Shelby N. of Oregon , the winner of my birthday bear !!!
Thanks to everyone who participated in the contest !
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.
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. !!
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.
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 !
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.
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.
Hope you like him , I sure do. He's one of my favorites.
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.
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.
Happy Thanksgiving Fellow Canadians !
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 voilà ...a thread stand.
It has been a productive and fun week.
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.
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".