Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

:clap:  :clap:  :clap: utterly, completely exquisite - and those fabrics! wow! :clap:  :clap:  :clap:

:clap:  :clap:  :clap: completely charming, he makes me smile :clap:  :clap:  :clap:

:clap:  :clap:  :clap: utterly charming :clap:  :clap:  :clap:

:clap:  :clap:  :clap: aB-So-LuTeLy FAB-u-LoUs :clap:  :clap:  :clap:

Luigi is life-sized, 14" at the comb, 16" at the tail feathers and is constructed out of various mohair & tissavel furs with leather comb, wattles, beak, feet, claws and eyelids. full locline neck and spine, jointed legs, locline wings, wired tail feathers for posing.  airbrushed accents.

we've really gotten hammered with snow up here in the NE over the last week or so.  I'm not complaining, I love the stuff - and so do my pups.  we've been out romping in it several hours a day and I thought I'd share a few of pics I've taken of my rambuntious snowpuppies:

:dance:  :dance:  :dance: riotous raves for this raucous raccoon :dance:  :dance:

:clap:  :clap:  :clap: more marvelous magic from the mistress of mink :clap:  :clap:  :clap:

another beauty from our beautiful bear beautician  :clap:  :clap:

(ps. .  .thinking you can stop worrying about your auction now ;-))

:redface:  :redface:  :redface: awwwww, you guys are so sweet  :hug:  thanks  :hug:   I've had this fur on hand for ages, trying to work out how to use the shading on the fur to it's best advantage.  there was a lot of waste, but I think the end results were worth it.  I can't wait to try it on a multi-jointed bear.  thanks again  :hug:

Grady is 22" tall and 7.5 pounds of cuddle. made of vintage Tissavel faux wolf fur, Grady sports trapunto leather paw pads, a leather nose and leather eyelids over German glass eyes.  filled with a combination of glass & silicone beads and excelsior, Grady is soft, floppy and made to sit in your lap and be played with.  A fairly classic teddy bear w/5 joints, Grady wears an antique linen collar with a vintage MOP button.

(the collar and white fur on Grady are actually a very creamy old ivory.  the glare on his left forehead is a result of poor lighting, his coloring is actually very subtle)

(I added a tail after the photoshoot, Grady felt naked without it)

:clap:  :clap:  :clap:  :clap: exquisitely done  :clap:  :clap:  :clap:  :clap:

she is as compeletly charming as her creator  :dance:  :clap:  :dance:

I've had squirrels on the brain lately, but this is an idea I've had in mind for years.  I'm pleased it's turned out exactly as I'd pictured and I'm happy to finally have this crossed off the list!

'Chock Full O' Nuts'

9" grey squirrel (plus 11" tail) made of Belgian synthetic with leather paws & eyelids.  German glass eyes, 5 disk joints and wired front arms.  the 'Chock Full O' Nuts can is an artist construct made of silver leather, with the label screened unto vintage silk bastiste. leaves are sewn of varying shades of leather, inc some of a cool metallic leopard spotted leather.  acorn and paw pads have magnets to hold in place.

(sorry the pics a bit over-exposed, I'm trying to get used to a new camera)

gosh, thanks, everyone!  :redface: ya'll are a pretty wonderful, talented bunch.  I'm honored to be a part of such a great gang!  :hug:  :hug:  :hug:

wow, what a beautiful piece.  :clap:  :clap:  :clap:   I love all your stuff, it's so alive yet sculptural.  it always reminds me of Botero - only cute  :dance:  :dance:  :dance:

love, love, loving it!  really exquisite craftmanship, too, those wings are not only fabulous, but perfectly stitched.  a really great piece!  :clap:  :clap:  :clap:

waahoooooo. . . . what a beauty  :clap:  :clap:  :clap:  - and welcome to TT from one of your biggest fans!  :hug:

I understand about not wanting to cover all that beautiful fur, too.  good choice.

met 'Buzz' a tufted-ear red european squirrel.  I've done as few squirrel kits before, but Buzz is the first grown-up I've attempted.  I meant to just make him a few leaves & an acorn, but as you can see, I got a little carried away. . .

8" squirrel (plus 9" tail) sitting in his own little stump. squirrel is made of belgian synthetic fur, with leather paw pads and eyelids. he has a full neck, spine & locline tail, 5 disk joints, wired front arms and magnets in both front paws.

9"x7" stump, grass,leaves and acorns are constructed of leather, using real acorn caps.  2 of the acorns also have magnets embedded in them.  leaves & acorns are loose for the client to strew about at will.

gosh, thanks everyone!  TT is always the place to comw when you need a smile or a lift! thanks for all the sweet comments on Dill.  :hug:  :hug:  :hug:

I thought you might like a peek at my first bear of the year.  Dill is wee floppy 15" 'whocaresbear' in the coolest shade of olive green in a super dense matted mohair with trapunto leather pawpads, a leather nose and leather eyelids over german glass eyes.  5-way disk-jointed, heavy, floppy, filled with silicone pellets, glass beads and excelsior, Dill is one huggable teddy bear.

meet Murphy, my 25th and last piece of 2009.  the Murph is 16" long, (12" seated) and is made out of Shulte dense mohair with leather paws, claws, nose & eyelids.  He is rod-jointed with 5 disk joints, 12 mechanical joints and full neck and spine.

introducing 'Noel' . . .my Bear Noel for 2009

he's 30" tall standing, made of dense 1" ivory mohair.  sculpted and shaved muzzle with trapunto leather paws and leather claws.  23" seated., rod-jointed with a complete neck and spine, elbow, wrist, knee & ankle joints.  his suit is made of 100-yr-old german mohair velvet, the jacket is trimmed on every edge with vintage ermine.  I used a hood instead of cap this time and lined the hood with the same rich red velvet so as to double-frame his face in red velvet and then the creamy white ermine. the jacket is lined in heavy cream satin and belted with a black leather belt with an antique carved mother-of-pearl buckle.  the pants are of the same mohair velvet, all exterior edges are trimmed with black leather, with drawstring at the knees and waist.  there is a tail opening for both sitting and standing positions, although being very heavy (about 20 lbs) Noel prefers to sit, and will nestle as comfortably in a lap as a 2-yr-old. his toy bag is made of brocade fabric from an antique piano shawl, trimmed with leather and the original fringe from the shawl.  he had a fun assortment of vintage and vintage look toys and ornaments.

thanks, everyone - you've given me the best hug I've had in weeks  :hug:  :hug:  :hug:

a handsome, handsome chap  :clap:  :clap:  :clap:

and Christine!  there you are. . . I wondered where you'd gone  :hug: