Glass Dragon Bears

keeping busy

2012-01-31T14:37:00.000-08:00

I have been keeping busy... knitting a hat for Lili, getting my son's house ready to sell, a new bunny, two BIG bears and so on...

Here's the newly painted Master bathroom... he chose "sparrow" for the walls. The countertop is off white, the mirror white and the cabinets below are "sparrow" doors with a charcoal gray face area. We took out the 1960's hanging Spanish-decor lights and replaced them with this in pewter. Everything looks nice and tailored and fresh!

And Lili is her new earflap hat...I'm not really a crocheter so this was good practice for me in reading a pattern and following through! No, I haven't forgotten my grandson. His is next!

The bears are "Sleepy Time Gal" and Brewster and the rabbit is Peony. They are all posted on BearPile

Digby has whiskers

2012-01-11T13:49:00.001-08:00

Gunilla thought he'd look "even cuter" with whiskers... so now he has them!

Digby the mouse

2012-01-10T19:58:00.001-08:00

Does Digby need whiskers? I hadn't thought to add any until I was uploading him here.
He does have all the comforts of home in his cigar box hide-away... Digby is 4.5 inches tall and is cotter pin/hardboard disc jointed. His lunch, some broccoli, a tomato and a cabbage, were made from polymer resin.

Happy New Year

2011-12-31T07:22:00.000-08:00

Baxter and I want to wish all of you a Happy New Year.... may 2011 be the best yet!
Bettina

post-Christmas plague...

2011-12-28T19:59:00.000-08:00

it doesn't seem quite fair... but our Christmas elves passed on the plague to their visiting uncle, grandfather and myself. So plans we had to go "out and about" with said uncle have had to be put on hold.

We all felt well enough today to whip up a batch of Robb's famous spaghetti sauce! We then invited the elves and their parents for dinner ... big success ! Our 5 year old grandson bit down on a piece of spicey sausage which led to a never still little boy running around telling everyone, " Mama Mia that's a speecy, spicey meatsie meatball" at the top of his lungs! But dinner was fun though the still sick adults in this house were ready for some quiet time when the elves left!!

By the way... the elves have really enjoyed my Christmas sewing projects.... but the skinny grandson will have to have the elastic tightened. His pj's just won't stay up!!

My Christmas elves!

2011-12-26T08:54:00.001-08:00

Here are my elves... dressed to help Santa on Christmas eve! The pj's I made do have "grow room" ...but better than too small, right!?

My etsy shop is having a Boxing Day sale from today through New Year's Eve.... here's your chance to get 10% off. No extra for shipping if you live in the US!

Go here

Workshop will be closing soon!

2011-12-20T13:52:00.001-08:00

As you can see, we've been quite busy around here. The tree is up, my Annalee's in place and, the lights outside are on! The woodworking tools have been making loads of noise in my husband's garage workshop and my sewing machine has been whirring away like made.... not making bears or bear friends but Christmas pj's, twirly skirts, cooking aprons etc. I don't think my grandkids read my blog so I am safe posting a picture of some of my completed things!

We are having the kids and grandkids over Friday night for dessert and coffee or hot cocoa. We'll have a chance to talk without the excitement of presents....

Hope you all have a wonderful Christmas ( or if you celebrate another holiday, hope that one is wonderful too!) !

The Christmas workshop is still open

2011-12-10T12:22:00.001-08:00

today's task was biscuits for the grand-dogs Chloe and Floyd. ... a batch of doggie biscuits. The recipe included cheese, garlic powder, dry milk, an egg, flours ( several types) and chicken stock. They were in the oven for almost two hours and the house smelled good enough for Bob to give them a taste test!! Thumbs up!! Hope the dogs like them as well!
How shall I wrap them?

LiliBilli's in an etsy treasury!!

2011-12-09T13:09:00.001-08:00

LiliBilli ( named after my granddaughter who also has red hair!) has been chosen for an etsy treasury !

My sewing machine has been whirring with the sounds of Christmas pj's and presents! I have finished 4 sets of pj's and a present for my son ( shh it's a secret!) . I can tell that the grandchildren are growing since now it takes 2 yds for Dominic's and 4 yds for Lili's ! Thank you JoAnne's for your Black Friday $1.49 sale on flannel!!

Back home....

2011-11-29T14:27:00.001-08:00

We are back home and trying to get things organized for our second Thanksgiving on Saturday. This time it's with the Kansas City group!
I did manage to get a few things made ...here are three of them... There are a few more, but they aren't quite finished.... yet!

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-25T07:14:00.000-08:00

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We are down in Tulsa, OK visiting our son. He was in charge of the turkey so we tried a new brine recipe... brown sugar, peppercorns, maple syrup, bourbon and fresh thyme. It made a wonderful moist turkey! We also tried a new mashed potato recipe from Better Homes and Gardens..... cream cheese, blue cheese, caramelized onions, butter , cream and fresh parsley. Great flavor combination! We are on leftovers till we head home! We actually have to do turkey day all over again next weekend for the Kansas City family members!
Whilest the men did their stuff I worked on some bears.... but forgot the cord to download pictures to our laptop! So I will have to post them on BearPile and etsy ( and this blog) when we get home!
The men went to their chosen store for Black Friday ( I styed home waiting for a new bed delivery) and when they returned I went to JoAnne's Fabric store.... I seen Christmas pj's in my future!
How many of you were out shopping?

Boy, it feels funny...

2011-11-09T21:16:00.000-08:00

It really does feel funny seeing bears I made years ago ( anywhere from 1 to 20!) show up on eBay.
Has someone stopped collecting? Downsizing? or what? I watch to see what happens and hope the bears find new homes....

another treasury for Christopher

2011-11-06T20:37:00.000-08:00

Christopher has been chosen for another treasury.... but really all he wants is to go home with someone!

The spiders.....

2011-10-30T12:52:00.000-07:00

The spiders are hung by the door with care in hopes that the Great Pumpkin soon will be there! And a bat just flew in to keep them company....

Christopher's in a treasury!

2011-10-30T12:24:00.001-07:00

Little Christopher and his altered paper mache box made in into an etsy treasury !

my surprise!

2011-10-25T16:40:00.001-07:00

When the doorbell rang today I had no reason to expect a surprise box from my son.... but I did. He sent this wonderful autumnal dried flower wreath! I've hung it on the door to the closet in my entry way ... for the time being. I will use it for a centerpiece on my dining room table when I finished making memory bears from a 1950's wedding dress. Currently the table is covered with satin, lace and netting! Thanks, Robb!!!

Two snowmen for 2011!

2011-10-14T06:28:00.001-07:00

Here's are the first of 2011's Frostys.... I always enjoy coming up with new ones each year! Frosty the Snowbear is on BearPile and stands 6" tall. The roly poly Frosty is on etsy and is 4 inches to the top of his hat!

the start of Christmas bears ... and bear friends

2011-10-11T08:43:00.000-07:00

Baxter is the first of my Christmas bears and bear friends... I have posted him on BearPile.
I have made a few 2011 Frosty the Snowmen which I will post soon!!

Made it into an etsy treasury ! Yipee!

2011-10-09T08:19:00.001-07:00

My pumpkins are in an etsy treasury!!

Update... since I posted, the pumpkins have made it into three more treasuries!! What fun!!

Trick or treater!!!

2011-10-08T08:00:00.001-07:00

We've been visiting our son down in Tulsa. He had some vacation time and a list of house projects for us .... new lights, new bathroom fan/light, bush pruning and so on. Knowing that my husband and son would be gaming on the XBox at night, I took my bearmaking supplies along. Loren is one I finished while they played.

The Jubilee is over...

2011-09-27T13:18:00.000-07:00

The Kansas City Bill Boyd Memorial Teddy Bear Jubilee is over for 2011....I enjoyed it ( as usual) even if I didn't get to spend as much time there. Bob and I mixed a stone carving 3-day workshop with the 3-day teddy bear convention! I found myself wishing I could clone myself because I wanted to be at both things at the same time! Didn't happen!
Molly, my elephant in the kimono, won a first place ribbon for"under 6 inches dressed" in the Jubilee competition!!

As for stone carving.... my limestone piece isn't finished. I worked on it all Friday becoming more and more frustrated. Then I learned on Sunday that I had picked one of the hardest shapes to carve.... and felt much much better. There isn't much carving left... though I will still have loads of sanding to work on! I will post a picture then!
Now that The Jubilee and the bear show down in Grapevine, Tx. are over , I have started putting bears in my etsy shop again! Here is the link! By the way... sales at the two shows were good!!

Working hard

2011-09-19T08:03:00.000-07:00

After a great bear show in Grapevine, Tx. on the 11th I have been working hard to "restock"! A nice problem, but I have another show, the Kansas City Bill Boyd Memorial Jubilee on the 24th ! I took a picture of my latest sitting waiting for their hang tags! I have a purple elephant and a Halloween ghost in the works!

Heading back home

2011-09-12T06:38:00.000-07:00

The Grapevine Show, Texas was great! We saw lots of old friends and made new ones! LOTS of bears and bear friends are NOT heading back to Kansas City with us... which means I will be sewing a lot before The Kansas City Teddy Bear Jubilee on the 24th.
For other bearmakers... the promoters are already at work on next years' show. It will be Sunday October 28th.... same place, the Grapevive, Tx. Community Center!

Simon's hitting the beat

2011-09-04T10:55:00.000-07:00

Simon is ready to head down to Texas... but in the meantime he's making noise hoping someone will notice him!
He can be seen on BearPile until I pack him away for our trip to the Lone Star State.

Will Jennie got toTexas?

2011-09-01T12:03:00.001-07:00

I'm working on things for the Grapevine Show on September 11th. This is Jennie.... a 6" bear made from hand-dyed mohair. She comes with her vintage hankie dress ( Thanks to Nancy Hauk !), her "bear case" and her Ohio Art vintage tin cup, saucer and creamer that I found in Livingston TN.
By the way, Nancy's workmanship is supreme... wonderful smocking, all finished seams etc.! I always keep my eyes open for hankies for Nancy to work her magic on! This one also came from Livingston, TN.

Jennie's going to Texas but not to Grapevine!

Teddy Bears with all their Friends

2011-08-30T07:07:00.000-07:00

I'm getting ready for the first Grapevine, TX Teddy Bear show sponsored by two local bear artists!! Here are the details:

Grapevine Convention Center
1209 S Main Street
Grapevine, Texas 76051
Sunday, September 11, 2011
11 - 4 pm

Can't wait to see all my Texas Bear Artists Guild friends!

Needle felted pumpkin giveaway winner

2011-08-28T10:25:00.000-07:00

My needle felted pumpkin giveaway has a winner ! I inveigled my husband to pull the name from this cute little Halloween bag which I won on a giveaway last year. He pulled "Laurel's" name.... and I will be emailing her shortly to tell her!!

Thanks to all that participated!!

GIVEAWAY... hit 300 plus last night!

2011-08-05T07:21:00.000-07:00

I hit the 300 "favorites" on etsy.com last night!!! So here is my giveaway....one of my needle felted pumpkins. He was made from hand-dyed wool roving with German glass eyes and a wire curlique . He measures 2.25 inches in diameter and 3 inches tall.

What YOU need to do to be entered:

comment on this blog with a way for me to reach you.

This giveaway is NOT restricted to US mailing addresses. I will ship overseas by USPS International First Class.

This giveaway will close on AUGUST 26 th and I will email the winner and announce it on this blog.

one "favorite" to go

2011-08-04T20:58:00.001-07:00

I am up to 299 favorites on etsy.com !! I promised a giveaway when I hit 300... The giveaway is made and ready for me to post. I just need one more "favorite"!

the weather is hot so I've been sewing

2011-08-04T14:27:00.000-07:00

What is there to do when the temperatures hit 111 degrees? Well... I've been sewing and reading. Bob and I lug shopping bags full of books home from the library and sit and read for hours at a time!
But I also sew.... hand sew little bears. This is Tommy and his friend Chaps. I found the basket and the (plain) puppy on the clearance aisle at Hobby Lobby. The puppy was too plain so he has been enhanced with coptic markers. You can find them both on BearPile

Joey.... my latest... a really small little guy!

2011-07-31T13:10:00.000-07:00

Lately I have been honing my tiny bear sewing skills... I think Joey must be one of the smallest mohair bears that I have done. He is 5 inches tall and is 5-way cotter pin/hardboard disc jointed.

I was trying to dye some white mohair black and this dark mauve gray was the result.... since it wasn't black enough for the skunk I was working on, I put it aside . Yesterday I came across the piece in my stash and decided to put it to use... Joey is the result.

Joey just fits in the palm of my hand!

Favorites on etsy.com

2011-07-18T16:56:00.000-07:00

My "etsyshop" has been favorite-d 291 times... !! I think that's awesome ( as Lili would say) ! Now I have to think of something for a giveaway when I reach 300. I think there's still time to ponder but will post details shortly.

Etsy treasury.... "Pretty in Pink"

2011-07-12T06:23:00.000-07:00

Elspeth has been chosen for the etsy "Pretty in Pink" treasury!!!

Max hits 30!

2011-07-08T18:04:00.000-07:00

No not years... but hearts on etsy.com !! I can't believe it... 30 hearts!!! And a treasury.

Update on July 18th... Max is at 35 hearts now!!!

Elspeth the Elephant

2011-07-08T16:05:00.000-07:00

Elspeth is a little pink elephant.... she comes with a silk flower to celebrate Creating the Hive's First birthday...
she's been posted on BearPile and etsy.com

Time for a cat???

2011-06-26T20:09:00.000-07:00

I had a hankering to try a little anime cat and in the midst of making one I decided to needle felt the muzzle, nose and mouth.. .. Mitzie is the result. I'm pleased with her and will try a few more ideas next time!

Blowing in the wind.... not !

2011-06-19T06:43:00.000-07:00

Mr. Cowabunga dude ( my grandson) celebrated his fifth birthday last night with cupcakes ( his choice)... he doesn't "like" cake. Mom made them with help from Dominic, his sister Lili and his friend Carson. Luckily the recipe called for three eggs! They were great..delicious!

Happy birthday Dominic !

Fireworks are coming....

2011-06-17T13:00:00.000-07:00

George is ready to celebrate Independence Day... the Fourth of July ! Fireworks will be going off!
George was made from a scraggy gray mohair with a blue backing. He has Ultrasuede paw pads, black German glass eyes backed with white Ultrasuede, and a perle cotton nose. George is stuffed with polyester fiberfill and weighted with steel shot . His head is cotter pin and hardboard disc jointed... the rest is string jointed.
George is wearing a sparkly red top hat and flag ribbon. He comes with sparkly stars set into a vintage wooden thread spool.
Shipping is included for those with US mailing addresses and Canada. I use USPS Priority Mail which includes tracking for US addresses. I use USPS First Class International for others. Please contact me for a discounted quote if neither US nor Canada.

Do bears like ice cream?

2011-06-01T12:39:00.000-07:00

I can only say that Parker does! I just happened across this little ice cream cone next to the check out counter at Michael's! It was just the right size for the bear I was working on.... who turned into Parker!
Parker is on BearPile now and probably will also be posted in my etsy shop ( Glass Dragon Bears Etc).
ps... Parker reminds me of Corduroy ... the bear in the book with green pants who is missing a button.

Time to relax ...Hannah is the result

2011-05-29T08:20:00.001-07:00

After all the fetch and carrying I did down in Tulsa and the painting I did here in the KC area, I finally has a chance to relax! Hannah and her "quilt" are the result. She was made from vintage rayon... maybe someone's bedspread? Who knows. She tiny for me...4.5inches... and has some light enhancements around the eyes, ears and paws. She is cotter pin and disc jointed and weighted with steel shot.

I have a few more bears/friends in the works... if no one has more work for us!

Labor Days...

2011-05-28T18:59:00.001-07:00

You'd would think that May was the month for Labor Day considering all we (my DH and I ) have been doing.... first we went to our son's in Tulsa and helped him repair his wooden side fence. The posts and supports had rotten and were in danger of collapsing. First take down the bad stuff... add some new support posts... many trips to Lowe's for more wood, concrete, deck screws...rebuild the fence. Then it was clean up time... cut up the rotten stuff for bagging and then find where to get rid of it all since we had way too much for the garbage men to take! Luckily Tulsa has a "transfer station" abut 6 miles away and all we had to do was load the SUV and lug it there and dump it off ( for a price!). Then my husband vacuumed over and over again to get rid of all the stowaway ants!!
Back home for one days rest and then to our daughter's to paint her kitchen and office, make screens for windows that didn't have them, hang shelves and finally put everything we'd moved back!!
So for us this hasn't been Memorial Day Weekend... but Labor Day Month!!
That's why the blog has been silent and no little bears or friends have been posted....

this morning's surprise

2011-05-18T07:26:00.000-07:00

It really is delightful to log onto etsy and find one of your items is in a treasury! Today's treasury member is Genny and you can see the treasury here.

Even though the weather isn't as warm as one could wish for... it has been delightfully sunny. The herbs are planted as are the tomatoes and some flowers. The perennials such as iris are in full bloom and gorgeous as usual. When it comes to planting veggies, I could wish for more sunny spots but over the past 25plus years the trees have grown! When I google my address and look at the satellite view you can barely see the house! All tree tops! So I can't complain (much) because the trees keep the house cool and the deck shady; and during the hot hot days of Missouri's summer, cool shade is appreciated!

blog tour winner

2011-05-11T16:38:00.000-07:00

The Fedex guy left my prize on the front steps today....Hooray!! I "participated" in a blog tour which celebrated the printing of this fantastic book and I won.
The author is Amy Adams and I enjoy reading her blog.

Thanks Amy for writing the book and for giving me a chance to win a copy!

Gone before I could post...

2011-05-10T13:07:00.000-07:00

Lily has headed out for Garland, Texas ... before I could even post her to my blog!! She was made from mohair that Alison McKee tie dyed ! Wonderful shades of red, orange and yellow. I used a dark pink Ultrasuede for her paw pads and inner ears.

what's new

2011-05-03T06:34:00.000-07:00

Even though we have lots of outdoor tasks...... we have been power washing, scraping and painting our backdoor deck and the big deck ! We are almost done. We just have a second coat on the floors and hand rails to apply later today.... I can't stop making these little guys/girls. Somehow little pieces get sewn together in the evenings when the tv is on!
Meg is the latest.... she even has a little crocheted dress and matching hairband.

If the ground actually warms up enough, I will be adding annuals to my gardens! And tomatoes... basil.... peppers! I'd plant more, but in the 20plus years we've lived here, the trees have grown huge and we have SHADE. If I googlemap our house all I can see is the house roof and trees!

Mother's Day sale!!

2011-04-29T10:50:00.000-07:00

To help you shop for Mother's Day I am having a 10% off sale in my etsy shop.... the code is MOMSGIFT.

Spring is hiding so Molly has arrived

2011-04-27T11:26:00.000-07:00

I know , there's not much of a connection between Molly's arrival and Spring hiding... but I ended up working on her instead of the outdoor stuff we planned and need to do. We have had days and days of rain and cool weather... not conducive to power washing the decks!

Molly is a 5" or so little jointed anime elephant... I have put her up on BearPile and will probably put her en etsy shortly.

It's a good thing that I have Molly and her friends to work on... the furnace is still running and it will be May 1 on Sunday! I may make a fire in the fireplace this afternoon and start on a bear!

Hoppy Easter

2011-04-23T08:01:00.001-07:00

demo result!

2011-04-19T07:56:00.000-07:00

I was doing a needle felting demo at a show the other day and wanted to make something that would intrigue the children that were watching.... the result is Patches. Surprisingly it was the adults who checked back every so often to check on my progress! I think that if I could have finished him, he would have found a new home.... but I hadn't brought enough brown wool with me!
Patches was needle felted from wool and alpaca roving with a jointed head, black onyx bead eyes and a needle felted doggie bone. He is about 4 inches tall plus the tail!
.

Spring..... a bear not the season!

2011-04-12T09:09:00.000-07:00

I finished "Spring" yesterday ( and it looks like she may be moving to Australia!) . I did have fun with three colors of Alison McKee's "Not Your Mother's Mohair"! You can't see her purple tummy, but she's got one!
I called her "Spring" because her greens are so new leafy!

Who would recognize them?

2011-04-06T08:07:00.000-07:00

I had a show this past weekend with a kid's activity area. My daughter came to see the show and brought my two grandchildren along. This is the result of a visit with the face painter... one cheetah, one monster!

Herbie... a third treasury!!

2011-04-03T16:10:00.000-07:00

Herbie is in a third treasury!

And he sold at a show I was at today! His new owner had a table across the room and she said he watched her all day!
I've left him up on etsy because he is in three treasuries but put a note on the listing that he was sold and there would be another shortly! Never had something in so many treasuries at all once!!

Etsy treasuries

2011-04-02T15:37:00.000-07:00

I made it into two treasuries today!!!!

#1 Easter Basket of felted Fun

#2 eggs eggs eggs

another Herbie...

2011-04-01T08:33:00.001-07:00

We've been down to Tulsa to visit our son... and to bring his cat home. "Jack the cat" was a visitor while our son was gone on business trips. Jack would rather stay with us than be in an empty house or at the vet's for a week! Jack was really happy to be home!

This year's chicks and eggs have been a lot of fun! Two went to Hawaii! I decided that another white egg was a little boring and decided to do a multicolor one. Is it one from one of those fancy breeds like MarthaS has? Or did someone dye it before Herbie hatched? I've posted HerbieFive on BearPile. How about a duckling next?

Onion marmalade

2011-03-25T21:01:00.000-07:00

I spent the afternoon making another batch onion marmalade.... it's made from onions, sugar, red wine,olive oil, balsamic vinegar and bacon fat . Tho' you can substitute peanut oil for the bacon fat! It's great on toast... great with cream cheese on a bagel and great as a meat condiment!

If you'd like to try making a batch... here is the link

My batch is in the fridge... I'm hoping some of the fat comes to the top for skimming. Then I can put it in jars... and then in the fridge! Great eating ahead!

what's been happening....

2011-03-20T13:11:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy busy week... spring cleaning, painting, knitting , special orders and Herbie!!
Herbie "hatched" yesterday...he was made from a dense mohair with German glass eyes, a polymer resin beak , stuffed with polyester fiberfill and steel shot. Herbie's head is jointed but his wings don't move. I made his legs and feet by covering wire with polymer resin. Herbie's egg was wet felted over a large Easter egg and is edged with perle cotton in a blanket stitch.

Herbie is moving to Hawaii ( lucky bird) ... and for those that asked, the egg came first!

even Steven....

2011-03-10T12:35:00.000-08:00

Grandparents are supposed to do things evenly.... so after hunting all over I am at work on a sweater for my 4 year old grand son. His sister told me "not a cardigan" ... so this is a raglan sleeve, knit from the neck down pullover in camo colors ( just right for little boys!). It has a rolled neck so no tight rib knitting to hinder getting dressed "by himself".
I'll post some pictures as the "project" looks like a sweater!

So bears, bunnies, mice and elephants ... and eggs... are on the back burner for awhile!

Fleur and Ralphie are in an etsy treasury!!

2011-03-01T16:06:00.001-08:00

Fleur( bottom) is in an etsy treasury... isn't that neat?!

Now Ralphie (top) is in one too ! Lili, my grand daughter, made his carrots from Sculpey!

Easter feltings...

2011-02-28T08:01:00.000-08:00

I have a fiber show called the "Spring Fling" coming up... it will benefit a Kansas City area camp for autistic children. So I have been wet and dry ( needle) felting Easter eggs... and a basket or two.
The eggs in the basket are needle felted over a Styrofoam egg. The basket itself was knit in the round with wool yarn and then wet felted and dried in the dryer with a rubber ball. The teal stripe was needle felted on at the end. The open eggs were wet felted over a plastic egg, dried and then cut open. Once the egg was removed, I blanket stitched the opening.
It has been fun! I think I will put the basket and 6 eggs on etsy.

krex... my reply to your comment is in the comment section! Thanks!

I am an OWOH winner

2011-02-24T17:48:00.000-08:00

My prize arrived today and it is absolutely fantastic!! I grabbed this photo from Red's blog so that everyone could see the face. The jester is a pin and quite small so I am amazed at the handiwork!
Thank you Red!! From another Red ( Bettina Groh)

Blue Bunny is in an etsy treasury!!

2011-02-21T20:05:00.001-08:00

Blue Bunny who marks the Chinese Year of the Rabbit is part of an etsy treasury!!! It's neat to find someone has chosen your item for a treasury!

BlueBunny is moving to Florida...

Truffle is on BearPile

2011-02-15T09:29:00.000-08:00

Truffle is on BearPile!! I am really pleased with how he turned out... fat little tummy, thumbs, almost 10 inches tall! ( Truffle is sold and headed to a new home!)

no cooking tonight

2011-02-11T18:32:00.001-08:00

When I picked our wedding day a billions years ago ( 45 really) I chose Lincoln's birthday thinking Bob wouldn't be able to forget it... little did I know that the powers that be would get rid of Lincoln's Birthday and morph it into Presidents' Day. Actually the biggest problem has turned out to be Valentine's Day.... celebrating the 12th gets mixed up with those wanting to celebrate the 14th. Over the years we have learned to pick a date before the 12th to celebrate. So tonight was the night... out to dinner we went. We had a good time. Little did I know way back in 1962 when I picked up this geek at a Halloween Dance my freshman year at Syracuse University that we would still be together in 2011... three kids and two grandkids later!

Finished this little 9.5" bear this morning and posted him on BearPile and etsy!

Baxter... two-tone teddy

2011-02-06T15:18:00.001-08:00

No Baxter's not a Green Bay Packers fan... though he could be if he was adopted into the right hug! Actually the green and yellow combo was the best in my stash...
Baxter is 5" tall... can stand with posing .. his head is cotter pin/hardboard disc jointed... the rest is string jointed... He is the result of seeing a two color Steiff bear on-line. I wanted to give it a try!
Baxter is up on BearPile and etsy....

After spending all of last week knitting and watching it snow, making a bear was GOOD!

snow pix

2011-02-03T22:26:00.000-08:00

Here's what we looked during and after all the snow...We didn't get
loads , about 10 plus inches with a thin layer of ice below. But it was cold and very blowy!
Schools will reopen tomorrow... I think the roads were clear enough to have them open today but it was minus 13 this morning.

We made it out for a grocery run this morning plus a great lunch
at Panera. I was ready for something I hadn't made! We both had the soup and sandwich combo-- but different ones!

Now that life is getting back to normal... we'll see if the ground hog was right or not!

win two little needle felted mice at "Bears and Buds"

2011-02-02T11:37:00.001-08:00

Papa Mousie and Liddle One are being offered in the "Bears and Buds" free sweepstakes.

"Bears and Buds" is a great on-line magazine.I know you'll enjoy looking at the whole issue... so I've given you that link rather than just to the sweepstakes!

All you have to do is register with your email address! If you win, I'll be sending you your two little mice.

Good Luck !

Charley's in an etsy treasury

2011-01-26T20:20:00.000-08:00

Charley the chimp had been chosen for an etsy treasury!! But now it 's Marvin the mouse.... Don't know how that happened!

Do I need to set traps?

2011-01-21T12:26:00.001-08:00

It's a good thing all these mice aren't real but needle felted! LOL If they were real , I would become a "great white hunter" and set traps all around!

This latest mousie is Phillip the Country mouse. He is peering over edge of a cast resin stump... I've listed him on BearPile and etsy.

Eleanor is in an etsy treasury!!

2011-01-15T19:12:00.001-08:00

Eleanor was chosen for an etsy treasury ! Here's the link... personally I think that's neat!

Stash Mousies

2011-01-14T10:47:00.000-08:00

Part of my space clean up has involved my large plastic tubs of wool/alpaca roving... another part involved all the "accessories" I have . Trying to fit the tops of the tubs on led me to making Eeny and Meeny ( all part of using up the stash!!). Then it was off to accessorize...

So here we are ... two little mousies, one of which is asking, "Will you be my Valentine?" The two little mousies are off to Garland, Tx.

swap pattern bear

2011-01-11T15:49:00.000-08:00

We are still cold ... no new snow, but on Monday we had about 6 inches total. Area schools were canceled both Monday and Tuesday. My teacher daughter's school district has already canceled school for tomorrow... the grandkids are in a different district, so she's waiting to hear about them.
So I hunkered down and started work on another bear. I belong to a yahoo bear group that decided to swap patterns at Christmas time. I chose the pattern for this little guy and enlarged it! Enlarged it by more than 2 times... I DON'T make tiny bears ( my arthritis , you know!) . I found some dense baby blue and olive-y green short mohair in the well-known/oft mentioned stash and went to work. This little just under 6" bear was the result! He has a little facial enhancement and worry-eyebrows ( will I be liked?).

Maxwell's in an etsy treasury!!

2011-01-10T08:32:00.001-08:00

Maxwell is in an etsy treasure!! Here's the link ..... at the same time I was asked to do a PayPal invoice for him from BearPile!
Bob says to leave him in etsy until the invoice is paid....
He's been on both sites awhile so I am wondering if the current popularity of "True Grit" is the reason!? Or did that face just reach out to two different people at the same time?

Since Maxwell sold I have removed him from etsy and he is no longer in the treasury. The buyer graciously allowed me to keep him on for a day! I did add that info to the listing.

I am working on another stash bear. An on-line yahoo group I belong to swapped patterns and I am working on one using my stash. This is a good project for a snowy day... schools are closed, the "road clearers" are having trouble keeping up. It's supposed to snow all day! My grandkids are having a ball!

Champers... another stash bear

2011-01-08T07:57:00.000-08:00

Sticking to my mohair diet... hard when one sees all the gorgeous stuff being offered online! But here is Champers... in a New Year's Eve champagne glass!
I've put Champers up on BearPile... not sure whether Champers is a boy or girl. The tipping is pinkish but....

First bear of the year! Willem

2011-01-05T14:05:00.001-08:00

I finished the first bear of 2011 today.... Willem ... and uploaded him to BearPile

I have been reorganizing ( read sorting, cleaning, putting away) in my work area. A housing site will receive my unwanted scrapbooking stuff. The kids do crafts after school and scrapbooking is popular... so supplies are always welcome!

I am on a "mohair/alpaca/fiber" diet... I have to use stuff before I can buy anything! Willem is the first from that "plan"! Wish me luck...

I've added my Mr.Curiosity photo... Willem watching me on the computer!

Happy New Year

2010-12-31T08:17:00.000-08:00

FairieBear is in an etsy treasury!!

2010-12-10T11:02:00.001-08:00

FairieBear was chosen to be in an etsy treasury!!!

Here's the link ....

I think that's neat!!!

Mr. Mole

2010-12-09T12:43:00.000-08:00

I have been working on a series of little animals and just finished Mr. Mole. I had to check out Wikipedia to see just what moles did or didn't have... no tails, non visible ears, large digging feet....
Here is my finished mole.... Mr/ Mole is 6" tall, jointed and made with hand-dyed mohair.

Vote for my entry!???

2010-12-06T08:43:00.001-08:00

I entered Noel in the "Better Homes and Gardens" ornament contest and he was chosen to be possibly this week' winner!!

Here is the link to vote for him!

I tried cutting and pasting the email I received from BHG but it wouldn't fit on my blog! I tried all sorts of things... but no luck!

Noel would love your vote!!

Tommy and FairieBear

2010-11-30T06:44:00.000-08:00

We are home again! Our Thanksgiving visit to our son's home in Tulsa was great ( except for being rear ended at a traffic light! Everyone, including the cars, are fine!) We had lots of "tasks" to do... wall paper removal, gutter repairs, bookcase assembly - you get the idea.... which we accomplished!
Of course I took down little bags of bear parts for tv time sewing and managed to finish FairieBear and Tommy with his hobby horse (SOLD)! There are some other things that are WIPs!
My son and I ventured again into the world of home canning... we are beginning to feel comfortable with the process and have promised each other to do it again when he comes here for Christmas! I may try some things without him for Christmas gifts!

BLACKFRIDAYBONANZA

2010-11-21T15:56:00.000-08:00

etsy is trying something new and I have jumped onto the bandwagon.... a 10% off coupon at checkout. The code is "BLACKFRIDAYBONANZA" and it will be active all this week.
My etsy shop is GlassDragonBearsEtc.

can't believe it...

2010-11-21T15:15:00.000-08:00

After spending the last few weeks raking and bagging ,raking and bagging in the cold chilly fall weather... Mother Nature does an about face. Today it's 70 out!! And was it windy this morning!? Now we will have to rake and bag some more... and the leaves aren't all down yet either!

By the way I'm also working on a charcoal gray mole....

Sammi the squirrel...preparing for winter

2010-11-20T07:30:00.000-08:00

I was commissioned to design and make a small squirrel... I spent one night dreaming about the project! The next day I put my dream onto plastic for pattern pieces and then made the squirrel. There were changes along the way, but Sammi turned out pretty much how I visualized him. Though if I make another, I'll probably make more changes! I am especially pleased with his tail which is wired and pose - able!
Sammi is 6.75" tall and jointed arms, legs and head.... weighted to counterbalance his tail and can stand with a little help! Currently he is in a resin log and carries needle felted acorns with real acorn caps.

Now she wants a SKUNK... time for dreams again!?

etsy treasury!!!

2010-11-16T06:20:00.001-08:00

My mouse in an old wooden shoe ( only found ONE shoe!) made it into an etsy treasury! Hooray !! Here's the link.

Quiet around here!

2010-11-11T07:34:00.000-08:00

I am stuck to whispering... Bob hasn't said whether he's enjoying the quiet or not! Tried my needles at another Santa.... changed the head proportions and gave him less of a "hanker" nose. It has been fun! I took pictures and here are the three I liked best. Not having great luck getting really good clear ones.

work while fighting the creeping crud!!

2010-11-10T09:29:00.000-08:00

I have been battling the creeping crud all week as friends on Facebook will already know. Luckily I can work in my recliner!!
Last week I dyed a lot of roving... tones of brown, pink and green. Yesterday I started work on a Santa ornament... This is only the second time I have tried a person rather than an animal. I really enjoyed adding rounded cheeks, eyelids, his beard and mustache. He ended up being 4" long by 3" wide... Ithink I will try a smaller version next!

Photoshop and me...

2010-11-06T16:02:00.000-07:00

I've been playing around on Photoshop... yes, again. This time I wanted to make some magnetic cards. You know... the kind everyone has on their refrigerator. My son bought me a box of peel and stick "Make a magnet" business cards during one of our many trips to Home depot while visiting him in Tulsa. And here is what I came up with...

US citizens .....Get out and VOTE

2010-11-02T13:06:00.000-07:00

No matter what your political beliefs, today is the day to vote! When I was young everyone voted... nowadays too many people don't. How can one let others decide their future ? You may not vote on the winning side, but at least you have had your say.

Non-voters CANNOT complain about our country's direction!

I do love making mice!

2010-11-02T10:54:00.000-07:00

Here's my latest... Kris the Christmas mousie. He has found the perfect hiding place... a Santa hat!

Kris has been posted on BearPile.

By the way... Kris is 4 inches long without his tail!

There must be something about the weather

2010-11-01T06:33:00.001-07:00

There must be something about colder weather that makes me provide bears with warm sweaters! Isn't their fur enough? It seems not... so here is Kerry with his warm wet felted wool hoodie with white minkie plush trim!
Kerry has a needle felted muzzle... with eyelids, an open mouth and nose. Good thing he's got his sweater or his nose would have turned red from the cold!! Kerry is 8" tall.

Genny's new sweater

2010-10-29T15:06:00.000-07:00

It was so cold out this morning... almost freezing... that I made Genny a hoodie from a felted sweater. A pillowcase dress just isn't enough to keep one warm! I posted her on etsy .

I also updated her pictures on BearPile.

giveaway winner

2010-10-24T17:33:00.000-07:00

I used the random number thingy.... and #9 was the winner... "Lucky Laurel"! Would you please send me your address?!!

mice and more mice

2010-10-17T14:23:00.000-07:00

I have been making more mice... they each come out a little different. A customer wanted an angel mouse,,, and the one with the wings is the result. I wonder whether she'll like her? (She did!!!)

Don't forget to sign up for my Frosty giveaway... it ends the 24th when we get back from the Chicagoland show!

whoo whoo!! I made it...giveaway time

2010-10-10T09:18:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all I now have 200 "hearts me-s" on etsy! And I have a giveaway for you. I will close this on October 24th when I get back from the Chicagoland Teddy Bear Show. All you have to do is leave me a comment and make sure I have a way of reaching you by email. I will mail internationally as well !

So here he is...... my first ornament of 2010 ( finished on 10/10/10 !?) Frosty was needle felted from wool roving. He has black onyx bead eyes, faceted black beads for his mouth and a polymer resin nose and pipe.... both of which are sewn on. He is wearing a holly leaf embellished felt hat and wool plaid scarf.

only 3 more "hearts me" till the giveaway

2010-10-10T07:29:00.000-07:00

Oh my... only three more "hearts me" on etsy.com until I reach 200 and the promised giveaway. My last giveaway, a hedgehog, was very popular so I want this one to be popular too.....

think ... think... think what should it be?

UPDATE: only 2 to go!

How about a mohair pumpkin?

2010-10-09T07:26:00.001-07:00

I had dye leftover from Jacco... so more mohair went into the pot and out came the mohair for this pumpkin!
He's big... about 4" in diameter and 4" to the tip of his scraggy mohair stem. He has clear German glass eyes, wool felt features and a wool felt leaf embroidered with perle cotton blanket stitching. .. a floral wire curlicue finishes things He's stuffed with fiberfill.

Jacco... all set for Halloween

2010-10-08T07:07:00.000-07:00

When I started on Jacco I knew I had to have him be ORANGE... so I hand dyed his mohair! He has orange Ultrasuede paw pads, large black German glass eyes with Ultrasuede underlinings, a polymer resin nose, and perle cotton accents. He is cotter pin and hardboard disc jointed, stuffed with polyester fiberfill and weighted with steel shot. He is wearing a tiny Halloween bandanna and a glass bead necklace.. the beads include an orange pumpkin and several candy corns. His pumpkin is a paper mache one with a wire handle.

Frosty the Anime SnowBear...2010

2010-10-05T12:01:00.000-07:00

Each year I make a new version of Frosty the SnowBear... there has been a big hefty open mouth one... a needle felted one... a minibear... and so on. This year I made an anime one. Fosty is a little over 6 inches tall and was made from a lovely soft straight mohair with Ultrasuede paw pads, large black German glass eyes and a polymer resin carrot nose. I made the nose and embedded a wire loop into it so that it could be sewn on Frosty.
Frosty is stuffed with fiberfill, weighted with steel shot and jointed with cotter pins and hardboard discs. He is wearing a wool plaid scarf and felt top hat and carrying a broom.

He will be listed on etsy and BearPile soon...

Looking toward colder weather

2010-10-03T11:59:00.001-07:00

It's gorgeous and sunny out today but the nights are getting colder .... Dixie decided a warm wool felt jacket with fuzzy felt trim was in order! The she saw the Santa hat and candy canes and decided she just HAD to try them on. She does know that we will get to the Holiday Season EVENTUALLY....Dixie is on BearPile. Do you think I ought to try photographing Dixie with another background? There really isn't much of a contrast using my usual blue one....

By the way I am edging closer and closer to 200 "hearts this shop" on etsy. I have been thinking of a giveaway as a celebration. So keep checking back! Maybe an ornament?

Hiding out ?!

2010-09-30T20:01:00.000-07:00

LingPanda is on etsy and BearPile..... where you can see ALL of her!

Long weekend and Ribbon winners

2010-09-28T09:42:00.000-07:00

As you can see , it was a long weekend! But worth it... it was fun, saw lots of old friends, made new friends and won two ribbons! Some of my bears, elephants and mice were adopted!
Anastasia Beach Mouse was my version of the federally endangered mouse that lives on one of the islands off of St. Augustine, Fl.
Porter the Peanut loving Pachyderm went to a new home in Ohio!

One of my bunny rabbits has been included in an ArtFire collection! Take a look !