Takin' a break

I've decided to take a break from making bears for now. I'll probably get back to it some time after the holidays. The move just wore me out and my inspiraton and motivation just isn't there right now.

Not to mention that I've yet to set up my sewing room. It's awaiting a fresh coat of paint to cover up the planes, trains and automobiles that were painted on the walls for the prior occupant. Other than that, we're settled in to our new home. We just need to paint the entire inside of the house still (except the kitchen).

I do have several bears available still. I'll post them on my website, so take a look at http://www.swanvalleybears.com

Hyacinth

This is Hyacinth. She's my August bear of the month on "A Time for Primitives" website. She can be purchased from my website at http://www.swanvalleybears.com

Hyacinth is 11 inches tall standing and 8 inches sitting. As you can see, she can stand on her own with careful balancing but prefers to sit. She's made of the softest mohair and wears a shawl made of antique hand tatted lace and a silk bow on her head.

Barclay on A Time for Primitives

Meet Barclay. He is my July "Bear of the Month" on A Time For Primitives website. He's 12.5 inches tall, made from soft, pale gold, curly, dense mohair. He stands unassisted and has a soft, squishy tummy. You can check him out on my page at http://www.atimeforprimitives.com/ or my website at http://www.swanvalleybears.com/

Almost there . . .

Hello new home . . .

I think (I hope, I hope) it's OK now to reveal the new home. I waited until now so as not to jinx it. You never know what might happen into today's housing market. Escrows frequently fall out at the last minute. We're 9 days away from moving in. I'm exhausted from packing and only about two thirds of the way done. When we get there, I think I'll need a couple of days to lounge around before I start unpacking.

Admit it . . .

Ok, admit it. This is the cutest baby in all the world. He is so stinkin' cute, he couldn't be any cuter. (Written by proud Nana.)

The move is on . . .

Goodbye . . .
An "In Escrow" sign is hanging in our front yard and an "In Escrow" sign is hanging in the yard of our future home. Whew. For the next three weeks I'll be packing and deciding what color to paint after I remove wall paper. It will be a busy time for us in the next month.

Laundry Can Wait

This is one of my favorite bears, Fiona, who now lives in Reno, Nevada. I have entirely too much fun with my PhotoImpact program. It's like Photoshop but I like it better. And there are some fantastic digital scrapbooking graphics out there. So much fun. The laundry can wait.

Beau Harley of the Harley Clan

This is Beau Harley, who is the first member of the Harley Clan of bears.

Beau will be available on June 1st on my sales page at A Time For Primitives

I hope you'll take a peek at him.

Wide Eyed Wonder

Bear (the doggie)

With summer coming and temperatures in the 90's today, I decided that my little doggie, Bear would be much more comfortable with a "buzz". Not to mention the mess of shedding hair we would be avoiding. He was a perfect gentleman at the groomer's and doesn't seem to know he looks different. He hasn't looked at himself in the mirror yet though. So here are before and after pictures of Bear.

Happy Mother's Day

Tracy, Mom, Me and Paige 1995

Mom, my sister and me in 1955 (I'm the one with the all-day lollipop)

For everyone who is a mother, and everyone who has a mother (which I think is about everyone), Happy Mother's Day. I'm fortunate to live close to my mom and one of my two daughters. I spent the afternoon having dinner at a restaurant in Sacramento with mom and dad, the hubster, my Paigie and her beau. Mom received, from me, a digital picture frame which I pre-loaded with old and new family photos. I'm pretty sure she was thrilled with it. Miss Paigie gifted mom and me with gift bags full of delightful smelling stuffs for our bodies. Yummy shower gels, lotions, oils and all that kind of good stuff. Tracy and Tyson (daughter and her hubster in Tennessee) had their adorable baby son, Sullivan dedicated in church Mother's Day morning. I can't wait to see the video, the next best thing to being there.

The picture above is my mom, sister and me in 1955. I'm the little one with the all-day-sucker. Hmmm, no wonder I had so many fillings. I have a younger brother but he was born after my grandfather, the photographer, disassembled his darkroom. So, not so many pictures of him.

How much is enough?

Quite a lot of people are afflicted with this, hmmm, disease, syndrome, disorder, penchant? I'm not sure but I for one, can't come out of a fabric store with at least two or three pieces of fabric, even if it's only 1/2 yard. And, ribbons? Don't even ask. Next time I'll show you my ribbon stash. But, in the meantime, I'll share my fabric stash. Now, this is actually just the tip of the iceberg of my stash. When we put our house in on the market, I put about four times this amount into storage. There, I have whole bolts of flannels, fleece, terrycloth, tapestries and more. The fabrics pictured are cottons. I also have a stash of frilly, silks, tulle, satins, etc. just waiting for the perfect fairy bear or ballerina bear or, who knows, I might even make a doll or two. I know quilters who have about a gazillion pieces of fabric so I know this doesn't seem like much.
They're so pretty, I feel I have to display them like art. Here they are:

I'm baaaaaaack

I arrived home April 29th after a month long stay in Tennessee visiting Tracy and Tyson (TNT) and Sullivan (see their blog at TNTfamilytree.blogspot.com,link to the left). What a great time I had !!! I had such mixed feelings leaving. Who knows how long before I see my grandbaby again. I hope I can get back there some time in the summer. I'm going to miss TNT too. But I was getting a little homesick. And . . . I had a brand spankin' new computer waiting for me at home.

So I'm home, my computer is screamin' fast and I've hooked up a webcam and signed up for Skype to keep in touch.

Now, back to the business of creating.

Just a Little Homesick

Welllll . . . I've been in Tennessee for more than 3 weeks now helping my daughter during tough times. It's good to be here . . . I'm not tired of being here. I love being here with them and especially spending time with little Sullivan. He's grown leaps and bounds since I've been here. What a sweet, sweet babe ! ! !

But, I must say, I'm getting a little bit homesick. I miss the hubster and I know he misses me too. I miss my Paigie, my mom and dad and my doggies and my home.

I also miss being able to satisfy my creative outlet. We take this for granted you know, being able to create. Imagine, you have a gazillion ideas rolling around in your head, and they're just stuck there because . . . whoops, sewing room is 3,000 miles away. Eeeeeek, it's like having an itch you can't scratch. So in five days, I'll be home to the hubster, my Paigie, Mom and Dad, doggies and home . . . and my sewing room. Maybe in a week or so, I'll have pictures to show of the results of some of the gazillion ideas that have been rolling around in my head.

Greetings from Music City and A Time for Primitives

Well, I'm in Nashville for a month. I'll be here with my daughter and her family lending emotional and other support to them while their son, Sullivan, has eye surgery for infant glaucoma. So far, things are going well. At his Dr. appt. this morning, his eye pressures were much improved. Surgery is still set for Thursday afternoon.

The hubster has generously agreed to do my bear show for me on April 4, 5 & 6 at the Nevada City International Teddy Bear Convention. What a trooper. I am much appreciative ! ! !

Today is the grand opening of a website I have joined called "A Time for Primitives". Please check it out at http://www.atimeforprimitives.com/

If you like the primitive style, you'll love this web site. Although most of my bears aren't in the primitive style, I'm happy to be a part of this fun site.