Yellow Submarine Wins First Place!

I'm thrilled to report that The Yellow Submarine just won 1st place in the vignette category at TBAI! I'll post photos soon!
The show is going well and everyone is having lots of fun. My presentation this morning (Photographing Teddy) went well. Most of my bears sold at the brief showing this evening before the banquet. Tomorrow is the main show. I'll get some photos and post soon!

Going to TBAI!

The little bears, submarine, and I will be leaving for Binghamton, NY early tomorrow morning. I gathered some of the little ones who are ready for a quick photo last night. I can't take reservations for them as some who are coming to the show don't have Internet access, but we all hope to see you at the show! I'll try to get some good photos of the fun and this time will remember to take the cable that connects my camera to my computer.

Yellow Submarine launches!

I'm leaving for TBAI in Binghamton, NY on Wednesday. I'll be towing my gallery piece along - The Yellow Submarine. I have a few little details yet (like the rudder) to deal with, but was able to get some photos last night. The yellow submarine rests on a rock or piece of fake coral that I found at a pet store meant to go in a fish tank or terrarium. I wanted to have the words of the Yellow Submarine song in the piece, so I sculpted a turtle which is holding a sign with the words on it for a sing along. On the left of the piece with be the "album cover" I designed featuring my Fab Fuzzy 4! The boys are about 4 inches tall and wear Sgt. Pepper's Band Uniforms which I've decorated with Swarovski crystals - don't think they show up too well, but they are sparkley!

I hope to have some other pictures of some of the bears that will be going to the show tomorrow!

Trip to "the Burgh"

The trip to Pennsylvania was tons of fun. I took loads of photos and will share more. This was probably the most spectacular as Kim and I went to the top of Mt. Washington across the river from downtown Pittsburgh. We rode the Incline first down the mountain and then up again. You can see one of the Incline cars in the lower right of the photo. The highlights of the visit include hiking in a local park and a visit to the National Aviary. Will post some wonderful birdy pictures soon.

I'm working away at the little bears for TBAI. I'll be heading to Binghamton, NY a week from Wednesday. Can't wait!!!

Trips and Ebay and Info

I'm traveling to Pennsylvania tomorrow to visit Kim. I hope to remember my camera so that I can record the journey and our sight seeing!

In the meantime, I've decided to delay the Ebay auctions of my Golden Teddy Nominees until the Fall. I'll be away a lot this summer, and our Internet Cable Service has been going in and our for a week or so. It may be difficult to answer questions and queries if I can't get online!!!! Please let me know if you'd like me to email you when the girls will be available.

I've been privileged to take part in the URSA Award program this year sponsored by Bright Star Promotions I think voting continues until the end of July. If you'd like to take a look at all the entries and vote for your favorites, click here: http://www.bright-star-promotions.com/ and follow the URSA trail clicking on "Let the voting begin" The entries are amazing!!

The photos in this posting are of my little entry - one of my smallest bears yet! His name is "Marc Andre - flower elf"

A Wonderful Gift from Debbie!

Imagine my surprise when a cute package from a long time friend arrived yesterday!!! It seems Debbie has kept up with Kim's and my excitement over the Penguins "March to the Cup" this year and crocheted two adorable little penguins for us! We've named them Sid and Geno for two of the stars of the hockey team. Kim (I send her a photo from my IPhone) said the taller one must be Geno. I shall carry this sweetest of gifts along when I visit Kim later this month. I expect she will want to keep Sidney, but we'll see!

I can't thank Debbie enough for her friendship and for such a thoughtful gift!

Strike Up the Band

Well, Sgt. Pepper would be proud, I think! The little Beatle Bears have their band uniforms and their bodies and are trying out their instruments. I will put more trim on each of the little outfits and one of the little guys lost the feather in his cap as we were going outdoors to take photos. The yellow submarine is still under construction, but I'll post a photo of that soon!

Not Quite Ready for Prime Time

I'm working on my gallery piece for TBAI (Teddy Bear Artist Invitational) in Binghamton, NY in August and these little guys will be the stars. The theme this year is "Name that Song" and I picked "Yellow Submarine" by the Beatles. Yep, these are the little Beatle bears - they will each be about 4 inches tall - and will be riding on a yellow submarine. I'm making the submarine out of paper clay and have decided to dress these little bears in band outfits like Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band. They will each have their little instruments too! Since taking this photo, I've completed a couple of the little bears and will post more photos soon.

I LOVE A PARADE!

Miss Kim went to the parade in downtown Pittsburgh today for the celbration of the win of the Stanley Cup by the Penguins. She left early and got a spot right in front on the parade route. She says she took 600 plus photos! Gotta love the new technology. She send several to me and I'm going to include 3 in this post. The team is young and their Captain - Sidney Crosby - is only 21 years old. He's the youngest NHL (National Hockey League) Captain to ever win the Cup with his team. The other photos are of Mario Lemieux, Hockey Hall of Famer, who is now part owner of the Penguins, and Jordan Staal, another very young Center for the team. I saw parade on the Internet as the local station streamed its coverage.

I'm so glad Kim got to go down to the parade along with over 300,000 other faithful fans. It's a Great Day For Hockey!!! (That's not an original quote, but a famous saying first uttered by "Badger" Bob - a former coach who was in charge when Mario was the Captain and the Penguins had the first franchise win of the Cup in 1991.)