A Christmas cub - Blitzen

Please meet Blitzen , my newest bear.  He is 8.5" of recycled Fitch fur complete with velevet hat trimmed with Fox fur.  He is available on my website HERE. 

The winner is .....

The winner of my birthday bear has been selected and notified.  If the prize is not claimed within 48 hours another winner will be chosen.  Thanks to everyone on my mailing list for participating in the draw !  It's always more fun to give than receive :)

UPDATE :  Congratulations to Louise in California who has excitedly claimed her prize :)
 

Birthday Bear

It's that time of year again when one lucky person on my mailing list will win my birthday bear.  This 7" mink bear was finally completed today, just in time for the contest on October 30th.   I've even decided to let the winner pick the bear's name :) 

Good luck everyone !

Dylan , a new cub

I can't believe it has been a month since I offered a bear !  Where did the time go. I've been volunteering and that has taken more time that I originally planned.  It has been enjoyable but at the same time it  has kind of sapped my creativity a bit .   However,  I am happy to finally offer Dylan for adoption.  He can be adopted from my website HERE:   I hope you like him :)

Reaching a milestone

I am so excited to have reach a milestone in my bearmaking .  I wanted to mark #500 by creating something special and larger than usual.  Quince is the result and I really was so tempted to keep him.  Many friends told me I should, but I wanted to share him with  others and give someone the chance to celebrate with me.  So, Quince is available for adoption by lottery.  All the details are on my website HERE .  He is one of a kind.  I don't have a lot of this fur so will be using it for smaller bears only.   No more big guys :)

I hope you like him as much as I do !

A fresh start

I LOVE this time of year !!   As Autumn approaches the weather gets cooler and the air feels fresh and crisp.  It energizes me and I feel creative again.  It was such along hot summer and an extremely humid August.  I am glad it is over.  I'm not one who enjoys spending hours at the crowded beach, but I do like to walk there in the cool Fall air.  

I needed to get back to a routine . As soon as school started for my daughter this week I picked up the scissors and fur and started making bears again.  It's been a month...... much too long.  

I have one bear nearing completion , and one other cut out and sewn together.   I may wait until they are both completed to list them.  I have some commitments next week so I'm not sure when they will be ready,  but soon hopefully. 

Skeeter available for adoption

Please meet 6.75" Skeeter,  my newest mink cub.  I've been working on him for almost 2 weeks when I get a few spare minutes.  We are in the middle of  2 weeks vacation but staying close to home this year.  I don't mind as I can fit in some sewing time here and there :)

You can learn about  Skeeter and adoption details on my website  HERE

Isn't this the truth !

 I saw this on facebook but don't know who to give photo credit to :( 

Little Brody, ready for a new home

7" Brody is my newest mink cub looking for his forever home.  He is made from the same mink fur as Bugsy,as well as a printed mink for his body  .  You can learn all about adopting Brody on my website HERE.

Bugsy has emerged

It never ceases to amaze me how the fluff ball heads always turn into something with such personality.  Lots , and lots,  and lots of snips here and there, and voila he developed a face.  You can learn all about him on my website where he quickly found a new mom !

Working on a bunny

 I am in the process of bringing a little bunny to life.  I haven't made one in awhile so thought it was time.   It is made from the same light fur as on Lochlin. I still have to trim the face as it looks more like a fluffy bunny tail than a head, but the limbs are all attached.   I'm looking forward to seeing the finished little fur ball later this week hopefully :)

I also want to share this photo that I took the other day.  I thought it was so interesting to find "love" in my garden !  It made me smile .

Hi, I'm Lochlin

Here is 7" Lochlin .  He is now available for adoption on my website HERE

New bear on the way

I just finished sewing the final stitches on a new mink bear.  I plan to take photos tomorrow when  the rain stops . If all goes as planned , He will be listed , hopefully, sometime tomorrow afternoon or Saturday . 

 I'll post a link for him when he is available.

Kevin, available now

Please meet 7" Kevin, my newest mink bear looking for a home.  You can learn all about him, and how to adopt at my website HERE: 

Cutting, cutting, and cutting

 I spent the morning  cutting out mink to make 3 news critters.  I hope to get time to trim the seams and start sewing this week .  School is over for my daughter ( just one more exam this week) so my bear making will probably slow down  .   Hubby and son now work full time so this is a new phase for us girls.

My role will shift to chauffeur and hopefully spending some enjoyable mother-daughter time - if she wants to be seen with her old mom ;)  I may get more bears made than expected .   I'm just going to take it one day at a time :)

Meet Nestor

Pleas meet 7" Nestor, made from recycled mink fur. He is  available on my website  HERE .  He was inspired by an abandoned bird's nest that we found the other day.    I hope you like him :)

Busy on a bear

I've been busy working on a new bear this week.  He is about 80% completed, just needs his body stuffed and ears attached.   I decided to try using tan colored leather that I recently bought for his pawpads.  I like the look and may continue to use it on future bears.  It gives a more realistic look and feel than ultrasuede.

I'll post full pictures once the bear is finished , and named :)

7" Cinnamon, my newest bear

Please meet Cinnamon, made from china mink and cream mink fur.  He is looking for a home over at my website HERE

Otis, available now

Please meet 7.25" Otis.  This mink cub is looking for a new home .  You can adopt him from my website HERE

Trying to catch up !

I apologize to those who are waiting to see my newest bears.   I've be staying at my Mom's since last Tuesday, just popping home when I can to check in .  My Mom is getting around a bit better on her crutches so I can leave for longer periods of time.  I have  2 mink bears finished, and will do my absolute best to get them listed this week. 

It seems like every time I announce that bears are coming soon something interrupts my plan lol.  


On another note.......  I got a great report from my oncologist last Thursday  and I don't need to get checked again for 1 year !!!  That was such a blessing to hear.    Thanking  God :)

  Thanks for your patience.

New bears soon

Oh my, it was such a gorgeous long weekend.  Sunny and 20C all three days.  It doesn't get much better than that !  Just like summer. 

I spent some of the time working on bears.  I hope to have a bear or two listed this week.  I have them almost completed.  When they get listed depends on if the weather co-operates for taking their photos.  I think it is supposed to rain for 3 days .

Also, I'll be busy helping my mom for the next while. She fell and broke her ankle yesterday so will be in a cast for 6 weeks.   She is such a tough lady, and sometimes a little too independant.  I'll help her as much as she will allow :)  Fortunately, she only lives 10 minutes away. 

Meet Yangtze

7" Yangtze is made from recycled  off-white mink and brown wild mink.  He is available on my website HERE .

Rusty- A new mink bear

Please meet 6.75" Rusty, my first complete China Mink bear in this pretty auburn color.   He is available on my website HERE:

A great week !

It has been a  really good week.  My injections went well, with no side effects other than some bruising and sore muscles in my uhm...derriere :) I am so thankful !  Blood tests were done this afternoon so in a couple of weeks I will get all the results.

Also this week,  I was able to get 4  bears cut out and they are in various stages of completion.   Some should be ready next week if things go as planned :)  It really is so much more productive to do several at once, but really messy.  I have to wear a mask now as I seem to get stuffed up from all the fur, and sneeze like crazy !    I don't often get inspired to make more than one bear.   I like to work on one thing at a time through to completion. 

I'm taking a bearmaking break this weekend as hubby and I celebrate our 22nd wedding anniversary.  I am blessed  to have had him in my life for 28 years ! 

New bears

I am excited to say I finished the two mink bears and will hopefully get them listed for adoption this weekend !  I'm not sure if it will be at the same time or not yet.  However, an email will go out to my mailing list as soon as they are listed. 

Keeping Busy

I've been trying to keep focused this week and concentrate on bears.  It often becomes too easy to get distracted when working at home.   I am happy to say I have 2 mink bears on the work table , one is nearing completion .  My workspace is a mess, but that means creativity is happening :)

 I actually would like to get both of them done before I go for my thyrogen injections and tests next week.  I'm not sure what to expect , but hope the side effects are minimal.  Some people have no reaction to the thyrogen, others get nausea, headaches and tiredness- hypothroid symtpoms.   Either way, I am just happy to be getting on with it, and hope this "liquid gold" does it's job :)

 I'll be sure to post the bears when they are ready for adoption !







 

My dark bear is complete

Meet 6.5" Elliott.   One of the few dark  mink bears I've ever made , and likely the darkest solid colored bear I've offered.  He is looking for a new home over at my website.  Here :

Working on a dark bear

I got a little sidetracked last week with doing my income tax.  It took longer than I hoped, but it is done , yah !

This week I am working on a new mink bear in dark chocolate brown .  I have to complete it's face then sew him/her closed .  I like the way it is turning out so far , and I hope his eyes and nose will show up with all the dark fur.  If not , I'll have to rethink this bear :)  Here's hoping it all works out and I can offer it for adoption soon :)

Oh...I still plan to post some Haiti pics.  I just need to find the time to sort through and load them !

Time to regroup

It has been a month of emotional highs and lows for me, but I think I am ready to regroup and move forward. 

For starters, the Haiti trip stories and pictures have been filled with lots of emotion. Overall though,  it was a very positive experience for everyone involved, including family members who stayed home.  We got to develop new friendships and support each other when times of worry crept in. 

However, while they were away I got news one day that I had to be at the hospital the next day for a core needle biopsy , as something showed up on my mammogram .  The biopsy itself  wasn't extremely painful  (thanks to the freezing ) , but being clamped in that mammography machine for 45 minutes is not my idea of  fun !!! I'm still bruised ! However, I am thankful I got checked. , and  I thank God everything  turned out to be benign.  That was such a relief to hear this week. God is so merciful .  It's so hard not to let your mind think the worst when you've had cancer recently.  April is cancer awareness month so I guess I'm being made really aware lol.......

Finally, yesterday I had my first ultrasound on my neck  since my surgery last June.  I'm praying that nothing abnormal shows up there.  I feel healthy and am very hopeful .  In May I have some more follow-up tests requiring the $1600 thyrogen  injections I've waited months for due to a global shortage.  If all is clear I won't have to get checked for another year !  Yeah, that would be nice. 

So , I am going to enjoy this wonderful Easter season by  take a group of teens to volunteer at the local soup kitchen,  and then next week get back into bearmaking.  I really enjoyed finishing Brambles who sat on my sewing table for 3 weeks.  Bearmaking really is so therapeutic.


May you and your family have a wonderfully blessed Easter.  He is Risen ! 

Please meet Brambles

5.5" Brambles, made from recycled mink fur, is my newest creation.  He is also my first bunny of 2012 .  You can learn all about him on my website .http://www.beckoningbears.com/available.htm

A change of pace

While my hubby and daughter are in Haiti I decided to hang up my needle and thread for a few days.  Instead I've been painting my kitchen and hallway.  It is a perfect time as I don't have to stop to make meals etc.

There has been lots of communication with the Haiti team.  We had several phone calls, emails, videos & photos posted to facebook.  I even got to skype with them last night.  Things are going very well so far.  However, It is hot , and the car fumes are troublesome in the congested streets as they travel 45 minutes to the work site each day.  

Here are some of the pics they've shared.

 

The church they are working on. Notice the old church to the left.

 

Our team and 3 of the Haitian pastors.

 Getting to know the children after church. 

  One of several guards at the local store.

Views from the guest house in the gated & guarded area where they are staying in Port-Au Prince

The Haiti journey has begun !

My hubby and daughter have started their adventure. It all began the other day  when the team  spent  5 hours at church  packing boxes and suitcases of  school supplies , hygiene supplies, tools , medications, etc. 

We were up at 3:00am this morning to get to the airport for 4am. The team of 11 boarded their plane at 6:30am and arrived several hours later in Port-Au-Prince after one stop over .  The family members that stayed behind got together for a potluck meal earlier tonight.  It was a great time, topped off by a phone call from the team.. We each got a couple of seconds to chat with our loved ones to hear that all is well. 

I look forward to hearing from them whenever they can get online.  They have some hard construction work ahead of them in the heat.  But, I can only imagine how amazing this must seem to all of them.  For 9 of them this is their first ever mission trip !

I pray God uses them in a mighty way and brings then home safe and healthy :) 



   

Here's Reilly

Please meet my little red-headed Irish bear, Reilly.  He is available on my website HERE.

A new bear in progress

Here is a little sneak peek at the bear I will be introducing tomorrow, March 19th @ approximately 3pm , Atlantic Time.

Meet Leap !

This is little Leap ready just in time for Leap Day !  He is the bear made from the Fitch fur coat .  I think he is a rather handsome fella with great coloring.   It seems he may have found a home .

 I'm sure there will be another a bear or two from this fur someday in the future.  The hand sewing parts were  hard on the fingers  as the pelts are quite thick., but worth the needle   pokes and cuts for sure  !!!

A unique fur coat

 I was fortunate recently to acquire this beautiful fur coat made from fitch pelts.  It is the first one I have ever seen and it is so pretty.  Fitch are related to mink , but have unique coloring on their fur.  It reminds me of cross-mink in some ways, but is also very different.  Fitch  are often white or blond colored (like this one)  and  have a dark stripe down their back that widens as it reaches the tail area and legs. The tips of the fur are also dark.  The fur is also a little longer than mink, on this coat anyway,  so I'm not sure what size to make.  The narrow  pelts  along with the stripes affect the pattern layout and size too .
  

 I am eager, however.  to make a bear from the coat to see what it will look like. 

Meet 7" Evan

Please meet 7" Evan, my new mink bear available on my website now:)    See him HERE

A peek behind the scenes

Sometimes I have the opportunity to work on bears that you may never see.  Most times they are gifts for very special people in my life, but occasionally I make a bear in exchange for a beautiful mink coat.   That is the exception and really depends on the circumstances.  Most times I just buy the coats as I prefer not to do custom work.  

However, since January I have been very busy and  made 10 bears. Only 6 have been for adoption.  I thought you might like to take a peek behind the scenes at some of the others.

The mahogany/black bear is Lorna, named after her owner's mom who owned the coat.  The white mink was named Louie , after the owners ex-husband who gave her the coat :)   Both  are  larger bears.  Lorna is the first all dark bear I've made andI really like her.  The little white bear is Whisper , who I recently sold.... this photo just shows the size difference very well between 10" and 7" bears.

The little 7" panda, was named Tickles, the nickname of the  2 yr old. granddaughter for whom she was made.  She is a keepsake of her grandmother's and great-grandmother's coats.  One coat was  mink and the other muskrat. It's the first time I've used muskrat for one of my little bears.

The mohair bear was a birthday gift for a very special friend across the miles :)

I hope you enjoy seeing these other creations.

Please meet Babaco

Here he is , the finished bear that my daughter and I were working on.  He is available for adopt on my website HERE 

He is being offered to raise funds for our church mission team headed to Haiti soon .  My daughter and husband will be on the team as they go to help rebuild.  This is a whole new experience for our family  , and one I think will be life changing for them.   It will be alot of hard work, but a wonderful way for them to make a difference.

Please keep the team in prayer !

A special project

My daughter and I have enjoyed working together on a special project for a fundraiser.  It is a mink bear from one of my older , larger patterns that I haven't used in ages.  She chose the pattern and fur colors.  She also cut out, trimmed and pinned all the pieces.  I am doing the sewing and finishing.   Hopefully it will be done soon and I will explain more about it then :)

Whisper- a new mink bear

Please meet Whisper , a 7" mink bear.  He is the first I have made in this off-white color from a coat I recently acquired.   I love  this fur  and may have to make myself a bear in this color to keep.  It is just so gorgeous .  Whisper  is available on my website HERE

 

Henzie, my newest bear

Meet 7" Henzie, my newest creation.  She is happy to have found a new mom in the USA. 

 
Henzie was named by a gr. 5 student who saw my article in the newspaper recently.  She likes to sew and was interested in my bears .  She emailed me and said she was doing a  school presentation about my business.  She even  invited me to her class,  about 1 hour from my house.  I was happy to accepted, so quickly worked on a couple of bears last week.   Unfortunately,  the class time was limited so the teacher was unable to allow me to attend after all.   

This young lady  was very disappointed , so I decided to email her a pic of the bear and let her choose the name.  She combined her name and her best friend's name.  I think it is a cute name and suits the bear well.   Thanks Kenzie and Hannah for the great name suggestion :)  I hope we still get to meet sometime soon !

A new bear coming tomorrow

I have a new bear who will make his debut tomorrow on my website.  I hope to have him listed at approximately 8pm Atlantic Time here on the Canadian East Coast .  Check back to see his listing and the link HERE.

A crazy week

Wow, it has been one busy week .  I have had tons of wonderful emails from strangers commenting on the recent newspaper article .  Such nice people !   It is exciting to chat about bears.  It's been a challenge trying to keep up with all the emails.  But I am thankful that people have enjoyed reading about my bears.

Plus I've been fortunate to have acquired some gorgeous new (vintage) mink fur , and met some lovely people. I have more  mink to pick up too . I'll  have a great stash to keep me in  business for awhile.  It's amazing how much fur is hanging around in people's closets. 

On top of that I've been driving my son all over town to several job interviews.  I am proud  that he got 2 job offers and started a  new job this week.  So, it has certainly been a very exciting week in our house. 

Hui -a panda looking for a home

 Meet Hui, my newest 7" mink cub available for adoption.  He is made from recycled blond/ivory , and black mink fur.  He is available on my website for immediate adoption.  HERE   He is the other bear that appeared in the recent newspaper article this week.

 

First bear of 2012 - Lewis

Please meet 7" Lewis, my newest mink bear looking for a loving home :)  You can learn all about him here :

A moment in the spotlight

It has been such a crazy day , well week,  here in the den.  It all began last week when I got a call to be interviewed for the local newspaper.   It was quite a surprise and wonderful opportunity as this paper has a large circulation.   God has richly blessed me throughout my bear making journey .  I guess this is my 15 minutes of  fame lol.   I have had lots of  wonderful emails and comments from total strangers so it has been a fun day.  It's nice to have such a good start to 2012 after such a challenging year last year.

I  spent several days madly creating a couple of mink bears to have on hand, and then of course cleaning the sewing room.  No one is allowed to enter that disaster area lol. Let's just say I am messy when I create. I hope to get those bears listed soon so check back.

I am rather introverted so when I opened the newspaper this morning it was a little weird having a photo of me starting back !  However, the reoprted, Andrea Nemetz,  did a fantastic job interpreting what I said.  She really "got" it .  And the photographer, Eric Wynne, worked some kind of magic with his camera. 

You can read the article online if you feel inclined :  ARTICLE

I hope to get those bears listed soon so check back.

A New Year

I hope that the new year is starting out well for you.   It is always a time of reflection ,  hope , and opportunity to start fresh.  There are things I want to change, and ways in which I want to become a better person. And, of course there are lots of bears I am looking forward  to bringing to life !

I came across this video today that really moved me.  I had to share .  It is a tad long, but trust me it is worth taking the time to watch.

Make the most of 2012 .  It's a gift  !