happy boy's day!

A very happy Boy's Day to all who are lucky enough to have boys in their lives as we certainly do around here!  I found this little kid-craft via Pinterest from here.  Cute, right? 

5 is fantastic

We had a birthday in out house today...our youngest is five years old!  I gave him a bear he's been wanting and I made him a little sewing kit too.  There were also some great dinosaur related presents as he's big on all things prehistoric at the moment, and a new obsession: Monchhichis.  I's good to have diverse interests, right?!  And check it out:  I got a FIVE year old to take a nap!

valentine

My little loves made such pretty valentines for their classmates this year.  They each made a drawing which we had copied on card stock and then they painted each one with watercolors.  It always gets a bit daunting for a little kid (or anyone for that matter) to make 30 of anything but they did it and felt very satisfied in the end. 

Happy Valentine's Day!

chickens for babies

 

I just made these little chickens for a very dear friend who is about to welcome two little ones into the world.  They are made of some super-soft vintage blanket wool my mom gave me and have a rattle inside.  I've been thinking about REAL chickens a lot and I'd really like to keep a few in our backyard. I keep thinking I'll get serious about it when our backyard is in order but that just never seems to happen!  Maybe this summer?

outside/inside

This past weekend there was a kite festival out on the frozen lake near our house.  It was (relatively) warm and very windy which was perfect for January kite flying.  That wind brought in some very cold weather however;  today it was -12 F when the kids went out the door for school!  It looks like we will have to resign ourselves to indoor activities for the next several days but our house and my studio are toasty warm, I have work to do for the new semester, and my kids are pretty good at finding ways to keep busy inside.  Bundle up, Minnesota!

maxine's bear

I love the gorgeous color of this handsome guy.  I've had such fun making toys for the nicest customers lately.  I feel lucky.

bits of bears

These are just some casual shots of bears at various stages from the last couple of months. I try to always get a good "formal" picture of each toy before it leaves the studio but in the mad rush of the holidays I think I missed a couple.  I just finished my last custom order for a while and am gearing up for lots of teaching in the next semester and into the summer.  I miss making toys when I'm not doing it but in order to make time for other projects I have to take a break with the toys for a while.  I'm looking forward to sharing other things with you here like projects with my kids and my own drawing and painting. 

merry christmas to you

I've finally had a couple of day to make Christmas treats and put together little presents with the kids.  Ive been totally content hanging around the house this weekend making buttermints and peppermint maringues and these little ornaments from Purl to give as gifts.  I'm not sure I can say my boys have been quite as thrilled with the mellow weekend but they'll survive. There is so much excitement and anticipation around here about Christmas!

I sincerely hope you all have a wonderful and safe holiday season.

roman's bear

He's a Black Bear from the Northwoods and he belongs to a very sweet boy (with amazing parents).

thank you

Thank you all...for supporting my work by buying it, sharing it and saying kind words about it.  It is always such an amazing feeling to fill up my shop with my toys and get such a great response.   Lots of things got snapped up right away but there are still a few things left including this bear which might be my favorite new toy. (By the way, I'd like a pair of pajamas just like these for Christmas, please.)  My work is not done yet as I still have a couple custom orders to finish up and a couple little presents to make before Christmas. The semester is winding down now too and soon I'll be enjoying a much needed break.  I'm not able to take on any custom work right now and I'm not sure when I will again.

I'm headed to the post office with your orders tomorrow as long as I can make my way through the snow.  We got somewhere around 10" of it today so it seems we will have a white Christmas here after all!

Also, apologies for not getting the work up on my site at exactly noon on Saturday.  I learned something:  While the i-phone Etsy app makes it really easy to do business on the go, reception from inside the family locker room at the YMCA just doesn't cut it!

the holiday update!

Now in the shop...

 

another peek (and some info about the update)

I'm getting excited about this update.  It's been so long since I did one...it feels good to finally be able to stock up my shop.

I've had a few questions about the update and about buying from Etsy so I'll try to address some of them:  I'll add everything I have to offer for the update to my shop at noon (CST) on Saturday.  Nothing will be sold before then.  You can now pay with either Paypal or credit card in my shop.  If you see something you know you'd like to purchase, it's probably smart to put it in your cart and check-out right away.  Until you actually go through the check-out process someone else can still buy it.  If you to go back to my shop and buy any additional items I can adjust the shipping for combined items later, no problem.  I do ship overseas.  I use USPS priority shipping with insurance unless otherwise noted.

In between swimming lessons, violin recitals and other going-ons I'll be checking in on my shop messages and also my email all weekend so I can answer any additional questions. I hope you find something you like!

there will be brooches

I'm going through photos tonight for the update on Saturday.  I'm feeling pretty clever for getting the pictures taken outside on Monday during a very small window of time in which it was both sunny and unseasonably warm.  That may not happen again for about five months! 

on the shelf

little details (another peek)

Things are shaping up in the studio this week.  I love fussing over the little details!  Thank you so much for your concern and well wishes;  it is very much appreciated and we are all okay here.