TRYING SOMETHING NEW - BEARS FOR SALE!

Wow, it's been a long time since my last post! Life just seems to be getting busier and busier, between holidays and babysitting our grandson, especially since he is finished school for the summer. Not much time to make bears! Add to that making a major mistake - I thought it would be faster to make a group of bear at once - NOT!!! I am definitely a one-at-a-time girl! Anyway, since I've not been selling on Ebay since their last group of ridiculous changes, I thought I would list a few bears for sale on my blog. I will leave them up for five days. It will be a first come basis, and I love feedback so if you have any ideas how I could showcase them better, please let me know. Thanks for taking the time to have a peek - enjoy!

1. The first teddy is Emma Rose. She represents all the little girls who like to dress their dolls or teddies and have a little bed to put them in. I found myself thinking a lot about my oldest sister, when making this little teddy. She was a lot older that me, and passed away 13 years ago. One of my most distinct memories of her is her doll, Emma Rose, that she adored and took everywhere with her. The name seemed to fit this teddy, perfectly.

Emma Rose is 4 1/4 inches tall and is made from Shulte mohair, that has been overdyed and distressed, so that she has tiny bald spots. She is fully disc-jointed, has German amber glass eyes and distressed, ultra suede paw pads (wit tiny holes) She is stuffed with excelsior and steel shot and has a lightly waxed nose. Emma Rose is dressed in a hand made, cream antique silk, pleated dress, trimmed with green silk at the hem. She wears an onyx heart on a thread, around her neck and a preserved miniature rose on her head.

Her shaker box is 4 1/2 x 3/1h/2 and has been painted green and then distressed. to look antique. I have decorated the front with a lovely vintage picture of a little girl and her teddy. The inside of the box has a mattress made from a tiny green paisley print, that is decorated with beads. Emma Rose fits snuggly into the box. SOLD

2. My next teddy is Nigel the Sailor. He is 5 inches tall with his hat on and 4 1/4 inches without it. He is made from hand-dyed, semi-distressed, German mini mohair, that has also been aged further, giving him a few tiny bald spots. Nigel is fully disc-jointed, has tiny amber, German glass eyes, distressed ultra suede paw pads and a lightly waxed nose. His face, paws and ears have been lightly shaded for an aged look.

Nigel wears a hand made sailor suit of wool flannel. He has a silk tie and and and had made badge, along with an aged, paper sailor hat. His jacket is removable, but it requires tweezers to undo the buttons. SOLD





3. My next bear Jangles, wears a simple collar, decorated with tiny vintage bells. The collar is removable. Jangles is 5 1/4 inches tall and is made from over-dyed mohair, that resulted in a cinnamon/rust colour. He is also stuffed with excelsior and steel shot, for a vintage feel and is fully disc-jointed. His mohair has been distressed (leaving a few tiny bald patches) and his face, ears and paws are shaded for a vintage look. His leather paw pads are also distressed, with tiny holes. Jangles has black, German glass eyes and a lightly waxed, sparse nose. SOLD

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

I enjoy Mother's Day, as all mother's do - who doesn't enjoy being pampered LOL! This year is special as both of our grown childen are home for the first time in several years. However it's always tinged with a little sadness for me, as my mum, Joan, is no longer here. Mum passed away suddenly, almost thirteen years ago, and there isn't a day goes by that I don't think of her. She taught me all my sewing skills and she encouraged my passion of all things artistic. She allowed me the freedom to make mistakes when creating, but then always challenged me to figure out how to fix the mistakes.

Mum was brilliant at making things - she could virtually create out of nothing, and she did for years, when we were kids and money was very short. We always had new clothes for special occasions, although as I was the youngest, lots of my outfits were re-made from my older sisters' outfits. I never really minded, because they always seemed new to me!

Mum was kind, non judgmental, gave easily to people and was married to my dad for over 54 years. I think her generation of mothers were the last of a breed. The stay at home mums, who were there for us, when we needed them. I'll think of mum a lot tomorrow, while I enjoy my family. Happy Mother's Day, mum, I love you and I miss you, where ever you are! XOXOXO

HOME AT LAST!

Well, we made it - three days in a car with a 4 year old, driving to Disneyworld, 5 parks in 5 days and another two days in the car driving home!We are all exhausted but happy. I haven't even had time to download all of my Disney pictures, but I'm posting some that were taken by Disney photographers, and I think they say it all.

Our grandson was a bit overwhelmed on his first day at the Magic Kingdom, but by the last day he was crying because he hadn't had a chance to see the Haunted Mansion a second time and he didn't want to go home. LOL! He was also thrilled to be chosen Honorary Cruise Director for the "It's a Small World Afterall" ride, on the last day we were at Disneyworld.

We also spent two days a Seaworld, but I'll post about that when I have my pictures cleaned up. Other than a few minor speedbumps, we all had a wonderful time, and I'll post more pictures when I get a chance.

I'M ADDICTED TO JEWELRY MAKING!

Well, I've been a teddy bear and bunny maker for twelve years, and I still love it BUT there is something about using old photos and ephemera to make jewelry that has me hooked.

Here are my latest pieces that I listed on Ebay tonight for three days. The first is a miniature shadow box of Alice in Wonderland - it's 1 1/4" x 1" and its made of basswood, with a glass front that has been soldered on. It holds a tiny 3D scene with Alice and the White Rabbit. It comes with a wooden presentation box that is 2 1/2 " square by 2" high. It has a recessed area covered with glass that houses a matching 3 dimensional scene of Alice and the White Rabbit. The box is distressed and the four sides are covered with different scenes from Alice. There are more pictures of the pendant in my March 26th post.

I have done two different pendants with pictures of Aice Liddell - the REAL Alice in Wonderland. Lewis Carroll told his stories to her when she was a small child, and named the heroine after her. She encouraged him to write them down, and they led to the book being published.

The first is an optical lens with a picture of Alice and the Cheshire cat, over a watch face. The back is covered with a lovely brown paisley paper, sealed with a permanent acrylic.

The second piece is a similar photo, but done in the fashion of antique photos. The image is sealed between a piece of beveled glass and acid free art paper, and closed with lead free solder.

The third pendant is larger and consists of a vintage illustration of Alice in Wonderland and the Cheshire Cat, which is laid over faded graphics of other Alice characters. It is decorated with glitter.

The last two pendants are of children - one is 1 1/2" x 2" and the other is 1 1/2" x 2 1/2". The photos are layed over sheet music and and ABC primer. They are decorated with glitter and sealed behind beveled glass.

All of the pendants are hung on organza ribbon.I love feedback, and would enjoy hearing what you think of my new pieces. Thanks for dropping by!

THE BUNNIES ARE HERE!

I love bunnies, and there are lots of them around where we live. I think one has a burrow under the huge Cedar hedge at the side of our property. They are sooo cute.

I couldn't resist making a couple for Ebay. The first is a miniature Peter Rabbit and a little Collector tin. When I stumbled across this tin, I knew I had to make a tiny Peter Rabbit to go with it. Peter is only 3 inches tall and sits nicely inside the tin. He is fully jointed and stuffed with excelsior and weighted with steel shot. Peter is made from German Shulte mohair that has been had painted, with layers of permanent heat set paints, to bring him to life. He also has nylon whiskers. Peter wears his familiar tiny blue jacket, with a Fimo carrot in the pocket. He also wears shows made from wood and leather.

This Baby Spring Bunny is barely 4 inches tall to the tip of her ears She is made from cream and a wonderful,“double dense” beige German mohair and is jointed only at the neck. Baby Bunny has ultra suede paw pads, and molded felt ears. She has realistic, amber German glass eyes, nylon whiskers and a sweet embroidered face and is stuffed with excelsior and gently weighted with steel shot. Bunny’s realistic appearance is achieved by building up many layers of colour, with permanent, heat-set paints. She wears a soft yellow organza ribbon aroundher neck, trimmed with a vintage bell and a group of hand made miniature buttercups. Included with Baby Spring Bunny, is a reproduction of a lovely vintage postcard decorated with a little girl hiding from two rabbits. It is mounted on basswood and decorated with glitter.

I hope you enjoy these two bunnies - they will be listed on Ebay tonight and I will post a link then. I consider these two pieces collectibles and not suitable for small children. Thanks for stopping by.

ANOTHER NEW CREATION!

I am having such fun, trying new things, and they all seem to relate to jewelry! My poor bears and bunnies are crying from neglect LOL! I wish someone would tell me why I find jewelry so addictive, when I can't wear it much at all, due to metal allergies. I guess that's why I like using the organza ribbon instead of chains.

This little shadow box is based on Alice in Wonderland. I have several different copies of the book, with different illustrators. I love illustration, and it's always been my dream to illustrate a children's book. This shadow box uses the illustrations by A.E. Jackson, from the early 1900's, who isn't as well know as some of the others, like John Tenniel and Arthur Rackham.

The tiny shadow box is 1 1/4 " x 1 " and is made from basswood. Alice and the White rabbit are 3D and are preserved with an acrylic and then the box is covered with glass and soldered together. It hangs on a cream, organza ribbon, decorated with a silver bead and has a silver clasp for a closure. I love feedback so I'd love to hear what you think of this new little creation.

HAPPY EASTER!

Wishing everyone a Happy Easter and hope you have a lovely day with your family!