Teddies Worldwide Preview

The preview has begun. Lots of wonderful Teddy Bears to look at and vote on. Voting lasts until March 22nd at noon. The show and sale begins at 4pm March 22nd and lasts til 4 pm March 24. Besides Brownie I will have 4 other bears available.
Brownie is my preview bear. He is a helpful little elf bear. 
Vote here.

New Puppy Grrl

I actually started working on this Puppy Grrl months ago. She has had 3 different heads as I tried to get the look I wanted. Penelope is currently available on Bear Pile. I think Pugs are wonderfully cute and expressive dogs and puppies.
The Friends of Teddy show at Teddies Worldwide was a great success and 4 of my critters are on their way to their new homes. The next show is a Christmas theme and takes place in November. I don't know if I will be participating but I will definitely attend.

Just a few hours left

I just have 3 critters still available at the Friends of Teddy show at Teddies Worldwide. Julius the lion, Sirius the Dog Star, and Spike the Bull Terrier are waiting to be adopted.

Teddies Worldwide show has begun!

The show started at 4pm est today. My little kitty, Imogene, has already found a home. So, there are four dogs, a lion, and the Steampunk Puss N Boots still available as I type this. 
That is Sirius the Dog Star in the upper left of the photo. Happy Herbie is in the upper right. Bottom row left to right: JoJo the terrier, Julius the lion, and Spike the bull terrier. Lots of other great creations to look at.....www.teddiesworldwide.com

Teddies Worldwide Show Preview

Finally the show preview has begun. I took a quick peek and there are lots of amazing critters created by 75 artists from all over the world. The "Friends of Teddy" show begins July 13th and last til the 15th. You can go to the preview page now and vote for your favorite. The Collector's Choice Awards will be announced at the beginning of the show.

Steampunk Puss N Boots is my preview critter. Now you can see what I needed that black leather coat for that I posted about several posts ago. In total, I will have 7 all new critters for the show. Mark your calendars!

Back in time

I would like to say I have been busy all week working on critters for the Friends of Teddy show. It's a good thing I have plenty of time because certain things beyond my control got in the way. Earlier in the week hubby woke up with a sore swollen ankle. We ended up spending almost the entire day at the VA medical center. Arthritis and possibly gout were diagnosed. As of this minute he is out riding his bike, so we can assume his ankle is much better.  Three cloudy days with lots of rain dampened our mood. We are used to mostly sunny days here in Florida with an occasional afternoon shower.  I think that's what kept me away from sewing and pulled to other things. 
I took some photos today and, after uploading them, I looked at some photos of older creations. I made a collage of some of my favorites.  Maybe I needed some new inspiration from some old ideas.
Reminder: The Friends of Teddy show at Teddies Worldwide is coming up next month, starting July 13th. But the preview begins June 29th.

Indecisive

The idea for this creation started to take shape a couple of months ago. There is even a rough sketch somewhere.  If it turns out as I see it in my head it will be my preview critter for the Teddies Worldwide Friends of Teddy show in July. Having gathered several accessories, I am now committed to making it. Here is where I have run into trouble. The preliminary pattern has been drawn up and I have become very indecisive. Should I make the legs longer? the head bigger? Is the short mohair the right choice or should it be made with the slightly longer denser mohair? I think I am having trouble deciding because this critter is a little more involved than usual for me. Challenging ourselves is what artists should do....right? I'm not the only one that goes through this...am I?

Boy! I think that is the most question marks I have every used in a post. Since I can't reveal the creation until the show preview I put a photo of a sunflower from our backyard. Sunflowers always brighten the day!

New Week

Well, although still in the ICU, my sister is doing better.  I'm optimistic that she will continue to improve. My niece has decided to postpone her wedding til her mom is well enough to attend.
This week I will be getting ready for the Greater Orlando Doll Show in Maitland, Florida.  I don't have high expectations for Teddy bear sales but I enjoy going to doll shows anyway.  This one is just an hour's drive from home so it will make for a nice Saturday. The location has a nice little lake/pond right next door. This is great for hubby as doll shows really aren't his thing.

The next event is in mid July. The Teddies Worldwide online show "Friends of Teddy" is right up my alley. I love making Teddies but other critters are also fun to create. Dogs are definitely one of my specialties. Keeping my eye out for some nice soft leather for one of my creations for this show...hint, hint. Mark your calendars, July 13th - 15th. 

The little shadowbox in the photo is something I made a couple of years ago ...just for me. The photos are me as a child. The little locket was mine as a child too. It has photos of my mom and dad. I don't think I'm very good at putting scrap book things together but I enjoy my little shadow box.

Back on Track

I think everything is finally back to, at least, almost normal. Still getting used to windows 7 on the new computer but I have all of my regular programs back. The website has had some updating but needs a few more tweaks. Actually, I have finished 4 critters, 3 cats and a dog. The dog is a primitive style and I have been experimenting with painting on mohair to give it an aged look.
That's what I wanted this post to be about ...trying new patterns and techniques. After working with mohair and making my own patterns for 18 years I am finally feeling confident enough to try new things. They don't always turn out the way they are supposed to on the first try but it's a learning process. While drawing up the dress pattern for the new dog, I realized how easy it was. I used to refer to books and other patterns to figure out how to get the look I envisioned. I don't usually toot my own horn but I'm kind of proud of myself.
Well, I will be at the Greater Orlando Doll show in Maitland, FL on May 5. Coming in July, the Friends of Teddy online show at Teddies Worldwide. The creations will be critters other than Teddies. Stay tuned...

Anticipation & Garage Sale Finds

It's only a few more days til the Teddies Worldwide Tea Party show. Remember to go to the preview page here and vote for your favorite. The voting ends Thursday the 22nd and the show starts Friday the 23rd at 4pm est. The collectors choice award will be announced at the beginning of the show. Lots of wonderful Teddy Bears in their Tea Party finery to look at.

I purchased these guys at a garage sale a couple of Saturdays ago. The 3 critters in the front are Steiff. I listed them in my Nancy's Notions etsy shop. The cat sold the same day I listed it but the beaver and the mouse are still available.

Tampa Show

It's only a 2 hour drive to Tampa from here but we had to leave at 6am so I had time to set up. The show had good attendance, although I think it was somewhat fewer than last year. Rufus the little terrier and Tootie, one of my little ellies went home with a collector. I had hoped more critters would find new homes but I still consider the show a success. Several well known Teddy bear artists complimented my creations and that made my day. Does that make me pathetic? Hope not.
Now on to the Teddies Worldwide Tea Party show. At least this one is online, so no traveling. Preview release for the show is March 9th.

The Teddy Bears are coming, the Teddy Bears are coming...

It's almost here...The Teddies Worldwide Online Holiday show! There are 75 artists from all over the world participating. I will have six bears all just 6 inches tall. Candi K is the one above. All have a "sweet" theme. You can get a sneak peek at other bear and critters that will be available at Teddiesworldwide.com
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas ....