Kringle market, Nov 26 at Northcote Town Hall and the next Northside Makers, Nov 28, Uniting Church, Northcote.

New stock coming soon…

Just keeping you all up to date. As you can see there are lots of toys with ‘SOLD’ written below them. We were so grateful to have such wonderful days at the recent Sisters Market and the first ever Northside Makers Market in Northcote. However, it left us with a little less stock than usual. Grandma Chuckles is very busy creating and hoping to launch her clothing range for kiddies and some new toys and puppets. I am busy building my sock toy collection for the upcoming chrissy market festivus! There are a lot of toys made but not yet on the blog so please email chucklesdesigns@gmail.com if you after something different to those posted here. Also, we are always happy to help out where possible with special requests. We are booked or tentatively booked at the following markets:

Teeny Tiny Sisters Market
Brunswick Town Hall
Cnr Sydney and Glenlyon Rds
Saturday, November 7th
10am-4pm

Northside Makers Market
Uniting Church
High St, Northcote
Saturday, November 28th
10.30am-3.30pm

Kris Kringle Night Markets
Northcote Town Hall
5.30-10pm
Thurs, November 26th
Thurs, December 3rd
Thurs, December 10th
Thurs, December 17th

Market 3031
Bellair Street
Kensington/Flemington
Saturday, December 12th
More details to follow

Twitter-birth and the Northside Makers Review

Well, firstly chuckles designs are now on twitter. Not overly sure about the whole thing yet but I am sure I will catch on quick enough. Secondly, thanks thanks thanks to the Northside Makers Collective. What a fantastic market!!! I made record market sales and have a very busy 3 weeks ahead of me leading into the Teeny Tiny Sisters Market, and then the beginning of christmas market festivus. I made a lot of sales but spent a lot of money too, guess that’s the downside of such a wonderful makers market. Well done to the organisers, stall holders and lovely people who came along to enjoy the Melbourne sun and support local talent. Looking forward to the next one on November 28.