Yardley Featherbottom

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!

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

Four bears and a cat.

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!

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

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!

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!

My sweet monkey, Miss Macey.

Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

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

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!

A joyful Easter to you!

Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

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

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

Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

Polkadots and Projects!

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!

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!

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