half moon and precious star - happy birthday marc bolan

little *half moon* in the autumn sky.... come see the tiny two-toned miss and her wee friends today on my fall bears update!

"oh like the precious star you are..."

today is special for another reason: it's the birthday of my hero, Marc Bolan of T. Rex. (fellow Libra!). From the first time i heard a few chords from Electric Warrior i was transfixed (someone was playing a cassette of it- that gives you an idea how many years ago that was!). Marc's music has deeply touched so many fans and will always be a huge inspiration to me. on a previous trip to the UK during the mid-1990s, i visited his memorial at Golders Green crematorium and "the tree" where he died as a passenger in a car crash just a few weeks before his 30th birthday in 1977. the Bolan tree, which was then in a sad state of decline, has thankfully now been officially recognized as a rock shrine.
Bolan was a small man ("the bopping elf") with a fierce belief in himself, who named his band after the biggest animal on the planet. he was indeed a precious star- our 20th century boy forever.

★ rock on ★

new bears update this friday!

* The Fall bears update will be happening on my website Friday Sept 30th at 12 noon Central! (10am Pacific/ 11am MTN/ 1pm Eastern) *

International friends click here for time conversion.

i will have a few special wee bears as sneak peeked in photo above! xoxo

sneak peek: dancing cats

okay folks, i've given in! i've uploaded my first ever video on youtube! it was the only way i could figure out how to share my video with everyone and different web browsers. so here it is, another sneak peek for my update this week... ta da.... dancing cat necklaces! they will dance to anything but they do seem to love old jazz. i made three black kitties (one was doing a top hat and cane routine off camera). hope you enjoy my little video!

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 :)

pizza meets sock monkeys

what do pizza and sock monkeys have in common? here we have my old friend/ former boss Mark Bello (right)- entrepreneur/ founder of renowned Pizza A Casa Pizza School, NYC with Jeff Panuk- owner of the company that makes the socks that sock monkeys are made out of (made in the USA-Florida). Jeff Panuk took a pizza making class at Pizza A Casa recently. i used to work for Mark at his landmark Wicker Park futon store here in chicago, pre-bear making days. he was an awesome boss (to put up with me, lol). Mark spent time living in italy so i can only imagine how buonissimo his pizzas are! if you live in the NY area, go take a class at Pizza a Casa. tell him peng peng sent ya. ciao! http://pizzaacasa.com

fall feelin' + etsy treasury

it's a brisk morning and that fall feeling is in the air! it's just right for getting out the cozy mohair and sewing up teddy bears. i've relisted more ePatterns and sock monkey pin sets today in my etsy shop. did you see my new mini business card? i love it- it looks like a stick of gum :) the cooler weather always recharges my creative batteries. once the distractions of summer have gone by i can finally *think*. this fall/ winter i am going to stop procrastinating and learn how to knit. my yarn bin overfloweth but all i've made with it is pom poms! i'd love to make some scarves and big knit hats (topped with a giant pom pom... that i can do), or little bear clothes. speaking of little clothes...

i stopped in my tracks when i saw this window display of tiny mens shirt samples in Rome. how cute are they?? so perfect. one thing's for sure, the Italians know how to dress well. i don't know how the women wear heels on cobblestone streets, but somehow they do!


enjoy the etsy treasury *very dear teddy bear*, which features our beloved blu bobo ePattern. have a lovely tuesday :) xoxo