Seraphim Bears 100 Bear Milestone Giveaway!

Hello Everyone:


Seraphim Bears has now created 100 bears and counting!!!! So I would like to say thank you to all of you by having a FREE GIVEAWAY BEAR. This is going to be a very special bear - a gift of my appreciation for your support and love.

On my side bar you will see a voting poll - it's located at the very top right hand side... here is where you can decide what style of bear you want! And just to refresh your memories I am posting here two bears in each of the styles so you know what's what. (These bears are just examples of style - the contest bear will not be made until October 2012 after the results of the poll have been taken)

TRADITIONAL

BEARDED MELANCHOLY

Pinkaboo was bear number 100!!!

The first poll which will dictate the style of bear will go until the last day in August.

The second poll will dictate whether the bear is a boy or a girl and will go on for the month of September.

October will be my month to create your bear and we will do the draw then also... I will post a draw date when I get the bear near completion.

Until then, you need to know How To Enter for the FREE GIVEAWAY Bear:

To get your name in the pot: email me or comment here to let me know you participated in the poll.

Post on your blog or Facebook page about my giveaway and poll vote - this will put your name in the pot a second time.

You will have a third chance to get your name in the pot nearer to the end of this giveaway.

Thanks for participating in Seraphim Bears 100 Bear Milestone Giveaway!

TIME TO VOTE for the URSA 2012

Time to vote for the URSA awards 2012 ROUND ONE: VOTE NOW TILL JULY 29th
Final voting begins August 11th to September 7th

Seraphim Bears has three entries this year in the 2012 URSA awards and we  need your votes to help us along in this competition.

The first entry is in category # 3- Medium Bare Bears. Her name is Saxifrage

The second is in category # 5 - Large Bare Bears. Her name is Sweet Juliet (alternatively named Sera-Fina)

The last is in category # 19 - It's All the Same - Bunny and his name is Little Lord Velvedere

Here are the RULES:

You can only place one vote per category. Please follow this rule and we will keep this competition honest!

HOW TO VOTE:

Follow this link: URSA 2012 Awards Competition

Once on the page view your choices
Find the bear you like
Go to the very bottom of the page and click on the word VOTE

This will take you to a new page where you can click on the bear you wish to vote for.

Go to the bottom of that page and click the word VOTE! That will place your actual vote for your choice in that category.

*** If you get a notice that says you have already voted and you have NOT voted in that category, you will need to clear or delete all the cookies from your computer. Then try to vote in that category again!***

Once you have placed your vote in the category, go back with your back button and click the big arrow at the bottom of the page that will take you to the next category in the competition!

Follow all these steps again until you have reached the end of the competition.

THERE IS NO CATEGORY # 13... wouldn't want to cause any bad luck!

Thank you all for participation in this competition. We couldn't do it without you, nor would we want to! You're what makes this all fun... this contest is for you so have fun while you enter another year of the URSA awards!

Winners will be announced on OCTOBER 1st 2012


 

Hidden Gem - A local show

Yesterday I found a little gem of a show right here in my town. Here is a little something about me that many of you do not know... I don't read the newspaper. I am very sensitive and like to have my news censored so I have my people (LOL, my husband and mother in law) who do read the paper daily, and they tell me anything they think I might need to know. I do watch the big city news on TV but only the morning news which is much tamer! It has helped with stress in my life tremendously.
Back to the gem: There was a doll and teddy bear show right here in my town yesterday and even better it was just minutes away from home!

Here are some of the fabulous finds that I saw there:

While there I found just the right thing for my bear Maybelline to give her the finishing touch. She now wears a beautiful, authentic 1930's style wool swing coat which suits her to a tea. As you can see she is ready to head off to the factory to help her men at war.

The new bears still have the same traditional style but I have changed the way they are shaded and used much smaller eyes.

After finding Maybelline's new coat I came home, dressed her and went back to the show to share her with the lady I purchased the coat from. She was a big hit at the show and met many people. She is now reserved for a very special buyer... the lady who sold me the coat! They fell in love and looked so happy together. How fabulous! When Maybelline makes her journey to her home I will be sure to get photos for you all to see. We have been invited for tea to browse through her antique clothing and fit some more bears with fabulous outfits! As it turns out Joyce lives only minutes away from my Mum so I will be delivering Maybelline in person. Joyce is a beautiful lady and I am very excited to join her in her home and get to know each other better.

Here I am with Maybelline on our way back to the show. I will post more photos of Maybelline soon ... after our photo session.

Sneak Peek of a new bear and new design

FINALLY a sneak peek of a new Seraphim Bear and new design also. This is Blueberry Bill... He will be ready soon. Just some final touches on his handmade boat!

Orphan for sale

For the first time at least to my knowledge, one of my mini bears is back up for sale as an orphan.

The owner is in France and has her up for sale on bear pile at a very low price...

I can verify this bear is still in good shape as she has only had her for a short time and has now posted new images that she herself has taken.

If anyone loved Raggamuffin ... now is your chance to be her new forever home.

If you have any questions about this bear please feel free to ask me personally and I will be happy to answer them.

Here is Raggamuffin's link:  Click here to see Raggamuffin

Have a wonderful day!

PS NEW BEARS AND NEW DESIGNS ARE ALMOST READY TO SHOW YOU....

Canada Day Cake

Happy Canada Day:

Thought I would share with you today this Canada Day Cake... actually two different cakes all because of a small oopsiedaisy that happened and caused me to have to make a whole new cake.

Normally and what you see in the first photos you purchase a pound cake, cut it into 10 slices and line the bottom of your pan with that. Then you mix a jelly mix (something red) with one cup of hot water until completely dissolved. Once that is dissolved COMPLETELY you add two cups of ice cubes and stir CONSTANTLY until the mixture begins to thicken (this is where we went wrong with one of our cakes). Once the mixture is nice and thick you stir in 1 cup of strawberries and then pour and spread this mixture over your cake bottom that you have laid into the pan. Put into fridge 15 minutes and once totally firm spread your cool whip evenly on the top. Lastly take your strawberry slices and create your Canadian flag! Place in refrigerator till you are ready to serve.

Dissolve your jello in 1 cup of hot water. Make sure it is completely dissolved.

 Lay out your pound cake slices to cover the bottom of your pan.

Once your jello is dissolved and ice cubes dissolved add your 1 cup strawberries to the mixture.

Pour this mixture over your cake base and spread out evenly!

  Be careful with your knife while slicing your strawberries! LOL!

Spread your cool whip evenly and lay out your strawberry slices in the shape of the Canadian flag! Cousin Lisa created this beautiful version of our flag!

Now in my case: We (my cousin and I) decided to do two cakes at once... apparently this was too much! One of the jello mixtures did not get properly dissolved and then when the ice cubes were added it caused all the jelly agent to stick and become sheets of nasty sludge. When I poured my mixture onto my cake is completely soaked my cake and made it all soggy! NOT nice and totally unacceptable. I tried to wait over night to see if it would still set but alas... this did not happen and I could not serve this to my guests coming to our home today. So....

With all the stores closed today for Canada Day I had to come up with something new. I had flour and eggs, some brown sugar and margarine in the house and even some creme of tartar so I decided to bake a pound cake from scratch at 5:00am. The nice thing is I was able to bake it in a pan that is the same size as my serving dish so I did not have to piece the bottom together.

 The Joy of Cooking cookbook has saved the day on may an occasion!

Flour, eggs, sugar, butter, vanilla, cream of tartar and a pinch of salt... pound cake! Whaawhoo!

Butter and flour your pan for easy release of the cake!

Pour batter into pan and smooth out evenly! BAKE and in a short time you will have a perfectly sized and shaped base for your Canada Day cake!

Almost ready!

I did not have any more jello in red but what I did find in my cupboard was a vanilla pudding mix that is pretty much white so I felt that would work and I had some strawberry preserve in the fridge too... that will work!

I first poked holes in the cake and then spread the preserve on while the cake was still hot out of the oven. Then once the cake cooled I put 1 cup of sliced fresh strawberries on nice and even! Then I mixed my pudding mix and spread that on and put the whole cake in the fridge for 3 hours while I went back to bed for a while.

 Poked holes while still hot and spread strawberry preserve evenly on the top!

Place fresh strawberries evenly on the top of your cake!

Smooth your vanilla pudding evenly and let cool!

When I woke up I spread the cool whip that I was able to save off my first attempt at this cake onto the top. It takes some time to get it smooth so just be patient and use a light touch. Then back into the fridge till my husband was ready to place the strawberry slices on the top to create the Canadian flag.

 J did a great job of creating our flag in his artistic way!

So that my friends is how I saved the Canada Day cake. I know my cousin will be enjoying her version today with her children and husband. I am sure it will be fabulous! I am also looking forward to trying my homemade version today with MIL and Grandmother... what a lovely way to celebrate the joyousness of being Canadian!

HAPPY CANADA DAY... BON APPETIT!

If any of your attempt this cake as an independence day flag cake I would love to see your version!