To Postcard or Not To Postcard

Hello everyone:

After long contemplation as to why someone might want to promote themselves with a postcard as opposed to just a business card I have come to this conclusion:

When I get home from a show I ALWAYS have a handful of cards from all the booths that I liked and some that I truly loved... and then there are always the few that just get forced on you. So when I get home the madness ensues of trying to remember who each card belonged to. I mean there is only so much information one can put on a card.

With a postcard however one can include a picture! A picture is worth a thousand words right... well that is what I am hoping anyway. I have come home with a few postcards over the past few years and I really like that I remember the booth theycame from immediately without having to look them up on the Internet which takes time and for me often days and sometimes weeks to get through.

So after long contemplation and thought I decided to take the plunge and design a postcard for the up and coming Teddy Bear Christmas show this November. I hope you like it!

I haven't finished the back yet but here's the front!

ooooh and you get a sneak peak at a few of the bears that are ready for the show too! Lucky ducks you!

See my NEW mini pug dog design! I am sooooo happy with this little one named Cotton Candy! Reminds me of my little man... we are influenced by what we love!

Hear ye Hear ye

Today I am very pleased to announce:

Starting Wednesday December 1st Seraphim Bears will have three bears available for adoption through Silly Bears both in store (Aberdeen Scotland) and online: You get the first sneak peek at these three bears... I hope you like them:

 Bethany - 20"

 Loki ~ 4.5"

Pepper ~ 13"

We are truly blessed!

Thanks giving dinner was a great success!

So was the dip!

And the Turkey was perfect with stuffing and homemade gravy!

The company was even better and we were grateful for each other!

S had her birthday cake homemade by grandma R, a pineapple upside down cake!

Then all of the other harvest desserts created by Grandma R were brought to the table...

And it all ended with a lovely pot of flowering Jasmin tea!

How blessed are we!

Happy Thanksgiving to all my American friends ... it's not too much longer till you get to enjoy your meal!

URSA Winners Package arrived TODAY!

I recieved my package today in the mail from Valerie at Bears and Buds Magzine for the URSA awards win with my "Stevie" bear! What a WONDERFUL package of goodies! Thank you again to all of you who voted and thank you to Valerie for putting on such a fun and challenging contest!

As you can see.... the chocolate did not make it to the photo without being opened! Heheheee



Bottled Buttons

I finally got around to getting back on track with my buttons. I LOVE buttons and have a beautiful area in which to keep them in my basement. I also really have a thing for canning jars so the two together is just smashing to me. I was thrilled the last two days to get all my bags of buttons sorted and put into place. Now I have the beautiful fall colours outside and the beautiful buttons bring tons of colour inside!

Praying for the miners!!!! May they make it to the surface safely!

Playing Dress UP

Soon we'll be playing dress up with the bears...

The other day a friend of mine who runs an antique booth at some of the local fairs came by with a bag of goodies for me! She had said she would keep my eye open for me and was I ever surprised to see the treasures she had found.

I simply cannot wait to play dress up with my bears... ooooh but I'll need to make some bears as all that I have are completed and ready for the November Teddy Bears On Vacation show. It's hard to believe that the time is almost here already for my first show. I remember when I made the first post on here to let you all know that I was taking the plunge and it seems like only yesterday. Preparations are going well for the show and the bears are waiting for final touches like price tags and such but mostly I am ready and very excited.

I am also very low in mohair at the moment but will be attending one of my favorite shows this month where I intend to purchase more so I will have some great pictures to share with you soon.

Well, here are my new treasures... I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

 Pretty cotton slips and dresses and two beauties in light blue... so rare and lovely!

 This one is actually from Saks Fifth Avenue!

 Some sweet sweaters

Wish there was more of me cause I simply can not wait to see these on the bears!

Happy Canadian Thanks Giving Everyone!

Thanks Giving Layer Dip

So I thought I would share with you today a layer dip that I have created for our Thanksgiving dinner that we are enjoying today. This dip cuts out a ton of the calories of regular layer dips and also adds a TON of fiber!

Did you know that Avocado's have the most soluble fiber of any fruit? And the fat that they contain is healthy and they are super high in potassium! So we won't be skipping the guacamole today! Good thing too cause that's my favorite part!

So Here we go... Layer dip with all the fabulous flavour and low fat high fiber... can you REALLY have it all? YES you bet you can!

So today I am going to start this dip with the Guacamole layer however if you like beans.. which I do but my Father In Law does not so I have eliminated the first layer for him, you can create a bean layer fist. I don't like refried beans so I use white beans with a little lemon and a tiny bit of lite mayonnaise... say 1 can of beans to tsp of lemon and tbs of mayo. blend and spread on the bottom of your container. Honestly I don't even thing your guests will know it's beans on the bottom and you will be infusing them with tons of fiber!!! Awesome!!!

That brings me to my fist layer the avocado and I should also mention that this dip is really well presented when you use a clear glass dish so your guests can enjoy the beautiful colours of the layers!

I used 3 avocados

2 tbsp of lite Miracle Whip (it has more zip than mayo)

2 tsp of lemon juice or you can use lime if you like that better

You can also add 1/4 cup or red onion (optional)

2 tsp chopped garlic

Now here's the sneaky part...

I also add 1 cup of baby peas! This adds fiber and it keeps your guacamole GREEN!
Now blend all that together until smooth but a bit chunky too.

Now smooth that into your tray being careful not to mess up the sides of your pan...

you want all your layers to show as you build this dip!

For your next layer use

1 cup of 5% sour cream... I don't like the no fat stuff... it looses it's texture and besides, have you ever read the ingredients label of that one? I have a rule... If you can't say it don't eat it!

1 container of low fat garden vegetable cream cheese

1 tsp low sodium taco seasoning... have you ever seen how much salt is in taco seasoning... be careful and make your dip tasty without a ton of salt... trust me, you don't need it!

1/2 cup of lite mayo

Blend all together and VERY CAREFULLY smooth this layer onto your last layer

Next Layer is your Salsa layer... you can make it from scratch or purchase some

Once again watch those labels... you would not believe the amount of sodium they add into these premade salsas! Find a low sodium salsa instead as we could all due with a lot less salt!



WOW... it's really starting to look gorgeous now!

Next is your loose cheese layer. Find your favorite lite cheese and shred. Sprinkle over the top making a nice layer of colour... I like to use a two tone cheddar!

We are almost done... hang in there, it's gonna be worth it in the end!

Now we need to chop up our veggies for the top to add.. yes... MORE fiber but also colour and flavour

I like to use Orange and yellow pepper and green onion... but I only cut up the green chive part not the actual onion. Keep your pieces nice and small so your guests can get a bit of everything on each chip!

We need just a bit more colour so lets add that fresh tomato... choose your favorite kind! Chop it up into small cubes!



And finally stick in a couple nice chips in the centre right before serving for a nice finished look!

Dig in and enjoy... guilt free too!

I plan to serve this with two different kinds of chips, one blue corn and one yellow corn and both are organic, plus we will make some toasted pitas and cut them into small triangles for dipping. We use small whole wheat pita and lightly brush it with lite olive oil and infused with fresh garlic! You can add a LITTLE sea salt on these if you need some. Be careful when you are toasting these, it goes from "they are not toasting" to "Oh shoot... thier burned" in the blink of an eye! Don't walk away from that stove!

Have a very Happy Canadian Thanks Giving Tomorrow... I cannot believe this has to sit over night in my fridge without me having even a tiny little bite! Boo Whoooo!



I also really love numbers...
toady is 10 / 10/ 10...
I believe it's a lucky day...