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!

March PFATT Marketplace: my dear friend Froggie!

spring has arrived! what a mild winter we had... not once did i have to shovel snow (knock on wood, march is not yet over!). out from under the covers and with a spring in his step... may i reintroduce a beloved friend of mine, Froggie! he has been my companion since 2010, a beloved silly little monkey who is seeking to further his horizons. these pics are from a photo session for a british teddy bear mag. Froggie is my special PFATT Marketplace offering for March, being green and all :) he has a wonderful feeling about him, you must hold him to appreciate his full charisma.

see Froggie's PFATT listing here. SOLD, thank you!
have a lovely day!

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)

a natural studio

DIY ladder shelves, a photo by mayalu on Flickr.

i'm in the midst of a mini-spring cleaning session in my studio, largely due to my recent (and revisited every so often) plastic purge kick. it's unhealthy for us and the environment, yet so difficult to avoid- like the humidifier, brita filter, packaging, computer, phone, car, etc. one thing that's easy to declutter is the plastic storage, at least we can minimize that right? we all have those plastic bins/ containers/ jars/ bags. craft rooms seem to be a magnet for that. well, my quest is to have no more of it! can it be done? yes i say!

inspiration here:

my old roller skate case and 45 rpm record case, perfect for holding various supplies.

most stuff around the house can be repurposed, or found at yard sales + thrifts: glass, wood, wire + wicker baskets, steel tool boxes + lunchboxes, steel file cabinets, small suitcases, recipe card boxes. i'm having fun "naturalizing" the studio, and hope there are some ideas here you can use! happy spring cleaning ♥

seeing spots

seems all i've been doing lately is standing over a simmering dutch oven. a pot of vegan chili or a pot of dying mohair - not using the same pot of course! i'm happy to say the results of both endeavors came out swell. what does that spotted mohair remind you of? did i hear you say giraffe? i think it time to try and make one of those! (hint hint)

this is what the mohair looks like before i get my paws on it. i prefer to buy white/ light mohair- it's like a blank canvas for dying colors. speaking of, i just added a new page to my web site- how made (for lack of a better term) explaining a bit what materials go into a PP bear. check it out :)

boy stick bear

he's a fella fer sure! something about him just says "country boy". his mohair is indeed "bobo blue" -like the bear in my blu bobo epattern. well, i was soooo close to having him ready today but ran out of daylight to do proper pics. tomorrow he will be up for adoption, wearing cotton overalls and lookin' for love :) sorry to keep you hanging with the sneak peeks!

sunday stick bear

this gal is looking very antique-y! will show you her and another friend later today... what a fun sunday it is!

valentines update this friday!

❤ the valentines update ❤ is happening this friday, february 11th at 12 noon central (10am pacific/ 11am mtn/ 1pm eastern) on my web site! *international friends, click here for time conversion.

there will be an intimate group of one-of-a-kind bears and some in *new designs* to be unveiled....like the bears above - a new design of compact chubbiness :) oh yessssss.
check back tomorrow for the final sneak peek aaaannnd see what little february friend i have created for PFATT marketplace (the 10th of every month).

sweetest dreams xoxo

stick bear

my, how different he looks now that he's taken shape! just needs some duds to keep his li'l body warm. stick bear has a very primitive, quirky look- don't ya think?

PFATT marketplace february offering sneak peek (unveiling on the 10th).
getting very close to announcing the date for the valentines update. i'm aiming for half dozen bears. back to sewing!

early in the morning

up and at 'em before the sunrise. that's how i love to start my day! yes, even on saturday. here's a quiet moment with Yuku. she's being spoiled while awaiting a forever home. chai tea and muffins are her favorites. she is currently available btw. oh! her ePattern is in progress -i didn't forget! expect at least 2 new ePatterns to be in the shop this month :)

a little sunbath to wash away the blizzard blues first thing in the morning...

a prototype for a new design, my take on the classic stick bear.
i'm working on new pieces for a valentine's update this week! february is just whizzing by. well, at least that means we are that much closer to spring, lol.

have a fun day!

puttin' on the ritz

the bears are getting dressed and ready for tomorrows update! and it's looking pretty darn cute. (in "Fantasy Island" Ricardo Montalban voice) smiles, everyone, smiles!

golden hedgehog

i had a feeling this unusual color combo could somehow work- gold and deep purple. love it! i used two kinds of mohair that are very dense and thick (ie: not easy to sew a mini hedgehog with) so i'm relieved the "hard part" is over! now to finish his face and sew on the ears. then a cup of tea :)

hedgehog

a collector suggested to me many moons ago that i should make a hedgehog, and finally i have done so! my first one came out really cute... so i may start another one today. perhaps a pair o' hedgies will be debuting in my upcoming update ;)

yuku rose revisited

yuku rose, the original- without her silk dress. i just found this pic buried deep in a folder on my computer. yuku was one of my few big bear creations, circa 2006. she was featured on the cover of Teddy Bear Club International UK magazine:


for my anniversary update, i am making a "yuku 2011" version, smaller and with some modifications. i'm happy to have been able to get a resemblance, while muttering to myself now how did i do that? since the original pattern was used only once and discarded. yuku 2011 is a lot of work, many pattern pieces but so worth the results!
and a special treat: i will have *yuku epattern available this month! *thanks to sarah for her suggestion. take a look at what sarah made with my blu bobo ePattern:

amazing or what?! peng peng ePatterns you can purchase in my etsy shop. i will keep you posted as things progress! xoxo

am/pm

my studio the other morning... that sunlight really shows every dust particle!

and on my sewing table tonight- patiently pinning a very thick but smallish piece of mohair. looks like a lot of pink bears in progress but really not so much ;) more pics to come.

excelsior in wonderland

a bowl of bears

and the case of the hiding yo yo clown.
how's that for surreal sounding?

speaking of... you must check out ALICE, 1988 film by Jan Svankmajer!! its a wonderland adaptation like no other. all stop-motion animation, none of that pixar-computer generated crap. the rabbit is constantly filling himself with excelsior through a tear in his chest. yes. i give it 5 stars. go netflix it! now i must make like a rabbit and start stuffing bears...

p.s. when you see the caterpillar in the movie, think of me. i don't want to give it away..but you'll know what i'm talking about. and please NO google image searches to spoil it!

preparing the palette

step 1: mohair inventory

step 2: hand dye mohair

step 3: bake bread (recipe here)

step 4: thank god there are mushroom burgers in the fridge, cos i am beat!

sewing (re)commences tomorrow!
have a nice evening...xoxo

yum

a fellow cat lover/ dear friend forwarded this to me the other day. could you use a cup right now? me too :) being the season for all things warm-in-a-cup.

i'm back in the studio busy working on new bears for abracadabra teddies 10th birthday event happening november 20th. hopefully they will get there in time!

stay warm and cozy.