11.29.2011

TREE TIME!

 it's here- sitting in our living room- without lights or decorations but it's official... it's Christmas time. Claude yelled out this morning- MERRY CHRISTMAS MAMA! MERRY CHRISTMAS PAPA! MERRY CHRISTMAS CLAUDIE! yes- a hearty well wishes to all today.

bits of white* and brights


* well, i suppose its far more cream than white but you get the idea. So many little things in the works this week- lots of small perfectly handsized animals for the tree... and much more that I'm still hashing out.  
The 12 days of Christmas starts on Thursday!

11.25.2011

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This December, instead of posting all the new Christmas and winter pieces as usual on my website I'll be posting 12 one-of-a-kind pieces, one (or more!) each day from December 1st thru December 12th on Ebay.

I'm still working on all the pieces and hashing out the details, but I hope to have a handful of ornaments, at least one pig, dog, elephant, bunny, mouse, cat, and a number of bears. Most will be Christmas-ie but there will be a few non-holiday pieces in there too. Each auction will be 5 days long and all will start out at $40.


Check the blog or ebay each day
(at around 12 noon CST) for the new listing...

11.24.2011

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL


I'm very very thankful for so many things, not least of which, the time I'll be spending with my family today- including this little boy who just keeps getting bigger and bigger (ohh yeah- we have him working on lots of home-repair projects these days).

hope you all have a wonderful day with family and friends!

11.22.2011

in this, the national week of baking...


I'll share my obsession of the moment: scones. I just made some up mid-afternoon for no one but myself. In my defense I did half the batch. These are from the Alice Waters cook book and are so easy- I dare to call them foolproof and rediculously delicious. Why does the ease of making something almost make it taste better? Anyway, I pull these scones hot out of the oven whenever I have friends over and clearly, if today is evedence of my behavior, for absoultly no reason at all. Enjoy:

Adapted from Alice Waters, the Art of Simple Food 
2 cups unbleached whole wheat flour (I've also done all white and half and half, and they don't take SO much better than the all wheat- so why not do a little something for your health while indulding?- GO ALL WHEAT!)
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
a scant 1/4 cup sugar (I use all turbinado)
1 1/3 cups cream

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Mix together in a large bowl the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and currants. Stir in the cream. Mix until the dough just starts to come together.  Turn out onto a floured surface and knead just enough to bring it all into a nice rough circle about 1".  Sprinkle with a little extra sugar (turbinado is perfect here). Cut into 8 wedges or 4 if you've halved your recipe... Place on a lightly buttered tray and bake for 17 minutes or until golden.

* add lemon zest, currents, dried cranberries, or anything else that strikes your fancy to gussy these up.

11.18.2011

- the worktable today - felt scraps everywhere -

 I'm working on all the turkeys today- (and I've got one still looking for a home).

11.17.2011

gobble gobble... gobble gobble... (repeat)






I'm taking orders for these 4 turkeys via email now. Email me if you'd like one, they'll be ready to ship Saturday and should (fingers crossed) arrive, within the U.S.,  just in time for the Thanksgiving Feast... (layaway not available on these pieces).  All the turkeys have found homes. THANKS!

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Bounty Turkey... $190 + Shipping
Mohair, 100% Wool Felt, Glass Eyes, Wired Legs, Stuffed with Excelsior, Paper Top Hat and Sign "Bounty", and Vintage Ribbon. 6" tall and about 7" long... Limited Edition of 4. 





Feast Turkey... $190 + Shipping
Mohair, 100% Wool Felt, Glass Eyes, Wired Legs, Stuffed with Excelsior, Paper Top Hat and Sign "Feast", and Vintage Ribbon. 6" tall and about 7" long... Limited Edition of 2. 


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11.16.2011

then and ...


TURKEYS in progress...


yesterday I hand dyed all the felt colors, today I started to work, tomorrow (fingers crossed) they'll be done. I'll only be making a handful... thanksgiving is just around the corner!

modern kids

 
Let me let you in on a little secret- I'm not really all that much of a baby/kid person. I like little people just fine, and I'm crazy for Claude, but I would not be the first on anyone's list for being a nanny or childcare provider of any type. Once while baby sitting, I forgot to give the kids dinner (this is an embarrassing but honest admission of my teenage self). I like to think my skills have grown quite a bit since then- lets hope so- but regardless of my own ease with kids I can't get enough of looking, watching, and sucking up all that good kid energy.  As a photographer and a mom I can capture it on occasion with my own family- but it's tough.

Enter Modern Kids. Headed up by my my friend Sarah Wert, Modern Kids is a photography company specializing in baby, kids, and family. Sarah's work kills me- it's an endless lineup of beautiful photos which are so much more than just kids portraits. These images illuminate all of the bright new baby life, playful kid energy, and all the in between messy goodness that is having littles in ones life. Luck for me, she might just do a little shooting for me in the future. Really, i can't wait to see what she comes up with- I'll be sure to share. Until then...

Check out more of her work on her website and blog, and if you happen to live in or around LA join in the fun with Modern Kids this weekend (wish we could be there!).


11.15.2011

Ernest - a gift - an auction - a reason to give

Back in July I made a bear for Bears that Care an auction to benefit ovarian cancer research, education and, awareness- it seemed a long time off, but now the date has arrived and the auction is this Friday November 18th. If you live in or around Melbourne Australia you can attend the benefit yourself- otherwise absently bid are accepted until Tomorrow! I know it's last minute, but that's sometimes the best way to work these things... do I have your attention now?! To see all the pieces up for auction donated by artists from around the world, go to the Bears that Care website.  (the website is a little clunky but just click on the 2011 Bears and page through each of the donated pieces by name- the first page comes up with just a few pieces but there is a link on the bottom of that page with the extended list)

ok, so here's how you can send in a bid for Ernest or any of the other pieces up for auction: Complete and submit the Absentee Bid Registration Form to register your bid or bids. Please note that bids must be received before 12 noon (Melbourne Daylight Savings time) on Wednesday,16 November.


“Ernest The Panda” (with lots of hope) 
is a one of a kind, hand-dyed pink mohair panda.  He has glass eyes with wool felt patches.  He is stuffed with organic cotton and excelsior.  He is fully jointed and sits 6” tall.  He has a cotton bow and has been lightly aged and worn. Please bid generously.

11.12.2011

hmmmm things are looking a little different around here...

MY NEW WEBSITE  (and blog!) are now up and running! come see the new design... it's been in progress for the last few months and I'm so excited that it's finally up. the shop and patterns are still in the works and I'll be sure to make an announcement when that portion of the site is ready as well, but for now, check out the detailed archive of my work, info about my process, and more photos from all the studios I've had over the years... hope you like it as much as I do.

bin of fabric and cotton...


I've been stuffing some of my pieces recently with organic cotton- I'm so used to stuffing everything with excelsior (wood shavings), which is dusty and hard on my hands- so this momentary reprieve from working with it has been a wonder. hello soft cotton- you are equally fluffy and beautiful.

11.11.2011

my morning nook

this is where I'm at this morning- my little nook between two work tables. it's a bit of mess in here, but I suppose that means there is work being done.... back at it. happy fall day to all.

11.02.2011

a small bear for a small boy...

I've been working on a number of small toys for kids and babies. This has long been my passion but it's been something I haven't been able to concentrate on for a number of reasons. This week I'm turning my attention in this direction- finally- again- for a while- lets see where this goes.

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