Meet Duyi...



Duyi is a pandaphant (an elephant in a panda style) that we created for a new collector in the UK.   Jack and I were talking about making a pandaphant, because I love pandas so much.  A few days later we received an email from this collector requesting one!  So we were so excited to create it for him.    You could call it a coincidence, but I think it was fate! lol!

Our collector named him Duyi because it means "extraordinary one" and I think that name fits him just perfectly!



I'm slow this morning, so I should get my daily dose of coffee so I can recharge and get to work.  We have to ship a few bears and I better get a few things from the grocery store or we'll have nothing to eat!

The sun is out, the birds are singing, the backyard is almost dry again....It feels like Spring has arrived.   I hope it lasts as I've had enough of the rain.

We have a special bear available this week on ebay named Lucky!  He's perfect for the upcoming St. Patty's day holiday.  St. Patrick's day is one of my favorite holidays....What could be better than green beer and leprechauns? 



You can see Lucky here:
LUCKY'S EBAY PAGE

Jack and I are both in "new design" mode.  My studio is such a disaster! I have new projects, custom orders, bears to sew, bears to stuff....it's chaos.  But I love it this way.  Jack is just as busy as I am, but somehow his studio looks so neat and tidy....maybe I should go work in his studio.  I could have it looking like mine in no time at all!

Speaking of custom orders, this is a mini black bear that we created for a new collector in Ohio.  His name is Sean and he's super adorable.



Time to get back to my tornado stricken studio and get some stuffing finished.  If you don't hear from me for awhile please send in the National Guard as I've probably gotten lost in a pile of mohair, muslin, and stuffing!

I officially have.....CABIN FEVER!

It is STILL raining.  It has been raining for so long that I have forgotten the last time we were able to take the dog for a walk.   Jack and I have been planning on going to Old Town Temecula to walk around,  snoop in the antique stores, and have lunch at this wonderful little outdoor restaurant/bar that has the best burgers....when the rain stops.



The good thing about being stuck indoors is that we have been working on a lot of new projects!

This is Rory, a custom bear that is on his way to Ohio.  He is a big guy at 20" tall!  He has hand-dyed hunter green fur, and all four of his paw pads are needle felted wool.


We have a really cute new elephant on ebay this week.  His name is Bailey and he is made from Schulte mohair that I hand-dyed a pretty blue color.  This fur is a little longer than the fur I used for our first elephant, and I think it turned out really fantastic. 



You can see Bailey's ebay auction page here:
BAILEY'S AUCTION PAGE

Time for some coffee!
Hugs,
Erin

This is our latest panda Chi.  We finished him up yesterday, and I think he turned out fantastic.  He is made from extra long black and white mohair, and he has the brightest blue eyes. 

It's STILL raining.  It has been raining since last Thursday, and we are all ready for the sun to come out.  It's raining so hard that the dog doesn't even want to go outside. lol.  On the bright side, the forecast says that it should stop by tomorrow.  I sure hope so because our backyard is looking like a lake!

Today is a busy bear day - Time to get to work!
Hugs,
Erin

Well our warm sunny weather has left us for now.  It rained so hard last night that it woke me up several times.  We usually walk Ozzie by 6 AM, but he was out of luck today as it is just downpouring.   It's suppose to be dark and dreary all weekend.  I don't mind too much as it will keep me indoors and help me get caught up on some sewing and stuffing! lol.

We have a quick 3 day auction running right now for Stitch, a 5" mini panda bear.  I love this little guy as he has such a cute expression and I'm always partial to panda bears. 



Some exciting news!  Our black bear NIgel is featured in the current Spring 2009 issue of Teddy Bear and Friends magazine!  One of our collectors in Ohio gave me a heads up that he was in the issue, and I was on pins and needles waiting for my issue to arrive.  I'm always so excited to see our bears in print! lol.



I'm off to have my coffee and then get to work!
Hugs,
Erin

Happy Monday and what a busy day it has been!  Today we spent most of the day finishing up painting the dining room (which I think we are going to make a sitting room).  We painted the trim and around the windows, and it really looks nice.  We chose the color "Khaki" and I think it was a really good choice.  Now I feel like just putting my feet up for a while.  Painting is a lot of work! lol

Tomorrow will be a busy bearmaking day.  Jack has been working on a beautiful large green bear for a collector in Ohio.  I'm really excited to see him finished as this is the first time we have felted the paws on our large 18" style bear, and I know it's going to look fantastic.  I'm working on a few custom order bears that I need to stuff, and I also have several custom elephants to get traced and cut out. 

We have a new bear available on our website.  He is made from the extra long fur that I love so much.  His name is Hugh, and he is a 12" tall solid black bear with fabulous detailing.  He is really quite stunning.  Jack created a colorful tag for him which really stands out against his black mohair. 



You can see more photos of Hugh here.   Have a wonderful rest of the day.  I'm off to relax for a bit.

Hugs,
Erin

I've been wanting to create an elephant for a REALLY, REALLY long time.  I've tooled around with many different designs, and went through endless pieces of mohair.  I knew what I wanted, I just couldn't get that image in the "fur" so to speak.  So I did what I should have done a long time ago....I asked Jack for help!  Jack designed the head, which ended up being EXACTLY what I envisioned in my head.

This is Ellie, a 5" white elephant:



Jack did so many extra special things with her such as her little nose detailing at the end of her trunk:



I made her from dense white Schulte mohair, and her inner ears are ultrasuede.  This is the first time I have used ultrasuede, and I really like it.  Not only is it super soft, but it moves really nicely too.

You can see a lot more photos of Ellie on her ebay listing page here:
Ellie's Ebay Listing

I'm off to cut out a black bear before I go to bed!
Hugs,
Erin

This is Dab, our latest mini bear that we have on ebay this week.  He is made from light butter yellow plush.  We normally work with mohair for the bears, but I wanted to try some different fabrics for the mini's.  Working with plush is interesting as it really gives the creations a whole different look.  This particular plush is super soft and dense, and I love the buttery color.  You can see more about Dab here. 

We have been working on some new designs this past weekend, and I'm really excited to get them finished.  Jack is working on a panda made with long cream and white mohair.  It's looking so cute and I can't wait until he's done with it. 

Time to get to sewing!
Hugs,
Erin

I always love the beginning of the year.  Everything seems fresh and new, and it always feels like a new chapter is beginning.  2009 marks our 4th year, and I was just browsing our Gallery page looking at how much our bears have evolved over time.  Each bear from our earliest to our latest has their own special meaning to me, and I can't wait to see what fun and exciting designs 2009 will bring!



This is our latest miniature bear Trace.  He stands 5" tall, and is made from hand-dyed Schulte mohair.  Jack gave him such a sweet face, and he has really pretty light golden brown eyes. 

We're having a dose of summer weather right now, which we are just loving.  It is so nice to be able to have the windows open again.  That is until Ozzie starts barking at the neighbors, birds, cars, and anything else that moves or makes noise outside. lol.

Time to get back to stuffing!
Hugs,
Erin

This is Marc, our latest custom bear that will be shipping off to France.  He is a 12" rainbow panda bear, which I think turned out just beautiful. 



He is sitting in our glass case right now waiting to be on his way to his new home, and everytime I walk by I have to stop and admire him.  I told Jack that I would like a rainbow panda for myself! lol.

Yesterday we all went to Ontario Mills, which is a huge mall/outlet center in Ontario, CA.  We did a lot of walking and shopping, and it was a really nice day.  



My mother brought me some leftover fleece that has dog bones on it, and red pleather that she had leftover from making some dog coats for my sister's dogs.  I think I'm going to make Ozzie a doggie bed with it, so I'm on the hunt for just the right foam or fill to put inside.

Speaking of Ozzie, my mother got him this huge bone the other day.  Can you tell that he loves it?



I can't believe that this is the last day of 2008!  This year has just flown by.  We're looking forward to another fun and exciting year with all of our collectors, family, and friends!

Off to the fabric store!
Hugs,
Erin

Happy Holidays!  We had a wonderful Christmas yesterday.  My parents are visiting, and we had a great day.  Mom and I made a turkey dinner, and we're getting ready to have leftovers for dinner tonight.  Yum!



Jack and I have a really sweet new mini available  named Flake.  He turned out so adorable, and I just love his expression.  He is just a wee 5" tall.  I think Jack does an incredible job on the tiny details on our miniature bears.  You can see more pics of him on our available page.



We also finished the multi-colored mini that I've mentioned before.  She turned out just wonderful, and the collector decided to call her Angel, which I think is such a beautiful name, and so fitting for this time of year.

Time for Christmas leftovers!
Hugs,
Erin

This is what our city looks like right now here in Southern California.   The mountain tops all around us are covered with snow, and the last few mornings we have woke up to frost and freezing temps.   Even the lower elevations are getting quite a bit of snow this year.  (Thanks to Eric Madrid for the use of his photos.)   This is our first winter in this area, and I'm hoping that not EVERY winter is this cold! lol.



We have a wonderful new panda available on our website named Georgia.  She is made from peach and white mohair, and I think her name fits her perfectly.   She is such a pretty bear, and peach is one of my favorite colors.  You can see more pics of her on our available page.

Time to get back to sewing and keeping warm!
Hugs,
Erin

I know it's not even Christmas yet, but I'm completely ready for SPRING!  Southern California is in the middle of a winter storm today, and it's raining cats and dogs outside.   Ozzie wasn't able take his morning walk, so we have a very restless dog today.  It's suppose to continue through Wednesday.  By that time we may need an ark for the backyard. 

We have a really cute new mini bear on ebay this week.  His name is Crumb, and he is just 5" tall.  I love his bright blue eyes and adorable expression. 

You can see his ebay listing here:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=320325342427 

I should go get a bear cut out this morning (I'm making a mini from the blue/green/purple middle piece of fur in the post below).  This week I'm working on a large custom bear, a few mini bears, a long haired panda, and hopefully I'll get around to working on finishing up painting the living and dining rooms.  Jack is working on several different bears, so he's a busy bee also!

Have a great day!

Hugs,

Erin

I finished dying some rainbow fur this weekend, and I thought I'd post a pic for you all to see.  A collector has requested a custom mini bear, so I emailed this pic to her this morning so she could choose one for her bear.  She chose the fur on the right, which is combination of pink, green, blue, and purple.  I think all 3 furs turned out really pretty. 

It's COLD here today.  In fact it may be in the 30's tonight.  Brrr!  But Thursday it is suppose to be in the 80's.  We have been having strange weather!  This is perfect crock pot weather - so I put a pork roast in the crock pot this morning.  Yum!

Hugs,

Erin

Jack and I finished a new miniature bear today.  He is our second mini bear,  and he was really fun to create.  His name is Dash, and he is made from dense black mohair.  

Dash is on ebay this week, and you can see him here:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=320323678279 

I dyed several pieces of fur today for custom orders, so my hands look like an easter egg.  I know I should wear gloves, but I find it too difficult to work with the mohair wearing them.  It usually wears off in a few days though. 

Last week Jack and I started painting our dining and living rooms.  We chose sort of a taupe color for the living room and Khaki for the dining room.  The first coat looks really great, and I'm looking forward to finishing it.  It's so nice to paint over all the stark white walls!

Hugs,

Erin

We finished a custom order bear yesterday that I think turned out so fantastic.  The collector has decided to call him Snowdrop, which I think is a perfect name for him.  I dyed his fur a pale blue, and Jack shaded him using different shades of blue and purple. 

Snowdrop will be off to the UK after Jack finishes his personalized tags. 

Our adorable bear Lyle is available on ebay this week.  He's such a cutie! 

Time to get some sewing done!

Hugs,

Erin 

I officially have a new obsession! Mini Bears!  We have been wanting to create a miniature bear for quite a while, and this is our first mini Speck!

Speck stands just 5" tall, and was such fun to create.  Since he is so small I had to sew him entirely by hand, and the process was quite different from our larger bears.  Now that we have completed Speck I think I may have "mini fever"! 

Speck is currently listed on ebay.  You can see him here:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=320320294086 

I'm working on a different variation of this design, and I also may try an even smaller bear.  However, all bear creating will be put on hold this afternoon as I have desserts to make for Thanksgiving tomorrow!  I plan on making a chocolate cream pie, a cherry cheesecake, and perhaps some monkey bread.   It's not easy cooking in the kitchen with a large puppy under foot, who can put his chin on the counter!

Hugs,

Erin

Hi There!

I wanted to show you all two new bears that Jack and I finished today.  First is Jester, a gorgeous colorful panda, that we have listed on ebay for the next 5 days:

He is made from my favorite 2" long mohair.  I dyed his arms, legs and ears a rainbow of colors, and Jack gave him beautiful multi-colored highlights and shading.  I especially love the colorful needle felted wool paw pads!  You can see more photos of Jester on his ebay auction page here:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=320319167652  

I'm also so excited to show you our latest custom bear.  This is Mochi, a 9" bear with the most adorable face!  I just love him!  This is the first time that Jack has created a fully felted muzzle on this body style, and I think it turned out so incredible.  This cute little guy was created for a wonderful collector in Singapore.

Hugs,

Erin

We received the new Bear Garden catalog in the mail, and to our delight we discovered that our bear Frost has been chosen to appear on the front cover!  (He is the fourth small photo depicting the Artist Bear section.)

We are just ecstatic about it!  I've been pouring over the catalog, and the selection and artistry is just incredible.  I'm not finished yet as there is so much to read and see.   The artists bears are just amazing, and I love all of the new Steiff and R. John Wright pieces!   I'm also very fond of the new Charlie Bears manufactured line.  You can request your own catalog on The Bear Garden website here:  http://www.beargarden.co.uk/ .   Make sure you explore their website if you haven't had a chance - it's a real treat and you'll be glad you did!

I should get back to work as I have a panda staring at me that is waiting for a mouth. lol.  Speaking of pandas, Jack is finishing up a beautiful panda that we should have photos of later today.  Have a great day!

Hugs,

Erin