Almost here...

I have just about finished my cookie baking and fudge making....whew! I'm hoping for some time to relax and enjoy the holiday with family and friends. Hope everyone out there does the same!!! As you can see from the photo, I have been playing with my Strawberry Shortcake dolls. Everyone in the NE US got a bunch a snow this last week. This little snow scene is the only snow you'll see around here.
Merry Christmas Everyone!!!

Times flies

So much happening this time of year. Last week was the local parade...it was a disaster because it POURED. This time of year is usually our dry season but it rained most of the day. At least I was inside a car. We pulled a trailer decorated by the local dog groomer. I felt sorry for all the soaking wet kids.
Our tree is up and decorated, lights up on the house. I did some baking this week and we are headed to visit friends tonight. Still trying to coordinate visits with family. I have gotten a little sewing done. I actually dyed some fur red for a Valentine creation. I would also like to squeeze in some time for taking photos. It will be New Years before you know it!
Lexi and Lucy have made an appearance on all my Christmas cards since we moved to Florida. Usually it has a Florida theme but this year we went a little retro with a tinsel tree. Off to get ready to go out....

Christmas Tea Party for Toys

Welcome to the Dog Patch Christmas Tea Party for Toys. You can visit Bearbits for links to other tea parties. The critters, and a doll, in the critter room decided they should celebrate the holidays too.
First, Hettie the Ellie is having the Meeses, Merry & Chris, over for a spot.

Duchess, the cat, is hosting the little critters, Marmalade, Desdemona, and Rose.

Eugenia is asking Shannon to join her on this lovely afternoon.

Mrs Boyd and Kawaii are having a wonderful time.

The gang is having a wonderful get together.

And a wonderful time was had by all.

Merry Christmas to all!

Little Elf Swap

Vivian - viv out on a whim - hosts the best swaps!! Yesterday I received my elf from Jackie at fatjack Originals. He is totally wonderful!! I just love him. Fittingly he is holding a Teddy Bear. I sent Jackie Pidge the Peppermint Elf. Hopefully Viv will get her computer back shortly(being fixed) and will post photos of all the elves.
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hope everyone had a happy one! We had family, my brother & his family and my niece and her family...9 people, including us. We had a very nice visit.
I got my Christmas cards addressed and made a trip to the post office this morning, only to find it closed. I guess they are cutting back. There is another, bigger post office in town but I can wait til Monday. Yesterday, black Friday, I did a little shopping. No big malls or crazy Walmarts though, I just went to the fabric store. The closest one is a 40 minute drive. They only had 3 people working so it took awhile to get my fabric cut and paid for. I'm happy with my new fabric and have to get going making dolly and teddy clothes. Today I took a few photos for the Toys Tea Party on Dec 6th. I have lots of dolls and other critters to attend the tea party. I even have some nice tea pots and tea sets, I just don't have any littles tables and only a few little chairs. Improvise, improvise!!

Holiday Happenings

Keeping busy trying to fulfill all the commitments I have made for the holidays. My Christmas cards are printed and waiting to be put together and addressed. I will post the photo cover closer to Christmas. The elf for the little elf swap( also photos later) went to the post office today and the ornament for the Teddy Talk ornament swap will go off next week. Two Blythe(doll) Christmas dresses were sent on their way earlier this week. I need to take photos for the tea party on Dec 6 and company is coming for Thanksgiving next week. Since gift giving is going to be very lean this year I have finished 95% of my shopping. I will start making goodies after Thanksgiving.
Yesterday I changed some of my artfire listings to reflect Artfire's Holiday Deals promotion. I am offering free shipping to the US and reduced international shipping on some bears and critters. Some of them are included in the photo above.
Also please check out Whats Up Dox shop. There is a raffle for a mohair Dachshund I made to benefit Dachshund rescue. Drawing December 11th.
More Holiday Happenings to come.....

I received this award from Sandi at Bearly Sane over a week ago. The days keep slipping by so I'm sorry it has taken me so long to post and accept the award.
Rules :-
1. Use only 1 word answers.
2. Pass along to 6 of you favorite bloggers.
3. Tell them you've given them the award.
4. Have Fun !!

1. Where is your cell phone? Desk
2. Your hair? short
3. Your mother? Quiet
4. Your father? Irish
5. Your favorite food? Chocolate
6. Your dream last night? Didn't
7. Your favorite drink? Dr Pepper
8. Your dream/goal? comfort
9. What room are you in? Workroom
10. Your hobby? reading
11. Your fear? Poverty
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Alive
13. Where were you last night? Home
14. Something that you aren’t? Mean
15. Muffins? Strawberry
16. Wish list item? Time
17. Where did you grow up? Maryland
18. Last thing you did? Browsed
19. What are you wearing? Capris
20. Your TV? Off
21. Your pets? Short
22. Friends? Great
23. Your life? Busy
24. Your mood? Determined
25. Missing someone? Linda
26. Vehicle? Old
27. Something you’re not wearing? Shoes
28. Your favorite store? Fabric
29. Your favorite color? Purple
30. When was the last time you laughed? Yesterday
31. Last time you cried? Dunno
32. Your best friend? Hubby
33. One place that I go to over and over? Computer
34. One person who emails me regularly? Renee
35. Favorite place to eat? Home

I am presenting the award to:
Vivian viv out on a whim
Bettina Glass Dragon Bears
Joanne Desert Mountain Bears
Darlene Raspbeary Bears
Marlys Waggle Bears
Laura Lynn Teddies by Laura Lynn

I hope to post again soon. Lots of things going on for the holidays. My family is coming here for Thanksgiving so I have to stop sewing and actually clean my house. I might have to dust off the vacuum before I use it.

It's beginning to look a little like Christmas

Just a quick post. Yesterday I received a darling little bear in a swap. Gingerbear traveled all the way from Australia. I just love him and he has started my Christmas decorating as he sits on the table by the window. I sent Foster the little dog to Raewyn of Woodbury Park Bears. We sent our swaps on the same day and they both arrived exactly one week later. Foster is wearing a Christmas Bandana and I sent several other bandana in different prints for other holidays.
I'm working on my Christmas cards and an ornament for another swap. More later.....

Running in circles....

I haven't started to get ready for the show....which is one week from today! Although I'm not trying to finish more bears for the show as I have enough in my critter room to more than fill a table, I still have to make tags for many of them. Then they have to be packed, table covers readied, bags and tissues for (hopefully) the many purchases the collectors will make.
I have also been making Christmas dresses for Blythe dolls. I will be listing them in my Nancy's Notions shop on etsy. Anything to keep the funds coming in.
My Christmas swap for TBACA will be on it's way on Monday. It's a surprise, so no pics yet. The other swap I joined is Viv's Littlest Elf swap. Already finished my little elf too...also no pics til after Dec 1st.
The other thing I have been working on is getting a really good photograph of a critter I want to submit to a competition. Judging is based on the photograph and the judges don't see the actual creation, so the photo must be good. The piece I'm trying to photograph is mostly white and while it looks fine on my computer when it's printed there is a glare on the white fur. I have tried several different lighting techniques. Even took pics outside yesterday...a rare cloudy day here in Florida. I'm getting frustrated and not sure what to try next.
The little bear in the photo is Carly. She has been sitting around here for awhile in little shorts so I decided a cute dress might help her find a new home. She will be going to the show Nov 7 with me. By the way, the show, which is presented by the Sunshine Bear Den of Good Bears of the World will by at 4725 Lake Worth Rd, Lake Worth, Florida from 10 - 3. If your in that neck of the woods, come by.

Jackie another Puppy Grrl

Been meaning to post photos of Jackie all week. Bill's computer won't read his game cd so he has been on my computer. He can play card games for hours which means less time for me. Not necessarily a bad thing but sometimes inconvenient. It is also a problem because Bill is an indiscriminate clicker. He has changed things(my email) around without even realizing it.
Back to Jackie.....I'm really pleased with how she turned out. I think the Jack Russell type terriers are one of the easiest for me to capture their cuteness. Jackie is already on her way to her new home. I have a couple more Puppy Grrls up my sleeve. It's a busy time of year. I have joined 3 swaps and their is a Doll & Bear show Nov 7 along with lot of other holiday happenings.

I also took care of another October chore last week. I had my annual mammagram and all is clear.
Have you had yours?

Still creating

I know my posts of late haven't shown any of my new creations. I am still making critters!! I just finished something for a Christmas swap but have to keep it under wraps so it will be a surprise. I have completed a couple of critters for the TBACA Valentine show(That's right Valentine's!!). Can't reveal those as they are show exclusives. I am going to do a show Nov 7 in Lake Worth Florida. It is sponsored by the Sunshine Bear Den of Good Bears of the World. Several bears and critters that have been occupying the "critter room" for awhile will be traveling to that show. Including Peppermint Patti and Christy, a couple of Christmas creations. Tomorrow I plan to dye some fur a pretty shade of lavender for a bear. I will post photos when she is finished.
I have also made some clothes for Shannon, my Blythe doll. I received some cute crocheted hats and things from a flickr friend. You can see pics of them on my flickr

Living in Paradise

This time of year is really wonderful here along the east coast of Florida. The temperature and the humidity are more moderate but it's still warm enough to go swimming. This morning Bill and I packed our little cooler(he got his cup of coffee) and drove into town. There we got a croissant and an egg and sausage muffin. Then we parked by the water. The water being the Indian River which is actually an intercoastal waterway that runs parallel to the Atlantic coast in this part of Florida. We often do this, sometimes for breakfast, sometimes for dinner. This morning we could see manatees playing in the water a little ways out. Bill got out the binoculars and we watched them for quite awhile. We have seen dolphins and their babies playing in the water from that same spot along the shore another time. After lunch we relaxed in our pool. Today was a day for no worries....just living in paradise.

Memory

My niece, Charla, turned 20 this month. My sister posted this baby photo of Charla on facebook. The dress she is wearing looked somewhat familiar. I asked my sister if I had made it and indeed it's my handiwork, including the doll with her matching dress. The thing is, I have no memory of making the dress or the doll. You would think with all that lace, ribbon, and ruffles I would remember something. It got me thinking about memory. What makes something stay in your brain? I have some vivid memories of really inconsequential things from my childhood. But I draw a blank on some things from last week. When all your days are added up(I calculated that I have lived over 20,500 days) why does your brain store some things and delete others. It's a given that we remember special occasions or monumental historical events(9/11). Some days I feel like I am just running on remote control. I guess those are the days my brain decides aren't worth storing. Do we just run out of space for our memories? Oh well, I wanted to say more but I forgot......

AND THE WINNER IS......

Gijzette of Elfin Bears.
Beebee, one of my Strawberry Shortcake girls, wanted to help pick the winner. As soon as I get a snail mail address from Gijzette the spider pin keep will be on it's way just in time for Halloween. I guess my next blogging goal is my 300th but it might be awhile. I hope everyone enjoys blogging as much as I do. No controversial or political ramblings here. Just personal anecdotes and artistic(I hope) and crafty creations. Hope you visit my blog again.

My 200th Post Blog Giveaway!

Well, it has taken me awhile to get to my 200th post but it is finally here. If I had more time it would have arrived a lot sooner because I love blogging. I try to make it like writing a letter to a friend. It's nice to think there are many wonderful friends out there in cyberland. So, in honor of my 200th post I am having a giveaway.
Viv, of Viv's Whimsy, inspired me to make a pinkeep. She makes wonderful, imaginative pinkeeps as well as other crafty things. She is listed as one the the crafty blogs I read along my side bar. I picked up the spider candle holder last Halloween and put it in a drawer hoping for some inspiration before this Halloween. A couple of weeks ago I opened the drawer looking for something else and it caught my eye. The pinkeep started to take shape in my mind. It was difficult to photograph and is cuter in person. The little troll is made with vintage upholstery velvet. He is string jointed. His little spider friend is needle felted with pipe cleaner legs and bead eyes. I tried to find pearl headed pins that were tear drop shaped but could only find round ones. I have painted little ghost faces on them.
If you want to enter the blog giveaway just leave a comment. I will put the names in a bowl and pick a winner on Friday Sept 18.

Another Puppy Grrl

This Puppy Grrl, a Border Collie, is a birthday gift for my niece, Charla. She has 2 male Border Collies, Checkers and Flame. I thought she could use a little girl. I have named this Puppy Grrl Fancy. I really love the vintage looking print her dress is made from. I have plenty of the fabric left and I will make another Border Collie to sell. I hope Charla doesn't read my blog because Fancy is on her way via the US mail and I want it to be a surprise. Her birthday is the 13th and Fancy should arrive on the 12th. Now my problem will be to come up with nice gifts for Charla's brother and sister on their birthdays.
Next post will be my 200th...drum roll please...I will have a blog giveaway. Please check back on Sunday the 13th and leave a comment to participate in the giveaway.

Special Day

Today is my wedding anniversary(well mine & Bill's) . I have told the story of our wedding day many times, so if you have heard it before you can skip the next paragraph.
We decided we wanted to get married near the water. Bill's sister, Sue, lived on the Albermarle Sound in North Carolina. It was about 3 1/2 hours from our home( we were also living in North Carolina at the time). We really didn't want to give Sue advanced notice because we were afraid she would make too much fuss. Her daughter was getting married a couple of weeks later and she had enough to do. So we arranged for a minister to come to Sue's house around 6 pm on Sept 5th. That morning we set out for their home. We arrived about 1 pm. After hellos we said we need to go to the court house. "Why do you need to go there, did you get a speeding ticket?" "No, we're getting a marriage license." "YOU'RE GETTING MARRIED? WHEN?" "Today." 'WHERE?" "Here!"
While we went to get our license, Ray, Sue's husband, went out an bought a cake. We had a wonderful little ceremony by the water as the sun was setting. One of the happiest days of my life!!

Where does the time go....??

I try to post at least once a week but it has been more than 10 days since my last post. I have been reading and playing I finished the book I mentioned, took it back to the library, checked out another and finished it. I have everything together to start crocheting but haven't begun. I did reroot a Strawberry Shortcake doll with bright red mohair. That was a learning experience and I just purchased some longer mohair to do another.
I have worked on some bears and dogs. I have a custom order Pekingese three quarters finished. Just waiting on some eyes I ordered(after waiting a week I found out my original order was lost) to finish her. I dyed some cream mohair with lemonade kool aid and it came out a nice muted yellow. The mohair has been cut and pinned waiting to be sewn. I also cut out 2 black and white Puppy Grrls....breed to be revealed later.
Today we are headed to a birthday get together for Bill's aunt. A beautiful, warm day in Florida!

Etsy Shop Sale

The "critter room" is getting crowded. If all the ideas in my head get finished I'm afraid there will be a population explosion! So, hopefully, to help some creations move on to new homes I have reduced prices on several Teddy Bears in my etsy shop. It isn't too early to start Christmas shopping.
I went to the library this morning and checked out 2 books. One is the latest JD Robb(Nora Roberts). I have read all in her "In Death" series about a woman police detective in the future(2060). Not sure when I will find the time to read it but once I get into it I'm sure I won't be able to put it down. The other book I checked out is about basic crocheting. My mom crocheted a lot and because she would make something for me if I asked I never learned to do it myself. Now I want some little dresses and maybe hats for bears and dolls. Hopefully I can learn enough of the basics to make a few simple things.

Millie on ebay

Well, it has been a long time since I have listed something for sale on ebay. Millie's listing ends Aug 16th around 7:30 eastern time. I have started her lower that her regular price with no reserve. Please visit her here.
Ebay has changed a lot in the last few years. I started selling there over 9 years ago. Bill & I used to go to storage unit auctions. We had a little thrift store and I listed some items on ebay. One memorable auction we purchased 2 double garage sized units for $2000. It was a real find. There were antiques, vintage jewelry, furniture, books and boxes + boxes + boxes of toys from the 70's still in their original packaging. It took me 3 years to sell it all on ebay.
I'm afraid those days are gone as ebay favors commercial sellers over the little guy. I still shop there after I have compared local pricing for the item. I have to admit there are items I could not find anywhere else.
There are several Teddy Bear Artists that have a following on ebay and get good prices for their creations. But the one of a kind catagory is populated with things that are obviously not ooak and many of the lesser known artists get lost in the crowd.
Now I will get off my soap box and hope you will visit Millie on ebay.

Spring is coming down under..

The deadline for the Spring Challenge at TBACA is almost here. That's right Spring is arriving in the southern hemisphere. My entry, Flora, was finished a couple of months back, while it was still Spring here. You can see all the entries here. They are available for purchase.
I listed some fur in my Nancy's Notions etsy shop. There are some great prices on all.
I am thinking of having a 200th post giveaway. Less than 10 posts to get there so I will probably decide next week. I just love to get comments...let me know what you think!

Playing around....

I have to blame my flickr friends for getting me hooked on dolls. I have to admit I am having more fun with them than I had as a child. First I purchased a Blythe doll. You can find out more about them here .I recently sent her off for a "face-up". A customizer takes apart the head, sands the face, and gives her new make-up. Her eye mechanism(pull a string to change eye color) is also redone. My Blythe's name is Shannon and I am having a ball making clothes for her. You can see more photos of other Blythes by searching Blythe on flickr or find out more on the forum Plastic Paradise.
I also started picking up Strawberry Shortcake dolls at yard sales. There are some cute pictures of other "cakes" on flickr. Some are also customizing them. I am going to try to reroot hair on one using mohair.
I did get some work done today. I have been going back and forth between the office/craft room and the critter room. I am working on making labels using ribbon and iron on transfer paper. I have also gone through some of my fur stash. I will be listing some mohair pieces in Nancy's Notions etsy shop very soon. I also listed the Beary Cocktails in my artfire shop for a special price.

Leisal a Doxie Puppy Grrl

Anyone that knows me, knows I would have to make a Dachshund Puppy Grrl. I might try a black and tan one later on. Leisal is 9 1/2" tall and created with rust mohair that has a dark back. I have made several versions of Dachshunds with this fur. It is perfect for a short red doxie. There seems to be a lot of fabric with doxies and scotties. I really prefer vintage looking fabric for the Puppy Grrls dresses. It seems smaller prints are hard to find. I have several prints in my stash and at least 3 more "Grrls" to be made. I was perusing ebay and saw a print with the Pokey Puppy on it. I think I'll check the local quilt shop to see if they carry it. I found several cutes prints with poodles but the print is too big. The poodles measure a couple of inches tall and I prefer under 1 inch for the
dresses. Let me know if you come across any cute "puppy prints".

New Etsy Shop

Nancy's Notions and Things is now open on etsy. It was time to move out some accumulated supplies. Many things were purchased almost 20 years ago. I hung onto them, thinking they might come in handy some day. They traveled with me from Virginia, to North Carolina and finally to Florida. Since I haven't used them in all this time I thought someone else might need them.
So far, there are novelty buttons, safety eyes, dog noses, and cat noses. I spend this morning doing a little reorganizing of my supplies and now have more things to list in the shop. So, if you want to add some of my overstock to yours check it out.

Blog disaster

I managed to do a very stupid thing yesterday. Many beautiful backgrounds have been appearing on some of the blogs I read. There are a number of talented digital artists making the backgrounds available for free. After some research I found one I really liked and hadn't seen on another blog. After reading instructions for changing to the new background, I boldly uploaded it. BIG MISTAKE!! My blog is 3 column, something I did myself using instructions from
Tips for New Bloggers. But, I didn't save before I tried to change the background. My 3rd column was gone and the new background wasn't even visible! I have a little(stressing little) knowledge of html so I went back to Tips for Bloggers and tried to follow instructions to redo the 3rd column. It kept coming back with an error about not recognizing "Newprofile". I took a break, went to the grocery store, then had lunch. All of the widgets I have on the outside columns are making the html very long so I decided to delete some. Probably not necessary, but I felt like I was doing something. I saved the codes to notepad. Took another short break. Started over. This time I previewed after every change. Going well til the last change. It is supposed to move the about me profile to the new column to set up the layout for the ability to add other things to the column. Trying to think logically(not easy) I decided to remove the original code for my profile. I copied it to notepad before doing so in case I had to put it back. One last preview and YAAAAYYYYY! It worked. Then another hour adding widgets back in.
Last night I used the new background to make a new header but I am not fooling around with the rest of my layout again.

I love swapping!

I sent Emma, a Scottie Puppy Grrl, across country to Marlys. This beautiful guy came my way. His name is Patrick. I love his soft, curly brown mohair and he feels like a baby in my arms. Although he is bigger than the other critters in my hug he seems to fit right in. Little dog, Oreo, is sitting in his lap. If you want to see more of Marlys' bears click here.
Meanwhile, in order to avoid bookkeeping work today, I going to clean out my stash. I'm thinking of opening an etsy shop just to destash. I'm sure there are buttons, pins, trim and even some fabric that is ready to move to someone else's stash.

A lovely blog award.

I received this award from Sandi of Bearly Sane . She is also the creator of Teddy Bears and Critters Australasia. Sandi accomplishes so much, while I struggle to keep up with everything. I am honored to receive the award.
The originator of the award, Ces (Ces and Her Dishes) states: " I designed this award to celebrate art in the blogs and to honour the value of friendship, sisterhood, sharing and caring. It is to be awarded to the gifted, accomplished, eloquent and talented blogger whose friendship and influence, inspire us to do our best. It is symbolised by the Quercus Lobata, or Valley Oak , a handsome and graceful tree.
I am passing the award along to:
Bettina Groh Glass Dragon Bears
Vivian N Viv on a whim

Christmas in July Sale

Several of my Christmas Creations have been listed on Artfire for the Christmas in July sale. All have a special sale price. In the upper left corner is "Here we come a caroling", which was featured in last year December issue of Teddy Bear & Friends. The upper right is Peppermint Patti. Lower left: Has Santa come yet? and lower right: Merry & Chris Meese.
Actually, this is the time of year to start working on Christmas creations if you want to get into the holiday issues of the magazines. I have decided not to do a Christmas piece this year. Maybe a little more generic creation that fits with the season but isn't boxed into it. Does that make sense?? More later.
Also, I am the featured artist of the month at TBACA. If you want to learn more about me click here. I am really not that interesting but there are a few nice photos.

Puppy Grrls

I am having such fun!!! I think this idea started with a piece of print fabric. Or maybe when I cut out a bear and decided it would work better as a puppy. Whichever, now I have ideas for several puppy grrls. Terri was the first. She was going to be a bear then I decided to change the center gusset to white and make doggie ears. Emma was "conceived" as a swap with a bear artist friend that has white Scotties. I really love the vintage looking print her dress is made with. Emma has already traveled across country to California. Terri is available on my website. Millie is now under construction. Can you guess what breed she is??

Sweating in Florida

Well it is HOT, HOT, HOT here in Florida! The last few days have been in the upper 90's with the heat index over 105. Between time in the pool and just feeling sluggish I haven't gotten much done. We try( actually prefer) not use the ac. I was soaking wet just sitting so we bit the bullet and turned it on. I did finish 2 critters in the last week. Jessie is available on Bear Pile. I used some vintage lace I purchased at an estate sale and a vintage looking pin I have been holding on to for awhile. The other critter is a new series I have started. It needs one finishing touch before I reveal it. As they say...."Stay tuned"

Beary Cocktails

Just added these three cuties to my web site. I have ideas for a couple more in this series I am calling Beary Cocktails. Each one comes with an acrylic margarita glass. The little bears are 6 inches tall. Beary Daiquiri's is mohair with the body kool aid dyed a strawberry pink. She has a necklace of Swarovski crystals

Blue Hawaiian also has a kool aid dyed body of a very pretty turquoise blue. Her necklace is a flower fimo beads to resemble a lei.



Margarita is kool aid dyed with lemon and lemon lime. She also has a Swarovski crystal necklace and her glass has little lemons and limes around it.



They are available on my site here. I have made more mini pups and they will be available on etsy soon. Right now I am working on another critter and them maybe another Beary Cocktail.