NEWS UPDATE - We opened a NEW SHOP

Well I have been crazy busy..... expanding & growing the business.

As you know I posted earlier that not only do I make soft sculpture art pieces me & my husband also do repurposing and dabble in all things antiques & vintage.

I have been wanting a place to setup shop and sell my items and we finally did it! 

 

 It took months of researching but we finally got a space in an antique mall co-op shop and got it all set up the other day....which is about an 1 1/2 hour drive from me...unfortunately there was absolutely nothing here in my local city that was comparable....too much "flea" if you know what I mean ;)

 

Anyway, I will eventually introduce my bears, dawgs & other soft sculpture there as well but wanted to get my other pieces out of my studio....all of this has been sitting in my studio and was to the point of not being able to move anymore.........gosh I finally have some space again!

 

The first thing I told my husband was that we need to make a HARWOOD FLOOR for my space.  I was not liking the ugly carpet and it was just so drab looking...I was going for the unique looking "industrial chic style" (modern) looking space.  So he made me a 'floor" from 2 pieces of heavyduty plywood and we stained it ebony....Love how it turned out and it was low cost for the "pop" factor I was looking for. 

 

And I am calling my new business space.....

ZOEY's UBER-CHIC LOFT

 

LOL....yup, inspired from my little boston Zoey....

 

Soooooooo if you are in the Rochester New York area.... please stop in and check out my space.....  here is a little ad I put together ....

 

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A NEW Uber-Chic shop has now opened - come and check it out.

Artist repurposed Antiques & Lighting for you & your home in super cool  Industrial Urban Chic, French Chic & Cottage/Shabby primitive Styles!  And all prices are affordable too !!!!!

 If you like the unusual unique ONE-OF-A-KIND then you will really like the items in this new shop.  Check it out often as new pieces arrive weekly.

Repurposed pieces such as benches made from a antique beds & reclaimed 1800's barn board for the seats, messenger bags/purses from Vintage Military duffel bags & foreign war bags all fully lined, various feather down pillows,   steampunk urban unique repurposed lighting, repurposed antique trunks & luggage for storage accent tables and coffee tables...etc......and of course lots of antiques & vintage items mixed in too!

 A space Located INSIDE  Liberty Hollow, 4975 Ridge Road W. (Rt 104), Spencerport NY 14559  -----  over 15,000 sq. ft. of Antiques, Collectibles, Gifts and HANDMADE!

Open 7 days a week 10am - 5pm ..... Thursdays open even later 10am-7pm......so you can shop right after work...

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Antique Vanity fit for a shabby-chic Princess....

who is heading off to college in a few days.  

Mind you, this is the second antique vanity that I have given new life to.  The first antique vanity I never took before or after photos and it now belongs to one of my daughters(who will also take hers to college).....and now this antique vanity.  I remembered to do before and after photos so I could share.  This one now belongs to my other daughter....and she is taking it with her to college as well. (They both live off campus now..otherwise these would never have fit in a dorm room)  

my little helper

I actually picked up both antique vanities pretty cheap while scouring craigslist for weeks until I finally found 2!  You see both of my daughters are only about a year apart and it has been pretty much like having twins for the last 19 years...gotta get 2 of everything! 

They both really wanted shabby chic old feminine vanity sets.....not the new modern ones but the old antique kind like these.  (They are actually getting into the love of antiques & old stuff like me......LOL!!) 

 They both wanted them painted white with a little bit of distressing...not alot....they still are not quite into the really old chippy looking things YET.....hahahaha !

So I made my own chalk paint in an off creamy white and did just a tiny bit of distressing on this piece...and the best part is that she totally loves it!  I'm happy , they are happy and they both now have beautiful antique pieces of furniture to keep and pass down to their kids someday ;)

So if you have a little shabby-chic princess....you may want to find an antique vanity that nobody wants (try your local craigslistings)  and give it a little paint.....I bet your daughter would adore having one of these oldies....they just don't make them like these anymore! 

PUBLISHED IN MODERN DOG MAGAZINE!

Here Ye, Here Ye, I am very proud to announce that I have been published in the Winter 2011/12 issue of MODERN DOG Magazine :)

This awesome magazine had seen my work and contacted me for an interview to be featured in the "ART ATTACK" section of the magazine. Needless to say, I was totally honored and very excited. The interview took place a few months back and today, I just received my copy of the issue in the mailbox! This magazine is jammed packed with EVERYTHING DOG! So be sure to pick up your copy on the newsstand ....they are currently on sale now!

My Bulldog is even featured right smack on the index page too....[hooray]!!

Alice Dancing Under the Gallows - Official Promo

This woman is so inspiring...if only everybody had her same outlook on life!

Incredible !

What an incredible story :)

Trash To Treasure

I just had to share this spectacular "trash to treasure" piece my gal pal sent me today. She is also another artsy-fartsy fanatic....she can make fabulous primitive dolls, rug hooking pieces & other needful prim things!

Well, she told me that she found this old ugly brass chandelier sitting along side a dumpster...basically a piece of junk to whomever was throwing it away....and yeah, to any ordinary person, it would be trash...but to all of us artsy-fartsy types, and yes admit it....we are not the ordinary, we consider this stuff ......GOLD! We think we found the perfect piece to turn into a treasure ......and it's FREE!

Here is the BEFORE :

And here is the AFTER:

WOW....she did a fabulous job refurbishing this old brass chandelier into an awesome treasure. She painted over the ugly brass with this wonderful orange color. She even took the old sleeves off, dripped hot glue down the sides and then painted them over with a cream color. So now it has that old dripping wax look....AWESOME! Her husband was even able to install it & put it on a dimmer switch too. She says it brings her tired dining room back to a stylish updated look. She replaced an old country blue light fixture she had for years, into this really cool eye popping piece.....and yup, the best part....she got it for FREE!

What an inspiration.....hmmmm now it's time to go DUMPSTER DIVING so I can find some really great trash and turn it into treasure. If you have any trash to treasure stories ....please post comments! Happy Hunting!

What Inspires You?

I'm sure if your an artist or craftsperson like me....you get that age old question asked almost everytime somebody new sees your work. You know the one ...... "Where do you get your inspiration from? "

Well, I thought I would share some of the things that I get inspiration from .....things I actually keep & display in my studio while I work.

My Inspiration board of course ;) ... I also have an inspiration scrapbook too.

I love vintage dolly & childrens clothes.....vintage chipped wood frames....

My obsessive love for vintage circus & old toy colors ......

Love vintage dolls & the shabby colors.............

Antique bears & more dolls..........................

Vintage Suitcases...I have all these in my studio, plus I have 8 more in my bedroom stacked 4 on each side of my bed for nightstands...very cool!

And of course, my just as obsessive love for old doll trunks......ack!

These are just some of the things that inspire me.......what inspires you?

Vintage Inspirations

Thought I would share a bit of my Vintage Goodies that I have displayed around me in my studio while I work.......

Vintage Goodies

Some vintage goodies I found at the antique show this past Saturday. Love this little beat up clock ...it still ticks even though it is missing 1 hand.....and the adorable victorian card with old lace.... I just love the old "shabby-vintage" look (sigh)....... Have a great day!

Shhhhhh....A Sneak Peek

I thought I would give you a little sneak peek at what I will have to offer on this months Primitive Gathering ......so be sure to come and see all the artists' new offerings on September 1st!

This new piece that I have is sooooo totally out-of-the-box for me....but I am really pleased at how it turned out....and what a great piece to add to your collection too!

I can tell you that it is a vintage inspired Halloween piece...the colors are very old and faded, as if it has been around since the early 1900's.....so come on over and check it out....See you there!

Something to Make you SMILE!

I just finished up a new very kewl piece in the studio yesterday........you just got to chuckle and smile at this fun & whimsical piece! I love it! And if you are into the funky vintage toys then you will too :)

I have been so inspired lately by old antique toys and making new uses for things people no longer charish. I guess you can call this one of my trash-to-treasure creations!

I sometimes have an eye for seeing something totally new and unique, using something old and no longer wanted. This was just the piece!!! I saw this vintage character wire armature doll while out at the antique shops during a trip to Saratoga Springs NY for a softball tournament my daughter had. (I always try to visit antique shops whenever I am out of town....it's like the highlight of the trip!)

Anyhow, I saw this piece amongst some vintage toys and dolls and totally loved the old colors and funky fun....I immediately thought...."WOW, I could make a new head for this piece and it would be soooo unique".....

Here is what it looked like before I altered it....

I was guessing that it might be a vintage Minnie Mouse doll (without the ears)...cuz of the shoes, dress and black mouse-like head....the top of the head had two holes right where a couple ears would be placed....but I had no idea what it was .....didn't care...loved the colors, textiles and body anyway.......brought it home.....and this was my new altered creation I came up with..............

I just love the way this ellyfont gal came out! I made her a black mohair head and attached it to the body with a wobble joint. I tried to leave the piece as original as possible but still making it my own with the ellyfont head.............she is totally posable because she is armature wired and I didn't even have to age the piece...all her textiles were naturally aged already!

She is listed on ebay in case you want more details and pictures.

Do You Love Antique Toys?

I Do !!! And if you do as well, then you are in for a treat :) I have to show you a new piece I just finished up. I was inspired by those wonderful old german jack-in-the-box toys...you know the ones where there is an old vintage clown head inside a wooden box and does not have any crank music......

Like this one here...........Well this is the piece I just finished up and I truly adore it !!! It came out better than I expected....and it works too! It was a fun project and got my creative juices flowing, definately a one-of-a-kind piece.......

I started out with a plain vintage wood box and an old spring. I covered the box with vintage graphics that I reproduced on my computer and made the ellyfont jack-in-the-box and secured it to the spring. You can push him down into the box....close it....and then when you open it he actually springs up like a real jack-in-box would.....toooooooo cute!

I just listed him on ebay today so if you want to see more pictures and details about him, you can take a peek and see more .....just click on my left tool bar links for ebay....

Hmmmmmm.....I had so much fun making this guy....I'll have to search around for another vintage box to try another :)

Things I Collect....Part I

I thought I would share with you some of the things I love to collect. Just about everybody collects something or another. Mine happens to be really old looking things. My family & friends really don't get WHY I collect old stuff. Things they throw away or store in an attic because they have no interest in it.....THOSE are the things I most like to collect.

These are just a few things I have surrounding me in my studio. I will try to go through my house and put all my collections together over the next couple weeks. Although my house is a total disaster as we are FINALLY putting in hardwood floors....I'll blog about that another time.

My favorite things I collect are vintage shoes, doll trunks, luggage, quilts, tins, xmas ornaments, toys, dolls & bears.....to name just a few.... :)

I think I may actually have about 15 pairs of old vintage childrens shoes & a couple pairs of old womens shoes .... I will try to gather them up and show you. What I would really like is an old glass front cabinet to display them all in.....hmmmmm I think another project is necessary...I still have a few old vintage windows that I could use as the doors.

I love the old mercury garland balls and old christmas ornaments. I also use them on my bears.


One of my vintage log cabin quilts that hangs on the wall above my metal cutting/work table. I like to collect the black color quilts. I have 3 black log cabin quilts and lots of other vintage quilts that I will have to show you next time. Oh, and you can see a couple of my old tins there. I actually use those tins....I store old lace and trims for using on my bears.

Happy Collecting!

A "tell me" Tag.....

I have been tagged by sweet Angie from Love The Prim Look .... to tell you about how I came up with my business name Whendi's Bears. Well, that it quite simple to answer...my name is Wendy and I make bears....BUT I wanted to add a bit of a twist to it so I misspelled my name so that it still sounds like it but looks different. I like to do that with my pieces that I make too, can't you tell? Wabbit, Jak Rabut, Ellyfont, Bull Dawg.... keeps it fun and whimsical!

Collectors are Artists Too!

I was given the pleasure of receiving an email from one of my wonderful collectors the other day and I wanted to share a bit of "her art" with you. She so graciously gave me a little glimpse into what she does in her world....way across the pond.....in the UK. And what a delightful and beautiful job she does.... restoring those old and antique Rocking Horses!

She says that this one is just getting started......can't wait to see the finished results! Way to Go Mary!

Her latest Rocking horse restoration - there's another 4 waiting in the wings in various states of disrepair. This one is "Whistler", named after her favourite artist, is about 1880, 40" high with stand and very rare. When she striped him down his joints were covered in layers of old news paper, some of the print was legible. He needed new ears and eyebrows and finding the correct shape took a lot of detective work as reference material is rare. Whistler is resting now for a few months whilst his gesso cures then the fun bit starts - painting and deciding the colour for his mane, tail and tack.

And so it is ....that if you collect .... then you probably also do some sort of art! :) ....feel free to drop me a note and share your art ....I love to see what others are making or doing.....and I'll try to post here for all to see. Or if you have a collection you would like to share too!