We are beyond excited to announce the latest addition to Monkeys and Mayhem, The Lark.

Whimsical and sweet, this bunting is made with the softest organic cotton fabric imaginable. Inspired by the impending arrival of the stork to one of my best friends from high school, this bunting is as special as the baby that will soon fill it! The Lark was custom-designed to complement the decor and theme my friend selected for her new baby's nursery. We’re so excited over here & can hardly wait until the Big Day! 

If you are interested in this style, please drop us an email to special order this Limited Edition style as only a seriously limited amount of fabric is available. 

On Thursday, June 19 I was honored to attend the exclusive media preview for the photography exhibition Detroit- Bruce Weber featured at the Detroit Institute of Arts. In attendance was the famed photographer himself, Bruce Weber. The event was presented by Conde Nast and Vogue. Other notable guests in attendance were the infamous Anna Wintour, editor-in-chief of VOGUE magazine, Patti Smith, musician extraordinaire and Grace Coddington, the illustrious creative director of Vogue.

The exhibit features a collection of portraits shot by Weber on numerous visits to Detroit. The images, mostly shot in black and white depict the different faces that represent the city. 

But wait- There's More! Click 'Read More' to get the full scoop...         ↓↓↓

On the heels of the Kentucky Derby- which I will score tickets to someday + to further explore the Merry-Go-Round theme- let's go off to the races with some horse cupcakes.

Not going to lie- they are kind of time consuming to make and my mom totally helped me with them- because you def need two hands, + an extended timeframe to allow them to set. And yes- your kids can help- but only with certain parts- like putting on the tail. And kind of like the Kentucky Derby- there is a ton of preparation involved for a two minute race to the finish- which in this case is a children's birthday party. 

But wait- There's More! Click 'Read More' to get the recipe + instructions ↓↓↓

Monkeys & Mayhem is pleased to announce the limited edition release of a one of a kind bunting- The Max- created to celebrate Paint By Numbers and its inventors!

One of my favorite crafts, Paint By Numbers was invented right here in Detroit! In 1949, a local artist named Dan Robbins met a businessman- Max Klein and collaborated on the Paint By Number Kit. The set was intended to take the mystery out of producing a pretty piece of art that could be painted by novices. Klein sold them through the Palmer Paint Company, which he owned, and in 1951, the first set of kits was sold. It was widely popular, selling millions of sets.

Named after Max Klein- the inventor behind the original Paint By Numbers, this is the first bunting named after a different sort of Rock Star. And guess what! he shares the same name as my grandmother, who showed me how to make these buntings. 

But wait- There's More! Click 'Read More' to read more of the story...   ↓↓↓

Once upon a time, we made the modern version of botanical easter eggs using regular dyes. Today we bring you the real deal for your egg-dyeing enjoyment.

My daughter asked my gma if we could dye eggs using her traditional onion peel and plant clipping method. So, without further ado, here is the process that will yield shiny brown eggs with a unique design.

Instructions + play-by-play pics below. Just click on Read More                ↓↓↓

We like to visit the Detroit Historical Museum once every few weeks because there is always so much to do and see. There is an evolving collection of work the museum selects for the space, and the shows are always exceptional. 

But wait- There's More! Click 'Read More' to get the full scoop...         ↓↓↓

                  The Presidential Entourage, Henry Ford Museum, Dearborn, MI 

In a Tale of Two Cities, Presidential-style, let's explore the differences between two towns as the President of the United States of America pays each a visit. The first photo collection is some photos I shot of the Presidential Visit to Henry Ford Museum outside of Detroit, Michigan. 

A helicopter flew around beginning approximately ten minutes prior to The Big Arrival. It hovered around, presumably surveying the scene, perhaps even with some snipers on board. There were snipers located on the rooftops surrounding the location. Look! There were even protesters, protesting something. Pretty majah, right. 

Whoa! And here comes the entourage! Check out those numbers- I think I counted thirty+ There's the President! And the windows of the surrounding vehicles were cracked open, probably with some type of weapon within reach. [pure speculation] 

Now, on to the next one. Another Presidential Visit- this time to Joe Biden's beloved Scranton. Please note that the vice-president did not accompany President Obama to Metro Detroit.

                                    Presidential Visit, Scranton, PA

We were on 81 after visiting Seven Tubs in Wilkes-Barre and pulled into the city because there were cops stationed at intervals on the highway. And MILES  of standstill traffic. It looked like the expressway was shut down.   

My mother instructed me to take a detour, so I pulled into the city- to avoid traffic, which turned out to be "Presidential Traffic." There was a traffic cop who stopped two cars in front of us while the President was rolling thru...  Now we understood the strategically placed police cars along the interstate.

This "bus tour" had little of the fanfare the Prez exhibits at other locales- at least not anything at all like the flashing light circus and endless entourage of secret service agents that accompanied him on his stop at the Henry Ford Museum the year before. 

There was a helicopter for that one. And he repelled down through the roof like that cat-burglar did into the Everhart Museum that one time. Just kidding. About the repelling. I can neither confirm nor deny how he entered the Henry Ford that day. 

As you can see, the Electric City version is low-key. President Obama paid the town a visit, with his trusty side-kick, the Vice-President, along for the ride. You can count the entourage; there's no comparison to the Michigan visit. Maybe because I caught the Presidential visit to Scranton on the back end + it was a different campaign. 

It's pretty cool that the kids have seen a Presidential entourage Comin' at ya Live! in two cities. Please note in the Scranton image set- the Coney Island restaurant. I thought all you Detroiters would appreciate that. The last photo is of The Glider Diner- Scranton's answer to our Coney Islands. The President actually ate here during one of his campaigns. Oddly enough, we had just eaten breakfast [I had Disco Fries + Corned Beef- yes, for bfast @9 a.m.- I'm an early riser] here that same morning the President was in town. Unbelievable but true. [actually- I ate bfast here three days in a row, so it's actually not that odd] 

And I would tell you what I thought about my breakfast at the Glider, but I'm not looking to start a Midwest vs. Northeast battle over breakfast. [but here's a hint as to which place is the 'champine' in this scenario] You remember the outcome of the music industry version of that. And we still have that ongoing family feud between Lafayette and American to contend with. 

Ta-da! The punk from Punxsutawney saw his shadow this morning. Where does that leave us? With six more weeks of Winter, of course. This should come as no surprise since March 20 is the actual first day of spring, so really- it's going to be almost seven more weeks until spring. It's the same every year. I still love Punxsutawney Phil  + his taciturn predictions. 

Went to the pumpkin patch this weekend.