Fall/Winter Hours

The trees are changing and there is a bit of nip in the air, thus it is time to take a few days off each week! Our fall hours include closing on Tuesdays and Wednesdays...all other days we will be open from 10 - 5. However, I will also take appointments for Tuesdays and Wednesdays...just call the shop.

Lumberjack Day Today

We can do the big reveal...here are the Lumberjack Day shirts for the 19th Annual Lumberjack Day hosted by Cloudcroft's Chamber of Commerce. Hope you can check it out and enjoy the beautiful Fall weekend we are slated to have!

Lumberjack Day Shirts

Cloudcroft Athletics Spirit Shirts

We have just finished the shirts for the Cloudcroft Sideliners Booster Club. These spirit shirts are on sale at the shop for $25, with all proceeds benefitting the Booster Club. Come on by and check out the awesome design (by "assistant Monster" Shelby).

Cloudcroft to Start Recycling

The Grand Opening of the Cloudcroft Recycling Center will be held on Tuesday at 9 am. I plan on showing up with my broken down cardboard boxes and sacks of aluminum cans!

I'm also looking at carrying a new brand in the shop which consists of 50% cotton and 50% recycled plastic. I'll post as soon as I have them in!

Check out our New Totem Design

If you get a change to stop by, be sure and check out our new tribal totem design. It progresses from a bear, to a cougar, to a raven...and, of course, there is a Mountain Monster tucked into the design.

Speaking of Mountain Monster, had some interesting fellows into the shop yesterday. They told me about the website http://www.bfro.net/, otherwise known as the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization.  And yes, there are sitings in New Mexico!

Some Cloudcroft Icons Hit YouTube

Just saw these new YouTube videos featuring:
BAMM, and BAMM, and the Mercantile (don't forget, we're around the corner), and the Western, and the Western, and the Burro Street Boarding House. Then there is even a driving tour from Ruidoso to Cloudcroft.

How awesome...another taste of Cloudcroft on the net! Maybe next time David Rush will stop by and say "Hi" to us. But hey, we're glad he visited our friends.

BAMM Caps a Hit

"Little Monster #2" (my son) just texted me to let me know that the BAMM caps have already sold out (just 2 hours into the 2 day event!) But not to worry, they can be purchased at the BAMM store at www.bammfestival.com. Glad they were a success!

Little Bear Fire Shirts

As many of you may know, there was recently a 37,000+ acre fire that burned northwest of Ruidoso. At last count, 224 homes and 10 outbuildings were lost. There are over 1,400 crews and overhead currently assigned to the firefighting efforts. As I am also involved with wildland fire, I was one of those people.

I have been to many, many fires all over the western United States. Many firefighters like to collect a t-shirt from the fires that they have been on, so "little monster" (my very artistic daughter and right hand here at the shop) designed a t-shirt to commemorate the Little Bear fire. She is selling the shirts around the Ruidoso area and they are available via our storefront in Cloudcroft. (Just give us a call if you want to purchase one. They are $15 for short sleeve and $20 for long sleeve.)

One thing that we are doing that I have never known other t-shirt vendors to do is donating 10% of the proceeds from the sale of these shirts to the Red Cross and the Wildland Firefighters Foundation. I'm hoping we will set an example for other vendors to follow. As someone involved with wildland fire, I know how hard the Red Cross volunteers work when evacuations occur and homes are lost. And as someone who has been around when firefighter's have lost their lives, I know how beneficial the Wildland Firefighters Foundation is.

Little Bear Fire Shirt

I can say that when I left Ruidoso 2 days ago, the skies were clear, the crews had made great progress, and the weather had started to cooperate. Let's hope it stays that way! To all of those who lost their homes, my heart goes out to you.

Working on Caps

We've been working on some cool cap designs the past few days. Here is a taste of what we have...

I can also show you a sample of the BAMM hats and decals, which can be purchased at the event (June 15-17) or at their online store, www.bammfestival.com

More Shop Photos & Local Happenings

We have had some BEAUTIFUL weather in the mountains this week. If you are thinking of visiting, you can check out the action at www.cloudcroftwebcam.com. Their nifty event camera was just in for some spiffing up and is now sporting some new blue lettering (which, of course, we do here at Mountain Monster). 

We have also been cranking out decals and caps for the Bad Ass Mountain Music Festival (aka BAMM). Check out their website at www.bammfestival.com. They will be selling the hats and decals at the festival (June 15-17) and on their website. But you really should check out the festival, as there is live music and good eats, and it's a great excuse to hang out (and camp) at the ski run.

In fact, a great itinerary would be to come to Cloudcroft Friday evening for BAMM, camp a few days and enjoy the live music, then head down to High Rolls on Sunday for the Cherry Festival (http://www.hrmplions.com/our-festivals/cherry-festival)...and while you're at it, stop by the shop and say "Hi." We're just around the corner from the Mercantile.

A view of the shop...

We have a large selection of Mara mugs in 12 oz. and 16 oz. sizes.

Another view of the shop.

Mountain Monster Retail Up and Running

We really had to turn on the afterburners, but the retail side of Mountain Monster is now open! You will notice our nifty sign just around the corner from the Moutaintop Mercantile. Stop by...the door is open.

We have custom "Cloudcroft" designs that we screen print on the premises. We specialize in American Apparel, which is made in the USA. Check out its soft feel and high quality!

We also have a large selection of Mara stoneware. I have loved and collected Mara for many years, so it was only natural that I carry it in the shop.

We also carry a unique line of bandanas for the outdoors folks. One is printed with knots (and the instructions on how to tie them), another has camping safety information, and yet another has a glow-in-the-dark star chart. But the best is yet to come! We are developing a map of the Sacramento Ranger District, complete with trails, roads and facilities, screen printed on a bandana. I'll post just as soon as they are available.

All of the fixtures in the store were handmade by either my husband or me...including the awesome signs in the front yard. At the very least, you'll want to check out our rough sawn display racks, custom mesquite table, and handmade wainscoting.

We strive to be unique in every aspect of what we do...from our t-shirt designs to our decor. It's all art to us. We hope you'll stop by for a visit.

Welcome to Mountain Monster

We hope you will enjoy our new blog. As things get rolling, I will be posting pictures and whatever else seems appropriate for the season.