Dying to show you

What do you do with a piece of mohair that you aren't crazy about ?? Dye it of course. I have had this mohair for awhile that I wanted to use with a gorgeous contrasting orange piece I have. I wanted a darker brownish shade , so stirred up a little bath of Rit brand dye the other day.
( Don't strain yor neck trying to look at this photo...it insists on loading sideways no matter what I try- very odd !)

I find this brand really great , and the shades are bang on with the color on the box ! Of course, it all depends on the color of the original piece, the concentration of dye, and amount of time in the dye. Oh, it's a good idea to wear rubber gloves unless you want funky colored fingers LOL.

I have cut a bear out of this new shade and the orangey color. We'll see what happens. I think it would be a great Autumn colored bear !

I also managed to get a mink bear cut out too. So watch for that cub to appear soon too.

Back from the West

I have just returned from a long overdue visit to Western Canada. I am not much for flying alone, but after 18 years it was time for me to "spread my wings" and take a Mom vacation to visit a dear friend. I had a great week In Winnipeg relaxing, and touring around. (I still don't like flying alone I have to say- no one to grab onto when the plane is bouncing around !) Winnipeg, by the way, is the name of the bear that Christopher Robin fell in love with , which later evolved into the Winnie the Pooh stories ! You can read about that here

I saw some intersting sights, and the flat landscape is always such a contrast to the hilly ,twisty roads at home.
I was amazed at the size of this taxidermy polar bear. The fur is so thick and bristly.

There were also several different painted polar bear statues throughout the city. Churchill, Manitoba is the polar bear capital of the world afterall.

We also visited Lake Winnipeg where we happened upon a huge gathering of Canadian Geese ( and seagulls) preparing to head south for the winter.

The most exciting part of the trip was getting to personally deliver my last bear Fudgee-Oh to a wonderful repeat collector in Winnipeg. It was so great to meet her ( and her family) and see her growing Beckoning Bears collection , plus her other beautiful artist bears.

Now I am rested and ready to start on some new bears !

A chocolatey delight

Meet Fudgee-Oh, my newest bear that reminds me of my favorite cookie :) He is made from recycled mink fur . He was intended to have an open mouth, but that attempt failed. I am much happier with his new head and think he is too LOL

He is available directly from me -email for info or check the for sale link on the left column.

A day to celebrate !

September 11th is a sad day to remember for many people especially in the USA. My heart goes out to them. But, in my house it is a day of celebration as someone special is having a birthday. Happy birthday J !

An update on that bear I'm working on....well, it is not going as planned. I think the head is going in the trash. My daughter honestly told me last night that it looked "kinda ugly". It hasn't really stolen my heart either , so back to the drawing board. If it isn't good enough for me , it isn't good enough for anyone else.
I think the problem is that I have been rushing to get it done and that is never a good idea !

I'm off to decorate a cake and maybe get time to start a new bear head.

Have you ever noticed ?

How beautiful the sky is this time of year ! Late summer & early autumn always create the most gorgeous colors. I wanted to share some of the skies I've enjoyed the past week. I hope you enjoy them !

Oh, and I am in the process of working on a mink bear. I'm thinking of doing an open mouth on this one. We'll see , those little open mouths are tedious.






I have to admit, I am a rainbow freak. I LOVE them, and go "rainbow chasing" with my kids frequently this time of year-kind of like a Storm Chaser LOL. I get the most peaceful feeling when I see one. I can't even explain it really :)

Meet Niko

Here is the finished Prototype from the other day. I think he turned out rather cute ( if I do say so myself LOL) . I especially like the expression on his face and his eyes. The little bit felted lids really made a difference. I should have taken a before and after picture.

I hope you enjoy him. If you wish to learn more or adopt him please email me anytime.

Away we go !

It was a binders, backpacks, and bearmaking kind of day as we all headed off in different directions. The kids each started at new , bigger schools both excited yet with butterflies. My daughter loved her 1st day at Junior High. My son was a bit overwhelmed with his first 1/2 day at High School and all the "tall" people (he's still only 5'5" waiting desperately for another growth spurt -poor guy) . Me...well , I had a lump in my throat and enough butterflies for both of them . I remember how scary those 1st days can be. It is also the first time ever I won't have someone home to share lunch with me each day :(


But, as they left I wiped away a tear or two (I am such a softy) and headed for the bear supplies. I drew up a new pattern last week , tweeked the sizing and had started on a prototype. I got it all stitched today and am excited to put it together. It is always fun to see how a 2D drawing transforms into something 3D and huggable. I am experimenting with more darts to change the shape of the head and body. I just realized the profile almost looks like Winnie the Pooh . I'm hoping for something plump so stay tuned.