New bears available today!

Bailey McMurtree & Mary Dottiwinkle

Yessirree bobaroo! New bears list today at 2pm....including those up there in that new header. SWEET! You can find them here.

Been dinking around with my blog. Colors and such. Don't know that I care for the yellow background. If I were really whippy I could add some of those fancy borders. But, whippy I'm not. Not when it comes to the computer. I muddle around clicking here and there to see what certain buttons do. Don't be surprised if someday you peek in and I've made a total mess of things! ha! I did manage to get those bears in my header all by myself though. Pin a rose on my nose!!

I think perhaps tomorrow I might color my background blue. Oh, I don't know. I like a clean page. White is clean. I like white. Wait, let me rephrase. I like white everything but white walls. I see a lot of white walls in magazines. I think most of those homes pictured must be in sunny states. In the Pacific Northwest white walls just kind of look dingy and grey to me. I like color on my walls....even if it just hints at color. Oh cheese and crackers. Now how did I get from new bears to color on my walls?

Rambling. I'm rambling. It's only Thursday. I usually start rambling on Friday..... Ha!

Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

More blue than pink.

I took this picture at Joe and Jermonne's Barn House sale this past Saturday. I love the colors and the juxtaposition of elements....soft feathers, metal spokes, concrete and ruffly flowers. There's not much pink, only a dapple, but hey.....I'm up to my eyeballs in bears this morning!!

Only five more bears left to finish then I'm hoping the skies lighten enough to get some good pictures. It's really pretty dark and dismal out there right now. (Tut tut, it looks like rain!) It's only 9am-ish though. Worst case scenario.....they go outside for their photo shoot. Not to worry though, I have a covered porch so it's all good. Pollyana with rose colored glasses? Perhaps. We'll seeeeeee....

Well, I'd better quit dawddling and get after it. Flourishes needs my undivided attention starting on Friday. Egad!! Nope. I can't even start thinking about all that needs to be done there. Nope. Nope. Nope.

Warmest Pink Wednesday bear hugs, Aleta

Barn House, Flea Market and Bears

The fog was just lifting when we drove up to the Barn House event Saturday morning. What an enchanting setting!! Joe and Jermonne put on such an amazing sale. WOW!! Their look is decidedly primitive. Lots of shabby chippy, ironstone, tarnished silver....all of my favorites only on a more primitive note. LOVED it!! I found a couple of goodies for myself and some hanks of hand dyed ribbon from Cindy Dockins, Queen of Tarte. It was a fabulous start to the holiday weekend!

From there it was a full day of estate sales, garage sales and a trip to Monticello. It is a rare weekend that we don't visit the latter. (If for nothing else, lunch at Monti's Cafe!) We almost always find some treasure...or three...at Monticello! The sweetest little settee and chairs came home with us this time. Home or Flourishes? Hmmmm. The jury is still out on that one. Where is the picture? Well, I didn't want you all to drool over it before I had a chance to make up my mind!! ha! ;o)

Speaking of Flourishes.....the deadline is looming for artist/vendors for our June 21st Flea Market. This is an outdoor market held around the barn and in the meadow. If you have expressed interest in participating you MUST get in touch with me this week. I only have a few meadow spaces left!!

Warmest Monday....er, Tuesday bear hugs, Aleta

P.S. The bears are almost ready!! Airbrushing is done, eyes are set and the finishing details will be done today!! Listing will begin on Thursday!! :o)

A dozen and one more!

Finally!! 13 bears ready for airbrushing!! Whew. I thought I'd never get finished with this bunch. I see you counting them....and yes, there are only 12 pictured above. The thirteenth is the little mixed media/assemblage bear (pictured below) I'm working on, inspired by Lisa Kaus. What a diverse bunch of bears, huh? There are actually seven types of mohair represented here!!
I'm really having fun with the mm/a piece. I had to use a really long cotter pin for the neck joint. A whopping 3 inches!! I wanted the bears head to be able to move so it had to be long enough to go through the chunky wood frame and still be secured. I've used eye pins and wobble joints for the limbs so that they're movable too. A traditional jointed bear made in a not so traditional form!! Before I put this little girl together though, I still have to put a layer of beeswax over the cavas and secure her skirt and ribbon. It's all trial and error this piece, but I'm lovin' it!! I've already sketched a witch and angel design and now I'm on the hunt for a longer, chunky canvas. Whoodyhoo!!


First things first though. Airbrushing and then eyes. It's off to the studio for me....

Have a fabulous weekend!!


Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

P.S. Before I go, I want to add that Joe and Jermonne, Barn House, are having their first Barn Sale this weekend!! If you're in the Portland/Vancouver area tomorrow, it's not to be missed!!! You can count on me to be there bright and early. Okay, early.....perhaps not so bright. Ha! ;o)

Pretty pink ribbons!

Working at home, I sometimes forget what day it is. Today is a perfect example of that. I've been busy in my studio this morning working on stitching bear noses (I really need to get some bears finished!!) when all of a sudden a lightening bolt thought hit me. What day is it?!! Well, if you don't know what day of the week it is, where is the most likely place to find out? The computer!! You could look on a calendar but if you weren't sure what yesterday was, well, there you go.....you're still clueless as to the day it is today. This is how my mind works. Scary, huh? Ha!

So, I wander down the stairs and into the office and park myself in front of the computer. Egad! It's Pink Wednesday already!! Good thing this little picture didn't make it onto yesterdays post or I'd be pinkless!

I found this lovely little doll at an estate sale this past weekend. How could I resist those pink ribbons and the pink featherstitching around her hem? The one thing that made me plunk down the money for her? That sticky outy on top of her head, of course! A lock of hair sticking right up. It just will not be tamed!! I love it!! Okay, I'm weird. ;o)

Warmest Pink Wednesday bear hugs, Aleta

Multiples

Isn't it funny how, all of a sudden, you find things in multiples that you've never even seen one of before? For instance, those large paperboard churches I have pictured. I've never seen large ones before. Only little ones. This weekend I found two! One at an auction and one at an estate sale. Random!

Oh, what fun the auction was!! Bill and I hadn't been to an auction in years and years. On a whim we decided to go take a peek at the preview. You know, just to see if there was anything of interest. Well, you know how that goes. Before you know it you're signed up with a number in hand looking for a good seat!! Yep! Oh, but the treasures to be had!! Things sold in lots....as in many treasures in one box. I was like a kid in a candy store!! I had my auction list in hand, items circled and the price I was willing to pay noted. Bill did the bidding. Teamwork! :o) Three hours went by lickety split. Oh, and the treasures!! One of the best bargains was a whole box of vintage Christmas items for $2.50. $2.50!!! I know!!

Some of the other lovely things I found this past weekend were stacks of early leather bound books with beautifully detailed spines. The perfect thing to use when decorating. Never mind that they're written in German and I can't read a word of it. They're really beautiful books!! Then there are the old dominos....great for mixed media projects. Oh, and bundles of clothespins that are worn smooth from years of use! All tied up with string, they look marvelous in an old ironstone bowl. And last, but certainly not least, boxes of pink and aqua ornaments. Soooo pretty!

Anyway, it was a very good treasure hunting weekend. Most of which will go up for sale at Flourishes flea market June 21st. Bill says that I can't keep everything and that I must do a better job at sharing these goodies with everyone else. Party pooper! I wouldn't buy them if I didn't like them for myself. (sigh) At least they're mine for a little while! :o)

Oh, and I finally figured out how to do a picture link to somewhere else.....like my other blog!! Now you can click on the upper left hand picture (under the title Flourishes) and it takes you right to my other blog. Mind you, I'm not so chatty there. It's just a place for pictures of past events until I can afford to move ahead with a proper website. It's kind of fun to have the pictures of the shop in one place rather than having them scattered here there and everywhere. Now it's all neat and tidy! A little blog housecleaning, if you will!!

Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

The note said.....

"Hey! What is the big idea of the lack of blog posts?" This note was from Mini Me...my sister, Michelle.

Well. Where to begin? I'll give you the speedy version. Auction, estate sale, estate sale, estate sale, barbeque with the kids, estate sale (where Bill and I bumped into the dear and talented, Christine LeFever), toured Christine and Greg's beautiful victorian home, played a round of ping pong at Brittany and Jeremy's (went there to see her bedroom and office make-overs).....all the while making trips back and forth to Mt. Pleasant. Whew!!

And holy macaroni, was it warm!....a skosh over 100 degrees on Friday and Saturday!! It dipped down into the 90's yesterday. I absolutely will NOT complain about the heat though. With the miserably cold winter/early spring we had.......bring on the heat!! I can say that you know, because we rarely get the high humidity with the heat. :o)

Okay, so, now we're all caught up with each other!! Yet, I still find myself behind. All the treasures I found need cleaning and pricing. The gardens need attention. And, the bears need noses so they can be airbrushed. It looks like I will have to squeeze 36 hours into a 24 hour day. Now how am I going to do that when all I want to do is go blog hopping? Ha!


Warmest Monday bear hugs, Aleta

P.S. Good grief, I nearly forgot to say a little something about the pictures!! These were taken yesterday at our home on Mt. Pleasant, also the home of Flourishes. Isn't that view incredible? That's what I see when I look out my studio window. It's a view looking out across the Columbia River Gorge into Oregon. The first and last pictures are for Linda and Ludmil (Willow Nest). Ludmil built that gorgeous birdhouse and left it behind for us to enjoy. I'm thinking they planted the snowball bush too. It's just a wee thing....but absolutely loaded with blooms!! Enjoy!!

A dash of purple!

The lilacs are finally starting to bloom on Mt. Pleasant!! Oh, the scent of lilacs after a spring rain!!! YUM!

Happy Pink Wednesday!! Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

Bits, bobs and a square bear?

How was your Mother's Day weekend?!! Fabulous, I hope!! Mine consisted of a little brocante shopping and a "Creative Day". The perfect weekend!!

I snapped a quick picture of some of the treasures I found on Saturday. It's a rather eclectic mix isn't it? An old falling apart dictionary, funky spigot knobs, the letter "Q", a silver cake plate, paper florist boxes, glass chandelier prisms and a plump ironstone pitcher. Eclectic indeed!!

And what pray tell is a "Creative Day"? It's a day when Brittany and I get together in my studio to work on projects, chat, drink coffee and listen to music. Britt works on her scrapbook....all over the floor.....and I work on bears. Goodness knows, I have a few bears to work on!! ha!

Yesterday's project was a wee bit different though. I started working on a mixed media bear inspired by Lisa Kaus's art dollies. This is as far as I was able to get. The actual mohair bits are done....all except for the facial features. Which, I suppose, I'd better attend to before I go much further. It would be a good idea to know whether to paint a dress or a pair of trousers, wouldn't it? ;o) I'll keep you posted on the progress. I'm waiting for the absorbent ground to dry.....waiting and waiting and waiting.....

Warmest bear hugs on this fine Monday! Aleta

Starting more....finishing nothing.

I had a conversation on the phone with my daughter last night, telling her that I have multiple bears in all phases of unfinished and, for some unknown reason, I keep starting more. Knowing me better than I sometimes know myself, she said it was because that's what's going on in my life right now. The whole living between two homes, having one on the market, running two businesses...and everything being so unsettled. She's right! Smart cookie, that girlie of mine!

Thinking along these lines then.....if I finish all these bears (and don't start any more) will life BE more in balance......OR, will I just have a bunch of finished bears?!!! HA!! *wink*

A lovely Friday to you! Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

Pink Cake, Pink House

Happy Pink Wednesday!! Did you think I got lost? I'm not lost.....just exploring! Exploring new art mediums and learning a little more about myself. So, what did I learn in Lisa Kaus's class this past weekend? I learned that coloring with water soluble art crayons is amazingly fun! I also learned that even though I may be taught something new, I tend to stay in my comfort zone. In this case, a light color palette.

Upon further examination of this point I realized the only time I really like bold color is Halloween and Christmas. And even then, I use an ample dose of white, cream and tarnished silver to soften it up.

One thing I really enjoy about taking classes is learning from other women attending the class. Just walking around looking at the other women's work I was picking up bits of knowledge here and there. I love to see what other women create!! This class was chock full of wildly creative ladies!! I came away feeling exhilerated and exhausted all at once!! There was soooo much energy in that room!!

Now it's back to the real world. As much as I would love to, no more playing with crayons for at least a week. I have bears to finish and Flourishes needs attention as well. My cake box will have to wait for it's last details until next week. I'm still formulating what I want to do with the top......I keep arranging it and rearranging it. It's acting a bit as dressing one of my bears. Sometimes it sits awhile until I come upon just that right finishing touch.

Oh, before I run off to work in the studio, I want to thank Lisa Kaus for opening her home and studio and offering such fun workshops!! I'd also like to thank Terri Brush for the rhinestone and silver pendant. What a very sweet thing to do for all the attendees of Sunday's class!! You gals left a huge imprint on this chickiedoodle's heart.....bless you!

Warmest Pink Wednesday bear hugs,
Aleta

A sweet little prototype!

Isn't it fabulous when you design something and it turns out right the first try? Let me tell you, it doesn't happen all that often for me. When it does, like in this instance, I'm tickled all shades of pink!! Yippee!! Happy, happy, happy dance!

Now keep in mind this little bear hasn't been airbrushed or had his eyes pulled.....er, sewn in. (Pulled? Where did that come from? Ouch!) I was just so excited about this wee little bear I had to take a quick picture. These little bears will be available on my website soon and at my next Flourishes event, June 21st. There will be brown ones and white ones and pink ones and.....

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention.....I'm taking two classes this weekend at Lisa Kaus's studio with a bunch of other gals!! How supremely fabulous is that?!!!! I'm soooooo excited!!! So, off I go in search of treasures and trinkets for my projects. Wheeee!! :o)

Have a simply delightful weekend!! Warmest bear hugs, Aleta