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.

My decision on Kuma

After a LOT of thought I have decided to place KUMA on Ebay. I hope I won't regret the choice , but I really feel he was meant to be shared with a new mom or dad. Hey,if he doesn't meet the reserve then he can stay with me :) He will be listed for 5 days , starting shortly. Click the Ebay logo on the right to see his auction later.

Meet KUMA

I am so excited to introduce you , finally, to 12" KUMA made from recycled muskrat fur. I told you he was very different from my usual bears. I'm still not sure what to think of him. I have been wanting to try a realistic bear face for awhile and I think this was a good first try. However, He may be the one and only I make like this , wow what a lot of work !

I hope he was worth all the waiting ?

I'm not sure if he'll be available for sale or not. I've become quite attached to him after spending so many hours together LOL. I'll decide and let you know.






Thanks so much for checking in to meet Kuma !

Almost done !

I am getting close to finishing this felted bear. Can you believe it :) I just need to permanently attach the head , stuff the belly and close the seams. I'll add a few final touches and show him to you tomorrow hopefully. He is very different from anything I have made. He is a more realistic looking bear I think. Here is a quick photo of the finished , shaded paws.

Feeling a bit big

Do you have those days when you look in the mirror and wonder how you got like this ! Today is one of those days for me. Ya know , the kind where you just want to hide under the covers....sigh :(

As I was cleaning my daughter's room I stopped to check on her fish & frogs. There are 3 African Dwarf frogs and 1 of them ( the female )is ....well...obese ! Not sure why, maybe she is full of eggs. They all get fed the same, but this poor girl has issues and has had them for awhile :) Everything seems to go to her thighs LOL. I wonder if she knows she isn't as slim and trim as the others ? I had to take this picture , she appears to be looking at her reflection while the slimmer froggy watches. It made me laugh.




These frogs are quite neat actually. They live underwater, only eat twice a weeks , have poor eyesight and can live 30 years. They also make a high pitched humming noise, kind of like a mosquito buzzing . And, they are only about the size of your pinky finger. Cute little things !

Still at it

Yes, I am STILL working on this felted bear and only 1 broken needle to tell of. At this rate it may be winter before it is completed LOL. It does take a long time, but I have the muzzle almost done now. I'm not totally loving it yet so I'll keep at it. I made a more realistic apoxy sculpt nose and I am pleased with that. Keep peeking in and I hope to get this bear done this week. He may be a keeper if he is too hideous to face the world :)

Bear With Me !

I am a bit behind on my bear, but he/she is slowly taking form. I spent most of the day yesterday trying to fix my computer as my Internet connection went haywire. I did manage to get some time to work on the my Bear's feet. I decided to felt those and it took me 3 HOURS to do both feet. Felting is a neat art form, but time consuming when you felt firmly. I use mohair for the pads to grip the wool as I felt. I like the results so far.

I plan to do shading later for added depth.

I use core wool to start with and poke it over, and over, and over with the needles ....until it forms a toe,etc. It felts down really small and hard. I then use the needles to felt it onto the pawpad. More wool is added as needed to build the desired shape. The final layer is roving which is softer and gives a smoother finish.

Different needles are required for different stages of the felting. These are incredibly SHARP needles that you do not want to poke yourself with....ouch. They remind me of fish hooks. The needles are fragile and can break easily too. You need to be focused when felting. No TV watching :)

Now, I am not a felting expert by any means. I'm just sharing my technique, which I continue to improve as I go along. To see the work of the incredible artist I learned this technique from , check out LUXEMBEARS by Judi Paul. Jaw dropping work !

Here is my first attempt at felting from Judi's class in 2006. "Giggles" cracks me up when I look at him; he looks like a sloth from the Ice Age movie :)