Welcome to Monkey, Moo & Boo Designs.
My name is Gaëlle and I am a 33-year-old French stay-at-home mom of three rather lively yet lovely boys. Killian, the eldest, turned 9 in February. Elliott, turned 2 mid-January and we welcomed our third boy on February 19th 2018.
Life is quite busy with them, but they are a big part of my crafting journey.
As I mentioned, I am from France but my heart belongs in Ireland, where I lived for ten magical years. During my life, I have loved and lived in Spain, France and Ireland, learning a lot about myself along the road.
Mid-2016, we moved our family back to France 🇫🇷 to give our kids a taste of what life is like in another country. We relocated to a small town near St Etienne, in Eastern Central France.
Life here is quite different, compared to Ireland 🇮🇪, but I am making the most of this opportunity of being a stay-at-home mom, spending time with my boys, watching them grow but also dedicating myself to developing my business.
Sewing, means the world to me. In 2009, just after getting married to my Irish 🍀 husband, I gave birth to my first child. It seemed to me that the best way to provide for my son was to have a hands on approach. Part of this mantra was to make him clothes, baby accessories, ... but the way I wanted. That’s how I ended up buying my first ever sewing machine.
I was so excited that I went on to use it the minute I got home with it! Sewing just seemed to come to me instinctively. I immediately knew how to use it and what to do. I guess I somehow learnt it all just from watching my mom sew when I was a child.
I remember how my mom would sit for hours, sewing. Her worn hands threading the needle, using her best scissors to cut the fabrics, then gently guiding the fabric so that the stitches would line up perfectly. Wherever you were in the house, you could hear the machine’s gentle hum, as her foot pressed down on the pedal, again and again. It was what made her happy.
Now, it is my happy place too. After dinner and once the boys are asleep, I steal away for a few hours of peace, and I sew. My sewing machine has become an extension of me, as I pour my secrets, my passions and even my sorrow into it, for it gives me comfort when all else failed, but most importantly, it gives me boundless joy.
It is the one place I feel close to my mom now that she no longer is.
I put my everything into what I make. Creating makes me happy and that’s how a need to provide for my son quickly led to a desire and love to make for others.
Whether it is baby accessories, Tricotin knitted names or wall banners, I can do it for you and so much more. My specialty is in beautifully crafted baby products but I don’t limit myself to this. Just check out my photos to inspire you!
Gaëlle
