Battle of the Pengs!

Okay, I admit it. Occassionally I Google my own name to see what pops up (even my dad does, and he really has no reason to). Today I happened to Google myself, and in the first 2 pages or so of searches, I discovered a blog post mentioning me, my sock monkeys... and another well-known Peng Peng, a child pianist from China. It gave me a chuckle, in a surprised sort of way (plus they used my sock monkey image without permission, or credit...grrrr, but we all know it's mine). Well, I'll let you read it here: Korngold and Sock Monkeys.

In the paragraph I'm mentioned, the author states that the child-pianist Peng Peng Gong has knocked me out of first position in a Google search. Well, today I checked~ and look who's back on top! (click image to see it full size)


Take that 16 yr old Peng Peng! I've out ranked you! Sock Monkeys prevail! (insert fantasy sequence here of gang of sock monkeys attacking young Peng Peng Gong while he performs his solo with National Symphony Orchestra).

Just to be a good sport, here is a link to my most formidable rival.

Now let's shake hands :O)

A Feline eBay offering!

Now on eBay for 3 day auction and a very special "buy it now" option!
Miss Dainty has been adopted! thank you!

Gosh, it's been eons since I've had any eBay offerings! Well, eBay was how I got my start in the bear world after all, it was the first place I discovered the miniature bear world. It was like opening up a magic suitcase and out danced tiny bears, glitter and stars. Wow. So thank you miniature bear artists everywhere!

gotta heat up some veggie burgers now.
have a great evening :)

New Mini Buddha Figurines!

Come see what tiny creatures popped out of the woods today!

#1 Mr. Hobbs SOLD

#2 Tiny Michelangelo SOLD

#3 Olland SOLD

#4 Tiny Nicholas SOLD

#5 Zenny Penny SOLD

I will be posting these little ones today and tomorrow in my Etsy shop!
any questions or to reserve one, send me a note :)
Update: These Mini Buddha Bears have all been adopted! Thank you!!!

(P.S. If you missed out on my latest update, do check my shop~ there are currently 4 homeless Mini Buddha Bears who need some love too, including darling "MUDDE" who was one of my first mini sculptures!)

~xoxo~

Round and Round We Go

What....

on earth....

....could I be making with this jumble of stuff?

Miniature Owl Sculptures!
(above: works in progress)

As I look at the photo, it humors me because it appears they are Stonehenge! For being tiny objects, they have a grand scale.

I was shaping paperclay to make Buddha bears, yet continuously my hands made owls. It could not be fought. That is the time to "listen" to the hands, because usually they are right.

After various alterations, I've landed on a form that pleases me (and hopefully you too :o). One thing for certain is I'm attracted to round shapes. It's become apparent by the shrinking limbs on my mohair bears & elephants designs, and also evidenced in the iconic figures of my recent illustrations, that what interests me greatly is the rounded form- the purity of line and elimination of fussiness.

Simplicity, not simple-mindedness:

Another PP! Pablo Picasso's "Le Hibou" (the Owl).

I will announce when my "Petit Hibous" make their debut!
Have a fabulous, fascinating Friday!
xoxo, pp

Hidden Paradise

I think everyone needs a special hidden paradise to escape the world now and then.

"Hidden Paradise (the Red Horse)" is an original painting by me, 17.5"x14", acrylic on canvas, 2002 or 2003, so this predates my bear making! From my personal collection, and now I'm sharing "paradise" with you as a reproduction print, available in my Etsy shop.

A bit of Pengy trivia (I mentioned this before in a previous post) is that my website was once my art/ painting website, prior to bear making. So things have come full circle once again, or rather, things have begun to merge. I'm happy to be involved in 2D, 3D, and points in between. Exploring, experimenting, revisiting, rethinking.

Around the time I painted this, Rob and I had visited "true life" paradise, in a remote part of Costa Rica (I barely made it out alive, but that is another story!). On our first day, while being led through rain forest jungle, our tour guide said something I often think of: "Every day, regeneration".

Isn't that a wonderful thought? Every day is anew, every day invites creation.

A heart-y Buddha belly laugh

(in Beatles harmony) Love Love Love. Happy V-Day to you!! May today and everyday be filled with love and compassion.

It's been a whirlwind of activity (and pom pom making) for yesterdays Sock Monkey update. I'm recovering now, after 9 hours sleep (way too long, even for Saturday) and yet to have my first cup (pot) of coffee. Just peeked at my e-mail, and heard from dear Katie, the winner of my Mini Buddha Bear figurine giveaway last month. She posted the most hilarious pics of "Chesterton" getting into all kinds of mischief, like playing chess(!!) and snuggling with her cat (pictured above). If you need a good chuckle...and who doesn't need a good chuckle, read about it on her blog.


Big hugs to those who adopted my creations yesterday!! There are just 3 sock monkeys still needing forever homes, pictured here Fancy Clancy (published in Stuffed magazine) and Georgie and Georgia Clementine. Please e-mail me if you'd like to give them a loving home :)

Have a sweet day!
xoxo

*Soul Mates* Sock Monkey Update Tomorrow!

!! NEW SOCK MONKEYS !!
The long-awaited update is happening on my web site TOMORROW Friday February 13th at 12 noon Central (10am Pacific/ 11am Mountain/ 1pm Eastern).
Be sure to refresh your browser at the scheduled time to see the new monkeys!

Celebrating Love... and good ol' fashioned sock monkeys ;O)
xoxoxo

Fresh Greens

Our Friday IKEA trip was fruitful & exhausting (per usual). By the time we made it to the bottom level for rugs we were delirious with decision making. After much deliberation (and pining over the $1000+ handwoven Turkish rugs that are WAY WAY out of our budget), we finally chose the EGEBY sisal rug with green border to grace our home (2 of 'em). Now that we have the rugs down, our living areas feel more like well, a living area, rather than a dusty construction zone pass-through. Now we all know rugs are intended to protect the floor from wear, but funnily enough we've been tip-toeing around the rugs as if not to spoil them. Silly, right? In a few days the newness will wear off and they'll be surely 'broken in' ;o)

Another IKEA score, the RIBBA frames. I think they're pretty handsome in the black. My letter-sized prints fit perfectly and looks great with their matt board. BTW, that's a new print in my shop entitled "Jade Buddha", ain't he sweet?

Those are my fresh greens for today! toodle-loo!

A Painted Sky

A winter sunset that reminded me of the summer ones :) sigh.

I'm so proud of myself for making it to the gym 3x this week! However my right foot arch is feeling the pain of today's cardio step class (or those darn insoles, which is supposed to aid my foot, not hurt it!). I'm making stir fry tonight, the smell of steamed rice is so comforting. And comforting is what I need right now, or a new right foot.

Talk again soon!

Two More Today

"Pebbles" Print

"My Best Friend" Print

Behind all of my illustrations are inspirations. You can read about these 2 new prints (and others) in my Etsy shop.

We have the rest of an Errol Flynn DVD to watch tonight. And if that runs out, there's an episode of Secret Agent aka Danger Man (my "second husband" Patrick McGoohan, who passed away last month... the news completely crushed me).

Enjoy your evening, or day, depending when you tune into my blog :O)

Yay! New Prints in the Shop!

"The Black Cats"

"Little Pots"

"The Rouge Rabbit"

These 3 new prints are now in the shop.
My veggie quiche is just about ready to come out of the oven (and a bottle of Yellow Tail awaits :) Have a great evening!

Turbo Tina

In my Turbo Kick class we learned a new move today, it's called the "Tina Turner". If you can picture this: on the balls of your feet, move (or more like shake) your legs by taking lots of quick small steps, very rapidly like a football player does in warm-ups, while making your shoulders and arms do a motion like a big waterfall then upwards again. Can you see it? I feel like I need a long wig and a shimmy dress to do that move. But my stubby pony tail and sweat pants will have to do.

One of the instructors, in her early 20's (bless her soul), took a moment to explain "the move" to us. She prefaced honestly "I don't know who Tina Turner is, doesn't she have the big wild hair?". (insert pause and raised eyebrows here) First I thought, wow.. this really shows my age, but then instantly I wondered, how can you not know who Tina Turner is? Funny thing, a few weeks prior, the same instructor was sorting through CD's and blurted "who is Fleetwood Mac?" as if it was a person (we know Mick Fleetwood is a person, but we are referring to the band). Now, I may not be hip to all the new current recording artists, but Tina Turner is one that every woman should know.

Years ago I watched a VH-1 special on Tina, and tears came to my eyes as she related her defining moment; the day she decided to take control of her life and walk away from years of abuse by her husband Ike. Goes something like this:

In the Adolphus Hotel Dallas (where Tina and Ike were to perform that night), as Ike slept, she sneaked out and ran across the highway to the Ramada Inn, and asked to speak to the manager. She said "My name's Tina Turner, I only have .36 cents and a Mobil gas card...I've fought with my husband" and took off her glasses and showed him her bruises. She explained she couldn't pay at the moment but promised to later on, and even offered her wedding ring as credit. The manager said it was okay, and allowed her to stay the night.
And I think we all know the rest...


A survivor, an original, a legend, and most of all - a woman who would not give up.

Needless to say, the "Tina Turner" move is my favorite part of my Turbo Kick class.
I hope I can still do it when I'm her age at 68 (in stilettos) !