Calling all dog lovers

We always watch "Sunday Morning" on CBS and a couple of weeks ago it was about dogs. One of the features was about a Border Collie that has a vocabulary of over 1000 words. Most of them are names of his stuffed toys. But if you tell him to get a certain toy he can pick it out of a huge pile of toys.
Here is a video about him http://youtu.be/_6479QAJuz8
There was also a feature with the author, Dean Koontz. He wrote a book about his Golden Retriever, Trixie, called "a big little life, A memoir of a Joyful Dog. It also explains his connection to Canine Companions for Independence. I don't get to read as often as I would like but I reserved this book at the local library. Once I picked it up I couldn't put it down. I would recommend it to anyone that has or had a dog. Be prepared with tissues though!
Apparently, Trixie the dog has also written some books and they are next on my list.

Wanna Play?

That's what Bethany is saying. She was actually anxious for her photo session but I was waiting to find the right ribbon for her head. Turns out I had it all the time! While on a visit to Hobby Lobby and Michael's last week I checked out all of their ribbon. Nothing quite right. Then, yesterday, I remembered a roll of ribbon purchased months ago. It had never been used but was purchased just because it was cute.
We had a sandbox in our backyard when I was growing up. Fond memories are wonderful inspiration.
If not sold before, Bethany will be going to the Doll and Bear show in Maitland, Florida on May 7th. Then the ACD awards at Bear Artists Online comes up in early June. I am already working on bears for the Teddies on Parade online show in July.

Haven't been slacking off...

I really have been busy sewing. Most of the bears have just been waiting for a photo shoot. First there is Bebe. She made her debut in the recent issue of Teddy Bear Review in an article about inspiration. The cute yellow baby teddy fabric inspired me.

Second is Louise, aka "Weezie", the gardener. She is the "face" in my previous post. She is named after my mom, who loved to garden. Our front yard would be full of beautiful blooms this time of year.

Third is Berry Cream, another in the sweet little bears series. She is just 6 inches tall. Her body and head were dyed a pretty strawberry cream color.

Lastly is Rufus. I wasn't sure about him as I put together some scraps of mohair for his head. But he turned out as an appealing little mutt.
Also completed 2 other critters that hope to make an appearance in the next issue of Teddy Bear Review and another bear who is just awaiting some accessories.

Ahh...That Face

Finally, some time to sew! Finished end of quarter bookkeeping(Yahoo!). I have been working on a couple of new bears. Most of the time I have an idea in my head and the critter usually comes out close to the vision. This time, after stuffing the head, I was worried. It just looked like a lump and I couldn't imagine a cute face coming from that lump. So I did a photographic progression and you can see the little bear face appear.

Blank Stare

The Nose Knows

All in the Smile

The Eyes have it!

She still needs some work(and a body!). It almost seems like magic and I guess that's why I love creating these sweet faces.