Desertmountainbears Notes

WIP Phoenix Show

2012-01-22T11:22:00.000-08:00

Bear Number five is telling me she would like to be a princess ballerina. Funny how they do that sometimes.

Looks like the crown might be a perfect fit, no one else has claimed it yet.

I will be here with bears March 11th, hope you’ll come.

I Learned How To Pick Them

2012-01-17T11:31:00.000-08:00

You have heard me whine here before the URSAs this year that I am always bridesmaid and never the bride.
This past year things have changed for me. Why? I really think it is because I stopped picking the bears I liked the best. This year I paid attention to the comments. Who got the most, what was said. That is how I made decisions on who to enter.

Alpine and Oatman have both received TOBY Industry Choice Awards.
Oatman has been a very good boy, he has also won an URSA.

I guess the moral is not to trust myself.

A New Play Toy

2012-01-07T09:30:00.000-08:00

I have for a long time wanted a little ball jointed doll. The complete little ones (the ones with faceups, clothes, wigs ect..) are hard to come by, they quickly sell out. So for a long time I just sat with it on my mind. I decided after playing with Blythe that I would maybe like to buy a blank and do it myself. I was afraid, even a blank doll is well more than $100.00. I was not quite ready for that yet.

Then one day at the beginning of December I was cruising the internet looking at all the beautiful little dolls with my friend Wayne, (Wayne lives in Singapore) and on ebay we found her.

She is not resin, she is a hard plastic, (abs) but at 5” (about 12cm) she is just what I wanted, and she was cheap, $28.00 shipping included. She is a Hujoo baby doll.

So I sanded her down, did some facial carving around her eyes, chin, and lips. I did not like the eyes I purchased, I thought the iris was too big for her, so I took apart a Liv doll and used her eyes. I blushed her body using pastels and painted her face with acrylics, and gave her some lashes.

I have lots of mohair around here. I mean the raw kind, locks, not the fabric (although I hoard that also) So I dug through my stash pulled some out, dyed it, and followed a tutorial on the web to make her a wig, fits perfect.

Poor girl had no clothes, so I crocheted her some with some #8 pearl cotton thread. How come I can work this small with a crochet hook, but can’t make a bear under 8”? I need to think on this. She still needs some shoes. I did order her some, but I think I might try my hand a making her some with the thread to match her outfit.

I had so much fun playing. I think she turned out exactly the way I wanted her to. So I ordered another, this time I think she will be brunette.

I swear I have been working on bears. I am getting ready for the Phoenix Show in March. I will be showing off the finished bears soon now.
If you live anywhere cold and need a break in March consider coming here. The weather is no finer in the country than Phoenix in March. More on that later.

I Saved the Best for Last

2012-01-01T13:47:00.000-08:00

Open/Sleepy Eyes

I have gone back and forth with this one. Seems to be a secret that is not really discussed. I would like to thank Linda Benson for her blog post earlier this year, she explained enough for a light to go off in my head. Between that post and the little bear that was destined for the trash can I finally figured it out, almost. I can still not get the eyes all the way shut. So these are not open/shut eyes, but open/sleepy eyes.

This is not an easy technique,certainly not for the beginning bear maker, it is fiddly. Do not try it on a good bear to sell.

And again, I say this is my way, I have no idea how others do it.

I have glued a very thin piece of wire (I think this is 28 gauge beading wire) to the very edge of thin ultrasuede light. I ordered ultrasuede light off of an etsy seller,it is very thin, and strong. (She does not have plain colors in her shop photos, I contacted her directly.) I have tried it without wire, but the wire helps to push it up and stay in a rounded shape.

I did very minimal needle sculpting around the eyes, only a back and forth across the bridge of the nose. The eyes are not pulled into the head. The eyelid sewing will do this. I did use a drop of glue under the eye to hold them in place. I have found that without it when you pull the eyelid up the eye will move downward. I did not want that I want them to stay put. The drop of glue went under the bottom part of the eye.

I want you to see a picture of bear eyes, I always look at placement of lids. Where exactly it is that the corners of the eyes are.

This is just a scrap piece of fabric I am using to make a lid template. It is a little bigger than I need it to be. I used this to cut two eyelids out of my prepared suede.

Then I used a little of the Fabric-Tac glue to hold it in place. You can see the folded edge with the wire at the bottom of the eyelid.

Please ignore the stitches there, they are from the sculpting I did between the nose bridge. The camera is so close you see everything.

I am taking a stitch through each corner of the eye. I am starting from the back of the head and coming up. I will then grab the suede and take it back down and through to the back of the head. I am using a very long needle.

These next picture shows that I am putting my needle back into the exact same hole that the thread is coming out of. This way there will be no dimpling of the fabric in the back of the head.

Now I am at the other corner, both corners done first. Up close to the eye and then grab the suede and pull it back down to the back of the head.

On the next bear I did I marked the corners of both eyes with pen. It made it easier making them both even.

Grabbing the fabric from underneath.

Now what I did for the rest of the lid was to come up from the back of the head, and take a stitch on the suede and then go back down close to the eye again to the back of the head. I did this all the way across. It sunk the eye down and made a socket for the lid to fold into.

Again this is a very close shot. The finished lid. For myself I used a little wool and ran it along the seam and felted it in and you could not see any stitches. If I was not felting I would probably take a few more stitches to make it perfectly smooth. But again this is very close on a little bear, so really you can barely see the bumps
.
I also felted a brow, but I think that if you didn't cut away the fur so much as me this would be unnecessary.
I did not make a bottom lid. I needle felted one in, but one could be done the same way and then the eyes would close completely. I am only going sleepy.

I have since I wrote this put on a bottom lid. I did it the same way. So then both top and bottom lid will move.

On finished, one just glued. You can see how it sinks the eye into a socket.

Eyes open, you can see how it sits back in the socket, that was sculpted with the thread, but I did add a little felting to build it up.

I do see more and more people interested in realistic bear making. This I think is part of that. There really is not a lot of information out there on how to achieve what needs to be done to make a bear look “real.”

I have learned after working with kids at a school for 10 years that not everyone learns the same way, some people are good at figuring things out on their own, (like me) and others need to see it done in order to grasp the concept of it. Then they take off on their own. It has always been my goal to help those people. I will continue to do so.

I know I have said this before, but when one person takes the next step on their journey to success it benefits us all.

I do hope that if one of you out there uses this and figures out how to get those lids to close all the way without a lot of bulkiness that you will please contact me and let me know. I will keep racking my brain over this till I do it.

Christmas Desert Style

2011-12-21T08:46:00.000-08:00

Last night we went to the Phoenix Desert Botanical Gardens for their Luminairia Night. The garden is quite a spectacular sight during the day filled with cactus and desert plants, but for these special evenings it is truly magical.
In the southwest of the United States being so close to Mexico we celebrate many of the Mexican traditions, luminairia being one.

For the most part the paths were only lit with the candles in a sand filled bag.

There were some adobe style structures at the garden, their flat roofs were the perfect place for more lights.

The theme this year was the insect, there were quite a few large wooden bugs scattered through the garden. To give you an idea of the size, behind this ant is a 10 foot saguaro cactus. (Here in the Sonoran Desert is the only place on earth these huge cactus grow.)

This is a Native American Apache woman dressed in traditional clothes giving a talk about her culture. She is standing under a wikiup, a traditional shelter used by them, her family built it here at the garden. If you look you can see some beautiful blankets hanging from the celing, a handmade basket is hanging to the right of her, and to the left is a man, with a large flute. The music that comes from these types of flutes is hauntingly beautiful.

Some of the paths had decorated trees.

I am sorry for the blurriness of this picture. But on the way out another Mexican tradition, Mariachis dancing and playing Christmas songs with a Mexican flair.

Sometimes at Christmas I miss the cold and the snow. But then I step out someplace like this, and I remember how truly blessed I am to live here in the desert.

Giving A Bear Some Backbone

2011-12-10T09:56:00.000-08:00

Last year I started using a plastic type armature in the arms and legs as well as removing the neck joint and giving the bear a spine. I have changed the method of joining the body to the head since that time. This new way is much easier.

First let me explain what ‘Lockline’ is. Lockline is a plastic hose, yes the hose that water squirts out of. It is measured by the diameter of the hole. The smallest that the Lockline company makes is 1/4”. I am not using ‘Lockline’ it is too big.

There is another company Jeton, they also make hoses. But they have taken this idea and made it smaller for armature use. You can buy it in bulk directly from the company, I think they are in Taiwan, or you can buy it from CR’s Crafts in the US. They make it down to 1/8” in diameter.

I have had both the ‘Lockline’ and the ‘Jeton’ in my hands and at 1/4” they are equally strong. Now having said that the smaller you go the more bendable it is, but the weaker it does become. So for a large bear you would not use 1/8” There are also companies selling pre-assembled armatures they are cheap plastic and cheaply priced and you will get what you pay for, they break apart very easily.

Here is a picture of three sizes of armature 1/8”, 3/8”, and 1/4”. Look at how much bigger they are than the measure. The 1/8” is closer to 3/8”, the 3/8” looks larger than 1/4” and the 1/4” looks like 1/2”. I use the 1/8” in the arms and legs of my 9” bears and the 3/8” in the spine. The 1/4” I use for the spine of a 12” bear with the 3/8” in the limbs.

You can also see looking at the picture that the smaller you get the more balls and joints you get so the more bendy it it. It will not bend at a 90 degree angle, so if you need this kind of flexibility, it will not work. You break this stuff apart by bending back onto itself. I usually use a pair of pliers to help me with this.

The reason I started using a spine rather than a double neck joint is that I wanted the bears to be able to sit with the back of their heads flat and then bend their head up to be on all fours, and have it be rounded. The lockline will do this.

When I started using the lockline type armature I used a separate collar to hide it. This year I changed my body pattern to get rid of the collar.

The back of the neck sits up and is sewn directly onto the head.

There are little pieces and angles you can get to join the armature together. You need a special tool which is expensive, so I just wire them. (Someday when I get to the one piece body design I will buy them.)

I wire a small piece to the top, so that two pieces will be in the head. It will keep it from twirling around in the head, that would defeat the whole purpose. I have the length down to not quite the tail area of the pattern. I usually make it too long and I go back at the end at take off a couple of more links.

I use felt (you could also use cotton batting) to wrap the whole piece. This will make it so you don’t feel it, and it will also help it again not to twirl.

As I stuff the head I keep the area where the two pieces are joined inside the head. It will want to come out, it must stay in. Sometimes I need to close the neck up a bit with a running stitch to help me here. The reason you want it inside is because right where it is joined it will not be flexible, and you want the neck to be flexible.

I secure the bottom of the head with a running stitch, just like I were to do with a traditional joint. I run the needle through the felt to help it stay put.

I wrap the area around the neck with some extra felt. I have that secured to the bottom of the head. This is all the stuffing I use in the neck area. I want it to fill some of the space in the neck, but not be tight.

The hardest thing for me to do this year was to learn to under-stuff. If you stuff firmly the bear will not move.

Here is the bear head, and here is the bear waiting to be joined. Notice I only have the bottom legs in. I pin the head on and mark where I think the arms should go, but until I have the neck on I do not joint them. This is because for one thing I want to see the neck bent back to make sure the arms are not too high. Also if the neck is connected just the slightest bit higher or lower on one side of the head it will affect the position of the arms.

All the way around the neck opening of the body, the fur is trimmed and the raw edge is turned under.

The head is slipped into the body, the back of the neck comes up to sit high in the back, and the front it positioned under the chin.

I begin by tacking the body in place first under the chin, then in the center back, then on both sides. I use a ladder stitch with upholstery thread to make very tiny stitches joining the body to the head. I start in the center back.

The head is attached, the spine now needs to be tacked into place. Otherwise it will wonder around inside the body.

I start attaching the spine in the upper back area, I leave the neck area unattached to that the fabric can move more freely there. Before I get the the opening in the back of the fabric I just take some small back stitches attaching the mohair to the felt. When I get to the opening I anchor the one side of the mohair down to the armature. When I then get past the opening I go back again to using small back stitches.

The other side of the open seam is then closed with a ladder stitch to close up the back.

And that is it. I use the lockline also in the arms and legs, you can see how I do this here. I do wrap the arms and legs with felt too. I use very little stuffing, only at the top around the joint area do I stuff it firmly. This keeps everything moving easily.

Please feel free to ask questions. I am so happy with the way my bears have begun moving this year. I will continue working any playing around with new ways to get it into the bears.

There is one drawback that I do see, and that is in the turning of the bears head, it will not swivel without the joint. If you do not stuff to firmly it will still turn to the side though, as well as diagonal, up and down and everywhere in between. To me it was a fair trade off.

Sit, turn,and on all fours with no neck joint.

New Blythe redo

2011-12-03T12:30:00.000-08:00

I have been playing again with the Basaak Blythe girls. I have just finished doll #3. I am getting more and more daring with each one.

This is Ginger

She began her redo as the girl on the left. Cute but just too generic. I sand matted her face, carved her lips, nose, philtrum, (space between her nose and upper lip)I carved her eyes, her chin, her cheeks just a bit. I purchased new eye chips which were too large for her eyes, so I dremmeled the holes in her eye mechanism larger to fit the new chips. I am getting brave aren’t I. Then I gave her new eyelashes, and some makeup using pastels. Oh yes and freckles, I love the freckles. I also removed her hair and re-rooted new mohair, that I dyed with Kool Aid.

I did her re-root in a very nontraditional way, but the way I am most comfortable with. I used a felting needle to root the hair in strand by strand, It is a real mohair waster, the needle will cut some of the strands going in, so a lot of it ends up too short to use. But on the plus side it looks very natural. I could root it down a little further on her scalp it got rid of the line on the top of her forehead.

So here we are with the 3 girls I have done so far, The dark hair girl was the first, you can see how I am getting braver with each one.

I have one more Basaak Blythe sitting here to play with yet. We will see how brave I get next time. Then who knows maybe I will get the courage to buy a real Blythe and try my hand. But maybe not, I kind of like these girls just fine.

But for sure they all need a new wardrobe, that I know I can do.

Bear Heads From Picture to Fabric

2011-12-01T16:49:00.000-08:00

This is installment number two on “What I Have Learned This Year”

Just like I draw bear bodies from the internet I do the same with heads. I keep a large folder of pictures for reference that I got from the Lily the Black Bear fan page on Facebook. If you are not on Facebook the North American Bear Center is another great resource for pictures of Black Bears. I love black bears. And unless I am making a panda it is a picture of a black bear I am working from, no matter what the mohair color.

Here is a picture of Lily and her cub Hope. When I look at this profile picture this is what I see, I see on both bears a nose that sits much lower than the eyes. I see eyes that sitting close in depth to the bridge of the muzzle. (they are not sunk deeply) I see that there is not a lot of space between the nose and mouth. And I see that the slope of the head is very subtle, even in the cub there is not a large rounded forehead. Can you see it? One more thing, the ears, they are large on black bears, but what I am looking at is where they are sitting on their head, they sit far back on their heads.

So here is my head pattern again. You can see the nose is sloping down and will sit much lower than the eyes. I do not have a rounded bridge, it is much more subtle. I have a dart on the bottom that will help shape the cheek, and I will be adding another dart at the top of the head. Because of that I have added just a little extra length to the top of the head. (towards the back) That way when I take that dart in it will not pull the back of the head in to much.

You probably notice that the muzzle seems short, the bears in the picture have long muzzles. I needle felt the whole muzzle.

Another picture of Hope, I think this is the picture I used to draw this.

Here is what I can see, I see a very round head. The pattern will need to be rounded across that top where the ears sit. The dart I built into the pattern helps to push out the cheeks.

Here is Hope again as a very young baby.

The lines of the bear are really visible if you can see it in a drawing.

After the bear is sewed, I add a dart across the top of the head to help round out the top. I do not have a picture of a sewn head, so a drawing is going to have to do here.

I want to stop right here and remind everyone that this is my way, probably not the right way. I am sure that there will be some who are going to cringe right now, but this is what works for me. It is the beauty of learning on your own. (no one to tell you NO)

When the bear’s head is sewn I lay the piece down in on the table in front of me so the bear head is folded and laying flat. I pull the cheeks out, and right across the top of the head I will see corners. Looks something like the picture.

I follow the line of the fabric threads to make sure the fabric is straight, then I open the seam allowance I put a pin through the front and back to hold it. I then decide where I want the darts and I put pins in to mark. I use a pencil to draw a rounded dart. It is not straight across, it is rounded, I have highlighted the dart in yellow. I have found that if I don’t round the dart I end up with points on the top of the head. The other highlighted area is where the darts are sewn at the neck. You can see how this helps shape the head.

I know that I have said this before, but if you can see this and know how to work it into the pattern before hand, by all means do it. I have tried and I can’t. I need to see where the darts need to go in a 3 dimensional shape.

I try very hard to keep the darts in the middle of the head. Usually by laying it down, folding and pulling the sides out this just happens.

After the dart is sewn in. I cut open the top of the dart and use a needle to pull the fur to the wrong side of the fabric. After the head is turned I use a needle to pull more fur and I will pluck any furs trapped in the seam.

I drew a line here so you can see right where that dart is. I use this spot, (because I know that it is even on both sides) to place the front of the ears.

Sometimes even the dart is not enough. This fellow had a wide gusset and even with the dart the head was not rounded enough.

I needed it to look like this.

So I needle sculpted between the ears to pull the head in more. I also trimmed the fur in front of the ears and under the chin.

I do think the trimming and sculpting made a huge difference.

And just one last picture to show you, this is my bulletin board. It sits right in front of my desk. I really do draw a lot right on my computer screen. These little pictures remind me when I am making patterns what it is I need to see in the finished bear.

The picture on the far right of the whole bear is from the day I went to Cabellas Sporting Goods. They have a huge taxidermy display, I took my notebook to the store and studied and drew. It really helped to see the bear in 3D.

Next post will be on my favorite new toy this year, how to use lockline. I have found a much easier way.

A Little More Explanation Needed

2011-11-23T11:55:00.000-08:00

Thank you all for the comments and suggestions. The feedback here will help me so much as I work more on pattern adjustment.

I need to explain the pictures a little more I think, at least just the one.

The hole in this picture is not the hole for the joint. I do not mark any joint placement. I do all that after the bear is sewed and I am putting it together, (more on that later.) The dart I use starts where the upper part of the leg will sit. That is what the hole is for. It is for marking my dart. If you add fur, that is about where the leg starts. If you add a seam allowance like I did there at the bottom, you can see it is not high.

Here you can see where about the joints are sitting in the bear. And how the darts pull the bottom in. This can easily be done with a four part body, and if you can use one I think that is great. My mind does not work that way, and I need to use darts. At the beginning when I first started using darts I would sew the body, see where the darts needed to go and then make the pattern adjustments. I need to see in 3D.

I do plan to go on further to discuss the head and the lockline spine. The head does appear to be small here. I am allowing for the space that a gusset would take up. The bear will have no neck joint.
When I first started using lockline I used a collar, a separate piece. This is the newer way for me, that I will discuss later. If I were to use a neck joint I would not have such a high back on this bear, unless I were jointing with a double neck joint. Then I would make another line straight across the neck and add a wedge for the 2 joints.

Again thank you for your comments. Just remember that I am not saying that this is the right way to do anything. This is only my way. My hope in showing and discussing always is to get people thinking, to make minds start working to develop their own ways too.

Designing a More Real Bear

2011-11-22T16:32:00.000-08:00

The end of the year is almost here. I learned a lot this year. Designing is my weakest point. I am a very visual person and I can not see something in my head and put it on paper. So changes come slow to me, it is trial and error. This years goals were to work on movement and a more realistic type body. They work together.

Since what I learn I learn on my own, I think it is ok to share with others. So for the next few posts I would like to show you where I am now. I see that there are more and more people interested in this making this type of bear.

My body pattern changed a lot this year with the use of lockline. Because I was able to get the bear on all fours as well as into a sitting position, a teddy bear body was no longer going to work. So I started looking more closely at bear bodies, mostly cubs, because I am most interested in making a chubby baby. In order to see the lines of the bear I lay paper over my computer screen. It makes it so much easier to see the shapes.

I would like you to see what I see. A wide neck, a chubby belly that narrows at the butt. A nose that slopes downwards without a high bridge. The back of the neck is not so round, but blends into the body. Can you see it? This is traced from the computer. One more thing the head is still big, bigger in comparison than an adult bear, but still small. About 2-1/2 heads to that body.
So I made some body pattern adjustments.

The left is my old pattern, I work with two pieces and darts, it is easier for me to see shapes this way. These are actually not the same size bear. The bear on the right is about 3/4 of the size of the bear on the left. So I have made the body longer. I widened the neck quite a bit. I did use lockline on both of these bodies. But as you can see I have the head sitting differently. (I will explain that more in a later post) I narrowed the hip area. The dart is high. It starts right where the top of the leg sits. I found by darting like this it narrows the hips down. When the bear is on all fours the legs do not splay out in the back.

If the butt is too round, or the stomach to wide in the lower body the legs will splay outward. Darting deep and high will allow the bear to still have a belly, but the legs will sit closer together. They will stay in a vertial position. Am I making sense?
Just one last picture. I will show you this one again later when I talk more about adding a spine. What I want you to see is how small this head is in comparison to the body. When you see it on paper it looks small, but when you see it in fur, it looks right, especially when the bear is on all fours. This was a hard adjustment for me to make. The body kept getting longer and narrower and the head smaller, not so much smaller as shorter.

But in the end it looks right.

Not a pin head.

Please feel free to ask questions if you have not understood and need more explanation. Or even better if you have a different way and would like to share it, please do. I would love to know. There is not much information out there on realistic bear design. We can all help each other grow together.

Blythe Redo Done

2011-11-16T12:01:00.000-08:00

I finished her face and put her back together. Now that her hair is back I realize that I like her blond. The hair on this girl is nice and thick, not so with the other blond. So I will save the re-root for the next doll. I purchased extra scalps, so no one will have to be bald while waiting for a new hairdo.

Her makeup is nice and subtle which is what I wanted.

This picture are the custom blue chips.

Custom purple chips. I do love these custom chips, I bought them off of an Etsy seller. I will order more.

Original brown chip.

Original green chip. I also played with the spring which opens and closes her eyes, so that she could have a little more lid showing. That way I could give her some nice new eyelashes.

Here she is before and after. Both cute, but I really liked making her my own. Now to work on some new clothes. And on to the next doll, or teddy, (I just purchased a new pattern from Vivianne Galli) or crochet, always something going on.

Custom Blythe Basaak Doll

2011-11-15T16:23:00.000-08:00

I have not been showing much in the bear world lately. I have been getting ready for a couple of shows. They are not till spring, but each bear takes so long. But I am not one for keeping things hidden till the end so I will post pictures soon.

I have been back to playing with dolls. I am a doll collector. I really like teddy bears, but I love dolls, always have. A couple of years ago I discovered Blythe dolls. I love how they can be taken all apart and customized. But since they cost hundreds of dollars and I was inexperienced I found Basaak dolls. Which are basically Blythe knockoffs. They cost $25.00 and if you find a good seller the quality of them is surprisingly good. (My daughter has a real Blythe so I compared.) I now have four of them. I have redone one and have taken another apart.

Here are three of the girls. There are whole groups on Flickr devoted just to Basaak, Blybe, and CCE dolls. All Blythe knockoffs. The one on the far right I have redone.

Here is the girl I have apart. She now looks like this.

I have sanded down the shine on her face, and carved into her lips, nose, and chin, (giving her a chin) I have given her a little makeup, not too much, and have sprayed her with a matt sealer.

These pictures are of her eye mechanism. The left picture is her regular eye chips. I ordered her two pair of custom chips. Getting the old chips out was difficult. They are super-glued in a Basaak doll.

And one last thing to show. When I ordered the last batch of Navajo-Churro wool it was coarser than what I usually get. Navajo-churro wool has a long hairy outer coat and a soft downy inner coat. It was much more pronounced in this particular fleece, so I separated it. It just pulls apart. I dyed the long courser stuff and really nice shade of brown. It looks and feels just like human hair. So I am going to re-root her scalp. I will show more when I get into that, but here is the hair.

So if you get the urge to play, there are so many good tutorials online. I learned to do most everything on Youtube. Here is the link to the ebay seller I have gotten my last two dolls from, her dolls are great and she is so nice. http://myworld.ebay.com/siriporn.robertson&ssPageName=STRK:MEFSX:AVATAR

Color Coding Felting Needles

2011-11-07T06:32:00.000-08:00

I know I have blogged about this before, but it has been a long while. I though it was worth revisiting. I have found a faster way to color code all those needles. They all look the same.

I always used nail polish, but I have found that rather than painting it on needle by needle it is so fast just to give them a quick dunk in the bottle.

Then stick them into a piece of Styrofoam to dry overnight.

I keep them in a plastic case that once held makeup remover wipes. I have a color coded key that lets me know which needle is which.

Little things can make life so much easier.

A Winner and Some New Giveaways

2011-10-31T12:21:00.000-07:00

The number chosen with a random generator was #31. Congratulations Meri! Meri is a multi-media artist that specializes in sculpture. As a matter of fact, I am the proud owner of Smutt the Cat. She made him special for me because I won her giveaway earlier this year. She is very generous sharing lots of vintage images on her blog ImagiMeri's if you haven't been there please go check it out.

And two more great giveaways to mention.

Now that I have them posted, I am headed over to both of them to join in.

Sedona by Pink Jeep

2011-10-25T08:16:00.000-07:00

My husband and I took an overnight trip to my favorite place a couple of weeks ago, Sedona. We have been there many times, it is not too far of a drive from Phoenix. But this time for the first time we took a Pink Jeep tour back into the scenery.

Usually we see this from the bottom.

I learned that the rocks are red because there is iron in the soil. And at a time when this area was covered with ocean it rusted.

I also learned that Walt Disney used to have a home here, and that this is Thunder Mountain. The mountain he designed the ride from.

Here we are looking a bit dusty and disheveled.

He is David and the jeep. We had the back seat. It really was a great way to see Sedona.

Experiments With Hair Color

2011-10-22T11:50:00.000-07:00

I saw a mention on The Guild of Master Bearcrafters not so long ago about using hair color to dye mohair. It has been on my mind ever since. Shades of browns and blacks are very limited when purchasing mohair, and since that is what I mostly use I thought that just might be the way to go.

So today I dyed my hair, and while I was at it I experimented. I am using Loreal Preference natural medium brown. When choosing hair color natural has a violet base, cool a blue base, warm a red base, ash a green base, and golden a yellow base. I know this because I was a hairdresser for many years and worked a lot with hair color.

I just purchased a yard of cream alpaca. (I always find alpaca challenging to color) With gloved hands I put the color on dry fabric and mashed it up good. When I do this for a bear I will have all the pieces cut first.

And while I was at it I tried some natural unfinished string mohair. I only applied it to the back. I want to find an easy way to have the back on color and the mohair another. I used a paint brush to brush it on.

This is while processing. I flipped it over on its back to process.

I left them both process for about 35 minutes.

There was not much to wash out. The fur and the fabric really sucked up the color. I shampooed and then conditioned. This is still not as dark as I would think it should have been, (alpaca is tough) so next time I will go with a dark brown. But it is beautiful. The fur is so soft and the color would be perfect for a grizzly bear cub.

Here is the string. You can see a couple of colored strands of fur where I was not careful, but I am defiantly loving this. It would be the perfect thing to now use some KoolAid or some other kind of acid dye that won’t color the back.

I guess I am going to start looking for hair color sales at the store. It will not be the cheapest way to go. But I think the beautiful results, and the lack of the giant dye pot mess may be well worth the money.

Pumpkin for a Book Lover

2011-10-16T14:51:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine is having a birthday this week. This is a big birthday, so gift required. She is a book lover, so I thought this would be the perfect gift.

It started with a trip to Walmart, there I found a fake pumpkin.

It looked similar to this one. I chose one that had deep groves.

This old book has seen better days do I made a template and laid it diagonally across the pages. (that way it fit the pumpkin from top to bottom.)

I used Modge Podge (diluted white glue would do) to decoupage the paper to the pumpkin. Then I added some thin ribbon. I used some Distress Ink to dry brush in the groves to make them more prominent.

Finally I added some ribbon, paper flowers and a fall leaf.
I found a very good tutorial on making the flowers here.
I will see this friend Tuesday, I think she will love it.

Dying to Dye Giveaway

2011-10-13T14:57:00.000-07:00

Have you been just dying to try your hand at dyeing?

Then I have put together the perfect giveaway for you.

Four 1/4 yards of string mohair, and if you are really daring and want to play with color, 10 packets of Kool-Aid.

Picture 1: LouBear 1/2” (9mm,) medium density string mohair

Picture 2: LouBear 5/8” (18mm,) sparse, crushed, string mohair

Picture 3: LouBear 5/8” (18mm,) medium density string mohair

(All of the LouBear is 100% mohair. I know they sometimes mix their mohair with viscose, but this is not mixed.)

Picture 4: 1/2” (13mm,) dense string mohair

(I just purchased a large piece of this one on ebay. The seller thought it was Schulte. After seeing the selvage edge I believe it to be English Norton, my favorite. What ever it is it is beautiful.)

Now being a more natural girl myself and can tell you that I have done lots of dyeing with Rit fabric dyes, and they dye both the mohair and the backing beautifully.

If you have not dyed with KoolAid, there is an old post on this blog. You can find it here.

This giveaway is open to all of the followers of Desertmountainbear’s blog. If you are not a follower and would like to enter become a follower.

Then just leave me a comment and I will leave you a number.

I will pick a name on October 31, Halloween. If you do not have your email account attached to your blog account please check back on October 31. All shipping expenses paid by me.

A Different Kind of Felting Needle

2011-10-11T13:06:00.000-07:00

You may think these just like the regular old needles but you are wrong

These are reverse needles. Their barbs go in the opposite direction. So instead of the barbs pushing the wool in, the barbs pull the wool out.

My friend master felter Bobbie Ripperger sent me these in the mail. She knew that I had been rooting mohair into the felted muzzles of my bears. She thought that these little gems would help me out around the nose and eye are where the hair is short. And she was right.

The fur right around the bears nose has not been rooted in. It has been pulled out with the help of this needle. Doesn’t it look natural? I really can not tell the difference between what has been rooted in and what has been pulled out. I also poked it throughout the muzzle area. It pulled out enough hairs from the felt that I didn’t have to root in as much. These would be a help to anyone wanting to add some fur to their felting.

Sadly these needles are no longer being produced. But Bobbie purchased a large lot of them from the manufacturer. She has them but has not added them to her website yet. If you are interested they are $1.25 a piece or $.85 for orders of 25 or more plus postage. You can send order inquiries to this address.

bbbinquiries@att.net

If you are interested in seeing more of Bobbie’s realistic felted bears you can visit her website. Or visit her blog for needle felting information.

Thank you Bobbie for these needles. They were exactly what I needed, and I didn’t even know it.

Blogging with Live Writer

2011-10-06T11:54:00.000-07:00

I have begun writing my blog posts in Windows Live Writer. This is a free program that you can download off the internet. I am so glad I found it.

It downloads your blog settings, even the font you are using.When I write it looks like I am writing right into the blog.

But what I like the best is that I can do this with my pictures, three in a row.

These are my dogs Thor and Pico. Thor just got neutered. I am so glad I found this inflatable collar at Petsmart. It was much more comfortable than the lampshade option.

If I try to do this in Blogger I usually get something like this..

When you are all done with your post, just click the ‘post draft to blog’ button, and it sends it over to the blog. Then you just go into your ‘edit posts’ page on the dashboard, open the page and click publish.

You can even use it to create you stand alone pages. But what you need to do is to open the page and copy it. Then create a stand alone page and paste it in. I used it for my ‘Realistic Teddy Page’, it turned out well. So now I need to go back and redo some of the others pages.

I know sometimes my explanations get kind of messy, so if you have questions please feel free to ask. I will try my best to help.

Three Wins

2011-09-30T15:44:00.000-07:00

I know I already posted today but I wanted to share my news.

Bowie, Sacaton, and Oatman have all won 1st place in their categories in the URSA awards competition.
I know I whined that I am always the bridesmaid and never the bride. Now I feel like I am the whole wedding party.

Thank you so much for taking the time to vote. I know I owe so much of the credit to my followers here, and my Facebook friends, your support means so much.

What the Heck is String Mohair

2011-09-30T09:17:00.000-07:00

I apologize for my last post. I am a person of short attention, so I try to keep my blog posts short. I forgot to realize that not everyone reading this blog knows what string mohair is. So let me explain.

Before mohair is finished and dyed at the mill it is called string. You can purchase unfinished string. It takes dyes beautifully because there is nothing on it. Here is what it looks like. When you put it into the hot dye bath the mohair which is twisted into string untwists and opens up making fur.

The first picture is LouBear 100% mohair string, it is short. I dyed it with Rit dye and it became Marie.

Next is LouBear again, this is sparse crushed, it is a little longer. This I played with and used Procion dye first, it is meant for cotton, it really won’t dye the mohair much. Then I used Kool Aide to dye it again, Kool Aide won’t dye the cotton backing very much. I really like how this worked out. Also I ironed this after dyeing, it was too fluffy, I wanted it flat.

Here is the last, this is a piece of Norton string. Sadly the Norton mill in England is no longer in business. I love their fabric the best of all the mills, because they made some very dense mohair.

Here it is you can just see how dense it is unfinished. I left this white or natural for a panda.

So why buy string? If you are like me and know exactly what style of mohair you like to use there is no waste. I only dye what I need when I need it. I also love white mohair for the same reason, it is just waiting to become.

A Pile Of String

2011-09-29T13:06:00.000-07:00

Mohair that is

I love using string mohair and watching the magic transformation.
A I needed white for this project so a clothes washer and a towel did the trick, from this..to this.

And here is some more, this is a little shorter,

from this to this.

Oh the possibilities.

Pinning and Stumbling

2011-09-23T19:27:00.000-07:00

I have discovered two new sites that I have been spending way to much time on. They have been keeping me away from the social networks which is probably not a bad thing. The first one is Stumbleupon. I installed this button to my toolbar and when I click on it I visit random sites on the web based on my interests. I could spend hours stumbling. So many great craft and food sites out there I would never find on my own.

The next site is Pinterest, a virtual pin board to keep all of the wonderful things I am Stumbling upon organized. I am a bookmarker. I have bookmarks a mile long with all the pictures and places I want to remember on the web. With this site you really do have pin boards that you keep and pin things to. You keep the pictures all nicely organized and they copy all of the links back for you. If you are like me and keep binders of inspiration this is a real paper saver.

Here is a picture of my page. You can follow people who have the same taste and let them do some of the work for you. Then when you see something of theirs that you like you just re-pin to your board.

Stumbling and Pinning, some great time wasters with benefits.

Washing Wool

2011-09-20T09:12:00.000-07:00

I am a from scratch type person. I like to prepare as much of my own material myself as I can. I have always been like this. Again I think this is my rural Pennsylvania up-bringing. When I was young and started making wreaths, I would go into the fields to collect the grapevine, and collect and dry all the wild herbs and flowers myself.
One of my favorite things to do is to prepare the wool I use for felting. You may have seen a post like this before, I do this every couple of years. I always use Navajo-churro wool to needle felt. It is considered a courser wool, and I guess it is, but it felts very hard. I know that when I am done the felting is going nowhere. The Navajo-churro sheep have a double coat, a soft downy under coat and a longer courser outer coat. The wool is very soft, I have had the pleasure of actually feeling a Navajo made blanket and you can feel the beautiful quality of this wool. A Navajo weaver’s work is so sought after for the quality of their work as well as the quality of the wool they use. This year I purchased a lamb’s fleece which I can already see is finer than the adults, it is beautiful.

When I first opened the bag I thought she made a mistake, I asked for white.

You have to wonder what this little fellow had been up to.

I started washing. I don’t really wash, I fill the sink up with very hot water and Dawn detergent and soak.

This is actually soak #2.

But eventually after 3 soakings and 2 rinses I ended up with this.

I laid it out in the warm Arizona sunshine to dry.

As it dries I pull it apart and fluff it up. You can just see how soft it is.

One last picture, this is when it was still wet, but you can see the clean to the dirty. Before I use it I will card it, to get all the tangles out and make it nice a fluffy. Sometimes I dye it while I am dyeing mohair for a particular bear, another job I love to do.

I purchased the whole fleece, so I still have more to do. It will last me a couple of years.
If you would like more information on this wool I bought the fleece here, http://www.bideaweefarm.com/ChurroInfo.htm I am very happy with this fleece and I will buy from them again.

Feeling Kind of Witchy

2011-09-16T19:16:00.000-07:00

The girls are done and they have all chosen their favorite toy without too much fighting. I have had a lot of fun this week dressing them in the witchy ware and playing with the clay to make their toys. It is always amazing to me that even though all the reproduction bears have the same pattern they always have their own unique personalities.

They are available for haunting now on my "available" page, price is $195.00

There is also another bear available on that page. I have donated Everett to the fund raising efforts of the Susan G Komen 3-day Walk for the Cure. The money for Everett will be deposited directly into that account so that a donation receipt can be printed for tax purposes. His details are also on the "available" page.

His donation price is $175.00

Scary Toys

2011-09-14T15:47:00.000-07:00

I have been working on some vintage Halloween postcard inspired toys for the reproduction bears. I made them out of paper clay.

The bears like them and are now arguing about who gets what. They will have to make up their minds soon.
They will be ready for their grand costumed debut either Friday evening or Saturday morning.

Halloween Bears Are a Coming

2011-09-11T09:20:00.000-07:00

These little reproduction type teddies are perfect to go with a vintage Halloween theme.

When I work on the more detailed bears I usually work one at a time. These fellows are so fun for me to work in a group. I can see all their different personalities emerging from the same pattern.

They are almost done, they have been sewn and plucked, now on to dirtying up a bit and dressing them in their Halloween best.

They will make their trick or treating debut later in the week.

A Few of My Favorite Things

2011-09-07T08:57:00.000-07:00

As I was decorating for the fall season yesterday I was looking around at all the wonderful things I have collected over the years, my favorite things. These things I keep out all year, but I guess once in a while I re-notice them.

I grew up in Pennsylvania, most of the things came from artisans there. When I moved to Arizona I immediately missed the incredible folk art you find back east. I still do.

My sister bought this bird tree for me when I left for Arizona. I admired this mans work for many years, but could never afford to own a piece. It is my favorite thing.

And then when I came back to visit in May my niece had a gift for me, something she picked up at a local show. I couldn't believe my eyes, it is by the same artist.

My paper mache goose, willed to me by my husband's aunt. We had the same taste in art.

My spinning wheel, I have had this for many years. Someday I will learn to use it. I certainly have enough wool around.

Harry the cat, a theorem painting that was a gift from my husband. It is by another artist that I admired at shows for a long time.

Pysanky eggs, these I made myself. A craft I learned living in you guessed it, Pennsylvania.

Here are some more recent finds. I found this next to at a little shop in Glendale, so there is still hope out here.

I have a thing for cats.

And I love this sweet little wool picture.

And one last thing, another gift from my husband. This is a sheep made on the Navajo Reservation. All of the Native American tribes here have their own style of folk art. Not exactly the same as the more primitive Pennsylvania stuff, but it certainly has gotten my attention.

Wonder if it is Navajo-churro? Guess I'll never know.

Hope you enjoyed the little tour around my house. On the bear front I am working on five little reproduction bears. They should be all ready and decked out in their vintage Halloween best next week.

Sometimes it Just Doesn't Work

2011-08-31T08:59:00.000-07:00

Noses and paws, that is where I think I spend the majority of my time when working on a bear.

I am always trying to figure out faster better ways of doing things. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don't
My latest was trying to add an epoxy nose. Right now I needle felt and then add layers of Mod Podge and sand in between. It makes a very nice nose, but takes two days. I have to cover, dry, sand, over and over, then paint, dry, seal, paint, over and over to give it depth. What I like about it is that I do it the same time as I felt the face, so it grows out of the face. What I don't like is as I said, the time.

So I thought I would make an epoxy clay nose the same time I was felting the face, take it off, let it dry, and then sew it on, easy right?

I made a hole and added a small glass eye, then over the eye I sculpted the nose. Epoxy won't stick to the wool, you need to seal it first for it to do that.

Pulled it off, filed it smooth and stuck it back on the bears face.

Why it doesn't work for me. Even with glue and pulling the nose into the face I couldn't get it to lay flat. If you go back up and look at the same bear with the felted nose you will see what I mean. The bottom part of the nose lays flat with the face. I started to see the glass eye coming through, so I could not sand anymore. It was just not what I wanted.

So back to the drawing board. This just may have to be one of those things that takes forever. I guess "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." So now on to the paws.

I can never leave well enough alone.

Drexel

2011-08-28T16:28:00.000-07:00

From the very beginning Drexel let his personality be known. Funny how that sometimes happens.

He has a very sweet playful face. I knew that he was a hat wearer, hmmm, maybe not wear them, he loves to play with them anyway.

Then on Friday I found the vintage toy boats at an estate sale. What boy doesn't like boats.

He is available.

If you go to the "available" page on the menu bar it will take you to his details.

Drexel is adopted

Do You Notice Anything Different?

2011-08-23T18:12:00.000-07:00

About the blog that is?

For the last two years I have had this blog I kept a separate website. But I have come to love Blogger because it is so easy to customize, so I moved my website here.

I made an identical blog. I kept it very clean (no sidebars) and I removed the navigation bar across the top. I made the stand alone pages, then I used a links gadget under the sidebar of both blogs to link back and forth. So if you click a page under the header you actually go away to the other blog. I am so happy with it. I think that I will be more willing now to maintain my website since it is right here.

One more thing I made a little favicon, the little square that sits on the address bar. It was so easy, just a 16px square I uploaded. So now I have a little cactus.

For me the learning the computer has been the biggest accomplishment of my life. When I first stared selling bears on ebay I couldn't even use the site without help.

Now I have my very own computer. It is one of my favorite things. I used to tell my husband it was a total waste of my time. Now I feel as though I couldn't do business without it.

ps. My friend Wayne has written a very good tutorial on his blog on how to do this linking. He has lots of pictures. Here is the link.

A Bear For a Monkey

2011-08-21T13:01:00.000-07:00

When I grew up I did not play with teddy bears. I had a monkey, his name was Chester.

Last year in November I asked one of my favorite teddy bear makers if he would swap with me, and he kindly said yes. We planned the swap for this summer. As I was glancing through a magazine one day I came across a picture of some adorable monkeys. And to my surprise and delight the artist just happened to be Singapore artist Wayne Lim, of Wayneston Bears, the very same friend who I had arranged to swap with.

There are not many monkey makers out there. And I could not believe my luck. Again Wayne agreed on the swap, a bear for a monkey.

He has posted some monkey work in progress photos over on his blog.

Wayne was not as picky as me. He only asked for a gray bear.

Meet Yarnell

I gave him open, sleepy eyes

And in return I received Caspian.

He is perfect, beautiful. The pictures Wayne took that I am using do not do him justice.

He is so full of that same fun monkey personality that my monkey Chester had.

Thank you Wayne for sharing your talents with me. I will make sure this monkey doesn't get taken by one of my sisters, like my poor Chester did.

You Reap What You Sew, I mean Sow

2011-08-18T11:28:00.000-07:00

For those of you who have followed this blog you probably know that I practice positive thinking. I am a true believer of the Laws Of Attraction, that you get what you give. Years ago I changed my thought process. It was not easy. It began by reading authors like Wayne Dyer, and it lead me to a book called The Course In Miracles which really is a course that you follow everyday for a year to help you reprogram your mind. It actually took me two years, one to get through the beginning text and one to take the course.

It is because of this way of thinking that I put so much information out there. Because I know that the best way to get more is to give what I have away. It has not failed me. And also that when one person steps up the ladder to success it affects us all for the better.

I see the results everyday in my life. I know that I am completely connected to the Powers That Be. Once in a while what comes back I can actually touch and hold. And because of that I can show.

Yesterday out of the blue I received Golden Teddy in the mail. He is only 7" tall. He was sent to me from a young lady I met on Teddy Talk. She needed some supplies to get her teddy business off the ground and so I sent her a box of stuff. She took that stuff from me and some others and she taught herself how to make bears. Amazingly Heidi is 17 and still in high school. See those paw pads? They are mine, she looked at my blog and learned how to do them. It makes me happier that you can imagine to see the things I put out there showing up on bears. Heidi is going back to school now, but she kept a blog while she was learning. I hope you will visit.

Thank you so much for him Heidi, I am keeping his name Golden Teddy, because it is the perfect name for remembering to follow the Golden Rule.

Happy Birthday to Me!

2011-08-11T13:03:00.000-07:00

I got the best news today on my birthday. Three of my bears are on to the second round of voting in the URSA Award competition. You only have to vote once now for your favorite, so please take a minute to vote.

Smutt the Cat

2011-08-05T13:53:00.000-07:00

I have been a very lucky blog winner lately. About a month ago I won a blog giveaway by a very talented sculptress. Her name is Meri and she is the writer of ImagiMeri's Creations. She is also the Arizona Blogger who hosted the luncheon where she taught me how to make a shadowbox. Her giveaway was the winner's choice.

If you are not familiar with the painting called Smutt the Cat here he is.

I have been in love with this cat for many many years. So my wish was that Meri make me Smutt, and she did.

I am in love with my "real" Smutt. I am a lover and collector of primitive folk art and Smutt fits so perfectly into my collection.

Thank you so much Meri, I am so happy I won your giveaway.

I hope you don't mind me using your picture, he looks so perfect sitting with the checks.

Meri and I at her house yesterday.

Meri is having a fall giveaway so keep an eye on her blog to have the chance to win.

Enamelware

2011-08-01T08:11:00.000-07:00

Has nothing to do with bears.

I have never actually seen any before, only in magazines.

Then I walked into an antique store.

The display was so big and well organized I fell in love with the stuff.

I can just imagine all the deliciousness cooked in these pots.

Visual eye candy

from a time so long ago.

Teddy Versus Real

2011-07-25T07:57:00.000-07:00

I said in a previous post that the biggest adjustment trying to make the bears appear more "real" has been lengthening the body.

Here are two bodies. The gold one in an antique teddy I have in pieces to clean and rejoint. The other is a new bear I am working on.

They look similar is size with the left one being not so round. The right is a 4 piece body. I work with a two piece body and darts. For me it is just easier to control the nips and tucks.

Oh my

Here are their two heads. Now there's a difference, small head, giant head.

The head is certainly smaller, but I think what is mostly is is shorter. Probably three heads to the body length.

Here I think it is more like 1-1/2

Here is another difference...

..the foot. It is flatter. Real bears feet are very flat.

This bear is not blue, but gray. Sorry for the bad lighting.

Here you can see a bear laid out. I have taken deep darts in his rear end which you can not see here. They keep the belly wide but narrow the hips so that when they are on all fours their legs don't splay outwards. I have also rounded and narrowed the bears bottom because when you see a black bear on all fours they slope down there in the butt area.

This picture may offend some of you. Don't look if you are squeamish.

I use the VanDykes taxidermy catalog to be able to see bear proportions. It is much easier to see without the fur. You can see how long his body is compared to his head. And his head is actually larger because it is a baby.

I have seen some people write that realistic bears are more like taxidermy. I guess here is their proof, but I would disagree. I would be much easier with a form to lay fur over.

And just a couple of final pictures. The first one you have seen before it is Alpine with "real bear" proportions, and the second is the antique bear before I took him apart with his "teddy" proportions.

She doesn't look like a pin head.

And this big fellow does not look to have a pumpkin head.

It was a hard adjustment to make, making the body longer. I've learned certain things, there are rules to follow. Time to throw away the rule book. This is a whole new ball game.

The nicest thing..

2011-07-22T10:20:00.000-07:00

....happened to me yesterday.

Completely out of the blue this came in the mail for me.

After I had my thankful giveaway post I entered a giveaway from Pip's Poppies. If you have never visited Helen Priem's blog you must go see. She is a felt doll maker extraordinaire. I look forward to every magical post she makes. Well getting back to the story. Helen also did a thankful giveaway. She painted this cow picture. I loved it from the moment I saw it. I grew up in the country surrounded by corn fields and cow farms. I will always have a special place in my heart for cows. But if you entered Helen's giveaway you had to giveaway the painting if you won. I have to say I now I am so happy I did not win. Because I would have had to give this beautiful lady away. But a very kind person, and incredible needle felter Robin Joy Andreae won the draw. She knew how much I loved this picture and she had Helen send it to me.

I am so happy, because I get to keep her.

And I know it was meant to be because this cow's name just happens to be Johanna.

Thank you both so much. What you both did means the world to me.

Alpine

2011-07-17T21:16:00.000-07:00

I listed a new bear on ebay tonight, her name is Alpine.

It is so hot her now, I wanted to name her something that would remind me of cool weather.

Alpine is in the Northeastern part of Arizona, where the weather is cool.

I have made her a very young black bear. When they are young they have light faces. I know she is not black, but most are dark brown and they get black as they get a little older.

In the last blog post about her I showed how I sculpted her eye sockets with felt so that her lids fit nicely back into them. Worked out well.

And I am never going back to a neck joint again. (please don't remind me of this when you next see an neck joint from me.) I love how the lockline type plastic armature allows her to move so easily.

I have found for me the hardest thing for me with trying to make the bears look more real has been making the head so much smaller than the body. With every bear the body gets longer and longer. You can't see it in the pictures, but for the next post I will show you the pattern you can see.

I hope if you get a chance you will visit her auction, lots of pretty pictures there.

Welcome to Where Blogger's Create

2011-07-14T18:24:00.000-07:00

Today I am participating in a tour of creative bloggers workspaces. To take or return to the tour click on the icon on the top right sidebar of this blog.

Welcome to my home. I live in a 1950's ranch style house. I have painted it pink with black trim to celebrate it's vintage heritage. If you look really close you can see two pink flamingos hanging out on the right side of the picture. I live right in central Phoenix, which is a city that sits in the desert.

Welcome to my space. I am a person who requires neatness and order. So my space is kept organized.

I like to have the materials I use where I can see them. They always keep my mind imagining.

I love the fabric drawers for the yarn that is wound into balls. This system fits perfectly under one of the desks.

I use a Singer Simple to sew. I don't do any sewing other than straight lines so it is perfect for me. Threads stay perfectly on the wooden holders hung on the wall.

The house had a very large addition added to the back of the house which left the master bedroom of the house with no windows. This is the space I chose. I was unsure of this being so secluded, cut off from the world. But then I realized that if filled the room with the things I love I can shut the doors it becomes a space just for me, where I can play and create.

It is a place where the old antique bears can whisper to the new artist bears, and tell them what is was like to be loved by a child.

A place where I can play with dolls.

But mostly it's a place where I create.

Where yarn becomes babies and little dresses for bears.

Where fabrics and felt and threads..

..become vests and wings, and clothes for a clown.

Leather becomes foot pads, and bead studded collars.

Drawers of ribbon and lace becomes fancy neck-ware for the girls.

Where books are kept that are inspiration that lead to drawings.

But more important..

..it is where fabric, wool, eyes..

joints, bits of wire, and plastic armature become the bears.

And where the inks, pencils,chalks and paints color them.

But there is one more thing. The most important thing I keep in my room.

Your life starts with your thoughts. And I believe.

I believe I can do anything I put my mind too. This helps me remember.

One last thing I thought you should see, I don't keep it in my workspace, I am afraid all the fur and dust would ruin it, so it's out in the kitchen area.

My computer, a little Sony Vaio. To me this is the biggest accomplishment I have ever made. In 2007 when I came back into bear making I couldn't even remember how to type. Now I can turn a play stagecoach and a bunch of toys into a scene straight from the wild west. I would have never thought.

But like I said "I Believe"

Thank you for your visit today, and I do hope you will come back again soon.
And thank you Karen from My Desert Cottage for hosting such a wonderful event.

One last note, the winner of my blog giveaway is Susan from Blue Valley Bears, congratulations Susan.

WIP: From the Trash Taught Me...

2011-07-12T14:16:00.000-07:00

The last little disaster that I had to put aside was not wasted. I used the head as practice. It was a very good suggestion that really worked. I was able to do open/close eyes only one time. I really thought it was going to be a one hit wonder. But thanks to that giant mistake I have learned. The problem I have always had was the bulkiness of the lids when up. Even with the thinnest leather. I solved the problem by needle felting a socket deep enough so that when the eyes are open they disappear back into the socket.

I have to say though that this is not the ruined bear. That bear is still sitting on my desk. But thanks to that bear I now can have open/close eyes on this bear.

I am now getting ready to root the fur into the felt. Someone asked me if the fur was easily pulled out. The answer to that is no. Once it is locked into the felt it is in there for good. I brush and comb it in order to trim it and it does not slip back out. Hopefully she will be done on the weekend. I have found a picture of an adorable baby bear dressed as a pink fairy. I think she is headed in that direction.

Time for the URSA Awards

2011-07-09T07:11:00.000-07:00

I enter the URSA Awards every year and voting has begun. I like this competition because every entry is seen. There are no judges behind the scenes deciding which entries deserve a nomination. The judges from the very beginning are you. I would like every person who reads this blog to go vote. It is a great way to see many beautiful creations from bear makers all over the world. I have been brave this year and entered four. I have never one first place, but someday.... Here are my four.

Some instructions for voting.
Enter the voting page at the bottom of the first page.
When you click the page to vote a new tab will open
When you are done voting do not click "close window", you will exit without going to the next round.
Instead close the tab only, then you can go to the bottom of the page to move forward.

I hope you will take a few minutes and vote. This competition does tend to be a popularity contest. And we are encouraged to campaign for votes. As much as I would love to have your votes, it is more important to me that you go and vote, and vote for the entries that you feel are worthy.

Trash

2011-07-03T07:18:00.000-07:00

For only the second time ever I trashed a bear today.

I am good at making things right even when I am unhappy. I am also a believer that things should be easy if you are going down the right path. This little one has been giving me trouble since the beginning.

The last straw came yesterday. His nose was just to high, the face was felted and I just didn't like how the nose was sitting. So I removed it.

I learned a valuable lesson yesterday, although it was something I already suspected. That needle felting if done properly becomes one with the stuffing under the fabric. There is no removing it. The white you see on the muzzle area is the stuffing. This is mohair that I dyed and I do not have enough to make a new head, so sadly trash it becomes.

Today back to the drawing board.

A Thankful Giveaway

2011-06-30T12:26:00.000-07:00

I returned yesterday from a road trip to Colorado. I needed to take my daughter to the college she will be attending for orientation. Every time I leave the city and drive into the desert I am thankful that I live here.

The desert certainly does not appeal to everyone. But to me the vast open space and the soft muted colors of the scenery soothe my soul.

These are both pictures of the Navajo Reservation, it is in the northern part of the state. The people that live in the reservations make the most incredible art. It is their way of life. For so long they have created things needed to survive and to worship with only the things that were available to them in this desolate place.

I had my husband stop at a shop in the reservation to see if I could find something that would be right to giveaway on the blog. I found the perfect thing.

I am in love with black bears. This bear is made of Picasso marble and one side is black. He has turquoise eyes, and is wearing a spirit bundle on his back made of mother of pearl and shell. It is held on with sinew.

On his other side he has an arrow inlaid with turquoise and coral. This is his heart line.

In Native American symbolism bears represent courage and strength and inner power.

Isn't he a beauty, carved on the reservation by a very talented Navajo craftsman.

He is very small, only 1-3/4, (4cm) tall and 2-1/2" (5cm) long.

I am thankful that I can live in a place where such beauty as this bear is created.

I am thankful that I can sell the things I use my heart and hands to create.

I am thankful for the people who follow my work.

If you would like to join in the giveaway just leave a comment under this post I will give you a number.

This giveaway is for anyone who follows this blog or who follows Desertmountainbear on Facebook.

Thank you.

I will draw a number on July 15th.

WIP: Shy Baby

2011-06-24T17:15:00.000-07:00

For all of you Romper Room fans out there let's get out our magic mirrors. Now follow along with Miss Sally, can you see it? It is a shy little bear hiding behind a white pine tree. Well give me a few more days and it will be.

For those of you who grew up in the 1960's in the US Romper Room was a very popular show. I never missed a day.

Romper Room's Miss Sally and her magic mirror.

I really like to play make believe while I work.

Hello there.

2011-06-20T07:22:00.000-07:00

I meant for her to go on ebay this Sunday, but she never made it.

I had a very favorite cartoon character in my mind the whole while I was working on her.

She looks nothing like her but you will see the resemblance I think.

For those of you who don't know this sweet face it is Pebbles Flintstone. The Flinstones were a very popular TV show in the 1960's when I was growing up. You can still see reruns today.

I just felt like cute this week.

New Blog

2011-06-18T07:29:00.000-07:00

I have been having so much fun playing with the dolls lately that I decided to start a blog dedicated just to that. I want to keep this one mostly about the bears. If you would like to visit the name is Playin With Dolls. At this time there are only two posts, but I do think I will be keeping up with weekly updates.

Dolly Fun

2011-06-14T07:18:00.000-07:00

I have been having some fun playing with dolls. I went to Walmart on Sunday and came across Bibi. She is a Berenguer Cutie Baby. I fell in love with her face, the big eyes. So in my free time after the bear making is done for the day I have been playing with Bibi.

I am a hoard of all things craft related so in my stash of supplies I just so happened to have a pile of raw mohair locks. The dark on the ends is dirty lanolin. I purchased them last year and never got around to cleaning them.

So I separated a pile out and put them into a little mesh bag I made and gently washed and dyed them.

And with a fine felting needle I have been rooting them into her head. All the practice of rooting mohair into the bears faces has made me surprisingly good at this. I am having so much fun I went out and bought her a friend yesterday. I see some cute new clothes in my head for the two of them.

The nice thing about being a toy maker is that you never have to grow up, one of the perks of the job. Teddy bears will keep me forever young. I will still be here playing when I am 90.

This Weeks Theme

2011-06-11T07:28:00.000-07:00

Last week we did clowns.

This week I am thinking "Having a Bear of a Hair" week.

Looks about right, don't ya think.

Good thing I am a trained hairdresser.

I think I need all my skills on this one.

A New Bear For Ebay

2011-06-06T11:13:00.000-07:00

It must be the thrill of the auction I guess. But I have listed Oatman on ebay. Ebay is where I started when I came back to bear making and no matter what bad things they do over there I will always have a fondness in my heart for ebay.

Lately the bears have been telling me they want accessories. I think the muted colors of the felt are perfect for his fur.

He is so happy being a clown.

I did something different for this auction. I added captions. I always love to read the captions when looking at an auction. But the auction template sites make it so hard to do that. When I have tried to do it in the past the captions are so small, not what I wanted. So I tried adding them first before I uploaded pictures.

I used Picnik to add a frame and then add words. And I like it but it took forever. If someone knows a better way please tell me.

Oatman is available as an auction on ebay till Sunday, June 12. I hope you will take a peek at him.

I do think he turned out adorable.

Feeling the Felt

2011-06-04T07:02:00.000-07:00

I love to work with felt. Felt and buttons are probably the two things that I choose most when accessorizing a teddy. This hat and ball will be finishing the new bear. Lately they have been asking for just a little something in the accessory department. I found this beautiful wool felt blend on etsy at the Giant Dwarf shop. They sell collections where all the colors fit so perfectly together. I love the soft muted colors of the ball and hat. I just went and ordered another collection.

I have been having a ball making balls for the bears. This is the second one, the bear Sacaton had a beach ball. They are so easy for the bears to hold and they look so cute playing with them. Thank you to Jennifer Murphy for supplying the tutorial for this ball on her blog.

I think I will be ready to list a bear tomorrow on ebay. I don't know what it is about ebay, it must be the trill of the auction, but when I am gone too long I miss it.

Stay tuned and have a great Saturday.

Stella's a Keeper

2011-05-29T10:50:00.000-07:00

I don't often keep the bears I make. I only have two others that I made a very long time ago. I sometimes fall in love with them, but my practical side takes over and the money wins out.

But as I was making Stella I knew I wanted her. She came with me shopping for doll clothes when I went to the doll show. She fit perfectly in the pocket of my sweater. She sat next to me on my bedside table as I knitted her little dress and I hoped I wouldn't sell her at the bear show.

There is nothing special about her that I can see, maybe her ragginess. But to me she is perfect. So for the first time in 20 years I am keeping a bear that I made. Money won't win this time, she is mine.

I do have one more little fellow that is from the same pattern as Stella. It is the pattern made from the bear I destroyed. I have shrunk it down a little making these bears about 8" tall. His name is Everett, and he is also a very sweet bear.

There is something very appealing to me about this pattern. The original was made around 1920. I guess it is just good old-fashioned charm.

ps. You can find Everett on the Desertmountainbear website.

And The Winner Is?

2011-05-29T06:54:00.000-07:00

Karin F from Canada. Karin please let me know what you think when you are done reading. I hope you love it as much as me. Send me your address please.

Bobbie and Me

2011-05-25T11:47:00.000-07:00

I enter every giveaway in blog land. And finally my persistence paid off. On Mother's Day Emma's Bears pulled a name for sweet Bobbie, and guess who won? finally me! Thank you Emma, I love him and he is right at home with the rest of the gang in my studio. He is so adorable. Emma makes the cutest bears.

Giveaway; A Book For a Bear Lover

2011-05-21T20:24:00.000-07:00

While I was at the Philadelphia bear show I went to a talk given by Joan Greene. She was one of the first bear shop owners in the US in the 1980's. Her shop was in Berkeley California. This book is about the days of her shop. The people she met who's stories she never forgot. I sat in the front row of this talk and listened to her stories of bears lost, of people who never gave up looking for them. I tried so hard not to cry, but I did, her stories were so beautiful. I know I was not the only one.

I purchased this book from her and had it autographed to give away on the blog. I opened it on the plane on the way home to look at it. I ended up reading the whole thing. And I tried so hard again not to cry on the plane, the stories really touched me.

So if you are a bear lover. If you know what it is like to have fallen in love with a teddy bear this book is for you. It is filled with wonderful stories and beautiful pictures. Joan collects pictures, old pictures of children with their bears and this book is filled with them.

If you would like this book just leave me a comment underneath this post. I will draw a name next Sunday the 29th. If you don't have your email listed with blogger, please check back on Sunday.

Back From the Show

2011-05-18T21:15:00.000-07:00

Well the Philadelphia Doll and Bear Convention is over and I loved every minute of it. It was big. It attracted very well known bear makers mostly from America. Collectors came for the weekend, but I don't know how many came from the Philadelphia area just for the Saturday show.

There was food, plenty of food, and good food. No expense seemed to be spared at this convention. It was very well organized and executed.

There were talks and demonstrations. I gave a demonstration on needle sculpting bear's feet. I was afraid no one would come, but they showed up. I broke a needle sculpting the feet. I have never broken a needle doing this so I did not have an extra. Thank goodness I was at a convention with bear makers so an extra needle was found. Doing this demonstration was a wise decision for me at this show. I brought with me Franklin to show his feet. He was passed around. You know how it goes, if you can get a bear into someones arms. I could have sold five Franklins. I think that really helped me sell the "real" bears I brought to the show.

Franklin

There was a competition. The bears and dolls were incredible.

Michelle Lamb

Beverly White ( I think)

Karen O' Brien

The Saturday show was beautiful beyond words. Large, the largest bear show I have ever been to. There were dolls too, but many more bears than dolls.

Ginger Brame

Lori Simon

Martha Birch

I have many pictures on my Desertmountainbear Facebook page, and also on the forum Teddy Talk if you

would like to see more.

I did come home with some goodies from the show.

I purchased two necklaces. The first is a carved bone bear, Native American made somewhere in the Southwest. The artist has embellished it with stones and wire. I love it.

The second piece of teddy bear bling I purchased from Katherine Hallam, Katie Rae Bears from the UK. She had some very wonderful, fun, fun, jewelry.

And I won a bear at the auction which was held after the show. I fell in love with this beautiful girl bear named Sunshine. She was made by Cathy Knapp.

I had a great show. I sold all of the realistic bears I brought with me. Note to myself; next time make more of those. I came home with my reproduction bears. There were just so many beautiful traditional teddies to be had they did not stand out among the crowd. I will be listing them this weekend on my website for sale. I will send out an email to the mailing list when they are up.

One last picture. It is our table at dinner the last night we were there.

First row: Michelle Lamb, Alison McKee and her mom Sue.

Second row: Charlene Draenger, Jamie a collector from Maryland, and my niece Jill.

Third row: John and Linda Hearn, and me.

The Quinlans purpose for this convention was to create interest in dolls and bears in today's generation.

I invited my niece Jill to come with me to this show to be my helper. She had really no interest in dolls or bears, but agreed to come so she could see more about my passion. She left with three bears. She is now saving her money to purchase one of Michelle Lamb's bears. Teddy bear people are nice people and it was not long before they had her totally involved and in love with teddy bears. I would say that based on that alone the Quinlans job was well done.

The Last Show Bear

2011-05-07T14:28:00.000-07:00

I am finished with my last bear for the show. And I love him. His name is Sacaton. I needed a polar bear sounding name. All of the detailed bears are named after Arizona places. Sacaton sounds Native American, I thought it would do.

I have decided with this bear to take off the ooak label. This is the second realistic baby I have made. The last being Marana. And even though I can never duplicate a bear because I needle felt the whole face, babies really kind of all look alike. And I want to make more. I love the sweetness and cuteness of baby bears.

Sacaton is 12" tall. Four way jointed. I have removed the neck joint and replaced it with a full lockline spine, I am never going back. Paws are leather, which was a bit of a problem, I will discuss that in more detail in a later post. Ball is wool felt.

I am bring my computer and camera with me to the convention. Next post I will be in reporter mode. Wish me luck. I do hope the show is a success for everyone.

Accessorising

2011-04-30T08:49:00.000-07:00

..has always been a difficult thing for me to do. I like my bears bare. But every once in a while I make a bear that tells me exactly what he wants.

Meet Bowie, he is one of those bears. He is begging for clothes, you can tell by the determined look in his eyes.

Aahh, can you see the happiness now? This is exactly what he asked for. I wish it could all be so easy.

If your coming to Philadelphia please come and say hello to him and me. We are getting excited for the trip.

WIP: Finished!

2011-04-24T20:41:00.000-07:00

I have finished my baby, her name is Marana. I name all my detailed bears after places in Arizona. Marana is a town in the southern part of the state.

She fits perfectly into her stump.

Looks more like a stump now. I covered the Styrofoam with Paperclay. A pencil worked really well to turn the clay into bark.
The most difficult part of this baby was the pink feet. They started out brown. As I was looking at baby bear pictures I found one with the feet showing and they were pink, uh, oh. Paint was not an option, just didn't look real. So after rubbing it off for the hundredth time the leather stain started to rub of and what color was underneath? Pink. So these little feet have been rubbed down to pink.

She will be traveling with me to Philadelphia. Today was picture day. I haven't had a bear to show since the end of January, now I have 13. You'll soon be sick of seeing them.

WIP: Baby Needs a Bed

2011-04-20T19:36:00.000-07:00

This baby is just too young to be out in the world without a cozy safe place to sleep, so she is getting a bed.
This is an old hollow tree stump. Can you tell?

Ok not yet, but give me a few more days and it will be.

Finishing Work

2011-04-16T06:59:00.000-07:00

I am in the final stages of putting the bears together for the Philadelphia Show in May. I have left all the dressing till the end. I thought it would be quickest that way. I have realized that choosing clothes for the bears takes longer than choosing clothes for ones self, so I will not be doing that again. It is just being like at the clothing store and seeing how much skin and fur (I mean hair) color can affect the way one appears in an outfit. The bears and I have spent all week trying to find the proper look. Two are still sitting bare today waiting for their turn. Thank goodness they all don't like to be dressed. The "real" bears feel more comfortable in the fur.

Food and Crafts With Some Arizona Bloggers

2011-04-12T13:06:00.000-07:00

On Saturday I went to a luncheon with some fellow bloggers. It was hosted by Meri from Imagimeri's Blog.
I knew no one but Meri, and I only knew her through her blog. I had such a fun day. We made shadow boxes, one of the things Meri is talented at. She is primarily a sculptor. Her studio is the first room in her house and it is well organized and huge. She had so many things waiting for us when we arrived.

Bins and bins of stuff to create with, this is just a very small sampling.

Everyone's personality shown through as they created something unique, fun and beautiful.

And last but not least mine. I wanted something for my workroom to keep the bears and dolls company. I think it turned out perfect!

Kind of sticks out like a sore thumb doesn't it? I guess I march to the beat of a different drummer.

Thank you so much Meri. I had a most wonderful time.

Baby in Progress

2011-04-03T08:29:00.000-07:00

I have never considered myself someone who makes realistic bears. I have always thought of myself someone who makes contemporary teddy bears with realistic details. With this little bear I am trying to cross the line and make a realistic baby. I have spent all winter watching Lily and Hope and the new babies in their den. So many good baby shots to work from, I had to try. I have done the open/close eyelid thing. Although it is open/sleepy eyelid thing, couldn't get them all the way down without looking too bulky. Now I am lightening the bears face. Still got to add the pink to nose and paws. I am happy, I think she will be beautiful.

Apoxie Sculpt Nose Part II

2011-03-27T06:39:00.000-07:00

I have given my nose a coat of paint. Now I can look at it and see where it needs work. I do this before any filing is done. Pictures always help because I can not see all the little imperfections macro photography can show me.

Better after sanding with an emery board. I use the soft ones that they sell at the beauty supply. Another coat of paint and a picture shows me I am on the right path. This little guy is actually all finished sitting waiting for his final shading. (although not in this picture) I am getting all the bears together for the show. My plan is to shade them and put the finishing touches on them all at once. I wonder if I will regret this decision. It may cause painting overload. I actually hate shading the most, it is the most stressful part of the bear making process for me. As soon as he is done I will post his final nose. I think it will be great.

Next on the bear making table I have finally taken the scary plunge and figured out the open close eyelid thing. I say scary because I am always feeling pressed for time when making bears. To spend hours working on one technique makes me nervous. Once I take the plunge I have to complete it. This took me two full days to get two top eyelids on. They don't close completely but they do look good. And it was not as hard as I thought. Now that I have figured it out I just need to make it go faster. I will post some pictures soon.

Paint Chip Convention Favors

2011-03-20T10:56:00.000-07:00

In between bear making I have been making little favors to place at my table during the Doll and Teddy Bear Convention taking place in Philadelphia in May. I am a sucker for cute little things especially if they are free. I first found this idea on the Creating the Hive site and thought they would work for me. They are cute little notebooks made from paint chip samples. Since seeing them months ago I have been collecting paint chips. I cut the paper to fit inside and tried a couple of different ways to attach it. I own a small binding machine so I have decided to use it to punch holes and sew together. But I have also tried stapling and hole punching and attaching with a brad, or button. They look like little matchbooks.

But while I was collecting I found other paint chips, larger ones. So I started collecting these. I cut them in half and made these.

I didn't like the inside with the paint info so I covered it with a little piece of paper. Cute huhh? So even if no one buys a single bear from me at the convention at least anytime they need a little piece of paper they will be reminded of me.

A Reminder of Arizona's Wild Past

2011-03-17T06:55:00.000-07:00

One of the things I love most about Arizona is it's colorful past. Cowboys, Indians, outlaws,bandits, gold miners, the wild west, it's all here. Yesterday on some land owned by the Nature Conservancy pretty much in the middle of nowhere I found this grave. Murdered is what is says on this wooden head stone. In the late 1800's a family of four killed for their money by bandits while leaving Arizona in their wagon. The murders tried to make it look like an Indian killing. The bodies were found and buried together in this humble grave. So much history here, a reminder of when the west was wild, even where you least expect it.

Apoxie Sculpt over Needle Felted Nose Part 1

2011-03-13T07:10:00.000-07:00

I have been playing around with Apoxie Sculpt. I was using another type of epoxy but I needed more and decided to try this brand. I like it. It is easier to mix just the tiniest bit, so there is no waste. I have used it here to cover a needle felted nose. The nose still needs finishing work, sanding etc., but the point is it works!

I have tried many different ways of finishing needle felted noses; sealing, waxing and sanding, sealing and sanding alone, waxing alone. They have all been good. But I am just not one to ever leave well enough alone. I like felting the nose because I do it the same time as the whole face, it is one part so it fits so well.
But I want a more realistic look so I always smooth is somehow. I guess I am always looking for a less time consuming way. This may be it.

I felted the nose as usual. I still sealed the nose with Mod Podge to harden it a little. I sanded it down a bit with a nail file to smooth it. Then I spread a very thin layer of the epoxy over the nose. It is so thin that you can see the black of the felt peeking out here and there. It is sticky stuff at first, but it still took some water on my fingers and patience to get it to stick to the felt. I used the tip of an awl to smooth it over the felt. Then I walked away for an hour. When I came back it had hardened enough I could move it with my fingers and not have it lift off the felt. I used my fingers, the awl and some water to smooth and shape the nose.

Even at the thinest parts the nose is still hard. After I sand and paint I will put some more pictures up. It seems I can sand it down very thin where the nose joins the face and it just blends in seamlessly. That to me has always been the ultimate goal. We shall see.

Calling all Arizona Bloggers

2011-03-12T17:07:00.000-08:00

My blogger friend Meri at ImagiMeri's Is hosting a potluck luncheon at her home April 9th. Not only will we be eating lots of food, but we will be making one of Meri's specialties, shadowboxes. If you live in Arizona and have a blog there is still space available. Contact Meri at her site. Hope to see you there.

A Little Birdie Told Me...

2011-03-06T05:40:00.000-08:00

Valerie from Bears and Buds Magazine and Bright Star Promotions emailed me yesterday and told me they are planning a new show next year in March. It will be in Phoenix area! I hope that many of you will consider this for next years calender. I can tell you that there is no finer time to visit the state of Arizona, yesterday it was 81 degrees, I wore shorts and a tee shirt. I certainly will be there, and I hope I can meet a few of my internet friends. Information and applications will soon be on the website. www.bright-star-promotions.com.

Pretty in Pink

2011-03-05T09:06:00.000-08:00

Spring is the time of year when one of my favorite cacti in my yard really shows off its beautiful pink color.

It goes so well with my other favorite pink yard item, the flamingos. I live in a 1950's ranch style home, so you gotta go a little kitchy right?

Shading With Pastels

2011-02-26T06:26:00.000-08:00

I am probably so behind the here, but I have just realized how nice pastels work to shade a bear. Pastels are pigments ground into a binder. These are hard pastels, not the oil pastels that are like a crayon, but the ones that are like a hard piece of chalk. My daughter who loves to strip factory paint off of dolls and repaint uses them like make-up. Took a long time but the light bulb finally went off in my head.

I am using a fairly stiff brush, (these chalks are hard) to apply to the bears. When my daughter uses them she uses sand paper to make a little pile of dust. Then she applies. I may try this route also. You must not be too heavy handed especially with the dark color. They work beautifully on the needle felting. They will color the fur. They are translucent, and blend nicely. I have also been using them to "dirty" my little reproduction bears, so easy.

Before I tried on a bear I used a piece of felt to see how permanent they would be. I could not clean in off after I applied it. I have wiped down a bears fur after applying and very little, then none came off on the towel. You can not feel them on the fur. Many but not all brands, (I am seeing Prismacolor has not tested theirs) have a very high light fast quality. Some of the most important pieces of art have been created with them.

So one more thing to add to the coloring book, so to say. Next, I am bound and determined to use this very nice and expensive air brush I have. I have practiced with it many times, but I am so afraid to touch a bear with it. I afraid of being too heavy handed. I need to go get some thrift store guinea pigs I guess.

Doll and Teddy Bear Convention

2011-02-21T10:21:00.000-08:00

The Doll and Teddy Bear Convention is coming up in May. This is the first year. Over 150 artists coming together with collectors for two days in Philadelphia. I will be attending. I am very excited, this is the first show I have done since my daughter was born. She is now 18. I will even be demonstrating pulling toes to make realistic bear feet on Friday afternoon.

I do believe will be taking up most of this hotel. The room rates are very good. The meals and demonstrations and everything else is included in the price of a ticket. There will be a show on Saturday morning and an auction of signed pieces in the late afternoon. The public is invited to attend these sales.

I have been so busy getting ready. I forgot all of the details it takes to prepare for a show. I hope to meet in person at least a few of my internet friends. And I am so excited for collectors to see my bears in person.

I know that there are still tickets available. If you are going please leave me a note here so I can be more excited about who I will meet.

New Bears for 2011

2011-02-11T05:17:00.000-08:00

I think most of you have already seen what I have been up to for this year so far. But for those of you who haven't been on Teddy Talk or Facebook...

I have been working very hard for a show I am doing in May (more on that at a later time) I do not want to make a poor impression with no bears at the table, so I have been doing very little socializing on the web. Good news I am getting bears made, bad news I miss interacting with my web friends.

The three bears. The one in the back is Grahm, he is coming with me to the show. The other two girls are soon on their way to A Bear Place which is a shop in Singapore to be sold. I really thrills me that people half way around the world can see my bears.

They are each about 15" tall.
Needle felted muzzles, shading on their faces has been done in most part with the rooted mohair.
Noses needle felted, sealed and waxed.

But what I am most happy about is the way they move. Last year my New Year's resolution was to work on movement. I am getting there.

Now my resolution for this year was to make more bears, travel and start doing bear shows. My daughter is now in college so I feel a little less needed around here, that is a good thing.

So I am back to work. I get up very early now to work on the bears before I go to work at school. So maybe this year I will get to meet some of my internet friends in person.

Furred

2011-02-06T05:35:00.000-08:00

You saw her felted. You saw her shaded. Here she is furred.

Making a Knitting Board

2011-01-23T07:09:00.000-08:00

When we started crochet club we planned to have every student crocheting. But try as they may for some kids it is jut not in the cards. We had someone donate some knitting boards to the club and the kids were able buy them inexpensively. They were quickly gone. The kids have been making beautiful scarfs with them. But now there is just not enough of them to go around. So I made some. If you have the tools it is so easy and very inexpensive.

I went to the hardware store and purchased some precut and sanded square dowels. These are 3/4" x 3/4". I also purchased some brass escutcheon pins, they are decorative nails with a rounded head. But really any nails would do. I used 14 gauge, 3/4" long. I would have liked to use 1" but I couldn't find them.

The dowels were 36" long so I cut them into 12" lengths. I then cut 3/4" off of each end. These pieces were glued and nailed at the end of the 12" boards. If you look at the picture you will see I made a rectangle with a hole in the middle. The knitting falls down between the hole.

I then measured 3/8" across both boards and drew a line. I measured and marked every 1/2" on that line so I knew where to drill for the pins. I used a drill press it was fast and easy. The first time I just used a dremmel and a small bit, that worked fine too. Before I tapped in the nails I erased the lines and gave each board a couple of coats of clear acrylic sealer.

Next I wanted the pins to all go in evenly so I taped some washers together. I was able to just hammer the pins to the top of the washers and they were lined up perfectly. I dipped the tip of the nails in glue before I tapped them in.

I made a few. I also made the hooks. I have made tons of these. The kids seem to lose them. I just used to stainless steel wire, (it is very hard) you could also bend a long nail. I rolled out some polymer clay and looped one end of the wire so it would grab into the clay. After baking I bent the other end and filed it into a soft point. You can also buy these hooks at the craft store. They use them for the Knifty Knitters.

My goal is to put one in the hands of any kid in the club who wants to try them.

I have a very beautiful adjustable knitting board that I use. It was expensive. I am now making myself a longer one. If you haven't tried a board it is easy. I also knit with needles, this is easier to learn to do. You can use just one side of it to knit fabric with a knit and a purl side. Or you can use both sides to make a double sided fabric with knit on both sides. It is so relaxing. There are plenty of places on the web with instructions on how to use one.

Here is a scarf I made on a board. You can see how both sides are the same. That's what I like the best.
I am making a new scarf, this time with chunky alpaca wool. I am learning to do a cable stitch on the board, so the scarf has a raised cable braid down the front.

My daughter uses the plastic Knifty Knitters and makes some beautiful things. But for me the pegs are too far apart, you have to use at least a worsted weight yarn. I love using fine yarns. So placing the nails close together and using a smaller space between the boards allows for using light weight yarns.

Swap with Danielle

2011-01-21T17:42:00.000-08:00

I have had a most wonderful bear swap with one of my most favorite bear makers, Danielle Roothooft of Pussman & Co. Please meet Gambel. He is such a happy fellow. I love his color and his little crocheted pants. I told Danielle she could make me any bear she wanted but I hoped they would have crochet pants. All the little details, the pin, the key, his little scarf and bow, I love them all.

I sent her Edward, one of my reproduction bears, Danielle likes his little jeans. We live in them in the United States, I really didn't know that the whole world doesn't.

Thanks so much Danielle for swapping with me. I am really thrilled. Gambel is the perfect addition to my hug.

Fur by Number

2011-01-16T11:21:00.000-08:00

Just like paint by number but I get to use a felting needle and mohair. Just match the colors.

If you look real close you can see the left bit under her eye is done. How fun.

Work in Progress

2011-01-15T08:48:00.000-08:00

I have been busy, busy, busy. My neck injury has kept me off of the computer. A really good thing in disguise I think. I have been spending my time working on bears. I have a few in various stages of completion. They are not a pretty sight, but I thought you may like to see. No more neck joints. My goal last year was to work on movement. I am still working towards that goal. I am still using a lockline type armature for the neck and spine. I have designed the pattern to eliminate the collar needed to conceal it. The body is connected to the neck directly.

This poor fellow has had his felting done. He needs to have some shading now, and then mohair will be rooted into the felt. His nose is ready for sealing and waxing. I think I do see what will be a cute bear face under all the white somewhere.

But what I want you to see is how he can move.

He can look to the left and the right.

He can look up and down.

And even sideways.

This stuff is really fun.

Christmas, Make Mine Handmade

2010-12-22T10:23:00.000-08:00

I haven't done a lot of Christmas decorating this year. I have been having trouble with my neck. I have been suffering with fibromyalgia for the past twenty years or so. I usually get a flare up a couple/three times a year. This year it decided to make it's appearance at Christmas. So this year I scaled back and took out only my favorite things. I realized while looking around they are all things I have made myself or things that others have given me that are handmade.

Paper stars, I have made so many of these over the years. They hang over my kitchen island.

Corn husk angels. I grew up in a area surrounded by corn fields in Pennsylvania. I learned to make these at a very young age. Now living in Arizona corn is so important to the Native Americans and the Mexican cultures that corn husks are easy to find. So I still make them.

Coasters, I made these out of wrapping paper glued to a square of cork, then I gave them a couple of coats of clear gloss. I have used them for many years, they have held up well.

A few years ago my Aunt gave me some pine cones she found they look like roses. So I dried some orange and apple slices to go with them. They sit in an old wooden salad bowl.

Belsnickle, I began my crafting career making Santa Clauses. This is one of mine. Living in PA at the time my favorite to make was always Belsnickle (Santa in fur) He is a Pennsylvania Dutch figure, scary, carries chains and switches for the bad kids and presents for the good ones.

Ornaments on the tree. I have no balls only ornaments. My mom who often visits the Lancaster area picks them up for me in her travels. This is done in Fraktur an elaborate writing done by the PA Dutch.

My favorite snowman made by my daughter when she was about five. I will treasure him always.

And what is Christmas without the goose. This paper mache one has a special place with me all year. For Christmas he looks so festive on the hearth decorated with greens. My husbands aunt who had such a love for handmade willed him to us. He is one of my favorite things.

So this year I guess I learn that it is not how little or how much you decorate, but with what meaning. I may never pull out all the stuff again. Downsizing has been nice.

Santa is Still A Wanted Man

2010-12-18T07:57:00.000-08:00

This is my last years Christmas blog post. I had so much fun with it I thought I would post it again for those who have not seen it.

Santa is a Wanted Man

Come in and sit a spell. Join me for some tea, cookies and a tale. As I was looking through the archives in the Phoenix library I came across an old wanted poster. It was quite a shock when I saw the face. Santa was the wanted man.

The long tall tale begins here.

Back in 1887 the largest cattleman in the southwest (Arizona was not yet a state) was a cruel and greedy man. He happened to see Santa and his sleigh flying across the night sky on Christmas Eve the previous year. He knew in that instant that the key to his wealth was not cattle but flying reindeer. He went to the sheriff and accused Mr Claus of stealing one of his prize calves. The sheriff had no choice but to offer a reward for Santa's capture.

So on Christmas Eve he sent out his posse,

and they waited, watching the skies for Santa's arrival.

But Santa heard about that plot.

He came early, and before he got to the Arizona Territory he hid his sleigh and rented a stagecoach.

Santa and his helpers loaded up that stagecoach.

And they went, across the desert they went by day. Santa in the drivers seat dressed in western wear, leading his reindeer. They went unnoticed, as the sheriff and his deputies waited for night to fall.

They delivered those gifts to all the good little boys and girls.

And as night fell on Arizona they took to the skies.

Bet you thought only sleds could fly.

The End

Now a little about the toys. Some of you may recognize them.

Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer and all his friends. As a child and even now as an adult I watch Rudolf every year on TV. The gangs all here. Santa, Herbie the elf, Yukon Cornelius, the misfit toys, and of course the Abominable Snowman. For me it wouldn't be Christmas without them.

If you look real close you can see some of the bears have managed to sneak themselves into the action, and the reindeer, they are all Yuma.

Thank you all for coming. Before you go I would like to give you the recipe for my favorite holiday snowball cookies. The tea, nothing special there just Lipton's decaf.

Thanks so much for stopping by. Arizona is a special place, especially during the holidays. I will be posting about some of the state's wonderful holiday traditions over the next couple of weeks, so please come again.

Snowballs

1 cup soft butter

1/2 cup sifted 10x (powdered) sugar

1 tsp vanilla

2-1/4 cup sifted flour

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 cup ground nuts, chilled

Cream together butter, sugar, and vanilla

Add flour, salt, and nuts

Roll into 1" balls

Place on ungreased cookie sheet

Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes until set

While still warm, roll in 10x sugar. Cool. Roll in sugar again

Exercise in Gluttony

2010-12-11T11:27:00.000-08:00

My daughter who is going to school for culinary arts had a final this week. It was a desert banquet. We were invited to feast on the creations of the students. It was a beautiful treat for the eyes as well as the stomach.
Here are just a few;

This one is Anna's final, gingerbread cupcake with egg-nog frosting. She got a B+ we are very happy. It is sprinkled with pure 24 carot gold. Didn't know you could eat that, you learn something new all the time.

A Christmas cake covered in shaved chocolate.

More beautifully decorated cupcakes.

A lovely three layer white cake.

Pecan praline cookies and behind some kind of pumpkin torte, both were divine.

Lemon meringue tarts, loved these too.

Well the food season has just begun and it is already time to start dieting. I have to say that these classes she has been taking are so hard on my willpower.

Christmas Lights Arizona Style

2010-12-05T04:55:00.000-08:00

It is so fun this time of year to see how people with desert landscaping get creative.

My Past Crafting

2010-11-26T10:22:00.000-08:00

I began my crafting career as a doll maker, then bear maker. Then I stepped away from both while my daughter was young. But I never stopped crafting. While I was visiting my cousins house yesterday for Thanksgiving she had a Noah's ark I made on her mantle. I snapped some shots.

Growing up in Pennsylvania I love the traditional crafts.

The ark is made of paper mache and all the animals I sculpted from polymer clay.

It was nice seeing this again. Reminded me how much fun it was to make.

It was perfect kind of craft for when my daughter was little. I only had to have out a little piece of clay at a time. I am glad now that I can have all my supplies out again and not have to worry about little fingers.

Show Recap

2010-11-22T19:45:00.000-08:00

Many of you already know, but this past weekend was the first ever Teddies Worldwide Holiday Bear Show. I spent much of Saturday admiring all the beautiful bears that were available. The show was successful for me. I had seven bears available and I sold six. All but one of the bears that were sold went to collectors on my mailing list. It just goes to show how important it is to keep a mailing list. I had six new people sign up during the show, and I am so happy about that. For those of you who didn't visit I thought I would show you the bears that made their debut.

Duncan

Pinyon

Woodruff, she was the belle of the ball.

Abraham

Gabe

and Clementine. She is still available.

I am going to list her on my website.

Now on to other commitments. I am making three new bears for "A Bear Place" and I will be going to the Doll & Bear Artist & Collector Convention in Philadelphia in May. I also hear there will be another online show in the spring. I'd better get sewing.

Sneaky Peeky

2010-11-15T15:00:00.000-08:00

The preview is open today for the Teddies Worldwide Holiday Bear Show. The show begins Saturday at 9:00 EST. There are 75 fantastic bear makers from all over the world. There are some incredibly beautiful bears to be seen. I will have six, three detailed realistic like Duncan, and three antique reproduction like Abraham.
.

I hope you will join us.

After School Crochet Club

2010-11-13T09:48:00.000-08:00

Working on a scarf.

I work as part time bear maker, part time teaching assistant. I work at an intercity school in Phoenix. On Tuesday after school I help out with the crochet club. It is open for 6th through 8th graders. It began last year when one of the 8th grade teachers learned to crochet and shared her new skill with her students. There were maybe 5 kids.

We also had some knitting boards donated, so now the kids are also knitting.

So this year in order to entice more to join Joy the teacher crocheted scarves and hats and I crocheted little animals. She decorated her room with them and brought them around to the kids classrooms to show them the fun. By the second week of the club we had 80 kids. (panic) We took over two adjoining class rooms and finally ended up in the school's multi-purpose room. The first weeks were bad. There are only three adults. None of the kids knew how to crochet. None of them even had yarn or hooks. They were sharing our hooks and learning with 2 feet of yarn. We soon came to realize that most of these kids were not ever going to have money for yarn or hooks.

Younger kids are invited if they have an older sibling in the group that usually walks them home. This is a 4th grade boy just learning. By the end of the day he could double crochet and was making a scarf.

I sent out an SOS to my friends on Face Book. I got responses immediately. Anonymous money showed up in Joy's mailbox at school. A large stash of plastic crochet hooks was found by an art teacher. More hooks came from FB friends. But the biggest surprise was the yarn. I received yarn from the teddy bear community. It came from as close as Phoenix and as far away as Hong Kong, Singapore and Scotland. I asked and the whole world responded to help our kids.

Adding a ruffled edge to a shawl.

So now we are three months into it. We have whittled down the group to the serious hookers. And we are getting some new ones trying for the first time ever week. You would think that only the "good kids" would be showing up. But every week when 3:30 comes and after school detention is over the next wave of kids shows up, the kids whose behavior often causes them detention. It is noisy for a few minutes till they settle and begin work.

Two boys sitting, talking, working.

Joy the teacher who knows and recruits these kids is a very smart lady. For she knows it is not music that soothes the savage beast (teenager) but crochet.

Another beautiful scarf.

We are always happy to accept yarn donations. If you have any that you would like to get rid of please email me and I will happily send you my address.