The Silly Bear

Merry Christmas from our home to yours!

2011-12-05T13:51:00.000-08:00

Maybe THIS year I'll actually redo that Santa Claus. I threaten to every year. I bought him years ago because I really liked his kind face. I'd like to give him a lovely new coat made from one of my old red and white quilts. Oh, and he definitely needs an artist made bear and stocking and a tree with german glass baubles. Maybe this year. Maybe. It's not like he really NEEDS a redo. We'll see. It's a lovely idea anyway!!

Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

All dressed up for Halloween!

2011-10-24T08:50:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween! Won't you come in and sit for a spell? I promise only treats, no tricks.
Oh, but wait! One little trick here. Those chair wraps are made by taking black sheer curtains purchased from Ikea (I think they were $6.99 for the pair) and tying them in a knot. How simple is that?!! I inserted one of my Halloween wands but you could gussy them up with flowers or....whatever!
The house we're living in has a greatroom floor plan. The entry, living, dining and kitchen are all open so the whole space got a little Halloween magic.
Miss Mannie and Miss Quinn are all dressed up and ready to greet guests this weekend. If only they could help me string all the spider webs to really set a spooky mood.
Thank you for dropping by. I do hope you have a Jolly Halloween!

Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

New Studio!

2011-10-04T20:07:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my new studio space! It's cozy. That's a lovely way of saying it's really quite small compared to what I was used to. :)

This is a moment when my desk was clean. To see it today it isn't quite that tidy. When I'm at my most creative, I'm at my most messy!

The nice thing about working in a small space is that everything is within reach.

This space has a vanity sink and cupboards just to the right of the closet and through the door. It makes it really nice to be able to airbrush and paint all in one space.

I love, love, love IKEA shelf units. They make a small space much more organized. Especially with all the boxes that fit nicely inside! Atop the shelves are some of my favorite things. Pink and white with touches of aqua.

As hard as it was to leave our other home, this one is a pretty good fit for where we are in life right now. I like this space. It makes me happy to be in it. I can create art and that's what I need.

Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

Forever Changed - July 13th

2011-07-20T11:01:00.000-07:00

The morning of July 13th forever changed our lives. I took Macey to meet Brittany at Macey's doctor's office for what we thought may have been a milk allergy. As it turns out though, Macey was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. Her glucose reading was 592. Normal is around 90. I remember the doctor saying over and over, "I'm so sorry."

Brittany and I had no idea how our families lives would be forever changed. The next thing we knew we were driving over I-84 to check our sweet Miss Macey into the hospital. This picture was taken exactly one week before her diagnosis. As we understand now, Type 1 Diabetes can come on quite rapidly.

Our lives now revolve around glucose tests, carb counting and insulin shots. It's been such a shock emotionally but we are trying to find our way and Macey is such a brave little girl. The good thing about being diagnosed so early is that this will become normal for her. Right now though, for the rest of us, it shatters our hearts that this sweet little girl will have a life of finger pokes and insulin shots four to five times a day.

I will get to those studio pictures. Life just threw us a curveball and I've been out in the cornfield trying to find my way back to the ballpark.

Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

Moving forward one step at a time.

2011-06-29T17:10:00.000-07:00

After what seems like it's been an eternity, we are moving on and building a new nest. Our previous home still hasn't closed. We are on the third, or is it the fourth, buyer. An all cash deal for the bank, this latest one. If they don't accept it, there is something seriously wrong with the banking industry. It's ridiculous!!
We've found a house to begin the rebuilding process and we're starting to feel okay. It's odd to rent after so many years of owning. Our landlords have been kind enough to let us make it our own by allowing us to paint rooms. I've only painted two so far. Macey's bedroom and my studio are a beautiful shade of soft pink. That's enough for now.
The cats seem to have weathered everything just fine and have found their favorite spots.
And would you look at our sweeter than ever granddaughter!! She celebrated her second birthday in May. Can you believe it?!! :)
Now that I have a studio in which to work and spread all my projects around, I'm back to creating again. I'll post tour pictures soon. For now though, it's enough for me to have a blog post up letting everyone know we are on the mend and have so very much to be thankful for. Thank you for hanging in there with us and cheering us on as we move forward.

Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

Life changes.

2011-01-29T10:30:00.000-08:00

This photo, taken of one of my favorite old dolls, truly shows the sadness and scrapes and scuffs Bill and I have lived this past year. You may have noticed from spotty posts since April of last year that I really checked out for awhile. The economy and housing crash took it's toll and despite our best efforts to hold on to our beautiful home the time came to let it go when the banks wouldn't work with us. Being self-employed has it's upside and downside. Losing one's home can only really be understood by those who've experienced it themselves.

So, we have put on our best smiling faces and we're moving forward. There are boxes everywhere waiting to be moved. Packing my studio and Macey's room have proven to be the most difficult in different ways.

Speaking of Macey, our most precious granddaughter, here is the most recent picture taken of her. This move hasn't seemed to have fazed her a bit so far. I have to tell you, if not for being her caregiver Monday through Friday, there would be many days I would not have even gotten out of bed. Macey has been a blessing in so many ways no one could have ever imagined. Hard to believe, she'll be two in May!!

I'm sorry this has been a real downer of a post. It's reality though and I know there are many others out there feeling some of the same types of struggles. My heart goes out to those of you who are.

There are bright spots on the horizon for us. We've found a lovely house to lease not far from where we are now. We won't have a beautiful pool and acre of ground but we won't have the maintenance or cash outgo either. We are in the process of rebuilding our lives and ourselves....home will come. We're going to be fine. Better than fine actually. We've got each other, family and friends and health. We have everything!

Warmest bear hugs,

Aleta

Yardley Featherbottom

2010-11-15T20:01:00.000-08:00

Yardley Featherbottom will be available to purchase beginning November 20th promptly at 9am New York time at Teddies Worldwide Holiday Bear Show. I do hope you'll visit. Friday I'll pop in with another sneak peek!

Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

Online Holiday Bear Show!

2010-10-21T07:08:00.000-07:00

I'll be there with bears in tow. I hope you'll attend! Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

Four bears and a cat.

2010-08-07T15:02:00.000-07:00

Meow! This pink kitten has just been listed on my website as well as three new bears and one who's been around the block once already. You can find them here. Bless you for taking the time to peek in. :)

Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

Distractions galore!

2010-07-25T19:56:00.000-07:00

I've been celebrating life, family and birthdays.....
watching Macey become the most divine little pixie.....
and creating art!
I've also been nominated for a Golden Teddy Award bestowed by Teddy Bear Review magazine! What a huge honor!! It was so unexpected because although I LOVE this bear design, my collectors haven't been as keen. Life is funny that way.

Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

Charms and Bears

2010-05-06T16:43:00.000-07:00

I finally finished all the charms and keepsakes I'd started. I really am trying my very best to stay focused and tie up some loose ends. Life requires it before some possible big changes ahead! The teddy bear related charms may be found on my website.

Also listed on my website are two new bears, sister and brother, Zoey and Zim.

Thank you so very much for peeking in. I appreciate and am grateful for your time and comments.

Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

A sweet little project and weekend treasures!

2010-04-27T16:02:00.000-07:00

One of the many little projects I am working on these days is a slipcovering a petite occasional chair. You know the kind....barrel back with a cushion that most people overlook at garage/tag/estate sales. I happen to like these types of chairs because they are just the right size for small spaces. Let's face it though, when you find these types of chairs the fabric is.....um....icky. Voila! A slipcover! This is my first attempt at slipcovering anything. I still have to sew on the ruffle and put a curve in the arms but it certainly has the "shabby beach cottage" look I was going for!!

Lately, estate and garage sales have been a treasure trove of delightful things for me to find! Look at this little beauty!! A sweet little child's sewing machine in excellent condition...with the original box!! I bought it from the original owner and while I was tickled to have made such a lucky find, I was saddened at the same time to know that the owner didn't have anyone in her family that was interested in owning something she learned to sew on.

Another estate sale yeilded a Teddy Doll from around 1908, some old books, a sterling silver teddy bear rattle and a milk glass plate with Roosevelt bears! Score!!

And last, but certainly not least, my best finds of the weekend!! An antique teddy bear and doll!!! Both were from the same estate and obviously well taken care of. The mohair on the bear is in fabulous shape with just moth nips in the paw pads. The doll is in excellent condition as well with all her original clothes!! She also has a beautiful face....not the scary kind that so many old porcelain dolls have. I'm thinking they're from the early 1920's. I was suprised to have been the lucky bid on both. I'd like to think the owner would be delighted to have they remain together. Divine intervention? Perhaps. :)

Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

My favorite monkey!

2010-04-19T18:12:00.000-07:00

My sweet monkey, Miss Macey.

Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

A sample of why I've been a bad blogger.

2010-04-13T11:05:00.000-07:00

I'm working on traditional, worn and loved bears.....
dyeing beautiful ribbons.....

and making paper whimsies! The bear pictured above will be listed on my website soon. My ribbons are only available in my space at Monticello Antique Marketplace at the moment. I do hope to have some available on my website soon though. The sweet little Easter baskets are sold out but I do have some paper slippers coming up for Mother's Day!

So, this is why I've been a bad blogger. Busy with lots of projects and Miss Macey. Did I tell you she's walking.....er, running now? :o)

Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

Hop, hop, hop!

2010-04-04T11:44:00.000-07:00

A joyful Easter to you!

Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2010-03-17T11:39:00.001-07:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

May your day be filled with yummy treats,

sweet little leprechauns,

and may the luck of the Irish be with you today and every day!!

Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

2010-03-01T12:33:00.000-08:00

Sally Sweetcheeks has just been listed on my website, The Silly Bear. Yippee!!

Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

Polkadots and Projects!

2010-02-15T14:27:00.000-08:00

Our little polkadot princess is nine months old!! She certainly keeps this Nana busy as she's taking three steps at a time now and certainly must be the fastest crawler in the West! Another couple of blinks and we'll be celebrating her first birthday!! This is truly the BEST of times even though it takes me three times as long to get things done.

Take for example this armoire. It's taken me a week to paint it!! Yeah, I know, the doors are missing. They are in the laundryroom awaiting their final coat of paint. I can only paint after Macey goes home in the afternoon. Then I have to wait for the alloted dry time which usually ends up to be around dinner time. And then we're off to the gym. And after the gym.....well, let's just say I'm not good for much after an intense one hour workout with the trainer! So, another day, another coat of paint. This piece will be going to Monticello this week. Hopefully it will sell as quickly as it's twin did!

And then there are the bears. Pink bears!! Oh, and a cat. I work on these when Macey is napping. Sometimes she naps for a couple of hours or more. Sometimes just 45 minutes. I just go with the flow. They'll get done when they get done.

Then there are all the other little artistic ventures. Say for instance, charms. This is a weekend thing. Glass and solder don't mix with little polkadot princesses. I'm making up some really special charms with illustrations from early 1900's childrens books. Many of these charms will be one of a kind or limited editions as I'm using the original pages. Hopefully I'll have a few available soon.

There you have it. Life as Nana, artist and antiques dabbler. Life is grand!!

Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

Sweet Valentine!

2010-02-01T15:51:00.000-08:00

February is here already! It's time for sentiments of looooove. :)

Trinket box with removable lid. Old photo image of a little girl and her bear (early 1900's) backed with vintage sheet music. Pink foil wings. Vintage chenille trim. Glittered and tinseled and jeweled and standing on a mound of "snow". 5 1/2 inches tall.

This will be available tomorrow here as well as an actual Silly Bear!

Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

A wee sneak peek!

2010-01-19T14:22:00.000-08:00

This wee handful of bears will be listed over the coming weeks!! Oh, there are more too! I've been a very busy chickiedoodle.....

Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

Ringing in the New Year!

2009-12-31T21:04:00.000-08:00

I wish you love, health, happiness and laughter in the New Year! Oh, and wealth! Lots and lots and lots....of each!! Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

Let the merriment begin!

2009-12-23T11:00:00.000-08:00

I finally found my Christmas spirit!! A little trip to see Santa Claus helped heaps.....

Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

It's beginning to look a little bit like Christmas!

2009-12-05T14:02:00.000-08:00

It's taken me awhile but I'm getting there!! My Christmas tree, which is usually up by the second week of November, is finally up and decorated with all my glass ornaments. At some point yesterday I finally just started adding ornaments and stopped overthinking the whole thing. And you know what? It looks just as pretty this year as in years it's taken days to get everything just so. I'm taking a note of this! I still have all the rest of the decorating and rearrangement of furniture to do, but having the tree done is the biggest step. From here on out I can kind of putter about. Life is good!

Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

Some sweet things to come!

2009-11-22T12:17:00.000-08:00

Here is an example of the sweet things to come from being housebound by injury and illness. In every idiotic thing to happen to me over these past weeks....a silver lining! These bears will be listing one at a time on my website....providing I can dust off the cobwebs that is. *wink*

Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

Macey, Bears, Halloween and things that go bump!

2009-11-06T16:25:00.000-08:00

Our sweetest princess on the planet, Macey, is 6 months old already!! Can you believe it?!! She certainly keeps this Nana busy as she crawls, pulls herself up to furniture and is already sidestepping to get to what she wants. At the rate she's going, it's entirely possible that she'll be walking before Christmas. We all know how quickly a walk turns into a full on run. Yikes!!
Okay, so it's been a month since my last post. Besides the sweetest princess on the planet keeping me busy I have actually been working on bears. Don't fall out of your chair now! I know it's been forever and a few days since I've produced anything new. A little whimsy and a bit of traditional. There will be more coming as soon as I can sit longer than 20 minutes at at time. More on that in a minute.
Another fun thing that's kept me busy was planning a Halloween Party. We've never hosted/had one before. Oh, my, goodness.....what FUN!!! It was so much fun we're going to do it again next year!!!

That kind of catches you up to today....and the "more on that in a minute, and the things that go bump part of this post. I fell down stairs on Tuesday. Yup. Boom, bump, crash. Cracked my tail bone and bruised a few ribs but I'm on the mend. The lesson I learned: Always have a free hand to use the hand rail. Dummy me had her hands full, slipped and wheeeeeeee, down I went. There was also a SPLAT. Almost an entire cup of coffee all over the carpet, walls, hardwood. Ouch and oh, the mess!

Many people have told me it takes weeks if not a couple of months to recover from a tailbone injury. BAH! I don't have time for that. I'm already going stir crazy. There are only so many magazines to go through and television is BORING. I need to get back to work!!! Like my granddaughter, I'm a girl on the go!!

Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

The smallest of details....odd and quirky.

2009-10-08T11:59:00.000-07:00

An Ouija board as a table top.
A 1920's party shaker tucked into a vase of roses.

Pillows with tongue in cheek quips.

A single printed luggage tag hung on a door knob.

Artwork (Danita) playfully displayed just around the corner from a glittery spooky house. It's the smallest of details in decorating that I enjoy. Odd and quirky to be sure but nothing to scare you out of your bloomers!!!

Oh, and the fabulously spooktacular critter in the chair? That was made by Art Rogers, Chatham Valley Bears.

Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

It's getting there!

2009-09-26T08:06:00.000-07:00

Halloween decorating is coming along.....slowly. Another couple of days inside and then we move outside. I don't usually do a lot outside. Pretty much just pumpkins in pots. This year will be different however. I have some beautiful Smith and Hawken glass pumpkin lights I'm thinking of stringing....somewhere. Ha!

Anyway, this is a picture of the formal livingroom. Warm pumpkin, whites and bits of black. I decorate around much of what I already have. A bouquet of cream colored fabric roses comes to life with the addition of those orange lantern looking flower picks and some antique noise makers/shakers. And, of course, no Halloween party would be without festive hats!!

The entry hall....black and white with bits of orange. Miss Manny loves greeting guests. Hand that girl a Boo-tini!

The familyroom mantle. UGH! You can't see it, because I cropped it out of the photo, but this mantle is ginormous. It's 5 ft. 8 inches up in the air, 6 ft. wide and 24 inches deep. A decorating nightmare because the ceilings in that room soar. I'm always in search for really big pieces. The problem with that is getting them up there. Get me the ladder and heave ho!! ;o)

Decorating at my house is not complete without the bears. Here, a trio of natty tatty old bears await their Halloween garb. Yup. ......costumes strongly suggested.....

Warmest autumn bear hugs, Aleta

A costume for Miss Manny.

2009-09-19T08:05:00.000-07:00

The picture on the costume bag looked fabulous. Got it home...tried it on...not so fabulous....gave it to Miss Manny. She loves it!! Good for her. One less naked manny in the house for Halloween. *wink*

Decorating for Halloween has begun in earnest at our home. I'm really into Halloween decor. Not the gorey stuff....eeewwww. I like artsy things, funky things and gothic things. I look year round for interesting things to add to my collection. Aren't these old Rx canisters kinda cool? Old books are fun to look for too. A month or so ago I found Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde as well as The Postman always Rings Twice...in an orange and black book binding no less.

Skulls, ginormous spiders and black glittered pumpkins are new additions this year. Oooooh....It's going to be a spooky good time!! Now, where am I going to put that 8 ft. bat this year? Hmmmmmm.

Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

Bunnies, Bears and a Monkey...Oh my!

2009-09-01T22:10:00.000-07:00

I'm a couple hours early for a Pink Wednesday post....whoodiewhoo....it's still Tuesday!! I haven't done that in awhile. ;o)

Annnnyway....I'm back to designing. Well, sort of. I work while Miss Macey sleeps. She usually has a good two hour nap in the morning so I work like the dickens while she's in dream land.

I know she's being well tended while she sleeps. George watches over her and she has her absolute favorite, if we lose 'em we're all in BIG TROUBLE, bunnies. They're Bunnies by the Bay blanket bunnies. My sister got her the set....A Hare and a Spare. They come packaged in two sizes. I have the big one at my house and Brittany has the little one. The little one goes everywhere Macey goes. The big one stays at Nana's. It's the "safety net" bunny. The "at least we know Nana has the other one" bunny. Ya gotta cover all your bases!!

I took a little meandering path there for a minute didn't I? Ha! See, same me. Haven't changed a bit while I've been away. Oh wait. Yes, I have. That's for another post though. Onwards and upwards!!

Look at what I've been doing this past week and a half!! I'm designing bears again!! I drew up lots of new patterns this summer and now's the time to sew them up and see how they turn out. This first little batch is already undergoing a few changes. Here a tweek. There a tweek. Little notes and arrows scribbled all around.

I'm loving the smaller traditional style bear to the left. Oh, and the stick style bears are turning out better than I'd anticipated. At least, so far. I made two sizes out of this particular design and added paw pads to the larger size. Stitching the face will tell me if this design is a keeper or not. We'll see! I hope to have at least one bear finished by the end of the week. You'd better cross your fingers though. You know how topsy turvy things can get around here! Best laid plans and all that.....

Warmest Pink Wednesday bear hugs, Aleta

Blog Neglect

2009-08-24T10:34:00.001-07:00

That's right. Blog neglect. I've been a bad, bad blogger. It's a time issue. I seem to have less and less time for the computer these days. It's also been one of the busiest summers we've had. Lots of family, friends and outside projects! Not as much time for sleuthing out great treasures and posting pictures.

And then there's little Miss Macey, our granddaughter! I've taken on full time daycare. :o) :o) :o) When she's awake I play with her! When she's asleep I work furiously in the studio!! I'm the luckiest Nana on the planet to be able to see Macey every day and watch her grow. It's truly a blessing.

I hope to be a better blogger now as I establish a routine. With little one's though, there are days when a routine is dashed out the window! Know this....I will try my best. There are soooo many wonderful things happening right around the corner.....

Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

Pink Wednesday and Weekend Finds!

2009-07-29T21:02:00.000-07:00

Skipping in at the last minute to wish you a Happy Pink Wednesday! This photo was taken at Queen of Tarte's sale this past weekend. Perfect for a Pink Wednesday post!

Most of the pictures I took either had too much flash or not enough. Dang. I really need to read the instruction manual on my camera. Ho hum. Add it to the list. ;o) Anyway, the displays and merchandise were outstanding!! Cindy does it up with such panache!! Loved, loved, loved my visit! I missed all the actual goodies on sale. Dang again. However, Cindy has more events upcoming so make sure you check out her blog for a list of dates.

Here is the little stash of goodies I found over the weekend. There are two cotton velvet pincushions and an odd little doll leg pincushion. It was so odd, it called to me. I am a collector of the odd and unusual, shabby chippy and well loved. I also found a fabulous old sawdust stuffed French cow. One of my bears has already made dibbies on that little dear. Another bear has dibbies on the wonderful old toy spinning top. My bears get all the fun goodies!

Then there are the sweet little dresses and hats that smaller bears will wear soon. Oh, and I just couldn't pass up the Wonder Bubbles 29...Hey, where is the cents sign on this keyboard?!! Well, that would explain what's gone wrong with the world. We've all lost our good sense! *giggle*

And with that, pahdumdum..ching, I happily smile and wish you the happiest of Pink Wednesday's! Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

I wish I'd have taken more pictures.

2009-07-23T12:04:00.000-07:00

Barn House pre-set up in the driveway. Yes, I am one of those people who feels the need to pre design these things. A couple of reasons for this. A: I have control issues (Ha!) and B: Things run a lot more smoothly when I have three guys packing and then unloading the truck for set-up if they have a picture to go by. Men are generally goal oriented so I hand them a picture, they get it done, and then I fill in all the blanks. Works like a dream! Especially when temperatures were well into the nineties. I was in and out by 1:30pm!! Whohoo!

So, here is what we looked like on the morning of the Barn House flea market. One of our fabulous customers called our look European Beach Cottage. Hey! I like that!! Warm white with touches of soft pink, aqua and taupe. My personal favs!!

It was a great flea market!! Lots of people. Brisk sales!! Sadly though, I didn't get around to take pictures of many other vendor booths or even close ups of my own. What is with me these days?!! The pictures I was able take were out of focus. I really need to take the time to play around more with this new camera of mine.

There are two markets I hope to attend this weekend as a buyer. One I've not been to since opening: Land of Tarte. The other is a group of Sellwood retailers/Antique dealers getting together in the Coco and Toulouse Go Shopping parking lot in Sellwood right around the corner from Stars Antique Malls. Both markets are Saturday, I believe. I'll try, not only to take my camera, but take some pictures as well!! Cross your fingers!! ;o)

Warmest bear hugs from the chickiedoodle who missed yet another Pink Wednesday.......Aleta

Happy Pink Wednesday!!

2009-07-08T07:19:00.000-07:00

Macey, my favorite sweet bundle of pink, and my beautiful daughter, Brittany.

Barn House madness! This picture was taken as we were pulling things out of the garage to decide what to take and what needed work. Only a week and a half left to go until the Barn House Flea Market. I'm soooo not ready yet. I still have a big French style cabinet to paint!! Oh, and pricing...lots and lots of pricing. Oiy.

On a brighter note, this is how the back garden addition is coming along! Hardy perennials like daylilies, carpet roses and sedum have been planted and the Passion Flower vines are up and growing nicely. It will take a couple of years for everything to fill in. Waiting for it to happen is the hardest part!!

A couple of blooms to leave you with today. Sunsprite, my favorite rose. It's scent is absolutely delicious, blooms profusely through the summer and it's virtually disease free in my climate. Love it!!!

And finally, another bit of pink. A lovely pink dahlia! I've never dug up this dahlia and wintered it over in the garage. It's a dahlia that was planted the year of my daughter's wedding and the only one to reappear year after year. Obviously it likes where it's planted so I'm not touching it. Each year I'm reminded of such a gloriously happy time for our family with each bright pink, and yellow bloom, in my garden. Life is grand!!

The happiest of Pink Wednesday's to you!! Aleta

Weekend Art Classes with Lisa Kaus!

2009-07-03T08:48:00.000-07:00

Gosh, I think when I last posted I was preparing for my sister's visit and a weekend full of art classes with Lisa Kaus! That was a couple of weeks ago!! Where does the time go? I used to be so faithful about blogging and my Pink Wednesday's. Once again, too much on my plate and a summer full of family and friends. Oh, and then there's preparing for Barn House! That's the next post! Or, perhaps the one after that. I have some catching up to do.....
These are my finished projects. Yes, I actually finished each project in each class. Don't fall out of your chair now. It was my sister's doing really. She challenged me to finish each day. Sometimes I need to be challenged....sometimes I just need a good swift kick in the behind! Ha!
I think the above piece is my favorite. I love the soft watercolor effect I achieved. I'm just not a bold color person. That is left for my sister, Michelle.
This is the culmination of our artful weekend with Lisa. Michelle's beautiful work is on the left....see....bold color. Mine....quiet color on the right. We are the same, only different. ;o)

Well then, I'm off to paint furniture for Barn House. Warm white is the color of the day!!

Warmest bear hugs on a stunningly beautiful (and oh boy is it gonna be a hot one!) day in Portland, Aleta

Talk a walk with me.

2009-06-18T10:07:00.000-07:00

Here is some of the beauty that surrounds me in the garden right now. My new favorite plant, and the vine I decided to grow on the arbor, is Passiflora. It's the purple exotic looking flower. Isn't it marvelous?!!

I'm busy with art classes in Lisa Kaus's studio this weekend. My sister, Michelle, has come from Alaska to play too! We'll see what we can create. Er, rather we'll see what I can actually complete. I've been having a bit of trouble on that end of late. ;o)

Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

Pink Wednesday!

2009-06-10T19:28:00.001-07:00

Happy Pink Wednesday! I know...you didn't think I was ever going to get back into the swing of things. Slowly but surely. I still have some catching up to do but I'm getting there!!

Oh, but look at what I found today!! A darling pink chippy child's chair for Macey's nursery here at home. It's just the sweetest little thing! I found it at Monticello while I was there fluffing up my little space. This chickiedoodle can't just fluff and run you know. I gotta browse too!! I must confess, this is the reason for my willy nilly scatterbrained and mostly missing posts. Sweet baby Macey. My most favorite pink thing on the planet!! She's starting to smile when she recognizes faces. My heart just melts when she smiles at me. Think I'd get a picture of that smile? No. Too busy beaming with pride that she recognizes her Nana. I'm such a mushball. (happy sigh)

Warmest Pink Wednesday bear hugs, Aleta

We have a little project!

2009-06-04T20:12:00.000-07:00

I get these wild ideas. It happens when work slows down for the guys and I'm left to find things for them to do around here. We've got to keep everyone employed you know. I have a whole "honey-do" list but wild ideas are another thing altogether. Heehee!

The idea here was to take out the ginormous Japanese Maple and replace it with the French Arbor that Brittany and Jeremy were married under on the upper lawn almost three years ago. That in itself was quite the project! Not the married part, the Japanese Maple removal part. ;o) Needless to say, the maple couldn't be saved. I wanted it out and I wasn't waiting till next spring when it was still dormant. Crazy, I know. No one said I was the brightest bulb in the box. ;o)

We also cut out a four foot swath of grass out along the pool deck edge to add yet another planting bed.

Here is the stonework in progress....a lovely round shape to echo the shape of the arbor. My son, Justin, lay the stone while my son-in-law, Jeremy, worked on the puzzling the pieces together. Bill hauled the stone in stack by stack from the driveway to the back garden. What a team effort!! Goooooo team!!

The stone foundation is in and they're working on putting the arbor into place. There is leveling and more leveling before the top goes on.

A great days work!! It looks just as I'd imagined! And, they wired it for lights!! I love it when it works out like that. Now comes all the planting. That takes me awhile....

Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

Where the heck have I been?!!

2009-06-01T09:27:00.000-07:00

Here is just a snapshot of what's been going on in my life to keep me away from blogging.

Gigi and Gramps (My mom and dad, aka Great Grandma and Grandpa) came to visit to see sweet baby Macey.

We have a little project!

Took a little side trip.

Gnomed....AGAIN! This time mushrooms joined the party as well!

In the next few days, I will try my best to fill in all the stories to go along with these pictures. As you can see, it's been a very busy time around here. It's only going to get busier, and busier, and busier! Busy is good.

Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

Miss Meribeth Butterbottom

2009-05-14T08:46:00.000-07:00

It's back to work for me!! Miss Meribeth Butterbottom was just listed on my website. :o)

Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

Blush of Pink

2009-05-13T19:03:00.000-07:00

I'm skipping in a little late today. I was distracted by sweet baby Macey. :o)Lucky, lucky me got to spend the whole day with her today!! It's been heaven. For me anyway.

Bill and the boys spent the day reworking the sprinklers and hauling in dirt for the new planting beds. Sweet! Now I have to start making some decisions on what plants go where. A project which will undoubtedly be revised and revised and revised and......

Warmest Pink Wednesday bear hugs! Aleta

A weekend in the life of one chickiedoodle.

2009-05-11T09:01:00.000-07:00

On the surface everything looks calm and serene. Like, for instance, this bouquet in a bucket at the Barn House event on Saturday.In reality, though sometimes all you want to do is roll your eyes and say, "Good grief."
Take for instance this picture. A little background is in order. Found a sweet Frenchy Bench in Camas, at the local garden faire. "Will it fit in the car?" I ask Bill. He says, "Oh yeah. It'll fit just fine." We get to the car and guess what? It doesn't fit. Just a couple inches too long to fit in the back seat. Try the trunk. Plenty of room....not enough top clearance. Uh-oh. I have visions of sitting on the bench in the middle of town while Bill drives home (35 mins. each way) to get the truck. Ah, but wait! Where there's a Bill there's a way!! He is unfazed by this predicament. Then I remembered a certain trip to Lake Oswego where we found two 7 ft. pillars and had to bring them home in the trunk of the car.....via the freeway as well. Bill and I are just a couple of modern day Beverly Hillbillies!! Ha!

Then you get to the really, really sweet things. The make your heart soar things. All put together and it's another weekend in the life of this chickiedoodle. I wouldn't have it any other way. Would you? *wink*

Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

The best Pink Wednesday ever!

2009-05-06T07:42:00.000-07:00

Little Miss Macey one day old. Be still my heart.

Warmest Pink Wednesday bear hugs, Aleta

Thank you all, so very much, for all the lovely postings. You're the BEST!

Sweet baby is finally here!

2009-05-03T09:08:00.001-07:00

Macey and Nana - May 2nd

Little Miss Sweet as Sugar, Macey was born yesterday afternoon in the midst of a spring storm with lightening and thunder, hail and then bright sunny skies! The power in the hospital even went out a few times during her delivery! Mama, Daddy and Macey are all doing just fine. We're all so happy she is finally here!! Now maybe I'll be able to focus on work......or not. ;o)

Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

She's a Bear Artist?

2009-04-27T17:07:00.000-07:00

Who knew? Ha! I know, it's been awhile since I posted a finished bear. I actually finished two of them today! And you thought all I've been doing lately is playing interior decorator. Well, truth be told....perhaps I have. *wink* That, and landscape designer!

Anyway, I just lost my bear designer mojo there for awhile. Hit a dry spell if you will. The current issue of Where Women Create, a Stampington and Company magazine, kind of nudged me out of my funk. For some unknown reason it took looking at other womens studios to find my inspiration. I wasn't inspired to rework my studio. This chickiedoodle was inspired to WORK in her studio. I know. My brain works in very mysterious ways. ;o

Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

Monticello Antique Marketplace - Home and Garden Show!

2009-04-25T09:20:00.000-07:00

Monticello Antique Marketplace - Home and Garden Show and Storewide Sale!

8600 SE Stark Street

Portland, OR 97216

The Atrium is chock full of fabulous things to decorate your home or garden....or even you for that matter!

There are odds and ends and things to make artful things.

There are sweet red things and flowering things.

And, there are brown things and all shades of white things...my personal favorite! So many treasures abound!!

Hop skippity skip right on in if you're in the area. It's a not to be missed kind of adventure. Hey, there's even a cafe, Monti's, if you feel the need for a bite or slurp of something yummy!!

The storewide sale is only this weekend. The Home and Garden Show will be showcased until May 24th. Happy shopping!! Maybe I'll see you there!!

Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

Feathering the outside of my nest!

2009-04-22T18:12:00.000-07:00

This is the time of year when it is soooo very hard for me to work on projects in the home. When the weather is nice, which it has been, you can find me outside digging in the dirt. (It also helps keep me from obsessing about when sweet baby will be here!) Lately I've been digging a lot of things...out. This past winter took a toll on a lot of my tender perennials. Boohoo. The good news is, the palm trees don't seem to have suffered anything much past a little wind damage. Yay!

Sorry, no pictures of anything I've been doing outside. I really didn't think you'd like to see a picture of the big pile of dead plants and clippings I've amassed in the driveway. Better picture days are ahead when I head out to the local nurseries for replacement plants.

Here are a couple of sweet pictures though!! Look at this beautiful quilt!! It was made by my friend and fellow Bear Artist, Shantell Whitney, Apple Dumpling Diaries. She made it for sweet baby when she is here at my home. Now keep in mind, Shantell has never been in my home. Look at how perfectly perfect it goes IN my home! I put one of my needlepoint pillows next to it to show just how perfectly perfect it is!!

And here is another sweet gift from my friend, Lynn. It's the cutest little bib! Speaks volumes, doesn't it? Ha! So thoughtful and so unexpected to get these surprises in the mail. I am truly blessed with such wonderful friends. Thank you Shantell and Lynn. Your thoughtfulness has touched this chickiedoodle's heart. :o)

A little reminder for those of you in the area and familiar with Monticello Antiques....the Home & Garden Show featuring 14 guest exhibitors starts on Friday in the Atrium. There is also a Storewide Sale April 24-26th!! Now who doesn't love a SALE?!!

Maybe if tomorrow's weather is lousy I'll sneak over and get a couple sneak peek photos! Now don't everyone wish for rain. ;o) Warmest Pink Wednesday bear hugs, Aleta

Eggs, Kids and Grass!

2009-04-15T08:11:00.000-07:00

Eggs, kids and grass. That pretty much sums up an Easter Egg Hunt. Only this Easter Egg Hunt had to be held indoors because of the nasty Pacific Northwest weather. Still, it was fun!!

Yes, even though our kids are in their mid-twenties, we still hold Egg Hunts. And why not? We're all just big kids at heart!!

Plastic eggs....sooo the way to go. I'm saving the Easter Egg Dye for dyeing ribbon instead!!

Oh, and remember this? Growing grass in a roasting pan. Dirt, wheat grass seed, more dirt, more seed and more dirt. Sprinkle, sprinkle, sprinkle with water.

Viola!! Beautiful Easter centerpiece on the cheap. The leftover grass went into smaller baskets like shown in the first picture up there. That's right, scroll back up. Heehee. I hope you and your family had a Happy Easter!

This week I'm finishing up the re-organization of my studio. My mom is also coming to visit for a few days, and, we have a weekend birthday get together for the Little Mama, Brittany. April is always a busy month for us as Bill and I also celebrated our 28th wedding anniversary this past weekend. 28 years!! Hot diggity dog and a big WHOHOO!!

The happiest of Pink Wednesday's to you!! Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

P.S To Karen Cook: Miller Paint color #8735D. Brown is a tricky pick. This one looks silvery brown in my guestroom and a little more golden in Monticello. Part of that has to do with the sheen (Monti's is semi-gloss, my guestroom is flat) and the amount of, and direction of the incoming light. I suggest lots of paint chips and then actually painting your top picks directly on the wall before picking a winner. Cheers!

2009-04-12T08:17:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter, dear, sweet friends and family!

Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

Sooo many projects!

2009-04-08T08:50:00.000-07:00

It's a sickness of mine...over commiting myself. Trying to do it all. I like to do it all!! There just don't seem to be enough hours or days to do it all. That's when I fall behind.

There is also the "one thing leads to another" stuff. Take for example, the display window at Monticello. Remember me painting the guestroom brown? Well, I'm into painting everything brown now. When the display window at Monti's was emptied I realized that the walls were red and green. ACK! So, I asked if I could paint them....brown. ;) They said okay. And hey, I'm off on another project!! You see how this goes. I get a hairbrained idea and I'm off like a shot.

So, this is what kept me busy last week. Painting and decorating the window at Monticello. Brown and taupe and shades of white and a dash of aqua. Soothing and fresh! It's Easter updated!

Let's see, what else have I been doing that's kept me away? Oh, I had that artistic walls painting class! I'll have to shoot pictures of my samples. That was FUN! Bill's office walls will receive a transformation this summer for sure! One of the techniques could easily pass for actual wall art on canvas. I'm really itching to try it!

Right now I'm knee deep into cleaning and reorganizing my studio. Oiy! It's really quite overwhelming. This chickiedoodle has amassed one ginormous amount of way too much.

You're kind of caught up now. And, I'm still behind. That's okay though. It's better that I'm busy rather than obsessing over sweet baby and how many more days till she gets here. Soon, very soon!

A delightful Pink Wednesday to you....even if there wasn't a pink thing to be found in any of my pictures! Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

P.S. It makes me crazy that Blogger messes up my paragraphs and jams them all together!! Oh well. It is, what it is. ;o)

A Make-over! 1 Chair. 1 Sheet. 2 Rubberbands. No kidding.

2009-03-27T08:21:00.000-07:00

Let's begin! I found this sweet little petite channel back chair at Monticello. A bargain for $65.00. It's in excellent condition and sturdy as they come. Problem? The color is a little overwhelming (Okay, maybe more than a little..ha!)in the newly painted guestroom. However, I don't want to spend $400-$500 to have it recovered. So, I'm going to employ a trick I learned out of necessity several years ago.

Drape and center one king size sheet over the front of your chair. I've used a sheet with a ruffled edge for added softness and detail.

The next step is to start tucking in the sheet/fabric to allow for expansion when the chair is actually in use. The nice thing about the chair that I've used is that it has the channel back so I was able to keep that detail by tucking the fabric in those channels. I could have just as easily not done that and had it look even more relaxed. After all the tucking, what you have left are fabric "tails" in the front and back.

Gather up those tails, making sure to keep the center back of your sheet in the center back of the chair. If you need to, you can safety pin the sheet in place to keep it centered. Here I've gathered the tails to the back of the leg on each side, wrapped a rubber band around them and stuffed the remaining fabric tails to the inside of the gather. If you've pulled your sheet tight around the backside it will stay stuffed inside without falling out. See how the ruffled edge comes right around the side? Pretty sweet!!

Add your pretty pillows and voila! you have a whole new look without spending a bundle. Yay!! I found this sheet at an estate sale, brand new in the package, for $4.00. Sure beats the price of reupholstery....especially for a person that likes to change decor all the time!!

Note: I used a queen sheet on this chair and was able to eek out just enough to cover side to side. A king size sheet is really the ideal way to go though. The king size will also cover a wing back chair very nicely. A great place to find sheets on the cheap is a discount store like Ross, TJMax, Home Goods or Tuesday Morning. Oh, and make sure you use those heavy duty rubberbands. The skimpy ones just don't do the job and they'll snap your fingers. Ouch!

So, there you go! A little weekend re-do project that will take all of an hour...at most. Unless, of course, you decide to iron the sheet first!

It's a busy weekend ahead for me. I'm taking a class tomorrow on Artistic Wall Finishes! Cool, huh?

Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

A Pink (and Brown) Wednesday!

2009-03-25T15:40:00.001-07:00

So.....I think I told you I was painting one of the guestrooms brown. After three coats, it's done and I love, love, love it! There is a longer story about the paint and a reason for the third coat, but it all worked out in the end....and besides, you don't want to read a book. This is the whisper pink bedroom set...and the reason for the brown paint. I just couldn't think of a better paint color with the pink. If today wasn't so gloomy you could tell just how warm and pretty the colors are. There is still much work to be done. Artwork, or something, needs to go above the headboards. Maybe a crown above each bed with fabric flowing to each side of the beds. So many options!

I've also seen some rub on vinyl sayings that might work on the opposite side of the room above this vanity. We'll see. Just thought you might like to see a few "in progress" photos.

Warmest Pink Wednesday bear hugs, Aleta

In anticipation of Sweet Baby's arrival....a party!

2009-03-24T09:03:00.000-07:00

There were bouquets of flowers! This particular bouquet was made from baby socks by my mom....great-grandma-to-be! Isn't it the sweetest thing?!!

There were family and friends, big and small. They ventured miles and hours by plane and by car from Idaho and Washington. Bless their hearts!!

There was intense game competition! This particular game was my favorite. Guess the Poop! Different kinds of chocolate bars were melted in baby diapers and the attendees had to figure out which candy bars were which. Our son, Justin, was the winner of two movie tickets for 7 out of 9 correct answers. I figured one of the guys would surely win!

Jeremy, with his quick wit and sense of silliness, made the gift opening fun!!

At the end of the day, there were lots of sweet little things for a sweet little monkey that will soon make her debut. It's not long now!! We can hardly stand the wait!

Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

Let the decorating begin!!

2009-03-18T11:20:00.001-07:00

From flat folds of tissue paper to ginormous pink pom poms! This idea came from the Martha Stewart library. Type in tissue paper pom for instructions. They're easy peasy. You just have to take care when pulling the tissue paper out of the folds. Oh, and make sure you make them from the designated size tissue paper. A square sheet does not make a nice pom. Believe me...I tried. Ha!

What do you do when your light fixture doesn't quite go with the decor of your party? If it's a daytime party and you don't need the light....cover it with ginormous pom poms!! I'm just getting started....

A grand entrance it will be. Guests will walk up to the front door on a red carpet scattered with gold stars. When they enter they will be greeted with a cascading baby mobile suspended over a decorated table. The mobile has pom poms, stars, and giant sized baby diaper pins, a rattle and bottle. Isn't it fun?!!

I still have so much to do! All the linens will be delivered on Friday as well as the hot dog machine. The cake has to be picked up on Saturday. I still have to get flowers, buy movie theater type candies for the apothecary jars and all the goodies and prizes for the baby shower games. I'd better get my groove going! Oh, and my mom is flying in this afternoon! Wheeeeeee.....

I'll do my best to take pictures along the way. :)

Make it a fabulous Pink Wednesday!!! The sun is shining and life is grand!

Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

A lighter, brighter, whiter look!

2009-03-14T08:04:00.000-07:00

Shades of shabby, chippy white. My favorite!! It's light and airy and feels so fresh! Love it!! This is the re-do of my space in Monticello. Unfortunately, the chandelier that was supposed to make it on the truck, somehow escaped our attention yesterday. Bummer. It was supposed to hang from the arbor and be all pretty and twinkley. We'll remedy that sometime this weekend. ;)

First things first though....it's time to test some paint....brown. Yup. Brown. Seems rather out of place, especially since I just posted a picture in shades of white. Ha! That is there. The brown is here at home. I'll let you know how it goes!! It will all make perfect sense soon. :) (I hope.)

A fabulous Saturday to you!! Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

It's a white paint and pillows kind of day!

2009-03-13T08:14:00.000-07:00

Today's the day! Finally, after two cancellations by hubby, Bill, it's the presto change-o day at Monticello! Cross your fingers it's actually the day. He's gone to start the guys on their job. He'll be back in one hour. Hmmmm......

As you can see from the pictures, I've been a busy little bee. Lots of painting. Lots and lots of painting. A bit of sewing too! Pretty, pretty envelope pillows with embroidered details are finally done. Yay!

The little drop side sewing table will be coming along (sans the lovely blue tape -ha!) with me today. It has a sweet little glass knob as the finishing touch. The claw foot table won't be in this trip. Instead, a darling little drum table will make it on the truck. Other things making the cut this time: a chippy white patio set, arbor and chandelier! I'll also be bringing a couple of ironstone pieces and other pretty little things. Note to self: Bring the camera!

So, here I sit, waiting for Bill.......

Warmest and biggest bear hugs for a delightful weekend! Make it a great one! Aleta

Sweet Pink Wednesday art!

2009-03-11T10:11:00.000-07:00

Could this painting be any sweeter or any more ME? LOVE it!! (Said in a sing song kind of way.) Pink, white and a very loved teddy bear. Ah, elements in life that make me happy! This painting was done by the uber talented Diane Duda, Duda Daze. If you haven't seen her work then hop, skippity-skip right over to her blog and click on one of her art links. You'll be tickled pink!! Oh, and if you collect Lisa Kaus's artwork, Diane's work is the perfect compliment. Yay!!

Now, this wasn't the Pink Wednesday post I was going to post Thursday. Confused? It's okay. I do that to people on a regular basis. Just ask Bill. Hee! Anyway, I'm going to post that post at another time. A kind of before and after post.....just wait till you see what I've done, and planning to do and will have done after the baby shower!!! Hoohoo! :o)

Biggest Pink Wednesday bear hugs, Aleta

If I ignore it, maybe it will go away.

2009-03-09T08:45:00.000-07:00

Snow. Again. Ridiculous. Beyond ridiculous. I'm going to try my best to ignore it and focus on the fun things! Fun things like this past weekends Antique Expo here in Portland. I didn't make a huge haul. Actually, my haul was pretty slim. That's okay though, that means there are even more treasures elsewhere and I just have to keep looking! Most of the fun is in the search anyway!

I seem to be finding a lot of ironstone pitchers lately...and chamber pots. It kind of goes like that. I'll find lots of a particular thing for awhile and then, none at all.

My funky little find this time is the sweet pink beaded apple and pear. I don't usually pick up things like that. They were pink and petite and I'm sure they were a sign of something truly special I would find later in the day!! More on that on Pink Wednesday!! I'm soooooo excited!!!

Oh, but wait.....I have to get it here first! Snow, snow go AWAY! Maybe Pink Wednesday will be on Thursday this week. It wouldn't be the first time, now would it? Ha! ;o)

Warmest looking forward to Wednesday bear hugs, Aleta

Pink Wednesday, a bet and better health.

2009-03-04T10:41:00.000-08:00

A delightful Pink Wednesday to you!! Thank you for peeking in! Can you believe it's March already? Whew! Where does the time go?! I guess for me, it goes into the many projects I have going all at once. And, in the midst of it all...Bill and I have embarked on a whole new project. Better health.

Yepperoo. We're taking baby steps, concentrating on whole foods and eliminating processed food. Just a simple thing as that and Bill has lost 10 pounds and me five in just over a week. Is that cool or what?!! And, we're not starving either. Three meals a day and two snacks. We even eat out twice a week!! I kid you not.

The next step is exercise!! This one is a little harder to tackle. Though we're both active, busy people, we just don't exercise regularly. We've gotten into that same rut so many people do.....eat dinner, watch television, go to bed. We have to make ourselves the priority rather than sitting and watching a favorite television program. There again, baby steps. We're looking into different exercise options.

What started all this? A bet. Yep. A bet with Bill's sister and her significant other. Money is a great motivator. Hey, whatever works!! Largest percentage of weight loss through July 28th wins the pot. How much? Enough to get us off our behinds and get serious about achieving a healthier lifestyle!! I'm thinking that by the end of July these changes will be ingrained in our daily life so we won't ever get back to this overweight sendentary place we've embraced for far too long.

Anyway, now it's out there. I'm accountable.....and I'm determined to keep Bill and I on track. Losing in this case is win/win!!

Happy Pink Wednesday hugs, Aleta

Saturday Junking!

2009-03-01T13:53:00.000-08:00

Thought I'd share a tiny sampling of the treasures Bill and I found this past Saturday. Just one picture today. It's really the only one that didn't turn out too dark or out of focus. I seem to have the knack of picking the rainy and gloomy days to take pictures lately! ;o)

I've never seen transferware with a seashell pattern. Have you? It's fabulous!! I'd love to keep it....however, at this point, I think Bill would pull me aside and have a little talk with me about everything I've been keeping lately. As if he had any room to talk. You should see the garage!! Well, okay, most of the garage is filled with my antiques as well. Which brings me back to my original point really....it's gotta go to Monticello. But, but.......(sigh)

Oh, and just look at the most lovely ironstone pitcher!! It's a large one at just a skosh over 12 inches tall. Love it!! Not keeping it though. I'm only collecting the wheat design pitchers because they go so well with my rooster and dishes. Annnnyway......I picked up a bundle of old fabric as well. It will be perfect for the paperclay dolls I've started.....which I will get back to at some point. Really, I will!! ;o)

Okay. So, there were a lot more treasures: 2 matching childs chairs, a delightful dressform I'll use for display only, a caneback chair......oh, lunch is ready!....gotta go. Have a lovely Sunday!!!

Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

Pink to Pink Wednesdays!

2009-02-25T08:55:00.001-08:00

A week has gone by already? Whew!! I've been so busy working on several different projects I guess I lost track of the time. One of the many projects is getting all the baby shower invitations in the mail. It's a co-ed shower so we're not doing the traditional baby pink and pastels all over. Instead it's pink and black and silver and movie theme related.....Featuring Brittany in her debut role as "Mommy to Be" and Jeremy (nominated for Best Supporting Daddy in an Action/Adventure film. More pictures of all the goodies I'm gathering later!! It's going to be great!!

Another project still, is soaking, washing/drying and pressing all the antique linens I've gathered for pillows that will be for sale at Monticello.

I also designed three new bear patterns this past week. Only two are pictured though. Now to get them from pattern to mohair!!

And then there's the bassinet bumper for sweet baby. The bassinet will be going in the kids bedroom (red, creamy white and dark brown) so we wanted to stay in that color scheme yet still be fit for a sweet princess. I think we nailed it. It took a while for me to get the dimensions right for the bumpers but I think it turned out pretty cute. The nice thing is that the bassinet can be wheeled from their bedroom to the main living area and still fit in with their decor.

So, this is how it turned out....keeping it simple, which Brittany likes, and not too fussy.

Well, that's what I've been up to. Now you know why I missed a few days! :o)

Warmest Pink Wednesday hugs, Aleta

A little birdie reminded me...

2009-02-18T18:16:00.000-08:00

......that it was Pink Wednesday. I'm feeling under the weather today so I've been resting off and on all day. Max, up there, has the right idea. I have to say though, I think the sofa is much more comfy than the top of the fax machine!

Warmest Pink Wednesday bear hugs, Aleta

Huxford Molesworth & Tattered Tuck-In

2009-02-16T08:44:00.000-08:00

These two little sweeties missed their listing date last week. Where does the time go? Is it just me or are the days moving along faster than ever?!! Never fear, I'm almost caught up with last week.....this morning!! Ha!!

Okay then. Now that these two chaps are listed on my website I'll run upstairs and tag a few things to go over to Monticello! I'm having lunch with a girlfriend from high school that I just reconnected with through Facebook. Imagine! Two girls who graduated from high school in Alaska living just down the way from each other in Oregon all these years later. Who knew?!!!

Make it a great week!! I'll pop back in on Wednesday....

Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

Weekend treasure hunting with my sweetie!

2009-02-15T16:49:00.000-08:00

Here are just a few of the treasures we found this weekend!! Oh yes, there's MORE! Some will be saved aside for the display window at Monticello April 1st but some will find it's way to my booth in Monticello tomorrow! My favorite find? The absolutely beautiful transferware pitcher. It's OMG gorgeous. The background color is the most serene pale blue green. I would design a room around this pitcher.....and I just might, come to think of it. I have a guestroom that needs a re-do. Heehee ;o)

Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

P.S. I'll be listing bears tomorrow morning!!

The sweetest little Pink Wednesday.

2009-02-11T16:36:00.000-08:00

Could a Pink Wednesday possibly be any sweeter than this?! I bought this itsy bitsy swimsuit last Saturday, at Janie and Jack, when Brittany and I went shopping. It's for sweet baby. Her first swimsuit. :o) Brittany was betting I couldn't hold out until Pink Wednesday to show it to you. It was hard Bee, but I did it!! ;o)

We showed it to Bill when we got home. He just smiled and said it was pretty cute alright. Later in the evening I asked him if he's ever seen anything as cute as that little pink swimsuit. He said, "Yes. The look on your faces when you and Brittany showed it to me." Awwwwww. He's a keeper for sure. Give the guy a gold star!!

Happy, happy Pink Wednesday

Tallulah Pickles & Little Crumb

2009-02-06T17:51:00.000-08:00

My camera battery died before I could photograph these bears separately so I listed them on my website together. Not such a bad thing! Although, by the look on Tallulah's face, you'd think she was a bit miffed to share the spotlight. Oh well. ;o)

The week has been crazy and I still haven't been over to Monticello to fluff things up. Shame, shame. I seem to be having a dickens of a time managing two businesses lately. I do have a lot of things gathered together to take over though! I'm hoping to be there on Sunday. Cross your fingers for me, won't you? ;o)

Until then though, tomorrow is a much needed day off and a shopping trip with Brittany. At about seven months along, she's finally starting to actually need maternity wear. (I know, boo hoo right?) So, a shopping we will go!!

Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

P.S. I also wanted to mention that Bill and I will be among the vendors at the Barn House flea market on July 18th. Mark your calendars!!! As Jermonne would say.....HEEHAW!!!!!

P.S.S. Tallulah Pickles and Little Crumb have been already been adopted! Bless you for your inquiries. :o)

Happy Pink Wednesday!

2009-02-04T17:17:00.000-08:00

Goodness gracious aren't you sweet?! Thank you for peeking in! I've been extra busy this week trying to get lots of different projects completed as well as others underway. We've been blessed these past couple of days with sunny skies and temperatures in the high fifties. The sun, for me, is like a magic happy pill! I've been just buzzing around here!

I hope your day was sunny and magic! Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

P.S. The items pictured are from Bunnies by the Bay. Are you familiar with their baby line? It's oh my gosh, scrumptious!! Do pop over to their website if you have a minute. It's a bit of baby heaven!!

12 Bears...of the mohair persuasion!

2009-01-29T12:40:00.000-08:00

Yessiree!! 12 bears are done. Yay!! Well, except for dressing and or accessorizing. Rather than listing them all at once, I will begin listing two, one large and one small, each week. This will allow me some time to catch up at Monticello, paint furniture, get the nursery ready, plan the baby shower for my daughter, and go back to designing more one-of-a-kind traditional bears while still exploring my paperclay dollies. Whew!! Sounds like a lot, huh?

Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

P.S. It should, should I say, allow me a little more time to reply to blog notes and maybe even do a little blog hopping every now and then too!! Yippee!!

A random act of kindness from a friend.

2009-01-28T15:28:00.000-08:00

Happy Pink Wednesday!! I want to share with you something that was done for me completely out of the blue the other day. I'm telling you, when I received this banner I burst into tears. It may seem like a small thing to those of you techno savvy lovelies out there, but to me, this is a big thing. A very big thing.

There are times when you need to have things like banners and the like in order to link with other sites. I do not know, nor do I have the time to learn, yet another, computer skill. I'm pretty basic. I know how to right click and save, how to download and upload (or is it upload and download?) and simple things of that nature on the computer. However, even these simple tasks required writing down instructions, referring to them several times over before they stick in my head, and keeping them in a file so I can refer to them in case of a mini-meltdown of memory. I know you know what I'm talking about. ;o)

Anyway, my friend Brenda Power, sent me an e-note the other day and enclosed in it was this beautiful banner. As well as making the most exquisite pint size Steiff looking bears and bunnies, Brenda likes to fiddle with Photoshop. Lucky for me!!! Well, I must have made a comment about trying to make a banner out of one of my photos or something in order to sign onto the 100 Best Bear Artist Blog Sites. Maybe Brenda thought, "Oh dear no, that will never do!" or something to that effect, but bless her heart, she designed one for me and sent it out of the blue. Note the pink background?!! Only my favorite color!! And, she included some of my best dressed bears including my 2007 TOBY winning bear. Bless you a zillion times over, Brenda. You are a dear, dear heart, a kindred spirit and a most treasured friend. Thank you.

Warmest Pink Wednesday bear hugs, Aleta

Treasure hunting!

2009-01-26T10:39:00.001-08:00

I found these fabulous chairs at an estate sale on Saturday. The details are simply marvelous! They're old and quite heavy for their petite size. Though the original fabric has obviously been replaced, they still have the original horsehair fabric bottom and nailhead age. Keep 'em or sell 'em? They're not exactly a chair that Bill would sit in (ha!)....even though he does like the way they look in the livingroom.

Gracie gave them her seal of approval right away. She has impeccable taste...in soft cushioned surfaces!

Other lovely French finds: a market basket with leather strap and a beautiful tapestry. I also bought some simply scrumptious white linens that will be made into pillows for my space in Monticello. I'm also waiting to hear if I got the fabulous mirrors we put a bid on. There are three of them. One frame in particular is spectacular!! I've got my fingers crossed!

Speaking of Monticello, I'm decorating the display window there in April!! How cool is that?!! So, while working to finish up bears, I've also been decorating a 5 1/2' x 9' space in my head. Easy to do when there's not much up there to begin with!! Ha!!

Okay, enough silliness. I have a physical therapy appointment and a meeting with a friend and her designer friend to talk about another bit of new business. I'll let you know more about that soon.

So, I'm outta here for the rest of the day. Oh, but before I go, Shantell, Apple Dumpling Diaries bestowed on me another lovely blog award. You sweet girlie you, Shantell!! Thank you!!

Now I've really got to get out of here. Make it a great week!! See you Wednesday!! Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

Trying to stay on task.

2009-01-21T09:22:00.000-08:00

From the bottom of my heart I'd like to say a special thank you to these lovely women for thinking of me and my blog. Martha, Vintage Trifles; Laura, Dances with Teddy Bears; Melanie Jayne, Bear Treasures; Tami, Dolls n Dreams and Tina, Tiny Bear. They have been so kind as to send me special blog awards and wish for me to participate in a fun game of Random Facts Tag. You girlies are the BEST! Thank you ever so much. :o)

I will do my best in the next week to share the goodness and great spirit in which these awards and games were passed along. This week, however, I absolutely MUST stay on task and finish up these 10 bears!! It's the one thing I have the most trouble with, staying on task. (Adult ADD) There are so many delightful distractions in my life!!

Okay then.....staying on task. I'm off to the studio to do some airbrushing!

A happy Pink Wednesday to you! Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

That look.

2009-01-19T10:56:00.000-08:00

Do you ever get that look from your cat? You know the one. It's the "What do you mean, you're too busy?" look. Isn't it amazing how closely it resembles the "Where's my dinner?" look. After spending the last few days visiting with my mom, this is the look I'm getting from the cats today. They just don't understand that I have a zillion and three things to do. Oh, wait. A zillion and four....a fax just came in with a bid to repair the pool. EGAD!!! Are you kidding me? $27,000?!!!! And that's with no upgrades!! Good grief!!

Perhaps I should send this picture of Max along to the pool company with a caption reading, "Seriously?!!" Ha!

Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

Pink Wednesday Wishes!

2009-01-14T10:37:00.000-08:00

Take a breath. Treat yourself to something sweet. Best Pink Wednesday wishes and warmest bear hugs, Aleta

The crib is finally here!

2009-01-10T07:51:00.000-08:00

It finally arrived! The crib for Nana's nursery! I thought it was hard to keep focused on work before. Sheesh. Now all I want to do is start getting the nursery put together!

The boys, my son Justin (Have I mentioned he's single?) and my son-in-law, Jeremy (daddy to sweet baby) helped put the crib together. Actually, they pretty much put it together while I tried to read the instructions and ultimately ended up just holding parts steady. Ha!

So, here are the colors I'm working with. Shades of pink (who would have guessed?), lime green and white. With this color palette I can keep the walls the pink color they are. One less thing to do! This palette also works with the pieces of vintage Beatrix Potter I have. I found, in my stack of old bed linens, a fabulous old sheet with just the right color bright pink roses with lime green stems. It will be perfect for a crib petticoat! I'm hoping to find a crib bumper in the pink and white check fabric because a. that material shown in the picture above is supposed to be for another project and b. it would be another project to add to the list. Although, I did find a pattern for a really darling bumper with a scalloped top. So, so cute!! We'll see.

This brings me to another project that will need to be finished before baby arrives. Painting the dressers. These dressers were Brittany's when she was a little girl. Yes, we have carted them from house to house because Brittany wanted to keep them for her babies someday. Now that she's having a baby, she's decided she doesn't want them. WHAT?! Are you kidding me? (sigh) Okay then. They're mine to do with what I want. So, I'm going to paint them a soft white and put glass knobs on them. Ha. Mine now.

Actually, my children seem to have an aversion to any decorating style they grew up with. I call it Shabby Chippy. Justin calls it Old and Busted. Brittany used to have a Shabby Bohemian style....until she met Jeremy. Now they've all turned into modern Pottery Barnites. A rebellious lot they are!! Ha!

Make it a fabulous day!! Warmest Saturday bear hugs, Aleta

Pink Wednesday? Already?

2009-01-07T09:17:00.001-08:00

Seriously. A Pink Wednesday already? It seems I just posted one a couple days ago! Is this a glimpse of how the year will go? Oh boy. Hang on to your hats!! Here we go!!

Ha! And here I sit with nothing pink to share. How about white instead? I have lots of white! Wait a minute though......that's what I thought about pink. Oh well. White it is for today because I only have two more minutes to chat. I'm off to the Physical Therapist for evaluation. Evaluation!! Hee!That makes me giggle. Now if it were a Psychiatrist that would make me giggle even more!! They would say, "Chick, there is no hope for you." Ha!!

Annnyway.....after that, I'm off to Monticello to dismantle my Christmas space. I don't know about you but I'm ready for some SPRING!! It will take me a few days to make the complete change though. I have bears to finish!!

Okay then. My two minutes are up. Happy White instead of Pink Wednesday! Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

Winners, WIP's and Oiy!

2009-01-05T09:19:00.000-08:00

Let's start with the winners of my New Year's giveaway! They are, in order of names drawn: Charmingdesigns, Ginie-Lee and The Vintage Sister Studio! Congratulations girlies!! You will each receive one of my sweet little Tuck-In bears. Now isn't that a great way to start off the new year?!! Presents!! Wahoo!!

For everyone who entered my little bit of New Year's folly.....Bless you and thank you for your post!! My wish for you is for all your wishes to come true!!

Also, on a side note, I was privately asked why I don't do one of those drawings where you get your name in twice if you post that I'm hosting a giveaway. Well, here's the thing....I'd rather give sweet little things to those who peek in frequently or find me by happenstance through someone else's blog favorites sidebar rather than because they're popping by to win something free. You know what I mean? :o) Call me quirky about things like that.

Now onto those WIP's!! Oh, just look at all those bears!! You see, I have been working! Because of my ADD tendencies, what starts out as a couple of bears soon ends up to be a bevy of bears. So, you won't be surprised to learn I started two more large bears last night....all drawn and cut out, ready for pinning and sewing. Ha!

I think the above picture explains a lot when it comes to my lack of focus! The impending birth of my granddaughter!! I found this darling bassinet at a local antique mall. Isn't it just the sweetest thing? Of course, the lime green and red will disappear very shortly. They're lovely colors....they just don't work for my home setting. This little jewel will be for naptime in the studio while baby is still too small for her ginormous crib.

Oh, and I'm having second thoughts as to what room I'll use for the nursery here. I'm thinking about repainting the pink guestroom and making that the nursery instead. That way there will still be two complete guestrooms with their own bathrooms. It makes so much more sense. This way the sweet little jelly bean will have her very own room and she doesn't have to share when guests come to town. I don't know why I didn't think of this sooner!

And lastly, we come to the Oiy! Oh, what a headache. One would think that living in the high hills, a person wouldn't have to worry about flooding. Well, if the rain is heavy enough, I suppose just about anywhere can flood. Take our beautiful pool for example. Not so beautiful now. The pressure from saturated soil buckled the walls and floor. Isn't that crazy?!! And, to add insult to injury, it snowed again last night. Two more inches before it turned to rain again. Like I said....Oiy!! We're thinking that this is leftover wierdness from 2008 and that 2009 really WILL be a better year. Fingers crossed anyway!! ha!

Warmest Monday bear hugs, Aleta

Happy New Year!!

2009-01-01T09:17:00.000-08:00

Make a wish and make 2009 your best year ever!!!

Leave your wish on this post and you may just receive a little something sweet in the mail. You have until Monday, January 5th!! Wishes can come true. It can happen to you.....!!!!!

Warmest wishes for the happiest and best new year, Aleta

P.S. There will be three winners selected to receive a sweet little something in the mail.

The Last Pink Wednesday for 2008!

2008-12-31T10:22:00.000-08:00

Wow. What a year, huh? I, for one, am glad to be leaving this past year in the dust. To say this past year was a year of challenges, is putting it lightly. Remember the bear?!! The REAL bear!! Who would have thought? It seems like just a bad dream now. However, we got through it and we have such delightful things and wonderous blessings to look forward to in the New Year!

I'm leaving this last Pink Wednesday of 2008 with a photo I took of a rose on the property at Mt. Pleasant. Bittersweet, it reminds me of all of the truly fabulous people I had a chance to meet while we were there. What a blessing!

I believe everything happens for a reason, and that each step we take, is a step we're meant to take. We learned some hard lessons. We also came away with the knowledge that we are, indeed, much stronger than we think and that family will always be there when we need them.

Another lesson learned? I really missed designing and creating my bears!! I'm back on track now though and will be introducing new bears again very soon. Yay!!

Warmest Pink Wednesday wishes and bear hugs, Aleta

A celebration....finally!

2008-12-29T10:01:00.000-08:00

This is how we all felt about the snow getting in the way of our Christmas celebration.
This is how happy we are that the snow is almost melted and we are finally able to get together!! (Justin, Brittany and hubby, Jeremy.)

Even though our gift giving and dinner celebration was delayed, it gave us an even greater appreciation for being able to get together as a family.

Onward and upward now!! It's almost time to ring in a New Year!! Yay!!

Warmest and biggest bear hugs, Aleta

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-25T08:31:00.000-08:00

Wishing you the Merriest of Christmases and a joy filled New Year!

Blessings and warm bear hugs, Aleta

Pink Wednesday Wishes and Dear Santa.

2008-12-24T09:53:00.000-08:00

Wishing you everything Merry and Bright!

Warmest Merry Christmas Bear Hugs, Aleta

P.S. Here is my dear Santa letter. Hopefully Santa will find it. I wasn't able to get to Macy's to put it in the box and the postman hasn't been here in three days.

Dear Santa,
Do you think you could have a talk with Mother Nature to see if she wouldn't mind turning off the snow and turning the heat back on over the Pacific Northwest? The snow has been very pretty. I think I like a green Christmas much better though, thank you.

Yours very truly, Aleta

STOP snowing already!!

2008-12-22T09:23:00.000-08:00

First, we had nine inches of snow.
Then we had an ice storm that dropped a half an inch of a lovely ice coating over everything.

This is what I woke up to this morning. UGH!! Stop snowing already!! Now, at 9:40 it has dropped another three inches and it's still coming down. You can no longer see the brick line around the pool or see the rock retaining wall. Everything is being enveloped by snow.

Okay, who was it that put snow on their Christmas list?!!

Been stranded for nine days. NINE DAYS!! We tried to get out once only to be crashed into by a Hummer a mile from our house. A Hummer!! And I don't mean a hummingbird!! I thank God we were in Bill's big box truck. Significant damage to both vehicles....especially the Hummer!....but everyone is okay and that's the important thing. :o)

The sad thing is, we won't have our children with us for Christmas because, even living in the lower elevations, they can't get around in the snow either. They have even more that we do! At the rate it's snowing, we might not even see them until New Years!! Oh, how I detest snow!! It's not supposed to snow this much in Portland. Usually when we do get snow, it's just a day or two of misery and then it all melts away. I'm staring squarely at being stranded two weeks before it warms up enough to melt!!

The bright side in all this? I'm getting bears made!! :o)

Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

Pink Rosettes or Green Frogs?

2008-12-18T15:30:00.000-08:00

The bunnies in the nursery have been waiting very patiently to find out if they stay or if they move into the pink guestroom.

Would I have to take the pink rosettes off the curtains and attach little green frogs? Would the room be filled with big splashes of blue or stay with splashes of pink? Oh, the waiting to find out!!!

Everyone was taking guesses whether Brittany was having a boy or a girl. I kept my guess a secret. I would look at boy things and girl things and listen to and make comments on choices for both gender names. I have to say though, the crib I picked out might have been the tiniest hint as to my guess. I played it off though saying that a grandson wouldn't look over the edge of the crib and tell me, "Nana, this is a sissy bed!" Most everything in my house has fancy detail. My crib. My house. My choice. Nana's can do that you know. ;o)

So, when the day came for the sonogram I was on pins and needles. When I answered the phone the first thing out of my mouth was, "Is it a boy or a girl?!!" Brittany, the sweet stinker that she is, wouldn't tell me unless I told her what my guess was. I told here I thought it was a girl. Then she asked what Bill's guess was. He was guessing a boy. "Okay, okay! Which is it?" I asked.

It's a girl!! A sweet little princess we are all just soooo excited to meet. She's set to make her debut May 5th. I suspect she'll arrive in April just like her sweet stinker of a mom. We'll see! In the meantime, the bunnies will remain in the nursery as will the pink rosettes on the curtains. We'll save the green froggy's for the next arrival. ;o)

There is so much to be done. The crib will arrive in January. Oh my! That's right around the corner!! The time will arrive in just a blink!! And, Brittany and Jeremy's nursery needs to be ready too!! So much to look forward to in the New Year!! And, so many pictures to take of the progress!!

Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

Happy Pink Wednesday!!

2008-12-17T11:08:00.000-08:00

The snow still has me housebound. It's okay though.....look at what I'm accomplishing!! Yay!! I've actually finished two little bears already but one had to go in the mail yesterday so I didn't have time to photograph him before the postman came. I've also started on a bigger bear!! The project for the day however, is to work on the dolls I started a couple of months ago. They're both snow ladies ( how appropriate, huh?!!) that I'd intended to have finished and ready for sale at Monticello's Holiday Faire. I'll just finish them anyway.....and keep 'em until next year!!

Tomorrow I'll share pictures of another project I finished using bottle brush trees, blocks and my vintage/antique glass baubles!! Ho ho ho! That's a wee hint of what's to come!

Warmest Pink Wednesday bear hugs, Aleta

The weather outside is frightful!

2008-12-16T07:45:00.000-08:00

This is the start of the third day stranded because of the snow and ice. It's supposed to snow more tomorrow and even more this weekend. (sigh) It's only 12 degrees this morning and the wind is still blowing. Brrrrrr.

For many parts of the country snow is no big deal. They're prepared for it. For Pacific Northwest cities, having a green (as in green grass and bare roads) holiday is the norm. Snow is not normal here. When it snows here, people lose all sensibility. They venture out in their cars and end up skating across freeways and highways playing bumper cars along the way. What on earth makes normally sane people get in cars worth thousands and thousands of dollars and venture out, only to end up as ornamentation around a light pole? I just don't get it!

Anyway, so I'm stranded. Stranded with Bill. He's in the office all day fielding phone calls from people wanting fireplaces installed and working on paperwork. In the office. In the office where the computer is. Bummer. No blog or chat time for me these past few days. I've been getting a lot of projects done though!! More on all that tomorrow.....I've commandeered the computer!! Ha!! Early mornings anyway!

Warmest bear hugs from the East Hills of Portland, Oregon! :o) Aleta

P.S. I'm dreaming of a GREEEEEN Christmas. Just like the one's I used to know. Where the treetops listen and children glisten, from rain, raindrops cold and wet...... :o)!!!

Missed again!

2008-12-11T09:41:00.000-08:00

Another Pink Wednesday on Thursday. (sigh) Soo many things going on in my world outside of Bloglandia. Not to mention it being the holiday season. It's a crazy busy time! My mom is coming to visit and it's Bill's 50th birthday this weekend as well!! My cup runneth over! Whew!

I've been holding this picture for some time waiting for Monica to get her website up and going but I just can't wait any longer for you to see the beauty in this gift. It's a handpainted (by Monica herself!) heart box. So beautiful and such a surprise to receive. For moi? You simply cannot know what a surprise this was.... Thank you so very much, dear Monica. It makes me smile every day to see it on my desk. It holds the little bear tags that are sewn onto the backs of wee bears. Beautiful and functional!! Love, love, love it!!

Monica has a blog now so be sure to peek in. It's a beautiful blog chock full of lovely pictures from her home in Italy. Oh, and soon she'll have her website up and she'll be selling beautiful handpainted things and other assorted lovelies!! I can't wait!! Hurry, hurry Monica!!

Happy Thursday!! Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

The show and sale starts tomorrow!

2008-12-04T17:14:00.000-08:00

The Old Fashioned Christmas Show and Storewide Sales Event starts tomorrow at 8am!! The Christmas show will remain in the atrium all month long but the storewide sale is only three days: Friday the 5th through Sunday the 7th of December. Happy shopping!
Annie, Fannie and Abigail

Magpie Ethel

Colby Cottage

Vintage Trifles and Molly Mo's

My Shabby Roses

Bella Shabby

Most of these vendors have blogs so I'll try to get all the links straight so you can pop in for a visit. Mind you, this is not all of the vendors participating in this event. Some booths were not finished, had worker bees present or my picture ended up blurry. It's a royal bummer when the latter happens. :o(

I have to say though, this is the finest group of vendors for a Christmas event at Monticello. It totally ROCKS with a wide range of holiday (and everyday) appeal. See you there!!!

Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

A tiny peek!

2008-12-04T07:59:00.001-08:00

Yup. Missed another Pink Wednesday. But!.....my space is almost ready for the Old Fashioned Christmas Show and Sale at Monticello!! Yay!! Just a bit of pricing and the addition of a couple of my bears and I'm all set. Whew. This chickiedoodle needs a vacation!!

I'm going to try to pop back in later this evening to post more pictures of all the great booth spaces. Oh my goodness!! There are goodies galore!! It will be hard to keep a reign in on the pocketbook this year!! Whoohoo!!

Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

All is calm.

2008-11-30T17:01:00.000-08:00

The house seems so incredibly quiet. All of our family is on their way back to their homes in Alaska and Boston, Mass. I can hear cat paws walking across the carpet again...... Though it makes me smile to hear them, I'm sad at the same time. You know what I mean?

Warmest Sunday bear hugs, Aleta

Thanksgiving and family.

2008-11-27T07:34:00.000-08:00

Happy, happy Thanksgiving!! May yours be blessed and bright and filled with love, happiness and laughter.

We have a merry, merry house full with family visiting from Alaska and Boston! It's a crazy busy time (with fifteen for dinner this evening!), and just the BEST to be surrounded with those we love and have missed spending family holiday time with all these years. I'll pop back in on Sunday.....hopefully with some pictures!!

Until then.....Warmest and biggest bear hugs, Aleta

Merry and White!

2008-11-24T11:22:00.000-08:00

I'm going with the "less is more" way of thinking this year. Because I'm not able to drape the tree in glass Christmas garland this year (not a safe thing for me to be twisting and turning on a seven foot ladder trying to get it "just so") I decided to forget the glass garland and go simple. This year, simple is good. It's white and tarnished silver, feather birds and glittery snowballs. Still festive, just quiet and more relaxed. It's exactly what I needed to slow things down a bit.

Now mind you, I didn't run out and buy all new ornaments. Nope, nope, nope. I actually bought them a couple of years ago for a New Years party. That year, the day after Christmas, I took all of our traditional ornaments off the tree and replaced them with a white glittery snow theme. Crazy perhaps, but I knew we would have guests at the party that don't do Christmas and I wanted them to feel welcome in our home. Taking the entire tree down wasn't an option with Bill's schedule so I had to improvise. The really great thing here is that this year I was able to use the decorations again!!

This year I even included an element of surprise on our tree.....I've hung my collection of silver baby cups from the branches!! They look so sweet and are a nod to the impending birth of our first grandchild. (insert a happy smiley sigh here) Life is grand! :o)

Before I close, I want to say thank you for all the well wishes posted both publicly and privately. Time, patience and physical therapy.....oh!, and ice three times a day!! I am beginning to see improvement!! Yay!! Though the road may be long, I'll get there!!

Merry Merry and warmest bear hugs, Aleta

Missed another one!

2008-11-20T10:49:00.001-08:00

Yup, missed another Pink Wednesday. (sigh) I suppose it's time I explain. If you follow my blog, you probably realize I am always juggling many projects at one time. It's never been a problem until recently. I've had some health issues I've been ignoring. Little tip here: Willing it to go away, doesn't make it go away. It only makes matters worse. Lest you think that something horrific has happened...it hasn't. I'm under a doctors care and I'm going to physical therapy three times a week. I do, however, have to slow down.

That's what my little rant was about a week or so ago. DARN IT, I don't want to slow down!! I know now that I have to. Otherwise, I may end up with even more nerve damage, or even worse, require surgery. Which, in turn, would mean an absolute cessation of activity for many weeks. That rant was my cock-eyed way of telling my family I needed help and not to expect so much of me while they're here on holiday. For once, I have to put myself first. It's not something I'm used to doing. Nor is it something my family is used to.

In the meantime, I made a commitment to Monticello for their holiday faire back in August. (Long before I knew I would have so many coming for Thanksgiving.....or that I would be facing worsening physical issues.) The time I feel at my best, I use to work on things for that event rather than spending time on the computer. Little by little, the rest of the time is spent getting the house ready for family to arrive. Anyway, now you know the reason for a belated Pink Wednesday here and there....or missing it altogether. ;o)

Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

P.S. That's a Japanese Aralia bloom that hasn't opened yet....cool, huh? Nature supplies the most amazing pictures to capture!!

Quietude.

2008-11-16T07:43:00.000-08:00

Blessings to you this Sunday. Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

Pink Wednesday on Wednesday!

2008-11-12T14:31:00.000-08:00

Hey! A Pink Wednesday post actually posted on a Wednesday! And, the subject is actually pink! Wahoo! ;o)

Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

From reference books and old photos!

2008-11-06T12:49:00.000-08:00

I know. I missed Pink Wednesday. Sorry. Too many projects! No, wait. Not enough hours in the day!! Um-huh. That's it!! Not enough hours in the day. ;o)

Here are a couple of the projects I've been working on. These are part of my white, silver and gold theme. I was inspired by a picture in one of my Christmas books, one full of antique Christmas ornaments, to make the heart with the center bauble. I love the old ornaments with the tinsel! Though the tinsel is new on this ornament, the glass ball is actually an oldie.

The idea for the gift box came from the picture of the little girl herself. She's all dressed up for winter in her mohair coat and hat. Perfect for a little snow scene! This is actually the prototype. I wasn't completely happy with the ice cream cone look of the snow pile so I had to squish, squish, squish the form down until I got it right. I added bits of old pipe cleaner around the bottom of her coat and around the ruff of her hat giving her more of a dimensional effect. Vintage sheet music, antique tinsel, old chenille pipe cleaner, dresden wings and glitter!! Love, love, love it!!

Happy Thursday!!

Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

Caution...you are about to enter a little rant.

2008-11-03T07:24:00.000-08:00

They don't take me seriously. My sister and sister-in-law. I told them I was going to hand them paper, scissors and glue and that they would have to work for Thanksgiving dinner. If they are going to come visit for a week and expect me to drop everything because they are on holiday, I must insist that they do something for me. Afterall, it's not MY holiday.

I still have to work. I still have to be ready and set up for the Holiday Faire at Monticello the day after they leave. That means I have three weeks. Three weeks to get all my projects done, get all the guestrooms ready and have all the holiday decorating done. Whoa, Nellie! Only three weeks? Yikes!!

You're on notice, in writing right here, Michelle and Kimberly! If my projects aren't done, it's paper, scissors and glue for you!! Ha!! Oh, and another thing, I'm not the group leader on this trip. DO NOT ask me, "What do you have planned for us today?" If I hear this, you will get the stink eye and be made to sit in the corner with your nose pressed against the wall.

Little rant over. I'm off to the studio to sew up some bears!!

Warmest bear hugs on a delightful Monday morning! :o) Aleta

2008-10-31T09:45:00.000-07:00

Wishing you only the sweetest treats this Halloween day!

Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

Paper, scissors & glitter!

2008-10-29T14:37:00.000-07:00

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!

2008-10-27T13:05:00.000-07:00

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?

2008-10-23T11:14:00.000-07:00

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!

2008-10-22T16:22:00.000-07:00

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