Wishing you only the sweetest treats this Halloween day!

Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

Paper, scissors & glitter!

A delightful Pink Wednesday to you!! You can see I'm up to my eyeballs in paper, glitter, glue and tinsel. Oh, the goodies I've been having fun creating!! There are gift boxes and cones with little bears tucked inside and pretty ornaments to hang on the tree!

Next on the list? French linen monogrammed pillows, stockings and sweet little charms. Not a lot of the latter....just a few, because I bought all the stuff and I really need to use it up. ha! Let's see....what else? I have a whole list in the studio and I'm crossing things off as I go. wheeee!!

Warmest glitter covered bear hugs, Aleta

Autumn color and four legged guests!

These three deer were out for a Saturday morning stroll around the neighborhood. We've had an unusually large population of deer around here this year. The other night we were surprised to find five deer standing in our driveway staring back at us as we returned from dinner. That was a fine how-do-you-do!

Oh, the glorious colors of autumn!! Love it!!

Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

Trick or Treat?

Just listed on my website, two of my Truly Silly! line of bears....Trick and Treat. A Halloween Hat and my Mixed Media Art Bear was listed as well. Happy peeking!!

Oh, and did I mention FREE shipping?!! It's my little treat in case something tickles your fancy. ;o)

Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

Pink, White and a booth makeover!

Not so much pink today.....we're going with a White Wednesday this week! An old creamy white rose and a silk society doily beautifully stitched with faded violets. I have a few pieces of this kind of handwork. It's getting harder and harder to find examples in pristine condition. Even pieces with moth bites are quite beautiful to me. The silk threads have such a graceful sheen. You know what I mean? Perhaps you do if you've seen some of these incredible linens before. I'll be looking for this type of linen this weekend at Expo!!

Yes, it's that time of year....The Portland Antique Expo is this weekend!! Yay!! 1350 booths to browse!! We'll go on Sunday this year instead of Saturday. I'm just not into crowds lately and besides, I have a gazillion things to do before then anyway. I have to take advantage of the nice weather we're having and get some of the gardens put to bed before the rain comes and sets up camp for winter. ;o)

Bill and I did a complete redo on our space at Monticello yesterday. Spent the afternoon taking everything out except the windows and then put in a fabulous old pie safe (original shabby chippy paint!), a cuter than cute old square pie table (I really struggled with letting go of this piece. It has a most beautiful warm patina!), and last but not least, a sweetly primitive beadboard cabinet. The whole look is kind of shabby prarie with a good dose of ironstone white and tarnished silver. Lived in and warm!!
I can see someone coming in and buying all three pieces for their bungalow or cottage. Really! I'm actually envisioning this happening in a most positive way so that these pieces don't end up back in our garage after the holidays! Ha!
Okay then. On with the rest of the week! The Halloween bears are listing tomorrow. I know.....I'm a little late with that. Two Truly Silly! bears and one of my paper hats....and, FREE shipping on the lot. Well, there you go! I've gone completely over the edge!! ha!

Happy Pink, or White, as is the case this week, Wednesday!! Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

The winning draw is....

The winning name for my Pink Wednesday Holiday Bear is......lulu!!...with her post dated October 16 @1:29pm. :o) Yay!! lulu, please contact me through the profile link so I can get your address.

Thank you all so very much for taking the time to enter!! I appreciate each one of you and know that it takes extra effort to post a little something. So again, thank you.

I'll have another giveaway soon so keep peeking in. It gives me the greatest joy to spread a little bit of happy around. Presents...I love giving away presents!!!

Oh, and I had the nicest time with my mom this weekend and a fabulous time creating art with all the girls in Lisa's art class. What a delightful bunch of women!! I wish I had taken my camera. I wasn't able to finish my art piece but I will soon and then I'll snap a picture for you. I love, love, love the way it's turning out!!

Tomorrow I'm off to Monticello to do a complete booth re-do. Good-bye Halloween and hello to a couple of weeks of Autumn before going full swing into a Festive Holiday theme. Blink, blink and we're there!!

Don't forget to mark your calendars for the Christmas Faire at Monticello on December 5th starting at 8am!! Antiques and handmades and goodies galore!! I'm soooo excited to be a participating vendor this year!!

Gotta dash.....more holiday bears to finish!!

Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

Pink Wednesday and a Giveaway!

Oh happy day....a giveaway!! Yessiree, I'm giving away the bear in the cone to the right there. Bear, cone and the vintage goodies inside! It's Pink Wednesday so I thought it would be appropriate to include a sweet little dose of pink. I'm absolutely delighted to give this first of my holiday offerings away to some lucky someone out there in Blogland. All you have to do is leave a message on this post. Pretty simple. :o)

I have a very busy weekend ahead. My mom is coming for a follow-up doctor visit and I'm also taking a class with Lisa Kaus on Saturday. Unfortunately, I will miss the last Barn House event of the year. Boo hoo. I was lucky enough, however, to get a little sneaky peek last night and I have to say, if you haven't been to any of Joe and Jermonne's events try to make it to this last one. You will not be disappointed!! Jump on over to their blog for details.

Okay. That's all. Make it a fabulous weekend! Don't forget to leave a post to get in on the giveaway! I'll draw a name on Monday morning. Best wishes and warmest bear hugs, Aleta

Weekend treasures and an upcoming giveaway!!

After a couple of weekends of not finding any treasures to speak of, this weekend made up for it in spades! Bill and I make a day of treasure hunting....usually Saturdays. Many estate sales start on Friday and discount on Saturday. I'm not into the Friday starts. You would not believe all the pushing, grabbing and rude dealers there are at the Friday sales. It's also kind of claustrophobic and sometimes kind of smelly too....so not my cup of tea. I'll wait for Saturday or Sunday thank you very much. Sure, I have to go through the leftovers, but, it's at my leisure and I can examine the merchandise and be thoughtful about my purchases.

My prize pieces this weekend are a 1930's composition Santa, a 1911 teddy bear and a pair of Baby Dear ballerina slippers. These are all keepers!!
Oh, and look at these sweet little shoes! I can never pass up mother made baby shoes. They're just loaded with detail and charm. I also found a darling little pair of crochet shoes and two whisper soft cotton baby dresses. All bound for lucky little bears no doubt!
This ironstone pitcher has the original store sticker on the bottom. Meier and Frank, $5.49.....marked down to 2.99. Have you priced ironstone pitchers lately? Oiy! They're certainly not $2.99!! I'll let go of another one I have and keep this one. I like the sticker on the bottom. How many crazy people do you know that keep things because they have an original price sticker on the bottom? Ha!
Another, closer picture of the little bear. He came with overalls and this bit of provenance written in fountain pen. "Teddy was Mervin's pet. Xmas 1911 he came to our home. Teddy has seen use." That last sentence made me laugh out loud. :o)

And now information about my little giveaway. I wanted to start my giveaway on my 250th post. That would be this one. But, why be normal? I will start it on my 251st post on Pink Wednesday instead. In true fashion, I'm a bit behind, so my little giveaway project isn't quite finished. Hey, I'm keeping it real here! I think it will be worth the wait though. It will be a sneak peek of my Holiday Faire offerings that will be presented at Monticello on December 5th!! Make sure you peek in on Pink Wednesday!!

Happy, happy Monday to you!! Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

Pink Wednesday brings a finished project!

Ta Da! I actually finished one of my projects that I started. Whohoo!! Pin a rose on this chicks nose! A mixed media/assemblage and mohair bear inspired by art dolls by Lisa Kaus. These are meant to hang on the wall but they're really great leaners when the legs are splayed out. Hey, I can still sit like that too! If I can do it, the bears can do it without a fuss as well. hee!

I added a twist on Lisa's original idea by using my own mohair bear and limbs instead of porcelain/bisque doll bits. I also used a longer, thinner canvas on this one. I like the longer length but I think I'll try using a thicker canvas or block again next time. Also, there must be a better way to attach the limbs than what I've been doing. Oiy, what a headache!

There are multiple paper layers, charcoal pencil, watercolor pencils, acrylic paints, rubber stamp accents, a bat punch, velvet ric-rac, satin vines, ribbon rosettes with glass bead centers and antique porcelain buttons. It's also coated with a layer of beeswax which gives it an overall soft mellow look. The bear is mohair, has traditional glass eyes, and a thread nose and mouth stitched slightly askew. Bear parts, however, are not coated with a layer of beeswax. Oh, what a mess that would be! ;o)

Okay, so, one project completed. Just in time too.....the paperclay head for one of the dollies is dry. Onwards and upwards!

I haven't yet decided whether I can part with this little bit of Halloween fun though. I'll decide tomorrow. I really should try to make an income this month. I just seem to want to create, create, create....and keep, keep, keep it all!! So very selfish.

Perhaps I should create something for a giveaway!! Now there's an idea! My next post will be my 250th....what a jabberbox, huh? ha! Perfect timing for a giveaway. Hmmmmm.

Warmest Pink Wednesday bear hugs, Aleta

A miserable rotten cold!

Yep, that's right.....that's what I brought home from Art and Soul. A cold. This is not necessarily a bad thing, mind you. I now have eleven bears all sewn up and waiting for stuffing. I also have a canvas/block bear nearing completion and I'm one step further on the dollies! Whoohoo!!

Yes, crazy person that I am, I'm a worker bee when I'm sick. I stay in my jammies and work, work, work. What else is there to do? I mean, unless I have the knock you on your fanny flu, I WILL keep busy. Besides, being busy keeps your mind off just how miserable you feel. It works this way for me anyway!

Anyhoo....back to Art and Soul. It was fabulous!! We got there around 7:30 and it was jammed. It was a little difficult in some spots to see the offerings, it was so busy with shoppers. I didn't take my camera and I'm glad I didn't. I wouldn't have been able to get any good pictures with all the activity going on. So, for those of you who didn't make it......ya gotta go next year!!! It's a must!!

There are so many talented artists selling their work AND there are so many goodies in which to make your own art. Ephemera, ribbons, bric-a-brac....the list goes on and on. It's kind of overwhelming at first. I always have to go around twice. The first time to see all the art and the second to browse through all the supplies.

I only brought home two bits of art. One from Lisa Kaus and one from Karen Otto. The piece from Lisa is going in the nursery. The colors and subject work perfectly with Beatrix Potter. The second piece is the Black Cat fan from Karen. It's an excellent edition to my growing black cat collection for Halloween. It was such a delight to finally meet Karen in person. We've only chatted with each other through e-mail. What a treat she is! So lovely. Bill and I also bumped into Christine and Greg LeFever! Always love chatting with them. What a grand time....shopping, meeting and seeing friends!

Okay, well, I think we're all caught up with each other! Today I'm going to try to actually finish the canvas/block bear. It's the last piece of Halloween I'm doing for the year and one that's going to be hard for me to part with. Will I keep it? (sigh) Tough decision.

Running along now......Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

Hand me the idiot stick...

Boy did I goof!!! Blame it on Nana brain. I got the date wrong for Vendor Night at Art and Soul. And yes, I did drive all the way up there only to find out that I goofed. (Banging my head on the desk here.) It's actually TONIGHT at Embassy Suites Airport from 6-10pm. Dorky, dorky me. I'm telling you...it's Nana brain!!

Warmest Saturday bear hugs, Aleta

I took a little rain soaked walk around the back garden this morning....in my pj's no less! Even though it was raining, it still seemed quite mild. Oh, and it smelled so good!! All my flowers seem to be loving the rain and cooler temperatures. They look happier now than they did all summer!!

Another busy day ahead and some REAL fun this evening!! Tonight is vendor night at Art & Soul here in Portland!! I didn't get my act together soon enough to sign up for any art classes so I'm hoping to bring home a little art instead. Art, and art supplies (mixed media), are available for purchase. I went last year for the first time and was just overwhelmed by all the talent in the room. Great, knock your socks off kind of stuff! People who think outside the box!! Love that!! Anyway, if you're in the area, it's from 6-10pm this evening at the Airport Embassy Suites, in the ballroom.

Gotta dash....a zillion trillion things to do! Have a splendid weekend!! Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

Pink Wednesday..where have I been?

Those of you who know me, or who've been keeping up with the life of this crazy blonde chick, know that I'm always juggling many projects at once. Probably too many really. It doesn't change. Get one done....start another...or two!!

So, I'm working on dolls, bears, painting furniture, getting a plan in place for the Holiday Faire and Monticello starting in December and keeping my booth there stocked and fluffed, spending countless hours trying to find the "perfect" baby crib (the little prince or princess bed has to be just right!), eating less and working out more. (More on that last bit in the next post or two.)

Lately, these things have left very little free time to update my blog and follow-up on all the posts and e-mail. And you girlies have left me some downright lovely notes!! Thank you!! I also received a blog award from DivaDeb that I'd like to acknowledge. Awwwww. That's the nicest thing!! Thank you. I will do my very best to figure out how to go about posting it and passing the honor along. Again, thank you. You made my heart smile....BIG!! :o)

Life is going to continue to be very busy in these next few weeks....especially as we draw near the holidays. You all KNOW that those creep up much faster than we'd like!! So, here's to Pink Wednesday (I raise my no calorie glass of water to you) and being busy. I will try to be a better blogger....at the very least posting pictures more frequently. :o)

Warmest Pink Wednesday bear hugs, Aleta