I AM TWITTERING!

I have wrestled with all of the online groups and social networks, trying to find something that suits my style and my time frame. I am spending way too much time online, browsing and chatting, etc. I think I have finally found it with "Twitter"- it's short, to the point and I don't have to dodge hearts and games and all the other fluff. I know lots of people enjoy the "extras" on sites like Facebook, but I just don't have time, so "Twitter" it is! If you want to peek at my tweets, just check the Twitter Updates on my blog or click the "follow me" button at the bottom.

NEW TOYS ON EBAY!

I am listing two new toys on Ebay, tonight. Easter is approaching and I'm starting to make a few bunnies. I love Easter and it's fun to make themed toys, fashioned after the old German toys that I love. Enjoy! My Ebay seller name is "duffyantiques".

1. Hoppy Bunny and Friends is an Easter set. Hoppy is 3 1/4 inches long x 3 inches tall (to the tip of his ears). He is made of German shulte mohair that has been hand painted with several layers of permanent heat-set paints, for a realistic look. He is filled with excelsior and steel shot and has German amber glass eyes, an embroidered face and nylon wiskers.

Hoppy is simply decorated with a white organza ribbon decorated with a posy of tiny pink and purple flowers, around the neck. He is mounted on off-set pewter wheels, so he hops when he is pulled. He comes with a tiny pink and white, chennile chick and a chalkware bunny (2 3/4" tall) that is made from one of my antique bunny molds. He is carefully painted with acrylic paints and sealed with several coats of varnish. The bunny comes in a purple shaker style collector box, decorated with a reproduction vintage bunny picture. The basket in the photo is sprinkled with glitter. The bunny is signed and the set will also come with a signed hang-tag.

SOLD

2. Tuppence and Her Chick - Tuppence is 5 inches tall and made from hand-dyed golden brown, German mohair, that has been extensively aged, leaving a few bald spots. She has German glass eyes, lightly waxed nose and is stuffed with excelsior and steel shot and granulate for weight. Her ears, face and paws have been shaded for a vintage look and her leather paw pads have been distressed, leaving tiny holes for the excelsior to show through. Tuppence wears a hand made dress, designed from a vintage hanky, with embroidered roses on the bodice. She comes with her friend, a delightful feather chick. She will come with a signed hang-tag.

SOLD

NEW BEARS ON EBAY!

After an absence of almost a year, I have listed two bears on Ebay tonight - Hector and Molly. They are smaller bears and I've had fun doing them. Feedback is always a bonus, so I'd love to hear what you think of them! For some reason I can't get the links to work, so if you would like the see their auctions, my Ebay ID is: duffyantiques

1. Hector is 3 3/4 inches tall and made of cream German Shulte Mohair that has been aged and distressed quite a bit. Hector is also stuffed with excelsior and weighted with granulate and stainless steel shot. He is adorned with a vintage silk bow and comes with his own collector tin.
SOLD




2. Molly is 4 inches tall and made of hand-dyed German Mohair. She is stuffed with excelsior and weighted with granulate and stainless steel shot. Molly wears a dress made from a vintage hanky nd comes with her own miniature tea cup.

SOLD

FINALLY, NEW BEARS FOR SALE!

It seems to have taken me forever to get over the Christmas upheaval this year. That said, I finally have three bears finished and am delighted to share them with you. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me!

1. "Tuppence" is 5 inches tall and is made from hand-dyed golden brown, German mohair that has also been extensively aged, leaving a few bare spots. She has German glass eyes, a lightly waxed nose and has been stuffed with excelsior and granulate for weight. Tuppence's face, ears and paws have been shaded with permanent heat-set paints, for a vintage look. She has distressed leather paw pads with tiny holes for the excelsior to show through. Tuppence wears a hand made dress, designed from a vintage hanky, with embroidered roses on the bodice. She wears a tiny silver heart around her neck and a preserved rose on her head. Tuppence comes with her reproduction tin toy easter chick. The chick bobs up and down, when wound with it's key. Shipping is $12.00 for expedited mail or $15.00 UPS, in North America. Please contact me for international shipping costs.

SOLD

2. "Molly" is 4 inches tall and is made from hand-dyed gold German Shulte mohair. The mohair has been gently aged and distressed, leaving a few tiny bare patches. Molly has German glass eyes, gently waxed nose, distressed leather paw pads and has been shaded on the face, ears and paws with permanent heat-set paints. This shading gives her a lovely vintage look. She is stuffed with traditional excelsior and granulate for weight and has a vintage blue flower on her head. Molly wears a hand made dress, designed from a vintage hanky, with embroidered flowers on the bodice and a blue organza ribbon around the waist. She comes with her own tiny porcelain tea cup and saucer.

SOLD

3. "Emma" is 4 inches tall and is made from over-dyed brown/beige mini German mohair. The mohair has been gently aged and distressed, leaving a few tiny bare patches. Emma has German glass eyes, gently waxed nose, distressed leather paw pads and has been shaded on the face, ears and paws with permanent heat-set paints, which adds to her vintage look. She is stuffed with traditional excelsior and granulate for weight. Emma wears a hand made dress from very pale blue, Swiss batiste cotton. It is hand-smocked across the bodice and ties at the shoulders with cream silk ribbon. Emma wears a pale blue vintage velvet flower on her head and she keeps warm by wearing her hand knit, cream mohair sweater.

PRICE: $200.00

WINTER SLUMP!

Boy, January and February are definitely my lowest production times. It seems I need January, just to get over Christmas and get the house back in order. I was thinking how lucky I was to be "cold and virus free" so far this winter, but I should have known better. Hubby went to a conference and brought back a nasty bug, which he has passed on to me, so for the past week it seems my only goal has been to be able to breathe properly so I can get some sleep at night, and it's a goal I have been losing. Snatching sleep in three hour increments, (no matter how many you get) does not equal 8 hours of uninterupted sleep! I've been trying desperately to get new bears finished for a retail shop and my blog, but I'm working at a snail's pace. Hopefully things will get better, soon.

I did manage to get a brooche made for our daughter's birthday, last week. It was a new project, which gave me a bit of energy to play. It's made with my Stampress and black polymer clay, which I have decorated with silver and gold Mica powders and made a tiny indentation for a picture of our grandson, covered with a sheet of Mica and a sweet silver frame. I was really happy with it. I want to play with this medium more in the future, but for now it will be bears, bears and more bears. Hope to have some to share with you soon.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I'm a tad late for New Year's day, but better late than never LOL! This entire year seems to have sped by. It feels like yesterday that we moved to the Toronto area to be closer to our daughter and grandson but it's almost three years since we arrived!

I hope 2009 brings the promise of good tidings to everyone - I am glad 2008 has come to a close, with all it's doom and gloom. So, here's to 2009 - HAPPY NEW YEAR!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I hope everyone had a lovely day, celebrating with their families - I know we
did. There is nothing like a five year old boy to keep things hopping on Christmas morning LOL! For all our friends and family, who don't get to see this ball of boundless energy very often, here are this year's Christmas pics. Enjoy the rest of the season and I hope you all avoid the nasty bugs going around.