New "Little Friends" coming along

Where have the last days gone? New little bears are eager to get into the world so I'd better get busy!! Wonderful Christmas gifts of books are giving me lots of inspiration - especially in the "little friends" category. Soon my web site will feature a new page of them and tales of fairies and woodsy creatures are dancing in my head! Here's a little guy I've had fun finding in the vintage rayon and just loved his photo shoot! Isn't he photogenic?? His name is Wee Much, the Acorn Gatherer. Oh I forgot to mention, he's 4 inches tall! and his acorn cap is a real one.

Balmy Weather!

I wish I had a new little bear to show, but I must comment on our gorgeous weather here in southern Virginia. The temperature reached nearly 80 degrees yesterday and Travis and I had a fine time raking up the late falling leaves. Of course, today it looks as though we didn't rake at all. Some of the trees try to hold on to their leaves until Spring and today, it felt just like Spring with those high temperatures. I'm hoping this weather will last a long time! Did I mention that I'm from Florida?!?

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

Cold weather has finally come to Southern Virginia - about time I guess! There are still lots of leaves on trees which are usually bare by now. I'm working on orders for Christmas and hope to have a little bear duo on Ebay before long!

Monique is thrilled!

I'm happy to report that little Monique has found a home and will be going possibly with Cody to her new Mom soon. These little ones won't even make it to my web site! I'll be back tomorrow with a little cutie named Aurora! The weather here is finally cold, but seems to find those warm bursts now and then. Rose loves morning "walkies" no matter what the weather. I'm so glad that she insists on an early morning walk as it takes me out into the most wonderful time of day. We still have a great deal of leaves on the deciduous trees - very odd for almost December!

Monique

Here's a little lady that's looking for a home! She's about 5 1/2 inches tall and is fully jointed. Monique's fur is a sparse, curly, mohair and her eyes are a sparkley black glass. She is wearing a hand knitted red mohair scarf and a white silk bow. I'll be putting her on my web site for adoption soon, but if you know of a good home for little elphants, please let me know! Her adoption fee is $175 plus $10 shipping and insurance worldwide.

New Little Bears!

Here are two little bears that will be available on my web site soon. Both little guys are about 6 3/4 inches tall and made of mohair. They have glass eyes and hand painted eye detail. Cody is brown and gold with a brown nose while Nutmeg is similar in fur color with an almost pumkin colored nose, eye detail and ultra suede paw pads. Cody has brown paw pads. The bears are each $185 and shipping and insurance is $10 worldwide.

Grand Shows!

This past weekend was such fun and just exhausting! The Online Bear Artists Online show was Friday and Saturday and the Hunt Valley Show was Sunday. I had so much fun and enjoyed seeing friends and meeting new ones as well as adding to my bear collection! I adopted a puppy dog from Francisco C. Stewart and is he wonderful! I have wanted one of Francisco's creations for a very long time and was thrilled to get Robert, the dog.
I've ordered new fur from the mini bear supplier as my new little bears received good comments as I showed the first one around so I can't wait to get started. I'll be posting photos when they are born!

Mario and Sydney

Here's the last piece for the Winter Warmer BAO show. Mario and Sydney are a couple of chums named for my favorite Pittsburgh Penguin Hockey stars. Mario, in this case is the bear and young Sydney is the penguin. Mario is made from a wonderful South African mohair and Sydney is sculpted from polymer clay. They both have glass eyes. Mario's are black and Sydney has amber eyes. Mario is one of the Storybook bears and is about 10 inches tall. He wears an outfit of cotton with a fully lined wool jacket which has some hand embroidery. I've made everything including the pull toy that Sydney rides on. Please email me if you have questions about the online show or any of the pieces: http://www.donnaandthebears@aol.com/

Fair Phyllis and her teddy, Rebecca

The inspiration for this little bear is a madrigal which is a personal favorite in which the first words are "Fair Phyllis." Since this is a little white bear, she's about as "fair" as she can be. Since she will be part of the Winter Warmer show, I made a special mauve velveteen coat for her. Her little teddy, Rebecca, is one of my new little "mini" bears. Phyllis is about 10 inches tall and little Rebecca is about 4 1/2 inches. Hope you will visit her during the show!

Another Winter Warmer Critter!

Here is another little friend for the Bear Artists Online show. Isn't she a sweetie?? Her name is Monique and she's about 5 1/2 inches tall.

Here are some of the little bears that will be participating in the Bear Artists Online show this weekend. Please email me if you have any questions! This piece is called Dickens and Tim and the rickshaw is included. It's one of a kind.

Sneak Peak Delay!

We're finally having lots of rain here in southern Virginia! Unfortunately that has delayed my photo shoot with the new little bears. I'll try to get some photos up by the weekend of those who will be participating in the two upcoming shows. Please email me if you have any questions about the Online show for Bear Artists Online or the show in Hunt Valley, Md. which, by the way, will now be held at the Marriott! See you there! www.donnaandthebears@AOL.com You can also email me through my web site www.donnaandthebears.com

Little bear, up close

This little bear has won my heart. I am finishing up another BIG bear (just over 6 inches) and find that I am thinking of my next little friend. Here are a couple of "up close" shots. The one of Little Bear rubbing his eyes I will call "Miss You" for all the friends I won't get to see at a bear show this year. Sadly, there is no show scheduled for Atlanta and I will dearly miss going there and seeing the friends I've made over the past 10 years.

New Little Friend!

Little things have always intrigued me and little bears are no exception. I am drawn to the little ones at shows and found myself bidding on one charmer last week that eventually went for over $100 an inch! I decided to do some more experimenting with the little guys and am so in love with this first little one born of the challenge. He (or she, I think) has no name and if anyone can offer a suggestion, I'd love it! The real challenge in this photo was holding the little dear and taking the photo at the same time!

Amadeus Gallery Piece from TBAI

Here is a photo from my gallery piece, Amadeus, at the recent TBAI show. Young Amadeus is about 5 inches tall and stands atop a harpsichord bench wearing a dashing suit of silk dupioni with swarovski crystals as trim. He has a lace collar and wears silk stockings with shiny black shoes. The shoes have swarovski crystals on them as well. You will note a "wig" of wool worn by both Amadeus and his father Leopold. Leopold's outfit is made of brown wool and has a lace collar. In addition to both bears, I also made the harpsichord and bench. Historic note: In Mozart's day, the keys on the harpsichord were black with the sharps being white. The harpsichord is made from polymer clay in gingerbread house fashion. I used wood venere for the outside afixed over the clay base. You can see some of the background which was a shadow box filled with pages from Mozart's Requiem and the titles of his most famous work.

What a week!

This past week has just been overwhelming! My friend, Penny, called Monday last with news that my two Golden Teddy Nominations each won the Golden Teddy Award! The announcement was made at the Expo show the week before. All the winners can be seen on the Teddy Bear Review Website.
I've just returned from TBAI where my Gallery Piece - Amadeus - won the Peoples' Choice Award! I am so grateful to all this wonderful support. As long as folks keep liking my bears - I get to keep making them! How grand is that!
I'll try to post a photo of little Amadeus here soon!

Bears on their way to TBAI!

I'm just in the process of packing up these dear little ones for the trip to Binghamton, New York, and TBAI. As usual, we're running late and will be rushing around until we leave tomorrow morning.

Another show coming soon!

I'm working on some dear little bears to travel up to the TBAI show in Binghamton, New York, in August. I hope to have some "sneak preview" shots to post here soon. The show and convention is one of the most fun events in the Teddy Bear world.

What a Show!

The Bear Artists Online show has been just wonderful! The administrator reports thousands of hits and there is still some time to go. All five of my pieces found new homes shortly after the show began so I was able to get a good night's sleep.

Five for the Show!

Here are the five little Storybook bears who will take part in the Bear Artists Online Show on June 30th.

Please scroll down for information about the show and each of these little bears.

If you'd like further information about any of the little ones or the show, please email me: www.Donnaandthebears@AOL.com

Matthew's Ready for the Show!

Matthew and all his friends are looking forward to the Bear Artists Online Show on June 30th. We hope you will visit and you can get to the show by going to www.bear-artists-online.com and clicking on the show information. You can take a peak at some of the bears and friends that will be taking part in the show right now. If you go to the web site and click on the show you'll be able to see some of the wonderful creations ready to travel to your home.

The show will take place from midnight on the 29th until midnight on the 30th but that's Greenwich Mean Time. If you are on the East Coast of the U. S., that translates to 7 p.m. on the 29th to 7 p.m. on the 30th. If you are in other time zones, I'll bet you can figure it out from there.

If you have any questions about the show or how to access it, please email me: www.donnaandthebears@AOL.com and I'll be glad to help!

I'll try to have a grouping of all my pieces tomorrow for you to see! For now, please scroll down to see all 5.

Matthew

What a cutie! Little Matthew is another of my Storybook bears and is dressed and ready for the Bear Artists Online show next week. He stands 9 3/4 inches tall and is dressed in overalls and a jacket with a sailor collar. He's a real nature lover and wears a golden acorn around his neck. His little jacket is completely lined in a coordinating cotton fabric.

As with all the other Storybook bears, his outfit will be interchangeable and other outfits will be available through out the year on my web site: www.donnaandthebears.com

I'll post another photo of Matthew wearing just his overalls later.

Endangered Bees

As I was having lunch on the deck this afternoon, I was delighted to see bees buzzing around the petunias. The species seems to be in trouble and I have noticed fewer visiting the Spring blossoms than we normally see. This little guy tried to get to the pollen through the open flower but he was so heavy the blossom collapsed with his weight. He finally landed at the base and went after the pollen through the flower. Clever guy!

Timothy

Sweet little Timothy wears an outfit of the softest cotton. The little jacket is lined with another print and there is a sailor collar on the back. Timothy wears a little elephant pin on the front of his overalls in tribute to his friend Pearl. He'll be one of the Storybook bears available for the Bear Artists Online show on June 30th.

Timothy and Pearl

Timothy and Pearl have been best friends for as long as they can remember. Timothy, with the sweetest face in the world, stands 9 3/4 inches tall or 24.77 centimeters. Pearl sits a whole 4 inches tall including her ears.

Timothy is made of mohair fur from South Africa and I've sculpted Pearl from polymer clay. Her features are hand painted and she has glass eyes as does Timothy.

I'll be back later with a picture of Timothy all by himself.

Claire's close up photo

Here's Claire's close up photo. You might be able to see the smocking on the skirt of her dress. As one of the Storybook Bears, her outfit is removable and she will be able to wear other outfits as she pleases. I hope to have some seasonal dresses available on my web site.

Claire's ready for the online show!

This young lady is named Claire. She's dressed in white batiste that I've smocked around the waist and edged with entredeux and fine cotton lace. She wears a garland of pink roses in her hair. Claire is another of the Storybook bears and is about 9 3/4 inches tall. She's made of a lovely honey colored mohair and has glass eyes. I'll post a close up of her face soon. She looks as though she's dressed for the Summer Solstice celebration! Happy Summer!

Sam and Max

Here is Sam's best friend bunny whose name is Max. I've sculpted Max from polymer clay and painted him. Max wears an outfit which coordinates with Sam's.

I'll have a few more photos to post in the next couple of days.

Here's another Storybook Bear!

Here's a sweet young lass named "Sam." She's another of my little Storybook bears that are going to be part of the online show with Bear Artists Online. All the Storybook bears are about 9 3/4 inches tall and their outfits are interchangeable. Miss Sam has a sweet little bunny that will accompany her. Sam and the bunny (sculpted from polymer clay) have matching outfits. I'll be back tomorrow with a snapshot of the duo and hopefully a few more of the Storybook bears.

Fergus and Hammish Celebrate the Year of the Pig

Here's the first sneak peak photo for the Online show on June 30th. The full title is Fergus (whose family immigrated to Scotland a couple of generations ago) and Hammish Celebrate the Year of the Pig! Fergus, the panda, stands about 9 3/4 inches tall and is made of mohair. I've sculpted Hammish, the pig, from paper clay. Their hats and the pinwheel are fabric. Hope you like these guys and will visit the show on June 30th> www.Bearartistsonline.com

Greetings from Donna and the Bears!

I'm busily getting some little bears ready for their photo shoot so that they can take part in the Bear Artists Online show on June 30th. I hope to have some "sneak preview" shots to post here soon.

The weather here in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia is very un-Spring like with cool temperatures.

Yesterday my daughter Kim and I visited the Boardwalk Art Show on the ocean front in Virginia Beach. It was a grand show with many fine artists taking part. The surf was up and the wind was blowing. We were glad to have taken jackets along.