More Flowers And A Bear Sneak Peek!

Just another painting...and yes a new bear FINALLY coming.  This one is a 10 inch bear too!

Yesterday I was filled with such incredible joy at just creating things.  How I have missed it.  Off to dress a bear!  

Have a beautiful day!  

Hugs, K.

~*~ Phalto ~*~

Phalto is now available on the Bears Page Of My Website.

Montana

My dear patient friends!  I have been trying so hard to get a blog post done the last few days but every time I have come to the computer and sat down, it made my head pound so hard I just got back up again.

To be honest things haven't improved that much, but I did think I should make a post so you know I haven't deserted you!  I was actually feeling a little better today despite a rocky start this morning.  I managed to get to the post office to send off a little bear who has been waiting patiently to go to his new home.  Then I came home and started unpacking all the boxes with my dining room things in them.  I also cooked a nice salmon dish for dinner, harvested a few things from the garden, cleaned the pantry, repotted a couple plants, and a few other little chores.

By this evening I felt as if I was starting this thing all over again, and R yelled at me for trying to do too much too soon.  I think he knew I couldn't argue because my throat was sore and I could barely talk.  But you know how it is when you are sick and bored and can't stand the idleness that goes with it!

At any rate...I went on my trip to Montana for two reasons.  One...I hadn't been to visit my parents in a bit and I wanted to go.  And two...R was going to put a hardwood floor in my dining room, which is why everything was packed up.  I can't stand the mess and clutter that goes with renovations so he just sends me off when he does them.

The first day after I arrived my Mom was scheduled to do a little craft show for York Days, so she suggested I bring along some of my small pieces.  I came home with three less things.  It was kind of a fun event.  They had a pancake breakfast and rubber ducky races.  I bought five ducks since it was for charity but they didn't win.

There was a park that had a bear statue in it, and you can see my Step Dad being funny with it above!  I love that picture. 

This is a pic from their back porch.  It was raining over the mountain range.  The weather was much colder than I had expected and I had to buy a fleece lined hoodie just to keep warm!

We drove to Missoula one day and did some shopping.  That was fun too, they have a really cute mall there.

I took this one evening, you can see the city lights from their house.  The orbs are dust particles in the air.  It snowed two days after I left!

When I came home I had an amazing new floor in the dining room.  R does such good work!  My puppies aren't nearly as impressed though, they can't get any traction and keep falling down. I had to put down a rug so they could get in and out.

It was a nice visit, but I was happy to come home too.  I just wish I hadn't caught what ever was going around up there. 

If I feel even remotely human tomorrow I am going to work on one of the two pieces I have started.  Just don't tell R, he will probably yell at me again!

I hope you all had a lovely day!  Hugs, K. <3

Busy Busy!

I have two new patterns in the works today.  I am working on a new bear...which you can see above.  It's quite chubby!  Now keep in mind he or she hasn't been detailed yet.  In fact he or she isn't even done being distressed.  But hopefully by tomorrow you will be seeing it.

Also I am working on the new bird pattern.  So you should be seeing that very shortly too!

R To The Rescue!

No marriage is perfect, but R is a great guy and I have always considered myself very lucky to have someone like him.  He is always there for me if I need him to do something, we discuss things if a problem arises, and we work it out.  He is kind and takes very good care of the critters and I.  He never criticises me, and rarely gets mad at me...even when I deserve it.   I know he loves me very much, and I love him very much too.   Trust me, you would like him if you knew him.

But he isn't the sort of guy who just swoops in, handling everything without my input and flat out rescues me like a knight on a steed. He knows that overall I am pretty resilient and if something comes up I can usually handle it one way or another.  He likes that about me.

This morning however, when he got out of bed I was pretty much sobbing uncontrollably over the broken camera because it had just happened.  He hates it when I cry because he thinks I am usually too upset over nothing, that I will figure it out since I am the problem solver in the family, and everything will be fine.  I don't cry very often, but I seem to have been crying a lot lately.  I guess this was simply the straw that broke the camels back for me.  I have never dropped any of my cameras before...not once which is amazing really considering how much I use it.  I am always very careful with things.

A little while after he left, as usual I sucked it up, thought about my options and announced the fire sale.  It was pretty much all I could do in that moment to try to save myself.  I was about to go look for a temporary job or offer web design services or something to get out of this bind.

When I talked to him this afternoon, I told R about the sale and what I was planning on doing.  It didn't sit well with him which surprised me because as a rule he doesn't care one way or the other what I do with my bear business.  He figures it's my business and I had it before I had him, so what I do is my own affair.  But he was really disappointed that I had to offer up all my hard work for no profit at all, and that I was considering drastic measures.  We couldn't discuss it more right then, he had to go because his own job was demanding his attention.

When he came home this evening he had a Best Buy bag in his hand.  He smiled good naturedly, gave it to me and told me "don't ask."  Inside the bag was a new camera.  Not just a-make-do-until-I can-get-a-better-one type of camera either.  This was a niceeeeeeeeee 35mm 18 mega pixel camera.  Far better than the one that got broken.  This one also has a full coverage extended 2 year warranty in case I drop it too.  Heaven forbid!  I have no idea how he managed to come up with it.  I haven't been this speechless since he gave me diamond earrings two years ago for Christmas.  (He doesn't buy me jewelry.) 

Of course I was instantly worried about the dental bills and said he shouldn't have spent so much.  He said don't worry about it, we will be fine. 

I managed to take some pictures of the miniature bear.  I haven't quite got the macro settings figured out yet.  I am sure once I figure out how to work it, and what all the bells and whistles on this new camera do, I will have something far more impressive to show you.  But at least I can still work and post pics for now.

Today after I got up was actually pretty good even before the camera, the worst thing that occurred was I discovered a nest of garden snakes in the wood pile...but that's not really a big deal other than causing me to scream in fright because I wasn't expecting them.  Even the neighbor situation seems to have resolved itself.  I am keeping my fingers crossed that things are going to look up finally.  Although I have to see the periodontist tomorrow to see about my failed gum graft, so hopefully I won't get bad news there.  If it is going to cost me a bunch of money again, it will simply have to wait until next January when I have a new limit on my dental insurance. 

So that's where I am at right now.  Since I announced the sale, I will still honor it even though R assures me I don't need to.   The only bear exempt from the sale is Bronte' since she is going to be in the ad I have coming out.  Piccalilli should be up on the website shortly, and he will be offered for the sale price as well.

The Secret Project Teaser

As you know from a previous post, I am hosting A Midsummer Night's Secret Dream Party on July 17th.  Just click the link above or at the right if you would like to sign up for it.

I have a secret project that I want to make for it...something very fancy. Last night as I was sitting and working on the little bear I have cut out I was suddenly overwhelmed with the urge to start designing the new pattern required for what I want to make. I just can't wait to get started!

Several years ago I bought something a bit unusual for a teddy bear artist to buy, (actually I bought five of them) but I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it. The problem is, I never did it...I came close a few times to getting started but just didn't do it. When I came up with the idea for the blog party I knew the time had come.

Several days later I went to the Bear Bee in Denver and I picked up the yummy colors of upholstery velvet shown above. The colors of raspberry, thistle, peridot and periwinkle were just exactly right for what I wanted to do. Needless to say I was really excited by finding exactly the right thing and took it as a sign I was on the right track at last.

A few days after that I ordered some very small pieces of mohair. (Also shown above.) I wasn't exactly sure what I wanted to do with those when I ordered them, but the colors were so pretty and I knew when they arrived I would know.

I did know! After the little bear I have in the works I am going to start working on the pattern. I am going to make a bear or two from the mohair first in the style I want to use for my big project. But along with my grand idea I also got another idea. A long time ago I made several four standing animals, including lambs, elephants and pigs. I have decided to mayyyyyyyybeeeeee make one of those animals into a sitting animal. But I am not going to tell you which one! You will just have to wait and see!

I can't wait to get started on the big project, but it's going to take time and won't be something I can finish in the regular time it takes me to make any of my other pieces. So you're just going to have to wait. But what fun to give you a tiny teaser of what I am going to use and leave you wondering what it might be!

Even when you see the first pieces from the new pattern, you still won't be able to guess what the BIG SECRET PROJECT is! Shhhh. *winks*  You will just have to wait until July 17th to see that!

Stay tuned! Hugs, K. <3

Transitions

I am sure if you read my blog on a regular basis, you may have been wondering why I haven't been posting. I guess I just haven't had a whole lot to say. I kind of feel as if I am going through a transitional period right now. It's kind of hard to define exactly what that is in words. I am not even sure I know just yet.

I feel as if I want to go in a slightly different direction both with the bears and animals, and with my blog. I am still sort of working that out in my head.

I did finish a bear tonight, and he should get photographed tomorrow...so you will be seeing him very soon. I have also been designing a whole new kind of animal pattern, and haven't had a chance to sew it yet. Once I am happy with it, you will get to see what that is.

In the mean time, just bear with me (no pun intended) until I sort through everything mentally and am ready to go back to my usual wordy self. I will get it all worked out soon I am sure.

We Have A Winner!

The winner was chose by randomizer at wwwrandom.org. So without further ado, I would like to congratulate Marion, from Rusty-Prim! Pumpkin will be winging his way to Germany as soon as you e-mail me with an address!

I want to thank everyone who entered and who reads my blog. I also want to tell you that I have two surprises coming! One will be announced Monday, and the other sometime in November. So watch for those!

In the mean time I am working frantically to get everything ready for the Halloween Blog Party on the 17th. I hope to see you there!


Hugs, K. <3

~*~ Evangeline ~*~

My new girl is done, you can visit her on the Bears Page of my website.