Here Ye' ... Here Ye'... Got Some Studio News.....

 I am so honored to be a featured artist published in the current April 2013 issue of  Teddy Bear & Friends Magazine!!! 

 A wonderful article about Me, Zoey & my characters written by Stephanie Finnegan.....

if you can't find one of the magazines at your local retailer you can purchase an online version  for $1.99 us dollars at http://shop.dollsmagazine.com/teddy-bear-friends-april-2013-digital.html

Valentine's Day Is Just Around The Corner....

and I'm busy working in the studio on some pieces ........  Just a little FYI ..... I don't always post here on my blog when I have new pieces available.... but I will always post on my facebook page  .... Whendi's Bears.....  so the best place to keep tabs on my work available is to "like" my facebook page.

Merry Christmas !!!

Wishing you & your family a joyous Holiday !  I'm taking much needed time off to enjoy my family & friends.......be back after Christmas.......

Introducing the TiNY's..... & a 21st birthday...YIKES

 I have been busy in the studio experimenting with sizes of my patterns....

 and have come up with the smallest size I have ever done.... approx 5" ....yikes... for me that is TiNY !  I have said it in the past how I admire the people who make minis!  My hands/wrists/fingers just can't get coordinated enough to make them small.......too many years of "hand" abuse use with the ol' carpal tunnel syndrome.......so everytime I take the plunge and reduce my pattern sizes.... it is a HUGE challenge for me.

But I have been getting alot of encouragment from you guys out there sending me nice comments and emails..... so I will continue to make these TiNY's ......

I would ultimately like to make a TiNY version of all of my past designs......but not sure how that will work out ......  but I will be back in the studio creating more little TiNY's ..... so stay tuned.... hopefully you can nab one for a Christmas Present for you or someone else ;) -------  Ack , I can't believe Christmas is just a few weeks away.... I am NOT ready ..... I have my oldest Daughter who will be turning 21 next week!!!!!!   OMG...YEs,  I said 21 !  Where in the heck does the time fly????? 

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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Show Previews.....

 I know that you probably think that all I make is soft sculpture collectible art pieces such as teddy bears, dogs, ellyfonts, etc........  but not so..... 

 

My husband and I (and our little helper Zoey!) also dabble in repurposing old antique or vintage forgotten items into fresh new things for your home, office and studio spaces..... such as these antique & vintage wood beds into beautiful benches,  often times using reclaimed barn boards for the seats!  These are simply stunning and he makes them extremely sturdy....not some rickety job that will fall apart if you actually use them ;)

 I loved the old chippy white paint on this twin size bed when we found it ..... I told hubby he had to leave it just the way it was and incorporate his work keeping this awesome patina for the bench.....I absolutely love it !!!......  This is just one of the pieces that will be for sale at the Folk Art Festival show in October ......and Ladies....just so you know.... this size bench would fit right into a minivan or SUV to take it home...also might just fit into the backseat of your car too.....LOL! 

This one is gorgeous....and is a double size...reclaimed barn board for the seat...just stunning.  I can see an antique quilt or coverlet draped over the back with perhaps a pillow to invite you to sit.  Perfect for a hallway or entryway to put shoes on etc.....even on a covered porch like I have pictured here. So many possibilities....will be at the show too....

 And this cutie patootie has a more "clean finish" for that person who prefers the less worn & primitive look..... or perhaps you may like to "distress" this piece to your liking.....I love the antique bed finials and design on this piece!  It's the same design as the chippy white one...but this bed did not have a favorable finish to keep....she needed paint.

 

Well, I just wanted to introduce to you some more items that will be available at the show other than my "normal" work.  We are hoping to bring a big variety of vintage, antique, handmade and repurposed items.... and as time permits, I will try to post preview items that will be available at the show.

 

So I hope to see you there.....the information about the show is located on the top right side of my blog ..... don't forget to go to the webite and print out the coupon to get an admission discount.

Hope you are enjoying the Dog Days of Summer......

......I have been busy working in the studio.... should have some new pieces available sometime next week....stay tuned. 

Phew I can't believe it is August already..... my girls are packing & getting ready to head back to college....soooooo much to do and never enough time to do it!

Enjoy your weekend!

Shots of Summer

Summer Time......

Got My Chucks......

and I LOVE them!  My new converse Chuck Taylor slip sneakers that is........  I have been wanting to get a pair of these slip on sneakers in a gray color (because they match everything)  for a long time and I finally got them about 3 weeks ago....got them all broken in now too!  I wear them to my studio everyday .... perfect with shorts & capri or rolled up jeans.... pretty much everything. 

I purchased them online here http://www.zappos.com/converse-chuck-taylor-all-star-slip-charcoal-spicy-orange

The first pair I ordered mens 4.5 because I am 6.5 size shoe....BUT I had to return them and get a smaller size..... I got mens size 4 and they now fit perfect.  So if you decide to get a pair just make sure you go down a half size because they do run bigger.  Oh, I had no problems returning them.....got my shoes within a couple days after I placed the order too!

Now I am all ready for the outdoor festivals and antique shows this summer!!!   So go get your CHUCKS!!!!!

Merry Christmas!

From my Whendi Bear Family to Yours.... we wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas ! Enjoy your blessings and try not to frett over the other stuff......I know it's hard not to be overwhelmed at this time of year ;) When I saw my little Molly cat napping peacefully under the Christmas tree, it just kinda put things in perspective for me, if ya know what I mean. So remember to take time out for yourselves....you deserve it!

Sneak Peek.... NEW DESIGN for PFATT MARKETPLACE

Can you believe it's that time again.....it's THE PFATT MARKPLACE Update !!!!! Coming Saturday December 10th at 1 pm (EST)...... so do mark your calendars to see all the wonderful art that will be for sale.....and you can get it in time for Christmas ;)

I will have a NEW DESIGN that I made for this update.....and yes, this yummy shabby antique all chippy white painted escutcheon (door plate) is part of my piece ;) Hmmm...have I got your attention yet.....wonding what in the world it could be ?! LOL..... if you want to know then you must check back on this Saturday December 1oth at 1pm (EST) to find out !!

See you there ;)

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]!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

I just want to wish you and your family a wonderous Thanksgiving! Enjoy the company of your family & friends, enjoy your dinner and I hope you have many things in your life to be thankful for.

Oh Hell...... Went back to Hospital....

Just when I thought I was on the road to recovery......bamm.... back in the hospital on friday. I had a doctor appointment Friday and my pressure was back in scary 200's again..... he was concerned about my brain swelling again...... so he immediately sent me back to the hosptial :( I ended up staying in there for the whole weekend :( They needed to get the pressure down again & tweek my medications again........so now I am home & hopefully my body can adjust to these medicines and get used to these new low blood pressure levels. My body has been so high strung for years that it just doesn't know how to run on "normal" blood pressure levels. I have made alot of adjustments to my diet as well.

So I am taking it easy and just taking one day at a time ..... the doctors say I can get back to making my little characters again.....so hopefully soon, I will have some more pieces made! Especially with Christmas fast approaching I will do my best :)

I want to thank you all so very much for all your wonderful comments, emails and helpful suggestions and especially for "holding my hand" while I walk through this touchy time of my life!!!!!

My Scary Wake Up Call !!!

I don't know how to start this post but here goes. I landed myself in the hospital emergency room last friday and was in the intenstive care unit since monday....I am finally home but my body is still trying to figure everything out.

You see I was feeling perfectly fine friday, however, around 1 pm I just started coughing and thinking I was coming down with a chest cold. (mind you I don't smoke) but the cough kept getting worse like I had alot of phlem. I thought, I should try to cough it up and as I did.......it was not phlem but ALOT of BLOOD. Well, needless to say I was terrified! I just kept coughing up lots of bright red blood. Weird thing is, it did not hurt. Thankfully my husband had just stopped to see me at my studio to say goodbye to me because he was heading out to meet his friends at their hunting camp for the weekend. He happened to be with me when I was coughing all this blood.....so he rushed me to our Urgent Care. As soon as they got me in, they were trying to take my blood pressure and it was just not registering.....it was way off the charts. The top number was well over 300. They immediatley gave me pills to lower the pressure and shipped me out in the ambulance to the hospital ER.

Once in the ER, they began with all the tests....chest xrays, nope I wasn't having a heart attack, then CT brain scan, yup - found abnormal brain images due to the high blood pressure.....did a full body CT scan with the die that runs through your body to see if my heart and blood vessals were working ok....all was fine. Doctors perplexed at this point. My coughing of blood stopped once the pressure subsided from the pills they gave me ....but pressure was still 280. They admitted me to the ICU to find a cause.

They were thinking it was my kidneys because I am young....nope did kidney tests...was fine......all blood work came back good accept low pottassium levels. Thought it was my heart, nope ...my echo test came back fine.

Then I had an MRI done on my brain to see what was abnormal....and yes, they found that my left side of my brain is swelled. Had more tests with a neurologist and he concluded that I had experienced some damage to the brain but should not be too serious as long as I control my blood pressure down under 200.

He was dead serious when he was talking to me at like 10pm on sunday night..... he says, you were very very very close to having a brain hemorrhage and could have died. You were very lucky you came to the ER when you did.

Once the doctors had my pressure down I was able to move out of ICU and go home the next day. (If you have been in a hospital for days, you know how badly you just want to get out and go home...needless to say I was sooooooooooo delighted to get home)

Now, my body is trying to work on keeping my pressure down but with all these meds, I feel aweful.....

The thing is that I am not over weight and I have been exercising regularly for 2 years now. I'm pretty heart healthy. My diet is not that bad, however, today I will be switching my coffee to decaf and my diet pepsi to decaf diet pepsi. ( as I am a diet pepsi freak and drink 2-3 a day). I have other life style changes that I will be making, such as trying to cut back on my STRESSFUL life...which means one thing is the need to re-evaluate my work/business......take a slower approach.....

I just want to say that this has been a very scary wake up call for me.... they say that High Blood Pressure is a silent killer and it nearly killed me....SOOOOOO I want to take this opportunity to wake you all up and have your blood pressure checked! If it is over 200 you really need to do something about it .....DON'T WAIT ! Just because you feel great like I did......does not mean that you can't die from it. And the other scary part is, that if I was not coughing blood I NEVER would have known anything was wrong with me!

They have determined I have had hypertention for years but I never knew. There are signs to look for ...like frequent headaches...which I have had frequent headaches for years (about 2-3 per week) but you all know .... I told myself I lead a stressful life so your gonna get headaches....so ya just take a tylenol and go on... right ?!! Wrong! A big sign is having headaches...have them checked. Also, about a week ago my right eye was occassionally seeing a little round hazy spot I was going to have it checked out with an eye doctor next week...but never made it.... Another big sign is change of vision! So there were signs that I ignored thinking it was just due to growing older or being stressed all the time........ stupid me!


The picture is of my arm when I was in ICU....kinda got bored in there, cuz they don't let you get out of bed.....but they let me keep my cell phone with me ;) They wanted me in the ICU all that time because then they can keep you hooked up on all the monitors as the machine would take my blood pressure every 15 minutes and I had all those wires hooked up on my heart.
Let me tell you it was a very scary ordeal for me and I NEVER want to go back to that again :(

Hello Bloggers...............

" it wasn't me! "

sharing some pieces I brought to the show last weekend.....

Well first off I would like to THANK EVERYBODY who came to the Folk Art Festival show. And those of you gals who popped over to see me at my booth.....it was lovely to meet all of you....and you all know who you are :)))) A big hug & thank you to you all!

Despite the BIG WINTER SNOW STORM we got caught in...we even lost power, which I believe the northeast coast is still without power today...I still had a very fun and fantastic weekend. I was with 2 wonderful artists this year Maureen Carroll http://yesterdayes.blogspot.com/ who makes the most outstanding beautiful antique looking gameboards and whimsical dolls. You simply must go to her website and blog and check them out....you won't be disappointed! Maureen and I were roomies and had a blast....despite the fact we woke up to no power in our hotel, and 3am fire alarms blasting away for 20 min ...because of the storm, we still managed to take it in stride.

And, by golly, the show still remained open....thanks to those crazy New Englanders, they sure don't let anything stop them from shopping the show! We totally appreciate you still coming out and shopping!!!

And the other artist is Gretta Chirco http://www.sewbeitbygreta.com/ who makes these adorable dollies! She and her sister were so upbeat and fun to be hanging out with :)

And Wendy Collins of Collins Gifts, who hosted us all. She was lovely as always :))



You simply must mark your calendar to attend next year, as word has it, the show will be HUGE. This year artists filled half the venue and next year they will be adding antique dealers to fill the other half of the building. Which will make this show extremely big and will have tons and tons of unique merchandise. So be sure to attend next year!

Packing..Packing...

Just crazy here doing last minute show preparations.... I will be heading off for the show tomorrow morning....Hope you can stop by! Here are the details... http://www.folkartfestivalofnewengland.com/index.htm

Working in the Studio.....

WHat I have been doing.......busy working in the studio for the upcoming show on Oct 28-30th in Massachussets. Here is a little peek at a sweet BIGGER size French Bulldog I am working on.....just the head so far but it will be ready for the show :) There is no rest for the weary....wish I could turn the clock back a few more WEEKS ;) It never seems I have enough time to complete as many pieces as I want :(

Pumpkin Decorating

As promised, I took a picture this morning of a couple of my pumpkins we grew this year.  Nestled next to my antique wheelbarrow and my adorable rabbit garden statue in the front of my house.  I like to decorate simple during fall....and I have never been one to decorate for halloween as we live on a rural road and we never get little trick or treaters.   I decorated a few times when my kids were little but not anymore.... I know others probably think of our house as the "Old Scrooges"!