The 5 Seraphim Bears showcasing the Hugglets

This weekend is the Hugglets and 5 Seraphim Bears will be showcasing and up for adoption. You will find them snuggling at the Silly Bears booth waiting for their hugs so come on over for a visit. 

Here they are, following the theme "Out of the Chocolate Box":

Mr. Goodbar

Bon Bon

Fry

Sweet Tooth

Chip

In the group photo Chip was still not quite completed ~ he was finished off with this triple silk bow.

Enjoy the show everyone!

Artist Profile and Sneak Peek

I just wanted to give you all the link to the latest Artist Profile on Me and the Seraphim Bears. It was written in both German and English so this link is to the English version only.

TeddyBear News Seraphim Bears Arist Profile

I started the felting on the second bear today and will get some more work done on the first one that will be a part of the Bears In Bloom show. The second is an all white bear and so far is as sweet as the first. I got a lot of great response from family and friends today when I showed them a sneak peek. I am itching to show you all so I will try to get the second done as quickly as I can but I must not compromise the bear so... patience my friends. Their little puffy cheeks and smile are so expressive and they have pretty felted noses. The hair is hand punched into the muzzles and they have no eyelids as I love the vintage boot buttons... that is just my thing. They are whimsical and still have that Seraphim Bear charm with that twinkle of magic in their eyes. Here are two of the  design sketches to entice you...

Be back soon...Have a wonderful and creative day!

A Wonderful show in Tampa

Hello everyone

Well, it has been a long time since I posted, getting ready for a show my focus is completely on the bears and not the blogs. But I am happy to say I had a very successful show and ended up adopting out seven Seraphim bears. It was three when right at the end I got a buyer for another three!

Here are some happy shots for you to enjoy of my trip to Tampa to enjoy the wonderful festivities with Valerie Rogers. I also had the pleasure of meeting Art Rogers of Chatham Village Bears, Michele Lamb or One and Only Bears, Connie Schmitt & Armin of Connie Bears, Wendy Collins from Collins Gift Shop, Pat Fairbanks of Perfect Pals, Marilyn Wagner of Quilts - N - Critters, Martha Burch of Martha Bears, Judy Mathis of Judy's Raggedy Country, Nancy Dontigney of Dog Patch Critters, Cindy Malchoff the TBAI chairman and My Apple Tree and so many others.

MIL and I sitting under the cabana ~ Lovely weather

Valerie Rogers and I enjoying the sunshine!

Setting up and hanging with Michelle Lamb ~ The two Michele's or Michelle's 

Susan, the winner of my Carl Bear came by to visit me in person and brought little Carl with her! It was so nice to see them both

A few of the adopted babies... all my bears are given a nice receiving blanket with ribbon bow to be carried around in. No bags so the bears can see their new Mums and Dads.

The URSA winners line up with Valerie for a photo op. Valerie really knows how to make you feel like a shining star!

It was Bright Star Promotions 600th show so we all got to enjoy a bit of lovely cake! As you can see, Valerie was having a wonderful time.. hehehehe

Now on with some business:

Yes I am still working on my felted, punched and designed new bear. This little angel will be up for adoption during the Spring Bears In Bloom online sale so I must get back to work. But things are going great in that regard and I cannot wait to get this bear completed and start another! I really missed my felting and did not even realize just how much! Carl, that you saw above had a felted face but it seems like so long that I have been concentrating on my traditional bears that I forgot how fun felting a more contemporary bear is! Don't get me wrong, I will still be creating my traditional bears but I like the freedom that the contemporary bear offers so having both is a nice option for me and for you. 

I also will have some really sweet $50 and under things at the Bears In Bloom sale and I need to get those finished also... I am really happy with the way they are all turning out and I think it will be something you will all enjoy and be able to use daily and still get your bear fix~ bet that got you thinkin' huh?

Okay, I'll be back in a while with new pictures... but don't forget, if you want to see the new bear with felted features you'll need to attend the online Bears In Bloom show cause we can't show any of our bears ahead of time... it's all so hush hush.

Be back soon!

I had a wonderful time at the Tampa Bright Star Promotions show and highly recommend it to all! It was great to have had the opportunity to hand out with the other artists the day before the show, go for dinner etc. It was a time to relax and get to know one another and talk bears over a glass of wine.

Please VOTE for the MILKY WAY

The Milky Way ~ Let Help Him WIN!

Hi Everyone

My cousin wrote this really great commercial and he is part of a contest right now to win for it...

so if you have a minute and want to see a really great ad for VW please pop over to the link above and DON'T vote for the Dark Lord but Instead place your vote for the MILKY WAY !

Thanks for you votes and enjoy the adverts too!

Have a great and creative day!

A little encouragement

Hello Everyone

I know lately it may seem I am slacking off as I have not been on my blog much but I can guarantee that when I am not here there is a good reason. I am in the process of designing which takes time and vision... and for me quiet. I have been researching and looking back at where I came from, where did I start with my bears, what did I love about those first bears? I did a lot of felting on those beginning bears. They had felted faces, felted eyelids and hand sculpted noses or felted noses.

 

Then I craved a more traditional bear so I designed again and as some of you know I created new paw pads recently also using a quilting technique called Trapunto and a technique I developed during my doll making days in which I can turn regular cotton fabric into a very leather type look. It takes many stages but I have always loved this. So I went back there ... way back into my quilting and doll making.

 

I have been wanting to try a more contemporary bear for a while now; a bit realistic and a bit traditional with a pinch of modern. But I also don't want to loose that "Seraphim Bears" look that I love. So it has been put on the back burner many times. I have also armatured my bears in the past going back to my sculpting days in the movie and film industry when I was making prosthetic monsters and had to create a maquette of the design first and then create a mould... finally airbrushing the finished piece.

Then there is my hairdressing experience and dental assisting experience. I loved colour in hair and I loved making the molds of teeth in the dental practices... I spent this weekend dying my own mohair which I am very happy with the results but because I am creating this mohair specially for some bears for Silly Bears I cannot show you images of the mohair yet... one day I will.

So this new design I am working on will incorporate many levels of skills I have learned in my past. I love to research and have spent a lot of time reading and researching about colour, felting, armature, claws... you name it. But reading someone's technique is a far cry from trying to do it yourself. I do think it is a great help to find out what worked and did not work for another artist but you do still have to try it yourself to see what might become of it. No two artist are alike in my opinion so no matter what, your work will always be unique to you.

I have ready books, seen DVD's, read blog entries and blog tutorials like some from Dessert Mountain Bears with Joanne Livingston and chat forums like Teddy Talk or tutorials from Guild of Master Bear Crafters with Paula Carter and it is time to try out all that information myself.

I have ordered my new lockline style armature, I have dug out my felting supplies, I have begun drafting my new design/ pattern and at some point in the near future (I hope near future) I will be back with a new bear to show you all. This all started again because I have a challenge to do for the TBAI gallery and I got a vision of that I wanted to enter... that lead me straight back to my desire to create this new style bear.

When something just won't leave you alone it is best to just do it! DO IT! Stop procrastinating and do it. The worst that will happen is that I will end up with a fabulous bear that I never want to make again! Hahahaha The best is that I will fall in love all over again and incorporate a new line into my bears... a contemporary line that will go with my traditional bears that I have become known for.

So for any of you out there who are stuck, to scared to take the chance, to scared of what others might feel or think or just plain scared to try in case... something happens (like what?) I have this video for you to watch...

so, if DIANE ROSE can do it... so can I. So can you... I'll be back in a while but I need some "artist time" now to focus on this new bear so she/ he is perfect for you to see... or not perfect, but still for you to see.

Enjoy... you only get one life, at least this time around, so make it a good one! JUMP... you might just learn to fly.

Sneak Peek ~ Last two bear for the Tampa Bear Show

Well, my snow day today allowed me to get the last two bears completed for the Tampa Bear show:

Bianca is the larger ivory bear (20") and Hero (12") is her little well loved bear. Hero's right arm is detachable ~ he is part of my Parabear series.

I hope you like them. I am really looking forward to the sunny south especially after today's STORM in which we got a ton of snow and we are STILL getting it. I have been out shovelling paths in the backyard for the puppies (you have to do this when you have small doggies) and I am tired and a bit sore! But those babies are worth every bit of it! I love to watch them play in the labyrinth created by snow trails!

Now off to pack my suitcase! Only 14 more days till we fly!

Rediscovering Jane

Hello All

Well today is a snow day for me and I am lucky enough to be able to stay home today and finish up the last touches on the last two bears that will be coming with me to Tampa for the bear show with Bright Star Promotions.

I had been looking around on line yesterday to see if I could find some particular mohair and in my search I ran into a very familiar name...

I am sure many of your remember and loved Jane Perala bears...

Well maybe some of you are like me and did not realize that Jane stopped making her bears, according to Jane whom I wrote yesterday, 4 years ago.

And some of you may not know that Jane is now making FABULOUS hand blown jewellery which you can find here at her website...

Jane Peralal Designs Ltd.

Her work is just a lovely as her bears were and although Jane and I do not know each other she was one of my inspirations when I first began my bear making journey so I wanted to share her new found love with you all.

I hope you enjoy your journey rediscovering Jane Perala as much as I did.