Springing Forward

Today is the beginning of Daylight Savings Time here in California.  The old reminder to "spring forward" by resetting the clock forward an hour has me eager to spring into warmer weather.  Today my hubby, Vic and I got just a taste of spring warmth as we ventured into our back yard to pull a few weeds and do some general upkeep under deceptively sunny skies.  Goosebumps aside, it felt good to get some stuff accomplished out there. Our labors resulted in a hint of renewal and now I feel assured that Spring is on its way.

For the past few months, I've had the ol' messy studio blues, and have not been very productive in my small-bedroom creative space.  Ya see, over the years I have accrued a hearty plethora of tools and supplies that have aided and comforted my artsy heart.  When the moving truck hauled my booty (ha!) down to the more southern reaches of the state a couple of years ago, the capacious studio I once had was sacrificed in lieu of wedded bliss.  I'm not saying the honeymoon is over, but this little room is feeling a bit cramped, as more and more of the beloved supplies make their way from the storage unit across town to my itty-bitty studio-ette.  It has come to the point where my craft room resembles one of those square puzzle games I used to have as a kid (pre-rubik's cube) - the kind where you slide rows and rows of squares around to get the numbers into order.  No matter what task I need to do in my room, it requires shuffling stacks of totes filled with potential creative components.  I am entertaining some very sincere hopes (amid promises) of a new, improved studio to come.  Patience, Laure, patience.  Overcoming the obstacles, literally, I've managed to produce a new bear who, with his calm demeanor, does not seem to mind all the chaos here.  I'm pleased to introduce to you, Sweet Mo-Mo Ruffles.

Mo-Mo is 17 inches of lovingly-aged sweetness.  You can see his details here on BearPile, and while you're at it, how about liking him on my Fool's Gold Bears page on Facebook too.

Charmed by Old Toys

Right now I'm listening to Yo Yo Ma station on Pandora Radio.  I love this computer radio station because I get to choose artists or whole genres I like.  I have a list of about 20 different "stations" on Pandora that I can choose from any time.  It is free if you don't mind hearing 30 second ads every half hour.  If you want to lose the ads, you can opt to pay a small amount monthly.  I think it's only about $3.00 or so.  This rave was my own idea, not Pandora's.

Now on to bearland.  I'm enjoying this new bear cub shape and will remain here for a while, making small adjustments to the pattern from time to time.  This recent li'l girl bear is an inch taller than the first one, Boy-Toy, introduced in the last post.  Here is Miss Maisey.  She is 9 inches tall.

Miss Maisey 9 in. Bear

It's come to my attention that there are a number of bears that are asking to make their appearance.  They are all saying the same thing: "Once I was just a toy, but your love has given me life."  How can I possibly deny them?  I love this theme and am guessing it will occupy me for quite some time.  Please go to BearPile and see more of Miss Maisey right here.  And here is Miss Maisey on ETSY 

A New Boy-Toy (bear)

As I mentioned last post, I have had it in my thoughts to start making some more toy-like bears.  As I was about ready to put pencil to paper, I was spending a few minutes on FaceBook (Is that possible?) when I came across a picture from one of my friends that stopped me in my tracks.  It was a pair of adorable Grizzly Bear cubs.  They totally captured my heart with their precious baby shapes.   I began doodling, and it wasn't long before I felt the challenge to see if I could duplicate that charming shape in 3-d.  I'm very happy with the outcome.  To stay in the theme of my original intention of making toy-style bears, I decided to make the features simple and looking a bit play-worn.  I removed some fur from the muzzle and paws and colored them dark, and refrained from adding eyelids.  I embroidered his nose a bit sparsely and added embroidered claws.  I may yet come up with some more naiive designs, but this little one is my first step in that direction.  You can see more of Boy-Toy's particulars and pictures on BearPile right thisaway.  If you like my bears and want to see my blog posts in your email inbox, I'd be delighted if you'd sign up on the right to become a follower.



Boy-Toy 8 in.







A New Girl on the Blog

Today being Saturday, it seemed like a good day to make an excursion to the apple farm where we can find rare and delicious apples that never appear in our markets.  So I laid aside my bear pursuits while Vic and I piled in the car and took a relaxing drive out the winding country road through the woods to Gopher Glen Apple Farm.  It's always a treat to take in the nostalgic sights and smells there - reminiscent of a country farmhouse kitchen.  We sampled several unique varieties and each picked our favorite - trundling home with 20 lbs. of fresh apples!  Luckily, they keep well in the fridge, though we did have to scrunch to get them in there.  Ultimately, for the sake of making room, we made the tough decision to sacrifice the partially eaten strawberry pie to our bellies - slurp!

So now the time has come to debut the little bear I was teasing you with in the last post.  She measures in at 11 inches tall - a sassy, prissy li'l Southern girl who has a thang for Shabby Chic couture.  Here she is:

Sissy Sadie Shi-Shi La-La

She is the first with a new eye style I was trying out.  I'm very pleased with the new eye look and will continue using this method in some of my future creations.  I hope you will take a look at her complete description and see more pictures on BearPile. 

Next on my list of creative endeavors will be some simpler, naive-style bears.  I don't have them designed yet, but I have ideas floating around in my head.  In these next creations, I will attempt to create interesting, engaging presentations that are perhaps more toy-like in appearance but with lots of funky charm.  If this works out according to my plan, I will be able to offer them at a more budget-minded range.  Stay tuned.  If you want to make sure to catch the next Fool's Gold Bears blog when it is fresh, you can sign up to follow by email.



It's a Critter!

Okay, I really meant to post the next creation before it sold, but this one was spoken for almost the same hour I put him on BearPile.  It looks like I will need to begin synchronizing my bear debuts better amongst the various venues before I let them be seen.  I think I need a command central where I can just hit "go" and it will all happen at once.  Is that even possible?  I dunno!  The technology part of being an artist is really not my strong suit, you may have guessed - and you would be oh-so correct.  Unfortunately, technological pursuits don't hold my interest the way the fuzzy, engaging characters dancing around in my mind do.  So here is Thicket.  You can read more about him here.

And here is a quickie shot I just took of him with the necklace I made for him after the original photo
session was over.  The angle distorts him a little but you can still get the general idea.



And now for a little tease about the sweet little bear I'm working on at the moment, who will soon appear on the scene.  Here she is in the natural, having a chat with Thicket.  You can see some of the fluffy, frothy materials her costume will be made of.



This girly-girl bear has a new style of eye for me, which I am really liking.  She will look a bit shabby-chic.  I hope I've got you all on pins and needles - so to speak.

Bye-bye Panda Allegro!

Here is Panda Allegro, an imposing 26 inch tall mohair fellow.  He has already found a loving home.  I meant to post him here in the blog first, but it didn't work out that way this time.   You can see his complete description on BearPile here.   

We will miss you, Allegro, but we are happy that you are appreciated in your new home and have lots of furry companions there.

One other new Fool's Gold creation slipped under the blog radar recently.  I'll post that one here soon.  Wishing you happy days. 

I'm So Excited!!!

I'm all on pins and needles, waiting for the Teddies Worldwide online bear show to open.  This is one of the largest, if not THE largest online bear show of the year - and I'm in the show!  The theme this year is Teddy Bear's Tea Party.  This is a fun opportunity to see lots of great bears in their party finery, from nearly 100 artists, each with 5-10 brand new bears.  Attached is a preview of Rosie, a 16 in. party-going bear from Fool's Gold Bears (moi!)  You can log onto www.teddiesworldwide tonight to see preveiws from many artists, and tomorrow through Monday to enjoy the show (March 23-26).  A yummy added bonus is a collection of recipes for teatime treats from the artists - and trust me, bear artists appreciate good treats!  Have a great time at the party!