Ah, Spring!

With the Teddy Bear's Tea Party online show fast approaching, I have been spending much of the last few of weeks in my studio, but I managed to steal just a little bit of time today to soak in the beautiful spring weather we are having. I justified this self indulgence by photographing a bear. (See, I'm still working!)

I am so happy to live in a part of the world which has all four distinct seasons. There are, to be sure, times during some of the longer, grayer winters in Ohio, when I wish I lived in some sunny-year-round place, but mostly I love all the seasons. Each comes with its own particular sensory indulgences, and they feed my soul! The wonderful white blossoms on the pear trees which line our street, the powder pink ones which are right outside our bedroom window, the bright green of the new grass and the lovely yellow shades of the daffodils are a feast for the eyes.

The warmth of the sun, the gentle touch of the breezes, and the sounds of the birds all delight me. And then there are the smells! I love the smell of the new grass, and the perfume of the hyacinths, but my favorite is rich earthy smell of the ground from all the rain we had the last couple of days. Neither my words or my photographs can begin to describe the pleasure this gives me. Ah, Spring!!!

Moving at the speed of life! (or trying to at least)

Hello! It has been such a long time since I have updated my blog and website. I think, it is the longest time since I started this blog....Life is full and busy, but still so very good. Every year I marvel at how much faster it goes by than the last! I can't believe we are already halfway through March, and I have not taken any time to post. So, I thought I would get a few things caught up today.

First, I have updated my show schedule for this year, finally. Please be sure to click the link above to check it out. I'm doing a new show this year, and my first show is less than two weeks away! I have also added  a few bears from the end of last year to the Bear Gallery page.

I do not have any new work for the Available page, however, I will have work available for my online collectors at the Teddy Bear's Tea Party online show in a couple of weeks.

This brings me to the main point of this post--to invite you to attend Teddy Bear's Tea Party, an online show at http://www.teddiesworldwide.com/ . The show is March 23-25, but you may visit right now to see a preview. All 100 artists were asked to create a tea party themed bear for the preview and I think you will be impressed with the creativity shown in this endeavor! When you visit, you may vote for your favorite bears in two catagories by clicking on the name of the artist. Good luck choosing--there are some really nice bears!

I struggled with the theme a bit at first. Of course, I thought right away of sweet little girl bears with dresses, but there are so many people who do this sort of bear better than I do. Then I thought a tiny bear sitting in a teacup would be pretty, but there are artists who specialize in miniatures who could take this idea to greater heights than I ever could. I pondered without inspiration for a while longer until I thought of the Mad Hatter. Here is my preview bear "Hatta".

It was challenging to figure out how to make a hat and clothes pattterns, but I enjoyed the challenge and I am so pleased with how he has turned out! He will be available along with other new pieces made just for the show (I'm not allowed to show any of the others yet, but it's only a couple of weeks now.)

Ripples--Thanksgiving Day Thoughts

When I was very young, my grandma taught me to pray at bedtime. The prayer began with "Now I lay me down to sleep" and ended with " God bless Mommy and Daddy, and Eddie, and Aaron, and Elliot, and...." The "God Blesses" were always my favorite part. I would start by asking for blessing on my family, my parents, my brothers, my grandparents, my aunts, uncles, and cousins, (I have a lot) and then I would just think "all of my family, and all of my friends, and all of their families and friends, and all of my friends' families and friends, and all of their families and friends, and all of their families and friends... " I would drift peacefully off to sleep imagining an ever expanding circle of blessings, like ripples that surround a single drop of water on a pond.

At the beginning of this month, I planned to countdown to Thanksgiving on Facebook by listing one at a time things for which I am thankful. I got as far as day one, and became too busy to visit Facebook much. However, I didn't stop thinking about my blessings. While I am blessed in so many ways--I have plenty to eat, warm clothes to wear, a home, a rewarding career---what I am most thankful for is the people God has placed in my life. I think first of my husband, Sean, and my sons, Alex and Brendan. Then I think of my parents, my siblings, Sean's parents, his siblings, our siblings' spouses, their children, my cousins, their spouses and families, my friends, my students, the teachers I teach with, my fellow artists, the collectors who enjoy my bears, and on it goes until I am reminded again of a pond with it's ripples. This time, I don't imagine just one drop of water, but many drops, with many intersecting ripples which create a beautiful pattern across the whole pond.

So, I am thankful for you! Whether you are a ripple close to my center, or whether our ripples intersect somewhere out in the pond, you are a blessing to me, and for that, I am thankful!

Busy

I have been so busy making bears for my last two shows this year that I didn't even get to photograph some of them before they found new homes!

I did want to share some of the ones I had at my recent shows though...All of these have found homes.

Stocking Bear Ornament






Nathan




Dickens (A Christmas Karl)





Cashmere





Harold





Pippa



Polly

Christmas Treasures!

The Christmas Treasures online Teddy Beas show at http://www.teddiesworldwide/ starts tomorrow at 4:00 EST! Visit the preview which is open now, if you have not already, to vote for your favorite preview bears, and see who will be there!

Here is my preview bear Pippa!

Commissions

At the beginning of each year, for the past few years, as I've attempted to map out a direction for my bears and dolls, to create a "business plan" of sorts, I have struggled with the question of whether or not to take commissions. I know of quite a few Teddy Bear artists who, for various reasons, choose not to. I am always tempted take that route myself. In fact, at the beginning of this year, I had even decided I would not take orders, but a few sweetly persistant collectors changed my mind! For me, while there is something I find very satisfying about making a special bear for an individual, I always have a struggle with time. No matter how I try to fit special orders in and around my shop and show commitments, and making work available from my website (as well as my other career as an elementary school art teacher), there is always a point in the year when I find myself overcommitted and dreadfully behind. I am there again now. I have several bears for my shop nearly completed, a state they have exisited in for a couple of weeks owing to the fact that I stole a bit of time for two Halloween bears who were positively begging to be made from some delicious orange, black, gold curly mohair I had in my stash, and who will be available here on my website later today. I also have two holiday shows looming large on the horizon! *Sigh* Artists are not general known for their business sense. Although I do know a few lucky talented and organized people, I am not one of them. I have been fortunate in one respect though; my dear collectors have been enormously patient with me, and for this I am very grateful. And so, here are a couple of commissions I have finally finished for my Dear and Patient Collectors!!!


First meet Pascal and His Puppet. Linda enjoyed seeing the puppet pairings I have been doing, but preferred a panda as the puppeteer!

Next please greet a petite polar bear called Tundra for Kelly.

I will be listing the two Halloween friends below on my available page this afternoon, and then heading to my studio (and camping out there for the next month!!!) to finish shop bears and work on some festive friends for my two Christmas themed November shows! I am fortunate in another way too. Even when I find myself a bit stressed out, I know I am lucky to have a job that I love! (I have two jobs that I love actually--because I love teaching as well!)

Eddie the Aviator

Sometimes I decide to make a bear, creating it's persona, and sometimes the bear tells me who it is going to be.

I made a parade themed bear I called Franklin for the Teddy Bear's on Parade Show back in July. I was quite pleased with the bear--he was made from one of my favorite big bear designs with a fur color I hadn't used before. In keeping with the parade theme, I made him into a drummer with a band uniform. He was the only bear who didn't find a home during the show. No matter, I thought. I'll just save him for my next show. He waited patiently in my studio.

On a trip to Hobby Lobby, I found an sweet little wooden airplane in the decor section. A few years ago, I had made a bear with a sailor collar and gave him a little sailboat to hold, so I thought I'd make an aviator bear to hold this little airplane. When I got home, I set the plane next to Franklin and immediately decided he needed a change of attire! I bought a child's bomber jacket on ebay, and not only was the color a perfect complement to Franklin's beige and taupe tones, it was a perfect fit.




This was the point when "Franklin" spoke up. "My name is not Franklin," he said, "I am Eddie the Aviator!"



Not only did he let me know who he was, but he also told me very clearly (although not by using actual words-Teddy Bears rarely do) whose bear he is! Every time I looked at him, I just knew he was my Dad's bear. ( My Dad was in the Air Force) So I called up my Dad, and described Eddie to him, and he was very excited. He came over for dinner tonight, and I gave him his bear. I am happy to say, Dad loves Eddie.