purple moons

according to the lunar calendar, there will be a full moon tomorrow evening! working steadily to have the new bears ready then. it will be a petite update with just a few bears & spirit bear necklaces.
will send out an email announcement when they are up!

*to be the first to know about my updates, join my private mailing list. ♣

sneak peeks

i was up to the wee hours last night in my studio (10:30pm, that's late for this early riser). my husband was out with a friend so i had quiet time alone to work at will... just me, some cave water, frogs, and binaural beats to help me focus. attaching the eyes and seeing the bear come to life is one of my favorite moments. 

more to come later! have a fun saturday ❀

fly away ears

 

ever have a hair day like this? i know i have :) these are the extra long doxies i mentioned a while back. poor pups, looking at me with their no-eyes saying "please finish us"! why am i procrastinating? well, what happens is i tend to start something else... like a red/white/blue calico cat perhaps?

i typically work on multiple bears at a time. it keeps things loose and fresh- not so much pressure when i can stop and pick up something else. and the neat thing is they all get done around the same time and that's a satisfying feeling! hope to show you more bears in progress and when/where they will be available.

have a sweet saturday!

journeys end: dreadlocks

here's my 6 month progress of natural/ neglect/ free form dreadlocks. i took them out right after these pics were taken- armed with a bottle of conditioner, jojoba oil, a fork and a lot of patience! i managed to detangle 6 months of dreads in a few hours with Rob's help too. it was a cool dreadlock journey and no regrets. it may be hard to see on my dark hair, but i had 3 really solid locks in the back (i called them the 3 musketeers).

at 6 months my hair was starting to dread like crazy, though the sides were taking forever to dread. shoulder length hair was shrinking up to chin-length. crazy swiggles, loops and matted knots forming a calligraphy of it's own. though i loved the wildness and organic changes that were occurring, there were some cons:

• my dreads were picking up lint which showed up easily in dark hair, and i was going cross-eyed tweezering it out. it seems unavoidable unless you cover your hair all the time which i'd rather not do.
• split ends on old hair, again which showed up easily on dark hair.
• the pulling feeling at the scalp on some of my more solid dreads.
• dreads getting caught on jackets, seat belts, etc.

ultimately, i felt the dreadlocks just weren't suiting me. so out they went! then i gave myself a hair cut using the ponytail layering method, which works pretty well:



another good ponytail hair cut tutorial here.
self-reliance is what i'm talking about ;)

stay tuned for bear sneak peek tomorroooow! have a great saturday ❈

new mini bear design

my tiniest stick bears yet! i will be unveiling these sweeties in the next day or so! maybe you can see the theme here? 3 are christmas light colors, one is black like coal, and one snowy white :) so far so cute. **** don't forget tomorrow is PFATT marketplace update!

sneak peek: tortie mohair bears

a new OOAK stick bear in wild black/ white tie dye mohair. he's like a black and white cookie! yummy! made for Collins Gifts upcoming 6th annual Artists signing & web show. he will be getting dressed today.

a different tie dyed mohair in tortoise shell black/ white/ with a hint of orange.
made into....

...a pair of "twin" pointy nose bears- each with unique markings. i am loving them already. they will in my web update this week!

i made a nice bundle of prim hang tags when the weather was just right, sunny with minimal wind so they wouldn't blow all over the yard (i found a few astray hang tags under the deck, lol). gotta take advantage of every sunny day we have!

will show you more sneak peeks tomorrow for my spooky-ish web update this week! more cute than scary i promise :)

sock monkey countdown!

this is one of my favorites from my stash- vintage flower power medium-weight cotton fabric, in unusual black background! for a long time i didn't have the heart to cut it up, but there was a certain sock monkey it was just perfect for. luckily, i had just enough fabric to make the whole outfit. it was meant to be!

there will be some pretties and fancies for tomorrows big update at 7pm central!

these belong in the *extra slim* section of the monkey wardrobe. when i have the little collared shirts and pants on on the ironing board, it gives me a chuckle. we hope the monkeys bring you many chuckles tomorrow! they are very excited to meet you too!

for those just tuning in: *the sock monkey update* is happening on my web site tomorrow, july 10 at 7pm central.

sock monkey update july 10!

Excitement! The Sock Monkey update is happening July 10 at 7pm Central (5pm Pacific/ 6pm Mtn/ 8pm Eastern)!!

International friends, click here for time conversion.

*My Sock Monkey updates only happen a few times a year, so please note: rather than my usual noon time listing, I am doing a SUNDAY EVENING listing to try to accommodate everyone :) i've already got the sock monkey jitters!

your sneak peeks for today ☺

two for tuesday

two sneak peeks today! the monkeys are lining up nicely, awaiting ears and faces. check back again for more daily sneak peeks throughout the week :) now back to sewing...

she's got legs

hi! we've been home a week now from our trip out east visiting family. i did my yearly thrifting with my mom which i always eagerly look forward to. PA still has the best thrifts, the ones we went to even had dressing rooms! our garden has doubled in size while away, so i'm busy tending to the plants and, many new pieces in the studio!

legs, arms and tails are stuffed. today's goal is to stuff all the monkey bodies and this little bear...

an *american stick bear* in red/ silver/ blue tie dye mohair! right now she looks like a ball of fur but i'm excited to see how she will look--- to be completed by 4th of July ;o)

who will be wearing these tomorrow?

a little bear, that's for sure! this is my sneak peek for PFATT's june update, happening tomorrow june 10th at 10am pacific. i just love this dr. suess-ish fabric!

just an FYI, we are visiting family next week for about 2 weeks (driving) so i'm trying to get some bears made before then. when we get back, i will be plunging into sock monkey making for a JULY MONKEY UPDATE. lots on my calendar but it's all good :)

spring update tomorrow!!

yay! my web site spring update is happening tomorrow, APRIL 12 @ 12 noon central (10am pacific/ 11am mtn/ 1pm eastern). international friends: click here for time conversion.

be sure to refresh your browser at the scheduled time to see all the new spring bears! there will be 7 (maybe 8) bears in lovely spring hues and smiling faces. stop by early to get your favorite bear(s) at peng-peng.com tomorrow! now i'm off to sew a certain Mr. Peach his little outfit...

spring is sprouting

some works in progress for my spring update!

happy spring colors: tulip red, peachy apricot, leafy green, tomato orange, snow cone electric blue ...

and more works in progess in other areas of the house...
our organic veggie garden sprout-lings:

i've been tending over the little peat pots with glee. if the harvest goes well, we'll be doing a lot of canning this fall. the goal is to have enough filled ball mason jars to last us til next spring. it's tomato madness!

will show you more sneak peeks of new bears til i make the official update announcement...which will be very soon.

have a glorious shining spring weekend!

new elephant designs

uh oh, where's me arms and other leg?

it's been a long time since i made ellies! the dusty pale blue mohair has a very vintage-y look, i felt compelled to try it out on new elephant designs. a biggish one and a very small one are in progress. mixing the old blue ticking fabric w/ mohair is a first for me also. something old, something new, something borrowed and something baby elephant blue...

have a lovely weekend!

too good to eat

rice bear bathing in tomato sauce. found via google search the words tomato and bear. sound strange? i have a concept for a new bear, so let that be a warning :) will post works in progress here when they are "ripening".