Friday, October 30, 2009

Congratulations to .....

Shelby N. of Oregon , the winner of my birthday bear !!!

Thanks to everyone who participated in the contest !

And the winner is ............

to be decided later today LOL. I just printed all the names, and they are in a bag. I'm just waiting for my daughter to come home to pick the winner. I'll send a email to that lucky person and give them a couple of days to contact me.

Good luck , only a few hours to wait to see where little Tammy will be headed. I am soooo excited :)

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

WIN ME OCTOBER 30th


I am holding my 4th annual birthday bear giveaway on October 30th. The contest is open to anyone on my mailing list, so you have a couple of days left to enter. I am a bit late getting the bear made. However, Please meet my 5.25" Mink cub named Tammy. She even has a clay birthday candle I made just for the occasion. !!

Good luck to everyone :)

Thursday, October 22, 2009

A new cub & a cabinet full

I have a new cub ready for adoption. 8.25" Davey is available on my website here. He is all ready for the cold weather with his little socks.

(SOLD to Russia Oct 23rd.)


I also received a wonderful photo from one of my collectors. Look at that great Hug of Beckoning Bears safely displayed in a glass cabinet. They share the shelf with some other artist bears too. It's so neat to see them all together !

Monday, October 19, 2009

What an exciting day !

Wow, this morning was just full of surprises ! I wasn't expecting it to be anything too exciting. My daughter stayed from school today with the flu so I figured I'd just try to do some paperwork.

But, when I checked on Mushu's Ebay auction I was so thrilled with the interest he seems to have attracted. After I listed him, I was really wondering if I had made a mistake . He really has won a special place in my heart. I love all of my bears, but once in awhile something magical happens and I just fall in love with a particular one. However, at the end of the auction I was confident that Mushu was going to a wonderful home with a Mom bursting with excitement , so I was very happy :)

Immediately after the auction ended the mailman arrived with a package just for me ! Oh, how I love to get mail.

Some days the mailman is the only person from the "outside world" that I actually get to talk too LOL. Isn't that sad ! I knew right away it must be my Swap bear that I mentioned a week or so ago. I ran upstairs to share the excitement with my daughter. She watched me open the package slowly.
As I tore through the paper and bubble wrap I could see Lily's little face staring up at me. I was sooooo excited. I know I should have read the card first but this was no time for manners LOL .
I carefully took my new bear out of the bag , gave her a BIG hug, and let out a few squeals of delight. Both my daughter and I think Lily is just adorable. She isn't the type of bear that I am usually draw too, but she tugged at my heartstrings from the moment I first saw her several weeks ago.I love her big head, little grin and overall shape. She just looks like an innocent, cute baby bear to me.

Lily was created by Cheryl Hutchinson of Bingle Bears . She asked if I'd like to do a swap of sorts , so I created Peabody especially for Cheryl. He hasn't arrived in New York yet, but hopefully soon. I hope Cheryl will be as happy with her bear as I am with Lily.

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Mushu , a traditional colored mink panda

Here he is , ready to meet the world. Mushu is 8.25" standing and is made from black mink and ivory cross mink (with black hairs scattered throughout). I like how it gives him a bit of a freckled face appearance with the trimming. He is a heavy cub, and will be available on Ebay Friday , Oct. 16th- Mionday Oct.19th

Hope you like him , I sure do. He's one of my favorites.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

A panda in the making

I am excited to be working on a new mink panda. It is made from black mink and ivory cross mink. The cross mink has black hairs scattered throughout.

He/she is staring out the window waiting to have the last seams closed, and the second ear attached. Hopefully it will be ready by Friday.

Looks like I better get busy cleaning the window next LOL.

Monday, October 12, 2009

Come on a tour, but beware of GIANT Pumpkins

Today was so beautiful that we decided to take a drive to the Valley , about 90 minutes outside the city. It is a really pretty area, and we stopped at a few of our favorite places. Come along and enjoy the little tour....

Our 1st stop was at the pumpkin farm where you can indeed find GIANT pumpkins. Several world record size pumpkins have come from this farm over the years. There was one here today that weighed 1002 pounds !!! They just look so out of place; like pumpkins on steroids LOL. Some of the larger pumpkins are actually carved out for the annual pumpkin boat races on the pond. Now that is quite a site to watch LOL. It is fun to roam around and enjoy the brilliant colors, feed the horse, and look at the freaky gourds too.

Stop #2 was the U-pick apple orchard.
We picked the yummy Red Delicious variety.

As well, we discovered a new green Japanese apple called Mutsu. It is crisp and has a terrific flavor. Kind of like a Granny Smith but not as tart.

The trees were loaded down to the ground.

Stop #3 was at a Lookoff over the Valley. It is a fantastic view overlooking some farms and part of the ocean/basin. I love the multitude of colors in the landscape here.

Then we headed home with our 20 pounds of apples, a Halloween pumpkin and a big appetite for leftover Turkey :)

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Happy Thanksgiving Fellow Canadians !

There is so much to be thankful for, where does one begin.........

We just finished our yummy turkey dinner with all the trimmings awhile ago. My belly is stuffed , and I am ready for a nap now :) No this isn't our turkey, but wouldn't it be funny to serve one like this LOL

Thursday, October 8, 2009

A week of special projects

I've been busy this week working on a few special things just for me, sort of :)


Project #1 ) I feel in love with a precious little bear awhile ago by a sweet bear artist. She asked if I would make her a bear at a reduced price in exchange for her creation that I love. Sounded like a fun idea to me so I created this cutie this week, whom she named Peabody :) He is on his way to New York , and I'm excitedly awaiting the arrival of Lily. I'll show her picture when she arrives.


Project #2) I've been wanting to make an Annie doll ever since I won mine from Shantell last Christmas. These cloth dolls have just captured my heart . Soooo, I drew up a pattern of my own and started on my doll this week. I just need to put her together and make some clothes, then I can show you the finished girl .

Project #3) Ever since I bought my featherweight I've been planning to buy a thread stand. I have a lot of spools of thread that are just too tall for the regular holder. After forgetting to pick one up many times I decided......hmmm... I bet I can make one of them. I found an online tutorial, found all the tools and supplies I need around the house, and voilĂ  ...a thread stand.

It has been a productive and fun week.

Saturday, October 3, 2009

Teddy Bear & Craft Magazines

I always enjoy browsing though the pages of Teddy Bear and Craft magazines. There is always so much eyes candy that really inspires me. I am disappointed though because locally I can't buy Teddy Bear magazines anymore. I do have some subscriptions, but it always takes a bit longer for copies to get to my mailbox.

I was excited to receive a link from Teddy Bear Review to their first online digital version. You can enjoy this complimentary copy also HERE. Just make sure you have a flash player installed. I think I'll be subscribing to this paperless, eco-friendly version !


The U.K. Magazine , Teddy Tear Club international, also offers a sample Digital version too. You can learn about that HERE.

I've also recently discovered a wonderful and unique magazine called "Where Women Create". This high quality magazine offers lots of gorgeous photos and you can enter the studios of many talented women. This isn't available online, but is worth looking for in your favorite bookstore. I even placed a small add in a recent edition.
So, what magazines do you enjoy ??? I'd love to hear from you.

Thursday, October 1, 2009

Jonas is finally completed !

Yeah...it took awhile, but I finished the new head and Jonas is finished. I think he look so much better, and I hope you agree :) I really like this light fur color. I've never seen or used this shade before . It was a small collar and I have no more left after making 2 heads. So, he is definitely one of a kind from me.

Jonas is available on my website via silent auction. You can get all the details HERE.


I also took a group shot of some of the bears I have here. I don't often have more than one with me at a time. It is interesting to see the size comparison with them all together I think. They range from about 3.75" -13".