Time to vote !

I finally received my copy of the Golden Teddy Voting issue of Teddy Bear Review . It is so exciting , and a bit surreal seeing my bear , Kade, listed there will all the other nominees.

I encourage you all to get a copy of the magazine and vote for your favorites to support the competition. I'm not sure who I'll vote for in some of the categories.... all of the nominees are wonderful and unique !

The voting deadline is July 11th .

Graduation Celebrations

What an exciting , emotional few days ! My son graduated from Junior High (on the honor roll) yesterday and my daughter from Elementary school (with straight A's) today. They seem to be growing up so fast. We are just so very proud of them.

I wonder what the future holds for these 2 as they grown, mature and gain more independance and pull away from me more each day. It is so rewarding to see them develop into wonderful young adults, but I wish I could tie those apron strings a little tighter somtimes :(

Summer holidays have now officially started. Time to sleep in -yippee !

I'm in shock

I know this probably isn't very professional, but I am in shock at Tia's auction. This is a record for me (in $US) and I am so excited. I am thrilled that my new design was so well received. Ebay auctions can rattle my nerves as the outcome is so unpredictable :)

I know Tia is going to a wonderful collector to join some of her brothers and sisters. This lady has waited patiently for a couple of years for one of my black/white pandas apparently.

At the same time, I feel sad for two ladies who were very interseted and heartbroken that they missed out on Tia. I hope there will be a special bear for them in the future.

Thanks to all of the collectors who follow my work. You are so appreciated !

Wishing you a happy day !

Tia on Ebay

My mink panda, Tia, was supposed to be on Ebay tonight, but I messed up the auction. I now have her scheduled to start at about 8pm on June 22nd (Sunday) for 3 days only. Click the Ebay logo to the right to see the auction listing later.

It's a Girl !

Sorry it has taken me so long to update you on this bear. It has been a busy week with little bearmaking time. This little girl is almost ready for Ebay. I still have to finish the shading and adjust a few things . I hope to get time tomorrow to do the photos and listing. If not, it may be Sunday . She is a prototype of my new pattern and overall I am pleased with the look.

She has smaller eyes and cheeks, and a double jointed neck allowing for lots of sweet poses. I still need to give her a name . Any suggestions ????

Bear Bits

I sat down yesterday with pen and paper and drew up a new pattern. Who knows if it will turn out nicely ,or look much different even. I cut out the mink and hope to get at it this week. School is winding down so I expect my bear making time will lessen over the summer as I spend time with the kids. Assuming they want me to ! They are at that age where it's embarrasing to hang out with Mom -LOL. Unless of course they NEED me to drive them somewhere. I'll stay 20 paces behind. At least they still let me hug them everyday, as long as nobody is looking :)

I'll try to have new bears as often as I can.

Missing Dad on Father's Day

Happy father's day to all the wonderful dads out there. June is always a bit sad for me with Father's day and my Dad's birthday. I lost my dad suddenly to a heart attack in August 2003. He was only 61. I still think about and miss him everyday. He was a kind-hearted, gentle man and a great dad !
I love you Dad :)
This song expresses how I feel.

Scary Wildfire !

I have never seen anything like this before ! I heard that there was a fire out of control on the outskirts around 5pm yesterday ,so I decided to take a drive. It is said to be 15km long and 2km wide. The first 2 pics are the view from the end of my street... I think my heart skipped a beat when I saw the plume of smoke. I hoped that it was really clouds. It was a very uneasy feeling to see, but I knew it was far enough away that we aren't in any immediate danger- (About a 15 km away). It was soooo windy yesterday and again today that this fire is still out of control.




The smoke is like a huge wall on the edge of the city. Thousands of people have been evacuated, and several homes destroyed . I hope it is out soon and everyone is safe !

Tears of Joy !!

I got the most incredible package in the mail today ! I knew it was coming , but had no idea what it contained. So , when I opened it I was speechless and burst into tears. I have met an Angel on Earth.

The package came from a bear artist, and sweet collector & wonderful friend whom I have actually never met. We have only communicated through email, but I can tell she is a very special & caring person. I have been helping her with bear making questions so she says she is my apprentice LOL.

Well.....today I received this gorgeous mohair, ultrasuede, & mink . The most touching thing was a picture her mom, who enjoys my bears, drew for me. Her mom is in a nursing home and is paralyzed except one arm. I was so touched and will frame this art to hang in my sewing room.

Also included was a raccoon by Kathy Myers ! You have to realize that I absolutely adore Kathy's work and never in my wildest dreasm did I ever think I would own a piece. They are way out of my price range, so I admire from a distance. I had no idea how tiny her creations were until now. Riley raccon is only 5.5" tall. WOW, with 20 years experience this artist has talent I can only hope to have. Simply gorgeous. I can't believe my friend bought this raccoon for me ! I am beyond blessed today , and have no words to truly express how overwhelmed I am at this act of selfless kindness ! I feel so special !


I have received wonderful surprises from a few collectors in the past, and each one just touches my heart more than you know. It's not about the "stuff", it is about the person and the thought. Meeting you wonderful people, even if only online, is a something I truly treasure.

Thank you, thank you, thank you J. and S.
for giving me tears of pure joy today.

Introducing Cameron

Here HE is......I really wanted this to be a girl, but it was not meant to be. As you can see Cameron is definately a boy. All the ribbons and bows just could not change that :) Stuffed bears do have a mind of their own ya know LOL . The coin pendant he is wearing is a replica Ancient Chinese coin to bring good luck. It came from a term co-worker of my hubby, direct from China.

Cameron will be on Ebay later this evening if you care to see more of him. (Click the ebay logo to the right once the auction starts)

I hope you are having a wonderful day. It is HOT here, a real summer day. To those in Ontario, please don't send anymore heat :) Be careful of those tornado watches-yikes.

A great weekend !

Well, the recital was wonderful yesterday, look at those feet just a movin'. (Sorry for the blurred face, I don't like to post my kiddos faces online.)


Today we celebrate my hubby's 42nd birthday , one of many we have spent together as we started dating when we were 17 ! (The best part is he'll always be 4 months older than me LOL)



And, it looks like Kuma may have found a new mom ! I also think I'll have the mink bear ready to photograph tomorrow or tuesday at the latest !

What a great weekend it has turned out to be.

Busy , Busy

Where has the week gone ?? Somehow, I am well underway with the fur bear. I just need to close the seams and give him / her ears. So far so good, but it may be a couple of days or so until it is finished.

I did some baking for my daughter's school D.A.R.E. (drug aduse resistance education) graduation celebration which was wednesday night. What a great program to teach kids tools to resist drugs/alcohol and bullying. It was a great time and she was soooo excited. I was also asked , last minute, to machine embroider some shirts.

This weekend is my daughter's dance recital, and she is happily taking part in 2 of her 3 dances. She gets her cast off on tuesday and can't wait.

Today I plan to bake for hubby's birthday which is this weekend. Oh, and of course housework , and I've been battling ants this week in the house... ick , ick, ick !

Looks like the next 2 weeks will be busy with school events that I plan to participate in- field trips, my son's grauation, barbeques etc.

Have a wonderful weekend. I'll post the bear when it is finished, hopefully soon.

The fur is flying

I finished cutting out another fur bear yesterday, and fur was flying EVERYWHERE. Luckily it was a nice day so I could cut outside. If all goes as planned it will be panda . I'm not sure when he/she will be finished. I have many things on the calendar this week, school events, meetings, etc. I have to fit it all in somehow :)

Looks like Kuma will be living with me for now. Unfortunately, he struck out on Ebay :( That always stings a bit , but I can't expect to sell every bear I make now can I !

Simple things

When you are feeling overwhelmed or weary, stop to enjoy the beautiful and simple things around you. It always makes me feel better ! I found these Lilly of the Valley hiding in my garden today.