New creations coming soon

I have been a busy bee this week with 2 new projects on the go. Here is a peek at the mink I've been working with. The dark grey will be one critter, while the cream/black cross mink will be another. The cream bear is almost done, but I think I'll wait until both projects are done before I get out the camera gear for the photo session.

They should be ready in a couple of days :)

Also, I received this great updated photo of a growing Beckoning Bears collection down under. I LOVE the photo with them all looking so happy outside together :)I think they should have a picnic LOL. However, I do wish I had that green grass in my yard right now . I can only dream ;)

The dog ate my homework !

Now this in one of the those excuses they tell you that you can't get away with in school, right. Well, Monday my daughter came home from school a little upset. She and a friend worked really hard on a project recently. They create an old looking journal , tea stained all the pages, and added a leather edge "binding" with a bit of mink trim. .They were really proud of their work !

The teacher loved it too , and showed it to all of her classes. Problem is, she took the projects home to mark, and well.......her dog, umm.......ate it ! Yep, pretty much tore the cover and binding off, and ate the leather string. It looks rather mangled.

I couldn't resist sending a note yesterday asking the teacher to excuse my daughter from her homework because ,"The dog ate it". She got a great chuckle and read it to the class.

Oh, they were the only group to get an A+ on the project- LOL

People's Choice Winners

I am sooo very excited this morning to find out I won 1 of 2 categories I was nominated in for the People's Choice Awards in Australia. My little mink bear Éclair won his category. What a fantastic way to start my week.

You can see all the winning bears HERE.
Thanks to all of you who took the time to vote, either for me or any of the other nominees.

Experimenting with my camera

For the past few days there has been a lot of discussion about cameras and photography here in the den. My daughter really wants a new camera, she loves to take pictures and do photo editing . She inherited that from me :)

All this talk inspired me to test out my own camera's features. I think many of us get these great digital cameras with lots of bling . However, how often do we just stick them on auto mode and fire away. I decided it was time to try some manual settings, change the aperture, shutter speed, etc. I looked at a million photography videos on YouTube and decided to try my hand at photographing water drops. It took patience to time the drops just right, and MANY photos later these are my favorites. I still would like a Digital SLR camera so I can focus manually. These pics are not as clear as I would like, but I learned some new lessons . Oh, and I'm sure I'll be hearing...drip, drip, drip in my sleep for days LOL.


A little creative lighting and food coloring makes a nice effect. I adjusted the contrast and brightness in photo editing to really show off the colors.

I placed this apple in my sink, used lights and a mirror to capture some water splashing. I really like the colors in these pictures.


I encourage you to spend a day and play with your camera. It is the only way to learn what it can do. Also, there are some awesome , easy to understand videos on the internet and YouTube. Just do a search and have fun !
Enjoy !

A special bear for a friend

I completed this sweet bear for a special friend yesterday. It was fun to make and I really like the way it turned out. I am so happy that her new mom is happy with her too.

A place of solitude

I really do love the ocean !! The smells, the colors, the sound...everything.

It is such a peaceful place to sit and contemplate life. I like to go when there is no one else there , so I tend to stay away during busy summer days.
Or, I go there when I am stressed and just watch the waves, and listen to them crash on the shore.

There is something mysterious about it. I often wonder about what lies past the horizon. What are people across the Atlantic doing as I sit here ?
I also have great respect for the ocean. It can be beautiful, but so powerful.

I thank God that I live so close to the water. I can't image living away from it !

Henrietta, ready for Spring

I spent most of the week sick again , but I now have a couple of projects in the works. My kids are home for the next week on Spring break so it may be be slow going with the sewing.

For now, please meet Henrietta ! This little 5" bunny is hippity, hoppity happy that Spring is just a few days away. So am I LOL.

She needs a new home too, so you can learn all about her on my WEBSITE.

Meet Yang- a little panda cutie

I hope you enjoyed my little teaser peek at this cub yesterday :)
I finished the photos and would like you to meet Yang. He is a little 6.5" cutie made from champagne and black mink. I don't make a lot of traditional panda bears as it is hard to find affordable black mink.But, I came across this collar recently and snatched it up in a hurry.

For a little fun to chase away the winter blues, I have listed him on Ebay at $125US with no reserve price. The auction starts at 6pm Atlantic Time. I hope you are all adjusting well to the time change today....yay, more daylight !!!

A little teddy teaser :)

I have a new mink panda that I hope to finish photographing tomorrow. In the meantime, here is a little sneak peek to tease you LOL :) I'm not sure if this will be an ebay bear, or website bear. I'll let everyone know as soon as I decide.

An unwelcome furry guest

Speaking of caged animals yesterday .....

My cat was determined yet very reluctant to go outside yesterday afternoon. After opening the patio door several times she finally went out. She sniffed at her cat house door then backed up and sat about a foot or so away.

My hubby noticed the fluffy blanket in her house was all bunched up by the door. We assumed there must have been another cat inside. This has happened before. THEN a long furry nose poked out and we recognized that black masked face ! It was a raccoon !!!

We quickly coaxed our cat in the house and watched for the coon to peek out again. After awhile the coon exited the house, smoothed out the blanket and shut the door LOL. He slowly wandered away, hopefully for good. Coons can be aggressive if cornered, and I am concerned about letting our cat outside now.

We live in a subdivision on the outskirts of the city. Not real coon territory. My hubby did see a coon in our yard a few months ago. I wonder if it is the same one. In 15 years we have never seen one in our area prior to this. Poor thing is probably cold and hungry.

I found my mojo in a pair of socks !

I'm sure you are sitting there saying , "What"???

Well, I have really been struggling with my bearmaking lately. I just seem to have lost my passion, desire, interest...you know , my mojo. I am creating, but not enjoyng it like I should. I think a lot has to do with this LONG winter . I feel like a caged animal that just needs to get out. I haven't gone out as much as normal because of the amount of ice this year. My walking routine is totally shot. It just sucks the life out of me, I NEED spring , sunshine and more daylight !!!

After having the kids home for yet another storm day yesterday, and my hubby home sick for 2 days now, I decided to go shopping today. I was reminded of a sock monkey comment made by my SIL last week. I had been wanting to try one for awhile , and today I found these socks at the dollar store. They aren't exactly the right ones, but I was tickled, and came right home to start cutting. About 2 hours later this silly character emerged. His name is Mojo. For some reason he puts a huge smile on my face and has sparked my desire to start creating again.

He will be my new sewing companion giving me a chuckle whenever I look at his silly grin. Sometimes it is good to have a play day, and just make something outside the box !

Now I will always be able to find my mojo :) All it took was a pair of socks - who knew !